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GEN.  SIMON  PERKINS 


CENTENNIAL  HISTORY 


OF 


SUMMIT  COUNTY,  OHIO 


AND 

REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZENS 

EDITED  AND  COMPILED  BY 

WILLIAM  fi.  DOYLE,  LL.  D. 

^^ 
"History  is  Philosophy  Teaching  by  Examples" 


PUBLISHED  BV 

BIOGRAPHICAL    PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

liEDRGE  Richmond.  Pres.  C.  R.  Arnold.  Sec'y  and  Treas. 

CHICAGO,  ILL. 

1908 


s^ 


X)(^ 


preface 


I  UK  aim  of  the  publishers  of  this  volume  and  of  the  author  o£  the 
history  has  been  to  secure  for  the  historical  portion  thereof 
full  and  accurate  data  respecting  the  history  of  the  county  from 
the  earliest  times,  and  to  condense  it  into  a  clear  and  interesting 
narrative.  All  topics  and  occurrences  have  been  included  that 
were  essential  to  this  object.  Although  the  original  purpose  was  to 
limit  the  narrative  to  the  close  of  1906.  it  was  found  expedient  to  touch  on  many 
matters  relating  to  the  year  1907. 

It  is  impossible  for  the  editor  to  enumerate  all  those  to  whom  he  feels  that 
thanks  are  due  for  assistance  rendered  and  kindly  interest  taken  in  this  work.  He 
would,  however,  mention  Hon.  J.  A.  Kohler,  Dr.  Samuel  Findley,  and  Aaron  Teeple, 
Esq.,  among  others,  as  those  to  whom  he  feels  under  special  obligations. 

In  the  preparation  of  the  history  reference  has  been  made  to,  and  in  some  cases 
extracts  taken  from,  standard  historical  and  other  works  on  different  subjects  herein 
treated  of.  Much  information  has  also  been  obtained  from  manuscript  records  not 
heretofore  published. 

The  reviews  of  resolute  and  strenuous  lives  which  make  up  the  biographical 
department  of  this  volume,  and  whose  authorship  is  for  the  most  part  independent 
of  that  of  the  history,  are  admirably  calculated  to  foster  local  ties,  to  inculcate 
patriotism,  and  to  emphasize  the  rewards  of  industry  dominated  by  intelligent  pur- 
pose. They  constitute  a  most  appropriate  medium  of  perpetuating  personal  annals, 
and  will  be  of  incalculable  value  to  the  descendants  of  those  commemorated.  These 
sketches,  replete  with  stirring  incidents  and  intense  experiences,  are  flavored  with  a 
strong  human  interest  that  will  naturally  prove  to  a  large  portion  of  the  readers  of 
this  book  its  most  attractive  feature. 

In  the  aggregate  of  personal  memoirs  thus  coUated  will  be  found  a  vivid  epitome 
of  the  growth  of  Summit  County,  which  will  fitly  supplement  the  historical  statement, 
for  the  development  is  identified  with  that  of  the  men  and  women  to  whom  it  is  attrib- 
utable. The  publishers  have  endeavored  to  pass  over  no  feature  of  the  work  slight- 
ingly, but  to  fittingly  supplement  the  editor's  labors  by  exercising  care  over  the 
minutest  details  of  publication,  and  thus  give  to  the  volume  the  three-fold  value  of  a 
readable  narrative,  a  useful  work  of  reference,  and  a  tasteful  ornament  to  the  library. 
We  believe  the  result  has  justified  the  care  thus  exercised. 

Special  prominence  has  been  given  to  the  portraits  of  representative  citizens 
which  appear  throughout  the  volume,  and  we  believe  that  they  will  prove  not  its  least 
interesting  feature.  We  have  sought  in  this  department  to  illustrate  the  different 
spheres  of  industrial  and  professional  achievement  as  conspicuously  as  possible.  To 
all  those  who  have  kindly  interested  themselves  in  the  successful  preparation  of  this 
work,  and  who  have  voluntarily  contributed  most  useful  information  and  data,  or 
rendered  other  assistance,  we  hereby  tender  our  grateful  acknowledgments. 

THE    PUBLISHERS. 

Chicago,  III.,  January,  1908. 


$lote 

All  the  biographical  sketches  published  in  this  volume  were 
submitted  to  their  respective  subjects  or  to  the  subscribers,  from 
whom  the  facts  were  primarily  obtained,  for  their  approval  or  cor- 
rection before  going  to  press;  and  a  reasonable  time  was  allowed  in 
each  case  for  the  return  of  the  typewritten  copies.  Mo'^t  of  them 
were  returned  to  us  within  the  time  allotted,  or  before  the  work  was 
printed,  after  being  corrected  or  revised;  and  these  may  therefore  be 
regarded  as  reasonably  accurate. 

A  few,  however,  were  not  returned  to  us  ;  and  as  we  have  no 
means  of  knowing  whether  they  contain  errors  or  not,  we  cannot 
vouch  for  their  accuracy.  In  justice  to  our  readers,  and  to  render 
this  work  more  valuable  for  reference  purposes,  we  have  indicated 
these  uncorrected  sketches  by  a  small  asterisk  (*),  placed  imme- 
diately after  the  name  of  the  subject.  They  will  all  be  found  on 
the  last  pages  of  the  book. 

BIOGRAPHICAL   PUBLISHING   COMPANY. 


Contents 


CHAPTER  I. 

Topography  axd  Geology oj 

Description  of  the  Physical  Features  of  the  County — Its  Economic  Geology — The  Soil;  Its  Drainage  and 
Fertility — Coal — Gas — Oil. 

CHAPTER  n. 

Settlement  and  Organization  of  Summit  County 29 

Pioneer  Conditions— Indian  Trading— Wild  Game— Home-Made  Garments— Pioneer  Hospitality— Social 
Amusements — First  Published  Description  of  Summit  County — Making  of  Summit  County — Western 
Reserve— Organization  of  the  County— County  Scat  Selected — County  Seat  Contests— Adams'  Reception- 
Territorial  Changes. 

CHAPTER  III. 

County  and  Other  Owici als 47 

A  Roster  of  Officials  from  the  Organization  of  the  County  Down  to  1907. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Akron — The  County  Se.\t 56 

Introductory — Economic  Causes  and  Growth  of  Akron — Its  Settlement  and  History — Public  Improvements — 
Akron  an  Incorporated  Town — City  Government — Mercantile  Akron — Fire  and  Police  Departments — Riot 
of  1900 — .\ftermath  of  the  Riot. 

CHAPTER    V. 

Townships  and  Towns 101 

Settlement  and  Organization  of  the  Townships — Settlement  and  Founding  of  the  Towns — Sketches  of 
Barberton,    Cuyahoga   Fall,?,    Hudson,    Tallmadge,   Peninsula,   Etc. 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Public  Institutions    1-3 

CHAPTER    VII. 
Agriculture '30 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Transportation  Facilities    HO 

Steam  and  Electric  Railroads— The  Ohio  Canal— The   Ohio  and    I'eniisv  l\  ani.i   Canal. 


12  .  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Manufactures  147 

The  County's  Chief  Manufacturing  Establishments  of    the    Past    and    of    the    Present — Clay    Products — 
Cereal  Mills — Agricultural  Implements — The  Rubber  Industry — Printing  and  Publishing.  Etc. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Banks  and  Banking 168 

History  of  the  Banks  of  Summit  County — Banks  Inadequate — Akron's     Financial     Reputation — Akron     a 
Large   Borrower — Panic   of   1904 — Clearing  House  Statement — Future  Prosperity  Certain. 

CHAPTER  XI. 
The  Public  Schools 173 

CHAPTER  XII. 
History  of  Buchtel  College 202 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Religious  Development   219 

First  Churches  and   Pioneer  Clergy — General   History  of   Religious   Organizations — Churches   and   Clergy 
of  To-day. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Press  224 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Greatness  Achieved  by  Sum mit  County  Sons 231 

John  Brown — Edward  Rowland  Sill. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Military  History  239 

Revolutionary  War — War  of  1S12 — Mexican  War — War  of  the  Rebellion — Militia  Organizations — Spanish- 
American  War. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Fraternal  Organizations  247 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Medical  Profession  253 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Bench  and  Bar 261 

Early  History  —The  Present  Bar  and  Its  High  Standing. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Statistics : 319 

Biographical  303 


Index 


Biograpbical 


TAGE 

Abele,  John 970 

Adams,  F.  H 1112 

Adams,  Francis  X.,  M.D 916 

Adamson,  A 393 

Adamson,  C.  F 964 

Adler,  Jacob 394 

Akers,   Alfred 495 

Akers,  Charles  E 3SU 

Alexander,  Hon.  J.   Park....    361 

Allen,  I.  F 598 

Allen,  Albert 764 

Allen,   Andrew    H 805 

Allen,   Arthur   M 408 

Allen,   George   G 318 

Allen,  Jesse 391 

Allen,  Miner  Jesse 391 

Allen,    Levi 391 

Allen,    Levi 678 

Allen,   Robert   II 408 

Allen.   W.   G 633 

Ailing.   Williston 450 

Ammerman.    Lharles 297 

Andress,    H.    E 285 

Andrews,  J.   H 518 

Armstrong,  R.  E 336 

Arnold,  John  D 543 

Atterholt,   Frank   M 267 

Auble,   A.,    Jr 980 

Aultman    Brothers 851 

Aultman,    George   W 851 

Aultman,  William  J 851 

Averill,    Frank    E 605 

Avcrill.    William    F 758 

Babb,    George    W 622 

Babcock,    Austin 681 

Bachtel,    A.    C 505 

Baird,    Charles 270 

Baldwin,    Harvey 347 

Baldwin.  Joseph  A 386 

Bales,    Frank   S 953 

Barber,    George 765 

Barber,  Ohio   C 765 

Barder,  B.  R .' 410 

Barker,   Jared : 637 

Barker,    Lanson 618 

Barker,    William 618 

Barker,  William   P 534 


PAGE 

Barnett.   William 335 

Bartges,   Dr.    Samuel    W 255 

Bartlett,    John    S 1110 

Bates,   George  D 358 

Bauer,   Daniel 1063 

Bauer,  Frederick  J.,  ALD....   579 

Bauer,    Howard    A 550 

Bauer,  Jonas 675 

Bauer,  Joseph  D 1062 

Bauer,   William   D 1061 

Baughman,  John 701 

Baughman,  Reuben   B 701 

Baum   Family 1067 

Baum.   James    M 1068 

Baum,  O.  W 501 

Baum,    Thomas 1067 

Beardsley,   Talman 594 

Beck,  J.   Martin 407 

Beese,    John 961 

Bennage,  A.   W 833 

Bennage,   Jacob 995 

Bennage,    Jacob    W 994 

Benner,   Charles    C 275 

Benner,  Joseph   S 406 

Berger,  Capt.  D.  F 938 

Berger,  John  H 933 

Bernard,   Charles   B 266 

Betzler,  J.  F 577 

Bierce,  Lucius   V 831 

Bierce,   Gen.   Lucius   V 263 

Bienz.    Peter 400 

Bill,  Albert  H.,  M.D 1036 

Billow.  Capt.  George 339 

Billow,  George  V 1114 

Bisbee,   George  A 643 

Bishop,    Charles   E 888 

Bishop,    George    T 861 

Bishop,    Zephaniah 88t> 

Blackburn,  Harry  F 76S 

Blackburn,    John 976 

Blackburn,    Thomas 863 

Blackburn,    William 076 

Blackwell,    Henry 1006 

Blessman.  August 1047 

Bliler,    Daniel 990 

Bliler,    Joel 990 

Bliler,    William    H. 990 

Bliss.   Ambrose   W 717 


PAGE 

Bliss,    George 263 

Bliss,  Lorin 717 

Bloomfield.   Col.   John   C 405 

Boesche,    W.   A 341 

Bolanz,  H.  Frederick 932 

Boltz,    Charles 864 

Boltz,    Peter    W 864 

Borst,  C.  H 371 

Botzum,    Capt.    Adam 836 

Botzum,  George  A 734 

Bouton,     Charles 768 

Bowen,   Dr.    William 255 

Bower.  William  H 474 

Boyd.  James  P.,  M.D 986 

Bradley,    Charles 3S6 

Bradley,    George    H 945 

Bradley,    James 944 

Brady,  John  W 673 

Brandau,  H.  G 335 

Braucher,   Daniel   R 753 

Breen,  James  P 756 

Breitenstine.    John 949 

Brewster,    Albert    J 995 

Brewster   Familv 419 

Brewster,    Haye's    W 348 

Brewster,   Hiram 348 

Brewster,  James    G 349,  430 

Brewster,   Stephen 349,  419 

Briggs,    C.    Lee 584 

Brittain,    John 654 

Brittain,    John    G 663 

Brittain,  John   T 654 

Brooks,  Andrew  T 501 

Broun,    James    W 757 

Broun,   Rev.  John   B 521 

Brouse,   Cornelius   A 406 

Brown,    Josiah 737 

Bruner,   C.   1 506 

Brunswick,    William    F 500 

Bryan,    Constant 366 

Buchtel,  John 996 

Buchtel,    Hon.    William 398 

Buetch.    Ernest   C 954 

Burkhardt,    G.    F 402 

Burroughs,    Allen 64* 

Burroughs,    Levi 644 

Butler,    Frank 834 

Butler,    F.    W 1006 


14 


INDEX 


rAGi; 

Calu.w,    Danic-l    H 105+ 

Cahow,    -Milo «S4 

Cahow,    Robert 0S4 

Caldwell,   Abncr  L S47 

Call,   Charles  A 054 

Camp,    Horace    B -^lO 

Camp,   H.   H 518 

Camp,  L.  W b*^ 

Campbell,  John  B 8^4 

Campbell,    J.    R 909 

Campfield,  William   L 449 

Canfield,  Horace  G ''78 

Capron,    Alfred 521 

Carkhuff,    Stacy    G 483 

Carmany,    Isaac 5SG 

Carmanv,  Webster  F 586 

Carpenter,    Abraham o3o 

Carpenter,  A.   Lincoln 633 

Carpenter,   James   S 263 

Carper,    George 615 

Carper,   Samuel   S 61-> 

Carr,  Charles  B.,  M.D IIOS 

Carter,  Charles  A 96(' 

Carter,    Edwin    H 550 

Carter,    Joseph    B S95 

Carter.    William 966 

Case,  James  H 1059 

Cassidy,  Frank  D 3iti 

Castle,    H.    F 298 

Castle,   L.   D ^01 

Chaffee,    Comfort    J 551 

Chalker,  James,   Jr 1091 

Chalker,    Newton 300,  1090 

Chamberlain,  William   1 937 

Chamberlin,     Horace 798 

Chamberlin,    Z.    F '!'98 

Chapman,    C.    l' 1035 

Chapman,    John 667 

Chapman,  John  L 666 

Chase,   Dr.    Byron    S 255 

Christy,  James 430 

Christy,    Will 523 

Church,  Rev.  A.   B 569 

Clapper,   Jacob 616 

Clapper,    John    VV 616 

Clark,  Benjamin  F 796 

Cleaver,   J.   V.,    M.D 653 

Clerkin,   William 965 

Click,   Samuel   A 943 

Coates,   Edward SOS 

Cobbs,   Charles    S 293 

Coburn.   Dr.   Stephen  H 254 

Cochrane,   Harry   A "i't 

Coffman,    Matthias 935 

Cofifman,  Samuel 935 

Cole,  Dr.  Arthur  M .523 

Cole,    Dr.    Joseph 254 

Columbia  Chemical  Company  590 

Commins,   Alexander   H 28S 

Commins,  Alexander   H 516 

Comstock,    Allen 1035 

Comstock,   John   L 1035 

Conaghan,   C.   Charles 556 

Conaghan,  Charles  C 556 

Conger,  Col.  Arthur  L 495 

Conn,  Hon.    Eli 701 

Converse,  Chauncey •.  .   472 


1".\I!E 

Converse,     I'rank    J 472 

Conway,    James 1001 

Conway,     Michael 1001 

Cooke,    F.    M 1085 

Cooke.  Joseph 430 

Cooper,    Joseph 583 

Cooper,    Samuel 527 

Cooper,    WiUiam 469 

Cormany,    Frank 914 

Courtney,  Joseph 461 

Cpwen,  Jsaac  Sheldon 453 

Cowen.    John 453 

Cowling,   George   H 586 

Cox,    Edward    D 1103 

Cranz,    Eugene    F 1016 

Crisp,   George 741 

Crisp,    John 712 

Crisp,   John   and   Son 1068 

Crosby,    Dr.    Eliakim 253 

Cross,  James   B 643 

Crouse,  Hon.  George  W 353 

Crumb,    Clarence   D 617 

Cunningham,  Sylvester  T 445 

Dallmga.    Jacob 746 

Dallinga,   Richard  J 746 

Dangel.    Joseph 609 

Davidson,  Harry  S.,  M.D 443 

Davidson,   J.   M 577 

Davis,  Hon.  Charles  A 558 

Davis.   George   S 378 

Day,    E.    S 813 

Deacon,    Horace    L 865 

Decker,    Seney    A 273 

Deeds,    Philip    F 1060 

Deeds,  Reed 1060 

Deibel,    Ernest    C 441 

Dellenberger.  John  H 379 

Dice.    Jeremiah 782 

Dice.  John    F 1113 

Dice,   William   A 783 

Dick,    Gen.    Charles 1077 

Dickinson,    Alexander 1003 

Dickinson.  George   W 1003 

Diehl.  Clarence  E 1084 

Dietrich.   A.   J . . . .' 638 

Dictz,   G.    Carl 445 

Dixon,    Charles    A..    M.D....    797 

Dobson.  Russell  T 726 

Dodge,  Burdettt  L 984 

Dodge.    William    M 268 

Donaldson,   G.   C 803 

Doncaster,    Burt 865 

Dox,   Clinton  A 415 

Dox,  James   Alonzo 414 

Doyle.  Hon.  Dayton  A 318 

Doyle,  Peter  W 1074 

Doyle.   Hon.    William  B 276 

Dreisbach.    Charles 544 

]:)rcisbach.    George 544 

Duncan,  Adam 880 

Duncan,  R.  H 880 

Durstine,  Albert  G 7S5 

Ebright.  Hon.  Leonidas  S...    369 
Edgerton,  Hon.  Sidney 365 


rAGK 

Ellsworth,   Fred  T 40U 

Emerman,   H.  J 834 

Emery,  William  J.,  M.D 333 

Emmett,   J.    Ira 715 

Enright,   J.   T 491 

Essig,    John    A 876 

Essig.  John  W 876 

Etling,    William    E 566 

Ewart.   Charles   C 693 

Ewart.    John 093 

Ewart.    John 524 

Ewart,    Perry    G 524 

Farnbauch.   J.     S 748 

Farris,   William   J 928 

Fenn,   Florenzo  F 1033 

Fenn,  Nelson   W 653 

Fenn,   Treat 632 

Fenton,  Almus 621 

Fenton,    Curtis 621 

Fergusson,  David  R 733 

Fergusson,  Dr.  J.  C 621 

Fette,    Albert 956 

Feudner,   J.   J 516 

Fillius,  Hon.   Ernest   L 1105 

Fillius,   Philip 1105 

Firestone,    Harvey   S 333 

Firestone.  T.   L 816 

Fisher,     Cornelius 429 

Fisher,  James  Albert 439 

Fisher,   John    T 831 

Fitch,    Willard    N 1113 

Flower,   James    T SSI 

Folger,  Walter  A 953 

Foltz,  Abner    E 1071 

Force,  L.   K 543 

Foster,  Coulson  M 868 

Foster    Family 1031 

Foster,  Edwin  F 999 

Foster,  L.   R 1031 

Foster,  Lyman 1031 

Foster,     Pardon 999 

Foster.  Tod   C 999 

Fouse.   Frederick 896 

Fouse.    John    M 895 

Foust,  George  W 1084 

Fowler,  Clyde  K 433 

Fowler,   Seymour   S 432 

Frain,   C.   P 406 

Frank,  John  C. 278 

Frank.  John   W 773 

Frank.   Julius 1103 

Franklin,  C.  F 553 

Franklin,   Walter   A 333 

Frase,  John 334 

Erase,  John   A 600 

Frase,    Noah 600 

Frase,   Orrin 6S6 

Frase,   Peter   M 334 

Frederick,    Henry 335 

Frederick,   Jacob 336 

Frederick,    Jacob 10S9 

Frederick,    Samuel 1089 

Frederick,  U.   G 357 

Fritch,  Elue  0 441 

Fryman,    Joel 903 

Fryman,  Wiliam  Jacob......   903 


INDEX 


15 


PACK 

Fuclis.    F.    William 477 

Fulmer,  Adam  J 72.) 

Fiilmer,    Jacob Sf)4 

Fulmer,   Kent   A 864 

Gammeter,    Emil 993 

Gardner,   G.    E S74 

Garman,    Benjamin 843 

Garman,   Jerry  J 878 

Garman,    Jacob 87S 

Garman,   Urias 842 

Gates,    Henry 548 

Gates,    Robert    C 548 

Gault,   Elmer  A 691 

Gauthier,    John    W 754 

Gaylord,   Charles    X 801 

Gaylord,    Jonathan 801 

Gaylord,    Leonard    E 934 

Gehree,  J.  A . .  ^ 676 

Gibbs,    Henry   A 875 

Gibbs,    H.    H 875 

Gifford,  B.  J 545 

Goldsmith,    Solomon    M 514 

Gonder,    Gregory   J 702 

Good,  J.  Edward 946 

Goodhue,  Hon.  Nathaniel  VV.  265 

Goodman,   F.   B 7S5 

Goodrich,   Dr.   Benjamin   p..  1009 

Goodrich,   Charles    C 1010 

Gougler,     Ami    C S77 

Gougler,    Calvin 515 

Gougler,  Daniel 515 

Gougler,    Soweras 1111 

Grafton,   George   P 327 

Grant,  Hon.  C.  R 314 

Greenbaum,    A.    b 673 

Green,    E.    P 267 

Greenberger,    X.    M 287 

Grether,    George 1041 

Grill,    John 787 

Grill,    John 787 

Grose,    Emsley   0 754 

Grubb,  Earl  James 793 

Hague,  William   R 706 

Hale,    Andrew 463 

Hale,  Hon.  Charles  0 993 

Hale,  John   P 463 

Hale,  Jonathan 847 

Hale,   Thomas 655 

Hall,  Philander  D 747 

Hall,   Philander    D..   Jr 904 

Hall,    Lorenzo 747 

Halter,    Lawrence 763 

Hamlin.    Ray    F 284 

Hammond,   Rolland   0 268 

Hanawalt,  D.  R 358 

Hankey,    David 506 

Hankey,  John   F 735 

Hankey,    Samuel 506 

Hankey,    Samuel 735 

Hanson,    Charles    E 824 

Hanson,   Richard 824 

Harbaugh,  B.  F 798 

Hardy,  Charles  D 8S6 

Hardy,    Xathaniel 1108 

Hardy.   Xorton   R SS6 


PAOE 

Hardy,    Perry   D 1108 

Hagelbarger,     Henry    M 304 

Haring,   Charles   A 527 

Haring,    Daniel 527 

Haring,     Louis 876 

Haring,   Samuel 876 

Harold,  Harry  W 814 

Harpham,   Fred   M 499 

Harpham,    William 499 

Harrington,  Albert  C 973 

Harrington,   Frederick   L....   974 
Harrington,   Capt.   Gurden  P.  887 

Harrington,   Job 973 

Hart,    Benjamin 657 

Hart,   George   W 593 

Hart,    Ira    L 703 

Hart,   Col.  John   C 593 

Harter,   Daniel 415 

Harter,    Jeremiah 647 

Harter,   Jesse 620 

Harter,    John 647 

Harter,    Oliver ". .   647 

Harter,   Otto   N 851 

Hatch,    Charles 53D 

Haupt,    Howard    W 605 

Haupt,    William    F 778 

Haver,   William   H 415 

Hawk    Daniel 646 

Hawk,    Philip 647 

Hawk,    Michael 574 

Hawkins,  A.    Wesley 431 

Hawkins,    Eber 1101 

Hawkins,    Eugene    A 903 

Hawkins,   George  W 963 

Hawkins,  J.  Horace 493 

Hawkins,   Nelson   C 431 

Hays,  K.  H 333 

Heer,    George 1107 

Heintz,    George 891 

Heintz,  George  P 540 

Heintz,    Philip   J 867 

Held,  Charles   E.,   M.D 757 

Heifer,  George   H 1106 

Heifer,    William 1107 

Heller,  Charles   P 1065 

Helmstedter,    George 393 

Heminger,    M.    C 975 

Hemington,    J.    F 1002 

Hemphill,  James  R 326 

Henry,    Albert    R 704 

Henry,    Charles 513 

Henry,  Hiram  C 656 

Herberich,   Charles 432 

Herbruck,   John    C 960 

Herbruck.    Philip 960 

Herman,   Jacob 618 

Hess,    Rosseau 05S 

Hiddleson,   C.   S.,   -M.D 632 

High,  U.   G 631 

Hill,   Brace  P 706 

Hill,    David    E 1062 

Hill,    George    R 1068 

Hill,    Joseph 931 

Hill,    Joseph    C 464 

Hiltabidle,     Capt.   W.    iL...10,-.6 

Himelright,   Alton 962 

Himelright.  Jacob 902 


P.lOK 

Hine,  H.   A 429 

Hitchcock,    Dr.    Elizur 355 

Hoertz,  John  M 651 

Hoffman,  Allen  F 1077 

Hoffman,    Benjamin    F 632 

Hoffman,    George    P 1006 

Hoffman,     Philip 632 

Holibaugh,    Daniel 848 

Hollinger,   David  D . . '. 990 

Hollinger,    Jacob 991 

Hollinger,  Walter  C 674 

Holub,    Max 399 

Holzhauer,   Lewis 979 

Hopkins,    Roswell 677 

Horn,  James  W 965 

Horn.   Stephen    h 963 

Horn,    Stephen    j 963 

Horner,    La    Fayette    H 959 

Hough,  Wayland  S.,   M.D...   994 

Houriet.    Floriant 1037 

Houriet,   Ulysses' 1037 

Housel,    Ernest    C' 270 

Howard,  Dr.  Elias  W 254 

Howe,    Henry   W 369 

Howe,   Henrv  Willett 1030 

Howe,    Richard 1031 

Hower,    Harvey    Y 414 

Hower,  John  H 413 

Hower.  Milton  Otis 692 

Howland,  Clarence 725 

Hoye,  Michael   W 491 

Huber,  P.  C 1102 

Huddilston,   Adam 458 

Humphrey,    Calvin    P 267 

Humphrey,   C.   M.,  M.D 991 

Humphrey,  Van  R 262 

Hunsicker,    Fred 763 

Hunsicker,    Horace 765 

Hunsicker,  John  Jacob 763 

Hunt,    W.    H 651 

Hyde,   J.    Grant 388 

Ingersull,    Henry    W 26S 

Innian,  Charles  T 4S4 

Inwood,    W.    A 423 

Iredell,  R.   S. 753 

Irish,  William   P 939 

Jacobs,  Hon.  Thomas  K....  377 
Jacobs,  William  Cloyd,  M.D.  377. 

Jacobs,  Dr.   William  C 35S 

Jahant,  A.  P 881 

Jaite,   Charles   H 463 

Jaquith,    Charles    W 1048 

Jaquith,  William   Henry 1048 

Jewett,    Dr.    Mendal 254 

Jockers,  William   A 995 

Johnson,    Charles   S 530 

Johnston,   Cornelius    A 625 

Johnston,  John    Moore 969 

Johnston,    Wiliam 625 

Jones,   Gomar 976 

Tones.   John    D 975 

Joy,  Harold   E 754 

Kasch.   G.    F 343 

Kauffman,   John 1083 


16 


INDEX 


I'ACiK 

Kauffman,  L.  M 1083 

Kauffnian,    William 108j 

Keenan,   W.   C 73S 

Keller    Brick    Company 807 

Keller,    William    F 807 

Keller,  W.  L.,  M.D 763 

Kemery,    John 860 

Kempel,    C.    A 885 

Kempel,   Hon.  Charles  W...1103 

Kempel,    John    A 756 

Kendall,    Joseph 844 

Kendig,   D.   W 842 

Kent,    Roswell 1033 

Kent,    Russell     H 1032 

Kepler,  Adam 985 

Kepler,    Houston 509 

Kepler,  Jacob 509 

Kepler,  Jacob   A 784 

Kepler,    S.    A B06 

Kepler,    Solomon 7S4 

Kile,   Salem 1029 

King.   John   W 560 

Klein,  Johii 745 

Kline,  Clint  W 897  • 

Knapp.    Nicholas 837 

Koch,   Jacob 383 

Kohler,  Albert  A..  Al.D 999 

Kohler,    George    C 269 

Kohler,   Hon.  Jacob   A 304 

Koonse.    Henry 687 

Koonse,  William 686 

Koplin,    Christian 340 

Koplin,    L.    C 684 

Koplin.  Solomon .'  340 

Kreighbaugh,  Hiram  F 673 

Kreighbaum,   Andrew   J 290 

Kreighbaum.  Johnston   B....    396 

Krisher.    Jacob    J 045 

Kuhlke.   M.   D 479 

Kuhlke.    Frederick 804 

Kuhn,   Luther   A 712 

Ladd,   Hon.   Charles   G 313 

Laffer.   James   M 453 

Lahmers.    F..    M.D 594 

Lahr,    Charles    H 344 

Lahr,    John 674 

Lahr,    William    H 674 

Lance,    George 1026 

Lance,  George  E 1035 

Lance,   Harvey 1036 

Lane,   Chauncey   B 1071 

Lapp.    Jacob 833 

Laubach.  Edward  P 1104 

Laubach.  William  F 913 

Lauby,    Jacob S84 

Lawton,    E.    A 773 

Leeser,  Levi   M 841 

Leeser,    Peter ,s-Sl 

Leiby,    Isaac 905 

Lepper,  John  A 5.11 

Lepper,  Peter 531 

Leser,  Edward  W 735 

Levy,     C.     D 471 

Limbach,   Martin.   Jr 1(IS5 

Limbert,  Hiram  W 5u3 


Limric.  John 517 

Livermore,  F.  B.,  M.D 854 

Lodge,  George  H 792 

Lodge,  Ralph   H 940 

Lodge,  William  R 950 

Lodwick,    A.    R 855 

Loeb,    Louis 598 

Lombard,    Nathaniel 384 

Long,  David  C 766 

Long,    Homer    G.,    M.D 483 

Long,   Mahlon   S 786 

Long,  W.  H 983 

Looker,  J.  B 328 

Loomis,  Byron  H 815 

Loomis,  Frank  Fowler 1096 

Loomis  Hardware  Co 814 

Loomis,   Harry   E 928 

Loomis,   Irving  L 815 

Loomis,   L.   W 814 

Ludwick,  Simon  P 783 

Lusk,  Alfred   G 444 

Lutz,    Charles    G 1041 

Lyder,  Dr.  John   W 358 

Lyman,  A.  E 964 

Lyon.    O.    G 479 

Lvons.    James 816 

McAllister    Brothers 554 

McCaman,    Elihu 900 

McCaman,    Elmer   1 900 

McCausland    Brothers 848 

McCausland,  James  C 848 

McCausland.  John  J 848 

McChesney,  Edward  A 1044 

McChesncy,   Frederick    VV...1090 

McChesney,    John 545 

McChesney,    William 545 

McChesney,  William    H 545 

McClellan,    Robert    A 546 

McClellan,  William  A 881 

McClure.  Samuel  W 264 

McColgan,  David  A 567 

McConnell,  George  A 463 

McConnell,    Isaac    S 614 

McCourt.   P.  T 944 

McCov,   George    W 541 

McCoy.    Robert 541 

McDowell.  John  W 970 

McEbright,    Dr.   Thomas 355 

McFarland,  William  P 341 

McFarlin,    William 388 

McGarrv.  Daniel   837 

McGowan.   S.    C 1041 

Mcintosh.   W.   W 453 

McKinney,  Hon.  Henry 364 

McKisson.  Alfred  E. . ." 1004 

McKisson.   Arthur    1004 

McNamara.   Hon.   James 510 

McNamara.  Hon.  John 431 

McNiece.    Leonard 458 

McShaffrey,   Edward 636 

McShaff rev.   Thomas   E 636 

Maag.   George    1054 

Mackev,    James 981 

Macke'v.  John  P 1073 

Mahaffv.  J.  A 3." 

Mahar.   Rev.   T.   F 433 


PAGE 

Major,  Col.  Thomas  E 607 

Major,  Rev.  Thomas 607 

Mallison,    Albert    G 334 

Mallison,  Albert  H 436 

Malony,  Frank  T 430 

Mansfield,  William  A.,  M.  D..  855 

Manton,   H.  B 875 

Manton,  Irvin  R 899 

Marks,  A.   H 773 

Marshall.  Willis  G 898 

Marsh,    Harvev   A 687 

Marsh,  Frank  'G 277 

Marsh,    Samuel    C 688 

Martin,    William    E 1042 

Marvin,   David   L 268 

Marvin,  Hon.  Ulysses 269 

Mason,   F.   H 815 

May,   Louis  R 835 

May,    R.    A ". . . .  791 

Mell,    Joseph    R 1043 

Memmer,   John    1104 

Mentzer.  Alexander 724 

Mentzer,  John  F 724 

Merrill.    Edwin    H 989 

Merrill.    H.    E 989 

Merriman,   Charles.   M.   D 843 

Merriman,   Scott  H 844 

Merriman.    Wells    844 

Mertz.    John    T 416 

Metzler.   David   A 421 

Metzler.  William  M 767 

Middleton.    Jesse    813 

Middleton.  Ward  B 813 

Middleton.   William   H 856 

Miles.   Lucius   C 826 

Miller,    August    C 972 

Miller,    Charles    C ■. 493 

Miller.    Charles    N 547 

Miller.    Cvrus     733 

Miller.    Edward    B 379 

Miller.   Frank   F 973 

Miller,  Frank  H 708 

Miller.    George    348 

Miller.  John  F 347 

Miller.  Jonas  F 4S4 

Miller.   Lewis 331 

Miller.   Lewis   A 507 

Miller,  Lute  H 492 

Miller.    Perrv    R 733 

Miller.   Stephen   C 297 

Miller.    Col.    Stewart 363 

Miller.   Uriah   A 484 

Miller.    Warren 478 

Miller.  William   478 

Miller.    William   F 867 

Mills.   Harry  B 824 

Milliken.    C.    W 1096 

Mills,    Ithel 824 

Moon.    H.    G 682 

Moore,    Arthur    A 600 

Moore.   C.   W 585 

Moore.    Tohn    A 401 

Moore,  McConnell    1013 

Moore.    Miller    G 1062 

Moore.    Orison    M 728 

Moore.   Ralph    1014 

Moore.  Richard   L 451 


17 


p.u.;k 

Moore,    Samuel    L 7:u 

Moore,    William    451 

Morgan,   Charles  R 473 

Morgan,    Crannell    953 

Morris,  Mordecai  J 1079 

Morriss,   Aaron 731 

Morse,    Nathan    318 

Morton,    C.    H 566 

Morton,  William  A 543 

Mottinger,  Arthur  S 270 

Motz,    John 483 

Munn    Brothers 696 

Miinn,   Abram   C 696 

Munn.  Amos  R 696 

Munn,    Hiram 696 

Myers,  Alpheus    585 

Myers,  Harvey  A 585 

Myers,    Henry 872 

Myers,  I.  S S73 

Myers,    Joel 606 

Myers,    Samuel 606 

Nash,    Hophni 921 

Nash.   Capt.   Sumner 921 

Neale,   A,   S 707 

Neale.    John 708 

Nerhood,  Amos 560 

Nerhood,    Isaac 559 

Nesbit,    Alexander 502 

Neuman.  M.   M 505 

Noah.    A.    H 788 

Noland.    James    D 1020 

Noland.    James    P 1020 

Nolle.    Frank    508 

Olin.   Alonzo   B 575 

Olin.   John   G 575 

Olin.     Samuel 575 

O'Marr.  Daniel    675 

O'Neil,    M 410 

O'Neil,   William   J 392 

Oplinger,  Augustus  O 1009 

Orr,    James    W S82 

Otis,  Edward  P 389 

Otis,    Ellsworth    E 289 

Oviatt,   Benjamin 863 

Oviatt,  Edward   268 

Oviatt,    L.    H 863 

Oviatt,  Loran   L 507 

Palmer,  C.  H 898 

Palmer,    Ebenezer    982 

Palmer,  J.  Dwight 1111 

Palmer,    Josiah    795 

Palmer.  Lewis  S 795 

Palmer.  Richard  F 781 

Palmer,   William  N 578 

Parker,  David  L 1011 

Parker,  T.   M.,   Sr 1072 

Parks,   Charles  T 771 

Paul.  A.  J 614 

Paul.   Edward  W 604 

Paul.  George 681 

Paul,  Robert   S 603 

Paul,  T.  Dwight 812 

Paulus.   James    B 822 


PAliK 

Payne,    John    W 900 

Peck.  Edward  R SIS 

Peebles.   Robert   R 441 

Perkins,    Charles   E ,1110 

Perkins,    Col.    George    T !l0]9 

Perkins,   Col.    Simon 325 

Perkins,  Gen.  Simon 327 

Peterson,  Dr.  James  H 258 

Petersen  A 505 

Pettitt,   Charles    845 

Petlitt.    Nathaniel 845 

Pettitt,   Willis   E 454 

Pfeiffer,   Frank 573 

Pfeiffer,    Frederick 573 

Pflueger,   Ernest    A 486 

Pflueger,  George  .\ 735 

Pflueger,  J.   E 354 

Plumer,   George   W 841 

Polsky,    A..; 465 

Post.   Frederick   R 983 

Post,    William   M 983 

Poulson,  James   M 271 

Powell,   William   J 1066 

Priest,  Rev.  Ira  A 454 

Prickett,  Samuel   H 703 

Prior.   Emory   A 304 

Prior.   Frank   S 462 

Prior.    Henry    W 295 

Prior.    Simeon 305 

Prior.    William 295 

Putterill    Brothers 405 

Putterill,   Edward   405 

Putterill,   Thomas 405 

Quinc.  C.  R 794 

Rabe,  James  W.,  M.  D 755 

Rankin.  George  T..  Jr.^M.  D...45n 

Rankin.  Irving  C,  M.  D 899 

Rannev.  Jake  L 694 

Ranney.  Luther  K 827 

Rannev.    Moses    694 

Rattle.'  William 446 

Rattle.  William  J 446 

Rawson.  Levi    972 

Raymond.    C.    B 793 

Read.    Matthew    C 373 

Reagle.  Daniel    986 

Reagle,  Jacob  A 986 

Ream.   Capt.  Frederick  K 952 

Reed.  Frank  C,  M.  D 408 

Reed.    Hiram 400 

Renner.  George  J 438 

Replogle.   Mark  A 480 

Rhodes.   Thomas 1065 

Richey.  Andrew  F 713 

Richey,   Andrew  K 538 

Richey,   Jacob  F.  J 528 

Richey.   Thomas 528 

Ries.    Frederick 721 

Ritchie.   George   G 817 

Ritchie.  Thomas  P 817 

Roach.   Albert  E 773 

Robinson.   B.   W 1012 

Robinson.  Elmer 857 

Robinson.  Henry   992 

Robinson.   Leonard 787 


r.      ■  r.\i;E 

Robmson.    Robert S57 

Rockwell.    F.   J 270 

Rockwell.   F.    W 376 

Rodd,  Robert  J 641 

Rodd,    William    J 641 

Rodenbaugh,    .Abraham 385 

Rodenbaugh,  Bert,  M.  D 1113 

Rodenbaugh,  Norman  F.,  M.  D.  384 

Roeger,  Charles 736 

Roeger.    George    W 726 

Roepke,   Edward S94 

Roethig,   Ferdinand  J 437 

Roethig,    Harrison   T 437 

Roethig,  William  W 604 

Rogers,  Edward  E 868 

Rogers,  George  W 390 

Rogers,   Norman 868 

Rogers,  Samuel  G 317 

Rohrbacher,  A.  C 470 

Rook,  William  H 1002 

Root,   Frank   Lewis 853 

Root.   George   H 852 

Rose,    George 915 

Rose,    John 915 

Rothrock,  xAmos  A 821 

Rowley,  Arthur  J 287 

Rowley,    Enoch 416 

Rowlev,    William 416 

Ruckel,  Albert  H 663 

Ruckel,   Clinton 1095 

Ruckel,  George  W 692 

Saalfield,  Arthur  James 428 

Sackett,    Clark 595 

Sackett,  Clark  A 595 

Sackett,  George 375 

Sackett,  W.  A.,  M.  D 906 

Sackett.   William   C 906 

Sackmann,  Walter  L 916 

Sadler,  O.  L 294 

Sadler,    RoIIin    W 267 

Salisbury,  Chancy 1047 

Sanford.   Hon.   Henry  C 311 

Sanford.  Ransome  M 1025 

Saunders,  Col.  Wilbur  F 263 

Sawver,   William  T 317 

Scheck,  Christopher 624 

Schnabel,    Charles    W 431 

Schnabel,  George  Philip 393 

Schnabel.  Philip  R 430 

Schott.    Louis 724 

Schneider.    P.    H 459 

Schumacher.    Ferdinand 422 

Scott,   Dr.   Daniel   A 255 

Scott.  L.   H 645 

Scudder.  Arthur  W 776 

Scudder.   Walter 776 

Searl,  William  A.,  M.  D 610 

Seedhouse.   Edwin 671 

Seiberling,  Charles  W 487 

Seiberling.    Francis 293 

Seiberling,  Frank  A 443 

Seiberling,    Hon.    Gustavus 1053 

Seiberling,  John  F 326 

Seiberling,    Milton    A 711 

Seiberling.    Wilson    F 643 


18 


Sell.  D.  llciiry !isl 

Senn,  Charles 7'.)5 

Senter,  James  B 4G.') 

Senter,  Joliii 4()o 

Serfass,   Peter 038 

Seward,  Amos 034 

Seward.  John  VV 634 

Seward,   Louis   D 290 

Sevbold,  Louis 350 

Shaffer,  Frederick  N 90G 

Shaw,  Arthur  R •. . .  .1100 

Shaw,  Bert  L 685 

Shaw,   E,   C 904 

Shaw,   Frank  J 570 

Shaw,  George  A 555 

Shaw,  Harvey  F 705 

Shaw,  Merwin 570 

Shaw,    W.    H 705 

Sheldon,    C.    E 745 

Sherbondy,    Frederick   G .52S 

Sherbondy,  Harry  Nelson 933 

Shirey,  J.   L.,  M.  D S04 

Shoemaker,   W.   Lewis S26 

Shook,  George  A 946 

Shook,  Solomon  E 424 

Short,    Wade  G 283 

Shumaker,  M.  B 728 

Shumaker,   William    72S 

Shriber,   George   W 698 

Sicherman.  Armin.  M.  D 1019 

Sieber,   Hon.   George   W 298 

Sippv,  Asher  F.,  M.  D 471 

Skinner,  Bradford  W 549 

Slabaugh,  Watson  E 288 

Slater.  J.  D 8,83 

Smead,    George    A 1114 

Smith,    Alonzo 1060 

Smith,  David  C 3,32 

Smith,    Fred    E 774 

Smith,    George   E 1066 

Smith.    Tames    Albert .538 

Smith.    John 624 

Smith,  L-ewis •.   342 

Smith,  William   H 341 

Snyder,  Abraham    588 

Snvder,  George  M 457 

Snvder,  Harvey  A..  M.  D 874 

Snvder,  Hiram  F 583 

Snvder,    Jacob    A 1049 

Snyder,   John   G 1015 

Snyder,  Maurice  G 370 

Snyder,   Michael    583 

.Snyder,   Mrs.   Susannah 1015 

Snvder.  Thomas   T 457 

Snvder,  William  E 299 

Sorrick.  John  W.,  M.  D 1082 

Souers,   David    910 

Souers,   William    910 

Sowers.  John 356 

Spade.  Calvin 554 

Spangler,  Charles  S 826 

Spangler,   Trvin   H 584 

Spangler,    Joseph 584 

Spangler.  Joseph 826 

Sparhawk.    Arthur 677 

Sparhawk,   FTarvev  A 676 

Spaulding.  Rufus  'P 262 


P.VOE 

Spencer,   W.  A 278 

Sperry,  Henry  B 494 

Spielman,    Andrew    A 955 

Spriggle,  Frank 587 

Stahl,    Charles    H 287 

Stall,  A.   H.,   M.   D 846 

Stanford,    George 854 

Stanford,  George  C 853 

Stanford,    James 854 

Starr,    George    469 

Starr,  John  J 788 

Starr,    Simon 470 

Stauffer,  Reuben 711 

Stebick,   T.  J 763 

Steele,  Henderson  613 

Steele,   Isaac 613 

Steele,    St.    Clair 934 

Steese,  Abraham 1056 

Steese,    Alexander 1056 

Steigner,  William   932 

Stein,   Daniel    P 636 

Stein,   Harvey  E 538 

Stein,   Henrv    626 

Stelzer,  A.  j ; 950 

Stettler,  .  James    A 564 

Stettler,  William 565 

Stipe,   Frank   G 427 

Stocker,    Philip 487 

Stone,    N.   C 371 

Stone.    Nelson    B 401 

Stoner.  William  H 461 

Stotler,   Sherman  B 449 

Stratton,  Preston  D 782 

Strobel,   George 537 

Strobel,  Lorenzo 537 

Strobel,   William 537 

Stroh,  Freeman  W 714 

Stroh,  Henry   714 

Stroman,  Charles  Henry 1023 

Stroman,    John 1023 

Stuart,  Hon.  E.  W 299 

Stubbs,  George  J 751 

Stuhldreher,  Augustus  F 423 

Stump,  Elmer  E 751 

Stump,  Eohraim    59() 

Stump,    Hiram 559 

Stump.    Jacob 590 

Stump.  John 590 

Sturgeon.   Samuel   H..  M.  D...   983 

Sullivan,  James 831 

Swain,   Forest 693 

Swartz,  J.  V 488 

Sweitzer,  Louis  S.,  M.  D 981 

Swigart.  Aaron  .A 542 

Swigart.    Cbarles    H 59ft 

Swigart.    George 516 

Swigart,   George   A 516 

Swigart.  Homer  A 517 

Swigart,    Joseph 542 

Swinehart.   J.    A 383 

Switzer.    Charles 912 

Tavlor.   Daniel 496 

Taylor,    H.    H 736 

Taylor,   Theodore 496 

Teeple,   Aaron    397 


I'AGE 

Teeple,  J.  Frank S2a 

Theiss,   F.   B 306 

Thomas,   Charles  E 871 

Thomas,  David  J 661 

Thomas,   George    C 871 

Thomas,  John    061 

Thompson,    Benjamin    F 362 

Thompson,  Dr.  Moses 1099 

Thompson,  Otis  Reed 363 

Thompson,  Sherman  P 1099 

Thompson,    Sylvester 1100 

Thompson,  Virgil 409 

Thornton,  Aaron  652 

Thornton,    Harvey    '. .   652 

Tibbals,  Hon.  Newell     D 308 

Tifft,  John  D 858 

Tifft,    Smith    D 858 

Tobin,  W.  T 514 

Tod,  Hon.  David 741 

Todd,  Harry  D.,  M.  D 604 

Tracv.   Benjamin   F 1113 

Treash,  Philip  B 386 

Treman,    Milan 617 

Triplett,  Austin  J 355 

Triplett,    John 356 

Triplett,   William 356 

Tryon,    Charles    B 703 

Trvon,  Jesse 703 

Tschantz.  Charles 897 

Turner,    Robert 380 

Tweed.  Fred  W : 508 

Underwood,  E.  S.,  M.  D 474 

Underwood.   Ira  L 858 

Underwood,  Warren  J.,  M.  D.  477 

Upson,    Anson 628 

Upson,    Edwin 628 

Upson,  Philo  B 365 

Upson,    Rufus     P 626 

Upson,   Reuben    366 

Upson.  Hon.  William  H 272 

Vallen,   Abel 619 

Vallen,  Durastus 619 

Vandersall,   William  L 911 

Van    Horn,   Milton  A 460 

Van   Horn,  Robert 460 

Vaughan,    John    R 313 

Vaughan,    William    T 313 

Viali.  Fred  S 466 

Viall,  George 338 

Viall,    John    F 563 

Viall,    Otis    K 563 

Viall.   Sullivan   472 

Viall,    Svlvester    G 471 

Viele,    Henry    C 959 

Vogan,   F.    Daton 764 

Vogt.  Christian    1086 

Vogt,  Daniel   682 

Vogt.    Henry 623 

Vongunton,  Gottlieb  1110 

Voris.    Hon.   Alvin   C 306 

Voris.    Edwin    F 305 


INDEX 


19 


PAGE 

Wadsworth,  George  H 1054 

Waggoner,   William aia 

Wagoner,  George   372 

Wasjoner,    Henrv    L 722 

Wayriner,   Philip" 372 

Was.  .nor.   William   H 529 

Wainwriglit,    Walter 74S 

Wakcman,    T.    W 29'.) 

W  al<lUu-ch,    John 936 

Walker.  Richard  B SOI 

Walhice,  Hiram   H 901 

Walhice,  James   VV 90:; 

Wal.'^li,    John    W 7C(J 

Walsh.   William 700 

Walters.    William 971 

Waltz,    David 597 

Waltz,    Frank 758 

Waltz,     Madison 597 

Wannamaker.   rion.   R.    M  .  .  .    314 
Warbiirton,  Joseph.  M.D....    630 

Ware.  Israel   539 

\\'are.   Norman    539 

Warner,  Adam   K 885 

Warner,   C.    C 342 

Warner.    Frank S77 

Warner,    Henry 927 

Warner,  John 927 

Warner,   John   A .s,s4 

Warner.  John  J 71,! 

\Varner,    Milton    H 4.T5 

Warner,    Samuel 1074 

Warner,  Samuel 877 

Warner.   Solomon 435 

Warner.   William   A ....926 

Warner,   W.  Wallace   486 

Waterman,    Lawson 892 

Waters,   Lorenzo   Dow 269 

Walters,  Charles  H 1012 

\\  ay,    Ezra 372 

W^ay,    Joseph : 375 

^\'ay,    Loren 372 

Weber,  John  C 442 

Weber,  John  ri..  AI.D 478 

Weeks.     .Arthur     I :;87 


PAGE 

Weeks,    Frederick   H lull) 

Weidcner,    Charles    A 773 

Weimer,    Adam 718 

Weimcr,   Henry  H 718 

Welton,   Allen    S93 

Werner,    Paul    E 811 

Wesener,  Joseph  E 883 

West,    H.    A 794 

Wetmore,   Charles   B 564 

Wetinore,     Edwin 564 

Wetmore,    Silas 564 

Weygandt,    John    F 354 

Weygandt,    Jonathan 354 

White,   Abia OSS 

White,  John  W 595 

White,    Milo OSS 

White,    Walter   A 705 

Whitman,    John 580 

Whitman,  John  A 580 

Whitmore,    George    T 1043 

Whitney,  Joseph  A.   P 500 

Whittemore,  F.  E 280 

Wickline,    Charles    W 551 

Wigley,    Joseph 777 

Wilcox,  Frank  A 896 

Wilco.x,     H.    C 970 

Wilcox,  Orlando   •. .  .  284 

Wildes,  W.  J 557 

Williams,  Harrv   934 

Williams,    John    K 926 

Williamson,  Julius  0 825 

Williamson,   Palmer 825 

Wills,    W.    J 557 

Wills,    J.    M 552 

Wilson,  R.   M 916 

Wilson,    W.    E 1080 

Windsor,   John   T 680 

Windsor,    William,   Jr 685 

Winegerter.   Dr.   Joseph 752 

Winkler,    A 385 

Winter,  William  H 717 

Winum,    Joseph 985 

Wise,    Bvron    P 444 

Wise.    Charles    E 913 


PAGE 

Wise,     Daniel 913 

Wise,    Harvey   .\ 573 

Wise,     Henry 573 

Wise,   Louis  J.,   ai.D 763 

Wise,    Norman 893 

Wise,    W.    G 438 

Witner,    Urias    C 1099 

Wolcott,   Christopher   1' 20.! 

Wolf,    Fred    W 911 

Wolf,   John 845 

Wolfsperger,  Waller  R 783 

Wood,    Alfred    599 

Wood,   Benjamin    599 

Wood.    Frederick 807 

Wood.  Frederick  C 800 

Wood,    Thomas     1005 

Wood,  William      N 1005 

Woo-ds.  A.  T.,  M.  D 378 

Woolf.  Clark  E 568 

Worden,    Lynn 609 

Work.    Alanson 419 

Work,   B.   G SIS 

Work,   Gerald   S 764 

Worron,   George   H 437 

Wright,  Dr.  Amos 254 

Wright,  Elizur 065 

Wright,    Col.    George    M 279 

Wright,    Francis    H 004 

Wright,    James    F 697 

Wright,   Hon.   Thomas 736 

Wuchter.    George    W 1029 

Wuchter,   William    1029 

Wunderlich.    Freilerick 576 

Yeager,   Joseph    493 

Young,  William  E 317 

Zeller,    Fred    G 774 

Zeller,   George    623 

Zilio.x,    Samuel    F 803 

Zimmerlv  Brothers 668 

Zindel,    Fred 339 

Zwisler.   Clarence   M 006 


Index  of  Dkm 


Akron  Brewing  Company's  Plant,  Akron.  The 112 

Akron  City  Hall   SS 

Akron  City  Hospital  and  Nurses'  Home  25S 

Akron  Public  Library  96 

Akron  'Views — 

Adolph  Avenue,  Looking  South 96 

Entrance  to  Akron  Rural  Cemetery  106 

Entrance  to  Grace  Park  106 

From  West  of  the  Canal — 1S53   42 

From  West  of  the  Canal — 1904   43 

Main  Street  Looking  South  From  Market 150 

West  Market  Street  150 

American  Cereal  Mills  53 

Big  Falls — The  Gorge  1 00 

BucHTEL  College  "Views — 

Academ\'  208 

Buchtel   Hall    208 

Campus    208 

Crouse  Gymnasium   208 

Residence  of  the  President 86 

Brown.  John.  Home  230 

Campus,  The,  Hudson   42 

Children's  Home.  Akron  126 

Churches — 

Baptist,  Akron    323 

First  Church  of  Christ 8fi 

First  Congregational,  Akron   232 

First  Congregational,  Hudson  116 

First  M.  E.,  Akron  222 

First  Presbyterian,  Akron    86 

First  Universalist,  Akron   232 

Grace  Reformed,  Akron   222 

High  Street  Synagogue,  Akron   . . .  . : 233 

St.  Bernard's  Catholic,  Akron   58 

St.  Mary's  Catholic,  Akron   58 

St.  Paul's  Episcopal,  Akron  58 

St.  Vincent  De  Paul's  Catholic.  Akron  58 

County  Infirmary   106 

County  Jail,  New    .53 

Court  House,  New  456 

Court  House,  Old  52 

Cuyahoga  Falls— Square  Showing  the  Churches 116 

Cuyahoga  River,  A  "View  on  the  116 

Diamond  Match  Company,  Akron  150 

Diamond  Rubber  Works,  Akron    150 

Dobson  Building,  Akron   250 

Fire  Engine  House,  No.  5,  Akron  52 

First  National  Bank,  Akron   250 

Flatiron  Building,  Akron   250 

Fisher  Bros.'  Plant,  The,  Akron  112 

German-American   Music  Hall    52 


Glens,  The,  Cuyahoga  Falls  '  116 

Goodrich,  B.  F.  Company,  Akron 150 

Hamilton  Building,  Akron   112 

L  O.  O.  F.  Building,  Akron  250 

In  Perkins  Park  456 

Lake  Anna,  Barberton   106 

Lakeside,  Summit  Lake   96 

Market  House,  Akron 150 

Masonic  Temple,  Akron   126 

Moody  &  Thomas  Mill,  Peninsula 870 

Nursery,  Mary  Day,  Akron  126 

Old  Maid's  Kitchen,  The  Gorge   106 

Post  Office,  Akron  96 

Residences — 

Andrews,  James  H 76 

Baldwin,  Harvey   136 

Baughman,  Reuben  B 700 

Breitenstine,    John     948 

Conger,  Mrs.  A.  L 76 

Franklin,  Walter  a 136 

Gault,  Elmer  A 136 

Hoye,  M.  W 456 

Manton,  H.  B 258 

Marvin,  Mrs.  Richard  P 76 

Mason,  F.  H 258 

Perkins   Homestead    76 

Raymond,  Charles  B 258 

Seiberling,  Hon.  Gustavus 1057 

Seiberling,  Milton  A 708 

Warner,  Milton  H 434 

Work,  Bertram  G 76 

Work,  Mrs.  Etta  W 76 

School  Buildings — 

Crosby  School,  Akron   182 

Findley  School,  Akron  182 

First  High  School   456 

First   School  House    456 

Fraunfelter  School.  Akron   86 

High   School,   Akron    86 

High  School,  Cuyahoga  Falls 116 

Kent  School,  Akron 183 

Miller  School,  Akron  86 

St.  Bernard's  School,  Akron   58 

St.  Mary's  School,  Akron   58 

St.  "Vincent  De  Paul's  School,  Akron 136 

Spicer   School,   .\kron    182 

Silver  Lake  Park  52 

L'nion  Depot,  Akron  113 

Werner  Company,  Plant  and  Office  of  The 160 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building,  Akron  88 

V.  W.  C.  A.  Building.  .Vkron  456 


f)\ms  of  Sutntnlt  County 


CHAPTER  I 


TOPOGRAPHY    AND    GEOLOGY 


Description  of  the  Physical  Features  of  the  County — Its   Economic    Geology — The   Soil; 
Its  Drainage  and  Fertility — Coal — Gas — Oil. 


The  surface  of  Summit  County  presents  a 
remarkable  vai'iety.  The  AVesterner,  stand- 
ing in  the  midst  of  "The  Plains."  as  the  terri- 
tory lying  north  of  the  city  of  Akron  used  to 
be  called,  sees  much  to  remind  him  of  Ne- 
braska and  Kansas.  Parts  of  other  townships 
are  also  as  level,  or  as  gently  rolling,  as  the 
prairies  of  the  West.  Stand  on  the  summit 
of  some  of  the  Northampton  Hills,  and  the 
view  reminds  you  of  the  fine  scenery  of  New 
England.  Ponds  abound  in  all  parts  of  the 
count}'.  Silver  Lake  and  Wyoga  Lake  are 
the  principal  ones  in  the  northern  part;  Tur- 
key-foot Lake  and  Long  Lake  lie  ensconced 
among  the  green  hills  in  the  southern  town- 
ships; Springfield  Lake  is  a  beauty  spot  in 
the  eastern  part,  and  Shocolog  Pond  and 
White  and  Black  Ponds  diver.-ify  the  west- 
ern portion,  while  Summit  Lake  occupies  the 
central  part  of  the  county  and  gives  to  the 
citizen  of  Akron  the  advantages  of  a  water- 
ing place  within  the  very  limits  of  his  city. 

Brooks  and  rivers  flow  in  nearly  every  di- 
rection. Their  economic  ui3es  are  many.  The 
Cuyahoga  River  bisects  the  northern  half  of 
the  county  and  furnishes  extensive  >.vater 
power  for  manufacturing  purposes.     In  many 


places  its  watei-s  are  diverted  for  irrigating 
purposes,  and  the  fortunate  farmei-s  who  till 
the  land  along  its  course  fear  no  season  of 
drought.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  county 
the  same  advantages  are  furnished  by  the  Tus- 
carawas River.  These  are  Summit  County's 
principal  streams.  They  have  many 
branches  or  tributaries  which  ramify  even  to 
the  remotest  corners  of  the  county.  Among 
others  should  be  named  Wolf  Creek,  Pigeon 
Creek,  Yellow  Creek,  Tinker's  Creek,  Brandy- 
wine  Creek,  Mud  Brook  and  Sand  Run.  This 
enumeration  will  give  the  reader  some  idea  of 
the  wonderful  way  in  which  this  favored 
county  is  watered  bj-  running  streams.  In 
earlier  times  the  Cuyahoga  and  Tuscarawas 
rivers  were  navigable  by  boats  of  consider- 
able size.  New  Portage,  at  the  southern  ter- 
minus of  the  Portage  Path,  was  the  head  of 
na\agation  on  the  Tuscarawas,  while  boats 
from  Lake  Erie  ascended  the  Cuyahoga  as  far 
;is  Old  Portage,  at  the  northern  end  of  the 
Path. 

Perhaps  all  will  agree  that  the  most  strik- 
ingly beautiful  section  of  Summit  County  is 
the  Cuyahoga  Valley,  which  begins  at  Akron 
and  gradually  grows  in  depth  and  increases 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


in  width  as  it  approaches  the  northern  limits 
of  the  county.  In  Cuyalioga  County  it  parts 
with  much  of  its  beauty.  Finally  the  hills 
and  great  bluffs  cease  altogether  and  the  river, 
murky,  nuiddy  and  ill-smelling  from  the  con- 
tamination of  several  hundred  thousand  citi- 
zens of  Cleveland,  flows  lazily  into  Lake  Erie. 
There  is  an  interesting  geological  story  con- 
nected with  this  river  which  will  be  told  later 
on  in  this  chapter.  Another  striking  feature 
of  the  topography  of  this  county  is  the  Gorge 
of  the  Cuyahoga,  which  extends  from  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  a  distance  of  about  three  miles 
west,  or  almost  to  the  meeting-place  of  the 
waters  of  the  Big  and  Little  Cuyahoga.  It 
has  many  of  the  elements  of  beauty  which 
characterize  Watkins  Glen  and  other  famous 
resorts  for  travelers.  The  Gorge  was  caused 
by  the  erosion  of  the  river,  which  now  flows 
at  the  foot  of  precipitous  cliffs,  two  hundred 
feet  or  more  below  the  surface  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  On  both  sides  the  land 
stretches  away  in  level  fashion,  and  the  trav- 
eler approaches  without  any  warning  from 
Nature  that  a  great  chasm  yawns  in  front  of 
him.  Suddenly  he  stands  on  the  edge  of 
the  precipice,  and  through  the  interwoven 
branches  of  the  hemlocks  sees  the  foaming, 
tossing  water  far  below  him,  in  the  cool  depths 
of  the  Glens.  About  half  way  down  the 
Gorge  the  river  tumbles  over  a  ledge  of  harder 
sandstone  and  makes  a  very  pretty  cascade 
known  by  the  prosaic  name  of  "Big  Falls." 
It  is  a  pity  that  so  charming  a  spot  sliould 
be  called  by  so  commonplace,  if  not  ugly, 
name.  At  Cuyahoga  Falls  there  are  more 
cascades,  but  their  beauty  is  largely  destroyed 
by  the  factories  and  buildings,  which  line  the 
banks  of  the  river  there.  There  is  a  remark- 
able variety  in  the  flora  of  these  glens.  The 
procession  of  the  flowers  is  uninterrupted  from 
the  first  skunk-cabbage  of  early  April  to  the 
last  aster  and  witch-hazel  blossom  of  lat€ 
October.  The  oaks,  the  maples,  the  elm,  the 
ash,  many  of  the  nut  trees  and  several  of  the 
evergreens  flourish  here  most  luxuriantly. 
Only  the  great,  dripping  walls  that  rise  sheer 
to  the  top  are  bare  of  vegetation,  and  even 
these  are  covered  in  places  with  mosses  and 


lichens,  and  here  and  there  one  can  see  a  little 
green  hemlock  that  has  obtained  a  root-hold 
in  a  crevice  in  the  cliff. 

A  close  second  in  the  popular  choice  for 
beauty  is  the  famous  "Lake  Region,"  stretch- 
ing from  the  southern  limits  of  Akron  to  the 
extreme  south  part  of  the  county.  The  hills 
rise  here  to  a  considerable  elevation — the 
highest  being  more  than  eleven  hundred  feet 
above  sea  level.  A  chain  of  lakes  fed  by 
springs  and  subterranean  streams  stretches 
north  and  south  between  them.  These  lakes 
are  a  legacy  from  the  great  glacier,  or  glaciers, 
which  in  the  ice  age  flowed  down  from  the 
north  and  covered  all  this  region.  Th&se  hills 
of  sand,  gravel  and  boulders  had  their  birth 
at  that  period,  too.  In  fact,  the  face  of  Sum- 
mit County,  as  we  know  it  at  the  present  time, 
is  largely  the  result  of  the  titanic  forces  of 
Nature,  which  operated  during  the  so-called 
Ice  Age,  in  North  America.  This  is  not  the 
place  to  refer  to  the  proofs  that  a  great  ice 
sheet  did  at  one  time  cover  all  the  northern 
and  western  portions  of  Ohio;  it  is  perhaps 
sufficient  to  say  that  the  investigations  of 
geologists  have  demon.strated  beyond  reason- 
able doubt  the  glacial  hypothesis  first  ad- 
vanced by  Louis  Agassiz.  The  terminal  mo- 
raine which  marks  the  .southern  boundary  of 
the  ice  has  been  traced  across  Ohio  by  Prof. 
George  Frederick  Wright,  of  Oberlin,  with 
great  accuracy.  This  terminal  moraine  is  the 
deposit  of  boulders,  gravel  and  drift  which 
was  left  upon  the  original  surface  by  the 
melting  of  the  ice.  Akron  lies  a  few  seconds 
north  of  the  41st  parallel,  north  latitude.  Be- 
ginning in  Western  New  York  at  the  42nd 
parallel,  the  southern  ice  limit  crosses  into 
Pennsylvania  and  takes  a  course  almost  di- 
rectly south  to  Homewood,  which  is  on  the 
41st  parallel.  It  then  turns  almost  due  west 
and  passes  through  Massillon,  and  when  it 
reaches  Mansfield  it  turns  at  an  angle  of 
ninety  degrees  and  proceeds  due  south  to 
Logan.  Its  course  is  then  southwest,  through 
Chillicothe  and  across  the  39th  parallel  into 
Kentucky.  It  passes  a  few  miles  south  of 
Cincinnati,  and  near  Louisville  it  turns 
abi'uptly  north  and  proceeds  into  Indiana  to 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


23 


near  the  40th  parallel.  All  the  land  lying 
north  of  this  line  was  covered  for  centuries 
with  a  river  of  solid  ice,  which  was  not  less 
than  200  feet  in  thickness  or  depth,  and 
which  may  have  been  as  great  as  500  or  600 
feet.  It  is  spoken  of  as  a  "river"  of  ice.  That 
means  it  was  flowing.  It  advanced  very 
slowly — about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  each  year. 
It  required  nearly  a  thousand  years  for  it  to 
cross  the  State  of  Ohio.  The  gi-eat  Canadian 
boulders,  which  were  brought  by  the  ice  from 
their  original  home  in  the  Laurentian  Hills 
and  deposited  about  Cincinnati,  were,  per- 
haps, more  than  2,000  years  in  making  the 
journey.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  their  sharp 
edges  and  angles  were  worn  off  and  that  we 
find  them  today  smooth  and  rounded? 
Countless  boulders  of  this  kind  are  distributed 
over  the  whole  surface  of  Summit  County. 
No  metamorphic  or  granite  rocks  occur  here 
naturally.  Our  "hard-heads,"  as  the  farmers 
call  them,  were  all  transported,  then.  When 
detached  from  the  parent,  cliffs  or  ledges  they 
were  all  of  sharp  edges  and  possessed  of  many 
sharp  angles.  The  grinding  and  rolling  and 
abrasion  to  which  they  were  subjected  as  the 
great  ice  river  rolled  them  on  made  them 
smooth  and  rounded  as  we  find  them  today. 
The  citizen  who  keeps  house  nowadays  will 
understand  that  ice  is  hea\nt-.  Perhaps  it  is 
possible  to  a.scertain  mathematically  the  power 
exerted  by  a  moving  mass  of  ice  several  hun- 
dred miles  wide  and  500  or  600  feet  in  thick- 
ness. Whether  that  be  true  or  not,  we  can 
see  about  us  the  results  of  such  tremendous 
forces.  On  Keeley's  Island  in  Lake  Erie,  for 
instance,  there  ai'e  places  where  the  pre-gla- 
cial  limestone  surface  was  planed  off  as  smooth 
as  a  floor.  In  other  places  axe  grooves  six  to 
twenty-four  inches  in  depth,  and  as  wide, 
where  a  granite  boulder  was  pushed  bodily 
through  the  hard  limestone,  with  as  much 
ease,  apparently,  as  though  the  resisting  sur- 
face had  been  so  much  butter.  So,  the  great 
ice  sheet  ploughed  and  planed  its  way  south, 
scooping  out  depressions,  scraping  off  the 
hills,  and  widening  the  old  canyons  and  val- 
leys. When  it  reached  the  Ohio  River  it 
made  a  dam  500  or  600  feet  high  acros.s  the 


Ohio  valley.  The  dammed  up  waters  spread 
out  on  all  sides  and  as  far  back  as  the  head- 
watei"3  of  the  Allegheny  and  Monongaliela 
rivers.  This  made  a  deep  lake  more  than  400 
miles  long  and  200  miles  wide.  The  geolo- 
gists have  named  it  Lake  Ohio.  The  present 
.site  of  Pittsburgh  was  then  300  feet  under 
water.  The  present  site  of  Summit  County 
was  under  as  many  feet  of  solid  ice.  The 
northern  shore  of  this  lake  did  not  extend  be- 
yond Massillon.  The  Cincinnati  ice-dam  may 
have  held  these  waters  impounded  for  cen- 
turies, but,  like  all  other  laies,  there  came  a 
time  when  its  existence  miLst  end.  When  the 
climate  ameliorated,  the  cold  of  winter  was 
no  longer  able  to  repair  the  ravages  made  on 
the  ice  by  the  increasing  heat  of  the  summer 
sun.  The  ice-barrier  weakened  and  at  length 
gave  way.  The  imprisoned  waters  rushed  in 
tremendous  fury  down  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi valleys  to  the  sea.  What  a  flood  there 
must  have  been  then ! 

When  the  recession  of  the  ice  sheet  began 
these  floods  became  an  annual  affair.  Taking 
as  a  basis  Professor  Agassiz's  figures  as  deter- 
mined by  his  observations  in  Switzerland,  it 
is  easy  to  estimate  that  from  the  natural  melt- 
ing of  the  glacier  during  each  summer  enough 
water  was  formed  to  cover  the  ice-free  portion 
of  the  State  to  a  depth  of  40  feet.  These 
floods,  occurring  annuall\'  for  many  years, 
washed  gi-eat  quantities  of  gravel  and  sand 
toward  the  south.  Thus  the  gi"eat  gravel  hills 
in  the  southern  part.s  of  Summit  Count}'  were 
formed.  The  glacier,  as  it  ploughed  its  way 
south,  uncovered  subterranean  water-courses 
and  made  many  depressions  in  the  surface  of 
the  land.  Thus  our  lakes  were  formed.  For 
many  centuries  thej'  were  supplied  with  water 
from  the  melting  ice,  slowly  retreating  north- 
ward. Since  then  the  loss  by  evaporation  has 
been  replenished  by  rainfall  and  the  water 
from  bottom  springs. 

Finally,  in  the  retreat  of  the  ice-sheet  be- 
fore the  victorious  forces  of  the  Sun,  the  great 
watershed  of  Ohio  was  reached.  Summit 
County  occupies  a  position  on  this  watershed. 
Until  Akron  was  reached  all  the  water  from 
the    melting  glacier   had   flowed   toward   the 


24 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


southeast,  as  the  slope  of  the  land  in  the  State 
south  of  this  locality  was  in  that  direction. 
But  as  you  go  north  from  Akron,  the  slope  of 
the  land  is  northerly.  Hence,  when  the  ice- 
sheet-  had  passed  over  the  crest  of  the  land 
here,  the  water  from  its  melting  was  unable 
to  find  an  outlet  until  it  had  risen  high 
enough  to  flow  over  the  height  of  land  at 
Summit  Lake  and  then  pursue  the  usual  and 
natural  com-se  toward  the  southeast.  Al- 
though the  slope  of  the  land  was  toward  the 
north,  yet  the  water  could  not  flow  in  that 
direction  as  a  great  barrier  of  ice  200  or  300 
feet  high  effectually  blocked  the  way.  This 
barrier  filled  not  only  the  old  valley  of  the 
Cuyahoga,  but  covered  the  whole  northern 
portion  of  the  State.  Thus  the  floods  from 
the  great  ice-mass  filled  the  whole  valley  be- 
tween the  high  land  at  Akron  and  the  face  of 
the  glacier  slowly  retreating  northward.  By 
the  time  Cleveland  was  reached  the  whole 
valley,  as  we  know  it  now,  was  one  great  lake 
extending  from  Cleveland  to  Akron.  This 
lake  had  its  outlet  through  a  short  river  which 
flowed  from  North  Akron,  in  the  bed  of  the 
present  Ohio  Canal,  to  a  point  south  of  Sum- 
mit Lake,  where  the  Tuscarawas  meets  the 
canal.  Professor  Claypole  gave  to  this  river 
the  name  "Akron  River."  The  great  lake, 
which  in  its  deepest  part  must  have  been  al- 
most 300  feet  deep,  he  called  "Cuyahoga 
Lake."  It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  length 
of  time  this  lake  and  the  Akron  River  were  in 
existence.  It  was  probably  many  centuries. 
They  existed  until  the  ice-sheet  was  well  be- 
yond Lake  Erie,  and  the  Niagara  River  and 
the  St.  Lawrence  were  open  to  the  sea.  AVIien 
this  happened,  then  the  Cuyahoga  Lake  was 
drained  rapidly  into  Lake  Erie  and  the  Akron 
River  started  to  flow  north  and  finally  ceased 
to  flow  at  all,  except  as  a  very  small  outlet  for 
the  lake  on  the  summit  now  called  Summit 
Lake.  While  Cuyahoga  Lake  existed  it  was  a 
very  muddy  lake.  The  grinding  of  the  sur- 
face by  the  movement  of  the  glacier  produced 
an  immense  amount  of  fine  mud  which  was 
carried  by  the  water  from  the  melting  ice  into 
the  lake.  Here,  aftcT  a.  time,  it  was  deposited 
a.s  a  fine  sediment  n]wn  the  bottom   of  the 


lake.  The  occasional  deposits  of  boulders  or 
gravel  are  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  ice- 
bergs or  floes,  becoming  detached  from  the 
face  of  the  glacier,  and  beaiing  on  their  sur- 
faces a  burden  of  gravel  or  boulders,  floated 
out  into  the  lake,  and  there  melting,  made 
the  deposits  referred  to.  In  the  "Geology  of 
Ohio,"  volume  1,  page  552,  occurs  the  first 
mention  of  the  existence  of  this  ide-dam, 
which  stopped  the  northward  flow  of  all  the 
rivers  emptying  into  Lake  Erie.  The  credit 
for  the  discovery  must  be  given  to  Dr.  New- 
beiTy. 

A  former  Akron  citizen  who  was  professor 
of  geology,  Dr.  E.  W.  Claypole,  has  written 
very  entertainingly  of  this  episode  in  the  geo- 
logical history  of  Summit,  and  we  will  do  well 
to  listen  to  his  own  words  as  he  describes  it. 

"As  the  conditions  of  existence  of  all  these 
lakes  were  essentially  identical,  a  description 
of  all  of  them  would  be  tedious  and  involve 
much  useless  repetition.  My  purpose  here  is 
not  to  present  all  the  details  of  the  retreat 
of  the  ice,  but  to  show  its  general  course  and 
its  inevitable  results.  I  will  therefore  select 
one  of  these  as  an  illustration,  and  merely 
name  the  rest.  For  this  purpose  I  choose  the 
Cuyahoga  River,  which  I  have  carefully 
studied.  This  river  rises  in  Geauga  County, 
and,  after  flowing  for  almost  50  miles  in  a 
southwesterly  direction,  turns  sharply  to  the 
north  near  Akron,  and  thence  follows  this 
course  until  it  falls  into  the  lake  at  Cleve- 
land. 

"The  caiLse  of  this  sudden  change  of  direc- 
tion in  the  channel  of  the  Cuyahoga  River, 
is  the  following:  Along  the  earlier  part  of 
its  course,  it  is  flowing  in  a  post-glacial  chan- 
nel on  the  top  of  the  plateau  of  Northern 
Ohio.  As  it  approaches  Akron  it  passes 
through  a  deep  gorge  in  the  lower  carbon- 
iferous rocks  cut  by  itself  since  the  ice  re- 
treated. This  gorge  is,  in  it?  lower  part,  not 
less  than  300  feet  below  the  level  of  the  ad- 
joining country  and  its  length  is  between  two 
and  three  miles.  At  the  lower  end  of  the 
gorge  the  river  escapes  from  its  imprisoning 
walls  of  rock  into  a  wide-open  valley — -its 
own  pre-glacial  channel — which  retains  it  for 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


25 


the  rest  of  its  course.  This  channel  extendi 
backward  in  a  southeasterly  direction  above 
the  point  where  the  Cuj-ahoga  now  enters  it 
for  several  miles,  passing  between  Akron  and 
the  present  river.  It  is  occupied  by  a  small 
branch  stream — the  Little  Cuyahoga.  It 
gradually  ri^es  and  becomes  less  distinct,  be- 
ing heavily  clogged  with  drift,  which  has 
most  likely  been  the  cause  of  diverting  the 
water  that  pre-glacially  flowed  along  it  into 
the  present  channel. 

"Let  us  take  our  stand  on  one  of  the  so- 
called  hills  overlooking  the  vale  of  the  Cuya- 
hoga, between  Akron  and  Cleveland,  nea.r 
Peninsula,  for  example.  The  broad  valley  lies 
about  200  feet  beneath  our  feet.  Through 
it  the  lazy  stream  slowly  meanders  in  a  chan- 
nel cut  in  one  place  through  deep,  soft  de- 
posits of  drift,  and  in  another  through  solid 
rocks  of  the  Cuyalioga  shale.  But  the  valley 
is  a  pigmy  besides  that  deeper  and  older  one 
in  which  the  Cuyahoga  used  to  flow  before 
the  Great  Ice  Age  came  on.  The  hill  on 
which  we  now  stand  did  not  then  exi?t.  The 
plateau,  or  terrace,  out  of  which  it  has  been 
carved,  is  a  deposit  of  drift,  left  here  during 
the  retreat  of  the  ice.  Over  on  the  western 
side  of  the  vaJley  is  another  terrace  on  the 
same  level  and  of  the  same  age,  ©.Iso  cut  and 
scarred  by  water-courses.  Deep'  under  both, 
and  in  mo.st  places  below  the  present  level  of 
the  river,  is  the  solid  rock  floor  of  the  valley, 
not  yet  cleared  of  its  cumbering  load  of  gla- 
cial drift.  The  .stream  is  now  crowding  the 
left  or  western  bank  of  its  pre-glacial  valley. 
The  ground  there  rises  abniptly,  and  less  than 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  river  the  solid 
sandstone  (Berea  Grit)  is  quarried  above  the 
water  level.  Turn  now  and  look  eastward, 
and  there,  at  a  distance  of  about  two  miles, 
we  see  the  massive  carboniferous  conglomerate 
in  almost  vertical  cliffs  rising  at  least  100  feet 
above  the  plateau  on  which  we  are  standing, 
and  forming  the  well-known  'Boston  Ledges.' 
These  are  the  old  banks  of  the  Cuyahoga,  and 
mark  the  pre-glacial  channel  of  the  river. 
Between  these  on  the  east  and  a  similar  out- 
crop on  the  west  was  a  valley  deeper  than  the 
present,  and  nearh^  three  miles  wide,  scooped 


out  by  the  river  itself  during  post-carbonif- 
erous ages,  and  along  this  valley  flowed  the 
old  Cuyahoga,  not  necessarily  a  lai'ger  stream 
than  its  successor,  but  one  of  vastly  greater 
antiquitJ^ 

"Go  back  now  in  imagination  to  that  period 
of  the  Ice  Age  when  the  edge  of  the  retreat- 
ing glacier  had  crossed  the  waterehed  of  Ohio 
on  its  backward  march,  and,  extending  across 
the  country  from  east  to  west,  was  lying  a 
little  north  of  our  present  position ;  that  is  to 
say,  between  Peninsula  and  Cleveland.  Our 
former  point  of  view  is  now  untenable;  it  is 
under  water.  But  we  can  stand  on  the  top 
of  Boston  Ledges  and  look  across  the  vallej'  to 
the  westward.  The  whole  is  one  lake  of  ice- 
cold  water.  If  it  is  summer,  the  shores  are 
clad  with  a  hardy  vegetation  suited  to  an  arc- 
tic climate  and  the  neighborhood  of  the 
glacier.  If  winter,  the  landscape  is  covered 
with  snow,  and  the  glittering  ice-fr'ont  is 
plainly  in  sight.  Soundings  show  us  that 
the  water  in  the  lake  is  more  than  200  feet 
deep.  If  we  trace  its  margin  we  find  it  cut 
by  deep  fiords  reaching  back  into  the  coun- 
try, and,  of  course,  full  of  water  up  to  the 
lake  level.  Its  main  course  is  due  south  until 
a  point  is  reached  about  a  mile  north  of 
Akron,  where  the  bank  turns  slightly  to  the 
eastward  and  curves  sharplj^  around  the  head 
of  an  inlet  which  forms  the  real  end  of  the 
lake.  This  point  was  neai'  the  'Old  Forge.' 
Returning  to  the  west  along  its  south  shore 
we  reach  another  deep  bay  stretching  south- 
ward, in  which  the  water  rapidly  shallows, 
and  here  we  find  the  outlet  of  our  lake 
through  the  valley  in  which  now  lies  the  city 
of  Akron.  A  small  stream  is  flowing  south- 
ward along  a  channel  where  formerly  was  a 
tributary  to  the  Cuyahoga,  and  pas.sing  over 
the  edge  of  the  watershed,  which  forms  in 
reality  the  southern  border  of  the  lake,  it 
reaches  the  Tuscarawas,  by  which  its  water 
passes  into  the  Muskingiim,  and  then  to  the 
Ohio,  thus  making  the  Lake  Region  tribu- 
tary to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

"Oro.s.sing  this  small  river  and  returning 
northward  along  its  we.stern  bank,  we  regain 
the  main  bodv  of  the  lake,  the  shore  of  which 


26 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


runs  westward  for  a  short  distance.  It  then 
•turns  northwai'd  and,  tracing  it,  we  reach, 
after  making  several  circuits  around  deep  in- 
lets, a  point  opposite  to  our  previous  station 
at  Peninsula. 

"To  this  body  of  water,  never  seen  by  man, 
other  than  the  early  paleolithic  savage,  the 
distinct  ancestor  of  our  present  Esquimaux, 
clinging  to  the  margin  of  the  retreating  ice- 
sheet,  I  propose  to  give  the  name  'Lake  Cuya- 
hoga' in  order  to  associate  it  with  the  exist- 
ing river,  and  to  connect  the  present  with  that 
which  has  passed  away. 

''Lake  Cuyahoga,  then,  was  a  body  of 
water  pounded  back  against  the  watershed  by 
the  retreating  ice-front,  and  rising  higher 
and  higher,  until  it  at  last  it  found  an  outlet 
at  the  lowest  point — the  Akron  Water  Gap. 
Its  dimensions  varied  from  time  to  time.  Now 
the  glacier  advanced  under  accumulating 
snow  and  ice  in  the  cold  winter,  and  pressed 
the  water  over  the  outlet.  Now  again  it  re- 
treated under  warm  skies  and  diminution  of 
snow,  and  the  water  from  its  melting  filled  the 
space  from  which  the  ice  had  disappeared. 
Alternately  receding  and  advancing,  the  ice- 
front  determined  the  size  of  the  lake.  In  sum- 
mer a  furious  torrent,  white  with  glacier- 
milk,  swept  down  the  Akron  Valley  and 
through  Summit  Lake  to  the  Tuscarawas 
River;  the  whole  length  of  this  stream  was 
about  four  miles.  In  winter  it  flowed  in  si- 
lence, its  sources  frost-locked  and  its  w'aters 
ice-bound. 

"To  this  temporary  stream,  a  product  of  the 
retreating  ice-sheet,  whose  very  existence 
would  now  be  unknown  save  for  the  researches 
of  geologists,  I  propose  to  give  the  name  'The 
Akron  River.'       ***** 

"In  all  probability,  a  hardy  vegetation  of 
pines,  firs,  hemlock-spruce,  and  red-cedar  fol- 
lowed close  upon  the  retreating  ice,  and  soon 
clothed  the  shores  of  the  lake  and  the  adjoin- 
ing country  with  a  dark  forest,  under  which 
various  northern  plants  and  animals  found  a 
congenial  home.  Man  himself  hugged  the  re- 
treating ice,  withdrawing  with  it  to  the  north. 

"It  is  po&gible  even  now  to  find  in  the  damp, 
cool  gorges  along  the  Cuyahoga  Valley  strong 


organic  confirmation  of  the  probability  sug- 
gested. Here  linger  many  plants  whose 
home  is  far  north  in  Canada — survivors  from 
a  time  when  the  climate  conditions  were  such 
as  suited  a  northern  flora.  The  secular  rise 
of  temperature  has  exterminated  them  from 
the  high  lands,  but  in  these  shady  moist  glens 
they  still  find  a  congenial  habitat,  and  main- 
tain a  somewhat  precarious  existence.  Among 
those  plants  may  be  mentioned  the  follow- 
ing: 

Hemlock  Spruce,        Abies  Canadeiijis, 
American  Arbor-vitse,  Thuja  Occidentalis, 
Canadian  Yew,  Taxus  Canadensis, 

Mountain  Maple,        Acer  Spicatum, 
Paper  Birch,  Betula  Papyracea, 

Red-berried  Elder,     Sambucus  Pubens, 
Purple  Raspberry,     Rubus  Odoratus, 
Pale  Touch-me-not,   Impatiens  Pallida, 
Calla,  Calla  Palustri'^, 

(caltha  paulustris). 
Swamp  Saxifrage,      Saxifraga  Pennsylvania, 
Goldthread,       '         Coptis  Trifolia, 
Mountain  Shield-fern,  Lasterea  Montana, 
Long  Club-moss,         Lycopodium  Lucidulum. 

"All  these,  with  other  plants  of  northern 
affinity,  may  be  found  in  or  near  the  deep 
gorges  of  the  Cuyahoga  Valley,  and  give  to 
them  a  character  unlike  that  of  other  places 
in  the  vicinity.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to 
explain  their  presence  on  any  other  theory 
than  that  above  adopted — that  they  are  relics 
of  a  similar  flora  that  once  covered  the  whole 
country,  but  which  has  been  exterminated  by 
change  of  conditions." 

AVhen  the  great  cosmic  forces  which  formed 
the  continents  had  subsided  and  the  last 
great  upheaval  had  taken  place,  other  natural 
forces  began  to  operate  toward  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  land  lift  by  the  receding  oceans 
for  the  coming  of  man.  We  call  it  land  in 
contradistinction  to  the  water  of  the  oceans; 
but  the  surface  of  the  dry  portions  of  the 
world  disclosed  no  vegetation  or  soil  and  pre- 
sented no  aspect  save  that  of  bare  rock.  Here 
it  stretched  away  in  the  long  billows  of  the 
plains;  there  it  was  heaved  up  in  lofty, 
ragged   mountain   ranges.      The   atmosphere, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


27 


the  rains,  the  frost,  and  the  sun  then  began 
the  work  of  soil-making.  Under  their  in- 
fluence the  rocks  began  to  disintegrate,  and 
gradual]}'  the  soil  M'as  formed.  When  the 
natural  conditions  became  such  as  to  favor 
vegetation,  the  forests  and  the  grass  took  their 
places  in  the  mundane  sj'stem.  In  the  pre- 
glacial  era  it  is  probable  that  the  general  sur- 
face appearance  was  much  as  it  is  today. 
Great  rivers  had  eroded  deep  valleys  and  can- 
yons; the  hills  were  forest-clad;  luxuriant 
grasses  abounded  in  the  intervales;  swamps 
like  ours  were  common,  and  lakes  diversified 
the  topography. 

Then  the  great  ice-sheet  pushed  down  from 
the  frozen  North.  AVe  may  well  believe  that 
it  was  a  destroyer.  Of  course,  no  vegetation 
could  survive.  The  damage,  if  such  it  may 
be  called,  was  more  fundamental,  however, 
than  the  destruction  of  the  things  growing  in 
and  upon  the  soil.  The  soil  itself  was  de- 
stroyed. The  great  mass  of  ice,  steadily  mov- 
ing forward,  pushed  up  the  soil  from  the  un- 
derlying rocks  and  washed  it  away  in  the 
great  glacial  floods  which  attended  the  melt- 
ing of  the  ice.  Its  melting  also  left  the 
great  moraines  of  gravel  and  stones  upon  the 
bare  surface  of  the  mother  rocks.  It  did  more 
than  these  things;  it  even  planed  and  fur- 
rowed these  constituent  rocks  themselves. 
Thus  the  hills  were  reduced  in  elevation  and 
the  valleys  raised.  The  canyon  eroded  by  the 
pre^glacial  Cuyahoga  was  widened  into  the 
valley  as  we  know  it  today.  The  river  of 
that  time  flowed  in  a  bed  two  hundred  feet 
below  its  present  bed.  It  is  flowing  now  upon 
the  top  of  two  hundred  feet  of  glacial  drift. 
We  must  look  to  the  glacier  for  the  reason 
why  the  northern  portion  of  our  county  is 
covered  with  heavy  clay,  difficult  to  till,  but 
very  rich  in  desirable  soil  qualities;  while 
the  southern  portion  is  sandy  and  gravelly. 
It  must  not  be  inferred  from  the  foregoing 
that  Nature  had  her  work  of  soil-making  all 
to  do  over  again  after  the  final  departure  of 
the  ice.  The  glacial  deposits  and  the  sedi- 
ment of  glacial  lakes,  left  upon  the  surface 
of  the  earth,  were  a  long  step  forward  in  the 
work  of  restoring  the  soil.     As  pointed  out 


by  Prof.  Claypole,  our  flora  is  considerably 
richer  by  reason  of  the  Arctic  conditions 
which  attended  the  coming  of  the  ice. 

Fortunately  for  us,  the  erosion  of  the  Cuya- 
hoga and  the  various  deep  borings  made  in 
this  vicinity  in  the  search  for  water  and  oil 
and  coal  make  the  determination  of  the 
geological  structure  of  Summit  County  an 
easy  matter.  There  are  various  out-croppings 
of  the  different  strata,  also,  which  greatly  as- 
sist the  geologist  in  this  work. 

The  lowest  formation  in  the  county  is  the 
Erie  Shale,  which  occurs  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  Devonian.  It  is  almost  homogeneous 
in  its  nature  and  is  a  soft  shale  of  a  bluish- 
gray  color.  It  is  sometimes  varied  with  bands 
of  calcareous  sandstone  and  is  occasionally 
found  carrying  fossils.  It  is  exposed  at 
Peninsula  and  -in  some  of  the  gorges  opening 
into  the  Cuyahoga  Valley.  When  the  quar- 
rying for  the  improvement  of  the  Arcturus 
Springs  in  the  Sand  Run  Gorge  was  done, 
some  beautiful  specimens  of  the  blue  iron 
stone  with  bands  of  a  rich  brown  color  were 
broken  off  the  Erie  shale  out-crop  there. 

Above  the  Erie  shale  is  the  Cleveland 
shale,  which  is  black  and  highly  bituminous. 
It  is  probably  a  lower  member  of  the  Waver- 
ly  or  subcarboniferous  .  It  is  rich  in  carbon 
and,  upon  distillation,  gas  and  oil  may  be 
obtained  from  it.  This  shale  may  also  be  seen 
to  good  advantage  in  the  steep  cliffs  along  the 
Cuyahoga.  The  next  formation  is  the  Bed- 
ford shale,  which  takes  its  name  from  Bed- 
fordjin  Cuyahoga  County.  It  is  exposed  in  Bed- 
ford Glens.  One  peculiarity  of  this  stratum  is 
the  thin  bands  of  sandstone,  from  which  flag- 
ging for  side-walks,  etc.,  can  be  easily  made. 
Above  the  Bedford  shale  is  found  the  Berea 
sandstone,  which  comes  to  the  surface  in  the 
southern  part,  of  Boston  township.  It  also 
outcrops  on  the  high  land  in  Northfield  town- 
ship. The  large  quarries  at  Peninsula  are 
constituted  of  Berea  sandstone.  It  1=  of  a 
uniform  white  or  .gray  color  and  its  close 
texture  and  resisting  qualities  make  it  a 
splendid  stone  for  building.  It  is  capable 
of  being  quarried  in  large  blocks.  In  the 
lower   parts    of   the    Peninsula    quarries    the 


28 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


saiul,~tone  is  extremely  Iiai'd  and  posst^sses  a 
sharp  grit  which  makes  it  especially  valuable 
for  the  manufacture  of  niill-stoues.  Much  of 
it  is  used  for  this  purpose  and  also  for  making 
grind-stones.  It  is  topped  by  a  thin  layer  of 
black,  bituminous  shale.  Below  Cuyahoga 
Falls  this  sandstone  may  be  seen  exposed  and 
the  cascade  in  Brandywine  Creek  is  over  this 
formation  also.  Next  above  the  Berea  sand- 
stone comes  Cuyahoga  shale,  so  called  because 
of  its  fine  exposure  in  the  bluffs  below  Cuya- 
hoga Falls.  In  the  main,:  it  is  composed  of 
a  soft  argillaceous  shale,  but  also  contains  a 
bed  of  hard,  fine-grained  sandstone.  The  Big 
Falls  at  the  Old  Maid's  Kitchen  are  due  to 
this  hard  sandstone  resisting  the  eroding  pow- 
ers of  the  river.  It  is  foTmed  on  the  surface 
in  parts  of  Northfield  township.  A  bed  of 
limestone  occurs  near  the  top  of  this  shale 
just  below  Cuyahoga  Falls,  from  which  quick- 
lime was  made  at  the  time  of  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Ohio  canal,  as  alluded  to  else- 
where in  this  history.  A  very  good  cement 
could  doubtless  be  made  from  it.  In  Rich- 
field  township  a  bed  of  fossiliferous  limestone 
occurs,  in  which  some  very  remarkable  fos- 
sil plants  and  animals  have  been  found. 

Next  above  the  Cuyalioga  shale  comes  the 
most  common  rock  formation  to  be  found  in 
the  county.  It  is  Carboniferous  Conglomer- 
ate. It  is  well  to  remember  the  name,  for  it 
is  the  surface  rock  of  the  townships  of  North- 
ampton, Copley,  Portage,  Tallmadge,  Spring- 
field, Coventry,  Norton,  Twinsbui'g,  Hudson, 
Stow,  Boston,  Richfield  and  Bath.  It  is  an 
extremely  coaree  sandstone  and  generally  con- 
tains, thickly  imbedded  in  it,  small,  round, 
white  quartz  pebbles.  The  stone  is  of  a  yel- 
lowish color,  except  where  it  has  been  stained 
red  or  brown  by  oxide  of  iron.  This  sand- 
stone is  extensively  quarried  just  above  Old 
Portage  at  the  plant  of  the  Akron  White  Sand 
Company.     After  grinding  and  washing,  the 


product  is  shipped  to  various  centers  to  be 
used  in  the  process  of  glass-making.  At  Bos- 
ton Ledges  and  on  the  top  of  the  bluffs  about 
Old  Maid's  Kitchen  it  may  also  be  studied  to 
good  advantage.  This  stratum  averages  about 
100  feet  in  thickness.  On  account  of  its 
strength  and  durability  it  is  much  used  for 
rougher  construction  purposes,  such  as  foun- 
dations, bridges  and  culverts. 

It  is  not  po.?sible  to  find  coal  north  of  the 
place  of  outcrop  of  the  Carboniferous  Con- 
glomerate, for  the  coal  measures  all  lie  above 
it.  Sometimes  it  is  missing  and  the  coal  beds 
lie  directly  above  the  Cuyalioga  shale.  The 
rocks  containing  the  coal  measures  all  lie  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  county.  In  them  are 
found  four  different  seams  of  coal.  The  top 
and  bottom  seams  are  about  200  feet  apart. 
The  lowest,  of  course,  is  the  best  coal.  In  the 
Ohio  Geological  Reports  it  is  called  Coal  No. 
1.  It  is  of  the  same  grade  as  the  best  Ohio 
bituminous  coal.  It  is  found  in  basins  or 
])ockets  which  were  the  swamps  of  the  coal- 
forming  period.  It  occurs  about  twenty-five 
feet  above  the  Carboniferous  Conglomerate, 
or,  when  the  latter  is  wanting,  the  Cuyahoga 
Shale.  The  next  seam  gives  us  coal  No.  2, 
which  is  of  little  value.  Coal  No.  3  comes 
to  the  surface  near  Mogadore.  It  is  a  thin 
stratum  and  is  of  value  only  because  of  the 
under-clay,  which  is  used  in  making  sewer- 
pipe  and  coarse  pottery.  In  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  county  coal  No.  4  is  found.  It  is 
of  little  value,  except  for  local  consumption. 
A  bed  of  lime-stone  is  sometimes  found  above 
both  No.  3  and  No.  4.  This  lime-stone  car- 
ries a  low-grade  iron  ore,  of  which  use  was 
made  in  the  early  days  of  Summit  County. 
The  last  blast-furnace  has  long  since  drawn  its 
fires,  and  the  only  use  which  can  be  made  of 
this  lime-stone  bed  at  the  present  time  would 
be  the  manufacture  of  lime,  cement,  or  mate- 
rial for  road-making. 


CHAPTER  II 


SETTLEMENT  /ND  ORGANIZATION  OF  SUMMIT  COUNTY 


Pioneer  Conditions — Indian  Trading — Wild  Garae — Home-Made  Garments — Pioneer  Hos- 
pitality— Social  Amusements — First  Published  Description  of  Summit  County — Making 
of  Summit  County — Western  Reserve — Organization  of  the  County — County  Seat  Se- 
lected— County  Seat  Contests — Adams'  Reception — Territorial  Changes. 


Unfortunately  for  the  purposes  of  the  mod- 
ern historian,  the  early  settlers  of  Summit 
County  left  no  written  record  of  their  expe- 
riences in  breaking  the  forest  and  founding 
homes  in  the  wilderness.  Only  a  few  meager 
accounts  contained  in  letters  and  recorded  in 
journals,  exasperatingly  deficient  in  details, 
have  been  left  to  give  succeeding  generations 
an  idea  of  how  the  pioneers  in  the  land  lived. 
Many  oral  traditions  have  survived,  however, 
and  many  vivid  stories  are  still  being  told 
which  have  never  been  seen  in  pi'int. 

In  1904  the  total  valuation  of  property  in 
the  State  of  Ohio  was  $2,113,808,168.  The 
real  wealth  of  Ohio  in  this  year — 1907 — is 
probably  not  far  from  five  billions  of  dollars. 
In  respect  to  wealth,  ours  is  the  fourth  State  in 
the  Union,  only  New  York,  Massachusetts  and 
Pennsylvania  exceeding  it.  It  is  difficult  to 
realize  that  this  has  practically  all  been  ac- 
cumulated within  one  century.  Every  nook 
and  corner  of  the  State  has '  kept  pace  with 
the  growth  of  American  culture  and  refine- 
ment. Ohio  is  abreast  of  the  times  in  every 
desirable  respect.  The  humblest  today  enjoy 
advantages  which  would  have  been  extreme 
luxuries  for  their  predecessors  of  only  two 
or  three  generations  back.  Contrast  the  life 
of  today  with  the  following  picture  of  the 
everyday  experiences  in  the  early  years  of  the 
past  century  found  in  Carpenter  and  Arthur's 


History  of  Ohio.  It  was  written  at  an  early 
time,  when  the  first  cornel's  were  still  with  us 
and  were  fond  of  relating  their  early  hard- 
ships. 

PIONEER     H.-VRDSHIPS. 

The  present  resident's  of  the  now  flourish- 
ing State  of  Ohio,  living  in  the  midst  of 
plenty,  can  form  but  a  faint  conception  of  the 
hardships  and  privations  endured  by  their 
predecessors.  The  first  object  of  the  pioneer, 
after  selecting  a  suitable  spot,  was  to  build  a 
log  cabin  of  proper  dimensions  as  a  residence 
for  his  family.  The  walls  of  his  cabin  were 
constructed  of  logs  piled  one  upon  another, 
the  space  between  being  completely  closed 
with  tempered  clay.  The  floor  was  made  of 
puncheons  or  planks,  formed  by  splitting  logs 
to  about  two  and  a  half  or  three  inches  in 
thickness,  and  hewing  them  on  one  or  both 
sides  with  a  broad-axe.  The  roof  and  ceiling 
-were  composed  of  clap-boards,  a  species  of 
pioneer  lumber  resembling  barrel  staves  be- 
fore they  are  shaved,  but  split  longer,  wider 
and  thinner.  The  walls  of  the  log  cabin 
having  been  erected,  the  dooi^  and  windows 
were  then  sawn  out;  the  steps  of  the  door 
being  made  with  the  pieces  cut  from  the 
walls,  and  the  door  itaelf  formed  of  the  same 
material  a."  the  floor.  The  apertures  in  the 
walls  intended  for  windows  were  pasted  over 


30 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


with  paper  lubricated  with  bear's  oil  or  lard, 
which  was  used  as  a  substitute  for  glass.  This 
paper  resisted  the  rain  tolerably  well,  and  at 
the  same  time  subdued  the  direct  rays  of  the 
sun,  and  admitted  into  the  mde  apartment  a 
light  beautifully  softened  and  mellowed. 

The  furniture  of  the  log  cabin  corresponded 
to  the  cabin  itself  in  simplicity  and  i-udeness 
of  construction.  The  bedstead  was  usually 
formed  in  the  following  manner.  Two  round 
poles  were  first  fixed  in  the  floor  as  uprights, 
at  a  distance  from  each  other  and  from  the 
walls  of  the  cabin,  equal  to  the  intended 
length  and  breadth  of  the  bedstead.  A  pole 
was  then  inserted  into  either  post  as  a  side 
rail,  and  two  poles  were  also  fixed  in  them,  at 
right  angles  to  the  plane  of  the  wall,  their 
ends  being  wedged  into  the  crevices  between 
the  logs.  Some  puncheons  were  then  split 
and  laid  from  the  side-rail  across  the  bed- 
stead, their  ends  being  also  inserted  into  the 
chinks  of  the  log  wall.  This  constituted  the 
bottom  of  the  bedstead.  The  skins  of  the 
bear,  the  buffalo  and  the  deer  formed  the 
bedding.  The  shelves  of  the  log  cabin 
were  made  of  clap-board,  supported  on 
wooden  pegs  driven  in  between  the  logs,  and 
on  these  were  displayed  such  wooden,  pewter 
and  earthenware  plates  and  dishes  as  the 
pioneer  was  fortunate  enough  to  possess.  One 
pot,  kettle  and  frying-pan  were  considered  to 
be  the  only  articles  absolutely  indispensable, 
though  some  included  the  tea-kettle.  The 
few  plates  and  dishes  on  the  clap-board  shelf 
were  sufficient  for  the  simple  wants  of  their 
owners,  who  relished  their  food  none  the  less 
that  it  was  eaten  from  common  trenchers  and 
from  a  puncheon  table.  The  great  scarcity 
of  domestic  utensils  among  the  settlers  often 
taxed  their  ingenuity  to  supply  the  want  when 
an  influx  of  visitors  unexpectedly  trespassed 
upon  their  hospitality. 

"A  year  or  two  after  we  arrived,"  writes 
one  of  the  earlier  pioneers,  "a  visiting  party 
was  arranged  by  the  ladies  in  order  to  call 
on  a  neighboring  family  who  lived  a  little  out 
of  the  common  way.  The  hostess  was  much 
pleased  to  see  us,  and  immediately  commenced 
preparing  the  usual  treat  on  such  occasion.* — 


a  cup  of  tea  with  its  accompaniments.  She 
had  only  one  fire-proof  vessel  in  the  house — 
an  old,  broken  bake-kettle — and  it  was  some 
time  before  tea  was  ready.  In  the  first  place, 
some  pork  was  fried  in  the  kettle  to  obtain 
lard;  secondly,  some  cakes  were  made  and 
fried  in  it;  thirdly,  some  short  cakes  were 
prepared  in  it;  fourthly,  it  was  used  as  a 
bucket  to  draw  water;  fifthly,  the  water  was 
boiled  in  it;  finally,  the  tea  was  put  in,  and 
a  very  excellent  and  sociable  dish  of  tea  we 
had." 

The  seats  in  the  log  house  were  generally 
three-legged  stools,  for,  owing  to  the  uneven- 
ness  of  the  puncheon  floor  a  chair  with  four 
legs  could  not  readily  be  made  to  stand  even- 
ly upon  its  surface.  Some  of  the  wealthier 
families  might  have  a  few  split-bottomed 
chairs,  but  more  frequently  stools  and  benches 
occupied  the  place  of  chairs  and  sofas. 

After  the  pioneer  had  completed  his  log 
house,  the  next  thing  to  be  done  was  to  effect 
a  "clearing"  around  it  for  a  "corn-patch." 
When  the  trees  were  cut  down  the  ground 
was  usually  ploughed  with  a  shovel-plough, 
this  'being  the  best  instrument  with  which  to 
force  a  way  among  the  roots.  As  the  clear- 
ing expanded,  many  were  the  farinaceous 
delicacies  M^hich  covered  the  settler's  puncheon 
table.  The  johnny-cake,  made  of  corn-meal, 
hominy,  or  pounded  maize,  thoroughly  boiled, 
and  other  savoury  preparations  of  flour  and 
milk.  The  forest  furnished  him  with  an 
abundance  of  venison  and  wild  turkeys,  while 
corn  "pone"  supplied  the  place  of  every  va- 
riety of  pastry.  Hogs  and  sheep  were,  how- 
ever, seldom  raised,  on  account  of  the  wolves 
and  bears  which  infested  the  woods. 

The  corn  of  the  first  settlers  was  either 
pounded  in  a  "hominy  block,"  which  was 
made  by  burning  a  hole  into  the  end  of  a 
block  of  wood,  or  ground  in  a  hand-mill. 
After  the  corn  was  sufficiently  pounded  it 
was  passed  through  a  sieve,  and  the  finer  por- 
tion of  the  meal  having  been  made  into  bread 
and  mush,  the  coarse  remainder  was  boiled 
for  hominy.  The  supper  of  the  pioneer  usu- 
ally consisted  of  mu.sh  and  milk.  A  capacious 
pot  containing  this  preparation  was  sometimes 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


31 


placed  on  the  table,  and  all  the  guests  invited 
to  help  themselves.  More  commonly,  how- 
ever, each  person  was  furnished  with  a  pew- 
ter spoon,  and  a  tin  cup  containing  milk,  into 
which  he  infused  the  pure  mush  in  propor- 
tions most  agreeable  to  his  taste. 

The  pioneers  had  frequently  great  diffi- 
culties to  surmount  before  they  could  get 
their  corn  ground.  Notwith.standing,  the 
rich  harvests  of  maize  yielded  by  their  clear- 
ings, meal  was  a  very  scarce  article  in  their 
cabins.  To  procure  it  they  had  to  choose 
between  the  hominy  mortar  or  a  toilsome 
journey  of  upward  of  thirty  miles,  over  an 
Indian  trail,  to  the  nearest  mill.  In  1791 
flour  was  so  scarce  and  dear,  that  the  little 
which  could  be  afforded  in  families  was  laid 
by  to  be  used  only  in  sickness  or  for  the  en- 
tertainment of  friends,  for,  although  corn 
was  then  abundant,  there  was  but  one  float- 
ing mill  on  the  Little  Miami.  It  was  built 
in  a  small  fiat-boat  tied  to  the  bank,  its  wheel 
being  slowly  turned  by  the  force  of  the  cur- 
rent. It  was  barely  sufficient  to  supply  the 
inhabitants  of  Columbia  (the  second  settle- 
ment in  Ohio)  with  meal;  and,  sometimes, 
from  low  water  and  other  unfavorable  cir- 
cumstances, was  of  little  or  no  sers'ice.  At 
such  times  the  deficiency  in  flour  had  to  be 
supplied  by  hand  mills,  a  most  laborious  mode 
of  grinding. 

About  this  time  each  house  in  Cleveland, 
Cuyahoga  County,  had  its  own  hand  grist- 
mill in  the  chimney  corner,  which  has  been 
thus  described:  "The  stones  were  of  the  com- 
mon grindstone  gi'it,  about  four  inches  thick 
and  twenty  inches  in  diameter.  The  ninner 
was  turned  by  hand,  with  a  pole  set  in  the 
top  of  it  near  the  verge.  The  upper  end  of 
the  pole  went  into  another  hole  inserted  into 
a  board  and  nailed  on  the  underside  of  the 
joist,  immediately  over  the  hole  in  the  verge 
of  the  runner.  One  person  turned  the  stone, 
and  another  fed  the  corn  into  the  eye  with  his 
hands.  It  was  very  hard  work  to  grind,  and 
the  operators  alternately  changed  places."  It 
took  the  hard  labor  of  two  hours  to  supply 
enough  for  one  person  for  a  single  day. 

About  the  year  1800  one  or  two  grist-mills. 


operating  by  water,  were  erected.  One  of 
these  was  built  at  Newbury,  in  Cuyahoga 
County.  In  Miami  County  the  most  popular 
millers  were  Patterson,  below  Dayton,  and 
Owen  Davis,  on  Beaver  Creek.  But  the  dis- 
tance of  many  of  the  settlements  from  these 
mills,  and  the  want  of  proper  roads,  often 
made  the  expense  of  grinding  a  single  bushel 
equal  the  value  of  two  or  three. 

It  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  the 
pioneer  to  leave  his  family  in  the  wilderness 
with  a  stinted  supply  of  food,  and  with  his 
team  or  pack-horse  travel  twenty  or  thirty 
miles  for  provisions.  The  necessary  ap- 
pendages of  his  journey  were  an  axe,  a  pocket- 
compass,  a  blanket  and  bells.  He  had  to  cut 
a  TOad  through  the  woods  with  the  axe,  wide 
enough  for  his  team,  ford  .almost  impassable 
streams,  and,  as  the  day  drew  to  its  close,  look 
out  for  a  suitable  place  for  a  night's  encamp- 
ment. Having  decided  on  the  spot,  he  then, 
by  means  of  flint,  steel,  and  a  charge  of  pow- 
der, kindled  a  fire  to  dissipate  the  gloom  and 
damps  of  night,  to  drive  off  the  mosquitoes, 
and  to  prevent  the  approach  of  wild  animals. 
The  harness  being  removed  from  the  cattle, 
the  bells  were  attached  to  their  necks,  and 
they  were  driven  forth  to  find  such  pasturage 
as  the  forest  afforded.  After  having  par- 
taken of  his  solitary  meal,  the  blanket  was 
spread  on  the  ground  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  camp-fire,  and  the  wearied  backwoodsman, 
wrapped  in  its  warm  folds,  .slept  soundly  be- 
neath the  trees.  In  the  morning,  or  more 
frequently,  long  before  the  break  of  day,  he 
listened  to  catch  the  sound  of  bells,  to  him 
sweet  music,  for  not  unfrequently  hours  were 
consumed  in  tedious  wanderings  before  he 
could  recover  his  stray  cattle,  harness  them  to 
his  team,  and  resume  his  journey.  On 
reaching  his  place  of  destination,  if  he  could 
only  get  his  grinding  done  by  waiting  no 
longer  than  a  day  and  a  night  at  the  mill,  he 
esteemed  himself  fortunate.  The  corn  hav- 
ing been  ground,  the  pioneer  retraced  his 
steps  to  his  lonely  and  secluded  family,  and 
not  unfrequently  had  scarcely  time  to  rest 
and  refresh  himself,  before  the  same  journey 
had  to  be  repeated. 


32 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Jacob  Foust,  one  of  the  Ohio  backwoods- 
men, when  his  wife  was  sick,  and  he  could 
obtain  nothing  to  eat  that  she  relished,  pro- 
cured a  bushel  of  wheat,  and,  throwing  it  on 
his  shouldere,  carried  it  to  Zanesville  to  get 
it  ground,  a  distance  of  more  than  seventy- 
five  miles  from  his  dwelling,  bjf  the  tortuous 
path  he  had  to  traverse.  His  object  accom- 
plished, he  once  more  resumed  his  load,  and 
returned  homo,  fording  the  streams  and  camp- 
ing ovit  at  nights. 

The  animal  food  which  covered  the  table  of 
the  settler  was  chiefly  obtained  from  the 
woods.  Hunters,  the  better  to  elude  the  ever- 
watchful  eye  of  the  deer  and  turkey,  wore 
hunting-skirts  of  a  color  suited  to  the  season 
of  the  year.  In  spring  and  summer  their 
dress  was  green;  in  the  fall  of  the  year  it 
resembled  the  fallen  leaves,  and  in  winter,  as 
nearly  as  possible,  the  bark  of  trees.  If  there 
was  any  snow  on  the  ground,  the  hunters 
put  on  a  white  hunting-shirt.  As  soon  as 
the  leaves  had  fallen,  and  the  weather  became 
rainy,  the  hunter  began  to  feel  uneasy  at 
home.  "Everything  about  him  became  dis- 
agreeable. The  house  was  too  warm,  the  bed 
too  soft,  and  even  the  good  wife  for  the  time 
was  not  thought  to  be  a  good  companion."  A 
party  was  soon  formed,  and  on  the  appointed 
day  the  little  cavalcade,  with  horses  carrying 
flour,  meal,  blankets,  and  other  requisites, 
were  on  their  way  to  the  hunting-camp.  This 
was  always  formed  in  some  sheltered  and  se- 
questered spot,  and  consisted  of  a  rude  camp, 
with  a  log  fire  in  the  open  air  in  front  of  it, 
the  interior  of  the  hut  being  well  lined  with 
skins  and  moss,  the  only  bedding  on  which 
these  hunters  were  accustomed  to  sleep. 

It  was  to  the  spoils  of  the  chase  that  the 
pioneers  and  Indians  trusted  for  the  skins  and 
furs  to  barter  for  the  few  necessaries  they  re- 
quired from  tlie  Eastern  States.  An  Indian 
trail  from  Sandusky  to  the  Tuscarawas,  passed 
by  the  residence  of  Mr.  Harris,  who  formed 
the  first  regular  settlement  at  Harrisville,  .in 
Medina  County.  It  was  a  narrow,  hard- 
trodden  bridlepath.  In  the  fall  the  Indians 
traversed  it  from  the  west  to  this  region,  re- 
mained through  the  winter  to  hunt,  and  re- 


turned in  the  spring;  their  horses  laden  with 
furs,  jerked  venison,  and  bear's  oil,  the  last 
an  extensive  article  of  commerce.  Their 
horses  were  loose,  and  followed  each  other 
in  single  hunter's  file,  and  it  was  by  no  means 
remarkable  to  see  a  single  hunter  returning 
with  as  many  as  twenty  horses  laden  with  his 
winter's  work,  and  usually  accompanied  by 
his  squaw. 

INDIAN    TRADING. 

The  mode  in  which  business  was  con- 
ducted with  the  Indians  by  the  fur  traders, 
was  as  follows:  The  Indians  walked  into 
the  merchant's  store,  and  deliberately  seated 
themselves,  upon  which  the  latter  presented 
each  of  his  visitors  with  a  small  piece  of 
tobacco.  Having  lighted  their  pipes,  they 
smoked  and  talked  together  awhile.  One  of 
the  Indians  then  went  to  the  counter  of  the 
merchant,  and,  taking  up  the  yard-stick, 
pointed  to  the  first  article  he  desired  to  pos- 
sess, and  inquired  its  price.  A  muskrat  skin 
^vas  equal  in  value  to  a  quarter  of  a  dollar ;  a 
raccoon  skin,  a  third  of  a  dollar;  a  doeskin, 
half  a  dollar,  and  a  buckskin,  a  dollar.  The 
questions  were  asked  after  this  manner :  "How 
many  buckskins  for  a  shirt  pattern?"  The 
Indian,  learning  the  price  of  the  fii-st  article, 
paid  for  it  by  selecting  the  required  number 
of  skins,  and  handing  them  to  the  trader,  be- 
fore proceeding  to  purcha.se  the  second,  when 
he  repeated  the  same  process,  paying  for 
everything  as  he  went  along.  While  the  first 
Indian  was  trading  the  others  looked  on  in 
silence,  and  when  he  was  through,  a.nother 
took  his  place,  until  all  were  satLsfied.  No 
one  desired  to  trade  before  his  turn,  but  all 
observed  a  proper  deconim,  and  never  offered 
a  lower  price,  but,  if  dissatisfied,  passed  on 
to  the  next  article.  They  were  careful  not 
to  trade  when  intoxicated;  but  usually  re- 
served some  of  their  skins  with  which  to  buy 
liquor,  and  close  their  business  transactions 
with  a  frolic. 

To  such  of  the  pioneers,  however,  as  did 
not  hunt,  the  long  winter  evenings  were 
rather  tedious.  They  had  no  candles,  and 
cared  but  little  about  them,   except  at  such 


GEN.  GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARK 


GEN.  ANTHONY  WAYNE 


GEN.  Wm.  HENRY  ITARRLSON 


GEN.  ARTHUR  ST.  CLAIR 


GEN.  J0SL4H  HARMAR 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


35 


seasons.  The  deficiency  in  light  was,  how- 
ever, partially  remedied  by  torches  made  of 
pine-knots,  or  the  bark  of  the  shelly  hickory. 
To  relieve  the  tedium,  the  pioneer  would  read 
aloud  to  hi>s  family  from  such  books  as  his 
cabin  afforded,  or  engage  in  the  usual  opera- 
tions of  the  season,  such  as  shelling  corn, 
scraping  turnips,  stemming  and  twisting  to- 
bacco, plaiting  straw  for  hats,  or  ci'acking 
walnuts  and  hickory  nuts,  of  which  the  in- 
mates of  every  cabin  usually  laid  in  a'  good 
winter's  supply. 

AVILD  GAME. 

The  wolf  for  a  considerable  time  caused 
much  trouble  to  the  pioneers,  and  prevented 
the  profitable  raising  of  sheep  and  hogs  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  "clearing."  In  or- 
der to  preserve  the  hogs  from  the  attacks  of 
these  animals,  it  was  necessary  to  build  the 
walls  of  the  hog-pen  so  high  that  the  wolf 
could  neither  jump  nor  climb  them.  Their 
depredations  were  so  great  that  the  state  of- 
fered a  bounty  of  from  four  to  six  dollars 
apiece  on  their  scalps.  This  made  wolf  hunt- 
ing rather  a  lucrative  business,  and  called  into 
action  all  the  talent  of  the  country.  Some- 
times these  ferocious  animals  were  taken  in 
traps.  The  wolf-trap  resembled  a  box  in  ap- 
pearance, formed  of  log-s,  and  floored  with 
puncheons.  It  was  usually  made  about  six 
feet  in  length,  four  feet  in  width,  and  three 
feet  in  depth.  A  very  heavy  puncheon  lid 
was  moved  by  an  axle  at  one  end,  the  trap 
being  set  by  a  figure  four,  and  baited.  On 
one  occasion,  a  hunter  went  into  a  wolf-trap 
to  adjust  the  spring,  when  the  lid  .suddenly 
fell  and  hurled  him  into  the  pit.  Unable  to 
raise  the  cover,  and  several  miles  from  the 
nearest  house,  he  was  imprisoned  for  a  day 
and  night  in  his  own  trap,  and  would  have 
perished  but  for  a  passing  hunter,  who  heard 
his  groans  and  instantlj'  relieved  him. 

Bears  and  panthers  were  at  one  time  com- 
mon in  the  northwestern  territory,  but  their 
depredations  on  the  hog-pen  were  not  so  fre- 
quent as  those  of  the  wolf  and  the  wild-cat, 
and  they  were  tisually  more  shy  in  tlicir 
habits. 


HOMK-MADE  GARMENTS. 

Most  of  the  articles  of  dress  worn  by  the 
first  settlers  were  of  domestic  manufacture. 
Wool  was  not  yet  introduced  into  the  country, 
and  all  their  home-spun  garments  were  made 
from  flax  or  hemp,  or  from'  the  skins  of  the 
deer,  which,  when  nicely  dressed,  afforded 
warm  and  comfortable  clothing.  Such  was 
the  settler's  everyday  and  holiday  garb.  A 
common  American  check  was  considered  a 
superb  article  for  a  bridal-dress,  and  such  a 
thing  as  silk  or  satin  was  never  dreamt  of. 
A  yard  of  cotton  check,  which  can  now  be  ob- 
tained for  twelve  and  a  half  cents,  then  cost 
one  dollar,  and  five  yards  was  deemed  an 
ample  dress  pattern.  The  coarser  calicoes 
were  one  dollar  per  yard,  while  whiskey  was 
from  one  to  two  dollai's  per  gallon,  and  as 
much  of  this  article  was  sold  as  of  anything 
else.  The  country  merchants,  however,  found 
it  advantageous  to  their  business  to  place  a 
bottle  of  liquor  on  each  end  of  the  counter 
for  the  gratuitous  use  of  their  customers. 

In  the  fall  of  1800,  Ebenezer  Zane  laid  out 
a  town  in  Fairfield  County,  and  in  compli- 
ment to  a  number  of  emigrants  from  Lan- 
caster County,  Pennsylvania,  who  had  pur- 
chased lots,  called  it  New  Lancaster.  It  re- 
tained that  name  until  1805,  when,  by  an 
act  of  the  legi.slature,  the  word  "New"  was 
dropped.  Shortly  after  the  settlement  was 
made,  and  'while  the  stumps  were  yet  in  the 
streets,  the  cheapness  of  whiskey  occasionally 
led  some  of  the  settlers  to  indulge  in  drunken 
frolics,  which  not  un frequently  ended  in  a 
fight. 

In  the  absence  of  law,  the  better  disposed 
part  of  the  population  held  a  meeting,  at 
which  it  was  resolved  tliat  any  person  in  the 
settlement  foimd  intoxicated  .should  for  every 
such  offense  either  dig  a  stump  out  of  the 
street,  of  which  there  were  many,  or  suffer 
personal  chastisement.  The  result  was.  that, 
after  several  of  the  offenders  had  expiated 
their  offenses,  dram-drinking  cea.sed.  and  so- 
briety and  good  conduct  marked  the  char- 
acter of  the  people. 

For  many  years  the  pioneers  lived  together 


36 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY- 


on  the  footing  of  social  equality.  The  rich 
and  the  poor  dressed  nearly  alike.  What  lit- 
tle aristocratic  feeling  any  new  settler  might 
bring  with  hini',  was  soon  dissipated,  for  all 
soon  found  themselves  equally  dependent. 
The  pioneers  knew  who  were  sick  for  manj' 
miles  ai-ound,  and  would  very  cheerfully 
tender  their  assistance  to  each  other  under 
such  circumstances.  All  sympathized  on 
these  occa-sions,  and  the  log  cabin  of  the  in- 
valid would  be  visited,  not  only  by  those  in 
his  own  immediate  neighborhood,  but  by  set- 
tlers from  a  distance,  who  would  keep  him 
well  supplied  with  the  best  of  everything  their 
primitive  habits  could  afford. 

PIONEER    HOSPITALITY. 

The  stranger  ever  received  at  the  log  cabin 
of  these  pioneers  a  generous  welcome.  The 
rough  fare  on  the  puncheon  table  was  most 
cheerfully  shared,  and  any  offer  of  remunera- 
tion would  offend  them.  Even  the  Indian, 
in  times  of  peace,  was  no  exception,  and  would 
be  received  and  kindly  entertained  with  such 
fare  as  the  cabin  afforded.  The  pioneer  hos- 
pitality, together  with  its  happy  effects  on 
one  occasion,  is  well  exemplified  in  the  fol- 
lowing confession  of  converted  Wyandot  chief, 
named  Rohn-yen-ness.  He  had  been  chosen 
by  his  tribe  to  murder  Andrew  Poe,  a  woods- 
man, celebrated  in  border  warfare,  who  had 
slain,  among  others,  one  of  the  bravest  war- 
riors in  the  Wyandot  nation.  This  Indian 
proceeded  to  Poe's  house,  where  he  was  re- 
ceived with  utmost  kindne.ss  and  hospitality. 
Poe,  having  no  suspicion  whatever  of  his  de- 
sign, furnished  him  with  the  very  best  which 
his  cabin  afforded.  When  bedtime  came,  a  pal- 
let was  carefully  prepared  for  their  Indian 
guest  by  the  hospitable  couple  in  their  own 
chamber.  The  unsuspicious  hunter  and  his 
famih'^  having  fallen  into  a  deep  sleep,  the 
Indian  had  now  a  fair  opportunity  to  accom- 
plish their  destruction.  He  thought  of  the 
duty  he  owed  to  his  nation,  of  the  death  of  its 
most  valiant  warrior,  and  of  the  anger  of  his . 
tribe :  but  Poe  had  received  him  with  so  much 


kindness,  had  treated  him  so  much  like  a 
brother,  that  he  could  not  summon  a  suffi- 
cient amount  of  resolution  to  kill  him,  and  in 
this  unsettled  state  of  mind  he  lay  till  about 
midnight.  Once  more  he  arose  from  his  pal- 
let, and  approached  his  sleeping  host.  His 
sinewy  arm  was  uplifted,  and  the  murderous 
weapon  glittered  in  his  hand.  Again  the 
kindness  of  the  sleeping  pioneer  overcame 
the  resolution  of  the  Indian,  who,  feeling  it 
to  be  unworthy  the  character  of  a  warrior  to 
kill  even  an  enemy  who  had  reposed  in  him 
such  generous  confidence,  returned  to  his  pal- 
let and  slept  till  morning.  During  the  war, 
however,  it  was  necessary  to  be  more  guarded 
in  entertaining  Indians,  and,  although  the 
following  incident  is  more  romantic  than 
tragic,  it  affords  a  good  general  illustration 
of  the  danger  to  which  the  settlers  were  ex- 
posed. 

One  night,  just  before  retiring  to  rest,  a 
backwoodsman  of  the  name  of  Minor  Spicer, 
residing  near  Akron,  in  Summit  County, 
heardi  some  one  call  an  front  of  his  log 
cabin.  He  went  out  and  saw  a  large  Indian 
with  two  rifles  in  his  hand  and  a  deer  quar- 
tered and  hung  across  his  horse.  Spicer  asked 
him  what  he  wanted.  The  Indian  replied  in 
his  own  dialect,  when  the  other  told  him  he 
must  speak  English  or  he  would  unhorse  him. 
He  finally  gave  Spicer  to  understand  that  he 
wanted  to  stay  all  night,  a  request  which  was 
reluctantly  gi-anted.  The  rifles  of  the  Indian 
were  laid  in  a  corner,  his  venison  hung  up, 
his  horse  stabled  in  an  out-house,  and  the 
Indian  invited  to  enter  the  dwelling  of  the 
settler. 

The  savage  now  cut  a  piece  of  venison  for 
Mrs.  Spicer  to  cook  for  him,  which  she  did 
in  the  usual  way,  with  a  liberal  supply  of 
pepper  and  salt.  He  drew  near  the  table  and 
ate  only  sparingly.  The  family  being  ready 
to  retire,  he  placed  his  scalping-knife  and 
tomahawk  in  the  corner  with  his  rifles,  and, 
stretching  himself  upon  the  hearth  before 
the  fire,  was  soon  apparently  asleep.  After 
a  while  he  was  observed  to  raise  himself 
slowly  from  his  recumbent  position  and  sit 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


upright  on  the  hearth,  looking  stealthily  over 
his  shoulder,  to  see  if  all  was  still.  Having 
satisfied  himself  that  the  family  slept,  the 
savage  rose  to  his  feet,  and  stepped  lightly 
across  the  floor  to  the  corner  where  lay  his 
implements 'of  death.  At  this  juncture  the 
feelings  of  Spicer  and  his  wife  may  be  imag- 
ined, for  they  were  only  feigning  sleep,  and 
were  intently  watching.  The  Indian  stood 
half  a  minute  to  see  if  he  had  awakened  any- 
one, and  then  slowly  drew  forth  from  its 
scabbard  the  glittering  scalping-knife.  At 
the  moment  when  Spicer  was  about  to  lay 
his  hand  upon  his  rifle,  which  stood  near  his 
bed  the  Indiim  crossed  quietly  to  the  venison, 
cut  several  steaks  from  it.  and  was  soon  after 
busily  engaged  in  broiling  a  supply  for  him- 
self, freed  from  the  pepper,  which  had  pre- 
viously offended  his  unsophisticated  taste. 

SOCI.\L     .\MUSEMEXTS. 

The  social  amusements  of  the  pioneers 
originated  in  the  peculiarities  of  their  habits, 
and  were  especially  characteristic.  On  the  ar- 
rival of  a  new  settler,  every  one  was  expected 
to  perform  a  certain  amount  of  gratuitous 
labor  at  the  "log-rolling,"  or  the  raising  of 
the  new  cabin.  Some  felled  the  trees  and  cut 
them  the  proper  length:  others  prepared 
puncheons  for  the  floor,  and  clap-boards  for 
the  roof,  while  another  neighbor  with  his  t-eam 
hauled  these  materials  to  the  site  on  which 
the  cabin  was  to  be  erected.  A  large  num- 
ber of  persons  usually  assembled  at  this  place 
on  the  day  appointed  for  the  raising,  by  whom 
the  walls  of  the  house  w-ere  speedily  con- 
structed. The  labors  of  the  day  having 
ended,  the  evening  was  spent  in  dancing  and 
other  innocent  amusements.  If  the  company 
had  no  fiddler,  which  was  not  unfrequently 
the  case,  some  of  the  party  would  supply  the 
deficiency  by  singing. 

Marriages  among  the  pioneers  wpi'p  gen- 
erally contracted  in  early  life,  and  on  these 
truly  festive  occasions  the  youth  of  both  sexes 
in  the  immediate  neighborhoods,  and  for  fif- 
teen or  tw^enty  miles  around,  would  be  gath- 


ered together.  On  the  morning  of  the  wed- 
ding day  the  bridegi'ooni  and  his  friends,  with 
their  numerous  visitors,  assembled  at  the 
house  of  the  bride,  and,  after  the  ceremony 
was  performed,  the  company  were  enter- 
tained with  a  most  substantial  backwoods 
feast  of  beef,  pork,  fowls,  with  plenty  of  po- 
tatoes, cabbages  and  other  vegetables.  After 
dinner  the  young  people  engaged  in  various 
rural  sports  until  dancing  commenced,  which 
was  kept  up  for  the  remainder  of  the  day, 
and  not  unfrequently  through  the  whole  of 
the  night.  The  dances  most  in  vogue  being 
ordinarily  three  and  four-hand  reel-,  or 
square  sets  and  jigs. 

The  next  day  the  whole  party  were  accus- 
tomed to  return  to  the  house  of  the  "''groom" 
to  partake  of  the  "infair."  On  arriving 
within  a  mile  of  the  dwelling,  two  young  nif  n 
would  volunteer  to  race  for  the  bottle. 
Mounted  on  ponies  (the  rougher  the  road  the 
better)  both  started  with  an  Indian  yell,  and 
away  they  went  over  logs,  brush,  muddy  hol- 
lows, hills  and  glens,  the  obstacles  on  the  road 
only  serving  for  a  better  display  of  rival  in- 
trepidity and  horsemanship.  The  bottle  was 
always  filled  and  ready  to  be  presented  to  the 
first  who  reached  the  door.  The  successful 
competitor  having  drank  the  health  of  the 
bride  and  groom,  then  returned  in  triumph 
to  distribute  potations  among  the  company. 

Although  among  the  pioneers  disputes 
would  occasionally  arise,  biit  few  ever  thought 
of  settling  them  by  legal  proceedings.  There 
were  other  modes  of  adjudication.  Some- 
times a  duel  would  decide  all  difficulties.  At 
others  the  pugilistic  ring  was  formed,  and, 
after  a  fight,  which  often  afforded  an  oppor- 
tunity of  displaying  great  courage  and  im- 
mense powers  of  endurance,  the  conqueror 
w-ould  shake  hands  with  the  vanquished,  and 
a  perfect  good  feeling  would  usually  be  re- 
stored betw-een  the  contending  parties.  It  is 
true  there  were  some  justices  of  the  peace, 
men  generally  chosen  by  the  pioneers  on  ac- 
coimt  of  their  strong,  natural  sense,  who  ad- 
mirably answered  all  the  purposes  of  their 
selections. 


38 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


THE   FIRST   PUBLISHED   DESCRIPTION    OF 
SUMMIT    COUNTY. 

In  the  spring  of  1755,  James  Smith,  a 
youth  of  18  years,  was  taken  captive  by 
three  Indians,  about  five  miles  above  Bedford, 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  taken  by  them  to 
the  banks  of  the  Allegheny  River,  opposite 
Fort  Duquesne,  where  he  was  compelled  to 
run  the  gauntlet,  consisting  of  two  long  I'anks 
of  Indians,  two  or  three  rods  apart.  He  es- 
caped with  a  slight  tomahawk  injury,  and  his 
fleetness  and  skill  awakened  such  an  admira- 
tion among  the  Indians  that  they  spared  his 
life  and  adopted  him  into  the  tribe,  the  name 
of  which  wa^  Caughnewaga.  Several  years 
later,  upon  the  conclusion  of  a  treaty  with 
the  whites,  he  was  released  and  returned  to 
civilization.  In  1799  there  was  published 
in  Lexington,  Kentucky,  by  John  Bradford,  a 
book  entitled  "Narrative  of  the  Captivity  of 
Colonel  James  Smith  Among  the  Ohio  In- 
dians, Between  May,  1755,  and  April,  1759." 
It  is  a  most  thrilling  .story  of  Jame.s  Smith's 
experience  during  his  Indian  life,  and  its 
authenticity  is  unimpeached.  In  his  Indian 
hunting  trips  he  traversed  our  portage  path 
and  has  left  us  the  first  description  of  the 
adjacent  country  which  has  been  published. 
It  is  given  in  Colonel  Smith's  own  words  and 
is  as  follows: 

"Sometime  in  October  another  adopted 
brother,  older  than  Tontileango,  came  to  pay 
us  a  visit  at  Sunyendeand  and  asked  me  to 
take  a  hunt  with  'hiin  on  Guyahaga.  A.s  they 
always  used  me  as  a  freeman,  and  gave  me  the 
liberty  of  choosing,  I  told  him  that  I  was  at- 
tached to  Tontileango,  had  never  seen  him 
before,  and,  therefore,  asked  some  time  to 
consider  this.  He  told  me  that  the  party  he 
was  going  with  would  not  be  along,  or  at  the 
mouth  of  this  little  lake,  in  less  than  six 
days,  and  I  could  in  this  time  be  acquainted 
with  him,  and  judge  for  myself.  I  consulted 
with  Tontileango  on  this  occasion,  and  he 
told  me  that  our  old  brother,  Tecaughretanego 
(which  was  his  name)  was  a  chief  and  a  bet- 
ter man  than  he  was,  and  if  I  went  with  him 
I  might  expect  to  be  well  used,  but  he  said  I 


might  do  as  I  pleased,  and  if  I  stayed  lie 
would  use  me  as  he  had  done.  I  told  him 
that  he  had  acted  in  every  respect  as  a  brother 
to  me,  yet  1  was  much  pleased  with  my  old 
brother's  conduct  and  conversation,  and  as 
he  was  going  to  a  part  of  the  country  I  had 
never  been  in,  I  wished  to  go  with  him.  He 
said  that  he  was  perfectly  willing. 

"I  then  went  with  Tecaughretanego  to  the 
mouth  of  the  little  lake,  where  he  met  with 
the  company  he  intended  going  with,  which 
was  composed  of  Caughnewagas  and  Ottawas. 
Here  I  was  introduced  to  a  Caughnewaga  sis- 
ter, and  others  I  had  never  seen  before.  My 
sister's  name  was  Mary,  which  they  pro- 
nounced Maully.  I  asked  Tecaughretanego 
how  it  came  that  she  had  an  English  name. 
He  said  that  he  did  not  know  that  it  was  an 
English  name,  but  it  was  the  name  the  priest 
gave  her  when  she  was  baptized,  and  which 
he  said  was  the  name  of  the  mother  of  Jesus. 
He  said  there  were  a  great  many  of  the 
Caughnewagas  and  Ottawas  that  were  a  kind 
of  half  Roman  Catholics,  but  as  for  himself 
he  said  that  the  priest  and  he  could  not  agree, 
as  they  held  notions  that  contradicted  both 
sense  and  reason  and  had  the  assurance  to 
tell  him  that  the  book  of  God  taught  them 
these  foolish  absurdities,  but  he  could  not  be- 
lieve that  the  great  and  good  spirit  ever  taught 
them  any  such  nonsense,  and,  therefore,  he 
concluded  that  the  Indians'  old  religion  was 
better  than  this  new  way  of  worshi)iing  (Sod. 

"The  Otta\A'as  have  a  very  useful  kind  of 
tents,  which  they  carry  with  them,  mad-^  of 
flags,  plaited  and  stitched  together  in  a  very 
artful  manner,  so  as  to  turn  the  rain  and  wind 
well.  Each  mat  is  made  fifteen  feet  long  and 
about  five  feet  broad.  In  order  to  erect  this 
kind  of  tent  they  cut  a  number  of  long, 
straight  poles,  which  they  drive  into  the 
ground  in  the  form  of  a  circle,  leaning  in- 
wards; then  they  spread  the  mats  on 
these  poles,  beginning  at  the  bottom  and 
extending  up.  leaving  only  a  hole  in  the  top 
uncovered,  and  this  hole  answers  the  place  of 
a  chimney.  They  make  fire  of  dry  split  wood 
in  the  middle,  and  spread  down  bark  mats 
and  .skins  for  bedding,  on  which  they  sleep 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


39 


in  a  crooked  posture,  all  around  the  fire,  as 
the  length  of  their  beds  will  not  admit  of 
their  stretching  themselves.  In  place  of  a 
door  they  lift  up  one  end  of  a  mat  and  creep 
in,  and  let  the  mat  fall  down  behind  them. 
These  tents  are  wai'm  and  dry,  and  tolerab- 
ly clear  of  smoke.  Their  lumber  they  keep 
under  birch  bark  canoes,  which  they  carry 
out  and  turn  up  for  a  shelter,  where  they 
keep  everything  from  the  rain.  Nothing  is 
in  the  tents  but  themselves  and  their  bedding. 
"This  company  had  four  birch  canoes  and 
four  tents.  We  were  kindly  received  and 
they  gave  us  plenty  of  hominy  and  wild  fowl 
boiled  and  roasted.  As  geese,  ducks,  swans, 
etc.,  here  are  well  grain-fed,  they  were  re- 
markably fat,  especiallj^  the  green-necked 
ducks.  The  wild  fowl  fed  upon  a  kind  of 
wild  rice  that  grows  spontaneously  in  the 
shallow  water,  or  wet  places  along  the  sides 
or  in  the  corners  of  the  lakes.  As  the  wind 
was  high  and  we  could  not  proceed  on  uur 
voyage  we  remained  here  several  days  and 
killed  abundance  of  wild  fowl  and  a  number 
of  raccoons. 

"When  a  company  of  Indians  are  moving 
together  on  the  lake,  as  it  is  at  this  time  of 
the  year,  often  dangerous  sailing,  the  old  men 
hold  a  council,  and  when  they  agree  to  em- 
bark, every  one  is  engaged  immediately  in 
making  ready,  without  offering  one  word 
against  the  mea.sure,  though  the  lake  may  be 
boisterous  and  horrid.     One  morning,  though 

..e  wind  appeared  to  me  to  be  as  high  as  in 
days  past,  the  billows  raging,  yet  the  call  was 
given   yohohyohoh,   which   was   quickly  an- 

vvered  by  all  -ooh-ooh,  which  signifies  agreed. 
'.7e  were  all  instantly  engaged  in    preparing 

'  start,  and  had  considerable  difficulties  in 
•juibarking.  As  soon  as  we  got  into  our  ca- 
r  )es  we  fell  to  paddling  with  all  our  might, 
working  out  from  the  shore.  Though  this 
sort  of  canoe  rides  waves  beyond  what  could 
be  expected,  yet  the  water  several  times  dashed 
into  them.  When  we  got  out  about  half  a 
mile  from  shore  we  hoisted  sail,  and  as  it  was 
nearly  a  west  wind,  we  then  seemed  to  ride 
•the  waves  with  ease,  and  went  on  at  a  rapid 
rr.^e.    We  then  all  laid  down  our  paddles,  ex- 


cepting one  that  steered,  and  no  water 
dashed  into  our  canoe  until  we  came  near 
shore  again.  We  sailed  about  sixty  miles  that 
day  and  encamped  some  time  before  night. 
The  next  day  we  again  embarked  and  went 
on  very  well  for  sometime,  but  the  lake  being 
boisterous  and  the  wind  not  fair,  we  were 
obliged  to  make  the  shore,  which  we  accom- 
plished with  hard  work  and  some  difficulty  in 
landing. 

The  next  morning  a  council  was  held  by 
the  old  men.  As  we  had  this  day  to  pass  by 
a  long  precipice  of  rocks  on  the  shore  about 
nine  miles,  which  rendered  it  impossible  for 
us  to  land,  though  the  wind  was  high  and 
the  lake  rough,  yet  as  it  was  fair,  we  were 
all  ordered  to  embark.  We  wrought  ourselves 
from  the  shore  and  hoisted  sail  (what  we 
used  in  place  of  sail  cloth  were  our  tent  mats, 
which  answered  the  purpose  very  well),  and 
went  on  for  some  time  with  a  fair  wind,  until 
we  were  opposite  to  the  precipice,  and  then  it 
turned  toward  the  shore,  and  we  began  to 
fear  that  we  should  be  cast  upon  the  rocks. 
Two  of  the  canoes  were  considerably  farther 
out  from  the  rocks  than  the  canoe  I  was  in. 
Those  who  were  farthest  out  in  the  lake  did 
not  let  down  their  sails  until  they  had  passed 
the  precipice,  but  as  we  were  nearer  the  rock, 
we  were  obliged  to' lower  our  sails  and  paddle 
with  all  our  might.  With  much  difficulty  we 
cleared  ourselves  of  the  rock  and  landed. 

This  night  the  wind  fell  and  the  next 
morning  the  lake  was  tolerably  calm  and  we 
embarked  without  difficulty,  and  paddled 
along  near  the  shore,  until  we  came  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Cuyahaga,  which  empties  into 
Lake  Erie  on  the  south  side  betwixt  Cane- 
sadooharie  and  Presque  Isle.  We  turned  up 
Cuyahaga  and  encamped,  where  we  stayed 
and  hunted  several  'days,  and  so  we  kept 
moving  and  hunting  until  we  came  to  the 
forks  of  Cuyahoga. 

"This  is  a  vers'-  gentle  river  and  but  few 
ripples  or  swift  running  place?  from  the 
mouth  to  the  forks.  Deer  here  were  tolerably 
plentv,  large  and  fat,  but  bear  and  other  game 
scarce.  The  upland  is  hilly  and  principally 
second  and  third-rate  land:  the  timber  chiefly 


40 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


black  oak,  white  oak,  hickory  and  dog-wood. 
The  bottoms  are  rich  and  large,  and  the  tim- 
ber is  walnut,  locust,  mulberry,  sugar-tree, 
redhaw,  blackhaw,  wild  apple  trees,  etc.  The 
west  branch  of  this  river  interlocks  with  the 
east  branch  of  Muskingum,  and  the  east 
branch  with  the  Big  Beaver  Creek  that  emp- 
ties into  the  Ohio  about  thirty  miles  below 
Pittsburg.  From  the  forks  of  Cuyahaga  to 
the  east  branch  of  Muskingum,  there  is  a 
carrying  place,  where  the  Indians  carry  their 
canoes,  etc.,  from  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie 
into  the  waters  of  the  Ohio. 

"From  the  forks  I  went  over  with  some 
hunters  to  the  east  branch  of  .Muskingum, 
where  they  killed  several  deer,  and  a  number 
of  beavers,  and  returned  heavy  laden  with 
skins  and  meat,  which  we  carried  on  our 
backs,  as  we  had  no  horses.  Tlie  land  here 
is  chiefly  second  and  third-rate,  and  the  tim- 
ber chiefly  oak  and  hickory.  A  little  above 
the  forks,  on  the  east  branch  of  Cuyahaga, 
are  considerable  rapids,  very  rocky  for  some 
distance,  but  no  perpendicular  falls. 

"The  party  then  built  for  themselves  a 
'chestnut  canoe'  of  large  dimension?  and  en- 
joyed a  fine  paddling  trip  down  the  river. 
They  then  skirted  the  south  shore  of  Lake 
Erie  until  they  passed  the  mouth  of  San- 
dusky, where  they  put  in  on  account  of  the 
wind  having  arisen.  The  narrative  contains 
the  following  paragraph  on  profanity,  which 
may  not  be  -without  a  useful  lesson  even  in 
these  regenerate  days. 

"I  remember  that  Tecaughretanego,  when 
something  displeased  him,  said  'God  damn  it.' 
I  asked  him  if  he  knew  what  he  then  said. 
He  said  he  did  and  mentioned  one  of  their 
degrading  expressions,  which  he  supposed  to 
be  the  meaning,  or  something  like  the  mean- 
ing of  what  he  had  said.  I  told  him  that  it 
did  not  bear  the  least  resemblance  to  it,  that 
what  he  had  said  was  calling  upon  the  Great 
Spirit  to  punish  the  object  he  was  displeased 
with.  He  stood  for  some  time  amazed,  and 
then  said:  'If  this  be  the  meaning  of  these 
words,  what  sort  of  people  are  the  whites?' 
"When  the  traders  were  among  us  these 
words  semed  to  be  intermixed  with  all  their 


discourse.  He  told  me  to  reconsider  what 
I  had  said,  for  he  thought  I  must  be  mis- 
taken in  my  definition.  If  I  was  not  mis- 
taken, he  said,  the  traders  applied  these  words, 
not  only  wickedly,  but  oftentimes  very  fool- 
ishly, and  contrary  to  sense  or  reason.  He 
said  he  remembered  once  of  a  trader's  acci- 
dentally breaking  his  gun  lock,  and  on  that 
occasion  calling  out  aloud,  'God  damn  it.' 
"Surely,'  said  he,  'the  gun  lock  was  not  an 
object  worthy  of  punishment  for  Owananeeyo, 
or  the  Great  Spirit.'  He  also  observed  the 
traders  often  used  this  expression  when  they 
were  in  good  humor  and  not  displeased  with 
anything.  I  acknowledged  that  the  traders 
used  this  expression  very  often  in  a  most  irra- 
tional, inconsistent  and  impious  manner,  yet 
I  still  asserted  that  I  had  given  the  true  mean- 
ing of  these  words.  He  replied,  if  so,  the 
traders  are  as  bad  as  Oonasharoona,  or  the 
underground  inhabitants,  which  is  the  name 
they  give  to  devils,  as  they  entertain  a  no- 
tion that  their  place  of  residence  is  under  the 
earth." 

THE   MAKING    OF   SUMMIT   COUNTY. 

GEOGRAPHICAL. 

The  two  northernmost  townships  of  Sum- 
mit County  are  situated  in  the  very  center  of 
the  Western  Reserve.  The  full  designation  of 
this  district  is  "The  Western  Reserve  of  Con- 
necticut." The  connection  of  the  name  Con- 
necticut with  land  in  Ohio,  situated  six  hun- 
dred miles  distant  from  the  state  of  that  name, 
came  about  in  this  way.  In  the  year  1662, 
King  Charles  II  of  England  granted  a  charter 
to  Connecticut,  which,  after  recognizing  the 
claims  of  that  colony  resting  upon  former 
grants,  conveyed  to  it  all  the  land  now  occu- 
pied by  it  and,  in  addition  thereto,  all  the  ter- 
ritory lying  west  of  it  between  the  41st  and 
42nd  North  Paxallels,  or  the  extent  of  its 
breadth,  from  sea  to  sea.  Thus,  the  colony 
of  Connecticut  had  a  legal  title  to  all  the  land 
lying  west  of  the  Delaware  River  between  41° 
and  42°  2'  N.  Latitude,  to  the  Pacific  Oceaii. 
Certain  terms  in  the  charter  excepted  from  its 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


provisions  the  Hudson  valley,  which  was  part 
of  the  territory  of  New  York.  Had  this  claim 
not  been  abandoned  and  had  Connecticut's 
title  been  held  valid,  she  would  have  possessed 
nearly  two-fifths  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania, 
about  one-third  of  Ohio,  a  portion  of  Michi- 
gan and  all  the  western  states  whose  extent 
is  intersected  by  those  parallels.  This  claim 
of  Connecticut  gave  rise,  later,  to  serious  dis- 
putes and  much  bloodshed  and  suffering. 

The  royal  ignorance  of  American  geog- 
raphy, in  England,  was  astounding.  Con- 
flicting grants  had  been  made  on  a  large  scale 
and  nearly  all  the  colonies  were  making  claim 
to  parts  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  western 
lands.  Virginia,  Maryland  and  New  Jersey 
were  each  trying  to  obtain  possession  of  the 
southern  part  of  Pennsylvania.  Several  of 
their  charters  contained  conveyances  which 
overlapped.  Each  colony  thought  that  it  was 
in  the  right  and  relied  upon  the  validity  of 
its  own  royal  grant.  Nineteen  years  after 
making  his  grant  to  Connecticut,  Charles  II 
made  another  grant,  by  a  royal  charter,  con- 
veying to  Pennsylvania  the  territory  she  con- 
tinues to  occupy  and  extending  as  far  North 
as  the  43°  N.  Latitude.  Thus  Connecticut's 
territory  was  overlapped  by  one  degree  and 
the  way  prepared  for  a  tremendous  contro- 
versy. Perhaps  in  justice  to  the  memory  of 
Charles  II,  it  should  be  said  that  the  bestowal 
of  these  lands  upon  the  Penns  was  made  after 
a  report  by  the  Attorney  for  the  Crown,  that 
"The  tract  of  land  desired  by  William  Penn 
seens  to  be  undisposed  of  by  his  Majesty,  ex- 
cept the  imaginary  lines  of  New  England  pat- 
ents, which  are  bounded  westwardly  by  the 
main  ocean,  should  give  them  a  real,  though 
impracticable,  right  to  all  those  vast  terri- 
tories."    (The  italics  are  our.s.) 

Connecticut's  cl.vims:    western   reserve. 

In  1653,  Connectic;it  be2;an  to  assert  her 
rights  in  a  physical  way.  She  took  possession 
of  several  towns  on  Long  Island  which  were 
located  within  the  limits  of  her  claims.  She 
made  trouble  for  the  Dutch  on  Manhattan 
Island,  a  readable  account  of  which  is  con- 


tained in  Washington  Ii-ving's  "Knicker- 
bocker History  of  New  York."  Just  one  hun- 
dred years  later  she  formed  the  Susquehanna 
Company,  which  soon  numbered  over  1200 
persons.  It  was  organized  for  the  sole  pur- 
pose of  taking  possession  of  and  colonizing 
the  beautiful  Wyoming  valley  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, which  Connecticut  exploring  parties 
had  discovered  three  years  before.  This  com- 
pany purchased  for  about  $10,000.00,  from 
the  Six  Nations,  the  Indian  title  to  all  the 
land  lying  within  the  Wyoming  valley.  The 
attempt  at  colonization,  which  followed,  gave 
rise  to  the  "Pennanite  War." 

In  1762,  the  first  settlement  was  made  and 
the  first  massacre  of  Wyoming  came  in  Oc- 
tober of  that  year.  Although  driven  out  time 
and  time  again,  imprisoned,  subjected  to  every 
kind  of  maltreatment,  and  many  of  them 
killed,  the  Connecticut  colonists  persisted  in 
their  purpose.  Upon  the  commencement  of 
the  Revolutionary  War,  nearly  six  thousand 
people  from  Connecticut  had  taken  possession 
of  land  in  Pennsylvania.  On  July  3.  1778, 
occurred  the  awful  massacre  of  the  peaceful 
inhabitants  of  Wyoming  at  the  hands  of  the 
combined  forces  of  Indians  and  British.  This 
was  one  of  the  bloodiest,  most  atrocious  and 
fiendish  deeds  of  which  history  ha.s  made  any 
record.  The  entire  settlement  of  Wyoming 
was  obliterated.  The  earnestness  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Connecticut  may  be  seen  from  the  fact 
that  in  November  of  the  same  year,  they 
returned,  in  numbers,  to  possess  themselves 
of  this  valley  of  blood. 

When  the  Revolutionary  War  was  over  and 
the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  which 
in  the  meantime  had  acquired  the  title  of  the 
heirs  of  William  Penn  to  all  the  land  in  dis- 
pute, could  give  her  attention  to  the  contro- 
versy ;  she  appealed  to  the  Congress  organized 
under  the  Articles  of  Confederation.  She 
presented  a  petition  on  the  3rd  day  of  No- 
vember, 1781,  praying  that  Congress  would 
adjudicate  the  claims  of  the  different  states 
to  the  disputed  territories.  Congress  granted 
the  petition  and  appointed  a  Board  of  Com- 
mi.ssioners,  selected  by  the  delegates  of  Con- 
necticut and  Pennsylvania,  to  pass  upon  the 


42 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


respective  claims.  The  verdict  of  the  Com- 
mission was  as  follows:  "We  axe  unani- 
mously of  opinion  that  the  jurisdiction  and 
preemption  of  all  territory  lying  within  the 
charter  of  Pennsylvania,  and  now  claimed  by 
the  State  of  Connecticut,  do  of  right  belong 
to  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  We  are  unani- 
mously of  the  opinion  that  Connecticut  has 
no  right  to  the  lands  in  controversy." 

It  is  probable  that  this  award  was  made  on 
grounds  of  policy  only.  Connecticut's  claims 
in  law  were  well  founded  and  her  rights, 
therefore,  were  .superior  to  Pennsylvania's, 
but  the  conflicting  claims  of  the  other  col- 
onies, particularly  Virginia,  New  York  and 
Massachusetts,  were  bringing  the  young  na- 
tion to  the  verge  of  civil  war.  It  is  not  alto- 
gether improbable  that  a  compact  was  made 
with  Connecticut  to  reimburse  her  in  some 
other  way,  by  land  located  elsewhere,  in 
return  for  her  surrender  of  Pennsylvania 
settlements  she  had  made.  There  are  many 
who  believe  that  she  was  allowed  to  retain  her 
title  to  the  Wfestern  Reserve  on  this  account. 
This  tract  contains  more  land  than  the  parent 
state  itself,  and  now  has  a  larger  population. 
Thi^m^as  what  Connecticut  received  as  a  balm 
forTRr  feelings,  .so  nidely  wounded  by  the 
decree  of  the  Trenton  Court,  as  the  Board 
of  Commi&sioners  was  called. 

One  of  the  greatest  problems  befove  the 
new  American  nation  was  the  settlement  of 
the  land  claims  made  by  the  different  states 
composing  it.  Congress  made  an  appeal  direct 
to  the  states  that  all  claims  to  western  lands, 
or  any  territory  lying  outside  the  boundaries 
of  the  respective  states,  should  be  ceded  to  the 
general  government,  for  the  benefit  of  all. 
This  appeal  succeeded.  In  1780,  the  state  of 
New-York  granted  to  the  United  States  all 
her  right,  title  and  interest  in  and  to  all 
western  lands.  In  1784,  Virginia  did  the 
same.  Massachusetts  followed  in  1785.  On 
the  11th  day  of  May,  1786,  the  state  of  Con- 
necticut relinquished  all  her  right,  title,  in- 
terest, juri-sdiction  and  claim  to  all  lands  and 
territories  lying  west  of  a  line  120  miles  west 
of  and  parallel  with  the  western  boundary 
line  of  the  state  of  Pennsvlvania,  biit  she  ex- 


pressly reserved  from  her  conveyance  all  the 
land  lying  between  41°  and  42°  2'  North 
Latitude,  and  bounded  on  the  East  by  the 
west  line  of  Pennsylvania,  and  on  the  West 
by  a  line  parallel  with  the  west  line  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  120  miles  west  of  it.  This  re- 
served land  contained  3,366,921  acres,  as  a 
subsequent  sui-vey  showed.  This  was  nearly 
200,000  acres  more  than  the  parent  state  con- 
tained. It  embraced  what  is  now  the  coun- 
ties of  Ashtabula,  Lake,  Geauga,  Trumbull, 
Cuyahoga,  Portage,  Medina,  Lorain,  Erie, 
Huron  and  parts  of  the  counties  of  Maho- 
ning, Summit  and  Ashland.  The  popular 
designation  of  this  tract  was  soon  established 
as  "The  Connecticut  Western  Reserve."  On 
September  14,  1786,  Connecticut  made  a 
deed  to  Congress  of  the  po.s3essions  and  in- 
terests enumerated  in  her  offer  and  duly  re- 
served the  lands  which  Congress  agreed  should 
remain  in  her  name. 

In  1792,  Connecticut  set  a.side  half  a  mil- 
lion acres  of  land,  being  the  extreme  western 
end  of  her  reser\'ed  territory,  for  division 
among  those  who  had  suffered  by  incursions 
of  British  soldiers  and  their  Indian  allies 
during  the  Revolution.  Mo.st  of  those  who 
had  suffered  in  this  way  had  met  their  losses 
owing  to  the  British  having  burned  several 
Connecticut  towns.  For  this  reason,  the  tract 
of  half  a  million  acres  which  was  at  first  called 
the  Sufferers'  Lands  was  afterwards  given  tlie 
name  of  "The  Fire  Lands."  which  is  retained 
to  this  day. 

Connecticut  determined  to  sell  the  balance 
of  her  land  in  the  Western  Reserve.  In  May, 
1795,  the  Connecticut  legislature,  in  session 
at  Hartford,  passed  a  resolution  providing  for 
the  sale  of  all  land  in  the  Western  Reserve, 
except  the  Fire  Lands.  The  legislature  ap- 
pointed a  committee,  who  eventually  sold  the 
lands  offered,  for  the  total  sum  of  $1,200,- 
000.00.  Forty-eight  different  deeds  were 
made  to  as  many  different  grantee.s.  In  the 
same  year  these  forty-eight  buyers  formed  the 
Connecticut  Land  Company.  The  Company 
was  composed  of  some  of  the  best  and  most 
prominent  men  in  Connecticut. 

In   ilav,   1796,   General  Moses  Cleaveland 


t*»f»T<«^- 


AKRON  FROM  WEST  OF  THE  CANAL— 1853 


AKRON  FROM  WEST  OF  THE  CANAL— 1904 


THE  CAMPUS— HUDSON 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


43 


led  an  expedition  of  fifty-two  persons,  for  the 
purpose  of  making  a  survey  of  the  lands  just 
purchased.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary ^^'ar,  a  lawyer  by  profession,  and 
a  graduate  of  Yale.  It  wa^  on  this  surveying 
expedition,  in  July,  1796,  that  Cleveland  was 
founded  and  the  site  surveyed  into  city  lots. 
On  July  10,  1800,  Congress  made  the  whole 
Western  Reserve  one  county  and  gave  it  a 
government.  It  was  named  Trumbull  County, 
of  the  Northwest  Territory,  being  so  named 
in  honor  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  who  was 
then  governor  of  Connecticut.  "Warren  was 
made  the  county  seat. 

ORG.\NIZATION  OF  SUMMIT  COUNTY. 

Summit  County  is  one  of  the  counties  form- 
ing the  southern  half  of  the  Reserve.  All 
but  its  two  southernmost  townships,  Green 
and  Franklin,  lie  within  the  boundaries  of 
the  "Western  Reserve.  These  townships  are 
six  miles  square,  while  the  others  of  the 
county  are  each  five  miles  square.  In  1833, 
a  few  citizens  in  Akron,  which  at  that  time 
was  situated  in  Portage  County,  began  to  agi- 
tate the  question  of  forming  a  new  county, 
with  Akron  as  its  nucleus.  Ravenna  was 
the  county  seat  of  Portage  Coimty,  and  it 
was  a  long  and  difficult  trip  there.  Akron 
had  grown  very  fast  and  began  to  covet 
the  advantages  of  being  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment of  the  county.  The  new  county  project 
of  course  had  the  support  of  all  the  villages 
adjacent  to  Akron  and  of  all  the  farmers  liv- 
ing in  that  vicinity. 

Doctor  Eliakim'  Crosby  was  the  prime 
mover  in  this  matter,  as  he  was  in  every  laud- 
able enterprise.  The  energy  and  versatility 
of  the  man  are  worthy  of  remark  in  any  his- 
tory of  Summit  County.  He  was  the  most 
indefatigable  of  all  the  founders  of  Akron, 
or  of  all  who  have  wrought  for  her  welfare 
and  advancement.  He  made  an  ofiFer  to  give 
$2,000.00  toward  the  erection  of  the  new 
county  buildings,  if  Akron  should  be  made 
the  county  seat  of  the  new  county.  The 
proposition  encountered  much  vicorous  op- 
position, especially  on  the  part  of  Ravenna 


citizens.  For  six  years  the  projectors  kept  at 
work,  trying  to  arouse  sentiment  in  favor 
of  the  project  and  especially  trying  to  get  the 
representatives  from  the  counties  interested  to 
present  a  bill  in  the  legislature  for  the  creation 
of  the  new  one. 

At  last  it  was  accomplished  by  means  of  a 
political  deal.  The  Whigs  of  Akron  and  vi- 
cinity voted  with  the  Democrats  of  Portage 
County  and  succeeded  in  electing  two  repre- 
sentatives from  Portage  County  who  were 
pledged  to  the  creation  of  the  new  county. 
The  new  State  Senator  for  the  district  was 
Colonel  Simon  Perkins,  who  was  in  favor  of 
the  project.  The  legislature  convened  on  the 
first  Monday  in  December.  1889,  and  a  bill 
was  introduced  by  Hon.  Rufus  P.  Spalding, 
the  new  representative,  providing  that  the 
townships  of  Twinsburg,  Northfield,  Boston, 
Hudson,  Stow,  Northampton,  Portage,-  Tall- 
madge,  Springfield  and  Coventry  in  Portage 
County;  Richfield,  Bath,  Copley  and  Norton 
in  Medina  County,  and  Franklin  and  Green 
in  Stark  County,  be  erected  into  a  separate 
county,  to  be  known  by  the  name  of  "Sum- 
mit." In  order  to  restore  the  constitutional 
area  to  Medina  County,  the  bill  transferred 
Homer  and  Spencer  townships  from  Lorain 
to  Medina  County.  It  provided  for  the  col- 
lection of  taxes,  the  maintenance  of  suits  at 
law,  the  continuance  of  officials  in  office  until 
the  election  of  their  successors  and  that 
Franklin  and  Green  townships  should  not  be 
taxed  for  the  erection  of  county  buildings 
during  a  term  of  fifty  years  after  the  passage 
of  the  Act.  It  stipulated  the  first  election  for 
officers  of  the  new  county  should  be  held  on 
the  first  Monday  in  April,  1840,  and  that 
courts  should  be  held  in  Akron  until  the 
county  seat  was  located.  This  was  to  be  done 
by  commissioners  to  be  appointed  by  the 
State. 

The  name  "Summit"  expressly  given  as  the 
name  of  the  new  county,  was  obtained  from 
the  summit  level  of  the  Ohio  canal,  which 
level  begins  in  the  south  part  of  Akron.  It  ex- 
tends from  Lock  one  to  New  Portage.  This 
long  stretch  of  canal  without  a  lock,  being  lo- 
cated upon  the  very  highest  land  along  the 


44 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


whole  length  of  the  canal,  was  called  Summit 
Level.  It  is  probable  that  the  name  was  se- 
lected 'by  Dr.  Eliakim  Cro.sby,  Colonel  Simon 
Perkins,  or  Judge  Rufus  P.  Spalding.  The 
last  named  probably  drew  up  the  bill. 

With  the  introduction  of  this  bill,  began 
one  of  the  hottest  legislative  battles  of  the  ses- 
sion. A  powerful  opposition  arose  at  once. 
If  the  bill  passed,  Medina,  Lorain,  Portage 
and  Stark  counties  would  lose  some  of  their 
best  townships.  The  constituents  of  the  legis- 
lators representing  these  counties  were  op- 
posed to  it  to  a  man.  These  legislators  were, 
therefore,  fighting  for  personal  prestige  as  well 
as  principle.  They  enlisted  the  support  of  the 
legislators  of  all  other  counties  which  had 
been  threatened  with  a  like  fate.  A  strong 
lobby  went  to  Columbus  to  work  against  the 
bill.  Not  a  stone  was  left  unturned  in  a  search 
to  find  weapons  to  bring  about  its  defeat.  The 
opposition  brought  all  possible  filibustering 
tactics  into  play.  They  moved  postpone- 
ments, laying  on  the  table,  referring  to  com- 
mittees, amendments,  adjournments  and  every 
parliamentary  device  allowed  by  the  rules  of 
procedure.  The  ground  was  fought  inch  by 
inch. 

The  result  was  a  .splendid  victory  for  the 
new  representatives.  It  reflects  much  credit 
upon  their  skill  and  sagacity.  On  Feb.  6, 
1840,  the  bill  passed  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives, thirty- four  votes  being  cast  in  its  favor 
and  thirty-one  against.  The  margin  by  which 
success  had  been  won  was  very  small.  On 
the  28th  it  emerged  triumphant  from  a  battle 
in  the  Senate,  equally  as  fiercely  contested. 
Here  the  vote  stood  19  in  its  favor  and  15 
against  it.  On  March  3,  1840,  it  was  signed 
by  the  Speaker  of  the  House  and  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Senate  and  became  a  law. 

The  legislature  then  appointed  James  Mc- 
Connell,  of  Holmes;  Warren  Sabin,  of  Clin- 
ton, and  Jacob  Williard,  of  Columbiana,  as 
a  Board  of  Commissioners  to  establish  a 
county  seat  for  the  new-created  county.  Sum- 
mit was  put  in  the  Third  Judicial  District, 
with  A.shtabula,  Portage  and  Trumbull  and 
into  the  Fifteenth  Congressional  District  of 


Ohio,  with  Cuyahoga,  Lorain,  Medina  and 
Portage.  The  people  of  the  neighboring 
counties  were  much  discomfited  by  their  de- 
feat, and  for  a  long  time,  looked  upon  the 
inhabitants  of  Akron  as  robbers  and  despoil- 
ers.  The  news  of  the  passage  of  the  bill 
through  both  houses  reached  Akron  on  the 
evening  of  March  2,  1840,  and  an  impromptu 
celebration  was  held,  lasting  nearly  all  the 
night.  On  the  4th  a  formal  celebration  was 
had,  consisting  of  a  parade  of  all  the  military 
companies  and  bands  in  the  county;  a  ban- 
quet in  the  open  air  in  the  grove  on  the 
"Gore,"  about  where  the  present  Court  House 
stands;  speeches  by  prominent  citizens  of  the 
county ;  and,  in  the  evening,  a  big  dinner  and 
ball  in  the  "Ohio  Exchange,"  an  hotel  which 
stood  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Main  and 
Market  streets.  According  to  the  newspapers 
of  the  time,  the  affair  was  a  great  success  and 
the  new  county  w-as  started  on  its  successful 
career  under  the  happiest  auspices. 

The  first  officers  elected  for  the  new  county 
offices  were  temporary  ones.  They  were  to 
hold  office  only  from  the  time  of  the  spring 
election  in  April  until  the  regular  state  and 
county  election,  which,  at  that  period  of  the 
State's  history,  was  held  in  October.  Thus, 
on  the  first  Monday  in  April,  there  wcve 
chosen:  For  county  treasurer,  William 
O'Brien,  of  Hudson ;  auditor,  Birdsey  Booth, 
of  Cuyahoga  Falls;  recorder,  Alexander  .John- 
ston, of  Green;  sheriff,  Thomas  Wikon.  of 
Northfield;  county  attorney,  Geo.  Kirknm,  of 
Akron ;  coroner,  Elisha  Hinsdale,  of  Norton ; 
county  eommi-ssioners,  Augastus  Foot,  of 
Twinsburg;  John  Hoy,  of  Franklin,  and 
Jonathan  Starr,  of  Coplev;  appraisers,  Fred 
A.  Sprague,  of  Richfield;  Milo  Stone,  of  Tall- 
madge,  and  Thomas  Jones,  of  Franklin.  No 
probate  judge  was  elected,  as  the  laws  of  the 
State  did  not  provide  for  such  courts  at  that 
time.  Temporary  quarters  for  the  county 
officers  were  secured  in  the  Stone  Block  on 
the  ea.st  side  of  Howard  Street,  near  Market, 
the  third  floor  being  used  as  a  court-room 
with  the  jail  in  one  corner. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


45 


COUNTY    SEAT    SELECTED. 

In  May  the  Board  of  Commissioners  for  lo- 
cating the  county  seat  appeared  upon  the 
scene  and  called  a  public  meeting  to  hear 
arguments  in  favor  of  the  different  sites  pro- 
posed. Only  three  were  seriously  considered 
— Akron,  Cuyahoga  Falls  and  Summit  City, 
the  new  town  just  laid  out  by  Dr.  Eliakin 
Crosby  as  the  w^estern  terminus  of  his  "Chuck- 
ery  Race."  The  advocates  of  each  of  these 
sites  had  promised  that  the  new  court-house 
would  be  erected  free  of  cost  to  the  tax- 
paj'ers  of  the  county  if  their  particular  site 
should  be  selected.  The  commissioners  de- 
cided unanimously  in  favor  of  Akron  and  set 
off  land  on  the  "Gore,"  which  had  been  do- 
nated to  the  county  through  the  generosity 
of  General  Simon  Perkins,  of  Warren,  as  the 
place  at  which  to  build  the  new  court-house. 

As  this  site  was  just  midway  between  North 
Akron,  or  Cascade,  as  it  was  sometimes  called, 
and  South  Akron,  the  older  village,  both 
places  joined  in  another  celebration.  A  com- 
mittee of  sixteen  citizens  was  appointed  for  the 
purpose  of  raising  money  by  subscription; 
$17,500.00  was  raised.  The  county  commis- 
sioners then  appointed  Dr.  J.  D.  Commins, 
Richard  Home  and  Col.  Simon  Perkins,  Jr., 
as  a  building  commission  to  collect  the  .sub- 
scriptions, make  all  contracts  and  have  full 
charge  of  the  work  of  erecting  the  new 
building.  They  were  the  first  "Court-House 
Commission."  The  second  was  appointed  in 
1905.  They  let  the  contract  to  Ithiel  Mills, 
of  Akron,  and  by  January,  1841,  he  had  com- 
pleted the  foundations. 

COUNTY    SEAT    CONTEST. 

In  the  meantime  trouble  was  brewing  and 
Akron  was  in  a  fair  way  of  losing  her  ad- 
vantage as  the  county  seat  of  Summit.  It 
happened  in  this  way:  The  orator  who  pre- 
sented the  claims  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  at  the 
meeting  called  by  the  commissioners,  was 
Elisha  N.  Sill,  of  that  village.  His  defeat 
rankled  and  he  was  waiting  and  watching  for 
a  chance  to  retrieve  it.  He  was  a  man  of 
much  force  of  character  and  occupied  an  in- 


fluential place  among  the  Whig  party  of  the 
county.  Upon  the  expiration  of  the  term 
of  Senator  Perkins,  Mr.  Sill  secured  the  Whig 
nomination,  as  his  successor,  and  was  elected. 
Among  his  first  acts  as  a  legislator,  was  the 
introduction  of  a  bill  to  re-locate  the  county 
seat  of  Summit  County.  Mr.  Sill's  influence 
with  his  party  was  sufficient  to  overcome  the 
opposition  in  both  houses  and  it  became  a 
law.  When  this  news  reached  Akron  there 
no  celebration.  Her  citizens  were  almost  in 
despair. 

The  new  legislative  commission  consisted 
of  Jacob  Hoagland,  of  Highland;  William 
Kendall,  of  Scioto,  and  Valentine  Winters,  of 
Montgomery.  In  May,  1841,  they  came  to 
Akron,  looked  over  the  competing  sites  and 
conducted  an  exciting  meeting  in  the  old 
stone  church  on  North  High  Street,  which 
lasted  all  day.  Senator  Sill  spoke  for  Cuya- 
hoga Falls  and  Hon.  Rufus  P.  Spalding  for 
Akron.  Interested  citizens  of  these  two  places 
filled  the  church  to  the  doors.  The  excite- 
ment was  intense.  The  next  morning  the 
commissioners  astounded  the  whole  commu- 
nity by  announcing  that  a  majority  of  them 
were  in  favor  of  Summit  City,  the  paper- 
town  on  what  is  now  North  Hill.  It  was  evi- 
dently a  compromise  decision.  Mr.  Kendall 
made  a  minority  report  in  favor  of  Akron. 
The  particular  site  staked  out  by  the  com- 
missioners was  about  half  way  up  North  Hill, 
nearly  where  the  Bryan  School  now  stands. 
The  crowd  which  accompanied  them  expressed 
such  disapproval  that  the  majority  commis- 
■sioners  became  much  nettled,  pulled  up  the 
stakes  and  drove  on  to  Cuyahoga  Falls,  where 
they  located  the  new  court-house  on  the  south 
?ide  of  Broad  Street,  between  Front  and  Sec- 
ond Streets. 

The  county  officials  divided  on  this  ques- 
tion. Some  moved  their  offices  to  Cuyahoga 
Falls;  others  retained  theirs  at  Akron.  The 
building  commissioners  stopped  work  on  the 
new  court-hou.se  at  Akron.  Cuyahoga  Falls 
made  no  move  to  build  one  there.  All  felt 
it  would  be  necessary  to  await  the  next  session 
of  the  legislature  for  decisive  action  by  that 
bodv. 


46 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


The  Whig  party  held  its  convention  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls  that  year  and  nominated  for 
representatives  Amos  Seward,  of  Tallmadge, 
and  Hai-vey  Whedon,  of  Hudson,  both  favor- 
able to  Cuyahoga  Falls  as  the  proper  site  for 
the  county  seat.  A  Peoples  Convention  was 
called  to  meet  at  Akron  and  a  bi-partisan 
ticket  was  nominated.  Hon.  Rufus  P.  Spald- 
ing, a  Democrat,  and  Colonel  Simon  Perkins, 
a  Whig,  were  the  nominees  for  representa- 
tives. In  the  election  which  ensued,  this 
ticket  was  triumphantly  elected.  The  Whig 
ticket  was  simply  snowed  under.  The  vote 
for  the  Akron  ticket  was  nearly  three  to  one. 

When  the  legislature  assembled,  the  new 
Representatives  began  the  work  for  which 
they  had  been  sent  there.  Feeling  confident 
because  of  the  result  of  the  last  election,  which 
had,  in  reality,  been  an  issue  simply  between 
Akron  and  Cuyahoga  Falls,  they  agreed  to 
lea.ve  the  matter  of  locating  the  county  seat 
to  a  vote  of  the  citizens  of  Summit  County, 
and  prepared  and  introduced  a  bill  for  the 
purpose.  Senator  Sill  fought  it  vigorously  in 
the  Senate,  but  it  passed  both  houses  and  was 
signed  March  2,  1842. 

On  the  first  Monday  in  April  the  election 
to  choose  the  county  seat  was  held.  A  poll  of 
the  votes  showed  that  Akron  had  received 
2,978;  Cuyahoga  Falls,  1,384;  Summit  City. 
101,  and  other  places,  24.  Thus  Akron's 
plurality  and  majority  were  each  more  than 
the  total  vote  cast  for  Cuyahoga  Falls.  It  was 
felt  all  over  the  county  that  this  decisive 
victory  settled  the  question  for  all  time  to 
come,  and  so  it  proved. 

The  court-house  was  finished  and  accepted 
by  the  coimty  commis.sioners  December  6, 
1843.  The  minutes  of  this  meeting  show  that 
"having  examined  the  court-house,  the  board 
proposed  as  an  offset  to  the  gpnernl  had  char- 
acter of  the  work,  which  the  building  trustees 


fully  admitted,  to  accept  it,  if  the  windows 
were  made  to  work,  *  *  *  the  doors  better 
hung,  *  *  *  and  the  windows  screened, 
etc."  In  spite  of  this  sweeping  condemna- 
tion, the  building  stood  sixty-four  years,  or 
until  this  year  of  grace,  1907,  in  which  it  is 
proposed  to  demolish  it,  because  of  the  erec- 
tion of  the  fine  new  court-house  just  west  of 
it.  In  1867  wings  were  added  on  the  north 
and  south  sides. 


ADAMS     RECEPTION. 

On  the  morning  of  Nov.  2,  1843,  it  was 
learned  that  ex-President  John  Quincy 
Adams,  who  w-as  on  his  way  to  lay  a  corner 
stone  for  a  public  building  at  Cincinnati,  was 
coming  up  the  canal  from  Ckveland  and 
would  stop  over  in  Akron  while  his  packet 
was  being  "locked"  through  the  local  21 
locks.  Bells  were  rung,  whistles  blown,  and 
almost  the  entire  population  were  notified  in 
a  short  time  that  the  distinguished  visitor 
would  make  an  address  in  the  court-room. 
Although  it  was  not  yet  nine  o'clock  in  the- 
morning,  the  court-house  was  crowded  and 
Mr.  Adams  received  a  most  enthusiastic  wel- 
come. This  was  the  first  meeting  held  in  the 
old  (then  new)   court-house. 

TERRITORIAL   CHANGES. 

The  only  changes  which  have  been  made 
in  the  territory  of  Summit  County,  were  to 
establish  townships  co-extensive  with  the  mu- 
nicipalities of  Akron,  Cuyahoga  Falls  and 
Middlebury,  for  purposes  of  government. 
Thus  in  1851  Cuyahoga  Falls  Township  was 
created;  in  1857,  the  township  of  Middlebury, 
and,  in  1888,  the  township  of  Akron. 


CHAPTER  III 


COUNTY  AND  OTHER  OFFICIALS 


A  Roster  of  Officials  from  the  Organization   of  the  County  down  to  1907. 


The  following  is  a  complete  roster  of  all 
the  officials  of  Summit  County  for  the  year 
1907.  A  list  of  all  county  officials  occupy- 
ing the  more  important  positions  since  the 
beginning  of  the  county  will  be  found  at 
the  end  of  the  chapter. 

Judges  of  the  Circuit  Court  for  the  Eighth 
Judicial  Circuit:  Ulysses  L.  Marvin,  of 
Akron ;  Louis  H.  Winch,  of  Cleveland ;  F.  A. 
Henry,  of  Cleveland. 

Judges  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for 
the  Second  Subdivision  of  the  Fourth  Judi- 
cial Circuit:  George  C.  Hayden,  of  Medina; 
Clarence  G.  Washburn,  Elyria;  Reuben  M. 
Wanamaker,  Akron;  Dayton  A.  Doyle, 
Akron. 

Probate  Judge,  William  E.  Pardee;  treas- 
urer, Isaac  S.  Myers;  auditor,  Marcus  D. 
Buckman ;  clerk  of  courts,  Clint  W.  Kline ; 
sheriff,  Dan  P.  Stein;  recorder,  .John  Sowers; 
county  commissionere,  L.  H.  Oviatt,  Hudson ; 
Gus  Seiberling,  Barberton,  and  John  Frank, 
Fairlawn;  prosecuting  attorney,  Henry  M. 
Hagelbarger;  coroner,  H.  S.  Davidson,  Bar- 
berton :  referee  in  bankruptcy,  Harry  L.  Sny- 
der. Infirmary  directors,  W.  H.  Wagoner, 
Coventry  township;  Z.  F.  Chamberlain,  Ma- 
cedonia, and  J.  M.  Johnston,  Akron. 

Superintendent  of  infirmary,  S.  B.  Stotler. 
Jury  Commissioners:  W.  H.  Stoner,  P.  G. 
Ewart,  of  Springfield;  George  Edwards,  of 
Twinsburg,  and  W.  H.  McBarnes.  Surveyor, 
Joseph  A.  Gehres.  County  detective,  H.  M. 
Watters.    Stenographer  of  courts,  W.  H.  Col- 


lins. Trustees  of  the  Children's  Home:  A. 
M.  Armstrong,  J.  B.  Senter,  of  Northfield 
township;  F.  M.  Green  and  Charles  Hart. 
Superintendent  of  the  Children's  Home,  D. 
R.  Braucher.  Members  of  the  Court  House 
Building  Commission:  L.  H.  Oviatt,  chair- 
man; John  C.  Frank,  secretary;  Gus  Seiber- 
ling; J.  Park  Alexander,  R.  F.  Palmer,  W.  A. 
Morton  and  John  Frank,  of  Fairlawn.  Mem- 
bers of  the  Board  of  Countv  School  Examin- 
ers: M.  S.  Kirk,  of  Akron';  H.  0.  Bolich,  of 
Copley  township,  and  C.  A.  Flickinger,  of 
Peninsula.  Deputy  State  supervisors  of  elec- 
tions: F.  C.  Wilson,  chief  deputy;  R.  E. 
Lewis,  clerk.  Members  of  the  Summit  County 
Soldiers  and  Sailors'  Relief  Commission :  John 
C.  Weber,  of  Akron ;  John  C.  Reid,  of  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  and  J.  R.  Campbell,  of  Akron, 
secretary.  Deputy  probate  judge,  Ora  Lytle. 
Deputy  clerks  of  courts:  Ed.  Mitchell,  Har- 
riett M.  Baad  and  Maud  Gostlin.  Deputy 
recorder,  B.  F.  Clark.  Deputy  auditor,  John 
Moore.  Deputy  sheriff,  B.  C.  Garman.  Su- 
perintendent of  Court  Hou.se,  Earl  Shepherd. 

OFFICIALS  OF  THE  CITY  OF  .\KR0N. 

Mayor,  Charles  W.  Kempel ;  solicitor,  Clyde 
F.  Beery ;  auditor,  William  A.  Durand ;  treas- 
urer, Fred  E.  Smith;  engineer,  John  W. 
Payne;  poor  director,  Joseph  Kendall;  city 
physician.  Dr.  A.  W.  Jones;  superintendent 
of  streets,  Edward  Dunn,  Jr. ;  .superintendent 
of  markets,   John   Wolf.      Board   of   Public 


48 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Service:  William  J.  Wildes,  president;  J.  H. 
Burt,  vice-president;  James  J.  Mahonej'; 
Charles  H.  Watters,  clerk.  Board  of  Public 
Safety:  C.  C.  Warner,  president;  E.  C.  Hou- 
sel;  W.  H.  Kroeger,  clerk.  Police  Depart- 
ment: John  Durkin,  chief  of  police;  Robert 
Guillet,  captain;  Alva  G.  Greenlese,  lieuten- 
ant; Bert  Eckerman,  detective;  Harry  Welch 
and  Charles  Doerler,  special  duty  officers. 
Fire  Department:  John  Mertz,  chief;  Frank 
Rice,  assistant  chief;  Frank  F.  Loomis,  me- 
chanical engineer;  Julius  D.  Olsen,  lineman; 
H.  M.  Fritz,  captain  Station  No.  1;  C.  M. 
Smith,  captain  Station  No.  2;  C.  S.  Jost,  cap- 
tain Station  No.  3;  C.  E.  Tryon,  captain 
Station  No.  4;  John  Cummins,  captain  Sta- 
tion No.  5 ;  J.  D.  Dorner,  captain  Station  No. 
6;  N.  P.  Smith,  captain  Station  No.  7. 

City  Council:  Ira  A.  Priest,  president; 
Ray  F.  Hamlin,  clerk ;  Joseph  Dangel,  Adam 
G.  Ranck,  Harry  A.  Palmer,  councilmen- 
at-large.    Members  from  wards — Ward  1,  H. 

F.  Treap;  2,  F.  J.  Gostlin;  3,  Milo  S.  Wil- 
liams; 4,  J.  W.  Gauthier;  5,  John  Beynon; 
6,  Louis  D.  Seward;  7,  C.  H.  Gardner.' 

Board  of  Health:  Charles  W.  Kempel, 
president  ex  officio;  Dr.  A.  A.  Kohler,  health 
officer;  Michael  W.  Hoye,  sanitary  policeman 
and  milk  inspector;  James  D.  Chandler, 
George  W.  Crou.se,  John  C.  Weber,  A.  P. 
Woodring  and  William  E.  Young. 

Library  Board:  John  C.  Frank,  George  P. 
Atwater,  William  T.  Vaughn.  Henry  Kraft, 

G.  D.  Seward  and  M.  V.  Halter. 

Board  of  Education:  F.  G.  Stipe,  presi- 
dent; J.  F.  Barnhart,  clerk;  F.  E.  Smith, 
treasurer;  H.  V.  Hotchkiss,  superintendent 
of  instruction;  Charles  Watson,  truant  officer; 
J.  T.  Flower,  I.  C.   Gibbons,  F.   G.  Marsh, 

E.  W.  Stuart,  A.  E.  Kling,  F.  G.  Stipe  and 

F.  W.  Rockwell,  members. 

Teachers'  Examination  Committee:  H.  V. 
Hotchkiss,  Lee  R.  Knight  and  L.  D.  Slusser. 
Special  teachers :  N.  L.  Glover,  music ;  Grace 
C.  Sylla,  drawing;  D.  E.  Watkins,  elocution. 
Principals  of  Schools:  High  School,  D.  C. 
Rybolt;  Allen  School,  J.  L.  McFarland; 
Bowen,  Margaret  L.  McCready;  Bryan,  M.  E. 
Campbell ;  Crosby,  Harriet  M.  Jones ;  Findley, 


Mame  E.  Knapp;  Fraunfelter,  Jessie  V. 
Waltz;  Grace,  Agnes  W.  WatkinS;  Henry,  J. 
H.  App;  Howe,  E.  P.  Lillie;  Kent,  W.  H. 
Kopf;  Lane,  Sue  E.  Vincent;  Legget,  Eliza- 
beth Camp;  Miller,  W.  C.  Bowers;  Perkins 
Normal,  Lee  R.  Knight;  Spicer,  J.  R.  Smith. 
Parochial  Schools:  St.  Bernard's,  Sisters 
of  St.  Dominic;  St.  Mary's  Sisters  of  St.  Jo- 
seph; St.  Vincent's,  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph.  Sa- 
cred Heart  Academy.  German  Lutheran 
Parish  School. 

BARBERTON    VILLAGE    OFFICIALS. 

Mayor,  James  McNamara;  clerk,  George 
Davis;  solicitor,  C.  M.  Karch;  treasurer,  E. 

A.  Miller;  engineer,  H.  W.  Alcorn;  Marshal, 
D.  R.  Ferguson;  chief  of  Fire  Department, 
J.  M.  Royston;  health  officer,  B.  Roden- 
baugh;  sanitary  policeman,  J.  P.  David. 
members  of  council:  W.  A.  Bryan,  B.  C. 
Chandler,   H.   Y.   Herman,   A.   W.   Sample, 

B.  C.  Ross,  Charles  Worthen.  Trustees  of 
public  affairs,  F.  A.  Hale,  M.  C.  Hastings, 
W.  S.  Mitchell.  Board  of  Education:  C.  A. 
Carlson,  president;  0.  N.  Craig,  clerk;  T.  J. 
Davies,  H.  S.  Davidson,  W.  P.  Welker,  U.  G. 
High.  Superintendent  of  Schools,  J.  M.  Carr. 
The  schools  of  Barberton  are  the  High  School, 
Baird  Avenue,  Rose  Street,  Hopocan  Avenue, 
Portage,  Riverside,  Central  and  St.  Augus- 
tine's Catholic   (parochial)   School. 

SUMMIT   county's  HONORED  SONS  OF  THE 
PAST. 

Perhaps  all  will  agree  that  the  one  Summit 
County  citizen  whose  fame  has  spread  the 
farthest  was  John  Brown,  the  hero  of  Har- 
per's Ferry  and  the  Kansas  struggle.  He  was 
not  a  native  of  the  county,  having  been  born 
in  Connecticut,  but,  at  the  age  of  four  years, 
his  father  brought  him,  with  the  rest  of  his 
family,  to  Hudson.  There  his  early  days 
were  spent;  there  he  was  educated,  and  there 
it  was  he  married  the  wife  of  his  youth.  He 
spent  twenty-one  years  in  Hudson,  two  in 
Richfield   and   two   in    Akron.      Thereafter, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


49 


Massachusetts,  New  York  and  the  Nation 
claimed  him.  Hudson  can  justly  claim  that 
it  was  his  rearing  in  the  atmosphere  of  free- 
dom and  sentiment  of  anti-bondage,  which 
has  always  prevailed  there,  that  was  the  in- 
spiration of  his  later  life,  and  furnished  the 
animus  of  the  acts  that  brought  his  fame. 

The  Summit  County  man,  w'ho  has  risen 
highest  in  the  official  public  life  of  the  nation 
and  who  has  brought  to  his  county  its  great- 
est distinction  in  this  respect,  is  our  own  hon- 
ored and  beloved  United  States  Senator, 
Charles  Dick.  He  was  born  in  Akron  and 
has  never  lived  anywhere  else.  He  is  proud 
to  say  that  all  he  is,  he  owes  to  Summit 
County.  When  Senator  Marcus  A.  Hanna 
died  in  1904,  the  legislature  of  Ohio  obeyed 
the  wishes  of  the  Republican  party  of  the 
State  when  it  made  Charles  Dick  his  successor. 
He  served  the  unexpired  part  of  Senator 
Hanna's  term,  and,  in  1905,  began  the  serv- 
ice of  a  full  term.  Summit  County  will, 
therefore,  claim  a  United  States  Senator  until 
1911,  at  least.  If  he  desires  a  re-election  al 
that  time,  his  splendid  record  in  the  public 
service  should  bring  him  the  title  to  another 
term. 

A  high  place  in  the  Summit  County  Tem- 
ple of  Fame  belongs  to  Sidney  Edgerton,  a 
name  that  all  the  older  residents,  and  many 
of  the  younger,  will  never  hear  mentioned, 
save  with  the  deepest  feelings  of  love  and 
respect.  Sidney  Edgerton  came  to  .Vkron  in 
1844  from  New  York  State,  where  he  was 
born.  He  was  then  about  twenty-five  years 
of  age.  He  taught  school  and  .studied  law 
until  1852,  when  he  was  elected  prosecuting 
attorney  of  the  county.  In  1858,  and  again 
in  1860,  he  was  elected  to  Congress.  In  1863, 
President  Lincoln  appointed  him  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  Idaho,  from  which  he  resigned  (o 
accept  the  appointment  of  Governor  of  the 
Territory  of  Montana.  He  resigned  in  1866 
and  returned  to  Akron,  where  he  practiced 
law  until  his  death. 

Russell  A.  Alger  can  hardly  be  credited  to 
Summit  County,  a?  he  was  born  in  the  ad- 
joining county  of  Medina,  and  spent  the 
active   vears    of    his    career    as    a    citizen    of 


Michigan.  Most  of  his  education,  however, 
was  secured  in  Richfield,  where  he  attended 
the  old  Richfield  Academy.  He  also  taught 
school  there  two  winters  while  pursuing  his 
course.  He  spent  the  years  1857  and  1858 
in  Akron,  studying  law  in  the  office  of  Wol- 
cott  and  Upson.  In  1860  he  left  Cleveland, 
where  he  had  been  practicing  law  and  took 
up  his  residence  in  Michigan.  He  rose  to 
the  rank  of  major-general  in  the  Civil  War; 
was  made  Governor  of  Michigan  in  1884; 
became  secretary  of  war  in  President  McKin- 
ley's  Cabinet  in  1897;  and  in  1901  was 
elected  United  States  Senator,  which  position 
he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1907. 

Other  temporary  residents  of  Akron  for 
short  periods  who  afterwards  reached  high 
places  in  the  national  life  were: 

David  K.  Cartter,  who  practiced  law  in 
Akron  from  1836  to  1845,  coming  here  from 
New  York  State;  in  1848,  and  again  in  1850, 
he  was  elected  to  Congress ;  in  1861  appointed 
minister  to  Bolivia;  and  in  1863  appointed 
chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
District  of  Columbia. 

Wilbur  F.  Sanders,  came  to  Akron  in  1854, 
from  New  York  State;  taught  school  and 
studied  law  here  until  1861,  when  he  entered 
the  Union  Army ;  in  1863  he  became  a  citizen 
of  Montana,  and  when  that  territory  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Union  in  1890,  he  was  elected 
United  States  Senator. 

Samuel  B.  Axtell,  who  for  some  years  had 
his  residence  in  Richfield,  was  elected  to 
Congress  from  a  California  district;  in  1875 
appointed  governor  of  Utah;  in  the  same 
year,  governor  of  New  Mexico;  in  1882  chief 
justice  of  New  Mexico. 

William  T.  Coggeshall,  lived  in  Akron 
from  1842  to  1847,  was  appointed  minister 
to  Ecuador  in  1865,  where  he  died  in  1867. 

Christopher  P.  Wolcott  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut December  17,  1820;  graduated  at 
Jefferson  College  in  1840 ;  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  and  come  to  Akron  in  1846.  He  was  the 
senior  member  of  the  distinguished  firm  of 
Wolcott  and  Upson.  In  1856,  he  was  ap- 
pointed attorney-general  of  the  State  of  Ohio 
to  fill  a  vacancv.  and  was  afterward  elected 


50 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


twice  to  that  office.  In  1862,  President  Lin- 
coln appointed  him  assistant  secretary  of  war. 
He  served  under  his  brother-in-law,  Edwin 
M.  Stanton,  until  within  two  months  of  his 
death.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Akron,  April 
4,  1863. 

Eufus  P.  Spalding,  a  native  of  Martha's 
Vineyard,  Massachusetts,  came  to  Akron  in 
1840,  and  in  1841  was  elected  Speaker  of  the 
Ohio  House  of  Representatives;  in  1848  ap- 
pointed justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ohio. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  moved  to 
Cleveland,  and  was  afterward  elected  to  Con- 
gress for  three  terms. 

One  of  the  most  distinguished  names  in 
Summit  County  history  is  that  of  William 
H.  Upson.  He  was  born  in  Franklin  County, 
Ohio,  in  1823,  but  came  to  Tallmadge  with 
his  parents  in  1832.  He  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  the  county,  continuously,  since  that 
time.  He  came  to  Akron  in  1846,  a  few 
months  after  his  admission  to  the  bar.  He 
was  prosecuting  attorney  1848-1850;  Ohio 
State  Senator,  1853-1855;  elected  to  Congress 
in  1869,  and  again  in  1871 ;  delegate  to  Na- 
tional Republican  Convention  in  1864,  and 
voted  to  renominate  Abraham  Lincoln ;  dele- 
gate-at-large  from  Ohio  to  the  National  Re- 
publican Convention  in  1876;  in  1883  was 
appointed  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Ohio;  in  1884,  elected  judge  of  the  Circuit 
Court,  and  re-elected  in  1886  and  1890.  In 
1896  he  retired  from  active  practice  and  re- 
sumed his  domestic  quiet  in  Akron,  where  he 
still  lives. 

In  addition  to  those  already  mentioned, 
Summit  County  has  had  the  following  Rep- 
resentatives in  Congress :  George  Bliss,  1852- 
1854;  David  R.  Paige,  1882-1884;  George 
W.  Crouse,  1886-1888,  and  Charles  Dick, 
1898-1904.  She  has  had  Presidential  electors 
as  follows:  'Stephen  H.  Pitkin,  1868;  John 
R.  Buchtel,  1872;  Nathaniel  W.  Goodhue, 
1880,  and  Ulysses  L.  Marvin,  1884. 

This  senatorial  district  has  often  called 
upon  Summit  County  to  represent  the  dis- 
trict in  the  Ohio  Senate,  as  witness  these 
names  of  Senators:  Simon  Perkins,  1838- 
1840;   EHsha  N.   Sill,   1840-1842;  William 


Wetmore,  Jr.,  1844-1846 ;  Lucian  Swift,  1848- 
1850;  William  H.  Upson,  1853-1855;  George 
P.  Ashmun,  1857-1859;  Lucuis  V.  Bierce, 
1861-1863;  Newell  D.  Tibbals,  1865-1867; 
Henry  McKinney,  1869-1871;  N.  W.  Good- 
hue, 1873-1875;  D.  D.  Beebe,  1877-1881; 
George  W.  Crouse,  1885-1887 ;  J.  Park  Alex- 
ander, 1887-1891;  George  W.  Sieber,  1897- 
1899;  Nation  0.  Mather,  1905-1907. 

Common  Pleas  Judges — Van  R.  Hum- 
phrey, 1840-1848;  George  Bliss,  1851-1852; 
Robert  K.  Du  Bois,  1840-1845 ;  Charles  Sum- 
ner, 1840-1845;  Hugh  R.  Caldwell,  1840- 
1847;  John  B.  Clark,  1845-1846;  James  R. 
Ford,  1845-1849;  Sylvester  H.  Thompson, 
1846-1852;  John  Hoy,  1847-1852;  Samuel 
A.  Wheeler,  1849-1850;  Peter  Voris,  1850- 
1852;  James  S.  Carpenter,  1856-1861;  Sam- 
uel W.  McClure,  1870-1875;  Newell  D.  Tib- 
bals, 1875-1883;  Ulysses  L.  Marvin,  1883; 
Edwin  P.  Green,  1883-1891 ;  Alvin  C.  VorL^, 
1891-1895;  Jacob  A.  Kohler,  1895-1905; 
Reuben  M.  Wanamaker,  1905  to  date,  and 
Dayton  A.  Doyle,  1906  to  date. 

Probate  Judges:  Charles  G.  Ladd,  1851- 
1852;  Roland  0.  Hammond,  1852;  Constant 
Bryan,  1852-1853;  Noah  M.  Humphrey, 
1854-1860;  William  M.  Dodge,  1860-1861; 
A.  H.  Lewis,  1861;  Stephen  H.  Pitkin,  1861- 
1868;  Ulysses  L.  Mamn,  1869-1875:  Samuel 
C.  Williamson,  1875-1881;  Nathaniel  W. 
Goodhue,  1881-1883;  Charles  R.  Grant.  1883- 
1891 ;  Edward  W.  Stuart,  1891-1897 :  George 
M.  Anderson,  1897-1903 ;  William  E.  Pairdee, 
1908  to  date. 

Countv  Clerks:  Rufus  P.  Spalding,  1840; 
Lucian  Swift,  1840-1847;  Lucius  S.  Peck, 
1847-1851 ;  Nelson  B.  Stone,  1851-1853 ;  Ed- 
win P.  Green,  1854-1861;  John  A.  Means, 
1861-1864;  Charles  Rinehart,  1864-1870; 
John  A.  Means,  1870-1873;  George  W. 
Weeks,  1873-1879;  Sumner  Na.«h,  1879-1885; 
Othello  W  Hale,  1885-1891;  Nathaniel  P. 
Goodhue,  1891-1897;  Edward  A.  Hershey, 
1897-1903 ;  Clint  W.  Kline,  1903  to  date. 

County  Treasurers:  William  O'Brien,  1840- 
1842;  George  Y.  Wallace,  1842;  Milton  Ar- 
thur, 1842-1848;  William  H.  Dewev,  1848- 
1850;     Frederick     Wadsworth,     1850-1852; 


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FIRE  ENGINE  HOUSE,  NO.  5,  AKRON 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


53 


Chester  W.  Rice,  1852-1854;  Houston  Sisler, 
1854-1858;  Sullivan  S.  Wilson,  1858-1863; 
George  W.  Grouse,  1863;  Israel  E.  Carter, 
1863-1867;  Arthur  L.  Conger,  1867-1871; 
Schuyler  R.  Oviatt,  1871-1875;  David  R. 
Paige,  1875-1879;  Henry  C.  Viele,  1879- 
1883 ;  Arthur  M.  Cole,  1883-1887 ;  James  H. 
Seymour,  1887-1891 ;  Emmon  S.  Oviatt,  1891- 
1895;  R.  L.  Andrew,  1895-1897;  Lucius  C. 
Miles,  1897-1901 ;  Homer  Berger,  1901-1905 ; 
Fred  E.  Smith,  1905-1906;  Ulysses  Grant 
High,  1906 ;  Isaac  S.  Myers,  1907  to  date. 

County  Auditors:  Birdsey  Booth,  1840- 
1842;  Theron  A.  Noble,  1842-1848;  Na- 
thaniel W.  Goodhue,  1847-1852 ;  Henry  New- 
berry, Jr.,  1852-1854;  Charles  B.  Bernard, 
1854-1858;  George  W.  Crouse,  1858-1863: 
Sanford  M.  Burnham,  1863-1871;  Hosea 
Paul,  Jr.,  1871 ;  Edward  Buckingham,  1872- 
1881;  Aaron  Wagoner,  1881-1887;  Charles 
Dick,  1887-1893;  Charles  Grether,  1893- 
1896;  Louis  E.  Sisler,  1896-1904;  Marcus  D. 
Buckman,  1904  to  date. 

County  Recorders:  Alexander  Johnston, 
1840-1843;  Nahum  Fay,  1843-1849;  Jared 
Jennings,  1849-1852;  Henry  Purdy.  1852- 
1858;  Phillip  P.  Bock,  1858-1864;  J.  Alex- 
ander Lantz,  1864-1870;  Grenville  Thorpe, 
1870-1872 ;  Henry  C.  Viele,  1872 ;  George  H. 
Payne,  1872-1878:  Albert,  A.  Bartlett,  1878- 
1884;  Henry  C.  Searles,  1884-1890:  Benja- 
min F.  Clark,  1890-1896;  Willi=ton  Ailing. 
1896-1902 :  John  Sowers,  1902  to  date. 

County  Sheriffs:  Thoma.s  Wilson,  1840- 
1844;  Lewis  M.  James,  1844-1848;  William 
L.  Clarke,  1848-1852 ;  Dudley  Seward,  1852- 
1856;  Samuel  A.  Lane,  1856-1861;  Jacob 
Chisnell.  1861-1865;  James  Burlison.  1865- 
1869;  Augustus  Curtiss,  1869-1873;  Levi  J. 
McMurrav,  1873-1877;  Sam'l.  A.  Lane,  1877- 
1881;  William  McKinnev,  1881-1885;  Wil- 
ham  B.  Gamble,  1885-1889;  David  R.  Bunn, 
1889-1893;  William  Williams.  1893-1897; 
Horace  G.  Griffith,  1897-1901 :  Jarcd  Barker, 
1901-1907 ;  Dan  P.  Stine,  1907  to  date. 

Prosecuting  Attorneys:  William  M.  Dodfje, 
1840-1842;  George  Kirkum,  1842-1844:  Wil- 
liam S.  C.  Otis,  1844-1846;  Samuel  W.  Mc- 
Clure.  1846-1848;  William  H.  Upson,  1848- 


1850;  Harvey  Whedon,  1850-1852;  Sidney 
Edgerton,  1852-1856;  Henry  McKinney, 
1856-1860;  Newell  D.  Tibbals,  1860-1864; 
Edwin  P.  Green,  1864;  Edward  Oviatt,  1864- 
1868;  Jacob  A.  Kohler,  1868-1872;  Henry 
C.  Sanford,  1872-1874;  James  M.  PouLson, 
1874-1876;  Edward  W.  Stuart,  1876-1880; 
Charles  Baird,  1880-1884;  John  C.  Means, 
1884-1886;  Edwin  F.  Voris,  1886;  George  W. 
Sieber,  1886-1893;  Samuel  G.  Rogers,  1893- 
1896;  Reuben  M.  Wanamaker,  1893-1902; 
Henry  M.  Hagelbarger,  1902-1908. 

County  Surveyors:  Ru-ssell  H.  Ashmun, 
1840-1843 ;  Peter  Voris,  1843-1846 ;  Frederick 
Seward,  1846-1849;  Dwight  Newton,  1849- 
1852;  Schuyler  R.  Oviatt,  1852-1855;  Hosea 
Paul,  1855-1870;  Robert  S.  Paul,  1870-1874 
and  1877-1883 ;  John  W.  Seward,  1874-1877 ; 
Charles  E.  Perkins,  1883-1893:  Sherman 
Swigart,  1893-1896;  Joseph  A.  Gehres,'  1896- 
1908. 

Infirmary  Superintendents :  Abraham 
Sichley,  1849-1855 ;  William  Chandler,  1855- 
1861 ;  Francis  T.  Husong,  1861-1868 ;  George 
W.  Glines,  1868-1878;  G^eorge  Feichter,  1878- 
1879 ;  Julia  F.  Glines,  1879-1882 ;  Willard  F. 
Hamlin,  1882-1887;  Sherman  B.  Stotler, 
]  887  to  the  present  time. 

SUMMIT    COUNTY    OFFICERS,    1907. 

Judges  of  Circuit  Court,  Eighth  Judicial 
Circuit  of  Ohio — Hon.  Ulysses  L.  Marvin, 
Akron;  Hon.  Louis  H.  Winch,  Cleveland; 
Hon.  F.  A.  Henry,  Cleveland. 

Judge.?  of  Common  Pleas  Court,  Second- 
Sub-division,  Fouth  Judicial  District  of 
Ohio — Hon.  Geo.  C.  Havden,  Medina;  Hon. 
C.  G.  Washburn,  Elyria;'^  Hon.  R.  M.  Wana- 
maker, Akron. 

Probate  Judge — W.  E.  Pardee. 

Commissioners — Philip  Wagoner,  Akron ; 
Eber  Hawkins,  West  Richfield';  L.  H.  Oviatt, 
Hudson;  Gus.  Seibcrling,  Barbcrton    (elect). 

Auditor — M.  D.  Buckman. 

Treasurer — Fred  E.  Smith. 

Clerk  of  Courts— Clint  W.  Kline. 

Sheriff— Daniel  P.  Stein. 

Recorder — John  Sowers. 


54 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Prosecuting  Attorney — H.  M.  Hagelbar- 
ger. 

Coroner — L.  B.  Humphrey. 

Infirmary  Directors — W.  EAVaters,  Akron ; 
Z.  F.  Chamberlain,  Macedonia;  J.  M.  Johns- 
ton, Fairlawn. 

Superintendent  of  Infirmary — S.  B.  Stot- 
tler. 

Jury  Commissioners — W.  H.  Stoner,  F.  A. 
Green,  P.  G.  Ewart,  W.  H.  McBarnes. 

Surveyor — J.  A.  Gehre*. 

County  Detective — H.  M.  Watters. 

Stenographer — W.  H.  Collins. 

Trustees  Children's  Home — A.  M.  Arm- 
strong, Akron;  J.  B.  Senter,  Northfield;  F. 
M.  Green,  Akron;  J.  H.  Brewster,  Coventry; 
Mrs.  R.  E.  Grubb,  superintendent. 

Court  House  Commission — L.  H.  Oviatt, 
chairman ;  J.  C.  Frank,  secretary ;  Philip 
AVagoner,  Eber  Hawkins,  J.  Park  Alexander, 
R.  F.  Palmer,  W.  A.  Morton. 

County  School  Examiners — M.  S.  Kirk, 
Akron ;  F.  L.  Lytle,  Hudson ;  W.  M.  Glasgow, 
Barberton. 

County  and  City  Board  of  Elections — E.  H. 
Bishop,  Akron,  chief  deputy;  F.  E.  Whitte- 
more,  Akron,  clerk;  R.  C.  Ellsworth,  Rich- 
field; F.  C.  Wilson,  Akron;  L.  C.  Koplin, 
Akron;  office,  520  and  522  Hamilton  build- 
ing. 

Summit  County  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Re- 
lief Commission — J.  C.  Weber,  John  C.  Reid, 
Cuyahoga  Falls;  A.  P.  Baldwin,  secretary. 

CITY     OFFICERS. 

Municipal  Offices  and  Council  Chamber, 
East  Mill,  corner  Broadway;  City  Prison,  86 
East  Mill ;  Treasurer's  Office,  Court  House ; 
Infirmary  Director's  Office,  90  South  Howard. 

Mayor — Charles  W.  Kempel. 

Solicitor — C.  F.  Beery. 

Auditor — W.  A.  Durand. 

Treasurer — Fred  E.  Smith. 

Engineer — J.  W.  Payne. 

Infirmary  Director — Jo.seph  Kendall. 

Superintendent  of  Streets — Edward  Dunn, 
Jr. 

Superintendent  of  Market^ — John  Wolf. 


Board  of  Public  Service— W.  J.  Wildes,  J. 
H.  Burt,  J.  J.  Mahoney;  C.  H.  Watters,  clerk. 

City  Council — Meets  first  and  third  Mon- 
day evenings  of  each  month:  Ira  A.  Priest, 
president;  Ray  F.  Hamlin,  clerk;  Joseph 
Dangel,  A.  G.  Ranck  and  J.  R.  Mell,  coun- 
cilmen  at  large.  First  Ward — J.  M.  Amund- 
son;  Second  Ward— F.  J.  Go.stlin;  Third 
Ward- M.  S.  Williams ;  Fourth  Ward— J.  W. 
Gauthier ;  Fifth  Ward— John  Beynon ;  Sixth 
Ward— L.  D.  Seward;  Seventh  Ward- S.  R. 
Thomas;  Board  of  Public  Safety— C.  C. 
Warner,  E.  C.  Housel. 

Police  Department — J.  F.  Durkin,  chief; 
Robert  Guillet,  captain ;  A.  G.  Greenlese,  lieu- 
tenant. 

Fire  Department— J.  T.  Mertz,  chief;  F.  F. 
Loomis,  mechanical  engineer. 

Fire  Station  No.  1  (Central) — Corner  High 
and  Church  streets;  H.  M;  Fritz,  captain. 

Fire  Station  No.  2 — Corner  East  Market 
and  Exchange,  East  Akron;  C.  M.  Smith, 
captain. 

Fire  Station  No.  3 — South  Maple,  corner 
Crosby ;  Frank  Rice,  captain. 

Fire  Station  No.  4 — South  Main,  corner 
Fair;  C.  E.  Tryon,  captain. 

Fire  Station  No.  5 — East  Buchtel  avenue; 
John  Cummins,  captain. 

Fire  Station  No.  6 — Wooster  avenue;  C.  S. 
Jost,  captain. 

Fire  Station  No.  7 — North  Howard;  N.  P. 
Smith,  captain. 

Board  of  Health— Meets  first  Friday  of 
each  month :  Mayor  C.  W.  Kempel,  presi- 
dent; Dr.  A.  A.  Kohler,  health  officer;  M.  W. 
Hoye,  sanitary  police  and  milk  inspector;  G. 
B.  'Courson,  clerk;  J.  D.  Chandler,  G.  W. 
Crouse,  J.  C.  Weber,  A.  P.  Woodring,  Wm.  E. 
Young. 

Library  Board — Meets  first  Friday  of  each 
month  at  library,  corner  Market  and  High 
streets;  J.  C.  Frank,  T.  J.  Mumford,  J.  W. 
Kelley,  W.  T.  Vaughan,  G.  D.  Seward,  Henry 
Kraft. 

Parks — Fountain  Park  (Summit  County 
Agricultural  Society's  Fair  Grounds),  East 
North,  near  city  limits.  Grace  Park,  corner 
Prospect  and  Perkins;  Hill  Park,  corner  East 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


Market  and  Broad ;  Neptune  Park,  West  Mar- 
ket, corner  Valley;  Perkins  Park,  south  of 
Maple  at  west  city  limits ;  Perkins  Square,  cor- 
ner Exchange  and  Bowery;  Pleasant  Park, 
corner  Thornton  and  Washington. 

Cemeteries — Akron  Rural  Cemetery,  west 
end  Glendale  avenue;  German  Catholic  Cem- 
etery, South  Maple,  adjoining  Rural  Ceme- 
tery; East  Akron  Cemetery,  East  Market, 
Sixth  Ward;  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  Cemetery, 
West  Market,  west  of  Balch;  Mount  Peace 
Cemetery,  North  Valley,  north  of  Doyle;  C. 


P.  Hass,  superintendent;  Old  Cemetery,  New- 
ton, near  east  city  line. 

Board  of  Education — James  T.  Flower, 
Isaac  C.  Gibbons,  Frank  G.  Marsh,  Frank  W. 
Rockwell,  Frank  G.  Stipe,  Edward  W. 
Stewart,  A.  E.  Kling. 

Board  of  Review — A.  J.  Weeks,  0.  L.  Sad- 
ler, John  Cook. 

Trustees  of  Sinking  Fund  and  Board  of 
Tax  Commissioners — C.  I.  Bruner,  Harry 
Hamlen,  Joseph  Thomas,  H.  E.  Andress. 


CHAPTER  IV 


AKRON-THE.  COUNTY  SEAT 


Introductory — Economic  Cau-ies  and  Growth  of  Akron — Its  Settlement  and  History- 
Public  Improvements — Akron  an  incorporated  Town — -City  Government — Mercantile 
Akron — Fire  and  Police  Departments — Riot  of  1900 — Aftermath  of  the  Riot. 


Akron,  the  City  of  Busy  Hands!  The 
place  of  rubber-making,  of  sewer-pipe  and 
clay  goods,  of  the  printing  of  books,  of  the 
grinding  of  grains  and  the  making  of  cereal 
foods!  All  these  are  done  here  on  the  largest 
scale  seen  in  any  one  place  on  the  Ameri- 
can continents.  You  may  add  to  them,  large 
factories  making  linoleum,  steam-engines  and 
mining  equipment,  steam  boilers,  traction-en- 
gines, electric  dynamos  and  motors,  steam 
drilling  machinery,  twist  drills  and  agricul- 
tural implements,  belting,  twine  and  cordage, 
varnishes  and  a  host  of  small  enterprises,  mak- 
ing nearly  everything  needed  by  man  or  re- 
quired for  the  gratifying  of  his  luxurious 
tastes. 

Industrialism  then  is  the  one  striking  fea- 
ture of  Akron  and  Akron  life.  Her  triumphs 
have  been  triumphs  of  her  industries.  Her 
dark  days  have  been  the  results  of  stagnation 
of  business.  The  influence  of  the  shop  per- 
meates her  whole  sphere  of  activity.  By  far 
the  larger  part  of  her  population  is  connected 
directly  with  the  shop  and  it  would  be  sur- 
prising if  this  interest  in  them  were  not 
deemed  the  paramount  one  generally,  and  the 
city's  social,  spiritual,  educational  and  even 
mercantile  interests,  modified  in  no  small  de- 
gree by  this  all-pervading  sentiment. 

Herein  we  may  find  ample  excuse  for  the 
"talking  shop,"  which  the  vistor  notices  at 
once.     For   the   same   reason   we   may  sym- 


pathize with  the  citizen  who  is  willing  to  sub- 
ordinate even  his  personal  comfort  to  the  pre- 
vailing spirit.  Any  agitation  to  abolish  the 
smoke  evil  is  sure  to  meet  with  the  objection 
that  smoke  imeans  turning  wheels,  and  busy 
men  and  women,  and  streams  of  wages  and 
prosperity.  If  a  big  factory  wants  a  street 
vacated  or  opened,  a  bridge  built  or  removed, 
a  street  paved,  a  sewer  built,  or  an  extension 
of  the  fire  department,  the  Akron  citizen  has 
not,  for  a  moment,  a  thought  of  objection. 
Nay,  rather  he  digs  into  his  pocket  and  brings 
forth  the  ready  cash.  Mind  you,  he  meets 
every  request  of  this  kind  with  great  per- 
sonal gladness  and  joy.  He  is  perfectly 
happy  in  doing  something  to  benefit  the 
"shops."  If  you  want  to  kill  any  projected 
movement  in  Akron  just  hint  that  it  will  be 
deleterious  to  the  factories,  or  that  the  manu- 
facturers will  find  it  necessary  to  oppose  it. 
On  the  other  hand  the  popular  policy  is  one 
that  will  aid  to  develop  manufacturing  and 
business. 

With  such  a  favorable  atmosphere  is  it  any 
wonder  that  Akron  has  grown  to  be  one  of 
the  great  manufacturing  cities  of  the  United 
States?  Is  not  this  the  very  best  inducement 
outside  capital  can  have  to  locate  here  ?  Akron 
has  never  paid  a  cent,  or  donated  a  foot  of 
ground,  or  exempted  any  enterprise  from  tax- 
ation for  a  day,  to  secure  the  location  of  any 
kind  of  business.    When  they  do  come  she 


J  -  --"^:^"V^>;^ 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


59 


makes  it  easy  for  them  to  stay  and  to  prosper. 
She  welcomes  them  with  open  arms  and  shows 
a  most  benignant  manner  ever  after.  This 
has  been  the  accepted  policy  for  half  a  cen- 
tury. How  well  it  has  succeeded  read  in  the 
history  of  Akron,  marvel  in  the  figures  of  the 
statistician,  and  beliold  in  the  multiplica- 
tion of  factories  and  enterprises.  The  history 
of  Akron  then  is  a  record  of  business  activ- 
ity primarily.  And  it  proves  good  reading — 
this  record,  beginning  with  the  conception 
of  an  idea  in  the  mind  of  a  business  man, 
covering  struggles,  ambitions  and  disappoint- 
ments of  early  days  and  ending  in  triumph 
for  sagacity,  courage  and  honesty.  Such  is 
an  oftrrepeated  storj^  in  Akron  life.  ■  The 
triumph  has  many  times  brought  with  it  a 
princely  fortune. 

AKRON  A  CITY  OF   MANUFACTURES. 

These  business  successes  have  made  the 
name  of  Akron  well  known  in  every  corner 
of  the  earth.  All  her  products  are  finished 
goods,  ready  for  immediate  use  or  consump- 
tion. She  makes  no  raw  materials.  Many' 
of  her  manufacturing  rivals  produce  raw 
materials  largely  and  they  are  sent  away  to 
other  cities,  where  they  are  worked  over  and 
their  identity  lost.  When  they  reach  the  con- 
sumer they  bear  the  name  of  the  last  city 
which  had  a  hand  in  the  making  of  them. 
Akron-made  goods  never  lose  their  identity. 
Their  exportation  is  very  large,  and  hence 
Akron  labels,  boxes  and  bales  may  be  found 
all  over  the  earth.  Akron  travelers  abroad 
are  often  surprised  at  the  fame  of  their  lit- 
tle city  in  the  far-away  corners  of  the  world. 
Akron  cereal  goods  are  shipped  to  every  coun- 
try in  Europe,  mining  machinery  and  agri- 
cultural machines  to  Africa  and  South  Amer- 
ica and  rubber  products  to  Japan  and  China. 
Smaller  exportation?  of  other  products  are  as 
widespread. 

The  storv-  of  Akron,  then,  is  a  story  of 
manufacturing,  and,  if  a  very  large  part  of 
this  history  is  devoted  to  the  city's  industrial 
progress,  it  is  accounted  for  by  this  fact.  The 
great  name?  in  Akron  historv  are  the  names 


of  manufacturers — Perkins,  Miller,  Conger, 
Werner,  Schumacher,  Goodrich,  Barber, 
Grouse,,  Crosby,  Commins,  Seiberling,  Buch- 
tel,  Robinson.  Their  activities  were  the  mak- 
ing of  Akron.  They  furnished  the  true  basis 
for  the  city's  development. 

EDUCATION. 

Reader,  do  not  get  the  impression  that 
Akron  people  live  and  have  lived  for  the 
making  of  things  alone.  Such  is  far  from 
being  the  case.  Manufacturing  is  not  deified. 
The  shops  are  not  set  up  as  idols.  The  manu- 
facturers are  not  worshipped,  and  the  all-es- 
sentials that  are  needed  to  make  character 
and  perfection  of  manhood  are  not  slighted. 

No  city  in  Ohio  makes  so  large  a  per  capita 
expenditure  for  the  maintenance  of  public 
schools.  Ohio  is  famous  for  the  excellence  of 
its  schools,  but  no  city  in  the  state  can  boast  of 
better  schools  than  Akron,  or  a  healthier  pub- 
lic sentiment  back  of  them,  or  a  greater  pride 
in  educational  achievement.  The  "Akron 
idea"  of  graded  schools  originated  here  and 
took  its  name  from  this  city.  Ohio's  whole 
school  system  has  for  its  basis  the  idea  of  the 
Akron  Congregational  clergyman,  who  started 
Akron's  schools  on  the  march  forward  six 
decades  ago. 

This  is  the  seat  of  Buchtel  College,  founded 
by,  and  taking  its  name  from  one  of  Akron's 
most  prominent  citizens,  and  one  foremost  in 
every  good  work.  If  a  large  part  of  this  his- 
tory is  devoted  to  the  story  of  the  rise  of 
Buchtel  College  it  is  because  of  the  important 
place  Buchtel  College  occupies  in  the  heart 
of  the  Akron  citizen.  He  is  proud  of  the 
position  it  has  earned,  he  glories  in  the  op- 
portunity it  offers  for  the  higher  education 
of  his  children,  right  at  his  very  door,  and 
he  sympathizes  with  "The  College"  in  her 
calamities  and  struggles  and  ambitions.' 

The  Catholic  Church  has  provided  many 
excellent  parochial  schools  for  the  training 
of  youth  of  that  communion. 

The  law  making  attendance  at  school  com- 
pulsory  is   rigorously     enforced    in     Akron. 


00 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


There  has  been  a  public  library,  open  to  all 
citizens,  from  the  earliest  days  of  the  com- 
munity. Lyceum  entertainments,  lecture 
courses  and  the  very  bCvSt  concerts  have  had 
their  part  in  the  popular  education  of  the 
people. 

Successes  in  education  have  made  the 
names  of  Jennings,  Bryan,  Leggett,  Find- 
ley,  Fraunfelter,  Rood  and  McAllister  hon- 
ored ones  in  the  city's  history. 


THE   CHURCHES. 

The  churches  occupy  a  relatively  more 
important  place  in  Akron  life  than  is  true 
of  most  municipal  communities.  In  view  of 
the  overwhelming  importance  of  the  manu- 
facturing interests  it  is  hard  to  believe  that 
this  is  so.  Close  study  of  conditions,  how- 
ever, demonstrates  its  truth.  Every  import- 
ant Christian  denomination  is  represented 
by  a  live  and  thriving  church  organization. 
Akron  is  one  of  the  important  church  cen- 
ters for  at  least  two  of  the  denominations — • 
the  Methodists  and  the  Universalists.  The 
"Akron  Plan,"  in  church  ai-chitecture  has 
been  an  important  factor  in  the  former, 
and  the  church  life,  of  which  Buchtel  Col- 
lege is  the  center,  in  the  latter.  The  history 
of  the  Methodist  Church  in  America  will  be 
incomjilete  without  a  record  of  Chautauqua 
and  Lewis  Miller.  Many  ministers  and 
priests  have  won  large  successes  in  their  la- 
bors in  Akron,  and  her  citizens  will  always 
remember  with  earnest  reverence  such  men 
as  Carlos  Smith,  Monroe,  Burton,  Day, 
Young,  Ganter,  Scanlon  and  Mahar.  There 
is  a  roll  of  honor  among  laymen,  also.  The 
leaders  of  the  past  in  the  manufacturing 
world  have  also  been  leaders  in  church  and 
charitable  work.  Take  the  names  of  the 
captains  of  industry  first  above  given ;  there 
is  only  one  of  them  who  ha.s  not  had  a  very 
prominent  part  in  the  work  of  some  Akron 
church.  That  list  might  be  extended  almost 
indefinitolv. 


THE    PROFESSIONS. 

Akron's  reputation  as  a  manufacturing 
and  business  center  has  attracted  a  host  of 
professional  men.  Most  of  them  have  been 
capable  practitioners  and  have  made  useful 
and  respected  citizens.  Of  the  doctors  who 
have  gone,  many  like  Crosby,  Bowen,  Co- 
burn,  Bartges,  McEbright  and  Jacobs,  not 
only  held  high  positions  in  their  profes-sion, 
but  did  much  for  the  material  advancement 
of  Akron's  various  interests.  At  the  present 
time  all  schools  of  medicine  are  represented 
here  by  exceedingly  accomplished  phy- 
.sicians. 

From  its  ranks  of  lawyers  Akron  has  sent 
forth  men  who  have  taken  high  places  in 
public  life,  both  in  the  service  of  the  state 
and  the  nation.  Memory  recalls  readily  the 
names  of  Bierce,  Bliss,  King,  McClure, 
Edgerton,  Spalding,  Sanders,  Cartter,  Alger, 
Wolcott,  McKinney  and  Upson.  The  pre.s- 
ent  junior  senator  from  Ohio  is  a  member 
of  the  Summit  County  Bar.  Very  few  coun- 
ties in  Ohio  are  able  to  bring  forward  better 
lawyers  than  tho.se  who  make  vip  the  local 
bar.  Business;  both  manufacturing  and 
mercantile,  brought  the  lawyers.  Large  in- 
terests, great  producing  and  distributing,  big 
deals  and  intricate  enterprises  demanded 
competent  hands  for  their  legal  protection 
and  direction.  In  the  early  days  there  were 
great  enterprises  exploited  here,  such  as  the 
canals,  the  Crosby  projects,  etc.  They  were 
directed  by  strong  men,  who  demanded 
strong  men  as  legal  advisers.  The  associa- 
tion of  such  men  attracted  the  ablest  of  the 
young  lawyers  then  commencing  practice. 
The  high  .standard  then  established  ha.s  been 
maintained  until  the  present  day.  The  great 
Akron  companies  entrust  their  legal  matters 
entirely  to  members  of  the  local  bar.  It  is 
a  rare  thing  for  outside  counsel  to  be  called 
into  a  local  ca.se.  On  the  other  hand,  Akron 
lawyers  are  frequently  called  into  other 
counties  of  the  state  for  legal  advice  and 
services. 

In  the  last  decade  Akron  has  begun  to  at- 
tract attention   in   a  new  respect.     The  city 


AND    REPRESENTATI^nS    CITIZENS 


61 


lies  in  the  midst  of  nearly  twenty  small 
lakes,  most  of  them  possessing  great  natural 
beauty.  The  city  itself  is  most  attractively 
located  on  more  hills  than  ancient  Rome 
possessed,  and  with  magnificent  views  down 
and  across  the  Cuyahoga  Valley.  These 
things  have  been  gradually  becoming  known 
and  it  began  to  be  whispered  about  that  there 
was  good  fishing  in  the  Akron  lakes  and  good 
camping  sites  on  their  shores.  Thus  the 
summer  invasion  began.  Great  improve- 
ments have  been  made,  those  at  Silver  Lake 
alone  costing  $100,000.  Summit  Lake  has 
a  beautiful  new  casino  which  will  seat  3,000 
people.  Many  beautiful  cottages  have  been 
built  at  Turkey-Foot  Lake  and  Springfield 
Lake.  During  the  season  the  attractions  of 
Akron  as  a  summer  resort  bring  thousands  of 
people  to  the  city.  Merchants  find  their  trade 
correspondingly  larger  and  there  is  no  dull 
season  known  to  our  mercantile  circles.  The 
local  summers  are  never  exc&ssively  hot. 
There  will  be.  perhaps,  two  or  three  periods  of 
hot  weather  when  the  thermometer  will  reach 
87,  or.  in  extreme  cases,  90  degrees.  These 
periods  are  of  very  short  duration,  seldom  last- 
ing more  than  four  or  five  days,  and  the  rest 
of  the  summer  consists  of  delightful  days, 
with  the  air  clear,  and  the  sky  blue,  and  the 
thermometer  ranging  from  70  to  80  de.grees. 
The  high  altitude  of  the  city,  the  higher  por- 
tions being  nearly  1.100  feet  above  the  sea 
level,  and  the  proximity  to  Lake  Erie  combine 
to  lower  the  temperature  in  .summer  and  to 
make  the  city  a  healthy  and  delightful  place 
in  which  to  live. 

Many  beautiful  residences  and  private  parks 
attest  the  prosperity  of  Akron's  citizens.  All 
the  important  streets  are  paved  with  brick, 
stone  or  a.sphalt.  Beautiful  and  well  kept 
public  parks  are  situated  in  all  parts  of  the 
city.  Here  is  one  of  the  finest  Music  Halls 
in  the  state  and  one  well  adapted  for  large 
conventions,  music  festivals  and  other  im- 
portant public  occasions.  Here,  also,  are 
three  fine  theaters,  one  of  them — -the  beautiful 
Colonial  Theater — presenting  the  best  at- 
tractions to  be  seen  on  the  American  stage. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  been  reorganized  and 


is  enjoying  a  new  home,  costing  about  $100,- 
000.  The  Akron  City  Hospital  is  now  com- 
pletely established  in  a  new  six-story  build- 
ing and  making  use  of  an  equipment  that 
cost  $150,000.  It  will  compare  favorably 
with  any  hospital  in  America. 

The  Y.  W.  C.  A.  has  moved  into  a  fine 
new  home  on  High  street,  where  it  possesses 
every  possible  requisite  for  the  successful 
prosecution  of  its  admirable  work.  No 
more  praiseworthv  work  is  being  done  in 
Akron  than  that  of  the  Y.  W.  C.  A. 

Two  beautiful  new  ward  school  buildings 
have  just  been  erected  and  the  High  School 
nearly  doubled  in  capacity  by  a  splendid  new 
building  adjoining  the  old  building  on  the 
west. 

The  old  court  house  built  in  1840  has  been 
supplanted  by  a  superb  structure  of  stone 
crowning  the  old  court-house  hill,  and  costing 
about  $300,000.  Many  fine  new  business 
blocks  were  erected  in  1906.  The  additions 
made  to  the  store  of  The  M.  O'Neil  Company 
in  1907  make  it  the  largest  store  in  Ohio  and 
one  of  the  great  department  stores  of  the 
United  States. 

Akron  always  takes  time  to  rejoice  in  its  fire 
department.  It  is  housed  in  seven  modern 
buildings  in  different  parts  of  the  city,  and 
furnished  with  the  latest  appliances  and  equip- 
ment for  extinguishing  fires.  The  pei-sonnel 
of  the  department  is  very  high  and  the  citi- 
zens have  ab-solute  confidence  in  its  efficiency. 

The  city  has  equal  faith  in  its  custodians 
of  the  law.  The  police  force  is  a  capable  one 
and  is  guided  by  trustworthy  hands.  Life  and 
property,  therefore,,  enjoy  here  as  large  a 
measure  of  protection  as  the  best  American 
municipalities  afford. 

The  city  supports  three  enterprising  and 
successful  newspapers.  They  are  clean,  able, 
and  fearlessly  edited,  and  reflect  great  credit 
upon  the  community  which  reads  and  sup- 
ports them. 

Akron's  retail  stores  are  a  satisfaction  to 
her  people.  The  stocks  of  goods  are  as  com- 
plete and  timely  as  those  of  the  best  city 
stores  and  the  prices  are  considerablv  lower 
than  in  most  cities  of  Akron's  size.     The  old 


62 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


tendency  to  run  to  Cleveland  to  do  purchas- 
ing is  a  thing  of  the  past.  If  there  ever  was 
any  necessity  for  such  a  course  it  no  longer 
exists.  When  the  public  learned  that  the 
same  quality  of  goods  could  be  purchased  in 
Akron  at  prices  equal  to  the  lowest  anywhere, 
shopping  in  Cleveland  became  a  mere  affecta- 
tion and  accordingly  has  not  been  fashionable 
for  a  considerable  time. 

Akron's  growth  in  population  has  been  at 
the  rate  of  5  per  cent  per  annum  in  late 
years.  Accordingly  the  year  1908  will  find 
nearly  60,000  people  dwelling  within  her 
borders. 

Such  is  a  rapid  pen-picture  of  Akron  as  it 
exists  in  1907.  In  the  following  pages  will 
be  found  an  accurate  account  of  the  rounding 
of  the  city,  the  purposes  its  founders  had  in 
mind,  its  early  struggles,  its  pioneer  citizens, 
its  growth  in  many  diverse  ways,  its  disasters 
and  misfortunes  and  its  complete  triumph  in 
the  year  of  its  greatest  prosperity,  1907.  The 
reader  will  also  find  reliable  historical  state- 
ments concerning  Summit  County,  its  town- 
ships, its  villages  and  all  the  various  activities 
of  Summit  County  citizens  since  the  begin- 
ning. 

ECONOMIC  CAUSES  AND  GROWTH  OF 
AKRON. 

It  is  inaccurate  to  say  that  the  Ohio  Canal 
made  Akron.  The  city  as  it  stands  today  is 
the  resultant  of  many  causes.  Many  and 
different  influences,  and  various  men  and 
measures,  have  co-operated  toward  the  end 
now  attained.  The  start  was  made  long  be- 
fore the  Ohio  Canal  was  built.  •  Within  the 
present  limits  of  the  city,  settlements  at  two 
different  points  had  been  made,  which  ante- 
date the  canal  by  nearly  two  decades.  In  1807 
the  first  settlement  had  been  made  in  Middle- 
bury.  In  1811  Miner  Spicer  had  started 
"Spicertown."  In  the  same  year  Paul  Wil- 
liams settled  upon  the  lands  immediately 
west  of  the  Spicer  settlement  and  adjoining 
the  land  of  General  Simon  Perkins  on  the 
east.  When  the  canal  was  opened  in  1827 
Middlebury  was  an  important  village.    It  had 


attracted  many  settlers  from  the  East,  prin- 
cipally from  Connecticut,  and  boasted  of  half 
a  dozen  mills  and  factories,  a  dozen  stores, 
three  inns  and  about  five  hundred  inhabitants. 
It  certainly  deserved  a  place  on  the  maps  of 
the  time. 

Let  us  search  that  we  may  find,  if  we  can, 
the  economic  reasons  for  the  existence  of 
Akron.  The  sentence  that  begins  this  chap- 
ter contains  the  idea  that  is  ordinarily  ad- 
vanced as  the  sole  reason  for  the  Akron  of 
today.  The  unthinking  man  repeats:  "The 
canal  made  Akron."  The  wTiter  on  Akron 
history  records:  "Dr.  Eliakim  G.  Crosby 
made  Akron." 

The  truth  is,  no  one  thing  and  no  one  man 
made  Akron,  but  that  all  the  men  who  have 
ever  worked  for  Akron,  from  the  earliest  be- 
ginning until  this  centennial  year  of  1907, 
aided  by  certain  natural  advantages,  "made" 
Akron.  The  term  "men"  is  here  used  in  the 
generic  sense,  and  includes  the  army  of  noble 
women  who  planned,  worked,  and  sacrificed, 
and  made  man's  work  worth  the  while.  All 
the  minds  and  all  the  hands;  all  the  labor 
and  all  the  capital;  all  the  faith  and  all  the 
hope — these  have  been  working  for  one  hun- 
dred years  to  produce  the  results  we  now  be- 
hold. 

If  the  canal  did  not  make  Akron,  it  was 
the  largest  single  factor  in  the  making.  Where 
so  many  causes  have  been  working  together 
it  is  impossible  to  say  that  the  result  would 
not  have  been  possible  without  any  one  of 
them.  There  is  reason  to  believe,  however, 
that  without  the  early  advantages  of  the  first 
canal  the  great  industries  and  the  teeming 
population  of  the  present  would  not  have  been 
Akron's. 

Allusion  ha."  been  made  above  to  certain  ad- 
vantages which  Nature  provided  for  the  future 
citJ^  A  study  of  the  economic  reasons  under- 
lying the  location  of  any  city  vnW  assist  us 
in  determining  what  they  are  in  the  present 
case. 

What  induced  the  five  hundred  inhabitants 
of  Middlebury  in  1827  to  locate  there  in  the 
twenty  years  succeeding  its  founding?  Leav- 
ing the  Alleghenies    behind,  the    boundless 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


63 


West  was  before  them  and  they  were  free  to 
settle  here  or  there,  as  their  judgment  dic- 
tated? Then  why  Middlebury?  To  one  who 
knows  New  England  and  Middlebury  the  an- 
swer is  not  hard  to  find.  What  turns  the 
mills  at  Lowell,  Lawrence,  Holyoke  and  all 
the  towns  on  the  Merrimac  and  Connecticut 
and  other  rivers  of  New  England?  New 
England's  manufacturing  prestige  is  due  to 
the  overwhelming  advantages  its  unsurpassed 
water-power  gives  it.  It  is  a  power,  cheap 
and  easily  transmitted.  New  England  even 
in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century  was  full 
of  dams  and  sluices  and  waterwheels.  The 
man  from  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  was 
brought  up  with  a  knowledge  of  these  things. 
They  were  a  familiar  part  of  his  environ- 
ment.   He  knew  water-power  when  he  saw  it. 

The  early  Middlebury  men  were  from 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  It  was  the 
power  in  the  fall  of  "the  river  there  that  at- 
tracted them.  The  early  Middlebury  fac- 
tories, including  the  Cuyahoga  furnace,  a 
saw-mill  and  a  large  grist-mill,  were  all  oper- 
ated by  the  power  derived  from  a  dam  thrown 
across  the  river  at  the  point  where  the  plant 
of  the  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rubber  Company 
now  stands.  Later  other  dams  were  built  and 
the  use  of  the  power  extended.  All  this 
was  done  prior  to  the  building  of  the  Ohio 
canal,  or  even  before  the  preliminary  steps 
were  taken. 

The  Portage,  or  carry,  between  the  Cuya- 
hoga and  the  Tuscarawas  rivers  was  not  of  suf- 
ficient importance  to  cause  any  extensive  set- 
tlement along  its  length  or  to  influence  any 
that  might  be  made  in  its  vicinity.  We,  of 
today,  are  inclined  to  overestimate  its  im- 
portance. There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that 
it  was  ever  extensively  used.  It  was  in  no 
sense  of  the  word  a  great  pioneer  highway, 
such  as  some  of  those  that  brought  about  the 
establishment  of  the  large  trading-posts  of 
the  early  days.  The  latter  were  powerful  fac- 
tors in  founding  settlements  that  grew  into 
cities  later  when  the  sway  of  the  white  man 
began.  Travel  over  the  Portage  Path  was 
little  enough.  The  long  carry  of  nine  or 
ten  miles,  part  of  it  up  and  down  steep  hills. 


was  enough  to  deter  all  travelers,  but  those 
pressed  by  the  greatest  necessity.  War  par- 
ties passed  in  numbers  at  tdmes,  but  trappers 
and  traders  went  by  other  ways.  There  was 
far  greater  travel  over  the  east  and  west  high- 
way, part  of  which  is  now  called  the  Smith 
Road,  and  extensive  settlements  were  made 
at  various  points  along  its  course. 

At  the  southern  end  of  the  Portage  Path, 
however,  there  was  built  up  in  the  years  1806 
and  1825  one  of  the  most  promising  of  all 
the  settlements  in  northern  Ohio.  This 
was  not  because  of  any  advantage  derived 
from  travel  over  the  Path,  but  because  of  the 
fact  that  here  was  the  head  of  navigation  on 
the  Tuscarawas.  The  Indians  and  pioneers 
used  the  waterway  as  far  as  they  could  and 
then  took  various  trails  leading  in  other  di- 
rections. The  river  was  then  of  much  greater 
volume  than  today  and  was  capable  of  sup- 
porting an  extensive  traffic.  Navigation  was 
open  from  New  Portage  to  the  Muskingum 
and  the  Ohio,  and  extensive  trading  sprang 
into  existence  along  these  waterways. 

The  Path,  then,  was  of  little  or  no  bene- 
fit to  the  region  we  know  as  Akron.  Neither 
did  this  immediate  locality  have  any  water- 
power.  It  was  covered  with  thick  forests  of 
oak,  ash,  hickory,  chestnut  and  maple. 
Splendid  springs  issued  from  the  hillsides. 
Game  was  abundant.  But  the  lake  country 
only  a  few  miles  to  the  south  offered  much 
better  hunting-grounds  and  richer  fields  in 
the  fertile  bottom  lands  along  the  creeks. 

Early  in  the  year  1825  a  great  and  sudden 
activity  was  manifested  all  along  the  base  of 
the  high  hill,  which  stretches  north  and 
south  from  the  Cuyahoga  River  at  old  Portage 
to  Summit  Lake,  and  along  the  top  of  which 
runs  the  Portage  Path.  This  narrow  zone  of 
activity  met  the  Path  at  both  these  points, 
and  about  halfway  between  them  it  bent 
away  to  the  east  about  a  mile  and  a  half. 
It  followed  the  base  of  the  hill  closely  and 
lay  in  the  lowest  part  of  the  territory  con- 
tiguous to  these  points. 

This  activity  was  the  work  of  excavation 
for  the  Ohio  Canal.  The  ditching  alone 
would  be  a  work  of  some  magnitude  even  for 


64 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


these  days  of  steam-shovels  and  earth-convey- 
ors. The  earth  was  excavated  to  a  depth,  in 
the  center,  of  five  or  six  feet  and  of  a  width 
averaging,  perhaps,  twenty-five  feet.  In  the 
distance  between  the  Summit  Level  and  Old 
Portage  the  greatest  engineering  works  of  the 
whole  project  were  made  necessary.  Be- 
tween these  two  points  there  is  a  rise  of  nearly 
two  hundred  feet.  This  necessitated  a  series 
of  locks  and  twenty-one  of  them  were  built, 
in  massive  style,  of  great  sand-stone  blocks 
and  ponderous  oak  gates.  By  the  side  of  each 
was  built  a  sluice,  or  overflow,  for  the  pas- 
sage of  the. water  when  the  gates  were  closed. 
This  work  brought  into  this  neighborhood  a 
small  army  of  engineers,  contractors,  dig- 
gers, drivers,  stone-masons,  carpenters,  black- 
smiths, and  a  subsidiary  army  to  do  the  com- 
missary work  for  these.  Like  all  camps  of 
the  kind,  this  was  followed  by  the  slab-saloon 
and  the  grocery,  and  almost  in  a  day  a  town 
arose.  It  required  two  years'  time  to  com- 
plete these  works  and  by  the  time  they  were 
finished  the  new  town  numbered  half  as 
many  inhabitants  as  Middlebury,  two  miles 
to  the  east  and  now  in  the  twentieth  year  of 
its  existence. 

Then  commenced  the  great  traffic  over  the 
Ohio  Canal.  If  the  Portage  Path  was  not  a 
highway,  the  canal  certainly  was.  It  is  hard 
to  realize  now  how  important  an  avenue  of 
commerce  this  great  waterway  was  in  the 
early  days  of  Ohio.  It  is  difficult  to  estimate 
accurately  the  great  part  it  played  in  the 
development  of  the  state.  The  danger  to  the 
student  of  these  results  will  be  to  overstate 
them.  The  village  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cuy- 
ahoga had  grown  rapidly.  Cleveland  enjoyed 
an  extensive  commerce  and  the  products  of 
Pittsburgh,  Philadelphia  and  the  East  were 
being  distributed  thence  throughout  the 
West  by  lake  carriage.  Ship-building  in  the 
vicinity  of  Cleveland  became  an  established 
industry.  The  Cuyahoga  at  this  time  was  a 
much  larger  stream  than  it  is  at  present  and 
many  lake  vessels  were  built  as  far  inland  as 
Old  Portage. 

South  of  Akron  were  many  village  com- 
luunitv    of    older    settlement.      The     canal 


opened  an  easy  way  of  communication  with 
these.  It  removed  the  obstacles  in  the 
journey  to  Cleveland.  When  completed  it 
formed  the  bast  method  of  inland  transpoi-ta- 
tion  then  known,  between  Lake  Erie  and  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  Under  favorable  conditions 
loaded  boats  could  navigate  nearly  as  fast 
as  a  train  behind  George  Stephenson's 
"Rocket."  Travel  by  packet  on  the  canal  was 
not  looked  upon  as  a  hardship,  but  welcomed 
as  a  great  improvement  over  a  journey  by 
pioneer  roads.  Previous  to  the  opening  of 
the  canail,  the  products  of  the  community, 
which  consisted  mainly  of  flour,  wool,  hides, 
charcoal,  potash,  and  dairy  and  farm  prod- 
ucts were  taken  to  Cleveland  and  Pittsburgh 
by  wagon.  These  were  of  the  prairie-schooner 
type  and  oftentimes  immense  loads  would  be 
hauled  by  eight-horse  teams  hitched  to  them. 
On  the  return  trip  merchandise  of  various 
kinds  was  brought  in.  The  owners  of  these 
wagon  routes  were  important  men  in  the  com- 
munity, and  they  were  often  intrusted  with 
the  execution  of  extensive  commissions.  No 
inconsiderable  part  of  the  buying  and  .-ellmg 
between  Akron  and  the  outside  points  was 
done  through  them.  The  most  prominent 
among  these  early  carriers  were  Patrick 
Christy,  the  grandfather  of  Will  Christy,  the 
electric  railway  magnate,  and  George  Crouse, 
grandfather  of  the  present  Akron  bu.siness- 
man,  George  W.  Crouse,  Jr. 

In  one  respect  Akron  was  the  most  impor- 
tant point  on  the  Ohio  Canal.  Students  of 
economic  causes  have  learned  that  great  nat- 
ural obstacles  to  travel  on  important  high- 
ways are  the  points  most  likely  to  attract  set- 
tlement and  become  a  nucleus  for  future  devel- 
opment into  village  and  cit^^  Thus  a  ford  in 
a  stream,  a  rapid  or  fall  in  a  navigable  river 
necessitating  a  portage,  interrupts  the  jour- 
ney, causes  delay  and  becomes  the  natural 
stopping  place  for  travelers.  At  Akron,  the 
traveler  by  canal  met  the  greatest  obstacle  in 
all  his  journey.  Here  was  a  series  of  twenty- 
one  locks  through  which  his  boat  must  pass 
before  he  could  resume  his  journey.  Four 
hours  at  the  best  would  be  consumed  in  the 
operation   of  locking,   and  delays  were  very 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


65 


frequent.  The  traveler  could  walk  the  entire 
distance  between  the  extreme  locks  in  one- 
fourth  the  time  hi^  boat  took  in  going 
through.  Here,  then,  was  a  splendid  site  for 
the  merchant.  Here  was  a  steady  stream  of 
travel  and  commerce  passing,  for  more  than 
eight  months  of  the  year.  Here  that  travel 
must  halt  for  a  large  part  of  the  day.  Thus 
the  way-faring  man  was  forced  into  an  ac- 
quaintance with  Akron ;  thus  the  fame  of 
Akron  was  carried  throughout  Ohio  and  be- 
yond. 

In  the  boyhood  days  of  the  writer  of  this 
chapter,  that  part  of  the  town  lying  north  of 
Federal  street  and  west  of  Summit  was  known 
as  "Dublin."  This  name  was  given  to  the 
locality  when  the  locks  were  being  built.  As 
remarked  above,  it  took  two  years  to  build 
them  and  a  host  of  laboring  men  were  busy 
in  the  work.  Now,  in  the  twenties  the  great 
tide  of  immigration  from  Italy  and  Germany 
and  the  other  countries  of  the  European  con- 
tinent had  not  started  to  flow  toward  our 
shores.  The  Chinese  coolies  did  not  arrive 
until  the  building  of  the  Union  Pacific  rail- 
way. The  oppression  of  the  peasantry  in 
Ireland,  however,  had  driven  a  horde  of  her 
population  to  seek  easier  conditions.  The 
first  great  immigration  was  from  Ireland.  The 
"Dago"  and  the  "Hunkie"  of  the  twenties 
and  thirties  was  the  Irishman.  "Paddy" 
built  the  railroads  and  made  the  highways 
and  dug  canals.  Thait  is,  he  handled  the 
pick  and  shovel  and  carried  the  hod.  He  was 
the  carrier  of  water  and  the  hewer  of  wood. 
Well,  the  men  from  the  Shamrock  Isle  who 
came  to  Akron  to  work  on  the  canal,  built 
their  cabins  in  the  locality  referred  to  and 
lived  there  during  the  time  they  were  work- 
ing on  the  locks.  Whether  they  named  the 
place  themselves  as  a  tender  tribute  to  the 
"auld  sod,"  which  was  still  the  focus  of  their 
fondest  longings,  or  whether  the  place  was 
facetiously  dubbed  by  the  bluer-blooded  in-, 
habitants  of  Cascade  or  Middlebury,  is  un- 
known and  immaterial.  The  present  genera- 
tion neither  knows  the  name  nor  has  any 
dealings  with  the  ancient  district  of  "Dub- 
lin."    Today  it  might  be  more  appropriately 


called  "Naples,"  for  the  Irish  have  pros- 
pered and  moved  into  better  city  quarters, 
while  the  Italian,  a  late  comer,  has  taken  the 
old  houses  and  become  the  predominating 
influence  in  the  locality.  The  territory  has 
been  conquered  in  succession  by  Ireland, 
Africa  and  Italy. 

How  much  the  canal  did  for  the  new  town 
or  rather  towns, — for  there  were  two  of  them, 
one,  called  Akron,  centering  at  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Exchange  streets  and  the  other 
named  Cascade  and  located  near  the  corner 
of  Market  and  Howard  streets, — is  seen  from 
the  growth  of  population  that  took  place  on 
this  narrow  strip  of  land  along  the  canal  and 
extending  from  Chestnut  to  Beech  streets.  At 
the  end  of  the  first  decade  this  territory  num- 
bered more  than  one  thousand  people.  In 
1840,  or  fifteen  years  after  the  beginning  of 
construction,  the  United  States  census  showed 
a  population  of  1,381.  It  had  left  Middle- 
bury  far  behind.  Practically  the  whole  of 
this  number  had  moved  in  from  other  places. 
Akron  was  already  known  as  one  of  the  most 
promising  towns  in  the  northwest  territory, 
and  this  report  was  attracting  new  settlers  by 
the  hundred,  annually.  Most  of  the  men  em- 
ployed in  building  the  locks  remained  here 
when  the  work  was  completed.  So  did  the 
keepers  of  boarding-houses  and  taverns  and 
the  merchants  who  had  been  supplying  the 
demand  for  groceries,  clothing  and  such  goods 
as  the  presence  of  so  large  a  body  of  labor- 
ing men  made  necessary.  These  constituted 
a  fine  nucleus  for  the  coming  city.  Thus, 
it  was  the  canal,  undoubtedly,  that  gave 
Akron  its  start. 

For  twenty-five  years  the  canal,  too,  was  the 
only  means  of  communication  Akron  had 
with  the  outside  world.  When  her  citizens 
traveled  they  went  by  packet,  between  the 
verdant  banks  of  the  canal.  Their  products 
found  the  outside  market  and  their  merchan- 
dise was  brought  in  to  them  by  boats  plying 
on  that  same  canal.  The  canal  was  as  of 
much  relative  importance  in  Akron  life  of 
the  period  as  it  was  in  Holland.  Venice,  it- 
self, was  not  more  dependent  on,  or  prouder 
of,  her  waterways  than   Akron  before  1852. 


6() 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


The  masters  of  canal  boats  were  duly  re- 
spected and,  in  the  public  estimation,  occu- 
pied desirable  places. 

On  the  4th  day  of  July,  1852,  the  first 
railway  train  rolled  into  Akron.  It  came  in 
from  Hudson  over  the  Akron  branch  of  the 
Cleveland  and  Pittsburgh  Railroad.  It 
marked  the  end  of  the  old  order  of  things. 
It  closed  an  epoch.  The  steam-propelled  train, 
running  on  level  iron  tracks,  had  worked  a 
revolution  in  the  world  outside.  All  business 
had  to  be  adjusted  to  meet  the  changed  con- 
ditions. The  world  had  moved  on  apace. 
Akron  was  practically  where  the  thirties  had 
left  her.  Communication  by  canal  was  now 
isolation.  The  railway  came  and  growth  be- 
gan anew.  Akron  was  nearing  the  time 
when  she  was  to  strike  her  real  pace.  The 
real  making  of  the  city,  as  we  know  it  today, 
was  still  a  thing  of  the  future.  The  city 
grew  as  a  few  men  prospered.  When  the 
sun  of  prosperity  shone  upon  Ferdinand 
Schumacher,  Arthur  L.  Conger,  John  F.  Sei- 
berling,  Lewis  Miller,  David  E.  Hill,  Henry 
Robinson,  James  B.  Taplin,  J.  D.  Cummins, 
the  Aliens,  the  Howers,  0.  C.  Barber,  and 
one  or  two  others,  then  began  the  era  of  real 
progress.  From  that  time  on,  Akron  has  had 
a  steady  and  even  growth. 

The  gi'owth  has  never  been  phenomenal. 
Its  citizens  have  never  experienced  the  excite- 
ment of  a  "boom."  Real  estate  values  have 
never  taken  a  decided  step  upward.  The  con- 
trary is  true,  that  the  price  of  real  property 
has  lagged  behind.  Of  course,  the  increase 
in  population  and  wealth  has  brought  with  it 
higher  prices  for  land  and  buildings,  but  the 
increase  in  the  latter  has  not  been  commen- 
surate with  the  former.  This  fact  will  serve 
to  indicate  how  gradual,  normal,  and 
healthy  has  been  the  growth  of  Akron.  It 
was  fortunate  for  the  city  that,  when  some 
of  the  industries  founded  by  the  above 
named  men  fell  upon  hard  times  and  gave 
way  under  the  stress  of  untoward  circum- 
stances, others,  started  subsequently,  grew 
amazingly  and  more  than  filled  the  gap.  It 
was  like  the  springing  of  second-growth  trees 
to  replace  the  falling  of  century-old  monarch? 


of  the  forest.  Of  the  above  names,  four  of 
the  men  who  bore  them,  and  who  had 
amassed  great  fortunes  from  their  enterprises, 
went  to  their  graves,  broken  in  fortune. 
Three  of  the  great  businesses  were  closed  up 
forever,  and  their  names  forgotten  in  the  busi- 
ness world.  In  the  joy  of  possessing  the 
greater  industries  that  have  taken  their  places, 
few  make  room  for  the  emotion  of  regret  that 
ordinarily  would  have  attended  the  departure 
of  the  older.  Thus  it  has  happened  that 
Akron  has  been  known  successively  as  "The 
Oatmeal  Town,"  "The  Match  Town,"  "The 
Place  Where  They  Make  Mowers  and  Reapei-s" 
"The  Sewer-pipe  Town,"  and  lastly,  "The 
Rubber  City."  When  the  magnitude  of  The 
Werner  Company  is  considered,  we  can  say 
with  rea.son  that  it  might  well  be  called  "The 
City  of  Graphic  Arts."  The  renown  of  the  lat- 
ter publishing  house  on  the  American  Conti- 
nents would  easily  make  it  the  one  over- 
shadowing feature  of  many  of  Akron's  rival 
cities,  were  they  fortunate  enough  to  possess 
it. 

Among  the  economic  reasons  for  the  re- 
markable growth  of  Akron,  an  important 
place  inust  be  given  to  the  extraordinary  ad- 
vantages derived  from  certain  mineral  de- 
posits discovered  in  Summit  County,  early  in 
its  history.  Even  the  most  unreflective  reader 
must  be  aware  of  the  desirability  of  cheap 
fuel  in  a  district  devoted  to  manufacturing. 
Water-power  was  a  good  thing  so  far  as  it 
went;  but  that  was  limited,  not  only  in  the 
amount  of  the  horse-power  it  could  develop, 
but  in  the  kinds  of  manufacturing  which  it 
could  subserve.  Thus,  it  was  unavailable  for 
the  largest  part  of  the  operations  of  the  pot- 
teries and  for  such  work  as  operating  the 
"driers"  of  the  cereal  mills. 

Fortunately,  Nature  was  prodigal  of  her 
gifts  to  the  territory  of  which  Summit  County 
is  a  part.  To  the  south  and  east  of  Akron  lie 
gread  beds  of  bituminous  coal,  some  of  it 
of  superior  quality.  The  "Turkey-foot  Coal" 
is  the  same  as  that  of  the  Massillon  field,  and 
on  combu.stion  is  capable  of  producing  as 
many  heat  imits.  Steady  mining  for  more 
than  half  a  centurv    has  not  exhausted  these 


AND    REPKESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


resources;  it  has  not  even  determined  their 
full  extent.  New  mines  are  opened  from 
time  to  time,  and  the  out-put  continues  to 
furnish  the  major  part  of  the  Akron  supply. 
A  short  haul  of  five,  ten,  or  fifteen  miles 
brings  this  splendid  fuel  iv  the  doors  of 
Akron's  big  factories.  Thus,  this  city  has  an 
advantage  over  her  manufacturing  rivals,  who 
must  add  to  the  cost  of  production  the  ex- 
pense of  transporting  fuel,  sometimes  for  long 
distances. 

The  "burning"  of  sewer  pipe,  brick  and 
earthenware  requires  large  quantities  of  fuel. 
These  were  among  the  very  earliest  of  the 
city's  industries.  Contemporaneous  were  the 
furnaces  for  reducing  iron  ore  to  metal. 
They,  too,  needed  heat  rather  than  power. 

Coal  was  not  the  only  fuel,  for  magnificent 
forests  covered  the  entire  country,  and  rich 
peat  beds  filled  the  swamps  in  many  localities. 
Long  after  the  coal  is  exhausted  it  will  be 
possible  to  obtain  excellent  fuel  by  resorting 
to  the  peat  deposits  in  Coventry,  Copley  and 
Springfield  townships.  Oil  can  also  be  ob- 
tained by  refining  the  carboniferous  shales 
which  abound  in  various  sections  of  the 
country. 

Akron  sewer-pipe  is  the  standard  for  the 
world.  Specifications  often  read:  "Sewer- 
pipe  used  must  be  equal  to  the  best  Akron." 
It  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  superior  quali- 
ties of  the  finished  product  are  due  in  large 
measure  to  the  superexcellence  of  the  raw 
material.  Great  beds  of  fine  clay  extend  over 
the  to^mships  of  Tallmadge,  Springfield, 
Coventry  and  Green,  while  other  townships 
posse,?s  smaller  deposits. 

Reference  has  been  made  in  previous  pages 
of  this  history  to  the  existence  of  iron-fur- 
naces in  Middlebury  and  Akron.  None  exist 
now,  and  have  not  for  many  years.  Only 
the  oldest  inhabitants  -uall  remember  them. 
The  present  generation  a.sk  in  surprise,  "Well, 
where  in  the  world  did  they  get  the  iron  ore?" 
The  answer,  too,  is  surprising.  It  was  ob- 
tained right  at  home.  The  furnaces  were 
built  here  because  the  ferrous  ores  were  here. 
They  are  still  here,  but  are  the  so-called  "boo;- 
iron."  and  the  process  of  reduction  is  so  ex- 


pensive that  they  cannot  compete  with  the 
richer  ores  mined  in  other  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. Hence,  when  use  was  made  of  the  great 
deposits  in  the  Lake  Superior  district,  the 
Akron  furnaces  went  out  of  business,  and 
now  nothing  remains  of  them  but  the  .slag 
and  cinder  heaps  which  they  left  behind. 

In  Springfield  and  Green  townships  there 
exists  a  four-foot  stratum  of  limestone,  of  fair 
quality.  Limestone,  very  impure,  also  occurs 
scattered  in  other  portions  of  the  county.  Be- 
low Cuyahoga  Falls,  it  was  quarried  in  the 
early  days  of  the  county,  and  burned  for 
water-lime.  It  is  said  that  quantities  of  this 
local  lime  were  u.sed  in  the  masonry  of  the 
Ohio  Canal,  at  the  time  of  its' construction. 

Akron  and  Summit  County  have  had  the 
oil  and  gas  fever  from  time  to  time.  Many 
attempts  have  been  made  in  the  last  forty 
years  to  find  these  minerals,  with  varying 
successs.  Mr.  Ferdinand  Schumacher  drilled 
a  deep  well,  about  twenty-five  years  ago  on 
the  site  of  the  former  Cascade  Mill.  His  de- 
sire was  to  obtain  gas  sufficient  to  provide 
fuel  for  the  operation  of  his  mills.  He  was 
not  successful,  though  gas  in  moderate  quan- 
tities was  obtained.  Somewhat  later  J.  F.  Sei- 
berling  drilled  several  holes  in  Springfield 
Township  near  Brittain,  but  after  drilling 
to  a  great  depth  the  wells  were  abandoned  on 
account  of  the  poor  showing.  In  Bath  and 
Northampton,  surface  oil  has  been  known  to 
collect  in  wells,  and  farmers  have  often  been 
excited  over  the  indications  of  petroleum.  In 
Peninsula,  the  largest  flow  of  gas  ever  found 
in  the  country  comes  from  a  well  drilled 
there,  and  in  the  year  1907  the  flow  was  con- 
tinuing unabated. 

In  1905-1906,  the  most  ambitious  attempt 
to  search  for  oil  that  has  been  made  in  this 
district  was  undertaken.  James  and  Mathew 
Lang  organized  the  Interstate  Oil  Company, 
and  secured  much  capital  in  Youngstown, 
Akron,  and  other  cities,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  a  thorough  test  of  this  locality. 
Their  theory  was  an  ingenious  one,  and  ap- 
peared plausible  enough  to  any  but  e.xpert 
geologists.  In  explaining  the  theory  it  was 
said  that  oil  was  all  about  us.     To  the  east 


68 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  south  wese  the  Pittsburg,  Pai'lcersburg 
and  Marietta  fields ;  on  the  west  were  the  Lima 
and  Findlay  fields,  while  north  of  us,  some 
oil  had  been  found  in  Canada  and  the  Islands 
of  Lake  Erie.  The  oil  in  all  these  places 
had  been  found  in  the  stratum  of  rock  known 
as  the  Trenton  formation,  and  this  dipped 
from  all  these  points  toward  Akron.  In  other 
words,  Akron  is  built  over  the  center  of  a 
great  basin,  the  bottom 'of  which  is  formed 
of  Trenton  rock.  Therefore,  all  that  was  nec- 
essary in  order  to  reach  the  greatest  supply 
of  petroleum  ever  tapped,  was  to  drill  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Akron  until  the  Trenton 
formation  was  encountered.  Geologists  are  of 
the  opinion  that  this  rock  lies  more  than 
4,000  feet  below  the  surface  of  Summit 
County.  These  parties  overlooked  one 
thing,  which  is  the  weak  point  in  their  the- 
ory: The  pressure  of  so  tremendous  a  mass 
of  the  earth's  crust  would  certainly  force  all 
oil  and  other  liquids  to  ascend  through  the 
geological  faults  or  porous  strata,  like  the 
shales,  to  regions  where  that  pressure  was  not 
so  great.  Is  it  not  worthy  of  belief  that  this 
pressure  has  forced  the  oil  from  the  central 
and  lower  parts  of  the  basin  to  the  rim  of  it, 
and  that  the  surrounding  fields  have  oil  be- 
cause it  has  been  forced  out  of  the  territory 
of  which  Akron  is  the  center?  In  the  years 
last  mentioned,  several  wells  were  drilled  near 
Thomastown,  and  oil  in  paying  quantities 
was  found  far  above  the  Trenton  rock.  Drill- 
ing was  then  stopped,  and  the  oil  has  been 
steadily  pumped  from  these  wells  since,  in 
moderate  quantities.  A  well  is  now  being 
drilled  near  the  State  Mill,  in  Coventry  Town- 
ship, and  is  said  to  be  down  3,000  feet,  with 
no  indications  of  oil.  It  is  extremely  im- 
probable that  Akron  will  ever  enjoy  an  oil 
"boom."  Most  geologists  are  of  the  opinion 
that  oil  and  gas  do  not  exist  in  Summit 
County  in  sufficient  quantities  to  make  a 
search  for  either  very  profitable.  Nature  has 
so  plenteously  enriched  this  region  with  other 
resources  that  no  one  must  be  heard  to  com- 
plain that  one  or  two  gifts  "have  been  with- 
held. 


AKRON  S    EARLY    DAYS. 

On  the  6th  day  of  December,  1825,  there 
was  duly  recorded  in  the  records  of  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  by  the  recorder  thereof,  a  plat 
of  a  new  village.  It  consisted  of  about  300 
lots  of  land,  and  occupied  the  territory  lying 
between  the  present  i-ailroads,  St.  Bernard's 
Church,  the  Goodrich  Rubber  Plant  and  the 
Perkins  School.  The  prime  mover  in  this 
allotment  was  General  Simon  Perkins,  of 
Warren,  who  owned  considerable  land  in  the 
county,  a  part  of  which  was  included  in  the 
amount  platted.  With  him  was  associated  Mr. 
Paul  Williams,  who  owned  the  land  adjoin- 
ing Gen.  Perkins'  on  the  east.  These  men 
were  the  founders  of  Akron.  The  city  cannot 
appropriately  celebrate  its  first  centennial 
until  1925,  although  1907  completes  the  first 
century  since  the  settlement  of  Middlebury, 
which  is  now  a  portion  of  it. 

The  survey  for  the  Ohio  canal  had  been 
made,  and,  by  studying  tlie  altitudes  of  vari- 
ous places  on  its  length,  it  was  seen  that  the 
site  of  this  new  village  occupied  the  very 
highest  point.  There  is  a  Greek  word,  Akros, 
which  translated  means  "high."  At  the  sug- 
gestion of  a  lawyer  fi-iend.  General  Perkins 
adopted  the  name  "Akron"  as  a  very  appro- 
priate one  for  his  new  town.  She  is  the 
original  Akron.  She  has  been  a  prolific  pa- 
rent, for  new  "Akrons"  are  found  in  New 
York,  Colorado,  Indiana  and  many  other 
states.  The  city  does  not  occupy  the  highest 
land  in  the  state,  as  is  often  erroneously  as- 
serted. The  highest  altitude  in  the  city  is 
about  1,100  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
The  highest  point  in  the  state  is  in  the  town 
of  Ontario,  not  far  from  Mansfield,  where  the 
elevation  reached  is  1,373  feet. 

The  first  building  built  upon  the  new  allot- 
ment occupied  the  corner  where  the  Peoples 
Savings  Bank  is  now  located.  It  was  built 
by  Henry  Clark,  and  was  used  by  him  for 
hotel  purposes.  Soon  a  store  building  was 
built  on  the  lot  diagonally  opposite.  When 
the  work  on  the  canal  began,  and  dwellings 
and  store  buildings  and  shops  and  ware- 
houses sprang  into  existence  as  though  stim- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


6y 


moned  by  the  wave  of  a  magician,  there  was 
large  demand  for  the  lots,  and  many  of  them 
were  sold  in  a  few  months.  The  enterprise 
was  a  splendid  success,  and  the  new  town 
started  under  the  happiest  auspices.  A  ship- 
yard was  started  inside  the  town  limits  at 
what  was  afterward  called  the  Lower  Basin, 
and  on  June  27th,  1827,  the  first  canal  boat 
built  in  Akron,  and  the  first  to  regularly 
navigate  the  canal,  and  called  the  "Ohio," 
was  launched. 

So  Akron  grew  until  August  10th,  1833, 
on  which  day  the  territorial  extent  of  the 
city  was  doubled  by  the  filing  of  a  new  plat 
by  which  all  the  lands  lying  north  of  the 
town  as  far  as  the  Little  Cuyahoga  River, 
and  between  what  is  now  th^  railroads  on  the 
east  and  Walnut  and  Oak  Streets  on  the  west, 
were  allotted.  As  in  the  former  plat,  streets, 
parks,  and  alleys  were  provided  for,  and  a 
little  city  was  carefully  laid  out  on  paper. 
This  plat  also  gave  the  name  of  the  town  em- 
braced by  it  as  "Akron."  This  last  allotted 
territory  belonged  mainly  to  Dr.  Eliakim 
Crosby.  He  associated  with  him  Judge  Lei- 
cester King  and  General  Simon  Perkins,  both 
of  Warren.  Dr.  Crosby  had  settled  in  Mid- 
dlebury  in  1820,  coming  thence  from  Can- 
ada, although  he  had  been  born  in  Litch- 
field, Connecticut.  He  embarked  in  various 
ventures  in  Middlebury,  operating  at  times 
the  Cuyahoga  furnaces,  a  lime  kiln,  a  grist 
mill,  saw  mill,  etc.  He  sold  them  all  by 
1831,  and  conceived  a  prospect  larger  than 
any  of  them.  His  plan  was  to  carry  the 
water  of  the  Little  Cuyahoga  River  by  means 
of  a  hydraulic  race,  from  Middlebury  to  a 
point  on  the  Ohio  Canal  near  Lock  Five,  near 
the  foot  of  Mill  Street.  This  would  give  a 
fall  of  water  which  could  be  used  for  power 
purposes  from  Lock  Five  to  the  northern 
limits  of  the  town.  Work  on  the  race  was 
commenced  in  1831,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1833  the  waters  of  the  river  were  flowing 
through  it,  and  giving  the  power  the  en- 
gineer of  the  enterprise,  Colonel  Sebried 
Dodge,  estimated  they  would.  This  is  the 
race  -which  now  Rcms  through  the  Old  Forge, 
around  the  Rocky  Bluff  above  and  just  to  the 


south  of  Fountain  Park,  the  present  fair 
grounds,  and,  crossing  Summit,  Broadway 
and  High  Streets,  is  conveyed  by  a  conduit 
under  the  center  of  Main  Street  and  down 
Mill  Street  from  the  Central  Savings  Bank 
Corner  to  the  "Old  Stone  Mill,"  at  Lock  Five. 
The  mill  was  built  in  the  year  1832-1833 
to  make  use  of  the  new  power.  On  the  maps 
the  new  race  was  called  the  "Cascade  Mill 
Race."  The  old  village  had  been  called 
Akron  for  eight  years  and  the  people  looked 
upon  the  addition  as  another  and  separate 
village.  The  name  of  the  race  they  adopted, 
therefore,  as  the  name  of  the  town,  and  it 
was  known  as  "Cascade"  for  many  years 
thereafter,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  This 
name  was  later  given  to  a  newspaper,  a  hotel, 
and  an  important  store;  all  named  from  the 
town  of  which  they  were  a  part.  When  the 
territory  between  the  old  and  new  village 
became  better  settled  they  were  often  referred 
to  as  North  and  South  Akron,  but  gradually 
the  distinction  was  obliterated.  Today,  by 
"South  Akron"  the  citizen  refers  to  tenitory 
lying  south  of  Thornton  Street,  and  extend- 
ing to  a  point  three  miles  from  the  center 
of  North  Akron. 

The  sixth  Federal  Census  did  not  recognize 
Akron.  It  was  the  census  of  1840.  It  gave 
Cleveland,  6,071 ;  Steubenville,  4,247 ;  Zanes- 
ville,  4,766;  Chillicothe,  3.977.  It  gave  the 
number  of  inhabitants  in  Summit  County  as 
22,560.  In  1850,  the  name  of  Akron  appears 
for  the  first  time,  and  the  town  is  credited 
with  3,266  population.  In  1860  this  had 
grown  to  only  3,477.  The  new  railways  had 
been  in  operation  only  five  or  six  years,  and 
their  influence  was  not  yet  firmly  felt.  The 
older  part  of  the  town  was  exceedingly  jeal- 
ous, in  the  early  days,  of  the  new  upstart 
just  north  of  it.  Although  they  were  both 
founded  by  General  Simon  Perkins,  and  had 
much  in  common,  still,  the  rapid  growth  and 
many  superior  advantages  of  the  northern 
section  was  quite  sufficient  to  disturb  the 
equanimity  of  the  older  community.  The 
former  possessed  the  "Stone  Mill,"  and  it  was 
the  largest  manufactnring  industry  in  any 
of  the  three  towns.     Here,  also,  was  the  new 


70 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


"Cascade  House";  the  most  modern  and  best 
of  all  the  hotels  in  the  vicinity.  Here  was 
the  "Cascade  Store,"  occupying  the  south- 
west corner  of  Main  and  Market  Streets, 
founded  by  Jonathan  F.  Fenn  and  Charles 
W.  Howai'd,  and  purchased  in  1835  by  Mr. 
Philander  D.  Hall,  and  many  other  advan- 
tages were  enjoyed  e.xclusively  by  the  new 
village.  Middlebury  was  also  envious  and 
jealous,  and  there  was  a  three-cornered  rivalry 
which  at  times  approached  to  a  feeling  of 
bitterness.  Finally,  the  contest  settled  down 
to  a  conflict  between  the  two  Akrons,  and 
oftentimes  the  business  rivalry  took  the  form 
of  a  contest  of  force.  The  newspapers  of  the 
time  frequently  contained  long  articles  of  the 
most  bitter  recriminations.  The  two  towns 
were  separated  by  a  narrow  strip  of  land,  per- 
haps 600  or  70(3  feet  wide,  extending  from 
Quarry  to  Center  Streets.  This  was  owned 
by  General  Perkins,  and  was  neutral  ground. 
It  was  called  the  "gore,"  whether  because  of 
its  shape,  or  the  amount  of  blood  it  caused 
to  be  spilled,  is  not  known.  This  strip  be- 
longed to  neither  of  the  villages  and,  lying 
exactly  between  them,  was  good  compromise 
ground.  Hence,  when  the  church  congrega- 
tions of  that  day  wished  to  build  a  place  of 
worship,  the  partisans  of  the  two  sections 
fought  each  other  to  a  standstill,  and  then  de- 
cided to  meet  halfway  and  erect  their  temple 
on  the  neutral  ground.  In  order  to  insure  ab- 
solute fairness  in  the  matter,  the  churches 
were  faced  toward  the  west.  In  this  way  the 
original  Methodist,  Baptist  and  Congrega- 
tional churches  were  built.  The  latter  occu- 
pied the  site  of  the  present  Court  House, 
while  the  Baptist  was  built  on  the  corner  of 
Quarry  and  High  Streets.  The  reader  will 
doubtless  reflect  by  this  time  that  the  County 
Court  House,  built  in  1841,  occupies  the  site 
on  this  neutral  ground.  When  the  Baptist 
Church  was  built,  it  was  proposed  to  make 
it  face  toward  the  south.  This  provoked  a 
quarrel  that  foimd  its  way  into  the  newspa- 
pers, and  was  waged  with  much  feeling. 
Many  of  the  members  living  in  North  Akron 
withdrew  their  church  membership;  some  of 
the  contributors  to  the  building  fund,   who 


lived  north  of  the  "gore,"  refused  to  pay 
their  subscriptions,  and  the  church  was  nearly 
rent  in  twain  on  account  of  this  sectional 
warfare.  The  original  Congregational  society 
was  broken  up  and  disbanded,  and  the  Meth- 
odists engaged  in  an  internecine  struggle  that 
caused  each  party  to  accuse  the  other,  when, 
in  1841,  their  church  building  burned  down, 
of  having  set  it  afire.  Judging  from  the  news- 
paper accounts,  the  fire  was  not  incendiary 
at  all. 

But,  the  contest  up  to  the  time  of  the  Post- 
Office  War,  was  mild  by  comparison  with 
what  happened  during  that  memorable  affair, 
and  the  year  or  two  next  succeeding.  Then 
was  reached  the  climax.  Up  until  December, 
1837,  the  post-office  had  been  located  in  South 
Akron.  It  was  established  in  1826,  the  year 
after  the  founding,  by  President  John  Quincy 
Adams.  He  appointed  a  young  lawyer  named 
Wolsey  Wells  as  the  first  postmaster.  Mr. 
Wells  built  a  large  house  on  West  Exchange 
Street,  on  the  corner  of  Water  Street,  and  in 
it  conducted  the  operations  of  the  postal  serv- 
ice and  collected  the  tolls  on  the  Ohio  Canal, 
for  he  was  both  postmaster  and  toll  collector, 
and,  when  he  had  time,  attended  to  the  duties 
of  justice  of  the  peace,  in  addition.  It  prob- 
ably required  the  revenues  from  the  combined 
offices  to  support  the  one  incumbent,  and  even 
then  his  salary  was  doubtless  only  a  modest 
one. 

In  1883,  Mr.  WelLs  moved  away  from 
Akron  and  President  Jackson  appointed  Lewis 
Humiston,  who  was  then  keeping  the  Clark 
Tavern,  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Exchange 
Streets,  as  his  successor  in  the  post-office.  He 
built  a  small  building  in  the  rear  of  the  hotel 
on  the  north  side  of  Exchange  Street,  just 
east  of  Main,  and  established  the  post-office 
in  it.  Early  in  1837  Mr.  Humiston  resigned 
owing  to  his  removal  from  Akron  and  the 
war  was  on. 

There  was  a  large  number  of  applicants 
for  appointment  to  the  vacancy.  The  contest 
finally  settled  down  to  a  struggle  between 
Constant  Bryan  and  Harvey  H.  Johnson. 
They  were  both  lawyers  and  both  residents 
of  the  north  village.     The  former  was  after- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZENS 


71 


ward  elected  probate  judge  of  the  county,  and 
was  the  father  of  Major  Frederick  C.  Bryan. 
The  contest  grew  so  acrimonious  that  the  gov- 
ernment threatened  to  abolish  the  office  un- 
less the  community  would  announce  its  deci- 
sion at  an  early  date  and  arrive  at  it  in  a 
peaceable  manner.  The  South  Akron  candi- 
dates then  withdrew  and,  with  their  respective 
adherents,  gave  their  support  to  Mr.  Johnson 
in  return  for  his  promise,  it  was  alleged,  that 
the  site  of  the  post-office  should  remain  in 
South  Akron.  This  action  gave  Johnson  the 
support  of  a  large  majority  of  the  voters  of 
the  two  villages,  and  accordingly  he  received 
the  appointment. 

He  took  possession  of  the  office  in  June, 
1837,  and  all  South  Akron  rejoiced  with  him. 
They  felt  that  they  were  sharers  of  his  good 
fortune.  Had  they  not  retained  one  of  the 
greatest  factors  in  the  upbuilding  of  their 
section  of  the  city?  The  new  postmaster  was 
received  with  open  arms  as  a  new  neighbor. 
They  of  the  North  End  were  inwardly  dis- 
pleased. Mr.  Johnson  was  one  of  them,  but, 
by  maintaining  his  office  in  the  South  End 
he  was  giving  aid  and  comfort  to  the  enemy. 
Their  displeasure  soon  manifested  itself  out- 
wardly and  the  columns  of  the  newspapers 
bore  evidence  of  their  state  of  feeling.  Mr. 
Johnson's  "treason"  was  .strongly  denounced, 
and  every  possible  argument  for  the  removal 
of  the  post-office  to  the  growing  North  Akron 
was  set  forth.  Surely  the  South  Akronites 
could  not  object  to  its  removal  to  the  neutral 
ground,  called  the  "Gore"!  The  churches 
had  compromised  on  this  strip,  and  here  was 
the  logical  and  reasonable  site  for  all  their 
common  activities,  the  location  of  which 
might  be  in  dispute. 

South  Akron  could  see  nothing  to  arbitrate. 
They  could  not  see  that  it  was  "logical"  to  give 
up  so  desirable  an  acquisition  as  the  post- 
office.  For  them,  to  go  to  the  post-office  was 
merely  to  go  around  the  corner  or  across  the 
street,  while  the  north  citizens  must  trudge 
a  mile  or  more  in  snow,  mud  and  burning 
summer  heat  to  get  their  mail  and  buy  their 
.'tamps.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  the  South 
Enders  taunted  them  as  they  pas.«ed  and  im- 


moderately rejoiced  in  their  own  good  for- 
tune.   Human  nature  is  the  same  in  all  ages. 

So  the  summer  and  autumn  passed  and 
South  Akron  had  settled  down  to  the  full 
enjoyment  of  the  post-office  as  their  own  prop- 
erty. The  reader  can  imagine  then,  the  sur- 
prise, the  absolute  consternation,  which  seized 
South  Akron,  one  morning  in  December, 
1837,  when  it  looked  for  its  beloved  posses- 
sion and  could  not  find  it.  It  searched  for 
its  post-office  everywhere  within  its  four  cor- 
ners; it  rubbed  its  eyes  and  searched  again. 
There  was  no  mistaking  the  fact  that  some- 
body had  done  something  with  the  post-office. 
At  length  the  information  was  brought  in 
that  it  had  gone  north  during  the  night.  It 
had  not  even  stopped  on  the  compromise 
ground.  It  was  not  to  be  a  neutral  thing, 
it  was  not  to  be  possessed  in  common  with  the 
enemy.  It  had  gone  over  to  the  enemy. 
It  was  resting  and  operating  smoothly  in  the 
Buckley  Building,  on  the  corner  of  Howard 
and  Mill  streets.  The  North  Enders  were  tak- 
ing but  a  step  or  two  to  reach  it,  while  they 
of  the  South  End  were  trudging  a  mile  in  the 
snow  to  buy  their  stamps,  and  a  weary  mile 
back,  nursing  their  wrath  and  planning  sat- 
isfaction. 

If  newspaper  articles  are  a  means  of  satis- 
faction in  such  a  contingency,  they  had  it  in 
full.  "We  can  well  believe  that  the  North 
Enders  enjoyed  the  storm  while  their  cra'^t- 
fallen  rivals  thundered  their  vituperation  and 
insinuation  in  the  local  press.  The  postmaster 
was  denounced  as  a  "traitor"  and  a  "viper." 
The  ugliest  charges,  l)acked  up  by  affidavits, 
were  printed  in  the  newspaper.  Mr.  Johnson 
replied  by  other  articles  and  made  use  of 
many  personalities  calculated  to  drive  his  as- 
sailants to  cover.  Finally  the  editor  of  the 
paper  refused  to  extend  further  the  courtesy 
of  his  columns  for  the  purpose  of  continuing 
the  wordy  war,  and  the  contestants  took  to 
pamphleteering.  Sixteen-page  pamphlets 
were  used  to  give  vent  to  the  feeling  of  out- 
rage on  the  part  of  the  South  .\kron  citizens, 
and  their  leading  men  assisted  in  preparing 
them  and  lent  their  names  to  the  cause.  It 
speaks  well  for  the  self-restraint  of  the  com- 


72 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


munity  that  the  warfare  was  confined  to  the 
newspapers  and  that  no  violence  of  any  kind 
waa  done  or  attempted. 

The  injured  feeling  on  the  part  of  the 
South  Enders  soon  passed  away.  The  North 
End,  from  that  time  on,  rapidly  surpassed  it 
in  population,  wealth  and  influence.  Many 
of  the  citizens  of  the  south  village  moved  their 
business  and  residences  to  the  North  End. 
The  spirit  of  partisanship  or  rivalry  soon 
disappeared,  never  to  be  renewed.  The  post- 
office  was  moved  many  times  thereafter  with- 
out a  note  of  protest  from  anybody.  Dr. 
Dana  D.  Evans,  the  successor  of  Mr.  John- 
son, moved  it  twice,  each  time  further  north. 
The  first  move  was  into  the  Stone  Block,  on 
the  east  side  of  Howard  street  near  Market; 
the  second  was  to  the  large  stone  "Good 
Block,"  on  the  corner  of  Market  and  Maiden 
Lane. 

In  1849,  postmaster  Frank  Adams  moved 
it  back  to  the  east  side  of  South  Howard 
street,  where  Remington's  jewelry  store  is  now 
located.  In  1853,  his  successor,  Edward  W. 
Perrin,  moved  it  a  few  doors  further  north  to 
a  room  in  the  Matthews  Block,  where  it  re- 
mained until  July  1st,  1870,  when  the  new 
postmaster,  James  B.  Storer,  just  appointed 
by  President  Grant,  moved  it  south  to  the 
corner  room  in  the  Msisonic  Temple  on  the 
corner  of  Howard  and  Mill  streets.  The  lease 
on  the  room  in  the  Masonic  Temple  expired 
before  the  new  government  building  was 
ready  for  occupancy,  and  the  post-office  took 
temporary  quarters  in  the  old  office  of  The 
American  Cereal  Company,  on  the  south-east 
corner  of  Mill  and  Broadway,  which  had 
been  vacated  when  that  company  moved  its 
general  offices  to  Chicago.  Here  it  remained 
until  the  completion  of  the  government  build- 
ing, on  the  corner  of  Market  and  High 
Streets,  where,  in  all  probability,  it  will  re- 
main so  long  as  Akron  people  will  have  need 
of  postal  services.  The  separate  post-office  of 
Middlebury  has  been  discontinued  and  a 
branch  of  the  Akron  office  installed  in  its 
place,  yet  there  was  no  objection  to  the  move 
on  the  part  of  anyone.  At  the  present  time 
there  is  no  rivalrv  between  anv  of  the  manv 


sections  of  the  city,  but,  everywhere,  the 
visitor  sees  evidence  of  a  new  spirit,  a  uni- 
versal desire  to  pull  together  for  the  good  of 
Akron. 

AKRON  AN  INCORPORATED  TOWN. 

The  real  history  of  Akron  as  a  municipal 
corporation  commences  on  the  12th  day  of 
March,  1836,  for  it  was  on  that  day  that  the 
legislature  of  the  State  of  Ohio  duly  passed 
a  resolution  granting  to  the  two  villages.  South 
and  North  Akron,  a  town  charter,  in  accord- 
ance with  their  joint  request,  as  contained 
in  a  petition  they  presented  to  the  General 
Assembly  in  1835.  In  addition  to  the  land 
contained  in  the  original  town  plats  of  Gen- 
eral Perkins,  Paul  AVdlliams,  Dr.  Crosby  and 
Leicester  King,  this  act  of  the  legislature 
added  to  the  municipal  territory  more  than 
three  square  miles  just  east  of  and  contiguous 
to  the  said  plats.  The  east  corporate  line 
under  this  grant  of  municipal  rights  extended 
a  trifle  east  of  the  present  Spicer  Street  and 
from  about  Hamilton  Avenue  across  Fir,  Mar- 
ket and  North  Main  and  Howard  Streets  to 
the  Little  Cuyahoga  River. 

The  incoiporating  act  provided  a  complete 
scheme  of  government  for  the  new  munici- 
pality, including  officers,  elections,  forms  of 
taxation,  legislation,  boards  of  education,  etc. 
It  provided  for  the  election  of  a  mayor,  a 
recorder  and  five  trustees.  It  prescribed  that 
the  first  town  election  should  be  held  on  the 
second  Tuesday  in  June,  1836.  The  terri- 
tory out  of  which  Akron  was  formed  wa- 
taken  from  both  Coventry  and  Portage  town- 
ships. For  the  purpose  of  the  first  election, 
the  usual  polling  place  of  Portage  Township 
was  to  be  used — the  old  Clark  Tavern,  on  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Exchange  Street*. 

In  1836,  the  North  End  contained  more 
electors  than  the  South  End,  and,  in  the 
caucuses  of  both  the  Whig  and  Democrat  par- 
ties, it  captured  the  nominations.  In  the 
election  following,  political  lines  were  oblit- 
erated, as  they  always  should  be  in  municipal 
elections,  and  the  results  showed  that  the 
voters  split  on  sectional  lines  of  cleavage  in- 


AND    REPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


73 


stecad.  The  Whigs  nominated  Seth  Iredell  for 
mayor.  He  was  a  Quaker  who  had  come 
from  Pennsylvania  about  the  time  of  the 
completion  of  the  canal,  and  had  been  in- 
timately connected  with  the  affairs  of  the 
norlh  town  since  the  beginning.  Their  can- 
didate for  recorder  was  Charles  W.  Howard, 
a  son-in-law  of  Dr.  Crosby's,  who,  of  course, 
was  strongly  identified  with  the  interests  of 
North  Akron.  The  nominees  of  the  Demo- 
crats for  m.ayor  and  recorder  were  Dr.  Elia- 
kim  Crosby  and  Constant  Bryan,  respectively, 
one  the  founder  of  North  Akron  and  the 
other  one  of  its  most  prominent  citizens. 

It  was  rather  poor  politics  to  localize  the 
nominations  in  this  way,  but  the  North  End- 
ers  had  the  power,  and  the  temptation  to  u.se 
it  to  the  utmost  was  too  strong  to  be  with- 
stood. The  South  Enders  showed  their  feel- 
ings by  voting  against  the  man  who  was 
most  responsible  for  the  existence  of  the  North 
End,  and  all  others  who  were  intimately  con- 
nected with  him.  The  total  vote  cast  in  the 
ensuing  election  was  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
six,  and  the  strong  interest  in  the  election. 
produced  by  the  warfare  of  the  sections, 
doubtless  drew  out  a  full  vote.  The  votes 
were  soon  counted  and  it  was  ascertained  that 
Mr.  Iredell  had  been  elected  by  a  majority  of 
sixteen,  while  Mr.  Bryan  w-as  elected  by  a 
majority  of  twelve. 

The  vote  was  as  follows: 

FOR  MAYOR. 

Seth  Iredell,  Whig   91 

Elilakim    Crosby,    Democrat 75 

FOR  RECORDER. 

Constant    Bryan,    Democrat 87 

Charles  W.   Howard,  Whig 75 

FOR    TRUSTEES. 

Erastus    Torrey,    Whig •. 153 

Jededlah   D.   Commins.   Democrat 143 

Noah   M.   Green,   Whig 124 

William   B.   Mitchell,  Democrat 114 

William  E.   Wright,  Whig S8 

By  the  terms  of  the  charter,  all  the  above 
officials  were  to  constitute  the  Town  Council 
and  possess  within  themselves  all  the  execu- 
tive, administrative,  legislative  and  appointive 


functions.  The  charter  provided  for  a  mar- 
shall,  treasurer,  engineer,  solicitor,  all  to  be 
appointed  by  the  Town  Council,  and  for  such 
police  and  fire  officers  as  it  might  deem  ex- 
pedient. 

When  the  council  organized,  it  was  learned 
that  Mr.  Mitchell  had  declined  to  act  as 
trustee  and  Justus  Gale,  a  Whig,  was  chosen 
to  fill  the  vacancy.  After  sei-ving  a  few 
months  Mr.  Commins  also  rasigned  as  trustee 
and  the  council  appointed  William  K.  May 
as  his  successor. 

The  grant  of  municipal  powers  from  the 
state  provided  that  town  officials  should  hold 
office  only  one  year.  These  just  elected  had 
but  got  well  acquainted  with  their  respective 
duties  and  had  settled  down  to  a  reasonable 
enjoyment  of  the  honors  so  hardly  won,  when 
the  time  for  their  exit  from  the  stage  of  pub- 
lie  affairs  arrived.  Whether  they  were  dis- 
satisfied with  their  offices  or  the  people  with 
their  officials,  the  truth  remains  that  not  one 
of  them  remained  in  his  office  for  a  second 
term'.  Akron  has  earned  for  herself  a  repu- 
tation for  fickleness  in  this  r&spect  that  en- 
dures to  the  present  day. 

At  the  second  election,  held  in  1837,  John 
C.  Singleton,  Jr.,  wa.s  elected  mayor,  William 
E.  Wright,  recorder,  and  William  K.  May, 
William  T.  Mather,  Dave  D.  Evans,  Jesse 
Allen  and  Eben  Blodgett,  trustees.  When 
the  new  council  met  it  elected  Moses  Cleve- 
land, marshal,  and  Horace  K.  Smith,  treas- 
urer. The  new  mayor  was  a  young  man  of 
twenty-seven  years.  His  predecessor  was 
nearly  sixty-three.  Mayor  Singleton  came 
of  a  wealthy  family,  living  at  Streetsboro, 
Portage  County.  He  had  graduated  at  Western 
Eeserve  College,  at  Hudson,  with  the  class  of 
1835,  and  was  esteemed  later  as  a  very  bril- 
liant man.  He  made  some  very  unfortunate 
business  ventures  upon  coming  to  Akron  after 
his  graduation,  and  his  inexperience  in  the 
law  prevented  his  securing  many  or  profitable 
clients,  so  he  was  better  known  in  Akron  for 
his  debts  and  his  poverty  than  for  any  especial 
abilities,  at  the  time  of  his  candidacy. 

The  fame  he  won  by  his  first  term  brought 
him  a  re-election  over  such  a  strong  candidate 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


as  William  M.  Dodge,  who  was  afterward 
elected  probate  judge  of  the  county. 

In  June,  1839,  General  Lucius  V.  Bierce, 
a  most  remarkable  man  in  many  ways,  was 
elected  as  mayor.  He  had  just  returned  from 
the  ill-fated  "Patriot"  expedition  into  Can- 
ada. In  1838,  it  was  believed  by  many 
American  citizens  that  Canada  was  ready  for 
revolution.  A  Canadian  editor,  William 
Lyon  Mackenzie,  was  the  originator  of  the 
movement.  On  the  American  side,  all  the 
territory  bordering  on  the  Great  Lakes,  be- 
came interested  in  it.  In  the  beginning  it 
took  the  form  of  a  fraternal  order  with  the 
accompanying  ritual,  secrecy,  oaths,  etc. 
"Hunters  Lodges,"  as  they  were  called,  were 
established  in  many  places.  A  prosperous 
lodge  was  formed  in  Akron.  The  object  of 
the  order  was  to  assist  Canada  in  throwing 
off  the  yoke  of  Great  Britain. 

On  the  burning  of  the  filibustering  schooner 
"Caroline"  by  the  Canadian  authorities  in 
December,  1837,  great  excitement  prevailed  in 
Akron  and  public  meetings  were  held  by  all 
the  prominent  citizens  and  resolutions  adopted 
demanding  the  prompt  interference  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States.  General 
Bierce  was  a  brigadier-general  of  Ohio  mili- 
tia. He  had  always  been  a  student  of  mili- 
tary matters  and  had  early  inter&sted  himself 
in  the  State  Guard.  The  Canadian  movement 
found  him  ready  to  begin  hostilities  at  the 
drop  of  a  hat.  A  convention  of  "Patriots" 
was  called  at  Buffalo.  General  Bierce  at- 
tended and  so  impressed  the  other  delegates 
with  his  military  knowledge  that  he  was 
chosen  as  military  commander-in-chief  of  the 
whole  movement.  The  movement  never 
reached  any  serious  proportions.  Judging 
from  its  size,  the  character  of  the  men  be- 
hind it,  and  the  preparations  made  for  carry- 
ing it  out,  it  never  got  beyond  the  stage  of 
boys'  play. 

An  attack  of  two  hundred  men  was  made 
in  Canada  in  the  St.  Lawrence  River  district, 
and  repelled  without  appreciable  difBculty, 
and  the  leader  of  it  hanged.  Mackenzie  was 
driven  from  Canada.  December  4,  1838,  Gen- 
eral Bierce  at  the  head  of  137  men,  made  the 


second  and  last  incursion  into  Canada.  It 
started  from  Detroit  and  got  as  far  as  A\"ind- 
sor,  just  across  the  river.  Fifty  British  -sol- 
diers were  guarding  the  barracks  here.  The 
"Patriot  Army,"  as  the  commander-in-chief 
delighted  to  call  his  squad,  .succeeded  in  set- 
ting fire  to  the  baiTacks  and  also  in  burn- 
iing  a  non-belligerent  little  steamer,  "The 
Thames,"  lying  at  the  wharf.  They  were 
soon  attacked  by  400  Canadian  soldiers,  and, 
of  the  137  who  crossed  the  river,  only  thirty 
returned.  The  rest  were  either  killed  or 
taken  prisoners. 

The  captured  were  transported  to  Van  Die- 
man's  land. 

This  was  the  last  of  the  effort  to  "free" 
Canada.  It  was  a  most  inglorious  affair.  It 
is  difficult  to  see  now  how  anyone  could  pos- 
sibly draw  any  credit  from  it,  except,  perhaps, 
the  Canadian  soldiers  and  the  American  fed- 
eral authorities,  who  promptly  and  energetic- 
ally did  all  they  could  to  break  up  these  fili- 
bustering expeditions  and  lo  maintain  our 
ordinary  status  with  the  British  government 
as  a  power  with  whom  we  were  on  friendly 
terms.  General  Bierce,  it  is  alleged  by  many, 
did  not  acquit  himself  with  extraordinary 
valor.  He  has  been  critici.'^ed  for  being  among 
the  first  to  cross  in  the  little  canoe  to  the 
American  side  after  the  disastrous  sequel. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  he  returned  to  Akron  with 
.splendid  stories  of  his  exploits  and  speedily 
became  a  hero  in  the  eyes  of  his  fellow 
citizens.  It  was  something  to  have  an  Akron 
man  put  in  command  of  the  "combined  Pa- 
triot forces,"  if  they  did  number  only  one 
hundred  and  thirty-seven.  Anyhow,  the  next 
year  General  Bierce  stood  for  mayor  and  was 
triumphantly  elected.  His  military  renown 
stood  him  in  such  good  stead  that  he  was 
elected  mayor  again  in  1841-1844-1849-1867- 
1868,  and  was  made  president  of  the  Board  of 
Education  at  its  first  organization,  in  1847. 
Other  well-known  men  who  have  held  the 
office  of  mayor  are  George  W.  McNeil.  Wil- 
liam T.  Allen,  George  D.  Bates,  Sr.,  James 
]\Iathews  and  Samuel  A.  Lane. 

In  18.^1,  the  people  of  the  State  of  Ohio 
.ndopted   a  new   constitution.      Acting  under 


"IRVING  LAWN," 
RESIDENCE  OF   MRS.  A.  L.  CONGER,  AKRON 


RESIDENCE  OF  JAMES  11,  A  Nil  )|;K\\  s,  .\KRONI; 


THE  PERKINS  HOMESTEAD,  AKRON 


RESIDENCE  OF  BERTRAM  G.  WORK.  AKRON 


RESIDENCE  OF  MRS.  RICHARD  P.  MARVIN,  AKRON      RESIDENCE  OF  MRS.  ETTA  W.  WORK,  AKROj 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


77 


powers  granted  by  it,  the  legislature  made  a 
classification  of  municipalities  according  to 
population.  In  it  Akron  was  classified  as  a 
village  and  henceforth  was  known  as  the  "In- 
corporated Village  of  Akron."  The  popula- 
tion then  was  little  more  than  three  thousand. 

December  14,  1864,  recorder  Henry  W. 
Ingersoll,  acting  under  instructions  from  the 
council,  took  a  local  enumeration  and  found 
the  population  living  within  the  corporate 
limits  of  Akron  to  be  5,066.  According  to 
the  mimicipal  classification  this  entitled 
Akron  to  be  advanced  to  the  grade  of  "city 
of  the  second  class."  On  the  25th  day  of 
Decembei-,  1864,  the  Village  Council  passed 
a  resolution  that  the  necessary  steps  for  ad- 
vancement be  taken  and  petitioned  the  State 
authorities  to  that  end.  This  was  done  on 
the  21st  day  of  January,  1865.  John  Brough 
was  then  Governor  of  Ohio.  On  that  date 
the  "City  of  Akron"  had  its  inception.  Here- 
tofore there  had  been  no  wards  or  precincts. 
Under  the  enabling  act,  the  Council  imme- 
diately met  and  laid  out  the  city  into  three 
wards  and  took  the  steps  for  holding  the 
first  city  election  on  the  first  Monday  in  the 
coming  April.  Hitherto  the  village  elections 
had  been  held  in  June. 

April  3,  1865,  the  first  city  election  was 
held  and  James  Mathews  was  chosen  as  the 
first  mayor  of  the  new  city.  The  first  council, 
elected  at  the  same  time,  was  thus  constituted : 
First  Ward — Charles  W.  Bonstedt,  elected  for 
one  year;  George  W.  Crouse,  elected  for  two 
years.  Second  Ward — John  E.  Bell,  one  year; 
Henry  W.  Howe,  two  years.  Third  Ward — ■ 
J.  Park  Alexander,  one  year;  Lewis  Miller, 
two  years.  This  council  organized  by  elect- 
ing Mr.  Miller  as  president  and  Jeremiah  A. 
Long  as  clerk. 

One  of  the  important  acts  of  this  council 
was  adding  additional  territory  lying  imme- 
diately east  of  the  city.  A  small  strip  lying 
between  the  two  municipalities  of  Akron  and 
Middlebury  was  thickly  settled  and  desired 
the  benefits  of  city  government  and  improve- 
ments. Their  petition  was  acted  upon  favor- 
ably by  the  city  and  the  countv  commission- 
ers, and,  on  September  6,  1865,  the  second 


territorial  addition  was  made  to  Akron.  This 
strip  was  bounded  roughly  as  follows:  On 
the  west  by  the  east  corporation  line  of 
Akron,  running  about  the  present  location 
of  Spicer  and  Fir  streets;  on  the  south  by 
Exchange  Street,  running  on  the  same 
courses  as  it  does  today;  on  the  east  by  the 
west  line  of  the  village  of  Middlebury,  which 
extended  as  far  west  as  the  present  junction 
of  East  Market  Street  and  Buchtel  Avenue. 

Early  in  1870  there  commenced  an  agita- 
tion in  favor  of  the  annexation  of  Middle- 
bury. The  two  municipalities  touched  each 
other  and  to  all  intents  and  purposes  were 
as  one.  In  Akron  the  sentiment  was  unani- 
mous in  favor  of  consolidation  and  in  Middle- 
bury a  strong  feeling  in  that  direction  began 
to  set  in.  At  length,  public  sentiment  there 
ripened  to  such  a  degree  that  the  Middlebury 
Village  Council  passed  an  ordinance  submit- 
ting the  question  of  annexation  to  Akron  to 
a  vote  of  the  village  electors.  This  ordinance 
was  passed  August  24,  1871.  The  Akron 
City  Council  passed  a  similar  ordinance  on 
the  5th  day  of  February,  1872.  It  was 
agreed  and  provided  that  the  question  should 
be  voted  upon  at  the  regular  spring  election 
to  be  held  in  1872. 

It  was  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  April, 
and  the  annexationists  were  triumphant  in 
both  municipalities.  In  Akron  only  .-ix 
votes  were  cast  against  the  project;  in  Mid- 
dlebury only  twenty-six.  The  total  vote  in 
favor  of  annexation  was  1,182,  of  which 
Middlebury  gave  140.  The  Akron  Council 
then  chose,  as  members  of  the  joint  commis- 
sion to  arrange  the  details  of  annexation,  th6 
following  citizens :  William  T.  Allen,  George 
W.  Crouse  and  David  L.  King.  The  Middle^; 
bury  Council  selected  the  following  represent- 
ative Middlebury  men  as  its  commissioners : 
Frank  Adams,  George  F.  Kent  and  Dr.  Men- 
dal  Jewett.         ■     • 

This  joint  commission  met  at  once  and 
quickly  agreed  upon  all  the  terms  incidental 
to  the  process- of  annexation,  such  as  arrang; 
ing  for  equitable  distribution  of  the  publjc 
debts,  taxation,  assessments,  etc.  Their  agree- 
ment   was    incorporated    into    an    ordinance 


78 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


which  was  passed  by  the  Akron  Council  on 
April  24,  1872,  and  by  Middlebury  April  19, 
1872.  By  this  Act,  the  city  of  Akron  in- 
creased its  population  about  one-fifth  and 
added  to  its  domains  a  large  extent  of  terri- 
tory which  possessed  great  resources. 

Middlebury  had  been  known  for  its  water- 
power  and  its  clay-beds  especially.  It  also 
brought  into  the  city  a  substantial,  sturdy 
citizenship  which  was  bound  to  make  its  in- 
fluence felt  in  muTiicipal  advancement.  By 
the  ordinance  of  March  9,  1871,  the  Akron 
City  Council  had  redistricted  the  city  and 
created  two  new  wards  in  addition  to  the 
original  three,  rather  they  had  made  five  new 
ones  of  the  original  three,  and,  when  Middle- 
bury was  annexed,  it  was  provided  by  ordi- 
nance of  May  27,  1872,  that  it  should  form 
the  Sixth  AVard  of  the  city.  As  such  it  con- 
tinued until  1900,  when  the  annexation  of 
much  territory  on  the  south,  the  west  and 
the  north,  made  another  redistricting  neces- 
sary. It  then  became  the  Second  Ward  of 
the  city.  In  1904,  the  ward  numbers  were 
changed  again  and  the  old  number  of  Sixth 
was  given  to  the  district  of  Middlebury.  In 
the  year  1907  it  is  known  as  the  "Old  Sixth" 
ward  of  the  city  of  Akron. 

On  October  28th  of  the  same  year  (1872) 
a  small  district  lying  south  of  East  Exchange 
was  made  a  part  of  the  city  of  Akron.  Ten 
years  later,  a  large  district  lying  to  the  north- 
east was  annexed.  This  new  territory  wa's 
in  Tallmadge  and  Portage  townships  and  had 
been  known  for  years  as  "The  Old  Forge." 
It  had  received  the  name  from  the  wrought- 
iron  industry  established  there  in  1817  by 
Asaph  Whittlesey,  of  Tallmadge.  Aaron  Nor- 
ton and  William  Laird,  of  Middlebury.  It  is 
known  today  as  the  "Old  Forge"  district.  The 
ordinance  for  this  annexation  passed  the 
council  of  February  18,  1882,  and  by  coun- 
cil action  taken  on  March  1,  1886,  it  was 
made  a  part  of  the  Sixth  Ward. 

By  an  ordinance  dated  March  15,  1886, 
the  council  took  the  necessary  steps  to  bring 
about  the  annexation  of  part  of  Coventry 
Township,  on  the  south,  and  part  of  Portage 


Township,  on  the  west  and  north.  When  this 
action  was  completed,  the  south  corporation 
line  had  been  extended  to  about  South  Street, 
on  the  south,  and  to  a  line  running  north 
and  south  and  crossing  Beck  and  Byers  Ave- 
nues and  Market  Street,  on  the  west.  By  this 
action  nearly  700  acres  of  land,  well  popu- 
lated, was  added  to  the  city.  These  additions, 
made  during  the  decade,  lent  much  interest 
to  the  census  of  1890,  and  the  citizens 
awaited  impatiently  the  announcement  of  the 
results  of  the  count.  The  total  of  27,601  was 
very  gratifying  and  every  true  Akronian  felt 
that  from  that  time  onward  the  world  would 
be  compelled  to  take  notice  of  the  existence 
of  the  city  of  Akron. 

In  1899-1900,  by  action  of  the  City  Coun- 
cil and  the  county  commissioners,  the  city  of 
Akron  took  additional  territory  from  both 
Coventry  and  Portage  Townships.  The  city 
had  outgrown  its  old  limits.  In  South  Akron 
a  district  extending  beyond  the  railroads,  at 
Falor's  and  Wingerter's  crossings,  was  thickly 
populated.  The  desirable  residence  features 
of  North  Hill  had  attracted  many  new  resi- 
dents there.  On  the  west  both  Perkins  Hill 
and  West  Hill  now  contained  the  costliest 
and  mo.st  fashionable  residences  in  the  city. 
Many  of  these  had  been  built  outside  the  old 
corporation  line.  This  territory  on  the  south, 
west  and  north  was  all  annexed  to  the  city  at 
this  time.  The  new  city  limits  now  extended 
beyond  Falor's  Crossing  and  Summit  Lake 
on  the  south,  passed  through  the  Count}' 
Farm,  where  the  Tnfirmary  is  located,  and 
intersected  North  Portage  Path,  near  the 
Country  Club,  on  the  west ;  added  a  populous 
district  on  Merriman  road,  and  intersected 
Cuyahoga  Falls  Avenue  on  the  north.  The 
annexation  was  made  in  time  to  have  the 
additional  population  included  in  the  census 
of  1900  as  a  part  of  the  enumeration  for 
Akron.  The  official  count  that  year  showed 
that  Akron  had  a  population  of  42,728.  The 
growth  since  1900  has  been  steady,  and  at 
the  present  time  the  population  is  close  to 
60,000. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


79 


MERCANTILE  AKRON. 

As  early  as  1843  Horace  Greeley  said,  in 
the  Neiv  York  Tribune  after  a  visit  to  Akron : 
"This  place,  with  a  population  of  2,500,  has 
five  woolen  factories,  an  extensive  blast  fur- 
nace, a  machine  shop,  a  card  manufactory, 
nine  dry-goods  stores,  and  about  as  man\ 
other  stores;  two  weekly  newspapers,  four 
lai'ge  flouring  mills,-  a  court  house,  four 
churches  and  two  more  being  erected." 

For  the  purposes  of  this  chapter  Mr.  Gree- 
ley's reference  to  the  dry-goods  stores  is  alone 
of  importance.  Now,  as  then,  the  Akron  mer- 
cantile concerns  devoted  entirely,  or  in  part, 
to  the  sale  of  dry-goods  outnumber  those  deal- 
ing in  any  other  one  line  of  life's  so-called 
necessities. 

Up  to  1825,  the  mercantile  life  of  the 
town — as  was  true  of  all  else  savoring  of  a 
settled  community — was  centered  in  Middle- 
bury,  which  in  the  year  mentioned  had  some 
ten  or  twelve  stores  and  was  the  trading  center 
of  a  considerable  portion  of  northern  Ohio. 

The  canal  was  important  in  Akron's  be- 
ginning. It  brought  the  first  con.siderable 
number  of  customers  for  prospective  mer- 
chants. It  is  recorded  that  soon  after  work 
was  begun  upon  the  canal,  a  man  named 
Benedict  erected  a  two-story  frame  store  at 
the  southwest  corner  of  Main  and  Exchange 
streets.  Mr.  Benedict  was  probably  the  pio- 
neer merchant  of  Akron  proper.  The  busi- 
ness which  he  established  was  continued  for 
many  years  under  the  name  of  the  "Mam- 
moth Store,"  and  carried  such  a  variety  of 
goods  suitable,  of  course,  to  the  multitude  of 
needs  of  a  more  or  less  primitive  population, 
that  it  may  rightly  be  termed  Akron's  first 
department  store. 

Mechanics  and  laborers  poured  into  the 
infant  city.  Manufacturers  located  conven- 
iently near;  farmers  clustered  about  the  out- 
skirts, and  Benedict's  "Mammoth  Store"  soon 
had  many  rival  seekers  for  the  trade  of  the 
active  and  progressive  population  of  Akron 
in  the  twenties. 

In  the  village  of  Cascade,  the  northern  one 
of  the  settlements  out  of  which  modem  Akron 


was  formed,  the  first  store  building  was  one 
erected  by  the  late  Seth  Iredell  in  1832,  at 
the  southwest  corner  of  Market  and  Howard 
streets,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Green- 
wood Brothers. 

In  1832  Jonathan  F.  Fenn  and  Charles 
W.  Howard  established  themselves  in  Mr. 
Iredell's  block  with  a  varied  line  of  merchan- 
dise, but  after  three  somewhat  stormy  years 
these  early  and  disappointed  "merchant 
princes"  gave  up  the  struggle.  In  1835  Phil- 
ander D.  Hall  acquired  a  lease  of  the  prop- 
erty and  entered  into  the  conduct  of  the  busi- 
ness founded  by  Messrs.  Fenn  and  Howard. 
He  was  much  more  successful  than  they  had 
been,  and  proceeded,  with  his  brother,  to 
build  a  business  and  a  fortune.  The  business 
was  discontinued  only  on  the  death  of  the 
brothers,  a  few  years  ago.  Such  were  the 
beginnings  of  the  "general  store"  or  "depart- 
ment store"  business  in  Akron.  It  has  grown 
as  Akron  has  grown.  Hundreds  of  mercan- 
tile establishments  founded  and  conducted  on 
a  small  basis  have  made  the  names  of  their 
thrifty  proprietors  household  words  in  the 
localities  where  they  affixed  themselves. 
Many  such  businesses  through  the  judicious 
investment  of  profits,  created  comfortable 
fortunes. 

But  good  fortune  in  Akron  has  not  been 
more  nearly  universal  than  elsewhere.  For 
instance,  no  more  pathetic  and  at  the  same 
time  no  more  remarkable  figure  has  been 
identified  with  Akron's  mercantile  life  than 
that  of  the  venerable  Joseph  E.  Wesener,  still 
among  the  living,  though  past  eighty  years 
of  age.  Born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1827,  Mr. 
Wesener  came  to  Akron  from  Canton  in 
1846,  and  as  a  youth  of  twenty  gained  a  prac- 
tical insight  into  mercantile  affairs  by  clerk- 
ing in  Akron  stores  for  four  years.  Then  he 
entered  into  partnership  with  the  late  Allen 
Hubbard.  Two  fires  were  encountered  (but 
survived)  in  a  few  years,  but  Mr.  Wesener 
pushed  on,  sometimes  alone,  and  again  with 
various  partnei-s,  dealing  in  wool,  conducting 
dry-goods  stores,  .speculating  where  legitimate 
opportunity  presented  itself,  and  for  a  third 
of  a  century  continuing  to  do  a  phenomenally 


80 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


successful  business  in  Akron.  He  was  at  one 
time  rated  as  Akron's  wealthiest  citizen.  Then 
came  reverses.  One,  venture  after  another 
proved  unsuccessful.  Disaster  after  disaster 
visited  itself  upon  him;  his  properties  were 
swept  away,  and  this  venerable  "captain  of 
industry,"  his  wealth  vanished,  his  fame  en- 
feebled by  the  relentless  wear  of  the  years, 
is  ending  his  days  in  dire  poverty. 

The  following  are  some  of  those  who  have 
had  an  active  part  in  Akron's  commercial  life 
since  1840,  arranged  so  far  as  possible,  in 
chronological  order:  Frank  J.  Kolb,  1840; 
Major  Erhard  Steinbacher,  druggist  and  gro- 
cer, 1851 ;  Jacob  Koch,  clothier,  beginning 
as  a  clerk  for  Koch  &  Levi  in  1854 ;  John 
Cook,  grocer,  1855  (afterward  succeeded  by 
his  sons)  ;  Cornelius  A.  Brouse,  1859 ;  C.  W. 
Bonstedt,  John  B.  Houghton,  John  Wolf, 
1862;  George  C.  Berry,  1866.  Others  who 
have  made  their  names  in  Akron's  mercantile 
affairs  were  Brouse  &  Co.,  O'Neil  &  Dyas 
(now  conducted  by  Michael  O'Neil  as  The 
M.  O'Neil  &  Co.),  who  first  conceived  the 
idea  of  a  modern  department  store  for  Akron, 
an  idea  which  has  been  worked  out  to  huge 
success  under  the  present  management;  Mur- 
ray &  Watt  (later  the  Boston  Store,  which  was 
discontinued  within  the  present  year)  ;  Myers 
&  Polsky  (still  conducted  successfully  by  A. 
Polsky  and  his  two  sons)  ;  Wendel  Mangold, 
Dague  Brothers  (whose  business  was  recently 
purchased  by  the  C.  H.  Yeager  Co.)  ;  Burke 
C.  Herrick,  0.  H.  Remington,  J.  B.  Storer, 
Dwight  A.  Hibbard,  George  J.  Neiberg,  C. 
M.  Hibbard,  William  J.  Frank,  D.H.McBride 
and  E.  C.  McBride,  George  S.  Dales,  Alfred 
M.  Barber,  Levi  Kryder,"C.  M.,  F-  L.  and 
J.  H.  Kryder;  Augustus  Jabaut,  John  C- 
Weber,  William  Gray,  John  Kreuder,  James 
N.  Baldwin.  George  A.  Bisbee,  Charles  W.  F. 
Dick,  David  K.  and  Albert  T.  Paige,  George 
Viall,  Burdette  L.  Dodge.  George  W.  Weeks, 
Albert  T.  Kingsbury,  Louis  Loeb,  Fred 
Kuhlke,  Shepard  B.  Lafferty,  Nicholas  Las- 
karis,  Antonio  Masino.  J.  M.  Laffer,  S.  K. 
Black.  John  D.  Rampanelli.  Henry  A.  Akers, 
Emil  Ganmeter,  Charles  A.  Pouchot,  John 
S.  Herrold,  George  A.  Kempel.  Oliver  A.  Sor- 


rick,  Josiah  J.  Harter,  A.  C.  Rohrbacher,  John 
Gross,  James  T.  Diehm,  William  Durr,  J.  W. 
Little,  R.  M.  Pillmore,  and  a  host  of  others. 

As  will  be  noticed,  many  of  the  names 
which  were  familiar  to  commercial  Akron  a 
generation  or  more  ago  are  familiar  now. 
Business  conditions  have  changed  somewhat, 
it  is  true.  The  city  has  acquired  metropolitan 
qualities,  and  the  people  metropolitan 
requirements.  The  business  details  that  made 
a  concern  popular  and  successful  a  generation 
ago  might  easily  be  shown  to  be  valueless 
now.  And  such  merchants  of  that  other 
Akron  as  are  still  in  business  were  obliged 
to  be  progressive.  And  they  were.  There 
are  many  new  names  in  the  mercantile  roster 
for  1907.  Each  of  them  indicates  the  city's 
added  greatness. 

The  double  line  of  business  houses  which 
formerly  extended  for  a  block  on  Howard 
street  and  for  a  short  distance  on  Market 
street,  has  been  found  too  small  to  do  the 
city's  mercantile  business.  Main  street  has 
been  changed  from  a  rough  and  rubbish- 
strewn  canal  bank  to  a  first  class  business 
thoroughfare  of  which,  in  its  mercantile  as- 
pect, any  city  might  be  proud. 

Haeey  S.  Quine. 

FIRE  AND  POLICE  DEPARTMENTS. 

AKRON    FIRE   DEPARTMENT. 

Up  to  the  year  1839,  Akron  had  no  fire 
department  of  any  kind,  the  inhabitants  be- 
ing notified  by  one  calling  to  another  or  in 
the  ringing  of  the  church  bells.  But  in  De- 
cember, 1839,  an  ordinance  was  passed  pro- 
viding for  a  volunteer  fire  department.  From 
this  arose  the  "North  Akron  Fire  Company," 
formed  January  28,  1840,  with  its  twenty- 
six  members.  And  to  the  people,  certificates 
of  membership  were  issued.  February  10, 
1846,  eight  more  were  added  and  the  numeral 
one  was  added,  thus  making  them  No.  1. 
The  equipment  of  this  company  was  gotten 
by  private  subscription,  it  consisting  of  a  ro- 
tary Iiand  engine  costing  $600,  with  the  sub- 
scribers paying  $25.00  each  toward  the  en- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CtTIZENS 


81 


gine.  This  company  bought  also  for  itself 
fifty  feet  of  hose  and  finally,  in  1841,  was 
ofifered  a  small  building  for  headquarters  on 
Mill  Street. 

"Niagara  Fire  Engine  No.  2"  was  started 
December  20,  1845,  and  its  membership  num- 
bered thirty-seven.  A  hook  and  ladder  com- 
pany w^as  formed  in  1847,  with  the  energetic 
name  of  "Tornado  Fire  Company  No.  3." 
Various  other  companies  were  formed  from 
time  to  time,  but  all  volunteer.  It  was  not 
until  May,  1858,  that  there  was  a  paid  de- 
partment, and  then  it  was  two  dollars  per 
year  for  each  member.  The  Niagara  Com- 
pany was  equipped  with  a  new  engine  pur- 
chased by  the  town,  with  headquarters,  finally, 
in  the  small  brick  building  still  standing  on 
Federal  Street.  The  West  Side  had  its  in- 
dependent company,  called  the  "West  Kill- 
ers." Later  there  was  a  German  hook  and 
ladder  company  called  "Washington  No.  3." 
Still  another  organization  was  known  as  the 
"Mechanics  Hook  and  Ladder  Company." 

At  the  present  time  the  fire  equipment  in 
Akron  is  as  good  as  any  in  the  country.  It 
will  be  recalled  that  one  of  the  fruitfiil  sources 
of  improvement  in  this  line  has  been  the 
steady  increasing  factor  of  fire  insurance. 
Other  things  being  equal,  the  city  with  the 
best  fire  department  obtains  the  lowest  rate. 
To  see  that  fire  rules  are  strictly  observed,  to 
keep  buildings  free  from  inflammable  mate- 
rial, insurance  agents  and  fire  department  co- 
operate. The  estimating  a  rate  on  a  given 
dwelling,  the  construction  and  exposure  are 
considered,  and  for  any  building  used  for 
other  than  residence  purposes  there  is  a  sep- 
arate rate.  Maps  of  every  street  are  made  and, 
in  short,  fire  protection  has  changed  from  a 
matter  of  convenience  and  local  pride  to  a 
purely  business  proposition. 

This  being  true,  it  has  a  marked  reaction  on 
the  fire  department.  Fire  cisterns  are  located 
over  the  business  centers  of  the  city  and  a 
superbly  equipped  and  finely  organized  body 
of  men  is  at  the  se^\^ce  of  the  city.  Civil  sen'- 
ice  rules  prevail  strictly  and  almost  military 
discipline  is  enforced.  Every  night  there  is 
drill  and  so  perfect  is  the  discipline  that  the 


equipment  can  get  away  in  eleven  seconds 
from  the  first  sounding  of  the  alarm.  Each 
man  is  allowed  one  day  off  out  of  five  and 
fourteen  days  vacation  in  a  year. 

Particularly  should  Akron  feel  proud  of 
its  fire  and  police  alarm  system.  In  the  year 
1873  there  was  only  one  box  in  the  city  and 
that  was  located  in  the  engine  house.  But 
about  1880  Engineer  Loomis  began  the  pres- 
ent system.  At  first  it  was  a  key  for  each 
box  with  the  key  at  the  nearest  house.  Now, 
of  course,  the  alarm  is  turned  in  as  soon  as 
the  door  is  thrown  open. 

This  entire  equipment  was  put  in  by  En- 
gineer Loomis  at  a  cost  of  three  thousand  dol- 
lars, whereas,  if  put  in  by  regular  methods,  it 
would  have  cost  twelve  thousand  dollars.  To 
look  after  the  details  of  this  intricate  system, 
the  mechanical  engineer,  an  expert  lineman 
and  three  operators  give  their  entire  time. 

The  engine-houses  in  Akron  are  seven  in 
number.  No.  1  is  the  Central,  where  is  lo- 
cated the  headquarters  of  the  alarm  system. 
Here  also  are  two  separate  and  distinct  compa- 
nies, an  engine  company  and  a  truck  com- 
pany. Here  also,  as  at  all  the  engine-houses, 
may  be  seen  the  fire  district  system.  The  re- 
sult of  this  is  that  in  case  of  a  fire  aff'ecting 
a  certain  district,  the  blaze  L«  attended  to  by 
the  fire  company  in  that  district.  This  leaves 
that  engine-house  without  an  equipment.  To 
meet  this  situation  the  engine  companies 
move  up  according  to  a  regular  schedule. 

Engine-house  No.  2  is  located  in  East 
Akron  and  is  in  charge  of  Captain  Smith.  In 
addition  to  the  gymnasium  and  dining  room 
the  house  has  a  beautiful  fountain  presented 
to  it  by  the  late  D.  E.  Hill.  Probably  of  this 
fire  company  more  than  any  other  is  it  true 
that  there  is  a  distinct  local  pride  in  it.  For 
the  site  of  the  engine-house  is  that  of  the 
town  hall  of  the  historic  town  of  Middlebury, 
and  local  pride  is  still  strong. 

Station  No.  3  is  located  on  the  West  Side. 
Here  is  the  home  of  Assistant  Fire  Chief  Rice 
and  here  is  one  of  the  new  engine-houses. 
Being  in  a  community  of  wealth  many  pleas- 
ant social  features  are  seen  in  connection  with 
the  regular  routine  of  duty. 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Station  No.  4  is  located  in  the  South  End, 
with  Captain  Tryon  at  its  head.  In  addition 
to  the  splendid  equipment  there  is  also  a 
branch  of  the  public  library. 

Station  No.  5  is  another  new  station  on 
Buchtel  avenue.  Here  is  the  official  home  of 
Chief  Mertz,  and  also  one  of  the  finest  sta- 
tions in  the  city. 

Station  No.  6  is  located  on  Wooster  avenue 
and  is  in  command  of  Captain  Dorner.  This 
station  has  a  larger  territory  than  any  other 
house  in  the  city. 

Station  No.  7  is  the  latest  addition  and  is 
on  North  Hill,  with  Captain  N.  P.  Smith  in 
charge.  Here  the  equipment  is  a  combined 
hose  and  chemical  wagon. 

AKRON     POLICE    DEPARTMENT. 

The  police  depai'tment  of  the  county  nat- 
urally centers  about  Akron  and  that  depart- 
ment has  steadily  increased  from  its  first 
marshal.  Marshal  Wright,  to  the  present  com- 
plex organization.  William  Mason  was  the 
last  Marshal  of  Akron,  and  with  the  loss  of 
that  official  succeeded  the  period  of  the  Police 
Chief  with  the  fir.st  incumbent,  H.  H.  Harri- 
son. He  was  so  appointed  in  1897,  and  under 
him  were  twenty-seven  officers.  In  1900  the 
positions  of  captain  and  lieutenant  were 
created.  At  the  present  time,  in  addition  to 
the  officers,  are  three  detectives,  a  police  sur- 
geon, clerk,  prison-keeper  and  photographer. 

This  last^ — the  photographer — has  the  task 
of  taking  the  pictures  of  all  suspected  crimi- 
nals and  at  present  has  two  hundred  and 
sixty. 

The  police  alarm  system  is  similar  in  oper- 
ation to  that  of  the  fire  department.  Each 
officer  must  ring  np  hourly  when  on  duty. 
And  every  box  is  marked  telephone,  fire,  pa- 
trol, riot,  so  that  his  signal  indicates  the  state 
of  his  beat. 

The  patrol — an  automobile — for  a  long 
time  was  the  only  one  of  its  kind  in  the 
world.  That,  too,  was  built  by  Engineer 
Loomis.  The  old  one  has  just  worn  out  and 
a  new  one  is  to  be  installed  in  a  very  short 
time. 


No  history  of  the  police  would  be  complete 
without  a  passing  mention  of  the  riot  of  1900. 
From  that  riot  dates  the  reorganized  police. 
At  that  time  an  emergency  arose  which 
showed  all  too  plainly  the  lack  of  organiza- 
tion and  the  inability  to  meet  the  demands  of 
that  catastrophe.  Since  then,  riot  guns  have 
been  a  part  of  the  regular  equipment  of  the 
police,  riot  calls  have  been  among  their  expec- 
tations, and  there  has  grown  up  the  feeling 
that  the  police  are  a  distinct  and  separate  or- 
ganization somewhat  apart  from  the  good  old 
days  when  Akron  was  a  village. 

The  detective  bureau  in  operation  at  city 
hall  operates  along  metropolitan  lines  and  is 
a  vital  part  of  that  complicated  and  intricate 
machinery  by  which  one  is  detected.  By 
these  men  a  close  watch  is  kept  on  all  strang- 
ers and  there  are  few  new  arrivals  that  are  not 
watched  and  inspected.  Besides  this,  by 
means  of  exchanged  photographs,  measure- 
ments and  other  devices,  fugitives  from  jus- 
tice are  apprehended  and  the  difficulties  of 
escape  are  increased.  Through  the  depart- 
ment very  efficient  work  has  been  done  and 
in  one  case,  at  least,  public  notice  has  been 
taken  of  this  branch.  John  E.  Washer,  for 
a  long  time  prison-keeper,  established  a  record 
ns  an  able  detective,  and  is  now  serving  the 
president  of  the  country  as  a  personal  body- 
guard. 

Other  prominent  local  characters  connected 
with  the  detective  service  have  been  Edward 
Dunn,  now  on  the  pension  list;  James  Burli- 
son,  an  old-time  detective,  and  our  first  mar- 
shal, and  Captain  "Jack"  Wright. 

At  the  present  time  there  is  established  a 
well  regulated  pension  system  for  both  the 
fire  and  police  department.  The  working 
of  this  branch  of  the  service  as.?ures  the  mem- 
bers of  these  departments  of  an  a.«sured  in- 
come at  the  expiration  of  a  given  length  of 
service.  From  it  results  a  steadv  class  of  men 
watchful  to  maintain  the  credit  of  their  re- 
spective bodies. 

In  times  past  the  bane  of  both  fire  and  po- 
lice departments  has  been  political  influence. 
To  minimize  this  the  legislature  has  placed 
the  members  iinder  civil  service  rules,  and  now 


AND    KEPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


83 


promotions  are  made  on  the  basis  of  fitness, 
physical  and  mental.  When  a  vacancy  occurs 
a  regulai'  examination  is  held  and  the  candi- 
dates are  mai'ked  as  at  school. 

Besides  this,  both  bodies  of  men  are  placed 
under  the  direction  of  the  Board  of  Public 
Safety,  a  board  appointed  by  the  Mayor  of 
Akron.  The  net  results  of  this  system  are  of 
comparative  freedom  from  "pull."  Still  the 
counter  results  of  an  assured  position  and  the 
difficulty  of  a  trial  involving  incompetency 
are  factors  in  the  other  direction.  It  is  true, 
also,  in  a  measure  that  Akron  gets  as  good  a 
force  as  its  people  demand. 

OUTSIDE  FIRE  AND  POLICE  DEPARTMENTS. 

Outside  of  Akron  the  fire  and  police  de- 
partments exist,  but  in  a  modified  form.  Bar- 
berton  has  a  regular  police  department  and  a 
paid  fire  depai-tment  has  been  recently  organ- 
ized. A  water-works  system  prevails  there, 
and  an  unusual  degree  of  efficiency  is  mani- 
fest in  both  organizations. 

Cuyahoga  Falls  still  relies  on  the  village 
marshal  and  has  the  nucleus  of  an  efficient 
fire  department.  The  other  villages  of  the 
county  rely  for  police  protection  on  their  mar- 
shals and  constables  and  on  volunteer  depart- 
ment. Harry  S.  Quine. 

the  riot  of  1900 the  darkest  night  in 

Akron's  history. 

Wednesday,  the  22d  day  of  August,  in  the 
year  1900,  was  a  day  of  rejoicing  in  America. 
The  wires  under  the  Pacific  had  throbbed 
with  a  message  of  joy  for  all  Christendom. 
Pekin  had  fallen — the  capital  city  of  China. 
The  Imperial  Court  had  departed  in  hasty 
flight  to  the  interior.  The  American  troops 
were  the  heroes  of  the  allied  armies.  They 
had  attacked  and  repulsed  the  Yellow  Horde 
laying  siege  to  the  British  Legation,  where 
the  American  minister  and  his  family  and 
other  good  citizens  had  taken  refuge  when 
the  Boxers  arose.  America  rejoiced  that  her 
sons  and  daughters  had  successfully  escaped 
from  the  perils  of  the  4,000  shells  that  fell 


into  that  legation ;  from  the  famine  and  sick- 
ness of  the  long  siege,  and  especially  from  the 
ferocity  and  torture  and  barbarism  of  the 
legions  of  Chinese  savages.  Akron  is  a  rep- 
resentative American  conmmnity.  Her  peo- 
ple were  just  as  glad  as  any  on  account  of 
the  glory  which  had  come  upon  the  American 
armies. 

In  the  evening  of  that  day  a  large  part  of 
the  beauty  and  wealth  and  culture  of  the  city 
had  met  on  the  beautiful  grounds  of  the  Per- 
kins homestead  where  a  lawn  party  was  being 
held  for  the  benefit  of  a  splendid  charity. 
Sounds  of  mirth  and  music  filled  the  air  and 
countless  lights  and  colors  made  it  a  brilliant 
scene.  It  is  a  common  sight  in  any  center  of 
culture  and  fashion. 

Out  in  Lakeside  Park  the  beautiful  sum- 
mer night  had  drawn  a  large  company  of 
spectators  to  the  Casino,  and  they  were  en- 
joying to  the  full  the  delights  oif  the  thea- 
ter. 

But  the  night  in  Akron  had  not  been  given 
over  to  pleasure  alone.  What  strange  con- 
trasts human  living  presents  sometimes !  The 
darkest  night  Akron  had  ever  seen  had  fallen 
with  the  coming  of  dusk  that  night.  The 
perfect  picture  of  Hell,  that  was  to  be  beheld 
before  the  coming  of  dawn  again,  was  then 
in  the  making.  The  Antithesis  of  joy  and 
light  and  love  and  good-will  was  gaining  fol- 
lowers in  other  parts  of  the  city  and  they  were 
preparing  for  the  crowning  of  Hate,  and  Re- 
venge, and  Lust  for  Blood. 

If  little  Christina  Maas  had  not  been  play- 
ing by  the  road-side,  near  the  home  of  her 
parents  on  Perkins  Hill,  on  Monday  evening, 
August  21,  1900,  in  all  probability  Akron 
would  have  been  spared  her  deepest  shame. 
Not  that  the  innocent  child,  in  her  sweet  play, 
was  the  cau.se  of  what  followed,  but  that  she 
was  destined  to  form  a  link  in  the  chain  of 
circumstances,  without  which  completed  ac- 
tion could  not  be  had.  She  was  the  little,  six- 
vear-old  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Theodore 
Maas.  As  she  played  by  the  roadside  in  the 
early  evening  with  her  girl  friends,  a  negro 
drove  by.  He  called  to  her.  She  did  not 
fear  him.    He  persuaded  the  older  children  to 


84 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


leave  and  promised  little  Christina  a  gift  of 
candy.  He  asked  her  to  get  into  his  buggy 
and  she  responded  in  her  childish  confidence 
and  natural  faith  in  mankind  and  all.  He 
assisted  her  as  she  climbed  in.  He  whipped 
up  the  horse  and  drove  down  the  country 
road.  The  negro  was  Louis  Peck.  He  was  a 
stranger  in  Akron.  He  had  been  here  but  a 
short  time,  having  come  from  Patterson,  New 
Jersey.  His  reputation  there  was  very  bad 
and  the  authorities  wanted  him  there  for  a 
long  list  of  crimes  he  had  committed.  (Since 
coming  to  Akron  he  and  his  wife  had  been 
working  in  a  restaurant.  He  was  about  forty 
years  of  age  and  black  and  unprepossessing. 
After  his  arrest,  he  confessed  freely  all  he 
did  that  evening,  after  he  drove  into  the 
country  and  until  he  left  the  little  girl  crying 
and  injured  by  the  lonely  roadside  with  night 
coming  on. 

He  had  hired  the  horse  and  buggy  from  a 
Main  street  liveryman.  After  driving  back 
into  town  he  abandoned  them  and  they  were 
found  soon  after  by  the  police.  It  was  by 
means  of  the  horse  and  buggy  that  the  offi- 
cers were  enabled  to  learn  the  identity  of  the 
perpetrator  of  this  outrage.  As  soon  as  the 
police  department  was  informed  of  the  crime 
every  policeman  on  duty  was  notified  and  in- 
structed to  be  on  the  lookout  for  such  a  ne- 
gro as  Peck.  Every  place  in  the  city  likely 
to  harbor  him  was  searched  and  the  railway 
tracks  were  watched  with  sharp  sight,  but 
Peck  succeeded  in  escaping  from  the  city. 
He  had  lost  no  time  in  beginning  his  flight. 
Not  a  trace  of  him  could  be  secured.  On 
Tuesday  the  officers  patrolled  the  railway 
tracks,  rather  expecting  that  Peck  was  still 
in  the  city,  in  hiding,  and  would  try  to  make 
his  escape.  A  number  of  them  were  scattered 
along  the  tracks  on  Tuesdav  night. 

Shortly  after  midnight  a  freight  train  rolled 
into  the  Union  depot  from  the  east.  Officer 
Duffy  was  patrolling  the  tracks  in  that  vicin- 
ity and,  as  the  train  pased  him,  standing  in 
the  dark,  a  negro  jumped  from  one  of  the 
cars  almost  into  his  arms  .  Officer  Duffy  ar- 
rested the  man.  It  was  Peck.  He  was  taken 
at  once  in  the  patrol  wagon  to  the  city  prison. 


The  prison-keeper  was  awakened  and  spent 
the  rest  of  the  night  talking  with  Peck  about 
the  crime.  By  adroit  leading  and  skillful 
questioning  Mr.  Washer  succeeded  at  last  in 
getting  Peck  to  make  a  full  confession.  R. 
W.  Wanamaker,  the  prosecuting  attorney, 
was  summoned,  a  stenographer  secured,  and 
Peck's  statement  was  taken    down    verbatim. 

At  9  o'clock  he  was  arraigned  before  the 
mayor,  W.  E.  Young,  in  the  mayor's  court. 
He  pleaded  guilty  to  a  charge  of  rape  and  was 
bound  over  by  the  mayor  to  the  Common 
Pleas  Court  to  await  the  action  of  the  Grand 
Jury  at  the  coming  September  term.  His 
bond  was  placed  at  $5,000,  and  he  was  com- 
mitted to  the  prison  because  of  his  inability 
to  furnish  bail  in  that  amount. 

Greatly  exaggerated  stories  of  his  confes- 
sion and  of  the  criminal  act  were  circulated 
throughout  the  city.  The  appearance  of  the 
evening  papers  (especially  one,  very  im- 
prudently printed  in  red  ink)  and  the  cries 
of  the  newsboys  selling  them,  stirred  up  a 
feeling  of  resentment.  Excitement  was  slow- 
ly kindling.  Many  heedless  remarks  were 
made  by  persons  whose  words  usually  carry 
weight.  An  Akron  professional  gentleman 
was  on  his  way  home  at  5  o'clock  that  bright 
Wednesday  afternoon.  He  stopped  in  a  store 
and  listened  to  a  recital  of  the  outrage  by 
the  merchant.  Said  the  professional  man  in 
the  hearing  of  a  little  company,  "I'll  be  one 
of  a  hundred  to  go  over  and  take  him  out  of 
the  jail  and  hang  him."  Not  a  man  in  the 
company  protested.  No  one  deemed  the  senti- 
ment extravagant  or  the  speech  incendiary. 
There  was  an  echo  in  their  own  breasts.  Every 
man  felt  a  personal  interest  in  having  so 
great  a  wrong  redressed  and  in  having  it  done 
at  once.  Many  such  intemperate  remarks 
were  made  that  afternoon  as  the  story  spread. 

As  earlv  in  the  day  as  noon,  threats  were 
made  to  the  authorities  that  the  negro  would 
be  lynched.  The  executive  departments  of 
the  city  government  heard  the  mutterings  of 
the  coming  storm  all  afternoon.  The  county 
officers  heard  it  also.  None  of  them  can  be 
heard  to  say  now  that  they  were  taken  by  sur- 
prise.    They  were  totally  impreparcd   when 


HIGH  SCHOOL,  AKRON 


FRATTNFELTEK  SCHOOL.  AKKOiN 


MILLER  SCHOOL,  AKRON 


FIRST  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST   (DISCIPLES) 


BUCHTEL  COLLEGE— RESIDENCE  OF  PRESIDENT       FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— AKRON 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


the  hour  of  trial  came,  but  they  were  not  taken 
unawares.  They  had  full  warning  more  than 
ten  hours  before  the  storm  broke  in  all  its 
fury.  They  paid  this  much  attention  to  the 
threats  and  warnings  they  had  received — they 
ordered  Sheriff  Frank  G.  Kelly  to  take  the 
prisoner  to  Cleveland  during  Wednesday  aft- 
ernoon for  safe  keeping.  Another  colored  man 
named  William  (alias  "Bug")  Howard  had 
been  locked  up  in  the  prison  awaiting  commit- 
ment to  the  county  jail  as  he,  too,  had  been 
bound  over  to  the  Common  Pleas  Court  on  a 
charge  of  shooting  a  white  man  in  the  leg. 
It  was  deemed  best  to  take  Howard  along,  as 
a  mob  might  easily  mistake  the  identity  of 
the  negro  they  sought,  or  might  be  so  incensed 
at  the  whole  black  race,  that  they  would  not 
hesitate  to  hang  another  than  the  one  sought. 
These  two  black  men  were  soon  secure  behind 
the  gray  walls  of  the  Cleveland  prison.  The 
Akron  authorities  were  congratulating  them- 
selves on  so  successful  an  issue  of  their  wise 
planSi  When  a  mob  appeared  they  would 
laugh  at  them  and  enjoy  their  discomfiture 
when  told  the  quarry  had  flown.  They  know 
more  about  mobs  and  mob  nature  now. 

Crow'ds  began  to  collect  at  the  intersection 
of  Main  and  Howard  streets  a  short  time  aft?r 
6  o'clock.  Knots  of  men  stood  about  the 
prison  talking  over  the  affair.  Some  were 
already  discussing  the  advisability  of  trying 
to  make  an  example  of  the  prisoner.  Consid- 
erable sentiment  in  favor  of  such  action  had 
been  aroused  during  the  day  in  several  of  the 
big  city  factories.  Some  of  these  men  were 
present  and  made  up  their  minds  that,  if  an 
opportunity  offered,  they  would  make  good 
what  they  had  said  they  would  do. 

As  it  began  to  grow  dark  and  to  become 
difficult  to  distinguish  objects  across  the 
street,  the  crowd,  much  augmented,  closed  in 
about  the  old  brick  building  which  Akron 
people  had  known  for  many  years  as  "The 
City  Building."  They  began  to  call  for  Peck 
and  to  hoot  and  jeer  the  police  officers  who 
were  within.  The  chief  of  police  had  become 
alarmed  and  had  summoned  everv  available 
man  for  duty  at  headquarters. 

Much  parleying  took  place  between  city  of- 


ficials and  the  members  of  the  crowd.  They 
tried  to  push  into  the  building  through  the 
Main  street  doors,  but  the  officers  prevented 
them.  There  was  still  much  daylight  remain- 
ing when  the  first  attack  on  the  building  was 
made.  A  shower  of  stones  and  bricks  broke 
the  windows  and  bombarded  the  stout  doors. 
Then  a  ladder  was  brought  out  and  quickly 
manned.  This  was  used  as  a  battering-ram  on 
the  north  doors,  which  lead  into  the  Mayor's 
Court.  The  stones  and  bricks  continued  to 
fly.  The  doors  were  rapidly  giving  way  be- 
neath the  repeated  blows  of  the  improvised 
ram.  Then  one  of  the  front  windows  was 
raised  and  a  policeman  emptied  his  revolver 
over  the  heads  of  the  assailing  party.  This 
was  a  foolish  move.  There  was  no  ammuni- 
tion in  the  city  building  beside  what  was  al- 
ready in  the  chambers  of  the  policemen's  re- 
volvers and  part  of  a  box  which  was  in  pos- 
session of  the  prison-keeper.  The  scarcity  of 
ammunition  was  a  cause  of  much  alarm  to 
the  policemen  in  the  building.  They  had  sent 
outside  to  secure  more,  but  were  unsuccess- 
ful. 

Across  the  street  were  a  large  number  of 
.spectators  w^atching  the  efforts  of  the  men  in 
their  attack  upon  the  building.  Among  them 
were  a  few  carriages  and  buggies.  In  the  one 
of  the  latter  sat  John  M.  Da\'idson,  with  his 
wife  and  four-year-old  daughter,  Rhoda. 
They  had  been  out  looking  at  some  work  Mr. 
Davidson  had  taken  the  contract  for  and  were 
returning  home  by  the  way  of  Main  street. 
They  had  started  to  go  up  the  Quarry  street 
hill  and  were  told  that  the  Fire  Department 
was  coming  down.  They  turned  back  on  to 
Main  Street  and  other  buggies  crowded 
around  them  so  that  they  were  forced  to  re- 
main. 

Mrs.  Davidson  was  looking  at  the  policeman 
in  the  window.  She  saw  him  shoot  his  re- 
volver directly  at  them.  She  heard  bullets 
fly  about  their  heads.  Her  little  daughter 
said,  "Oh,  mamma,"  and  her  head  fell  for- 
ward on  her  mother's  knee  with  the  blood 
flowang  from  a  mortal  wound  in  her  head. 
Glen  Wade,  a  boy  of  ten  years,  was  also  stand- 
ing among  the  spectators  on  the  opposite  side 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


of  Main  street  and  he  received  one  of  the  bul- 
lets fi"oni  this  same  policeman's  reckless — yes, 
criminal  shooting.  He  was  instantly  killed. 
Hundreds  of  shots  were  fired  afterward,  and 
charges  and  charges  of  dynamite  exploded, 
and  two  large  buildings  were  burned  to  the 
ground,  yet  these  two  innocent  children  were 
the  only  persons  who  lost  their  lives  by  reason 
of  the  riot.  The  injuries  received  by  other 
parties  that  night  were  mostly  of  a  minor 
character. 

The  party  within  the  walls  was  increased 
by  this  time  so  that  it  consisted  of  Mayor 
Young,  the  four  city  commissioners,  Chief  of 
Police  HarrLson  and  seven  or  eight  police- 
men. 

A  hurried  conference  was  held  and  it  was 
decided  to  allow  the  crowd  to  appoint  a  com- 
mittee to  enter  and  inspect  the  jail  to  make 
sure  that  Peck  was  not  in  it.  The  mob 
selected  a  comimittee  of  six,  headed  by  a  mem- 
ber of  the  City  Council,  who  was  one  of  the 
loude.st  and  most  strenuous  of  all  the  seekers 
for  the  blood  of  this  negro. 

When  the  doors  were  opened  to  admit  the 
committee,  the  crowd  poured  in  after  them. 
It  was  impossible  to  stem  that  impetuous  rush. 
They  filled  the  building  and  searched  every 
nook  and  corner  of  it.  The  cells  of  the 
prison  were  opened,  but  the  mob  found  no 
negro  within  the  building.  Even  Mr.  Wash- 
er's private  apartments  were  invaded  and  the 
garments  of  himself  and  wife  torn  from  the 
closets  where  they  hung,  to  see  if  any  one 
was  concealed  by  them.  Their  cellar  was  ran- 
sacked, and  every  spot  which  could  possibly 
contain  or  shelter  a  man  was  searched.  The 
disappointment  of  the  mob  was  plain.  Some 
one  shouted  that  Peck  was  in  the  county  jail. 
The  entire  crowd  started  for  the  jail.  Deputy- 
Sheriff  Simon  Stone  was  on  duty.  Sheriff 
Kelly  was  absent  for  some  unexplained 
cause.  His  continued  absence  through  all  the 
stirring  events  of  that  night  and  until  the 
hour  of  danger  had  passed  caused  much  com- 
ment. 

The  deputy  sheriff  met  the  mob  in  front  of 
the  old  brick  jail,  which  stood  on  the  east  side 
of  Broadway,  opposite  the  Court  House,  and 


which  was  torn  down  on  the  completion  of 
the  new  jail.  Standing  on  the  old  stone  steps 
at  the  front  entrance,  he  made  them  a  short 
address,  telling  them  that  Peck  had  been 
taken  to  Cleveland  that  afternoon  and  that 
he  had  never  been  brought  to  the  county  jail. 
He  offered  to  allow  a  committee  chosen  by 
themselves  to  make  a  search.  This  was  done 
and  the  same  committee  searched  the  jail 
thoroughly  and  reported  that  no  negro  could 
be  found.  The  crowd  moved  over  to  the  old 
Court  House,  battered  in  the  wooden  doors, 
and  trooped  into  every  room  in  the  building 
except  the  office  of  the  treasurer. 

Here  the  heavy  iron  doors  resisted  their  ef- 
forts to  make  an  entrance  and  caused  them  to 
desist  in  their  purpose. 

They  hastened  back  to  the  City  Building 
and  filled  the  space  in  front  of  it.  They  were 
still  shouting  and  calling  for  Peck,  and  oc- 
casionally a  stone  or  a  brick  would  fly  through 
the  windows  on  both  the  Main  street  and  Via- 
duct sides  of  the  building.  When  the  mayor 
appeared  at  a  window  in  the  rooms  of  the 
board  of  health  and  motioned  for  silence,  the 
crowd  listened  to  him  with  comparatively  good 
attention.  He  told  them  that  Sheriff  Kelley 
had  taken  Peck  to  Cleveland  that  afternoon 
and  that  there  was  no  use  hunting  longer  for 
him.  Some  one  insisting  that  this  was  not  so, 
the  mayor  offered  to  bet  $20  that  Peck  was 
not  in  Akron.  He  urged  them  to  disperse 
and  let  the  law  take  its  course  in  bringing 
Peck  to  a  full  punishment  for  his  crime. 

Of  course,  this  did  not  satisfy  them.  It  was 
a  mistake  to  suppose  that  it  would.  They 
were  not  there  for  oratory.  They  had  come 
on  a  serious  business.  They  sought  ven- 
geance. Nothing  but  blood  would  satisfy 
them.  It  was  a  maddened,  blood-thirsty  pack 
of  wolves,  and  to  advise,  and  to  temporize,  and 
to  try  to  compromise  with  such  was  entirely 
unreasonable  and  a  waste  of  efi'ort.  It  was 
the  temporizing  policy  of  the  authorities  up  to 
this  time  which  had  helped  bring  the  mob 
up  to  its  present  pitch.  The  attack  was  re- 
newed with  increased  vigor.  It  was  no  longer 
a  crowd  of  men  confronting  the  officers ;  it  was 
a  furious  mob.    Many  of  them  carried  pistols 


CITY  HALT.,  AKRON 


f 


Pi 


-.  «!llfllllllli    ^-     ^ 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  BUILDING,  AKRON 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


in  their  hands  and  a  few  shots  were  fired  ait 
the  building.  Occasionally  a  policeman 
would  come  to  the  window  and  discharge  five 
or  six  shots  toward  the  sidewalk. 

Prison-keeper  Washer  had  been  spending 
the  evening  with  Mrs.  Washer  and  friends  at 
one  of  the  summer  resorts  south  of  Akron.  He 
had  gone  out  of  town  on  the  earnest  solicita- 
tion of  the  chief  of  police,  who  explained  to 
him  that,  if  a  mob  did  form,  it  would  make 
the  story  more  credible  if  it  could  be  said  that 
the  prison-keeper  was  out  of  town  with  the 
prisoner.  When  the  fish  supper  was  con- 
cluded, Mr.  Washer  tried  to  reach  the  city 
building  by  telephone,  but  was  unable  to  do 
so.  He  became  apprehensive  that  all  was  not 
right  and  started  for  Akron  about  8  o'clock. 
He  drove  into  the  mob  at  Main  street  about  9 
o'clock  and  they  dragged  him  and  Mrs. 
Washer  from  the  buggy.  They  shoved  two 
revolvers  into  Mr.  Washer's  face,  boring  the 
barrels  into  his  flesh,  saying  they  wanted 
Peck  and  meant  to  have  him.  One  man,  in 
a.  perfectly  fiendish  condition  of  mind,  kept 
scratching  AVasher's  face  shrieking,  "It's 
blood  we  want,  blood,  blood,  blood."  He  suc- 
ceeded in  drawing  some  of  Mr.  Washer's. 
Mrs.  Washer  finally  succeeded  in  reaching 
their  apartments  at  the  rear  of  the  building, 
with  a  large  part  of  her  clothing  torn  from 
her  body.  Mr.  Washer  tried  to  make  a  speech 
to  the  mob.  The  noise  and  tumult  was  so 
great  he  could  not  make  himself  heard,  ex- 
cept to  a  few  immediately  surrounding  him. 
He  saw  a  man  with  a  brick  in  his  hand  work- 
ing his  way  up  to  the  front.  A  minute  later 
and  this  brick  struck  the  speaker  on  the  side 
of  the  head  and  he  dropped  senseless  to  the 
street.  The  blow  nearly  fractured  his  skull 
and  he  suffered  from  the  wound  it  made  for 
several  years  afterward. 

After  Mr.  Washer  had  been  carried  into  the 
drug  store  on  the  corner,  and  the  police  had 
fired  a  few  more  desultory  shots  from  the 
building,  the  crowd  withdrew.  The  larger 
part  of  them  strangelv  disappeared  and  an 
ominous  quiet  reigned  in  the  neighborhood 
from  about  9:30  o'clock  until  about  11.  A 
few  spectators  stood  on  the  opposite  side  of 


the  street;  another  knot  or  two  were  scattered 
at  different  street  corners.  The  electric  lights 
were  all  burning  brightly  and  the  street  cars 
were  running  as  usual.  But  for  the  broken 
panes  in  the  building,  the  stones  and  bricks 
on  the  sidewalk,  and  the  ladder  lying  where 
the  mob  had  left  it,  no  indications  that  trou- 
ble had  happened  were  present.  The  city 
commissioners  took  advantage  of  this  lull  to 
leave  the  building  by  the  rear  entrance  and 
made  a  successful  escape  down  the  railway 
spur.  The  mayor  also  took  his  departure  and 
went  direct  to  his  home  on  Perkins  street.  The 
Chief  of  Police,  with  seven  or  eight  police- 
men, remained.  About  11  o'clock  the  crowd 
began  to  collect  again,  and  the  spectators  were 
not  long  in  finding  out  where  its  members 
had  been  in  the  interim.  An  electric  arc 
lamp  hung  about  half  way  between  the  City 
Building  and  the  Beacon-Journal  office  and 
flooded  the  vicinity  with  light. 

The  spectators  saw  a  couple  of  men  cross 
the  sidewalk  with  bundles  in  their  arms  and 
enter  the  south  door,  leading  to  the  stairway 
to  the  second  floor.  In  a  few  minutes  after 
they  returned,  a  fearful  explosion  shook  the 
neighborhood,  and  brought  a  cloud  of  dust 
into  Main  street.  The  concussion  was  terrific, 
but  little  apparent  damage  was  done.  The 
walls  still  stood  just  as  before.  The  dynamite 
for  this  and  the  other  explosives  which  fol- 
lowed had  been  stolen  from  the  Middlebury 
clay  banks  and  from  the  chests  of  contractors 
doing  work  on  the  Erie  Railway. 

A  peddler  had  been  arrested  that  AVednes- 
day  morning  for  peddling  without  a  license 
and  released  on  bail.  He  drove  an  old  white 
horse  in  a  spring  wagon.  He  volunteered  to 
haul  the  dynamite  to  the  City  Building,  and 
the  mob  gladly  accepted  his  services.  The 
cessation  of  hostilities  was  due  to  this  cause 
and  a  further  desire  on  the  part  of  several 
to  go  home  and  get  arms. 

The  last  of  the  cars  carrying  home  the 
throng  of  pleasure-seekers  from  the  Casino  at 
Lakeside  Park  had  passed,  and  empty  cars 
were  on  their  way  back  to  the  South  Akron 
bams.  Perhaps  a  thoiisand  men  were  in  Main 
Street,  from  Church  to  Howard  Streets.   Four 


90 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


or  five  thousand  more  stretched  from  these 
points  down  to  Mill  and  up  to  Center  and 
covered  the  bluff  on  High  Street.  The  active 
members  of  the  mob  numbered  not  more  than 
two  or  three  hundred,  including  active  sym- 
pathizers. The  rest  were  mere  onlookers — 
some  a  prey  to  a  morbid  curiosity;  others  fas- 
cinated by  the  spectacle  of  terror  enacted  be- 
fore them. 

After  the  first  explosion,  a  few  men  started 
to  lower  the  electric  lamp  that  was  lighting 
the  scene.  They  let  it  fall  the  last  six  feet 
upon  the  brick  pavement,  and  the  place  was 
dark  enough  for  the  vilest  purpose.  Up  to 
this  time,  at  intervals,  a  policeman  in  the 
City  Building  would  approach  the  window 
and  fire  five  or  six  shots  in  rapid  succession 
into  the  sidewalk,  directly  under  the  window. 
It  was  easy  to  see  that  the  shots  were  directed 
into  the  ground  and  it  was  not  possible  that 
even  the  most  foolish  in  the  crowd  could  be 
fooled  by  the  action,  yet  this  silly  performance 
was  repeated  many  times.  Then  followed 
dynamite  explosions,  one  after  another,  each 
sounding  like  the  discharge  of  a  mighty  can- 
non. These  reports  should  have  awakened 
the  entire  city.  The  policemen  had  stealthily 
taken  their  departure  out  of  the  rear  door 
and  crept  off  in  the  darkness.  Some  of  them 
hid  in  the  lumber  yard  in  the  rear  of  Merrill's 
pottery ;  others  in  box-cars  in  the  rear  of  the 
American  Cereal  Company's  big  mill.  Their 
demoralization  could  have  not  been  greater. 
Each  man  was  looking  out  for  himself,  and 
no  one  else.  The  city  property  was  left  to 
the  mercy  of  the  relentless  mob. 

Soon  a  little  blaze  of  a  match  was  seen 
burning  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Columbia 
Hall,  the  large  rambling  frame  building  next 
south  of  the  City  Building.  It  had  been 
erected  as  a  roller  skating  rink  during  the 
days  of  the  first  roller  craze  and  had  been  used 
subsequently  as  an  armory  for  militia  and  an 
assembly  hall  for  concerts  and  bazars,  etc. 
The  little  match  kindled  a  pile  of  paper  and 
dry  wood  and  soon  a  bright  fire  was  burn- 
ing alongside  the  front  of  the  hall.  The 
building  was  .so  dry  and  of  such  favorable  con- 
struction  that  ten  minutes  had  not  elapsed 


until  it  was  in  flames  at  every  point.  It  made 
a  magnificent  spectacle.  Great  tongues  of 
flame  leaped  high  above  a  seething  mass  of 
fire,  and  the  sparks  ascended  in  showers.  On 
the  front  side  of  the  hall  was  a  tower  with  a 
flag-staff.  An  American  flag  waved  nobly  in 
the  breeze  made  by  the  ascending  heat  cur- 
rents. The  lesson  of  that  waving  emblem  of 
freedom  was  lost  on  that  demoniacal  assem- 
blage. The  fire  reigned  with  unrestrained 
fury.  Not  a  drop  of  water  fell  into  its  midst. 
Violent  hands  were  laid  on  every  one  who  had 
the  courage  to  attempt  to  subdue  it. 

About  midnight  a  part  of  the  crowd  had 
marched  down  the  middle  of  Main  street  to 
the  Standard  Hardware  Company,  located  on 
the  ^vest  side  of  South  Main  Street  about 
halfway  between  Market  and  Mill  Streets. 
They  made  entrance  into  the  store  by  break- 
ing a  plate-glass  window.  A  few  entered  and 
passed  out  guns,  revolvers,  rifles,  knives  and 
ammunition,  until  the  store  was  despoiled  of 
its  entire  stock  of  such  goods.  Over  one  hun- 
dred arms  of  various  descriptions  were  stolen 
by  the  mob  in  this  raid.  Hidden  behind  tele- 
phone poles  and  in  dark  corners  of  buildings, 
they  kept  up  a  perfect  fusillade  upon  the  city 
building,  while  Columbia  Hall  was  burning. 
The  firemen  in  the  central  station,  only  a 
stone's  throw  east  of  the  City  Building,  had 
on  the  first  appearance  of  the  blaze,  sounded 
an  alarm  of  fire  and  carried  a  line  of  hose 
down  Church  Street.  The  fire-bell  had  been 
rung  earlier  in  the  evening,  with  a  response 
on  the  part  of  No.  1  company,  merely  as  a 
ruse  to  attract  attention  of  the  mob  from  the 
City  Building. 

Three  firemen  from  Company  No.  1  stood 
out  in  the  middle  of  Main  Street,  holding  the 
nozzle  of  the  line  of  hose.  The  water  shot 
through  it  for  only  a  few  seconds.  The  riot- 
ers had  cut  the  hose  in  many  places,  and, 
while  the  three  firemen  stood  in  the  street 
alone,  a  perfect  hail  of  bullets  and  shot  were 
fired  at  them.  One  of  them  fell  and  another 
promptly  stepped  forward  and  took  his  place 
at  the  nozzle  while  others  came  out  and  re- 
moved their  fallen  comrade.  It  was  the  finest 
exhibition   of  heroism   ever  seen   in   Akron. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


91 


That  little  band  stood  out  there  until  the 
walls  fell  in,  waiting  for  the  water  to  come 
through  that  hose,  and  laying  new  lines  to 
replace  the  damaged.  Cowards  were  firing 
at  them  from  behind  walls  and  telephone 
poles,  yet  they  went  about  the  performance  of 
their  duty  as  calmly  as  though  it  were  an  or- 
dinary attack  upon  their  customary  foe,  the 
Fire  Demon. 

It  was  a  superb  exhibition  of  manly  cour- 
age. Many  a  man  who  felt  the  flame  of  faith 
in  human  nature  die  out  that  night,  found  it 
rekindled  after  beholding  the  deeds  of  those 
heroic  firemen. 

The  alarm  had  called  out  other  companift*. 
In  responding,  one  of  them  sent  a  ho.se-wagon 
south  on  Main  from  Mill  Street.  As  they 
neared  the  Wilcox  Block,  a  couple  of  ruffian* 
called  upon  them  to  halt  and  presented  guns 
from  behind  telephone  poles.  They  paid  no 
attention  to  the  command  and  both  guns  were 
discharged  point  blank  at  them.  How  they 
ever  escaped  alive  remains  a  marvel  to  those 
who  witnessed  the  scene.  They  drove  on,  fol- 
lowed by  bullets  and  shot,  and  only  desisted  in 
their  efforts  to  quench  that  fire  when  borne 
down  by  overwhelming  numbers. 

Shortly  after  the  tower,  with  its  staff  and 
M'aving  flag,  had  fallen  into  the  flaming  pit, 
the  fire  broke  out  in  the  City  Building. 
Whether  it  communicated  from  the  conflagra- 
tion south  of  it  or  was  set  afresh  is  not  known. 
The  more  probable  view  is  that  the  rioters 
hastened  the  destruction  by  setting  the  build- 
ing afire  directly.  In  an  incredibly  short  time 
fire  was  bursting  from  every  window  in  the 
building.  The  dynamite  explosions  had 
wrecked  the  floors  and  partitions,  doors  and 
windows  had  been  demolished  by  the  battering 
and  storm  of  shot,  and  the  flames  made  quick 
work  of  the  resulting  debris.  Both  buildings 
were  soon  enveloped  in  flames  and  the  con- 
flagration was  at  its  height.  All  the  splendor 
of  the  scene  when  Columbia  Hall  first  burst 
into  flames  was  doubled.  The  street  was  as 
light  as  day.  The  heat  drove  all  but  the  fire- 
men back  into  the  shadows.  They  stood  their 
gro\ind,  be.side  their  useless  hose  and  appara- 
tus.    The  mob  would  not  permit  a  drop  of 


water  to  be  thrown  upon  the  fire  and,  like  a 
tremendous  furnace,  it  seethed  and  rolled  and 
roared — an  awful  spectacle  to  the  thousands 
who  covered  hill-sides  and  house-tops,  at  a  safe 
distance  from  the  bullets  of  the  rioters.  The 
gleam  from  the  fire  lighted  up  their  faces,  still 
diabolical  with  hate  and  blood-lust,  as  they 
peered  from  behind  their  barriers  of  defence. 
The  frenzy  possessing  them  had  been  stilled 
by  the  tremendous  power  shown  by  the  nat- 
ural element  Fire.  Even  their  disordered 
minds  could  perceive  the  magnitude  of  the  in- 
fluences they  had  called  into  operation.  Even 
they  stood  thrilled  by  the  raging  and  tumult 
of  elemental  power.  Occasionally  a  malignant 
jeer,  a  demoniacal  howl  of  delight,  or  a  shot, 
broke  the  spell  and  recalled  the  thoughtful 
spectators  to  the  dread  reality  of  the  scene. 

The  minutes  passed  unheeded,  but  prob- 
ably an  hour  passed,  with  the  great  fire  hold- 
ing the  center  of  the  stage — the  one  great 
spectacle  that  centered  the  interest  and  gaze  of 
all.  Then  the  walLs  of  the  City  Building  fell, 
and  the  flames  gradually  shrunk  within  the 
pit  of  the  white  heat.  In  the  east,  pale  streaks 
along  the  horizon  indicated  the  coming  of 
another  day.  The  somber  gray  mellowed 
into  gold  and  the  first  gleam  of  dawn  mingled 
with  the  reddened  glow  from  the  ruins.  The 
outlines  of  objects  became  more  distinct.  It 
was  a  signal  from  the  powers  of  darkness  to 
slink  away.  As  the  Sun-God  scatters  the 
forces  of  Night;  as  Death  dwindles  into  in- 
significance before  the  truth  of  the  resurrec- 
tion; so  the  slaves  of  the  Demon  of  Anarchy 
slunk  away  into  their  places  of  hiding,  from 
their  revel  of  blood  and  fire,  before  the  mes- 
senger on  the  hilltops,  who  heralded  the 
coming  of  the  source  of  light — typical  of  or- 
der, law  and  right. 

By  4  o'clock  all  of  the  thousands  who 
thronged  the  sti-eets  had  gone  and  the  scene 
was  almost  deserted.  It  was  safe  enough  now 
for  those  policemen  who  were  in  hiding  to 
come  forth  and  go  to  their  homes,  and  they 
did. 

At  7  o'clock  the  first  of  the  militia  arrived. 
It  was  Company  C  of  the  Eighth  regiment, 
from  Canton.     It  was  known  as  "The  Presi- 


92 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


dent's  Own."  Never  were  the  boys  in  blue  re- 
ceived with  more  profound  gratitude.  The 
feelings  of  Akron  citizens  were  too  deep  for 
cheers  or  a  demonstration.  Nevertheless,  deep 
in  their  hearts  they  welcomed  the  soldier 
boys.  What  a  relief  to  see  those  swinging 
battalions  and  to  know  that  they  represented 
the  majesty  of  the  law!  What  a  comfort  in 
those  grim  rifles,  those  well-filled  ammunition 
boxes  and  the  keen  sight  of  those  sworn  foes 
to  disorder!  For  the  thoughtful  citizen  had 
been  much  disturbed.  He  had  seen  his  en- 
tire city  surrendered  to  the  will  of  a  riotous 
mob.  There  was  absolutely  nothing  to  re- 
strain that  mob  from  doing  anything  it 
pleased  with  the  property  and  the  lives  of  all 
the  citizens  of  Akron.  Not  a  dollar,  not  a 
life  was  safe  in  Akron  that  night.  Had  the 
notion  been  taken,  every  store  and  every  home 
might  have  been  pillaged  and  looted.  The 
leaders  of  that  mob  might  have  easily  per- 
suaded it  to  assist  in  working  out  revenge  for 
private  grievances  by  murder  and  arson.  They 
were  drunk  with  power  to  which  they  were 
unaccustomed,  and  reveled  in  the  use  of  it. 
For  instance,  just  as  the  City  Building  burst 
into  flames  a  number  broke  in  the  doors  of 
the  little  building  alongside  and  ran  out  the 
electric  police  patrol  automobile.  As  many 
as  it  would  hold  climbed  into  it;  others  clung 
to  the  steps  and  climbed  upon  the  top.  Then, 
it  was  started  amid  the  cheering  of  the  mob 
and  run  about  the  downtown  streets,  with  its 
occupants  singing  and  yelling,  \intil  they  tired 
of  the  sport  and  ended  the  wild  orgy  by  send- 
ing it  full  speed  into  the  canal. 

It  was  like  a  scene  from  the  wildest  period 
of  the  French  Revolution.  One  must  go  to 
the  orgies  of  that  carnival  of  disorder  to  find 
a  parallel,  unless,  indeed  it  .shall  be  found  in 
the  conceptions  of  certain  great  minds  con- 
cerning the  Inferno.  It  was  the  very  apothe- 
sis  of  evil. 

In  the  meantime  something  was  being 
done  in  an  attempt  to  stop  the  tide.  There 
were  a  few  citizens  aware  of  what  was  hap- 
pening, who  were  not  spellbound  by  the  aw- 
ful seenas  nor  frightened  into  supine  sub- 
servience by  the  exhibition  of  the  power  of 


the  mob.  Some  of  them  sought  the  sheriff. 
For  reasons  known  to  himself,  and  guessed  at 
by  others,  he  could  not  be  found.  Akron  had 
two  full  companies  of  militia  and  .some  other 
organizations  of  a  semi-military  character 
who  carry  rifles  and  look  real  brave  on  parade 
days.  The  captains  of  these  companies  were 
appealed  to.  The  reply  was,  "You  must  see 
the  Governor."  An  attempt  to  asemble  the 
companies  resulted  in  getting  only  three  or 
four  men  at  the  annories;  the  rest  were  min- 
gled with  the  crowd  watching  the  fire.  As  be- 
fore stated,  the  city  authorities,  from  the  high- 
est to  the  last-appointed  policeman,  were  com- 
pletely demoralized.  Finally  Governor  Nash 
was  reached  by  telephone  and  he  promised  to 
send  a  regiment  of  militia,  if  requested  by  the 
sheriff  of  the  county  or  the  mayor  of  the 
city.  Probate  Judge  George  M.  Anderson, 
accompanied  by  a  few  citizens,  then  took  a 
cab  to  search  for  the  mayor.  They  found 
him  at  home  and  persuaded  him  to  ask  the 
Governor  for  help. 

The  Fourth  regiment  of  the  Ohio  National 
Guard  was  in  camp  at  Minerva  Park,  near 
Columbus.  They  had  arrived  there  only  a 
day  or  two  before  for  their  anual  encamp- 
ment, as  required  by  law.  They  were  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  J.  D.  Potter,  who 
is  a  son  of  General  Potter,  of  the  United 
States  Armj'.  They  received  their  orders  at 
1 :45  o'clock  A.  M.  At  2 :45  the  entire  nine 
companies  were  entrained  and  on  their  way 
to  Akron.  A  special  train  on  the  Cleveland, 
Akron  &  Columbus  Railway  brought  them 
into  Akron  at  9  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
the  23d.  They  immediately  marched  down- 
town and  joined  Company  C  of  the  Eighth 
Regiment  in  guarding  the  city.  Colonel 
Adams  of  the  Governor's  staff  arrived  and 
took  charge  of  all  the  military  forces  in  the 
city,  including  the  local  companies,  which 
were  never  called  from  their  armories  dur- 
ing the  disturbed  period.  The  streets  near 
the  ruins  were  roped  off.  and  none  was  al- 
lowed to  approach  them.  The  downtown 
street  assumed  a  maxtial  appearance. 
Armed  sentries  paced  everywhere  and  compa- 
nies were  marching  back  and  forth  to  mess 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


93 


and  temporary  barracks  at  all  hours.  At 
noon,  after  a  consultation  of  officials  and  citi- 
zens, the  mayor  issued  a  proclamation  closing 
all  the  saloons  in  the  city  until  further  no- 
tice. The  revulsion  of  feeling  against  the 
rioters  was  so  strong  that  the  saloon-keepers 
were  very  willing  to  assist,  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, in  the  general  effort  to  restore  law  and 
order.  The  proclamation  was  generally  re- 
spected. Closing  the  saloons  undoubtedly 
was  a  great  factor  in  the  bringing  back  of 
peace  and  quiet  to  the  city. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  23d  a  meeting  of  all 
the  city  officials  and  a  few  prominent  citizen-' 
was  called  at  the  Hotel  Buchtel.  Chief  of 
Police  Harrison  could  not  be  found  anywhere. 
It  was  reported  that  he  was  la.st  seen  about  4 
o'clock  in  the  morning  driving  out  of  the 
city.  John  Durkin  had  been  appointed  by  the 
city  commissioners  as  acting  Chief  of  Police. 
\A^ith  the  city  officials,  there  assembled  at  the 
Hotel  Buchtel  Judge  U.  L.  Marvin,  Prosecu- 
tor R.  M.  Wanamaker.  Judge  G.  M.  Ander- 
son, Fire  Chief  Frank  Manderbach,  Colonel 
Potter,  Colonel  Adams  and  others.  At  this 
meeting  the  situation  was  thoroughly  dis- 
cussed and  the  city  government  reorganized. 
It  was  understood  the  city  was  not  under  mar- 
tial law.  but  that  the  city  authorities  were  in 
power  and  the  military  arm  of  the  govern- 
ment was  there,  not  to  supplant,  but  to  assist 
them.  Barracks  were  arranged  for  the  mili- 
tia and  they  were  quartered  at  the  old  Mar- 
ket House  Hall,  at  the  Court  House  and  in  a 
North  Main  Street  livery  barn.  Business 
was  practically  suspended  in  the  downtown 
stores  and  offices  all  day  of  the  23d.  The  riot 
was  the  one  theme  of  conversation  every- 
where. A  constant  stream  of  people  kept 
moving  all  day  long  about  the  ruins  of  Co- 
lumbia Hall  and  the  City  Building.  No 
crowds  were  allowed  to  congregate.  The  sol- 
diers kept  everyone  moving;  a  good  example 
for  the  police,  don't  you  think?  These  latter 
moved  about  town  in  companies  of  two  and 
three.  When  night  came  many  people  were 
apprehensive  that  more  trouble  would  take 
place.  Many  rumors  had  been  heard  during 
the  dav  that  another  attack  would  be  made. 


Many  persons  remained  down  street  rather  ex- 
pecting excitement  of  some  sort,  but  they 
were  disappointed,  and  the  soldiers  had  no 
other  duty  than  the  weary  work  of  sentry 
posting. 

On  Friday  business  was  resumed  and  the 
marching  of  the  soldiers  was  the  only  inci- 
dent different  from  the  ordinary  routine  of 
Akron  affairs.  In  the  middle  of  the  after- 
noon those  in  charge  of  things  startled  the 
whole  community  by  an  act  of  exceeding  dar- 
ing. It  was  successful  and  can  be  called  dar- 
ing; if  it  had  failed,  it  would  have  been 
termed  foolhardy  .  This  coup  de'etat  was  no 
less  a  feat  than  bringing  the  rapist  Peck  back 
to  Akron  for  trial.  It  happened  in  this 
way : 

A  meeting  of  the  officials  was  held  Friday 
morning  to  determine  the  course  to  pursue  in 
regard  to  Peck.  The  crime  was  committed 
in  Summit  County  and  he  would  have  to  be 
brought  back  here  for  arraignment.  Why 
was  it  not  better  to  bring  him  back  while  the 
militia  were  here  to  protect  him  and  prevent 
additional  rioting?  The  stay  of  the  soldiers 
must,  of  necessity,  be  brief,  hence,  the  sooner 
action  was  taken,  the  better.  The  very  au- 
dacity of  the  thing,  too,  would  aid  in  its  suc- 
cessful prosecution.  The  people  would  be 
far  from  expecting  any  move  of  this  kind 
and  the  rioters  would  not  be  prepared  to  take 
advantage  of  their  opportunity.  John  E. 
Washer,  the  prison-keeper,  was  still  weak  from 
the  effect  of  the  blow  on  his  head,  but  it  was 
decided  that  he  was  the  best  man  to  go  to 
Cleveland  for  Peck,  who  was  .still  confined  in 
the  Cuyahoga  County  jail.  Dr.  A.  K.  Fouser 
was  engaged  to  accompany  Mr.  Washer  and 
give  him  such  medical  attention  as  he  might 
require.  Driving  to  a  Valley  train  in  a  cab. 
they  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  toTvn  unob- 
served. 

In  Cleveland  they  were  not  so  fortunate. 
Thej'  had  been  in  the  jail  but  a  few  moments 
when  the  news  spread  fast  that  they  had  come 
for  Peck  and,  when  they  were  ready  to  de- 
part, a  large  crowd  surrounded  the  carriage 
in  front  of  the  jail  and  filled  the  street.  It 
was  a  crowd  disposed  to  make  trouble,  too. 


94 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


What  was  to  be  done?  The  afternoon  was 
passing  and  whatever  was  to  be  done  must  be 
decided  upon  quickly.  A  special  train  on  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  had  been  engaged 
by  the  Summit  County  authorities  and  was 
waiting  at  the  station  to  take  the  party  to 
Howard  Street,  without  any  stops.  Colonel 
Potter  had  detailed  a  company  of  soldiers  to 
meet  the  train  upon  ite  arrival.  Sheriff 
Bai-ry  was  to  telephone  from  Cleveland  as 
soon  as  the  party  started.  Judge  David  J.  Nye 
had  been  called  over  from  Elyria  to  hold  a 
special  session  of  Common  Pleas  Court.  A 
special  Grand  Jury  had  been  empaneled  at  2 
o'clock  that  afternoon.  One  witness  had  been 
heard  and  a  true  bill  found  against  Lewis 
Peck.  It  was  understood  that  he  would  plead 
guilty  to  the  indictment.  He  would  then  be 
taken  to  Columbus  on  the  afternoon  train  and 
the  cause  of  the  riot  would  be  safely  out  of 
the  jurisdiction.  These  were  the  plans  and 
they  were  carefully  laid.  But  in  the  crowd 
outside  the  Cleveland  jail,  and  constantly 
growing  larger  and  more  restless,  was  an  ob- 
stacle not  considered  by  the  plotters.  What 
was  to  be  done?  So  much  time  had  been  lost 
that  it  was  nearly  time  for  the  Columbus  train 
to  start — the  one  upon  which  it  was  planned 
to  carry  Peck  to  the  penitentiary.  Washer 
and  Barry  got  their  heads  together  and 
planned  a  neat  trick  upon  the  crowd.  They 
telephoned  for  another  closed  carriage  to  be 
driven  to  the  rear  door  of  the  jail.  Washer, 
Fouser  and  the  prisoner,  the  latter  manacled 
to  Washer,  were  all  ready  to  enter  so  soon  as 
it  drove  up.  As  it  appeared  in  sight.  Sheriff 
Barry  went  to  the  front  door  and  thus  engaged 
the  attention  of  the  crowd,  which  pressed  JFor- 
ward,  expecting  the  prisoner  next.  Giving 
his  party  time  to  enter  their  carriage,  he  re- 
entered the  jail,  as  if  he  had  forgotten  some- 
thing, and  joined  them.  The  horses  were 
whipped  up  and  a  wild  race  started  for  the 
Union  depot  to  catch  the  Columbus  train. 
The  Baltimore  &  Ohio  special  was  left  stand- 
ing at  the  Water  street  depot. 

.\  few  who  had  obsei*ved  the  ruse  gave  an 
alarm  and  the  crowd  started  after  the  carriage. 
Most  gave  up  the  chase  after  running  a  block, 


but  a  few  newspaper  reporters  reached  the 
station  nearly  as  quick  a.s  the  officials,  one  or 
two  hanging  onto  the  carriage,  which  they  h  d 
overtaken.  They  rushed  by  the  ticket'  in- 
spector at  the  gates  and  the  party  was  soon 
safe  within  the  railway  car.  The  newspaper 
men  followed  and  the  whole  party  were  scarce- 
ly seated  when  the  train  pulled  out.  Sheriff 
Barry  ordered  the  conductor  to  lock  the  doors 
of  the  car  and  this  was  done.  As  the  train 
neared  Euclid  Avenue,  the  reporters  prepared 
notes  to  be  thrown  out  and  carried  to  their 
papers.  The  windows  were  all  put  down  and, 
upon  Washer's  threat  to  shoot  the  man  who 
touched  a  window,  no  effort  was  made  to 
throw  out  notes  at  Euclid  station.  Sheriff 
Barry  left  the  train  there  and  Mr.  Washer  and 
Dr.  Fouser  proceeded  alone,  with  the  cringing 
negro  on  his  knees,  on  the  floor  between  them, 
imploring  Washer  to  shoot  him.  The  news- 
paper men  were  carried  along,  although  some 
of  them  had  no  money  to  pay  their  fares. 

Sheriff  Barry  telephoned  the  change  of 
plans  from  Cleveland  and  a  carriage  was  wait- 
ing at  the  Union  depot  in  Akron.  There  was 
no  crowd  at  the  station  and  no  guard  but  two 
soldiei-s  and  one  policeman,  who  were  on  duty 
there.  Arrangements  had  been  made  to  ho'd 
the  train  for  thirty  minutes  at  the  station.  It 
arrived  at  3 :20.  The  employees  of  the  Tap- 
lin  Rice  &  Co.  saw  Peck  taken  into  the  Court 
House  and  swai-med  out  into  the  street.  In 
the  court  room  the  judge  was  waiting  and 
all  the  other  requisites  of  a  criminal  action  at 
law  were  ready.  The  judge  cleared  the  room 
of  soldiers,  ordered  Washer  to  put  up  his  pis- 
tol and  remove  the  manacles  from  the  pri.s- 
oner.  Peck  waived  the  reading  of  the  indict- 
ment. Upon  being  asked  whether  he  wished 
to  plead  guilty'  or  not  guilty  to  the  charge  of 
rape  he  replied,  '"Guilty."  Thereupon  the 
court  inquired  if  he  had  anything  to  say  be- 
fore sentence  should  be  pronounced  upon  him. 
His  answer  was  no.  The  court  then  imposed 
a  sentence  of  life  imprisonment  in  the  peni- 
tentiary at  Columbus,  the  first  thirty  days  of 
which  were  to  be  passed  in  solitary  confine- 
ment.    Pock  wa.?  visibly  frightened  through- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


97 


out  the  whole  proceedings.  He  was  again 
manacled,  trembling  like  a  leaf.  A  guard  of 
twenty  militiamen  surrounded  him  and  Sher- 
iff Kelley  as  they  started  for  the  train.  In 
the  meantime  the  conductor  of  the  train  had 
been  ordered  by  telephone  to  bring  hi^  train 
up  to  Center  Street.  As  the  little  party  moved 
out  into  Broadway  toward  Center  the  crowd 
of  workingmen  surged  about  and  tried  to  seize 
Peck.  The  soldiers  fixed  bayonets  and  met 
the  new  rioters  with  .sharp  steel.  They  de- 
sisted their  attempts  only  when  the  pris3ner 
was  safely  within  the  train.  The  sheriff  was 
waiting  for  it  as  it  di'ew  up.  It  did  not  come 
to  a  full  stop,  but  the  prisoner  was  hustled 
aboard,  the  sheriff'  followed,  and  Peck  wa.s  on 
his  way  to  the  only  .spot  that  will  again  know 
him  on  earth.  He  was  arraigned,  pleaded 
guilty,  was  sentenced,  and  on  his  way  to 
prison  all  within  twenty  minutes.  Just  four 
days  after  his  crime  was  committed  he  had 
commenced  to  serve  his  sentence.  Justice  can 
move  quickly  when  it  has  to. 

These  things  happened  on  Friday,  August 
24,  1900.  Justice  in  this  case  was  fully  done. 
It  was  not  overdone  as  some  very  interested 
parties  would  have  you  believe.  Peck  richly 
deserved  his  sentence.  No  more  heinous 
crime  was  ever  committed  in  Summit  County. 
It  was  revolting  and  repulsive  in  the  extreme. 
The  public  has  neVer  learned  the  details  and 
it  never  will,  for  they  are  too  loathsome  to 
publish.  Unspeakable  cruelty  was  practiced 
by  that  black  ravisher  upon  that  innocent  lit- 
tle baby.  Not  only  that,  but  Peck's  record 
was  a  bad  one  before  coming  to  Akron.  The 
New  York  Tribune  printed  a  list  of  the  crimes 
for  which  he  was  wanted  at  Patterson,  New 
Jersey.  It  is  far  better  for  him  and  for  so- 
ciety that  he  be  denied  his  liberty  until  Death 
shall  free  him,  and  his  shrivelled  soul  shall 
pass  on  for  the  sentence  of  the  Great  Judge. 
No  maudlin  sentimentality  should  be  allowed 
to  interfere  with  the  complete  execution  of 
this  just  sentence.  The  pleas  of  lawyers  en- 
gaged by  his  friends  to  obtain  his  release  are 
mercenary  and  should  fall  upon  deaf  ears. 


THE  AFTERMATH  OF  THE  KIOT. 

With  Louis  Peck  safely  in  the  penitentiary, 
the  members  of  the  military  forces  began  to 
think  of  discharge  from  the  irksome  duties 
which  had  been  unexpectedly  imposed  upon 
them.  The  Fourth  Regiment  had  lost  a  large 
part  of  the  benefit  of  their  annual  encamp- 
ment and  they  longed  to  return  to  Minerva 
Park.  Colonels  Adams  and  Potter  desired  to 
leave  Akron  with  their  commands  on  Friday 
night.  The  city  authorities  were  apprehensive 
of  trouble  to  come  on  Saturday  night.  The 
mayor  urged  the  colonels  to  remain  until 
Monday  morning.  Saturday  brought  with  it 
a  half-holiday  and  most  of  the  shops  and  fac- 
tories paid  their  men  on  that  day.  Hence,  it 
was  thought  that  if  new  trouble  were  to  arise 
it  was  most  probable  that  it  would  come  Sat- 
urday night.  The  militia  officei"s  reluctantly 
complied  with  the  wishes  of  the  mayor.  Sat- 
urday and  Sunday  pas.9ed  without  extraordi- 
nary incident.  If  anything,  the  city  was 
more  orderly  than  usual. 

On  Saturday  afternoon  the  mayor  held  the 
first  session  of  Police  Court  since  AVednesday 
morning.  By  consent  of  the  county  officials, 
it  was  held  in  the  Court  House.  The  city 
government  was  without  a  home  of  any  kind. 
On  Mondaj^,  August  27,  at  an  early  hour  in 
the  morning,  the  military  companies  took 
their  departure  and  the  city  was  left  to  take 
care  of  itself.  The  city  commissioners  had 
leased  for  one  year  the  substantial  stone  of- 
fice building  of  the  American  Cereal  Com- 
pany, on  the  cornel"  of  Mill  and  Broadway. 
This  had  been  abandoned  by  the  company 
when  its  principal  offices  had  been  moved  to 
Chicago.  The  postoffice  department  of  the 
federal  government  had  occupied  it  for  a 
while  as  the  .site  of  the  Akron  postoffice  while 
the  government  building  was  being  com- 
pleted. It  had  been  vacant  several  years  and 
was  the  only  available  location  for  the  pur- 
poses of  the  city.  The  Board  of  City  Commis- 
.sioners  met  here  on  Monday  morning  and 
tran.sacted  their  first  real  business  subsequent 
to  the  riot.  Their  first  biisiness  was  to  act 
upon  the  request  of  Chief  of  Police  H.  H. 


98 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Harrison  for  a  leave  of  absence  for  ten  days. 
It  was  granted  and  lie  left  for  Chicago  to  at- 
tend the  annual  reunion  of  the  Grand  Array 
of  the  Republic,  of  which  he  is  a  member. 
The  coroner,  E.  0.  Leberman  announced  that 
he  would  hold  his  inquest  over  the  victims  of 
the  shooting  during  the  latter  part  of  the  week, 
as  evidence  was  rapidly  being  secured.  The 
public  authorities,  both  city  and  county,  had 
already  taken  steps  to  bring  about  the  arrest 
of  all  parties  who  had  been  active  in  the  law- 
less proceedings  of  Wednesday  night.  De- 
tectives from  Cleveland  and  Pittsburg  were  on 
the  scene  by  Thursday  and  were  fast  securing 
evidence  against  the  guilty  ones.  By  Tues- 
day, the  28th,  the  authorities  began  to  suffer 
from  a  perfect  deluge  of  anonymous  letters, 
threatening  them  all  with  death  if  any  ar- 
rests were  made.  They  paid  no  attention  to 
these  threats,  but  persevered  in  the  task  of  run- 
ning down  the  criminals.  Many  of  the  riot- 
ers were  strangers  in  the  city  and  many  others 
had  left  upon  learning  that  they  were  likely 
to  be  brought  to  justice.  Hence,  the  work 
was  very  difficult.  Finally  a  special  grand  jury 
was  impaneled  amd  J.  Park  Alexander  was 
made  foreman  of  it.  The  county  prosecutor, 
who  had  been  indefatigable  in  the  work,  laid 
before  it  the  evidence  he  had  secured.  Tiiie 
bills  were  returned  against  forty-one  men  and 
boys  who  had  been  the  leaders  of  the  mob. 
Soon  the  county  jail  was  filled  with  the  ac- 
cused persons.  Officer  John  E.  Washer  ar- 
rested one  man,  Vernand  Kempf,  down  in 
Tennessee,  and  brought  him  safely  back  to 
Akron.  Upon  his  trial  for  shooting  wnth  in- 
tent to  kill,  he  was  found  guilty  and  sen- 
tenced to  imprisonment  in  the  penitentiary 
for  eighteen  months.  The  other  cases  were 
disposed  of  as  follows: 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  William  Hunt,  George 
Brodt  and  James  McNaughton — Gharo;e,  riot- 
ing. Hunt  retracts  his  plea  of  not  guilty  and 
enters  plea  of  guilty,  and  is  sentenced  to  pay 
a  fine  of  $25  and  costs.  Defendant  McNaugh- 
ton plead  guilty;  sentence,  $20  and  costs. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  Harry  Earle,  Jr.,  Claude 
Bender,  .4ndrew  Morgan.  Andrew  Wilburn — 
Charge,    rioting.     Defendant    Bender    pleads 


guilty,  sentenced  to  workhouse  for  thirty 
days  and  pay  $10  fine  and  costs.  Nolle  entered 
as  to  all  the  defendants  except  Bender. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  Walter  Wingerter,  Ar- 
thur Sprague,  Prank  Sickles,  William  Henry 
— Charge,  burglary  and  larceny.  Wingerter 
sentenced  to  the  reformatory.  Same  as  to  de- 
fendants Sickles  and  Henry. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  Frank  Bisson — Shooting 
with  intent  to  kill  or  wound.  Sentenced  to 
Boys'  Industrial  School. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  Howard  McClelland. 
Shooting  with  intent  to  kill  or  wound.  Sen- 
tenced to  penitentiaiy  for  one  year. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  John  Rhoden.  Shooting 
with  intent  to  kill  or  wound.  Sentenced  to 
penitentiary  for  one  year. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  Charles  Timmerman, 
David  Spellman,  Frank  Wheeler,  Joseph 
Higy — Charge,  rioting.  Defendant  Wheeler 
plead  guilty;  sentence,  thirty  days  in  jail  and 
pay  the  co.ste.  Defendant  Spellman,  $25  and 
costs.    Dismissed  as  to  Higy, 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  Walter  Wingerter,  Frank 
Sickles  and  William  Crile — Charge,  rioting. 
Defendant  Crile  .sentenced  to  pay  $20  and 
costs. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  Arthur  Sprague,  Norma/n 
Breckenridge  and  Edward  Eppley — Charge, 
rioting.  Brockenridge,  thirty  days  in  jail  and 
$25  fine  and  costs.  Sprague  the  same.  Ep- 
pley, no  trial. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  Sandy  Coppard,  William 
Henry  and  Edward  Henry — Charge,  rioting. 
All  sentenced  to  thirty  days  in  jail  and  $25 
fine  and  costs. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  William  Averill,  Andrew 
B.  Halter  and  Frank  BLsson — Charge,  rioting. 
Halter  and  Averill  fined  $50  and  costs.  Bis- 
son dropped  from  the  docket. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  Charles  Timmerman — 
Charge,  breaking  into  prison  and  attacking 
officer  for  the  purpose  of  lynching.  Sen- 
tenced to  penitentiary  for  one  year. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  Edward  Ej^pley,  Harry 
Earle,  Jr.,  and  Oliver  Morgan — Charge,  un- 
lawful pos«es.sion  and  use  of  dynamite.  All 
sentenced  to  refonnators-  and  to  pay  costs. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  William  Averill — Charge, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


shooting,  with  intent  to  kill  or  wound.    Sen- 
tenced to  reformatory. 

State  of  Ohio  v.s.  Vernando  Kempf — Charge, 
shooting  with  intent  to  kill  or  wound.  Sen- 
tenced to  penitentiary  for  eighteen  months. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  Charles  Fink  and  David 
Snyder — Charge,  rioting.  Defendant  Fink 
pleads  guilty;  sentence,  thirty  days  in  jail. 
$25  and  costs.  Defendant  Snyder  plead 
guilty ;  sentenced  to  pay  $20  and  costs. 

State  of  Ohio  vs.  Frank  Viall,  Lovell  Nigh 
and  August  Simmonette — Charge,  rioting. 
Nigh  sentenced  thirty  days  in  jail,  $25  and 
costs.  Simmonette,  thirty  days  in  jail,  $25 
and  costs.  A^iall,  $50  and  costs  and  thirty 
days  in  jail. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  there  were  thirty  con- 
victions in  the  cases  resulting  from  the  riot. 
When  one  reflects  upon  the  amount  of  work 
necessary  to  prepare  for  and  conduct  one  im- 
portant criminal  action  at  law,  he  will  read- 
ily appreciate  the  titanic  labor  performed  by 
the  public  authorities.  Able  counsel  had 
been  secured  to  defend  each  of  the  accused 
men,  and  the  trials  were  hotly  contested.  The 
result  reflects  every  credit  upon  R.  M.  Wana- 
maker,  the  prosecuting  attorney.  It  is  hardly 
possible  to  bestow  too  much  praise  upon  the 
energy  and  skill  he  devoted  to  his  work  in 
bringing  retribution  upon  those  guilty  of 
causing  so  much  shame  to  the  fair  city  of 
Akron. 

There  was  one  glaring  miscarriage  of  jus- 
tice. The  public  felt  keenly  that  the  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council,  of  whom  mention  was 
made  in  the  last  chapter,  and  who  was  one  of 
the  leaders  of  the  mob,  should  have  been  pun- 
ished for  his  misdeeds  that  night.  He  es- 
caped free.  It  was  also  regretted  by  many 
that  the  court,  in  passing  sentence  upon  those 
convicted,  did  not  impose  heavier  sentences, 
because  of  the  heinousne.?s  of  the  offenses. 
There  is  this  to  be  said  in  extenuation,  that 
for  many  of  them,  it  was  a  first  offense ;  that 
the  excitement  of  the  moment  carried  some 
of  them  off  their  feet;  that  some  up  to  this 
time  had  borne  good  reputations  in  the  com- 
munity; that  some  had  families  dependent 
upon  them  for  support,  and  that    the    sen- 


tences, such  as  they  were,  would  be  a  suffi- 
cient deterrent  from  future  violation  of  law. 

Thus  justice  emerged  triumphant,  as  she 
always  will.  Law  and  Order  were  fully  re- 
stored and  affairs  moved  along  in  orderly  pro- 
cession. The  citizens  began  to  take  an  ac- 
count of  their  losses.  The  City  Building  was 
but  a  heap  of  bricks,  stones  and  twisted  iron. 
Columbia  Hall,  one  of  the  chief  meeting- 
places  of  the  city,  was  the  same.  The  build- 
ings on  the  opposite  side  of  Main  Street  had 
been  damaged  by  flames  and  the  violence  of 
the  mob.  One  of  the  stores  there  had  been 
looted.  The  stores  south  of  Columbia  Hall 
had  been  damaged  by  fire  and  smoke.  The 
Standard  Hardware  Company  had  lost  its  en- 
tire stock  of  fire-arms.  For  all  this  loss  not 
one  cent  of  fire  insurance  could  be  collected. 
Several  cases  brought  to  collect  insurance 
dragged  their  weary  lengths  through  the 
various  counts  for  several  years  afterward, 
but  it  was  uniformly  decided  that  the  com- 
panies were  not  liable  for  loss  occa.sioned  by 
the  mob.  The  loss  in  money  was  about  a 
quarter  of  a  million  dollars.  A  whole  regi- 
ment of  soldiers  was  quartered  for  nearly  a 
week.  The  city  and  county  had  large  bills 
to  pay  for  detective  service  and  the  expense 
of  the  trials.  Many  citizens  received  serious 
injuries  from  bullets  and  flying  missiles  of  all 
kinds.  Among  them  the  newspapers  men- 
tioned the  following:  Fred  Vorwerk,  W.  H. 
Dussel,  Park  Stair,  Arthur  E.  Sprague,  John 
Ahren,  E.  Chemelitzki,  Albert  Grant,  Frank 
Sours,  E.  Shelby  and  Albert  Stevens,  of  the 
citizens;  L.  Manch&ster,  W.  Roepke,  Minor 
Fritz,  John  Denious,  A.  Eberle  and  David 
Phillips,  of  the  firemen,  and  John  E.  Washer, 
Alva  Greenlese,  John  King  and  Edward 
Dunn,  of  the  police  force. 

Although  seven  years  have  passed  since  that 
momentous  time,  the  city  is  still  occupying 
the  old  office  of  the  American  Cereal  Com- 
pany as  a  City  Hall.  Three  different  adminis- 
trations have  conducted  the  city's  affairs 
within  its  walls.  They  are  still  called  "tem- 
porary quarters,"  but  there  is  no  prospect  of 
anything  more  permanent  for  years  to  come. 
The   city  is  so  busy  building  viaducts   and 


100 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


paving  streets  and  expending  so  much  money 
for  such  purposes  and  the  present  quarters  are 
so  well  adapted  for  the  present  needs  that  it 
is  probable  that  Akron  will  have  no  City  Hall 
of  her  own  for  many  years  to  come.  In  spite 
of  some  objections  on  the  part  of  some  offi- 
cials, it  must  be  admitted  that  the  present 
building  makes  a  very  good  housing  for  the 
conduct  of  municipal  affairs,  and  that  the 
rent  is  not  unreasonable  for  such  a  structure. 
The  City  Council  has  a  room  large  enough 
for  it.=!  deliberations ;  the  Mayor's  Court  is  well 
provided  for;  the  Boai-d  of  Health,  the  Audi- 
tor, the  Solicitor  and  the  Police  Department, 
all  have  separate  and  commodious  apart- 
ments. 

The  main  damage  caused  by  the  riot  was 
that  done  to  the  hitherto  fair  reputation  of 
the  city.  In  the  heart  of  the  cultured  West- 
ern Reserve  of  Ohio,  it  was  not  thought  pos- 
sible that  such  an  outbreak  of  lawlessness 
could  occur.  The  other  cities  of  the  Western 
Reserve  blushed  for  us.  The  great  state  of 
Ohio  was  ashamed  of  us.  We  had  brought 
discredit  upon  the  great  state  of  which  we 
are  so  proud.  Our  shame  went  abroad 
throughout  the  land — throughout  the  worH. 
The  great  newspapers  sent  special  correspond- 
ents to  Akron  and  covered  their  front  pages 
with  great,  black  headlines  to  publish  to  the 
world  our  disgrace.  As  an  example,  the  Pitts- 
b\irgh  Dispatch  of  August  24,  1900.  bore 
across  the  entire  front  page  in  .startling  type, 
this  inscription :  "National  Guard  Preserves 
Order  in  Shamed  Akron."    This  shame,  this 


disgrace,  this  damage  to  a  splendid  reputa- 
tion, was  our  greatest  loss. 

If  the  cause  of  it  all  can  be  said  to  belong 
to  those  who  might  have  averted  it,  then 
there  is  no  difficulty  in  putting  the  blame 
where  it  belongs — at  the  door  of  incompetent 
public  officials.  The  errors  of  judgment  on 
their  part  were  so  numerous  that  it  will  not 
be  possible  to  mention  them  here.  Even  when 
the  riot  was  at  its  height,  a  dozen  determined 
policemen  could  have  put  the  entire  mob  to 
rout.  Many  times  that  night  it  happened, 
that  some  one  would  cry,  "The  Police  are 
Coming  Out,"  and  the  entire  crowd  would 
take  to  their  heels  and  scatter  in  all  direc- 
tions. It  is  to  be  feared  that  downright  cow- 
ardice, as  well  as  lack  of  judgment,  was  one 
of  the  prominent  characteristics  of  those  now 
criticised. 

From  the  black  picture  let  us  turn  to  a 
bright  one.  Letters  of  shining  gold  should 
be  used  to  tell  of  the  deeds  of  Akron's  fire- 
men who  played  so  noble  a  part  in  that 
night's  doings.  From  its  very  beginning, 
Akron's  fire  department  has  never  been  found 
wanting  in  any  emergency,  but  on  this  occa- 
sion, it  covered  itself  with  everlasting  glory. 
The  prison-keeper  and  a  few  of  the  police- 
men proved  also  that  night  that  they  were 
brave  men.  These,  with  the  county  prose- 
cutor, and  the  members  of  the  Grand  and 
Petit  juries  who  dealt  with  the  riot  cases,  are 
they  who  emerged  with  credit  from  the  Riot 
of  1900. 


CHAPTER  V 


TCWNSHIPS  AND  TQ-WNS 


Settlement  and  Organization  of  the  Townships — Settlement  and  Founding  of  the  Towns 
Sketches  of  Barberton,  Cuyahoga  Falls,    Hudson,   Tallmadge,  Peninsula,  Etc. 


Summit  County  possesses  some  of  the  most 
beautiful  scenery  in  Ohio.  There  is  not  an 
uninteresting  township  in  the  whole  county. 
Each  has  some  special  charm  to  prove  that 
Nature  has  been  most  lavish  of  her  gifts. 
The  valley  of  the  Cuyahoga  divides  the  upper 
half  of  the  county,  while  the  southern  half 
is  diversified  by  a  chain  of  beautiful  lakes. 
Everywhere  there  is  variety;  monotonous  ex- 
panses of  level  ground  are  nowhere  to  be 
seen.  Near  the  head  of  the  Cuyalioga  A^al- 
ley  are  the  famed  Northampton  Hills  which 
offer  vistas  of  hill  country  that  remind  the 
beholder  of  New  England.  Here,  on  a 
smaller  scale,  are  the  qualities  which  have 
made  the  Berkshires  famous  for  their  beauty. 
The  Lake  Country  has  its  eminences,  also, 
rising  two  or  three  hundred  feet  almost  from 
the  water's  edge.  The  lakes,  nestling  amid 
these  green  hills,  make  a  picture  which  is 
worthy  the  long  journey  which  many  travel- 
ers make  to  see  it.  From  these  high  points, 
the  land  stretches  away  to  the  east  and  west 
in  long  rolls  and  billows.  It  is  not  a  matter 
of  wonder  that  Medina  and  Portage  and  Stark 
counties  objected  so  strenuously  to  being  de- 
prived of  the  townships  which  were  taken 
from  them  to  form  the  new  county  of  Sum- 
mit. By  that  process  they  lost  the  fairest 
portion  of  their  domain. 


BATH  TOWNSHIP. 

Of  the  early  settlers  of  Bath  Township 
there  are  two  families  which  stand  out  pre- 
eminent— the  Hfxles  and  the  Hammonds. 
The  influence  of  the  Hale  family  during  the 
years  subsequent  has  been  stronger  and  wider 
felt  than  that  of  perhaps  any  other  family  in 
the  county.  It  has  been  of  incalculable  bene- 
fit, exerted,  as  it  always  has  been,  in  behalf 
of  high  thinking  and  clean  living.  The  fact 
that  for  a  long  time  this  region  was  called 
"Hammondsburgh"  shows  the  prominent 
part  Jason  Hamimond  played  in  the  perform- 
ance of  its  early  affairs.  The  hamlet  of 
Hammond's  Corners  still  bears  the  name  of 
this  first  settler.  The  first  real  settlement  of 
the  township  was  made  in  1810.  During  the 
summer  of  that  year,  Jonathan  Hale  and  Ja- 
son Hammond,  both  Connecticut  men,  came 
to  Ohio  to  settle  upon  the  land  they  had  re- 
cently purchased.  They  were  obliged  to  dis- 
possess other  white  men  whom  they  found 
living  upon  their  land  without  color  of  title. 
A  survey  of  the  township  had  been  made  in 
1805,  and  the  name  "Wheatfield"  given  to  it 
by  Rial  McArthur,  the  surveyor,  probably  be- 
cau.se  his  eyes  had  been  gladdened  that  day 
by  a  .sight  of  a  waving  field  of  that  grain. 
It  is  a  pity  the  name  did  not  survive.  Fine 
fields  of  wheat  may  be  seen  on  all  hands,  to- 
day, in  season,  and  it  is  one  of   the   success- 


102 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ful  crops  of  the  township,  while  the  name  of 
Bath  is  of  no  significance,  locally,  whatever. 
It  is  said  the  name  was  given  to  the  town- 
ship in  joke.  It  is  now  firmly  affixed  and 
"Bath"  this  township  will  ever  be.  Bath  was 
organized  as  a  township  in  1818,  and  Jona- 
than Hale  was  made  the  first  trustee;  Jason 
Hammond,  supervisor;  Henry  Hutson,  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  and  Eleazer  Rice,  consta- 
ble. Bath  sent  nearly  one  hundred  men  into 
the  Union  Arrny  during  the  Civil  War  and 
many  of  her  citizens  have  occupied  promi- 
nent places  in  the  county  and  State.  Among 
them'  may  be  mentioned  Gen.  A.  C.  Voris. 
Peter  Voris,  R.  0.  Hammond,  J.  Park  Alex- 
ander, Sumner  Nash,  C.  0.  Hale,  Jared  Bar- 
ker and  0.  W.  Hale.  The  principal  plac&s 
in  the  township  are  Botzura,  a  station  on  the 
Cleveland  and  Terminal  Valley  branch  of 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad;  Montrose 
(formerly  called  Latta's  Corners  and  some- 
times Ellis'  Corners)  ;  Hammond's  Corners 
and  Ghent.  At  the  picturesque  village  last 
mentioned  there  are  extensive  saw-mills,  grist- 
mills, a  general  store,  etc.  P.  A.  Ganyard 
is  the  township  clerk  in  1907,  and  William 
Davis  and  C.  S".  Parsons  are  justices  of  the 
peace. 

BOSTON    TOWNSHIP. 

Boston  Township  contains  three  villages — 
Peninsula,  Boston  Mills  and  Everett.  The 
earliest  settlers  were  also  from  Connecticut. 
In  1805,  the  purchasers  of  the  holdings  of 
the  Connecticut  Land  Company  sent  many 
surveying  corps  into  Summit  County  for  the 
purpose  of  alloting  the  lands.  In  this  year 
Alfred  Wolcott,  Jamas  Stanford.  John  Teale 
and  Samuel  Ewart  came  into  Boston  Town- 
ship for  the  purpose  of  making  a  survey.  In 
1806,  Wolcott  and  Stanford  both  purcha.sed 
land  surveyed  by  them  the  summer  previous 
and  located  upon  it  at  once.  Tlioy  thus  be- 
came the  first  settlers  in  the  town.ship.  The 
Wolcott  family  afterward  became  very  promi- 
nent and  influential.  The  town.ship  wa.?  or- 
ganized in  1811,  as  a  part  of  Portage  County. 


its  firet  officers  were  Timothy  Bishop,  Andrew 
Johnson  and  Aai'on  Miller,  trustees;  William 
Beers,  clerk;  Launcelot  May,  treasurer;  Al- 
fred Wolcott  and  Moses  Cunningham,  jus- 
tices of  the  peace,  and  James  Jordan,  consta- 
ble. More  than  140  men  of  Boston  township 
fought  for  the  Union  in  the  war  of  1861-65, 
the  most  distinguished  of  whom  was  Colonel 
Arthur  L.  Conger.  On  July  4,  1889,  Colonel 
and  Mrs.  Conger  presented  to  Boston  Town- 
.ship the  fine  soldiers'  monument  which  stands 
in  the  village  of  Peninsula  at  its  western  bor- 
der. Peninsula  has  an  extensive  flour-mill 
and,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  village,  a 
large  stone-quaiTy  of  a  fine-gi'ained,  white 
.sand-stone,  from  which  mill-stones  are  made. 
Boston  has  saw-mills  and  the  great  paper- 
mills  of  the  Akron-Cleveland  Paper  Bag 
Company,  the  power  for  which  is  partly  se- 
cured from  a  large  dam  thrown  across  the 
Cuyahoga  River.  Colonel  A.  L.  Conger  aaid 
Hon.  S.  P.  Wolcott  are  the  Boston  citizens 
who  have  earned  for  themselves  the  greatest 
fame.  At  the  present  time  Charles  Peterson 
is  clerk  and  E.  B.  Conger  and  N.  B.  Wise  are 
justices  of  the  peace. 

COPLEY  TOWNSHIP. 

Copky  Township  came  to  us  from  Medina 
County  when  our  county  was  created  in  1840. 
It  is  well  watered  by  Pigeon  Creek,  Wolf 
Creek  and  Chocolog  Creek,  besides  having 
within  its  confines  AMiite  Pond,  Black  Pond 
and  Chocolog  Pond.  Formerly  a  great  swamp 
called  Copley  Swamp  occupied  a  large  part 
of  it,  but  by  judicious  draining  it  has  been 
reduced  to  an  insignificant  area.  It  Ls  now 
one  vast  garden — the  old  peat  and  muck  beds 
furnishing  the  best  kind  of  soil  for  raising 
celery,  onions,  etc.  In  early  times  it  was  the 
great  game  preserve  of  the  whole  region. 
Copley  was  first  settled  in  1814  by  Jonah 
Turner,  who  came  from  Pennsylvania.  Six 
additional  families  arrived  during  the  next 
five  years.  ■  It  was  set  apart  as  a  township  of 
Medina  County  in  1819,  and  was  named 
Greenfield  at  first  by  Garner  Green,  who  origi- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


103 


nally  owned  a  large  part  of  ite  territory.  He 
afterwards  changed  the  name  to  Copley,  the 
maiden  name  of  his  wife.  When  the  North- 
ern Ohio  Railroad  was  built,  in  1891,  it  gave 
Copley  an  outlet,  and  was  the  means  of  start- 
ing a  new  hamlet — Fairlawn,  which  now 
boasts  a  mill,  general  store,  smithy,  etc.  Cop- 
ley sent  nearly  150  men  into  the  Union 
Army.  Homer  G.  Long  is  now  township 
clerk  and  C.  C.  Frederick  is  justice  of  the 
peace. 

COVENTRY    TOWNSHIP. 

Coventry  Township  lies  to  the  north  of 
Franklin  and  Green  and  just  outside  of  the 
City  of  Akron.  It  is  also  the  southern  line 
of  the  Western  Reserve.  Its  physical  fea- 
tures are  unusual  in  that  it  is  dotted  by  nu- 
merous lakes  and  in  early  days  was  traversed 
by  a  considerable  stream,  the  Tuscarawas.  In 
addition  to  this,  about  1840,  the  Reservoir 
was  built,  composed  partly  of  natural  and 
partly  artificial  bodies  of  water.  Long  Lake 
is  the  largest  of  these  natural  bodies  of 
water.  The  Indian  seem  to  have  made 
this  their  headquarters  and  naturally  so,  for 
New  Portage  was  at  the  head  of  the  Indian 
Trail.  These  Indians  were  Delawares  and  the 
most  importajit  of  their  chiefs  was  Ilopocan 
or  Captain  Pipe.  He  called  .  himself,  "Ho- 
pocan,  King  of  New  Portage."  The  finst  white 
settler  of  the  township  was  Daniel  Haines, 
who  can^e  from  Pennsylvania  about  the  year 
1806.  After  him,  in  1811,  came  the  Aliens, 
from  New  York  State,  forebears  of  the^  Al- 
iens, who  live  there  today.  The  town.ship 
grew  at  an  ama^iing  pace  and  a  great  future 
seemed  before  it.  The  Tuscarawas  was  then 
an  immense  stream  capable  of  floating  -large 
boats,  and  many  a  boatload  went  from 
Coventry  to  New  Orleans.  A  glass  factory 
started  and  for  some  time  many  articles  of 
value  and  profit  were  turned  out.  A  distillery 
was  started  by  Adam  Falor.  Saw-mills  and 
grist-mills  started  up.  A  lawyer  by  the  name 
of  Van  Humphreys  settled  there  and  the 
"State  of  Coventry"  began  to  be.     The  now 


well  known  "State  Mill"  arose  in  this  fashion: 
At  the  time  of  the  construction  of  the  Reser- 
voir it  was  neces-sary  to  destroy  the  mill 
formerly  there,  and  to  replace  it  the 
State  built  a  large  mill  at  that  point. 
For  a  long  time  it  was  the  center  of 
the  mill  business  of  that  district,  and  of  late 
\ears  has  become  valuable,  chiefly  as  a  sum- 
mer resort.  With  the  advent  of  the  canal 
the  township  continued  to  flourish  and  for  a 
time  seemed  to  rival  Middlebury.  However, 
its  prospects  died  down  and  it  settled  down 
to  the  regular  way  of  a  town.ship.  Still  it  is 
to  be  remembered  that  with  the  last  increase 
of  territory  to  Akron,  a  large  part  of  Coventry 
was  annexed  to  the  city,  and  the  old  city- 
spirit  of  Coventry  survives  possibly  in  another 
form. 

The  township  organization  occurred  in 
1808.  and  at  that  time  Coventry  was  a  part 
of  Springfield  and  they  were  a  part  of 
Portage  County,  till  the  organization  of  Sum- 
mit in  1840.  At  the  present  time  the  taxable 
property  in  the  township  is  valued  at  about 
$1,300,000.  With  the  rapid  growth  of  the 
city  south,  and  the  addition  of  Barberton  and 
Kenmore,  it  seems  that  it  will  be  only  a  short 
time  till  the  township  will  disappear  within 
municipal  lines.  Among  the  prominent 
families  in  the  township  have  been  the 
Brewsters  and  the  Falors.  From  Coventry 
township  also  came  John  R.  Buchtel,  the 
founder  of  Buchtel  College,  and  William 
Buchtel,  who  represented  Summit  County  in 
the  State  legislature  from  1901-3.  The  pres- 
ent representative,  Howard  C.  Spicer.  is  also 
from  Coventry  township.  B.  T.  Davis  and  H. 
E.  Shook  are  the  present  justices  of  the  peace 
for  the  township. 

The  village  of  Cuyahoga  Falls  was 
founded  in  1825  by  Elkanah  Richardson. 
Among  the  earliest  settlers  were  Joshua  Stow 
and  William  Wetmore.  In  1815  a  saw-mill 
was  in  operation  near  Gaylord's  Grove,  oper- 
ated by  power  derived  from  a  dam  across  the 
river  at  that  point.  The  name  Cuyahoga 
Falls  was  adopted  in  accordance  with  a  sug- 
gestion from  the  postoflfice  department.     The 


104 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


tirni  ol'  Stow  and  Wetniore  built  several  mills, 
dams  and  business  buildings  in  the  new  vil- 
lage, and  by  1830  the  town  took  on  am  im- 
portant aspect.  In  that  year  they  built  a 
large  paper  mill,  an  industry  that  is  still  car-' 
ried  on  profitably.  They  were  a?.sisted  in  the 
paper  business  by  John  Rumrill,  who  had 
learned  the  art  in  the  New  England  paper 
mills.  About  1825  Henry  Newberry  came 
from  Connecticut  and  built  more  dams,  a 
saw-mill,  linseed  oil-imill  and  a  paper-mill. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  and  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  of  the  early  settlers.  March 
5,  1851,  the  citizens  of  Cuyahoga  Falls  organ- 
ized a  township  of  the  same  name  and  co- 
extensive with  the  territory  of  the  village. 
The  government  of  tlie  village  was  then  given 
over  to  the  township  officers  who  were  elected 
at  that  time  as  follows:  Horace  A.  Miller, 
Henry  Newberry,  Jr.,  and  Porter  G.  Somers, 
trustees;  Lucious  Bradley,  treasurer;  Grant  P. 
Turner,  clerk ;  William  H.  Taylor,  assessor, 
and  W.  J.  Wilson  and  W.  W.  Luca.'S,  con- 
stables. This  arrangement  failed  to  give  sat- 
isfaction and  on  .June  3,  1868,  the  village  gov- 
ernment was  reorganized.  On  September  1, 
1868,  the  first  election  was  hel-d  and  William 
A.  Hanford  was  elected  mayor;  Henry  C. 
Lockwood,  treasurer;  Porter  G.  Somers,  re- 
corder; T.  F.  Heath,  Charles  Hunt,  W.  M. 
Griswold,  John  Hinde  and  L.  W.  Loomis, 
trastees.  In  1841  the  Board  of  Commi.s.sioners, 
to  locate  the  county  seat  decided  upon  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  but  the  legislature  interfered  the 
year  following,  and,  leaving  the  question  to  a 
popular  vote,  it  was  located  at  Akron.  It 
cannot  be  said  that  Cuyahoga  Falls  was  at 
any  time  the  county  seat,  in  spite  of  the  acts 
of  the  commission. 

Cuyahoga  Falls'  schools  have  always  been 
among  the  best  in  the  county.  The  village 
obtained  its  reputation  as  an  educational  cen- 
ter very  early  in  its  exi.stence.  In  1834  a  pri- 
vate school  wfiis  opened  by  J.  H.  Reynolds. 
In  1836  a  school  for  girls  was  opened  by 
Sarah  Carpenter.  Later  schools  were  con- 
ducted bv  Frances  C.  Barron  nnd  Eliza 
Deaver.  In  1837,  the  Cuvahoga  Fnlls  Insti- 
tute was  opened  for  pupils  by  Rev.   Roswcll 


Brooks  and  Charles  Clark.  The  present  brick 
High  School  building  was  built  in  1871.  The 
High  School  was  organized  in  1855,  H.  F. 
Taylor  being  the  first  principal.  Among  his 
successors  have  been  such  famous  men  as  Ed- 
ward R.  Sill,  Vergil  P.  Kline  and  William  I. 
Chamberlain.  In  1833,  "The  Ohio  Review," 
Cuyahoga  Falls'  first  newspaper,  was  started 
by  Horace  Canfield  and  Timothy  Spencer.  It 
ran  about  one  year.  It  was  followed  in  close 
succession  by  the  "Renovator,"  "The  Young 
Buzzard,"  "The  Telescope,"  "The  American 
Eagle,"  and  "The  True  American."  The  last 
mentioned  stopped  about  1843.  In  1870  "The 
Cuyahoga  Falls  Reporter"  was  founded  by  E. 
0.  Knox  and,  by  good  business  management, 
has  succeeded  in  continuing  publication  until 
the  present  time.  In  1881  "The  Weekly 
Journal"  was  started,  but  did  not  last  more 
than  a  year. 

The  village  sent  nearly  200  men  into  the 
Union  Army  during  the  Civil  War.  In  1859 
"The  Union  Fair  ^\s.sociation"  was  fonned 
and  fitted  iip  fair  grounds  at  the  north  end 
of  the  village.  Not  being  a  success  financially, 
the  association  was  wound  up  in  1861.  Cuya- 
hoga Falls  has  had  her  share  of  prominent 
citizens,  among  whom  can  be  named  Edward 
Rowland  Sill,  one  of  America's  very  best 
poets,  and  whose  fame  has  just  begun  to  grow. 
Elisha  N.  Sill,  Samuel  W.  McClure, '  Henry 
McKinney,  George  Paul  and  Charles  R. 
Grant. 

Cuyahoga  Falls  now  has  the  following 
churches:  Church  of  Christ,  Rev.  W.  L. 
Denslow,  pastor:  First  Congregational,  Rev. 
A.  E.  Woodruff,  pa.stor;  Methodi4  Episcopal. 
Rev.  W.  J.  Wilson,  pa.stor;  St.  John's  Epis- 
copal; St.  Joseph's  Roman  Catholic,  Rev.  J. 
A.  Nolan,  pa.stor,  and  the  Welsh  Congrega- 
tional. The  principal  industries  now  are 
The  Walsh  Paper  Company,  C.  M.  Walsh, 
president ;  T.  A.  Murphy,  vice-president  and 
general  manager;  E.  A.  Prior,  secretary,  and 
F.  T.  Moloney,  treasurer.  They  have  a  very 
large  factorv  on  River  Street.  On  Portage 
Street  are  the  Pearl  Flour  Mills,  operated  by 
the  Walsh  Milling  Company,  of  which  Cor- 
nelius ]M.  A^'al.sh  is  president.     The  large  fac- 


BIG  FALLS— THE  GORGE 


LAKE  ANNA,  BARBERTON 


COUNTY  INFIRMARY 


ENTRANCE  TO  GRACE  PARK,  AKRON 


OLD  MAID'S  KITCHEN— THE  GORGE        ENTRANCE  TO  AKRON  RURAL  CEMETERY 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


107 


tory  of  the  Falls  Rivet  and  Machine  Company 
is  located  on  the  railroad  at  Portage  Street. 
Edwin  Seedhouse  is  president  and  C.  H. 
Wells,  treasurer.  They  make  rivets,  bolts  and 
power  transmission  machinery.  The  Acme 
Wire  Company  has  officers  as  follows :  W.  C. 
Hall,  president;  S.  H.  Miller,  vice-president; 
L.  D.  Brown,  treasurer;  E.  A.  Henry,  general 
manager.  Falls  Hollow  Staybolt  Company, 
C.  M.  Walsh,  president;  The  Falls  Lumber 
Company,  G.  R.  James,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer; The  Keller  Brick  Company,  Frederick 
W.  Keller,  president ;  W.  F.  Keller,  secretary 
and  president;  Tift  and  Vogan,  consisting  of 
Smith  D.  Tift  and  Fremont  D.  A^ogan ;  Tur- 
ner, Vaughn  and  Taylor,  of  which  Calvin  W. 
Vaughn  is  general  manager;  Isaac  N.  Reid, 
who  'makes  carriages  and  does  a  general 
smithy  businass;  the  Fair  Oaks  Villa  is  a  sani- 
tarium for  mental  and  nervous  diseases,  con- 
ducted successfully  by  Drs.  W.  A.  Searl  and 
H.  I.  Cozad.  The  Cuyahoga  Falls  Savings 
Bank  was  organized  September  2,  1904,  upon 
the  failure  of  the  Akron  Savings  Bank,  which 
had  conducted  a  Cuyahoga  Falls  branch.  It 
has  a  capital  of  $50,000  and  is  ably  managed 
by  following  officers:  President,  C.  M.  Walsh; 
vice-president,  W.  R.  Lodge ;  vice-president, 
Edwin  Seedhouse;  treasurer  and  cashier,  F. 
T.  Moloney;  secretary,  E.  A.  Prior.  The 
Falls  Savings  and  Loan  A.«sociation  is  ably 
conducted  by  L.  W.  Loomis,  president;  E.  A. 
Prior,  secretary;  Dr.  W.  A.  Searl,  treasurer, 
and  C.  T.  Grant,  attorney.  Bauman  and  Orth 
(Edward  H.  Bauman  and  Frank  W.  Orth) 
are  the  present  proprietors  of  the  Cuyahoga 
Falls  Reporter.  The  Central  Union  Tele- 
phone Company  and  the  Akron  Peoples'  Tele- 
phone Company  both  have  exchanges  here. 
The  population  of  Cuyahoga  Falls  is  now 
about  4,000.  In  1907  its  officials  are:  Mayor, 
C.  A.  Davis;  clerk,  C.  D.  Crumb;  treasurer, 
Theodore  Heath;  marshal,  I.  Goldwood.  The 
mayor  and  clerk  are  Democrats,  the  other 
two  Rejiubliciuis. 

TALLMADGE  TOWNSHIP. 

Tallmadge  was  founded  in  1806  by  David 
Bacon,   mini.ster,    missionarv    and    colonizer. 


His  experiences  in  the  wilderness  and  the  dif- 
ficulties he  had  to  contend  with  in  establish- 
ing his  little  colony  are  typical,  and  for  that 
reason  are  here  set  forth  in  full  according  to 
the  excellent  narrative  of  his  .son,  Dr.  Leonard 
Bacon,  as  published  in  Howe's  Historical  Col- 
lections (Ohio).  It  may  readily  be  believed 
that  the  labors  and  dangers  incident  to  the 
settlement  of  Tallmadge  were  no  greater  than 
those  attending  the  settlement  of  the  other 
townships  of  the  county. 

Rev.  David  Bacon,  the  founder  of  Tall- 
madge, was  born  in  Woodstock,  Connecticut, 
in  1771,  and  died  in  Hartford  in  1817  at  the 
early  age  of  forty-six  years,  worn  out  by  ex- 
cessive labors,  privations  and  mental  suffer- 
ings, largely  consequent  upon  his  financial 
failure  with  his  colony.  He  was  the  first  mis- 
sionary sent  to  the  Western  Indians  from  Con- 
necticut. His  means  were  pitifully  inade- 
quate, but  with  a  stout  heart,  reliant  upon 
God,  he  .started,  August  8,  1800,  from  Hart- 
ford, afoot  and  alone  through  the  wilderness, 
with  no  outfit  but  what  he  could  carry  on  his 
back.  At  Buffalo  Creek,  now  the  site  of  the 
city  of  Buffalo,  he  took  vessel  for  Detroit, 
which  he  reached  September  11,  thirty-four 
days  after  leaving  Hart-ford,  and  was  hospit- 
ably received  by  Major  Hunt,  commandant 
of  the  United  States  garrison  there.  After  a 
preliminaiy  survey  he  returned  to  Connecti- 
cut, and  on  the  25th  of  December  was  mar- 
ried at  Lebanon  to  Alice  Parks,  then  under 
eighteen  years  of  age ;  a  week  later,  on  the  last 
day  of  the  la.st  year  of  the  last  century,  De- 
cember 31,  1800,  he  was  ordained  regularly 
to  the  specific  work  of  a  missionarj'  to  the 
heathen,  the  first  ever  sent  out  from  Con- 
necticut. 

On  the  11th  of  February,  1801,  with  his 
young  wife,  he  started  for  Detroit,  going 
through  the  -n-dlderness  of  New  York  and  Can- 
ada by  sleigh,  and  arrived  there  Saturday, 
May  9.  The  bride,  before  she  got  out  of  Con- 
necticut, had  a  new  and  painful  experience. 
They  stopped  at  a  noisy  countrj"-  tavern  at 
Canaan.  There  was  a  large  company  alto- 
gether, some  drinking,  .some  talking  and  some 


108 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


swearing,  and  this  they  found  was  common 
at  all  the  public-houses. 

Detroit  at  this  time  was  the  great  empo- 
rium of  the  fur  trade.  Some  of  the  Indian 
traders  were  men  of  great  wealth  for  those 
days  and  of  highly  cultivated  minds.  Many 
of  them  were  educated  in  England  and  Scot- 
land at  the  universities,  a  class  today  in  Brit- 
ian  termed  "university  men."  They  gen- 
erally spent  the  winter  there,  and  in  the 
spring  returned  with  new  goods  brought  by 
vessels  through  the  lakes.  The  only  Ameri- 
cans in  the  place  were  the  officers  and  soldiers 
of  the  garrison,  consisting  of  an  infantry  reg- 
iment and  an  artillery  company,  the  officers 
of  which  treated  Mr.  Bacon  and  family  with 
kindnees  and  respect.  The  inhabitants  were 
English,  Scotch,  Irish  and  French,  all  of 
whom  hated  the  Yankees.  The  town  was  en- 
closed by  cedar  pickets  about  twelve  feet  high 
and  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  so  close  to- 
gether one  could  not  see  through. 

At  each  side  were  strong  gates  which  were 
closed  together  and  .guarded,  and  no  Indians 
were  allowed  to  come  in  after  sundown  or  to 
remain  over  night. 

Upon  his  arrival  in  Detroit  the  missionary 
society  paid  him  in  all  four  hundred  dollars; 
then,  until  September,  1808,  he  did  not  get 
a  cent.  He  began  his  support  by  teaching 
school,  at  first  with  some  success,  but  he  was 
a  Yankee,  and  the  four  Catholic  priests  used 
their  influence  in  opposition.  His  young 
wife  assisted  him.  They  studied  the  Indian 
langiiage,  but  made  slow  progress,  and  their 
prospect  for  usefulness  in  Detroit  seemed  wan- 
ing. 

On  the  19th  of  Febniary,  1802,  hi^  first 
child  was  born  at  Detroit. — the  afterwards  emi- 
nent Dr.  Leonard  Bacon.  In  the  May  fol- 
lowing he  went  down  into  the  Maumee  coun- 
try with  a  view  to  establishing  a  mission 
among  the  Indians.  The  Indians  were  mo.st- 
ly  drunk,  and  he  was  an  unwilling  witness  to 
their  drunken  orgies.  Little  Otter,  their  chief, 
received  him  courteously,  called  a  council  of 
the  tribe,  and  then,  to  his  talk  through  an  in- 
terpreter, gave  him  their  decision  that  they 
would  not  have  him.     Tt  was  to  this  efi'ect: 


Your  religion  is  very  good,  but  only 
for  white  people;  it  will  not  do  for  In- 
dians.     When    the  Great    Spirit    made 
white  people  he  put   them    on    another 
island,  gave  them  farms,  tools  to  work 
with,   horses,   horned   cattle    and    sheep 
and  hogs   for  them,   that    they    might 
get  their  living  in  that  way  and  he  taught 
them  to  read,  and  gave  them  their  reli- 
gion in  a  book.     But  when  he  made  In- 
dians he  made  them  wild,  and  put  them 
on   this  island   in  the  woods,  and  gave 
them  the  wild  game  that  they  might  live 
by  hunting.     We  formerly  had  a  reli- 
gion very  much  like  yours,  but  we  found 
it  would  not  do  for  us,  and  we  have  dis- 
covered a  much  better  way. 
Seeing  he  could  not  succeed  he  returned  to 
Detroit.    He  had  been  with  them  several  days 
and  twice  narrowly  escaped  assassination  from 
the  intoxicated  ones.     His  son,  Leonard,  in 
his  memoirs  of  his  father,  published  in  the 
Congregational  Quarterly  for  1876,  and  from 
which  this  article  is  derived,  wrote : 

"Something  more  than  ordinary  courage 
was  neces-sary  in  the  presence  of  so  many 
drunken  and  half-dninken  Indians,  any  one 
of  whom  might  suddenly  shoot  or  tomahawk 
the  mLssionary  at  the  slightest  provocation  or 
at  none."  The  two  instances  mentioned  by 
him  in  which  he  was  enabled  to  baffle  the 
malice  of  savages  ready  to  murder  him  remind 
me  of  another  in,stance. 

"It  was  while  my  parents  were  living  at 
Detroit,  and  when  I  was  an  infant  of  less  than 
four  months,  two  Indians  came  as  if  for  a 
friendly  visit;  one  of  them,  a  tall  and  stal- 
wart, young  man,  the  other  shorter  and 
older.  As  they  entered  my  father  met  them, 
gave  his  hand  to  the  old  man,  and  was  just 
extending  it  to  the  other,  when  my  mother, 
quick  to  discern  the  danger,  exclaimed,  'See! 
He  has  a  knife.'  At  the  word  my  father  saw 
that,  while  the  Indian's  right  hand  was  ready 
to  salute,  a  gleaming  knife  in  his  left  hand 
was  partly  concealed  under  his  blanket. 

"An  Indian  intending  to  a.ssassinate  waits 
until  his  intended  victim  is  looking  away 
from  him  and  then  strikes.    Mv  father's  keen 


AND    REPKESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


109 


6ye  was  fixed  upon  the  murderer,  and  watched 
him  eye  to  eye.  The  Indian  found  himself 
strangely  diseoncert.ed.  In  vain  did  the  old 
man  talk  to  my  father  in  angry  and  chiding 
tones — -that  keen,  black  eye  was  watching  the 
would-be  assassin.  The  time  seemed  long. 
My  mother  took  the  baby  (himself)  from  the 
birch-bark  cradle,  and  was  going  to  call  for 
help,  but  when  she  reached  the  door,  she 
dared  not  leave  her  husband.  At  last  the  old 
man  became  weary  of  chiding;  the  young 
man  had  given  up  his  purpose  for  a  time  and 
they  retired." 

Failing  on  the  Maumee,  Mr.  Bacon  soon 
after  sailed  with  his  little  family  to  Mackinaw. 
This  was  at  the  beginning  of  summer,  1802 
Mackinaw  was  then  one  of  the  remotest  out- 
posts of  the  fur  trade  and  garrisoned  by  a 
company  of  United  States  troops.  His  object 
was  to  establish  a  mission  at  Abrecroche, 
about  twenty  miles  distant,  a  large  settlement 
of  Chippewa  Indians,  but  they  were  no  less 
determined  than  those  on  the  Maumee  that 
no  missionary  should  live  in  their  villages. 
Like  those,  also,  they  were  a  large  part  of  the 
time  drunk  from  whiskey,  supplied  in 
abundance  by  the  fur  traders  in  exchange  for 
the  proceeds  of  their  hunting  excursions. 
They  had  at  one  time  no  less  than  900  gallon 
kegs  on  hand. 

His  work  was  obstructed  from  the  impos- 
sibility of  finding  an  interpreter,  so  he  took 
into  his  family  an  Indian  lad,  through  whom 
to  learn  the  language — his  name  was  Singe- 
nog.  He  remained  at  Mackinaw  about  two 
years,  but  the  Indians  would  never  allow  him 
to  go  among  them.  Like  the  Indians  gen- 
erally, they  regarded  ministers  as  another 
sort  of  conjurors,  with  power  to  bring  sickness 
and  disease  vipon  them'. 

At  one  time  early  in  October  the  second 
year,  1803,  Singenog,  the  young  Indian,  per- 
suaded his  uncle,  Pondega  Kawwan.  a  head 
chief,  and  two  other  Chippewa  dignitaries,  to 
vi.»it  the  missionar\r,  and  presenting  him  a 
string  of  wampum,  Pondega  Kawwan  made  a 
ver^'  non-committal,  dignified  speech,  to  the 
effect  that  there  was  no  u.^e  of  his  .going 
among  them,  that  the  Great  Spirit  did  not 


put  them  on  the  ground  to  learn  such  things 
as  the  white  people  taught.  If  it  were  not 
for  rmn  they  might  listen,  "but,"  concluded 
he,  "Rum  is  our  Master."  And  later  he  said 
to  Singenog,  "Our  father  is  a  great  man  and 
knows  a  great  deal ;  and  if  we  were  to  know  so 
much,  perhaps  the  Great  Spirit  would  not  let 
us  live." 

After  a  residence  at  Mackinaw  of  about  two 
years  and  all  prospects  of  success  hopeless,  the 
!iii.ssionary  society  ordered  him  to  New  Con- 
necticut, there  to  itinerate  as  a  missionary  and 
to  improve  himself  in  the  Indian  language, 
etc.  Ahout  the  l.^t  of  August,  1804,  with  h-s 
wife  and  two  children,  the  youngest  an  infant, 
he  sailed  for  Detroit.  From  hence  they  pro- 
ceeded in  an  open  canoe,  following  the  wind- 
ings of  the  shore,  rowing  by  day  and  sleep- 
ing on  land  by  night,  till  having  performed  a 
journey  of  near  200  miles,  they  reached,  about 
tlie  middle  of  October,  Cleveland,  then  a  mere 
hamlet  on  the  lake  shore. 

Leaving  his  family  at  Hudson,  he  went  on 
to  Hartford  to  report  to  the  society.  He  went 
;ilmost  entirely  on  foot  a  distance  of  about  600 
miles,  which  he  wearily  trudged  much  of  the 
way  through  the  mnd,  slush  and  snow  of  win- 
ter. An  arrangement  was  made  by  which  he 
could  act  half  the  time  as  pastor  at  Hudson, 
and  the  other  half  as  a  missionary  to  the 
various  settlements  on  the  Reserve.  On  his 
return  a  little  experience  satisfied  him  that 
more  could  be  done  than  in  any  other  way  for 
the  establishment  of  Christian  institutions  on 
the  Reserve,  by  the  old  Puritan  mode  of 
colonizing,  by  founding  a  religious  colony 
strong  enough  and  compact  enough  to  main- 
tain schools  and  public  worship. 

An  ordinarv  township,  with  its  scattered 
settlements  and  roads  at  option,  with  no  com- 
mon central  point,  cannot  well  grow  into  a 
town.  The  unity  of  a  town  as  a  body  politic 
depends  very  much  on  fixing  a  common  cen- 
ter to  which  every  homestead  shall  be  obvious- 
ly related.  In  no  other  rural  town,  perhaps, 
is  that  so  well  provided  for  as  in  Tallmadge. 
"Public  spirit,  local  pride,"  writes  Dr. 
Bacon,  "friendly  intercourse,  general  culture 
and  good  taste,  and  a  certain  moral  and  re- 


110 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ligious  steadfastness  are  among  the  character- 
istics by  which  Tallniadge  is  almost  pro- 
verbially distinguished  throughout  the  Re- 
serve. No  observing  stranger  can  pass  through 
the  town  without  seeing  that  it  was  planned 
by  a  sagacious  and  far-seeing  mind. 
"It  was  fit  that  he  who  had  planned  the  set- 
tlement, and  who  had  identified  with  it  all 
his  hopes  for  use-fuln&ss  for  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  and  all  his  hopes  of  a  competence  for 
his  family,  should  be  the  first  settler  in  the 
township.  He  did  not  wait  for  hardier  ad- 
venturers to  encounter  the  first  hardships  and 
to  break  the  loneliness  of  the  woods.  Select- 
ing a  temporary  location  near  an  old  Indian 
trail,  a  few  rods  from  the  southern  boundary 
of  the  township,  he  built  the  first  log  cabin, 
and  there  placed  his  family. 

"I  well  remember  the  pleasant  day  in  July, 
1807,  when  that  family  made  its  removal 
from  the  center  of  Hudson  to  a  new  log-house 
in  a  township  that  had  no  name  and  no  hu- 
man habitation.  The  father  and  mother — 
poor  in  this  world's  goods,  but  rich  in  faith 
and  in  the  treasure  of  God's  promises;  rich 
in  their  well-tried  mutual  affection ;  rich  in 
their  expectation  of  usefulness  and  of  the 
comfort  and  competence  which  they  hoped  to 
achieve  by  their  enterprise;  rich  in  the 
parental  joy  with  which  they  looked  upon 
the  three  little  ones  that  were  carried  in  their 
arms  or  nestled  among  their  scanty  house- 
hold goods  in  the  slow-mo\'ing  wagon — were 
familiar  with  whatever  there  is  in  hardship 
and  peril  or  disappointment,  to  try  the  cour- 
age of  the  noblest  manhood  or  the  immortal 
strength  of  a  true  woman's  love.  The  little 
ones  were  the  natives  of  the  wilderness — ^the 
youngest  a  delicate  nur.?ling  of  six  months, 
the  others  bom  in  a  remoter  and  more  savage 
We.st..  These  five,  with  a  hired  man,  were  the 
family. 

"I  remember  the  setting  out,  the  halt  before 
the  door  of  an  aged  friend  to  say  farewell, 
the  fording  of  the  Ciiyahoga,  the  day's  jour- 
ney of  somewhat  less  than  thirteen  miles 
along  a  road  that  had  been  cut  (not  made) 
through  the  dense  forest,  the  little  cleared 
spot  where  the  journey  ended,  the  new  log- 


house,  with  what  seemed  to  me  a  stately  hill 
behind  it,  and  with  a  limpid  rivulet  winding 
near  the  door.  That  night,  when  the  first 
family  worship  was  ofi'ered  in  that  cabin,  the 
prayer  of  the  two  worshipers,  for  themselves 
and  their  children,  and  for  the  work  which 
they  had  that  day  begun,  was  like  the  prayer 
that  went  up  of  old  from  the  deck  of  the  May- 
flower, or  from  beneath  the  wintry  sky  of 
Plymouth.  One  month  later  a  German  fam- 
ily came  within  the  limits  of  the  town ;  but 
it  was  not  until  the  next  February  that  a  sec- 
ond family  came,  a  New  England  family, 
whose  mother  tongue  was  English.  AVell  I  do 
remember  the  solitude  of  that  first  winter,  and 
how  beautiful  the  change  was  when  spring 
at  last  began  to  hang  its  garlands  on  the 
trees. 

"The  next  thing  in  carrying  out  the  plan 
to  which  Mr.  Bacon  had  devoted  himself  was 
to  bring  in,  from  whatever  quarter,  such 
families  as  would  enter  into  his  views  and 
would  co-operate  with  him  for  the  early  and 
permanent  establishment  of  Christian  order. 
It  was  at  the  expense  of  many  a  slow  and 
weary  journey  to  older  settlements  that  he 
succeeded  in  bringing  together  the  families 
who,  in  the  spring  and  .summer  of  1808,  be- 
gan to  call  the  new  town  their  home.  His 
repeated  absences  from  the  home  are  fresh  in 
my  memory,  and  so  is  the  joy  with  which  we 
greeted  the  arrival  of  one  family  after  an- 
other coming  to  relieve  our  loneliness:  nor 
least  among  the  merhories  of  that  time  is  the 
remembrance  of  my  mother's  fear  when  left 
alone  with  her  three  little  children.  She  had 
not  ceased  to  fear  the  Indians,  and  .sometimes 
a  straggling  savage,  or  a  little  company  of 
them,  came  by  our  door  on  the  old  portage 
path,  calling,  perhaps,  to  try  our  hospitality, 
and  with  signs  or  broken  English  phrases  ask- 
ing for  whiskey.  She  could  not  feel  that  to 
'pull  in  the  latch  string'  was  a  stifflcient  ex- 
chision  of  such  visitors,  and  in  my  mind's 
eye  I  seem  now  to  see  her  frail  form  tugging 
at  a  heav\'  chest,  with  which  to  barricade  the 
door  before  she  dared  to  .sleep.  It  was,  in- 
deed, a  relief  and  joy  to  feel  at  last  that  we 
had  neighbors,  and  that  our  town  was  begin- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


111 


ning  to  be  inhabited.  At  the  end  of  the  sec- 
ond year  from  the  commencement  of  the  sur- 
vey, there  were,  perhaps,  twelve  families,  and 
the  town  received  its  name,  Tallmadge." 

Slowly  the  settlement  of  the  town  proceeded 
from  1807  to  1810.  Emigration  from  Con- 
necticut had  about  ceased,  owing  to  the  stag- 
nation of  business  froni  European  wars,  and 
the  embargo  and  other  non-intercourse  acts 
of  Jefferson's  administration.  Mr.  Bacon 
could  not  pay  for  the  land  he  had  purchased. 
He  went  East  to  trj^  to  make  new  satisfactory 
arrangements  with  the  proprietors,  leaving 
behind  his  wife  and  five  little  children.  The 
proprietors  were  imnmovable.  Some  of  his 
parishioners  felt  hard  towards  him  because, 
having  made  payments,  he  could  not  perfect 
their  titles.  With  difficulty  he  obtained  the 
means  to  return  for  hi^^  familv. 

In  May,  1812,  he  left  Tallmadge,  and  all 
"that  was  realized  after  five  years  of  arduous 
labor  was  poverty,  the  alienation  of  some  old 
friends,  the  depression  that  follows  a  fatal  de- 
feat, and  the  dishonor  that  falls  on  one  who 
cannot  pay  his  debts."  He  lingered  on  a  few 
years,  supporting  his  family  by  traveling  and 
selling  the  "Scott's  Family  Bible"  and  other 
religious  works,  from  house  to  house,  and  oc- 
casional preaching.  He  bore  his  misfortunes 
with  Christian  resignation,  struggled  on  a 
few  years  with  broken  spirits  and  broken  con- 
stitution, and  died  at  Hartford,  August  17, 
1817.  "My  mother,"  said  Dr.  Bacon,  "stand- 
ing over  him  with  her  youngest,  an  infant  in 
her  arms,  said  to  him :  'Look  on  your  babe 
before  you  die.'  He  looked  up  and  said,  with 
distinct  and  audible  utterance:  'The  blessing 
of  the  God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob, 
rest  upon  thee.'  Just  before  dawn  he  breathed 
his  la«t.  Now  he  knows  more  than  all  of 
us,  said  the  doctor;  while  my  mother,  bathing 
the  dead  face  with  her  tears,  and  warming  it 
with  kisses,  exclaimed:  'Let  my  last  end  be 
like  his.'  " 

There  is  little  doubt  that  Rev.  David  Bacon 
was  the  first  white  person  who  made  his  home 
in  this  township.  Other  early  settlers  were 
George  Boosinger,  .Justin  E.  Frink,  Ephraim 
Clark,  .Jonathan    Sprague,    Titus    Chapman, 


William  NeaJ,  Elizur  Wright,  Moses  Brad- 
ford, Salmon  Sackett,  John  Caruthers,  Reu- 
ben Upson,  John  Wright  and  Luther  Cham- 
berlain. The  township  was  named  in  honor 
of  one  of  its  early  proprietors,  Benjamin  Tall- 
madge, of  Litchfield,  Connecticut.  Nearly 
all  the  original  settlers  were  from  Connecti- 
cut. It  was  organized  as  a  separate  township 
in  November,  1812.  Elizur  Wright  was 
elected  clerk  and  Nathaniel  Chapman,  justice 
of  the  peace.  Tallmadge  has  from  the  very 
earliest  days  brought  a  very  strong  religious 
and  educational  influence  to  bear  upon  the 
surrounding  communities.  The  average  of 
culture  is  higher  here  than  in  any  other  com- 
munity in  this  vicinity — perhaps  in  Ohio. 
The  purpose  of  its  founder  was  religious.  The 
Congregational  Church  was  organized  here  in 
1809.  In  1810,  a  school-house  was  opened 
and  Lucy  Foster,  who  married  Alpha  Wright 
the  next  year,  was  its  first  teacher.  In  1816 
"Tallmadge  Academy"  was  incorporated  and 
opened  to  students.  Among  its  teachers, 
Simeon  Woodruff  and  Elizur  Wright  were 
the  earliest,  while  later  came  Sidney  Edger- 
ton.  About  1835  Ephraim  T.  Sturtevant 
opened  a  private  school  and  taught  it  suc- 
cessfully for  several  years.  Tallmadge  estab- 
lished the  first  public  library  in  Summit 
County,  opening  it  in  1813,  and  continuing 
and  increasing  it  until  the  present  writing. 
The  Congregational  Church  edifice  was  built 
in  1822,  and  Ls  a  fine  specimen  of  the  New 
England  church  architecifure  of  the  period. 
With  very  few  changes,  it  has  continued  to 
serve  the  society  until  now..  In  1825  the 
Methodist  established  a  church  organization, 
and  in  1832  erected  a  church  building.  In 
1874  they  built  the  present  structure  near  the 
public  square.  Coal  and  potters'  clay  are  ex- 
tensively mined  in  the  township.  In  the 
early  '40's  several  veins  of  iron  ore  were  dis- 
covered and  a  furnace  erected  to  smelt  them. 
The  attempt  was  unsuccessful  and  the  enter- 
prise ultimately  abandoned.  Some  manufac- 
turing has  been  successfully  conducted, 
notably,  carriage  manufacturing,  begun  in 
1827  by  Amos  Avery  and  William  C.  Oviatt. 
In  1836  thov  took  in    Isaac    Robinson.     In 


112 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


1841  Ira  P.  Sperry  organized  the  firm  of 
Oviaitt  &  Sperry  and  later  took  in  Samuel  J. 
Eitchie.  L.  V.  Bierce  and  J.  E.  Baldwin  also 
manufactured  cairiages  for  many  year.?.  In 
1868  Alfred  Sperry,  Charles  Tryon  and  Ben- 
jamin D.  Wright  began  the  manufacture  of 
sewer-pipe,  Henry  M.  Camp  later  succeeding 
Mr.  Tryon.  In  1871  Samuel  J.  Ritchie  and 
Ira  P.  and  Willis  Sperry  bought  them  out  and 
continued  the  business  with  success  until  the 
fire  of  1878.  In  1881  Ira  P.  and  George  P. 
Sperry  rebuilt  the  w^orks.  The  apple-butter 
factory  of  John  A.  Caruthers  should  also  be 
noticed.  Tallmadge  gave  her  full  quota  of 
men  to  preserve  the  Union  during  the  rebel- 
lion of  1861.  Tallmadge  claims  two  of  the 
greatest  names  in  Summit  County  history  in 
Sidney  Edgerton  and  William  H.  Upson. 

HUDSON   TOWNSHIP. 

The  original  proprietors  of  Hudson  town- 
ship were  Stephen  Baldwin,  Da\nd  Hudson, 
Birdsey  Norton,  Nathaniel  Norton,  Benjamin 
Oviatt  and  Theodore  Parmalee.  It  consisted 
of  16,000  acres,  and,  in  the  distribution  of  the 
lands  of  the  Connecticut  Land  Company,  it 
was  sold  to  the  above  mentioned  proprietors 
at  32  cents  per  acre.  In  1799  David  Hudson 
organized  a  party  of  eleven  persons  for  the 
purpose  of  inspecting  the  new  purchase.  They 
started  overland  from  Litchfield,  Connecticut, 
and,  with  their  wagons,  oxen  and  cows,  made 
a  very  respectable  looking  caravan.  They 
were  nearly  two  months  in  making  the  jour- 
ney, reaching  the  present  township  about  the 
latter  part  of  June.  The  summer  was  spent 
in  surveying;  erecting  a  bark  hut  and  a  more 
substantial  log-house;  clearing  land  of  timber; 
planting  and  sowing  crops,  and  platting  the 
village,  now  called  Hudson,  after  its  founder. 
Early  in  October  the  survey  of  the  township 
was  completed  and  David  Hudson,  with  his 
son  Ira  and  the  two  surveyors,  started  back  to 
Connecticut,  leaving  the  remainder  of  the 
party  as  a  nucleus  of  the  future  settlement. 

By  offering  bounties  of  land  and  other  in- 
dticements,  Mr.  Hivdson  succeeded  in  getting 
together  twenty-eight  colonists  who  agreed  to 


return  with  him  into  the  wilderness  and  as- 
sist in  the  pioneer  work  of  settling  the  new 
township.  In  this  party  were  Heman  Oviatt, 
Joel  and  Allen  Gaylord,  Joseph  and  George 
Darrow,  Moses  Thompson,  Samuel  Bishop 
and  others.  After  enduring  the  usual  perils 
and  deprivations  incident  to  pioneer  journey.-;, 
they  arrived  safely  in  Hudson  in  May,  1800. 
Their  first  act  was  a  public  meeting  to  con- 
duct services  of  thanksgiving  for  their  safe 
journey  and  deliverance  from  the  perils  of 
the  way  in  the  wilderness.  On  October  28, 
1800,  there  was  born  to  David  Hudson  and 
his  wife,  Anna  (Norton)  Hudson,  a  daughter, 
whom  they  named  Anner  Mary  Hudson.  She 
was  born  in  Hudson  and  was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  what  is  now  Summit  County. 

Early  in  1802  the  county  commis-sioners 
of  Trumbull  County,  of  which  this  locality 
was  then  a  part,  organized  Hudson  township 
and  arranged  for  the  first  election  in  April, 
1802.  There  were  elected  at  that  time.  He- 
man  Oviatt,  Ebenezer  Sheldon  and  Abraham 
Thompson,  tmstees;  Thadeus  Laeey,  clerk; 
Rufus  Edwards,  Ebenezer  Lester  and  Aaron 
Norton,  constables,  etc.,  etc. 

On  September  4,  1802,  the  first  church  or- 
ganization in  what  is  now  Summit  County 
was  made  by  David  Hudson,  with  twelve  of 
his  fellow-colonists,  who  were  members  of 
Congregational  Churches  back  in  Connecti- 
cut. The  first  church  thus  established  was  a 
Congregational  Church,  and,  from  that  day  to 
this,  not  a  single  Sabbath  has  passed  T\'ithout 
public  worship  being  held  by  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Hudson.  In  1820  the  so- 
ciety completed  a  fine  church  edifice  on  the 
site  of  the  present  Town  Hall,  which  was  used 
continuou.ely  until  the  splendid  brick  church 
on  Aurora  Street,  next  to  the  "Pentagon,"  was 
built  in  1865.  This  has  proved  sufficient  for 
the  needs  of  the  Congregational  Society  until 
the  present  day. 

In  1828  Moses  Draper,  Daniel  Gaylord  and 
Perley  Mansur  organized  a  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  the  history  of  which  is  not  a 
record  of  unvarving  success. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  was  or- 
ganized in  1842  bv  Frederick  Brown,  Anson 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


113 


Brewster,  Henry  O'Brien,  Arthur  Sadler  and 
others.  It  is  called  the  "Parish  of  Christ 
Church,  of  Hudson,  Ohio."  Its  membership 
has  never  been  large  and,  at  time.s,  the  organ- 
ization has  been  maintained  with  difficulty. 

St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church  was  built  in 
1858  and  has  been  maintained  in  connection 
with  the  church  of  that  denomination  in 
Cuyahoga  Falls. 

In  1890  an  organization  of  the  Disciples 
of  Christ  was  effected  and  Rev.  F.  H.  Moore 
was  installed  as  its  pastor. 

From  the  very  beginning  Hudson  led  the 
intellectual  life  of  the  AVestern  Reserve.  What 
the  influence  of  Western  Reserve  College  has 
been  has  been  told  elsewhere  in  this  work  by 
Dr.  Findley.  The  spirit  of  which  that  insti- 
tution is  a  product  manifested  itself  the  year 
after  the  founding  of  the  first  settleiuent. 
George  Pease,  of  Enfield,  Connecticut,  estab- 
lished the  first  school  in  a  log-house,  about 
where  the  present  Town  Hall  stands.  The 
growth  of  the  schools  kept  pace  with  that  of 
the  population.  In  1868  the  fine  brick  High 
School  building  was  erected.  In  addition  to 
the  public  schools  many  private  schools  have 
been  conducted  at  various  times.  The  first 
was  the  Nutting  School  for  young  ladies,  es- 
tablished in  1827.  Then  followed  the  Hud- 
son Academy  for  boys  and  girls  in  1834; 
Hudson  Female  Seminary  in  1845;  the  Gro.s- 
venor  Seminary  and  the  Phelps  "Seminary 
for  Ladies,"  established  a  few  years  later ;  the 
J.  W.  Smith  school  in  1853 ;  the  Emily  Met- 
calf  school  in  1860,  and  the  Hudson  Acad- 
emy, revived  in  1874  by  Rev.  H.  B.  Hos- 
ford. 

In  the  decade  of  the  '50's  Hudson  was  bad- 
ly smitten  with  the  railroad  fever.  There 
was  scarcely  one  of  her  citizens  of  means  who 
did  not  invest  everv-  penny  he  could  possibly 
raise  in  one  or  more  of  the  railroad  enter- 
prises undertaken  at  that  time.  Profe.ssor 
Henry  N.  Day.  of  Western  Reserve  College, 
seems  to  have  been  the  moving  spirit  in  all 
these  schemes.  The  investors  lost  every  cent 
they  put  in  and  the  depreciation  in  Hudson 
business  has  been  constant  since  that  time. 
The  town  never  rallied  from  the  great  finan- 


cial losses  brought  about  by  the  failures  of 
these  railroad  projects.  The  Cleveland  and 
Pittsburgh  Railroad  was  completed  from 
Cleveland  to  Hudson  in  1852.  The  "Akron 
Branch"  was  built  soon  after.  These  were 
successful  and  improved  business  conditions 
in  Hudson  so  much  that  when  subsequent 
projects  were  broached  no  difficulty  was  en- 
countered in  getting  the  support  of  every  Hud- 
son citizen.  In  1852  Prof.  Day  and  his  asso- 
ciates "promoted"  "the  Clinton  Line  Rail- 
road." which  was  to  be  part  of  a  great  trans- 
continental railroad.  In  1853  the  same  par- 
ties organized  a  bankruptcy  club,  the  mem- 
bers of  which  were  allowed  to  contribute  to 
"the  Clinton  Line  Extension,"  to  run  from 
Hudson  to  Tiffin.  In  the  .same  year  Hudson 
citizens  were  asked  to  contribute  toward  de- 
fraying the  expenses  of  another  dream,  iri- 
descent and  alluring,  called  the  "Hudson  and 
Painesville  Railroad,"  designed  as  an  exten- 
sion of  the  "Akron  Branch  Railroad."  The 
work  on  all  these  railroads  was  started  and 
carried  on  to  various  extents.  Much  of  the 
old  grading,  fills  and  culverts  may  yet  be 
seen  in  the  woods  and  pastures  near  Hudson. 
At  least  one  of  the  roads  was  nearly  half  com- 
pleted, when,  in  1856,  the  bubble  burst.  The 
dream  was  over,  but  the  lapse  from  conscious- 
ness had  cost  the  village  every  available  nickel 
in  it.  These  roads  remain  today  just  as  they 
were  left  when  work  stopped  in  1856.  As  a 
promoter.  Prof.  Day  was  a  very  great  failure. 
Besides  his  railroad  enterprises,  which  ended 
in  disaster,  might  be  mentioned  his  "Penta- 
gon" scheme  and  his  book-publishing  com- 
pany, both  of  which  were  wound  up  by  as- 
signees. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  turn  from  these  business 
failures  to  some  other  enterprises  which  were 
built  upon  a  more  substantial  ba=is  and  thus 
became  successes.  The  mo.st  conspicuous  is 
the  immense  business  built  up  by  S.  Straight 
&  Co.,  established  in  1867.  '  Their  busi- 
ness was  the  manufacture  of  butter  and  cheese 
and  at  one  time  they  operated  fourteen  fac- 
tories. In  1870  E.  A.  0.sborne  erected  his 
butter-tub  and  cheese-box  factory.  Other 
mills   were   those  of  Era.«tus   Crov,   built  in 


114 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


1878;  E.  B.  Shields,  1890;  E.  J.  Tobdell;  the 
Oviatt  Manufacturing  Company,  in  1878,  and 
the  G.  H.  Grimm  Manufacturing  Company. 
Hudson's  mercantile  status  is  better  today, 
perhaps,  than  at  any  time  in  the  past.  The 
great  fire  of  a  few  years  ago,  which  wiped 
out  the  entire  western  portion  of  the  business 
part  of  town,  has  been  the  means  of  bring- 
ing about  a  great  change  for  the  better.  Fine 
brick  blocks  have  taken  the  place  of  the  an- 
tiquated frame  buildings  in  which  business 
was  formerly  done  and  merchants  have  filled 
these  modern  rooms  with  larger  stocks  of 
finer  goods.  The  Cleveland  Bank  failure, 
which  brought  so  much  loss  upon  Hudson 
merchants,  through  its  Hudson  branch,  has 
been  largely  forgotten.  After  the  fire  above 
mentioned,  Hudson  possessed  but  one  hotel, 
"The  Delta,"  located  near  the  depot,  the  old 
"Mansion  House,"  located  on  the  west  side  of 
Main  Street,  having  been  destroyed  in  that 
conflagration.  In  1907  a  fine,  new  hotel  was 
opened  up  in  the  old  Beebe  Mansion,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  square,  and  called  the  "Park 
Hotel."  Among  the  prominent  merchants  of 
the  past  and  present  should  be  mentioned 
Charles  H.  Buss,  Edwin  S.  Bentley,  John 
Whedon,  George  V.  Miller,  Dennis  J.  Joyce, 
R.  H.  Grimm,  Seba.stian  Miller,  James  A. 
Jacobs,  Henry  Wehner,  John  G.  Mead,  C.  A. 
Campbell,  C.  H.  Farwell,  J.  N.  Farrar,  P.  N. 
Shively,  J.  L.  Doncaster,  W.  M.  Beebe, 
Charles  Kilbourn  and  others. 

Hudson  village  was  incorporated  April  1, 
1837.  At  the  first  election,  held  that  year, 
Heman  Oviatt  was  chosen  mayor;  Lyman  W. 
Hall,  recorder;  Frederick  Baldwin]  Harvey 
Baldwin,  John  B.  Clark,  Jesse  Dickinson  and 
Daniel  C.  Gaylord,  trustees. 

Hudson  M'as  one  of  the  centers  of  anti-slav- 
ery sentiment  in  Ohio.  Like  Oberlin  and 
Tallmadge,  her  citizens  took  an  open  and 
active  part  in  attacking  the  great  evil  and 
arousing  public  opinion  against  it.  Many 
fugitive  slaves  found  an  asykmi  here.  When 
the  Civil  War  broke  out  Hudson  did  her  full 
duty  and  furnished  more  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men  for  the  Union  Armv.     Todav, 


nowhere  in  the  county  is  Memorial  Day  more 
reverently  celebrated. 

Hudson  Township  has  given  us  Judge  S.  H. 
Pitkin,  M.  C.  Read  and  W.  I.  Chamberlain. 

At  the  present  time  E.  E.  Rogers  is  town- 
ship clerk  and  also  justice  of  the  peace.  The 
census  of  1890  gave  Hudson  a  population  of 
1,143;  the  last  census  (1900)  showed  a  de- 
crease to  982. 

NORTHAMPTON    TOWNSHIP. 

In  the  drawing  of  lands  of  the  Connecticut 
Land  Company  the  present  township  of 
Northampton  fell  to  W.  Billings,  David  King, 
Ebenezer  King,  Jr.,  F.  King,  John  Leavitt, 
Jr.,  0.  P.  Holden,  Luther  Loomis,  Joseph 
Pratt,  Timothy  Phelps,  Solomon  Stoddard 
and  Daniel  Wright.  It  was  first  settled  in 
1802  when  Simeon  Prior,  a  veteran  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  brought  his  wife  and  ten 
children  overland  from  the  beautiful  village 
of  Northampton,  on  the  Connecticut  River,  in 
the  green  hills  of  Hampshire  Coimty,  Massa- 
chusetts. Other  early  settlers  were  Justus 
Remington,  David  Parker  and  Samuel  King. 
Later  came  Rial  McArihur,  David  Norton, 
Nathaniel  Hardy,  Sr.,  Daniel  Turner. 
Northampton  Township  was  very  slow  in  be- 
ing settled.  The  Indians  remained  here  lon- 
ger than  in  any  other  part  of  the  country.  It 
was  not  until  the  American  forces  began  to 
assemble  here  for  the  war  of  1812  that  the 
last  of  the  red  men  departed.  Many  of  their 
village  sites,  mounds,  etc.,  may  be  seen  at  the 
present  time.  Here  was  a  rendezvous  for  mili- 
tia during  the  second  war  with  England,  and 
three  vessels  of  Commodore  Perry's  fleet  were 
built  in  Northampton  and  floated  down  the 
Cuyahoga  to  Lake  Erie. 

in  1886  the  village  of  Niles,  at  the  mouth 
of  Yellow  Creek,  was  platted.  It  never  grew 
to  anything  more  substantial  than  a  vision  in 
the  minds  of  its  projectors,  Peter  Voris  and 
his  associates.  The  site  is  now  called  Botzum. 
Other  hamleis  are  Northampton  Center, 
Steele's  Corners,  McArthur's  Corners  and 
French's  Mill.  Northampton  did  far  more 
than   her  share  in    fumishins   men    for  the 


o 


P 

CO 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


117 


Union  Army  in  1861-65.  More  than  one 
hundred  and  forty  of  her  citizens  responded 
to  the  call  of  the  nation.  In  1907  W.  E.  Voss 
is  township  clerk,  and  P.  D.  Hardy  and  L.  A. 
Hart  are  justices  of  the  peace. 

NORTHFIELD. 

Northfield  was  first  settled  in  April,  1807, 
when  Isaac  Bason  brought  his  family  from 
Massachusetts  and  built  a  log-house  for  them 
about  a  mile  and  one-half  from  the  present 
Town  Hall.  Other  early  settlers  were  Jere- 
miah Cranmer,  George  Wallace,  Orrin  Wil- 
cox and  William  Cranny.  The  township  was 
organized  May  24,  1819,  when  an  election 
was  held,  at  which  Jeremiah  Cranmer,  John 
Duncan  and  George  Wallace  were  elected 
trustee.? ;  Henry  Wood,  clerk ;  Watrous 
Mather,  treasurer;  and  Abraham  Cranmer 
and  Edward  Coyne,  constables.  In  1840  the 
township  had  a  population  of  1,041.  It  fur- 
nished more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  men  to  the  Federal  Army  in  the  Rebel- 
lion. In  1907  M.  A.  Van  Horn  is  township 
clerk  and  0.  E.  Griswold  and  H.  A.  McCon- 
nell,  justices  of  the  peace.  Flourishing  cen- 
ters are  Northfield,  Little  York,  Macedonia 
and  Brandywine. 

XORTOX    TOWNSHIP. 

Norton  township  was  originally  a  part  of 
Wolf  Creek  township,  but  was  organized  as  a 
separate  township  in  April,  1818.  It  was 
named  for  Birdsey  Norton,  one  of  its  Con- 
necticut proprietors.  It  was  first  settled  in 
1810  by  James  Robinson,  who  came  from 
New  York  and  built  a  cabin  for  himself  on 
Wolf  Creek.  Other  early  settlers  were  .John 
Cahow,  Abraham  Van  Hyning,  Henry  Van 
Hyning,  John  D.  Humphrey,  Charles  Lyon, 
P.  Kirkum,  Seth  Lucas,  Charles  Miller  and 
Nathan  Bates.  At  the  organization  in  April, 
1818,  the  following  officers  were  elected: 
Clerk,  Joseph  D.  Humphrey;  justice  of  the 
peace,  Henry  Van  Hyning,  Sr. ;  trustees, 
Charles  Lyon,  Abrahaim  Van  Hyning  and 
Ezra  Way;  .supervisors,  .John  Cahow,  Elisha 


Hin.sdale  and  Jo.seph  Holmes.  Norton  pos- 
sesses some  of  the  richest  land  in  the  county 
and  many  of  her  citizens  have  amassed  much 
wealth  from  agriculture  and  mining  of  coal. 
The  township  also  posse.-ses  some  of  the  most 
prosperous  hamlets,  like  Norton  Center,  West- 
ern Star,  Loyal  Oak,  Hometown,  Johnson's 
Corners,  Sherman  and  Dennison. 

It  is  also  fortunate  in  having  within  its 
limits  that  marv&l  of  the  closing  years  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  the  "Magic  City" — Bar- 
berton.  It  is  a  city  that  was  almost  literally 
built  in  a  day.  In  1890  its  site  was  a  typical 
Ohio  farm,  with  its  fertile  fields,  rich  mea- 
dows, stretches  of  woodland,  running  brooks, 
comfortable  farm-houses  and  huge  bank- 
barns.  In  its  center  was  a  little  pond  of  clear 
water,  fed  by  springs  in  its  bottom,  and  named 
"Davis  Lake."  Rolling  farm  lands  sur- 
rounded it  on  all  sides.  A  mile  or  two  to  the 
north  was  the  village  of  New  Portage,  a  sta- 
tion on  the  Erie  and  Cleveland,  Akron  and 
Columbus  Railroads,  a  port  on  the  Ohio 
Canal,  and  the  southern  terminus  of  the 
Portage  Path,  that  aboriginal  highway  which 
connected  the  northern  waters  of  the  State  of 
Ohio  with  the  southern.  Five  miles  further 
north  was  Akron,  then  a  city  of  27,000  peo- 
ple. In  one  short  year  all  this  was  changed 
as  though  a  magician's  wand  had  swept  over 
the  scene.  The  old  farms  were  platted  into 
city  lots,  .streets,  parks  and  factory  sites.  An 
army  of  men  .set  to  work,  leveling  the  land, 
removing  fences  and  grading,  and  curbing 
the  streets.  Hundreds  of  workingmen's  cot- 
tages were  commenced;  splendid  residences 
along  the  shady  boulevard  around  the  lake 
gradually  took  form ;  great  factory  buildings 
along  the  railroads  arose  day  by  day,  and  a 
belt  line  of  railroad  began  to  encircle  the 
town.  By  the  end  of  1891  there  was  a  popu- 
lation of  nearly  2,000  people  settled  on  the 
old  Coventry  farms  of  the  year  before.  The 
reader  should  bo  cautioned  that  this  was  not 
a  "boom"  town ;  that  its  growth  was  not  like 
the  mushroom  towns  of  the  western  mining 
regions;  that  the  buildings  were  not  tempo- 
rary structures  to  be  replaced  later  by  a  more 
substantial  construction.    Here  were  no  rough 


118 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


pine  store-buildingri,  no  tents,  no  "slab"  sa- 
loons or  groceries.  On  the  contrary,  severe 
building  restrictions  were  incorporated  in 
each  deed  of  land  and  were  strictly  enforced 
by  the  grantors.  The  residences  around  the 
lake  would  be  a  credit  to  any  oity.  The  store- 
buildings  were  mainly  of  brick  and  each  fac- 
tory building  was  of  the  most  modern  steel, 
brick  and  stone  construction.  Indeed,  the 
thing  which  imOvSt  impressed  the  visitor  in 
.those  early  days  was  the  substantial,  perma- 
nent character  of  all  he  saw  about  him.  Dur- 
ing that  first  year  the  construction  of  the 
magnificent  Barberton  Inn  was  commenced. 
No  city  in  Ohio  had  a  better  hotel  at  that 
time.  The  fine  railroad  station  and  the  Bank 
building  were  also  started.  In  a  few  months 
more  than  a  million  dollars  had  been  invested 
in  permanent  improvements.  The  old  farms 
had  disappeared  forever;  the  walls  of  Barber- 
ton  .had  arisen  to  endure  so  long  as  men  shall 
buy  and  sell. 

The  founder  of  Barberton  was  Ohio  Colum- 
bus Barber,  the  president  of  the  Diamond 
Match  Company,  the  American  Sewer-pipe 
Company  and  a  hundred  other  companies, 
and  the  boy  who,  in  the  fifties,  had  peddled 
matches  which  his  father  had  dipped  by  hand 
in  the  little  frame  building  in  Middlebury. 
Early  in  1890  he  a.ssociated  with  himself 
Charles  Baird,  John  K.  Robinson  and  Albert 
T.  Paige,  and  together  they  purchased  nearly 
1,000  acres  of  land.  Later  in  the  year  they 
sold  an  undivided  one-half  interest  in  their 
holdings  to  George  W.  Crouse,  Sr..  and  a 
Pittsburg  syndicate,  the  head  of  which  was 
M.  J.  Alexander.  In  May,  1891,  these  men 
organized  themselves  as  "the  Barberton  Land 
and  Improvement  Company,"  with  Mr.  Bar- 
ber as  its  president.  One-half  of  the  stock 
was  owned  and  held  by  the  four  men  first 
above  mentioned.  Their  first  endeavor  was  to 
bring  to  Barberton  as  many  manufacturing 
establishments  as  possible.  They  organized 
many  themselves.  By  1892  the  following  big 
-concerns  were  doing  business  in  the  new  city 
and  emploving  many  hundreds  of  workmen, 
namely:  The  National  Sewer  Pipe  Company, 
with  a  capital  invested  of  a  quarter  million 


of  dollars  and  employing  200  men ;  the  Amer- 
ican Strawboard  Company,  capital  $6,000,- 
000,  and  employing  200  men ;  the  Sterling 
Boiler  Company,  capital,  half  a  million,  work- 
force, 300 ;  Kirkum  Art  Tile  Company,  $300,- 
000,  500  employees;  Creedmoor  Cartridge 
Company,  $500,000,  men  employed,  200 ;  the 
American  Alumina  Company,  $500,000,  em- 
ployees, fifty ;  the  United  Salt  Company,  capi- 
tal one  million,  men  employed,  150.  Mr. 
Barber  was  made  president  of  all  these  compa- 
nies, as  well  as  of  the  Barberton  Belt  Line 
Railroad  Co.,  and  the  Barberton  Savings  Bank 
Company,  Avith  a  capital  of  $100,000.  The 
other  men  interested  with  him  were  elected 
directors  and  officers  in  nearly  all  these  com- 
panies. The  next  year  the  great  corporation, 
known  as  the  Diamond  Match  Company,  and 
which  had  its  principal  factory  in  Akron,  be- 
gan the  constmction  of  its  vast  factory  on  the 
line  of  the  Cleveland,  Akron  and  Columbus 
Railroad  just  south  of  the  station.  When 
completed,  the  entire  Akron  plant  was  moved 
to  Barberton  and  the  working  population  of 
the  town  was  thus  increased  by  nearly  a  thou- 
sand persons.  The  Creedmoor  Cartridge  Com- 
pany was  soon  absorbed  by  the  Cartridge  trust, 
to  the  great  profit  of  the  local  promoters,  and 
the  plant  dismantled.  The  buildings,  how- 
ever, did  not  long  remain  idle,  for  the  Alden 
Rubber  Company  was  later  organized  and  its 
business  grew  so  rapidly  that  large  additions 
to  the  original  buildings  were  soon  neces,sary. 
Before  the  end  of  the  decade  had  been  reached 
the  Columbia  Chemical  Company,  with  its 
millions  of  capital  and  its  hundreds  of  em- 
ployees, had  come  within  the  zone  of  Barber- 
ton's  activities.  Its  plant  covers  many  acres 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  town  and  it  has 
been  one  of  the  big  industrial  successes  of 
the  place.  About  the  same  time  the  Pitts- 
burgh Valve  and  Fittings  Company  was  added 
to  the  long  list  of  industries  successfully  doing 
business  in  Barberton.  So,  we  say,  advisedly, 
that  Barberton  will  endure  so  long  as  men  en- 
gage in  commerce.  Its  foundation  is  as  sub- 
stantial as  any  biLsiness  community  in  the 
world.  It  has  shown  a  remarkable  power  to 
rallv  from  reverses.     It  has  had  several  such. 


AND    EEPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


119 


The  Kirkum  Art  Tile  Company  ceased  to  do 
business  after  its  large  plant  had  been  entirely 
wiped  out  by  fire.  The  Barberton  Pottery 
Company,  after  an  unsuccessful  career,  was 
finally  sold  in  bankruptcy  proceedings.  One 
of  Barberton's  two  banks  also  found  the 
stress  of  competition  too  severe  and  suc- 
cumbed. There  were  other  failures  which 
also  brought  great  losses  upon  Barberton  peo- 
ple, but  they  are  all  infinitesimal  in  compari- 
son with  the  colossal  successes  which  have 
been  won.  Barberton  today  is  a  splendid 
monument  to  American  energy  and  sagacity. 
The  census  of  1900  was  the  first  in  which 
the  name  of  Barberton  appeared.  The  total 
population  then  was  4,354.  Today  it  is  prob- 
ably in  the  neighborhood  of  7.000.  The  pres- 
ent officials  are:  Mayor,  James  McNamara; 
clerk,  George  Davis;  treasurer,  E.  A.  Miller; 
marshal,  David  Ferguson. 

FRANKLIN    TOWNSHIP. 

Green  and  Franklin  are  the  southern  town- 
ships of  the  county,  and  originally  were  part 
of  Stark  County,  being  inhabited  by  the  de- 
scendants of  the  Germans  of  Pennsylvania,  or, 
as  they  are  familiarly  called,  "Pennsylvania 
Dutch."  Summit  County  is  made  up  of  four- 
teen townships  from  Portage,  and  Franklin 
and  Green  from  Stark,  the  formation  taking 
place  in  1840.  Vigorous  opposition  aro.?e  on 
the  part  of  Stark  to  this  separation,  both  be- 
cause of  natural  affection  for  the  parent 
Dutch  stock  and  on  account  of  the  geograph- 
ical location  of  the  new  county  seat  at  Sum- 
mit. At  the  time  it  was  said  that  the  Dutch 
and  Yankees  could  not  mix,  but,  like  all  idle 
assertions,  time  has  shown  the  absurdity  of 
that  remark. 

Franklin  is  noted  in  natural  features  for 
the  possession  of  numerous  small  lakes.  The 
Tuscarawas,  in  early  days  a  much  larger 
stream  than  at  present,  offered  a  water  supply 
apparently  unfailing,  and  Turkeyfoot  Lake 
seemed  to  hold  out  large  promise.  The  coal 
deposits  have  always  been  large,  and  during 
the  first  settlements  the  cranberry  crop  was  an 
unfailing  source  of  revenue,  great  quantities 


of  this  berry  being  sent  east.  The  peach 
crop  was  also  large,  and  from  this  a  compound 
known  as  peach  brandy  was  made,  and  thor- 
oughly tasted  before  shipment  abroad.  In 
1833  distilleries  were  established,  but  flour- 
ished for  a  comparatively  short  time.  The 
more  stable  product  of  lumber  enriched  the 
possessors  of  forest,  and  great  quantities  of  it 
were  shipped  up  to  Cleveland,  and  from 
thence  to  the  more  distant  Lake  ports. 

The  early  settlements  of  Franklin  were 
Cartersville  and  Savannah.  ■  The  -first  w^ 
named  for  a  Wheeling  quaker,  who  owned 
large  tracts  of  land  on  which  his  town  was  lo- 
cated. Inability  to  withstand  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  rivers  made  this  place  speedily 
uninhabitable,  and  shortly  after  its  founding, 
1806,  it  was  abandoned.  In  1816  David  Har- 
vey planted  and  planned  the  town  of  Savan- 
nah, but  after  a  struggle  of  ten  years,  this 
settlement  yielded  to  the  superior  merits  of 
Clinton.  The  latter  had  all  the  advantages  re- 
sulting from  proximity  to  the  canal.  Clin- 
ton was  originally  laid  out  in  1816,  and  from 
the  first  was  a  consistent  busine.-«  mart.  It 
became  the  center  of  business  for  several  ad- 
joining counties.  Large  storehouses  for  grain 
were  erected,  doctor.*',  lawyers  and  merchants 
settled  there,  and  the  increased  shipment  of 
coal  made  the  town  a  veritable  emporium. 
After  flourishing  till  about  1850,  Clinton  de- 
clined in  influence  and,  owing  to  the  en- 
croachment of  Akron  and  several  allied  towns, 
decreased  in  power  and  influence.  The  pass- 
ing of  the  railroad  beyond  its  borders  con- 
signed it  permanently  to  the  role  of  the  rural 
village.  The  town  of  Manchester  was  started 
in  1815,  and,  being  inland  in  location,  never 
rose  to  anything  like  the  business  gait  of  Clin- 
ton, but,  nevertheless,  has  had  a  steady,  sub- 
stantial  growth. 

The  township  organization  took  place  in 
1817.  Previous  to  that,  in  1811,  it,  with 
Green  and  Lake  and  Jackson,  Townships  of 
Stark,  had  had  one  set  of  officers.  In  matters 
of  education  and  religion  Franklin  has  been 
second  to  none.  While  it  is  somewhat  uncer- 
tain as  to  the  first  teacher,  yet  it  seems  that  a 
Mr.  Mishler  ha.«  that  honor.    Rev.  J.  W.  Ham- 


120 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


mond  was  the  first  preacher  and  varied  the 
hTiigaiage  of  his  sermons  according,  as  the 
majority  of  his  hearers  were  German  or  Eng- 
lish speaking.  The  township  has  an.  honor- 
able Civil  War  record,  and  was  very  active  in 
the  promotion  of  the  celebrated  "Underground 
Railroad." 

At  the  present  time  Franklin  has  a  tax  val- 
uation on  all  its  property  of  over  a  million 
dollars  and  from  her  people  have  gone  forth 
men  who  have  served  with  fidelity  and  intel- 
ligence in  all  the  walks  of  life. 

The  township  has  given  to  public  life  Hon. 
Hugh  R.  Caldwell,  judge  of  common  pleas; 
Hon.  John  Hoy,  judge  of  common  pleas; 
Hon.  Jacob  A.  Kohler,  representative,  1883- 
85 ;  attorney  general  of  the  State  of  Ohio, 
1886-88,  and  judge  of  common  pleas,  1900- 
1906. 

GREEN   TOWNSHIP. 

Green,  the  sister  township  of  Franklin,  has 
had  a  varied  experience.  In  the  first  place, 
her  Indian  history,  like  that  of  all  early  set- 
tlements, has  been  full  of  romance.  Turn  as 
we  may  from  time  to  time  to  the  old  stories, 
as  we  read  that  of  Green  the  thought  of  the 
sufferings  and  hardships  of  those  pioneers  in 
conflict  with  the  red  man  must  absorb  our  at- 
tention. What  battles  were  fought  there  we 
may  not  know,  but  from  time  to  time  great 
masses  of  flint  arrow-heads  have  been  turned 
up,  also  an  old  mass  of  stones  with  its  awful 
suggestion  of  am  altar  for  human  sacrifice — 
these  are  matters  that  divert  our  minds  from 
the  prosy  life  man  has  been  condemned  to 
live  with  only  work  as  a  mitigating  circum- 
stance. However  numerous  the  Indians  were, 
they  were  driven  out  .shortly  after  the  war  of 
1812,  supposedly  because  the  aborigines  sided 
with  the  British.  With  them  gone,  the 
"Dutch"  were  allowed  to  turn  their  energies 
to  the  cultivation  of  their  farms.  At  first 
there  was  some  promise  of  coal,  but  this  failed 
and  at  this  time  the  township  is  experiencing 
a  boom  from  clay  found  there,  which  is 
worked  up  in  tlie  village  of  Altman.  As  is 
often  the  case  there  is  some  question  as  to  who 


was  the  first  settler,  Ixit  the  consensus  of  opin- 
ion gives  that  honor  to  John  Kepler,  with 
others  claiming  that  it  was  either  William 
Triplett  or  John  Curzen. 

A  distdiuct  town.ship  organization  was  ef- 
fected in  1814,  and  in  1840  occurred  the  sep- 
aration from  Stark  County  with  the  promise 
that  there  should  be  no  tax  on  public  build- 
ings in  the  township  till  1890.  Probably  the 
nearest  Green  ever  came  to  a  boom  was  the 
event  surrounding  the  organization  and  up- 
building of  the  Seminary.  This  was  a  Meth- 
odist school,  startled  in  1854,  with  a  capital 
of  $2,000,  divided  into  share?  of  $50  each.  At 
one  time  .some  one  hundred  and  thirty  stu- 
dents attended  the  seminary  and  it  passed 
through  varioiis  stages  till  its  final  decline 
about  1875. 

The  towns  of  Green  are:  Greensburg, 
founded  in  1828  by  David  Baer;  East  Lib- 
erty, founded  in  1839  (as  might  be  expected 
these  towns  have  been  rivals  in  a  quiet  way, 
but  this  feeling  has  shown  itself  chiefly  in  po- 
litical contests)  ;  Myersville,  founded  about 
1876,  has  importance  chiefly  because  it  has 
railroad  facilities  and  has  shown  some  ele- 
inents  of  steady  and  vigorous  growth. 

George  W.  Grouse  was  reared  in  Green 
Township.  He  has  served  as  county  treas- 
urer. State  senator,  1885-87,  and  federal  rep- 
resentative, 1887-90. 

RICHFIELD    TOAVNSHIP. 

Richfield,  like  the  other  townships  of  the 
Western  Reserve,  became  the  separate  prop- 
erty of  individuals  upon  the  drawing  of  lands 
conducted  by  the  Connecticut  Land  Com- 
pany. It  was  settled  soon  after  by  families 
who  came  from  Connecticut  and  Massachu- 
setts.  The  first  settler  was  Launcelot  Mays, 
who  came  in  1809.  The  township  was  or- 
ganized in  April,  1816,  and  John  Bigelow 
was  elected  clerk;  Isaac  Welton.  treasurer; 
William  Jordan,  Daniel  Keys  and  Nathaniel 
0\Tatt,  trustees,  and  Isaac  Hopkins,  con- 
stable. The  population  then  was  in  excess  of 
L50.  In  1840,  it  had  grown  to  1,108.  In 
1818  a  Union  church  organization    was    ef- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


121 


fected,  which,  in  a  few  years,  beoame  the 
First  Congregational  Church.  The  Metho- 
dists, Baptists  and  United  Brethren  also  or- 
ganized societies  verj-  early  in  the  history  of 
the  township  and  have  been  uniformly  pros- 
perous, thus  indicating  the  sound  basis  upon 
which  society  in  Richfield  is  built.  The  in- 
fluence of  Richfield  has  always  been  exerted 
in  behalf  of  the  personal  and  civic  virtues. 
Her  schools  are  among  the  best  in  the  coun- 
try. In  1836  the  Richfield  Academy  was 
opened  and  attracted  manj^  pupils  from  out- 
side the  township.  Some  of  its  graduates  aft- 
erwards acquired  a  national  fame.  It  after- 
wards became  the  East  High  School,  was 
burned  in  1887  and  replaced  by  a  fine  modern 
building.  There  is  also  a  brick  high  school 
building  at  the  West  Center.  Richfield  Cen- 
ter is  composed  of  two  parts — the  East  Cen- 
ter and  the  West  Center,  situated  about  a  mile 
apart.  Both  centei-s  had  a  hotel  and  a  post- 
office.  The  West  Center  has  now  a  fine  ho- 
tel which  is  the  equal  of  any  of  the  rural 
hotels  in  the  county.  Of  late  years  Richfield 
has  been  gaining  prestige  as  a  summer  re- 
sort, many  wealthy  Cleveland  families  coming 
here  to  spend  the  summer.  Owing  to  the  lack 
of  transportation  facilities,  Richfield  has 
never  had  any  manufacturing  industries.  Mr. 
H.  B.  Camp,  of  Akron,  is  now  (1907)  pro- 
moting a  railroad  from  Cleveland  to  Akron, 
which,  if  built,  will  pass  through  the  centers. 
In  mercantile  life,  however,  many  of  her 
citizens  have  been  successful.  Among  such 
may  be  mentioned  William  C.  Weld,  Everett 
Famam,  George  B.  Clarke,  Frank  R.  Brower, 
Henr>'  C.  Searles,  Baxter  H.  Wood.  The  ho- 
tels have  been  successful  in  the  hands  of  Lewis 
P.  Ella?  and  Fayette  Viall.  Other  village  en- 
terprises which  have  been  successfully  con- 
ducted, some  of  them  for  many  years,  owe 
their  success  to  John  Ault.  Peter  Allen,  Seth 
Dustin,  T.  E.  Elkworth,  Z.  R.  Townsend,  C. 
P.  Townsend,  S.  E.  Phelps,  Henry  Killifer, 
Michael  Heltz,  C.  F.  Rathburn,  Henry  Green- 
lese,  Percy  Dustin,  Samuel  Fauble,  George  L. 
Dustin,  Julius  C.  Chapman,  A.sa  P.  Oarr  and 
E.  D.  Carr.  Mention  should  be  made  of  the 
tile    factory    built    by    Ralph    Farnam    and 


Berkly  S.  Braddock.  The  former  was  an  ex- 
pert in  ceramics,  and  a  large  factory  and  pot- 
tery was  built  upon  the  old  Farnam  farm 
about  1890.  About  the  same  time,  these  two 
gentlemen  equipped  the  finest  stock  farm  in 
Summit  County  for  the  raising  of  fine  horses 
and  cattle.  One  stallion  alone  cost  them 
$5,000.  The  tile  industry  proved  unremu- 
nerative,  owing  to  the  long  distance  from  a 
railroad.  Both  men  sunk  their  large  private 
fortunes  in  these  enterprises.  Ralph  Far- 
nam aftem-ards  went  to  New  Jersey  and  was 
very  successful  in  the  tile  business.  The  old 
farm  finally  pa.ssed  into  the  possession  of 
Charles  P.  Brush,  of  Cleveland.  Richfield 
gave  over  150  men  to  the  cau.se  of  the  Union 
in  1861-65.  Two  men  of  national  fame  have 
gone  forth  from  Richfield  in  the  persons  of 
Russell  A.  Alger  and  Samuel  B.  Axtell.  The 
present  to-miship  clerk  is  R.  H.  Chapman  and 
0.  B.  Hinnian  is  justice  of  the  peace. 

SPRINGFIELD    TOWNSHIP. 

Springfield  township  was  first  settled  in 
1806,  when  Ariel  Bradley  moved  from  Suf- 
field  to  what  is  now  the  village  of  ^logadore. 
Other  early  settlers  were  Thomas  Hale,  Ben- 
jamin Baldwin,  John  Hall,  James  Hall,  Na- 
than Moore,  Reuben  Tupper,  Abraham  De- 
Haven,  the  Ellet  family,  the  Norton  family, 
Patrick  Christy,  James  McKnight,  William 
Foster  et  alii.  The  township  was  organized 
in  April,  1808.  The  manufacturing  of  the 
township  is  all  in  the  pottery  line,  as  great 
beds  of  potter's  clay  are  found  here.  Coal  is 
also  mined.  Mogadore  is  the  principal  vil- 
lage. North  Springfield,  Brittain,  Thomas- 
town,  Millheim  and  Krumroy  are  also  flour- 
ishing hamlets.  Springfield  furnished  nearly 
150  men  to  the  Federal  armies  in  the  Ci\-il 
War.  At  the  present  time,  J.  Ira  Emmet  is 
township  clerk,  and  R.  C.  Gates,  Milo  White 
and  M.  S.  Mishler  are  justices  of  the  peace. 

STOW  TOWNSHIP. 

Stow  Township  is  named  after  Joshua 
Stow,  the  original  proprietor  by  grant  from 
the  Connecticut  Land  Company.     The  first 


122 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


settler  in  this  township  was  William  Walker, 
who  in  1802,  came  from  Virginia.  He  was 
followed  in  1804  by  William  Wetmore,  who 
built  a  hoiise  at  what  is  now  called  "Stow 
Corners."  Other  pioneers  were  Gregory 
Powers,  John  Campbell,  John  Gaylord,  Adam 
Steele,  George  Darrow,  Erastus  Southmayd, 
James  Daily,  Isaac  Wilcox  and  David  Rug- 
gles.  The  township  was  organized  in  1808. 
It  is  now  best  known  as  the  location  of  Silver 
Lake,  a  summer  resort  which  is  spreading  its 
fame  country-wide.  Since  the  death  of  R.  H. 
Lodge,  his  family  have  wisely  continued  his 
policies,  under  which  great  prosperity  came 
upon  Silver  La.ke.  Near  by  are  two  other 
beautiful  lakes — Wyoga  and  Crystal  Lake. 
Stow  township  also  contains  Monroe  Falls, 
a  village  on  the  Cuyahoga  River  a  few 
miles  above  Cuyahoga  Falls.  This  vil- 
lage was  founded  in  1836  by  Edmond 
Monroe,  a  wealthy  capitalist  of  Boston,  Mass. 
A  number  of  mills  had  been  erected  there 
to  make  use  of  the  water-power  afforded  by 
the  falls  in  the  river.  Up  to  the  advent  of 
the  Monroes  it  had  been  called  Florence.  Mr. 
Monroe  organized  the  "Monroe  Falls  Manu- 
facturing Company,"  and  built  a  large  store, 
many  residences  and  the  mill  which  is  now 
used  for  the  manufacture  of  paper.  The 
township  furnished  104  men  to  the  country 
when  our  national  life  was  threatened  in  1861. 
W.  Nickerson  is  now  township  clerk  and  Noel 
Beckley  and  W.  R.  Lodge  are  justices  of  the 
peace. 

TWINSBURG   TOWNSHIP. 

The  first  settlement  of  Twinshurg  Town- 
ship was  made  in  April,  1817,  and  the  honor 
of  being  the  first  settler  belongs  to  Ethan 
Ailing,  who  was  then  a  mere  boy  of  17  years, 
sent  on  by  his  father  to  prepare  for  the  later 


coming  of  the  Ailing  family.  Moses  Wil- 
cox and  Aaron  Wilcox,  twin  brothers,  were 
ako  among  the  very  earliest  settlers.  They 
were  also  among  the  original  proprietors,  as 
was  Isaac  Mills,  who  gave  the  township  its 
first  name  "Millsville."  The  Wilcox  twins 
afterwards  persuaded  the  settlers  to  let  them 
name  the  township,  which  they  did,  calling 
it  Twinshurg  in  honor  of  their  relationship. 
The  township  was  organized  in  April,  1819. 
The  first  officials  were  Frederick  Stanley, 
Lewis  Ailing,  Luman  Lane,  Samuel  Vail, 
Elisha  Loomis  and  Elijah  Bronson.  Ethan 
Ailing  died  in  1867,  and  by  his  will  left  eight 
shares  of  the  stock  of  the  Big  Four  Railroad 
Company  to  the  mayor  of  the  city  of  Akron 
for  the  purpose  of  having  the  dividends,  de- 
clared thereon,  being  used  to  buy  clothing,  so 
that  destitute  children  might  be  enabled  to 
attend  Sunday-school.  These  dividends  are 
being  used  for  this  purpose  at  the  present 
day,  being  turned  over  to  the  city  poor  direc- 
tor by  the  mayor  upon  their  receipt.  As 
early  as  1822  both  the  Methodists  and  Con- 
gregationalists  organized  churches  in  Twins- 
burg.  The  latter  built  a  church  in  1823  and 
the  present  one  in  1848.  The  Methodists 
built  churches  in  1832  and  1848.  The  Bap- 
tists organized  in  1832  and  built  a  church  in 
1841.  In  1843  "The  Twinsburg  Institute" 
was  opened  by  Samuel  Bissell,  which  was  one 
of  the  most  successful  educational  institu- 
tions in  the  county.  The  beautiful  soldiers' 
monument  on  the  Public  Square  was  dedi- 
cated July  4,  1867.  One  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  men  of  Twinsburg  went  to  the  front 
during  the  Civil  AVar.  From  1856  to  1870 
"The  Twinsburg  Fair"  was  one  of  the  great 
features  of  agricultural  life  in  this  vicinity. 
At  the  present  time,  E.  J.  McCreery  is  town- 
.ship  clerk,  and  A.  J.  Brown  and  Isaac  Jayne 
are  justices  of  the  peace. 


CHAPTER  VI 


PUBLIC    INSTITUTIONS 


AKROX    CITY    Ill)^^PlTAL. 

The  City  Hospital  of  Akron  had  its  incep- 
tion in  the  fund  left  by  an  early  French 
resident  of  Akron,  Boniface  De  Roo,  many 
years  ago.  This  fund,  which  represented  the 
lifetime  savings  of  a  frugal  hard-working 
man,  amounted  to  $10,000.  The  first  building 
used  was  the  old  frame  house  at  the  corner 
of  Bowery  and  Center  streets.  Here  a  num- 
ber of  patients  were  cared  for,  but  the  place 
was  palpably  too  old  and  behind  the  times, 
so  it  was  given  up  and  the  city  got  along 
for  a  number  of  years  longer  without  hospital 
facilities,  the  trustees  holding  the  fund  until 
such  time  as  the  sentiment  in  favor  of  estab- 
lishing a  permanent  hospital  should  take 
form. 

In  April,  1892,  the  City  Hospital  Associa- 
tion was  formally  organized,  with  T.  W.  Cor- 
nell, president;  0.  C.  Barber,  vice  president; 
Henry  Perkins,  secretary,  and  William  Mc- 
Farlin,  treasurer.  Twelve  trustees  were  chosen 
from  the  Hospital  Association.  The  De  Roo 
fund,  $10,000  contributed  by  T.  W.  Cornell, 
and  a  like  sum  by  0.  C.  Barber,  were  used 
to  purchase  the  Bartges  homestead  on  East 
Market  for  hospital  purposes.  After  some 
improvements  the  building  was  opened  as 
the  City  Hospital  of  Akron  on  October  18, 
1892.  Before  many  years  this  building  be- 
came constantly  overcrowded,  and  0.  C.  Bar- 
ber announced  that  he  would  see  that  a 
larger  one  was  built.  With  the  completion  of 
this  new  building  and  its  opening  on  -Tune  5, 
1904,  Mr.  Barber  has  invested  nearly  one 
quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars,  and  the  city 
of  Akron  has  a  hospital  equipment  second 
to  none.  Modern  operating  rooms  and  nurs- 
ing facilities,  with  the  best  of  everything  in 


its  line,  have  been  secured.  The  training 
school  for  nurses  was  opened  in  1897  with 
a  class  of  two,  and  has  been  constantly  in- 
creasing in  number  of  students  and  efficiency 
since  that  time,  graduating  eight  in  May, 
1907.  June  27,  1906,  the  first  resident  phy- 
sician or  interne  was  engaged,  and  his  pres- 
ence proved  so  helpful  that  another  was  se- 
cured May  1,  1907.  The  internes  serve  for 
eighteen  months  without  pay,  their  compen- 
sation coming  from  their  experience  gained 
during  residence  in  the  institution. 

The  officers  of  the  new  institution  are  as 
follows:  President,  0.  C.  Barber;  vice  presi- 
dent, George  T.  Perkins;  treasurer,  Harry  J. 
Blackburn ;  recording  secretary,  Alexander 
H.  Commins;  president  of  the  Auxiliary 
Board,  H.  M.  Houser;  superintendent,  Marie 
Anna  Lawson. 

The  Board  of  Trustees:  0.  C.  Barber, 
George  T.  Perkins,  M.  O'Neil,  H.  B.  Camp, 
C.  B.  Ravmond,  J.  A.  Kohler,  George  W. 
Grouse,  C.  E.  Sheldon,  I.  C.  Alden,  P.  E. 
Werner,  A.  H.  Marks,  C.  C.  Goodrich,  C.  C. 
Benner,  William  A.  Palmer. 

Junior  Board  of  Trustees:  George  W. 
Grouse,  jr.,  Tom  A.  Palmer,  L.  C.  Miles,  A. 
H.  Commins,  W.  B.  Baldwin,  E.  E.  Andrews, 
H.  M.  Houser,  E.  S.  Harter,  H.  H.  Camp, 
C.  H.  Isbell,  B.  N.  Robinson,  George  C.  Koh- 
ler, Karl  Kendig,  Alvin  V.  Baird. 

Officers  of  Staff:  President,  Dr.  H.  H.  Ja- 
cobs; vice  president,  Dr.  William  Murdoch; 
secretary.  Dr.  J.  N.  Weller. 

Hospital  Staff:  Consulting  surgeons,  Dr.  C. 
W.  Millikin,  Dr.  L.  S.  Ebright;  consulting 
physicians.  Dr.  J.  P.  Boyd,  Dr.  William  Mur- 
doch, Dr.  L.  S.  Sweitzer,  Dr.  0.  S.  Childs, 
Dr.  F.  C.  Reed. 


124 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Visiting  Surgeons,  Dr.  J.  W.  Rabe,  Dr.  F. 
C.  Pai-ks,  Dr.  A.  F.  Sippy,  Dr.  D.  E.  Cranz, 
Dr.  G.  F.  Rankin,  Dr.  L.  C.  Eberhard. 

Visiting  Physicians,  Dr.  E.  S.  Underwood, 
Dr.  E.  J.  Canffield,  Dr.  H.  D.  Todd,  Dr.  J. 
H.  Seller,  Dr.  W.  S.  Chase,  Dr.  A.  A. 
Kohler. 

Assistant  Surgeons,  Dr.  G.  W.  Stauffer,  Dr. 
J.  H.  Hulse,  Dr.  J.  H.  Weber,  Dr.  E.  S. 
Underwood. 

Gynecologists  and  Obstetricians,  Dr.  I.  C. 
Rankin,  Dr.  H.  H.  Jacobs. 

Assistant  Obstetrician,  Dr.  A.  W.  Jones. 
Consulting  Oculist,  Dr.  A.  E.  Foltz. 
Oculists,  Dr.  J.  G.  Grant,  Dr.  M.  D.  Steven- 
son. 

Ear,  Nose  and  Throat,  Dr.  T.  K.  Moore, 
Dr.  E.  L.  Mather. 

Anaesthetist,  Dr.  J.   N.  Weller. 
Neurologist,  Dr.  W.  W.  Leonard. 
Pathologist,  Dr.  L.  C.  Eberhard. 
Bacteriologist,  Dr.  C.  E.   Held, 
Ladies'  Auxiliary  Board:     Mi-s.  W.  C.  Ja- 
cobs, president;  Mre.  William  Murdoch,  first 
vice  president;  Mrs.  Ira  Miller,  second  vice 
president;    Mrs.    T.    C.    Raynolds,   secretary; 
Mrs.  C.  H.  Palmer,  treasurer. 

Members:  ]\Irs.  W.  B.  Raymond,  Mrs.  R. 
L.  Ganter,  Mrs.  F.  H.  Ma.son,  Mrs.  G.  W. 
Plumer,  Mrs.  H.  J.  Shuffler,  Mrs.  L.  M.  Wolf, 
Mrs.  Ira  Miller,  Mrs.  F.  H.  Adams,  Mrs.  John 
Greer,  Mrs.  M.  O'Neil,  Mi-s.  William  Mur- 
doch, Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith,  Mrs.  G.  G.  Allen, 
Mrs.  S.  N.  Watson,  Mrs.  J.  M.  Beck,  Mrs.  C. 
H.  Palmer,  Miss  Dorothy  Work,  Mrs.  R.  P. 
Marvice,  Mrs.  C.  I.  Bruner,  Mrs.  E.  S.  Under- 
wood, Mrs.  Albert  Roach,  Mrs.  I.  C.  Alden, 
Mrs.  H.  K.  Raymond,  Mrs.  G.  W.  Grouse, 
jr.,  Mrs.  C.  L.  Brown,  Mrs.  I.  C.  Rankin, 
Mrs.  R.  H.  Kent,  Mrs.  T.  C.  Raynolds,  Mrs. 
E.  W.  Barton,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Jacobs,  Mrs.  Louis 
Loeb,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Greenwood,  Mrs.  F.  H. 
Smith,  Miss  Emma  Whitmore. 

THE   COUNTY    INFIRMARY. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  county  the  poor 
and  indigent  were  cared  for  by  action  of  the 
trustees  of  the  various  town.ships.     The  meth- 


ods varied  much  in  different  townships  and 
the  system  was  far  from  satisfactory.  The 
usual  way  was  to  "let  out"  the  keeping  of 
the  unfortunate  citizens  to  the  lowest  bidder. 
This  was  a  shiftless  and  lazy  way  of  dispos- 
ing of  the  burden,  and  remains  a  great  re- 
proach to  those  unworthy  trustees  who  were 
guilty  of  such  a  breach  of  trust.  The  con- 
tractor was  bound  to  get  as  much  out  of  his 
contract  as  possible,  and  the  only  way  to 
accomplish  this  was  to  do  as  little  for  the 
pauper  as  possible.  In  the  great  majority  of 
cases  all  that  was  done  was  just  sufficient  to 
keep  the  soul  in  its  wretched  body.  The 
first  poorhouse  was  built  in  the  forties,  and 
was  a  rough  affair,  situated  in  South  Akron, 
between  Main  Street  and  the  present  Brew- 
ster switch.  In  1849,  the  old  regime,  with 
its  neglect  and  cruelty,  came  to  an  end.  The 
county  commissioners,  acting  under  an  Ohio 
statute,  purchased  150  acres  of  land  about 
two  miles  west  of  How^ard  Street,  and  lying 
between  Market,  Exchange  and  Maple 
(Streets,  extended.  In  the  summer  of  that 
year  $2,000  was  expended  in  adding  a  two- 
story  frame  building  to  the  other  buildings 
upon  the  land.  This  was  the  beginning  of 
our  fine  County  Infirmary  of  today.  In  1856, 
and  again  in  1879,  additional  land  was  pur- 
chased, until  today  the  county  farm  embraces 
a  tract  of  nearly  225  acres.  In  1864,  the 
legislature  authorized  the  expenditure  of 
$16,000  for  the  erection  of  the  brick  main 
building.  By  utilizing  the  labor  of  the  in- 
mates and  burning  the  brick  from  clay  found 
on  the  farm,  and  using  strict  economy,  a 
much  finer  building  was  built  than  was  orig- 
inally contemplated.  Large  additions  were 
made  to  this  main  building  in  1875,  1880 
and  1887,  and  many  smaller  additions  since 
1890.  Today  there  is  no  better  county  farm 
or  poorhouse  in  Ohio  than  the  Summit 
County  Infirmary.  The  infirmary  directors 
are  chosen  by  the  people  at  the  time  of  the 
State  election.  The  present  efficient  officers 
are  Z.  F.  Chamberlain,  of  Macedonia;  J.  M. 
Johnston,  of  Fairlawn,  and  W.  E.  Waters,  of 
Akron.     The  present  superintendent  is  S.  B. 


tml 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


127 


Stotler,  who  has  been  in  the  office  for  many 
yeare  and  has  rendered  its  difficult  duties  to 
the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  citizens. 


THE    CHILDREN  S    HOME. 

In  August,  1882,  the  Summit  County  com- 
missioners purchased  of  George  Allison,  of 
Tallmadge,  a  farm  near  Bette's  Corners,  con- 
sisting of  140  acres  of  land,  for  $15,000. 
Upon  this  tract  it  was  their  purpose  to  estab- 
lish a  home  for  orphan  children,  and  such 
others  under  sixteen  years  of  age  as  should 
be  in  need  of  county  care.  ■  A  strong  senti- 
ment began  to  set  in  against  this  action  of 
the  commissioners,  it  being  felt  that  so  large 
a  tract  was  not  needed  and  that  the  location 
should  be  nearer  to  Akron.  The  commission- 
ers accordingly  suspended  improvement  oper- 
ations, and  in  November,  1885,  leased  the 
brick  boarding-houses  on  Broadway,  nearly 
opposite  the  court-house,  which  was  demol- 
ished in  1906.  when  George  Crisp  &  Son  built 
their  large  .storage  building  upon  the  site. 
Finally,  in  1889,  the  commi.ssioners,  having 
sold  parcels  from'  the  Allison  farm  and  se- 
cured legislative  permission,  bought  the  old 
Jewett  homestead,  on  South  Arlington  Street, 
in  the  extreme  southeast  corner  of  the  city. 
The  property  now  embraces  nearly  seven 
acres  of  land,  and  the  old  building  has  been 
entirely  remodeled  and  thoroughly  adapted 
to  its  new  uses.  The  growth  of  the  city  and 
county,  however,  have  left  the  original  plat 
far  in  the  rear,  and  steps  should  be  taken  at 
once  for  the  erection  of  a  modern,  brick  and 
steel,  fireproof  structure  for  a  children's 
home.  The  county  ha.>  provided  a  stone  pal- 
ace for  the  county  criminals  (the  new  jail  is 
all  that)  ;  why  should  it  not  do  as  much  for 
its  little  children?  It  has  been  pointed  out 
many  times  that  the  present  building  is  a 
perfect  firetrap.  If  any  taxpayer  begrudge.-? 
the  amount  necessary  to  care  for  these  inno- 
cent children  in  a  proper  way,  he  is  not  a 
worthy  member  of  this  Western  Reserve  com- 
munitv. 


THE   MARY   DAY    NURSERY'. 

One  of  the  splendid  chai-itable  works  ac- 
complished in  Akron  was  the  founding  and 
maintenance  of  a  nursery  where  children 
might  be  kept  during  the  day,  thus  enabling 
mothers  to  undertake  work  outside  the  home. 
To  the  "King's  Daughters"  belongs  the  credit 
of  perceiving  and  adequately  meeting  this 
need.  In  1890,  these  young  ladies  organized 
the  Akron  Day  Nursery,  and  first  occupied 
rooms  in  the  Union  Charity  Association 
Building,  on  South  High  Street,  where  the 
Y.  W.  C.  A.  Building  now  is.  A  year  later 
Colonel  George-  T.  Perkins  presented  the 
young  ladies  with  a  house  and  lot  on  South 
High  Street  near  Buchtel  Avenue,  and  the 
dissociation  became  incorporated.  The  name 
was  then  changed  to  "Mary  Day  Nursery," 
in  honor  of  Mary  Raymond,  Colonel  Perkins' 
first  grandchild.  A  few  years  later  the  munifi- 
cence of  Colonel  Perkins  was  again  expe- 
rienced and  the  association  had  the  extreme 
pleasure  of  accepting  from  his  hands  the 
splendid  building  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Buchtel  Avenue.  It  is  splen- 
didly equipped  for  nursery  and  kindergarten 
purposes  and  will  meet  the  needs  of  the  city 
in  these  respects  for  many  years  to  come. 

THE  UNION   CHARITY  ASSOCIATION. 

This  society  wa.s  incorporated  in  1889  for 
the  purpose  of  relieving  destitution  and  pre- 
venting indiscriminate  alm.s-gdving.  It  is 
the  clearing-house  for  Akron's  charities.  It 
was  founded  by  the  union  of  the  Akron 
Board  of  Charities  and  the  Women's  Benevo- 
lent Association.  It  purchased  a  frame  dwell- 
ing-house on  High  Street  near  the  corner  of 
Market,  the  site  of  the  present  Young 
Women's  Christian  A.sosciation  Building.  In 
1903,  it  erected  the  fine  brick  building  called 
"Grace  Hon.se,"  the  money  for  which  was 
contributed  almost  entirely  by  Colonel  George 
T.  Perkins.  As  the  work  of  the  association 
has  fallen  more  and  more  to  the  lot  of  the 
Young  Women's  and  Young  Men's  Christian 
A.ssociations,  it  was  found  advisable,  in  1906. 


128 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


to  give  up  Grace  House,  and,  accordingly, 
it  was  turned  over  to  the  Young  Women'.^ 
Christian  Association.  The  latter  remodeled 
and  enlarged  the  building  at  an  expense  of 
$15,000,  and  today  it  enjoys  one  of  the  finest 
association  buildings  in  the  State.  The  asso- 
ciation has  moved  three  times,  originally 
occupying  the  basement  rooms  in  an  apart- 
ment house  on  the  east  side  of  South  High 
Street,  between  Mill  and  Quarry  Streets ; 
thence  moving  into  the  entire  third  story  of 
the  Wilcox  Building  on  South  Main  Street, 
where  for  two  years,  1905-1907,  it  success- 
fully conducted  its  splendid  work  among  the 
young  women  of  Akron.  In  April,  1907,  it 
moved  into  the  new  building  on  South  High 
Street. 

The  present  secretary  of  the  Young  Men'."? 
Christian  Association  has  announced  that 
that  organization  is  in  no  sense  a  charitable 
one.  However,  in  giving  their  money  to  es- 
tablish it,  the  citizens  of  Akron  understood 
that  it  was  to  be  devoted  to  charitable  ends. 
At  the  present  time  the  color  line  is  strictly 
drawn,  and  only  white  men  of  a  certain  social 
grade  and  upwards,  are  welcomed  at  the  club- 
house. The  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion is  the  result  of  a  movement  on  behalf  of 
boys  and  A'oung  men,  started  by  the  mayor 
of  Akron  in  1902.  Actively  assisted  by  Sam- 
uel P.  Orth,  he  interested  a  number  of  influ- 
ential citizens  in  behalf  of  a  Boy's  Club.  Mr. 
Orth  was  at  that  time  a  professor  in  Buchtel 
College.  The  idea  was  to  get  boys  without 
regard  to  color,  race,  habits  or  social  stand- 
ing, in  from  the  streets.  After  the  move- 
ment had  progressed  considerably  it  seemed 
best  to  a  majority  of  those  interested  in  it 
to  turn  the  whole  project  over  to  the  Ohio 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  and  make 
use  of  their  organization.  No  one  doubted 
that  the  original  objects  of  the  promoters 
would  be  carried  out  by  the  latter  association. 
In  this  they  were  mistaken.  In  1903,  work 
was  commenced  on  a  fine  building  on  South 
Main  Street  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Main 
and  State  Streets,  the  site  having  been  pur- 
chased by  the  association.  Early  in  1906  it 
was  ready  for  occupancy.     It  is  a  splendid 


structure  for  the  purpose,  and  consists  of  gym- 
nasium, dining-rooms,  baths,  dormitories,  au- 
ditorium and  reception  and  social  rooms. 
Since  the  building  has  been  opened  and  its 
restricted  character  announced,  no  little  regret 
has  been  expressed  that  the  purpose  of  its 
early  promoters  was  not  persisted  in,  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  has  never 
been  a  success  in  Akron,  two  former  asso- 
ciations having  gone  to  the  wall  after  more 
or  less  checkered  careers. 

AKRON    PUBLIC    LIBRARY. 

The  Akron  Public  Library  is  the  outgrowth 
of  an  earlier  organization.  The  Akron  Li- 
brary Association,  this  in  turn  having  its 
rootage  in  the  Akron  Lecture  Association. 
Through  a  series  of  lectures  which  continued 
for  many  years,  through  membership  fees 
and  generous  donations,  the  Akron  Library 
Association  grew  vigorously.  In  1873,  the 
library  had  assumed  such  proportions  that  it 
required  more  care  than  the  association  felt 
inclined  to  give,  and  it  was  offered  to  the 
city,  with  the  stipulation  that  it  receive  proper 
support.  The  propo.sition  was  duly  consid- 
ered and  accepted  in  January,  1874.  The 
library  began  its  career  as  a  public  one  in 
March  of  the  same  year.  The  city  bought 
three  rooms  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Ma- 
sonic Block,  and  the  library  occupied  these 
until  October,  1898.  The  growth  during 
some  twenty  odd  years  made  another  move 
necessary,  and,  in  1898,  the  second  floor  of 
the  Everett  Building,  then  in  process  of  con- 
struction, was  reserved  for  the  library.  Prom 
these  bright  comfortable  rooms  it  moved  on 
April  23,  1904,  into  its  permanent  home,  the 
building  given  by  Mr.  Carnegie.  The  library 
opened  to  the  public  August  1,  1904. 

The  library  now  numbers  16,046  volumes 
for  circulation,  and  7,580  volume*  of  refer- 
ence and  government  reports — 23,626  vol- 
umes in  all.  Aside  from  the  main  library,  it 
reaches  the  public  through  eight  stations  for 
book  exchange.  The  reading  room  has  a 
large  and  attractive  list  of  magazines  and 
papers,  and  is  always  well  patronized.     From 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


129 


the  beginning  the  library  has  been  an  active 
and  vigorous  force  in  the  community. 

Librarians  of  Akron  Public  Library— 
T.  A.  Noble  to  1875;  Horton  Wright,  1875- 
1882;  J.  A.  Beebe,  1882-1889;  Miss  M.  P. 
Edgerton,  1889  to  present  year   (1907). 

Assistants — Miss  Mary  Vosburg  and  Mias 
Anna  M.  Krummer  to  1875 ;  Miss  Bessie  Wil- 
lis, 1875-1885;  Miss  M.  P.  Edgerton,  1885- 
1889;  Mrs.  J.  M.  Proehl,  1889  to  present; 
Miss  Clara  B.  Rose,  1895-1901;  Miss  Maud 
Herndon,  1901  to  present ;  Miss  Grace  M.  Mit- 
chell, 1903-1907 ;  Miss  Euphemia  MacRitchie 
(cataloguer),  1903-1905;  Miss  Rena  B.  Find- 
ley,  1907 ;  Miss  Ella  C.  Tobin,  1907. 

Directors  of  Library  Association  to  1874 — 
D.  L.  King,  J.  S.  Lane,  J.  H.  Pitkin,  I.  P. 
Hole,  C.  P.  Ashmun,  G.  T.  Perkins,  N.  D. 
Tibbals,  E.  P.  Green,  Ferdinand  Schu- 
macher, J.  H.  Peterson,  Thomas  Rhodes, 
R.  L.  Collett,  J.  A.  Long,  B.  S.  Chase,  Sid- 
ney Edgerton,  John  Wolf,  J.  H.  Hower,  W. 
C.  Jacobs,  J.  R.  Buohtel. 

Directors  of  Library  Since  Its  Organization 


as  a  Public  Library — J.  R.  Buchtel,  J.  P. 
Alexander,  M.  W.  Henry,  E.  P.  Green,  G.  T. 
Ford,  W.  L.  King,  C.  A.  Collins,  Adams 
Emerson,  Mason  Chapman,  N.  A.  Carter,  L. 
Miller,  T.  E.  Monroe,  F.  M.  Atterholt,  C.  W. 
Bonstedt,  C.  P.  Humphrey,  0.  L.  Sadler,  R. 
P.  Burnett,  C.  R.  Grant,  Elias  Fraunfelter, 
A.  H.  Noah,  Louis  Seybold,  G.  D.  Seward, 
C.  S.  Hart,  P.  E.  Werner,  W.  T.  Allen,  H. 
K.  Sander,  A.  H.  Noah,  M.  J.  Hoynes,  John 
Memmer,  W.  B.  Cannon,  H.  C.  Corson,  F.  W. 
Rockwell,  W.  T.  Tobin,  F.  C.  Bryan,  C.  P. 
Humphrey,  W.  T.  Vaughan,  J.  C.  Frank, 
G.  W.  Rogers,  J.  W.  Kelley,  A.  J.  Tidyman, 
T.  J.  Mumford,  W.  J.  Doran,  H.  A.  Kraft. 

Board  of  Directors  (1907)— President,  W. 
T.  Vaughan;  secretary,  G.  D.  Seward;  John 
C.  Frank,  Rev.  G.  P.  Atwater,  Dr.  M.  V.  Hal- 
ter, Henry  A.  Kraft. 

Library  Staff  (1907)— Miss  M.  P.  Edger- 
ton, Librarian;  Mrs.  J.  M.  Proehl,  Miss  Maud 
Herndon,  Miss  Rena  B.  Findley  and  Miss 
Ella  Tobin,  assistants;  James  C.  Gillen,  cus- 
todian. 


CHAPTER  VII 


AGRICULTURE 


By  far  the  oldest  of  the  agricultural  or- 
ganizations of  various  kinds  in  Summit 
County  is  the  Summit  County  Agricultural 
Society,  under  the  auspices  of  which  the  an- 
nual autumn  fair  is  held.  This  society  has 
had  an  uninterrupted  existence  since  about 
1841.  There  is  now  no  way  of  determining 
the  exact  date  of  its  organization,  as  the 
early  records  have  all  been  destroyed.  The 
rather  uncertain  recollection  of  persons  who 
came  to  Akron  in  1840  is  to  the  effect  that 
a  show  of  agricultural  produce  was  held  an- 
nually commencing  within  a  year  or  two  after 
that  dat€.  The  first  mention  made  of  any 
such  society  in  the  local  papers  of  the  time 
which  have  survived  to  us  occurs  in  1844. 
In  May  of  that  year  a  notice  was  published, 
calling  a  meeting  of  the  executive  committee 
for  the  purpose  of  adopting  rules,  under 
which  the  annual  fair  was  to  be  conducted. 

Subsequently,  the  State  of  Ohio  had  passed 
certain  acts  for  the  encouragement  of  agri- 
cultural societies.  By  the  terms  of  one  of 
them,  any  such  society  organized  in  Summit 
County  and  holding  an  annual  fair  might 
draw  $137.50  from  the  public  treasury,  each 
year,  to  be  applied  toward  defraying  the  ex- 
penses of  the  society.  This  was  not  a  large 
sura  and  would  not  go  far  in  meeting  the  ex- 
penses of  a  very  modest  fair;  but  the  results 
of  the  offer  in  many  of  the  counties  of  Ohio 
deinonstrated  the  wisdom  of  the  legislature. 
The  thrift  of  the  Summit  County  farmer  is 
proverbial.  As  might  be  expected,  the  offer 
of  the  State  was  soon  accepted. 

It  is  probable  that  the  affairs  of  the  early 
society  had  not  moved  forward  without  inter- 
ruption ;   it  may  even  have  ceased  to  exist. 


At  any  rate,  in  October,  1849,  the  auditor 
of  the  county  issued  a  call  for  a  public  meet- 
ing of  all  those  who  would  be  interested  in 
the  formation  of  a  society  of  agriculture.  In 
pursuance  of  this  call,  a  public  meeting  was 
held  in  the  new  court  house  on  the  eleventh 
day  of  November,  1849.  The  meeting  or- 
ganized by  electing  officers  and  appointing  a 
committee  of  five  farmers,  representing  differ- 
ent portions  of  the  county,  to  prepare  a  suit- 
able constitution  and  code  of  by-laws  for  the 
governing  of  the  organization.  Before  the 
meeting  adjourned,  the  society  had  secured 
seventy  members  from  among  those  who  had 
attended.  The  name  of  the  old  society,  The 
Summit  County  Agricultural  Society,  was 
adopted  as  the  name  of  the  organization. 
Perhaps  it  is  error  to  speak  of  the  "old  so- 
ciety," for  it  may  not  have  ceased  to  exist. 
However,  the  real  history  of  the  society,  as  we 
know  it,  begin.s  with  this  meeting  held  in 
the  autumn  of  1849.  If  the  old  society  was 
maintaining  an  uncertain  existence,  it  was 
put  firmly  on  its  feet  by  this  public  meeting. 
That  call  to  action  aroused  a  strong  public 
sentiment  which  has  been  a  potent  factor 
ever  since.  The  ultimate  result  has  been  to 
make  the  Summit  County  society  the  strong- 
est one  in  the  State,  and  the  Summit  County 
Fair  one  of  the  most  important  held  any- 
where in  the  Middle  West. 

On  November  18,  1849,  the  a-ssociation 
held  another  meeting  at  the  court  house,  at 
which  time  a  constitution  and  by-laws  were 
adopted  and  permanent  officers  elected.  This 
was  the  first  board  of  officials  of  which  we 
have  any  record.  Colonel  Simon  Perkins 
was   elected   president;   William   H.    Dewey, 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


131 


treasurer;  William  A.  Hanford,  of  Tall- 
madge,  secretary,  and  John  Hoy,  of  Frank- 
lin; Sylvester  H.  Thompson,  of  Hudson, 
Avery  Spicer,  of  Coventry;  James  W.  Weld, 
of  Richfield,  and  Philo  C.  Stone  were  elected 
as  a  board  of  directors  or  managers.  At  the 
present  time  the  practice  is  to  take  one  di- 
rectoT  from  each  to^-nship  in  the  county. 
These  directors  arranged  and  published  a  pre- 
mium list  and  made  all  preparations  for  hold- 
ing a  fair  during  the  fall  of  1850.  This,  the 
first  large  and  well-organized  fair  in  the 
county,  was  held  October  2nd  and  3rd,  1850 
At  that  time  two  days  were  deemed  enough. 
The  officers  probabh'  followed  the  custom  in 
New  England,  of  confining  the  fair  to  two 
days,  the  first  of  which  was  given  over  to  the 
"Horse  Show"  and  the  second  to  the  "Cattle 
Show."  For  the  last  twenty-five  or  thirty 
years,  at  least,  it  has  been  the  custom  to  de- 
vote four  days,  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thurs- 
day and  Friday,  of  fair  week  to  the  purposes 
of  the  exhibition.  It  is  now  held  on  the 
same  week  in  the  year  as  the  earliest  fair, 
in  1850.  It  is  probably  the  most  satisfactory 
time  which  could  be  selected. 

At  first  the  society  had  no  grounds  of  its 
own  and  was  obliged  to  request  the  county 
commLssioners  for  permission  to  hold  it  on 
the  grounds  surrounding  the  (then)  new 
county  court-house.  The  permission  was  will- 
ingly granted,  and  the  fair  was  held  in  the 
grove  which  then  covered  the  block  of  land 
between  High,  Church,  Broadway  and  State 
Streets.  The  court-hoase  building  wa.*  used 
for  the  display  of  flowers,  fruits  and  domestic 
articles,  while  the  stock  was  exhibited  in  the 
surrounding  grove.  There  was  no  race-track 
and,  of  course,  no  races.  If  the  interest  it 
aroused  in  things  agricultural  may  be  taken 
as  a  criterion,  the  fair  of  1850  wa*  a  big 
success.  On  account  of  the  fact  that  no  ad- 
mission was  charged,  the  total  receipts  for  the 
first  year  were  only  $327.53,  of  which  $100 
were  spent  in  awarding  premiums.  The  so- 
ciety secured  the  court-house  grounds  for  its 
fair  of  1851,  and  al.«o  held  its  third  fair 
there  in  1852.  The  increasing  number  of 
exhibits  made  it  neces.sary  to  erect  temporary 


booths  and  sheds  to  accommodate  them.  This 
being  a  source  of  expense  which  might  be 
avoided  by  securing  permanent  grounds,  and 
the  interest  of  the  public  throughout  the 
whole  county  increasing,  it  was  determined 
by  the  society  to  lease  suitable  grounds  and 
erect  more  substantial  and  worthy  buildings. 
The  president  of  the  .society,  Simon  Perkins, 
then  offered  it,  without  charge  or  rent,  the 
use  of  a  tract  of  land  on  South  Main  Street 
nearly  opposite  the  plant  of  The  B.  F.  Good- 
rich Company,  and  consisting  of  about  six 
acres  of  land.  An  exhibition  hall,  stock- 
sheds  and  a  high  fence  around  the  grounds 
were  built.  The  fourth  fair  was  held  on 
thase  grounds  on  October  12th  and  13th, 
1853. 

In  five  years  the  annual  attendance  had 
grown  so  large  that  the  grounds  had  be- 
come entirely  inadequate.  The  receipts  had 
increased  to  $1,400  m  1858.  When  the  so- 
ciety decided  to  secure  new  quarters,  the  fine 
public  spirit  which  Cuyahoga  Falls  had  al- 
wavs  shown,  was  once  more  demonstrated. 
That  village  made  an  offer  of  $6,000  if  the 
new  grounds  should  be  located  there.  Never- 
theless, the  society  leased  for  a  period  of  five 
years  a  beautiful  tract  of  about  thirty  acres 
of  land  in  the  western  part  of  the  city.  It 
was  owned  by  Da\4d  L.  King  and  consisted 
of  the  high  land  immediately  west  of  the 
canal  between  Glendale  Avenue  and  Ash 
Street.  This  site  is  now  occupied  by  the  Mil- 
ler and  Conger  mansions  and  the  fine  grounds 
surrounding  them.  .  The  society  fitted  np 
these  grounds  with  the  necessary  buildings, 
a  race-track,  etc.,  at  a  cost  of  several  thou- 
sand dollars.  The  first  fair  held  on  these 
grounds  was  that  of  1859.  In  18G4,  the  lea'^e 
from  Mr.  King  expired.  Althotigh  he  offered 
to  sell  the  whole  tract  to  the  society,  for  fair 
puri:>oses  only,  for  the  extremely  low  price  of 
$5,000,  and  although  the  site  was  perfectly 
adapted  to  such  purposes,  yet  the  society,  in 
pursuance  of  a  .short-sighted  policy,  deter- 
mined to  move  again.  This  time  they  went 
still  further  west  and  located  on  the  grounds 
of  P.  D.  Hall,  just  east  of  Balch  Street.  Mr. 
Hall   leased  thirtv  acres,   most  of  it  covered 


132 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT   COUNTY 


with  a  fine  grove  of  trees,  to  the  society  for 
a  term  of  ten  years.  This  tract  has  been 
known,  popuhirly,  ever  since  as  the  old  "Hall 
Fair  Grounds."  The  first  fair  held  here  was 
in  the  autumn  of  1864.  Successful  fairs  were 
held  on  these  grounds  during  the  whole  of 
the  ten  years.  The  expiration  of  the  lease 
found  the  society  with  several  thousand  dol- 
lars in  its  trei^ury  which  it  could  devote  to 
the  purchase  of  grounds  of  its  own.  A  spir- 
ited contest  then  began  between  the  advocates 
of  different  sites.  Nine  or  ten  different  tracts 
adjoining  the  city  on  the  w&st  and  south 
were  offered  to  the  society  at  prices  ranging 
from  $200  to  $500  per  acre.  Every  one  of 
these  tracts  has  since  increased  in  value  to 
as  many  thousands.  At  first  the  society  de- 
termined to  purchase  the  property  of  Dr.  S. 
H.  Coburn  and  Samuel  Thornton  west  of 
South  Main  Street.  Then  the  committee  of 
purchase  concluded  to  accept  the  offer  of 
James  McAllister  for  his  thirty  acres  on  the 
highest  point  of  West  Hill,  just  west  of  Por- 
tage Path.  The  deed  was  made  and  the  so- 
ciety became  the  owner  of  it.  This  action 
aroused  a  storm  of  protest.  The  people  of 
Akron  objected  to  the  long  distance  from 
the  business  center  of  the  city  and  the  inhabi- 
tants of  every  township  in  the  county,  except 
those  in  the  western  part,  were  loud  in  their 
objection  that,  for  them  the  location  was 
practically  inaccessible.  As  a  result,  the  so- 
ciety, in  1875,  decided  to  sell  the  new 
grounds  and  buy  others  located  on  North 
Hdll.  Mr.  A.  T.  Burrows  had  offered  them 
forty-five  acres  there  at  a  price  of  $400  per 
acre.  At  a  meeting  held  six  months  later 
this  determination  was  reconsidered  and  a 
final  choice  was  made  of  a  tract  of  forty- 
five  acres  lying  in  the  valley  of  the  Little 
Cuyahoga,  near  the  old  Forge,  and  known 
as  the  "Austin  Powder  Patch."  This  tract 
of  land  haid  belonged  to  the  Austin  Powder 
Company,  and  had  been  the  site  of  their  pow- 
der mills  until  about  1860,  when  they  were 
moved  to  Cleveland.  Explosions  and  fires 
had  long  before  destroyed  all  the  buildings 
upon  the  tract.  The  writer  first  saw  it  in 
1874,  and  it  certainly  looked  far  from  invit- 


ing. Although  it  was  not  decided  until  June 
26,  1875,  to  purchase  this  tract,  yet  by  dint 
of  much  hard  labor  the  next  fair,  that  of 
October,  1875,  was  held  there.  It  was  the 
first  fair  held  on  the  society's  own  grounds. 
Contrary  to  the  expectations  of  many  citi- 
zens of  the  county,  it  was  a  big  success.  The 
attendance  and  the  exhibits  were  larger  than 
ever  before.  In  the  next  few  years,  the  so- 
ciety spent  much  money  in  grading,  improv- 
ing and  beautifying  the  grounds.  It  became 
a  real  expofsition,  on  a  small  scale.  Mercan- 
tile Hall,  Agricultural  Hall,  Floral  Hall,  the 
Grand  Stand  and  many  dining  halls,  exhibi- 
tion booths  and  stands  were  built;  the 
grounds  were  laid  out  in  an  attractive  man- 
ner with  artificial  lakes,  fountains,  etc.,  and 
the  name  "Fountain  Park"  was  given  to  the 
new  fair  grounds.  Since  1875,  the  successive 
fairs  of  the  society  have  been  held  here,  in- 
cluding the  1907  fair  just  held.  Since  1906 
there  has  been  a  strong  sentiment  setting  in 
toward  selling  Fountain  Park  and  securing 
more  accessible  grounds.  The  society  has 
been  successful  on  these  grounds,  but  the  in- 
crea.sing  crowds  make  it  impossible  for  the 
tran-sportation  companies  to  properly  handle 
visitors.  The  present  grounds  would  make 
very  desirable  railway  yards,  and  it  is  now 
understood  that  one  railway  company,  at 
least,  would  like  to  add  them  to  its  posses- 
sions. The  many  dangers  attending  the  ap- 
proach to  the  present  grounds  certainly  ought 
to  lead  the  present  members  of  the  society  to 
consider  the  purchase  of  other  grounds  more 
favorably  situated. 

The  officers  of  the  Summit  County  Agri- 
cultural Society  for  1907  are:  President,  L. 
M.  Kauffman;  vice  president,  B.  H.  Prior; 
secretary,  0.  J.  Swinehart;  treasurer,  G.  W. 
Brewster;  superintendent  of  race^,  E.  M.  Gan- 
yard. 

When  the  Summit  County  Agricultural 
Society  reached  the  determination  to  move 
the  site  of  its  annual  fair  from  Hall's  Pair 
Grounds  to  the  New  Fountain  Park,  much 
dissatisfaction  was  expressed  by  those  opposed 
to  the  new  site.  The  discontent  prevajiled 
mostly  among  the  farmers  in  the  southern 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


133 


and  western  parts  of  the  county.  It  was  said 
that  the  new  site  was  difficult  and  dangerous 
to  approach,  and  doubts  were  held  as'  to  the 
healthfulness  of  it.  These  feelings  and  ex- 
pressions of  dissent  finally  culminated  in  the 
formation  of  a  rival  association  called  the 
"Summit  County  Fair  Association."  The 
society  was  incorporated  with  a  capital  of 
$5,000,  and  the  following  officers  were 
elected:  President,  James  Hammond,  of  Cop- 
ley; vice  president,  Frank  A.  Foster,  of 
Copley;  secretary,  Wellington  Miller,  of  Nor- 
ton ;  trea.surer.  Philander  D.  Hall,  Jr.,  of 
Akron.  Mr.  Hall  made  a  new  lease  of  his 
large  tract  on  favorable  terms  to  the  new 
society,  and  the  capital  paid  was  expended  in 
providing  buildings,  sheds,  fences,  etc.  The 
fair  was  held  in  the  last  week  of  September, 

1875,  and  was  an  entire  success,  both  from 
the  point  of  attendance  and  interest,  and 
from  the  point  of  exhibits.  The  new  society 
was  much  encoiiraged,  and  made  more  exten- 
sive plans  for  the  fair  of  1876.  While  the 
latter  was  succe.'vsful  from  all  points  of  view. 
yet  the  rival  fair  in  Fountain  Park  had  con- 
tinued to  grow  in  popularity  and  the  old 
objections  to  its  site  had  been  found  by  the 
experience  of  two  years  to  be  largely  un- 
founded. The  younger  association  did  not 
feel  encouraged  to  continue  their  exhibition, 
in  face  of  the  strong  sentiment  setting  in 
toward  the  "old  fair"  on  the  new  site.     It 

.was  accordingly  decided  to  wind  up  the  affairs 
of  the  new  association  and  disband.     Since 

1876,  the  Summit  County  Agricultural  So- 
ciety has  conducted  the  only  agricultural  ex- 
hibition held  in  the  county.  It  has  been 
uniformly  successful  and  is  today  an  exceed- 
ingly strong  and  prosperous  organization. 

When  the  difficulty  over  the  selection  of 
new  grounds  arose  in  1859,  the  fine  public 
spirit  of  Cuwhoga  Falls  was  again  mani- 
fested. That  village  made  an  offer  of  $6,000 
in  cash  to  the  Summit  County  Agricultural 
Society,  provided  the  new  fair  grounds  should 
be  located  there.  Upon  the  refusal  of  this 
splendid  offer,  the  citizens  of  the  village  de- 
termined to  have  an  agricultural  exhibition  of 
their    own.      They    formed    an    organization 


called  the  "Union  Fair  Association,"  and  pro- 
vided extensive  grounds  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  village  as  a  site  for  an  annual  autumn 
festival.  The  advantages  of  the  site  were  all 
that  could  reasonably  be  asked.  In  fact,  it 
was  superior  in  nearly  all  respects  to  any 
of  the  sites  previously  or  since  selected  for 
this  purpose.  The  grounds  were  first  opened 
for  exhibition  on  September  1,  1859.  The 
fair  was  well  attended  and  netted  the  asso- 
ciation a  profit  of  several  hundred  dollars. 
The  attendance  was  mainly  from  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  county.  The  profits  of  this 
first  fair  were  all  wiped  out,  however,  by  a 
race  meet,  which  was  held  in  the  latter  part 
of  October  of  the  same  year.  In  1860,  the 
date  of  the  fair  was  changed  to  the  fir.=t  week 
of  October.  The  attendance  was  not  as  large 
as  had  been  hoped  for,  although  the  exhibi- 
tion itself  was  well  worthy  of  patronage.  The 
last  fair  held  on  these  grounds  was  that  of 
1861.  The  display  of  stock  and  products  of 
the  farm  was  excellent,  and  an  attraction  in 
the  form  of  competitive  military  drills  be- 
tween the  different  'military  companies  of  the 
county  was  added,  but  the  attendance  was 
far  below  the  line  of  profit.  With  the  inevi- 
table staring  the  a.ssociation  in  the  face,  it 
was  decided  to  disband,  and  the  Summit 
County  Association  from  that  time  on  had 
no  competition  from  the  "Union  Fair  Asso- 
ciation." 

Two  other  town.ships  which  tried  to  con- 
duct rival  fairs  without  lasting  success  were 
Richfield  and  Twinsburg.  The  citizens  of 
Richfield  organized  the  "Richfield  Agricul- 
tural Club"  in  1851,  and  in  the  fall  of  that 
year  conducted  a  fair  which  was  reasonably 
successful.  It  was  supported  by  a  well-popu- 
lated and  wealthy  community,  and  being 
economically  condiicted,  it  continued  to  grow 
in  popularity  and  influence.  At  length,  in 
1858,  the  "Union  Agricultural  and  Mechanic 
Arts  Society"  was  incorporated,  comprising 
citizens  of  parts  of  Medina  and  Cuyahoga 
counties  as  well  as  Summit.  This  tri-countv 
fair  continued  to  prosper  and  held  succe.«sful 
exhibitions  each  autumn  on  well-appointed 
fair  grounds,  situated  between  the  two  villages 


134 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


of  East  and  West  Richfield.  Finally,  the  in- 
terest in  the  central  exhibition  at  Akron  be- 
came so  strong  that  at  was  decided  that  the 
agricultural  interests  of  the  county  would  be 
best  subserved  by  limiting  the  exhibitions  to 
the  big  one  held  at  the  county  seat.  The  last 
fair  on  the  Richfield  grounds  was  held  in 
•1875.  The  next  year  the  society  sold  its 
grounds  and  wound  up  its  affairs. 

About  the  time  the  Richfield  Fair  was 
started,  the  people  of  Twinsburg  commenced 
an  annual  township  exhibition  of  agricultural 
products.  In  1855,  this  was  expanded  into 
the  "Union  Fair  Association,"  composed  of 
Twinsburg,  Hudson  and  Northfield  town- 
ships in  Summit  County;  Solon  and  Bedford 
townships,  in  Cuyahoga  County,  and  Aurora 
township,  in  Portage  County.  Fine  fair- 
grounds were  established  near  Twinsburg 
Center,  and  the  society  prospered  for  many 
years.  After  the  war  the  interest  began  to 
wane,  and  after  the  fair  of  1871,  it  was  de- 
cided to  discontinue  them.  In  1872,  the 
grounds  were  sold  and  the  "Union  Fair  As- 
sociation" of  Twinsburg  was,  from  that  time 
on.  merely  a  matter  of  history. 

SUMMIT  COUNTY  GRANGES. 

Among  the  organizations  which  the  agri- 
culturists of  the  county  have  provided  for 
their  betterment,  physically,  mentally  and 
spiritually,  the  Grange  occupies  an  important 
place.  That  the  movement  has  been  well 
thought  of  in  this  general  vicinity  is  evi- 
denced by  the,  following  iinposing  list  of 
Summit  County  Granges.  The  names  of 
their  respective  officers  is  for  the  year  1906- 
1907.  Granges  and  officers  are  as  follows: 
Pomona  Grange — Eugene  F.  Cranz,  of  Ira, 
master;  S.  J.  Baldwin,  of  Tallmadge,  lec- 
turer, and  Mrs.  0.  S.  Scott,  secretary.  Dar- 
row  Street  Grange — W.  M.  Darrow,  master; 
Mrs.  F.  R.  Howe,  lecturer;  Mabel  E.  Shively, 
secretary.  Osbom's  Corners'  Grange — W.  E. 
Riiple,  master;  Monnie  Woodruff,  lecturer; 
A.  L.  Aikman,  secretary.  Northampton 
Grange — George  W.  Treap,  master;  0.  Mc- 
Arthur,    lecturer;    Howard    G.    Treap,    secre- 


tary. Richfield  Grange — Henry  S.  Gargett, 
master;  Mrs.  Mary  Baughnian,  lecturer; 
Frank  M.  Hughes,  secretary.  Copley  Grange 
— Arthur  Chrisanan,  master;  R.  J.  Dalling.i, 
lecturer;  Herbert  Hammond,  secretary.  Bath 
Center  Grange — I.  L.  Underwood,  master; 
Mrs.  William  Waltz,  lecturer;  E.  C.  Robin- 
son, secretary.  Tallmadge  Grange — S.  C. 
Barnes,  master;  Mrs.  Lottie  Clark,  lecturer; 
II.  J.  Walters,  secretary.  Highland  Grange 
— E.  Blender,  master;  George  Lauby,  lec- 
turer; J.  W.  Foltz,  secretary. 

SUMMIT   county's  HORTICULTURAL  INTERESTS 

By  Aaron  Teeple,  Esq. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  Summit  County 
our  pioneer  fathers  were  beset  with  the  stern 
realities  of  life^ — a  house  to  shelter,  the  pro- 
curement of  raiment  and  the  wherewithal  to 
be  fed.  The  forests  had  to  be  cleared  away, 
habitations,  though  rude,  erected,  and  the 
unbroken  soil  subdued.  Without  markets  in 
which  to  dispose  of  any  surplus  products  or 
to  procure  necessary  supplies,  only  at  remote 
distances  through  roadless  forests,  their  cm- 
ditions,  as  we  view  them  now  with  our  mod- 
ern improvements,  were  that  of  unwonted 
hardship  and  deprivation.  The  writer  can 
well  remember  the  old  time  "log-rolling," 
when  the  neighbors  came  together  for  miles 
around  to  pile  the  timbers  previously  cut 
into  huge  heaps  for  burning.  Then  it  was 
the  custom  for  each  farmer  to  grow  a  piece 
of  ground  to  flax,  that  was  in  time  pulled, 
broken,  beaten,  heckled,  and  finally  spun  and 
woven  into  cloth  for  clothing  or  beddinar. 
Almost  every  log  cabin  was  then  provided 
with  an  upper  chamber  reached  by  ascending 
a  ladder,  where  the  children  were  put  to  bed, 
with  only  a  puncheon  roof  above  to  protect 
from  the  storm  without.  Usually  in  this 
cabin  near  the  ladder  stairway,  a  hole  was 
bored  in  one  of  the  logs,  and  a  strong  wooden 
])in  driven,  where  any  wild  game,  brought 
in  to  add  to  the  food  supply,  was  hung.  At 
night,  when  the  meat  supply  became  low, 
the  stuTdy  woodman   would   take   down   the 


RESIDENCE  OF  WALTER  A.  FRANKLIN.  AKRON 


RESIDENCE  OF  }iAl;\  EV  BALDWIN,  AKRON        RESIDENCE  OF  ELMER  A.  GAULT,  AKRON 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


137 


rifle,  fasten  a  lighted  candle  on  his  hat  and 
visit  the  chopping.  Deer  were  plentiful  then 
and  the  newly  cut  timber  affoi'ded  excellent 
browsing.  The  approach  of  the  light  would 
give  alarm,  and  the  reflected  light  from  the 
eyeballs  of  the  deer  give  the  hunter  the  point 
to  aim  at,  while  the  light  of  the  candle  en- 
abled deliberate  precision  for  deadly  work. 

The  pre-eminent  factor  then  was  the  so- 
ciability everywhere  manifest.  Did  a  neigh- 
bor want,  he  had  only  to  make  it  known. 
Be  it  labor,  food,  or  other  supply,  all  were 
ready  to  sacrifice,  if  need  be,  to  meet  the 
want.  In  those  days  but  little  attention  was 
devoted  to  the  esthetic  culture  of  home  or 
the  ornamentation  of  its  surroundings. 
Doubtless  our  ancestors  had  as  ardent  ta^te 
or  desire  to  cultivate  and  enjoy  the  beautiful, 
as  we,  their  progeny,  but  the  sterner  demands 
had  first  to  be  met  and  overcome  ere  these 
could  be  gratified,  or  luxuri&s  be  considered. 
The  wild  flowers,  in  many  instances,  were 
transplanted  and  in  a  measure  domesticated 
by  culture,  as  were  several  species  of  grapes 
and  berries  found  growing  on  low  lands  in 
the  forest. 

Among  the  early  settlers  in  our  county 
were  Austin  M.  Hale,  of  Mogadore,  Dr.  Men- 
dell  Jewett,  of  Middlebury;  Daniel  Hine,  of 
Tallmadge ;  Andrew  Hale,  of  Bath ;  Edwin 
Wetmore,  of  Northampton,  and  a  Mr. 
Robinett,  who  lived  just  over  the  line  of 
Northfield  in  Cuyahoga  County,  father  of  B. 
A.  Robinett,  of  Northfield.  With  them  the 
love  and  culture  of  fruit  was  supreme  and 
uppermost.  To  provide  a  supply  in  their 
new  home,  to  be,  various  kinds  of  seeds, 
vines  and  small  trees  and  shnibbery  were 
brought  from  their  New  England  homes,  and 
planted  in  their  gardens,  becoming  the  basis 
from  which  most  of  the  orchards  and  gar- 
dens of  Summit  County  sprung. 

Daniel  Hine  was  the  pioneer  in  grape  and 
pear  culture,  Andrew  Hale  and  Austin  Hale 
of  apples,  and  Edwin  Wetmore  of  peache«. 
By  careful  cross  fertilization,  the  wild  with 
improved  varieties,  many  new  types  were  se- 
cured. Of  the  tree  fruits,  especially  the  apple 
has  undergone  but  few  changes.     The   old 


Rambo,  the  Rhode  Island  Greening,  the  Bel- 
mont, and  many  of  the  older  varieties,  re- 
main as  distinct  as  when  first  introduced  and 
propagated. 

The  pioneer  nursery  business  was  instituted 
by  Austin  M.  Hale  of  Mogadore,  Denis  A. 
Hine  and  M.  Jewett  of  Middlebury,  and  Jobe 
Green,  just  over  the  Bath  line  in  Granger, 
Medina  County.  In  order  to  increase  their 
stock,  seed  of  fruit  was  planted  and  the  seed- 
ling stock  set  in  nursery  rows,  producing  in 
mast  instances  fruit  of  very  inferior  quality. 
To  improve  the  fruit,  long  journeys  were 
made  to  South  Eastern  Ohio  near  Marietta, 
where  Israel  Putnam,  jr.,  had  established  a 
nursery  of  forty  or  fifty  varieties  of  choice 
fruit  brought  from  his  old  home  in  Connec- 
ticut prior  to  the  year  1817.  Scions  were 
secured  and  young  tre&s  grafted.  About  the 
year  1824,  the  Kirtlands  established  a  nur- 
sery in  Trumbull"  County  with  stock  brought 
from  New  England,  including  peaches,  pears, 
apples  and  many  of  the  smaller  fruits.  Our 
home  nursery  men,  alert  to  increase  their 
product  in  quantity  as  well  as  quality,  were 
not  .slow  to  avail  them.selves  of  anything  new 
in  their  line  and  became  customers  to  some 
extent  of  the  Trumbull  County  nursery, 
from  these  sources  most  of  the  orchards  and 
small  fruits  w-ere  originally  desseminated. 
Among  the  older  orchards  of  Summit  County 
were  that  of  Maxwell  Graham  in  Stnw,  Jphn 
Ewart  of  Springfield,  W.  B.  Storer  of  Por- 
tage, and  Andrew  Hale  of  Bath — orchards 
that  by  careful  treatment  haVe  and  are  now 
yielding  large  crops  of  choice  fruit  annually. 
For  many  years  Summit  County  was  noted 
as  being  a  dairy  and  farming  community. 
The  milling  interests  at  the  county  seat 
created  a  demand  for  cereals  and  the  southern 
part  of  the  county  being  adapted  in  soil  to 
their  growth,  it  became  largely  a  grain-grow- 
ing section.  While  the  northern  part  of  the 
county  was  a  heavier  soil  better  adapted  to 
grass,  and  the  dairy  interest  thrived.  But 
with  the  building  of  railroads  increasing  fa- 
cilities of  transportation,  the  close  proximity 
to  coal  fields  cheapening  fuel,  Akron  became 
a  manufacturing  center.    With  each  new  in- 


138 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


dustry  came  a  corresponding  increase  in  pop- 
ulation, creating  an  increased  demand  for 
fruits,  vegetables  and  garden  products.  Mar- 
ket gardening  became  a  fixed  industry.  Per- 
haps the  earliest  to  engage  in  gardening  to 
any  extent  was  Charles  C.  Miller  and  Foster 
A.'Tarbell  of  Copley,  W.  B.  Storer  and  Sam- 
uel Bacon  of  Portage,  and  Charles  H.  Welch 
of  Springfield.  The  business  became  so 
profitable  that  soon  others  followed.  At 
present  the  business  has  grown  to  such  an 
extent  that  frequently  in  the  .summer  months 
from  eighty  to  100  wagons  loaded  with  fruit 
and  garden  products  are  on  the  Akron  mar- 
ket on  a  morning.  This  demand  for  food 
supplies,  with  the  diversity  of  the  soil  of  the 
county,  has  been  the  means  to  enable  the 
culture  of  many  hitherto  neglected  products. 
The  swamp  lands  near  Greentown  were 
drained  and  brought  under  culture,  and  Jo- 
seph A.  Borst  became  the  pioneer  in  celery 
growing.  Soon  after  the  Atwood  Brothers  of 
Akron  commenced  dn  a  large  way  the  rais- 
ing of  celery  on  the  muck  land  of  Copley 
swamp  just  west  of  Akron.  Many  acres  of 
once-thought  waste  land  have  become  drained 
and  are  now  producing  celery,  onions,  cab- 
bage and  other  hardy  garden  products  in  dif- 
ferent portions  of  the  county.  Matthew 
Crawford  for  more  than  forty  years  has  been 
growing  plants  of  small  fruits  and  developing 
new  varieties.  Many  of  our  choicest  varieties 
of  strawberries:  are  the  result  of  his  labors. 
Recently  his  attention  has  been  given  mostly 
to  growing  bulbs.  With  Rev.  M.  W.  Dai- 
las,  a  few  years  ago  he  grew  about  nine  acres 
of  gladiolas.  The  market  responded,  the  de- 
mand became  so  groat  that  the  supply  has  not 
been  suflicient.  This  season  one  dealer,  we 
learn,  has  placed  his  order  for  2,000,000 
gladiola  bulbs,  requiring  at  least  10  acres  of 
land  to  produce  them.  Hyacinth  and  daff'o- 
dil  bulbs  are  now  grown  .successfully,  and  the 
time  will  likely  soon  come  when  further  im- 
portations from  abroad  will  become  unnec- 
essa^J^ 

The  first  effort  at  organization  of  the  Agri- 
cultural and  Horticultural  interests,  aside 
from  the   Summit  County   Agricultviral   So- 


ciety, was  made  in  the  year  1878  by  a  call 
from  Dr.  M.  Jewett,  M.  C.  Read,  L.  V.  Bierce 
and  others  to  form  a  Farmers'  Club.  The 
meetings  were  held  monthly  in  the  Empire 
Hall  in  Akron,  and  continued  for  several 
years.  The  meetings  were  at  first  well  at- 
tended and  were  usually  of  much  interest  and 
profit.  Subjects  relating  to  the  home,  prod- 
ucts of  the  farm,  fi-uit  growing,  as  well  as 
those  more  intricate  and  scientific  relating  to 
how  plants  grow,  how-  to  originate  new  varie- 
ties, were  presented  in  well  written  papers 
and,  in  some  instances,  pointedly  discussed 
The  club  became  so  heavily  freighted,  how- 
ever, with  professional  men,  who  spun  out 
their  paperse  so  fine  and  to  such  length  that 
the  interest  began  to  lag.  As  an  instance, 
one,  a  Dr.  Smith,  was  asked  to  prepare  a 
paper.  He  chose  for  his  theme  "Sexuality  in 
Nature."  He  argued  that  in  the  mineral  as 
well  as  in  the  animal  and  vegetable  king- 
doms, distinct  traces  of  sexuality  exist.  The 
article  was  highly  scientific,  and  of  sufficient 
length  to  fill  a  whole  page  in  the  Summit 
County  Beacon,  and  required  over  an  hour 
in  reading.  At  the  clo.se  of  the  reading  but 
a  small  audience  remained  to  discu.ss  its 
merits.  It  became  evident  to  the  officers  of 
the  organization  that  to  impart  new  life  a 
radical  change  must  take  place.  Hence  a 
call  was  made  to  meet  at  the  Friendly  Inn, 
at  the  corner  of  Howard  and  Mill  Streets  in 
Akron,  for  con,sultation.  The  meeting  was 
held  on  the  18th  of  January,  1882.  There 
were  19  persons  present.  Dr.  Jewett  was 
chosen  president,  and  Matthew  Crawford  sec- 
retary. The  object  of  the  meeting  was  stated 
by  the  chair,  and  enlarged  upon  by  several 
others.  At  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Crawford 
the  matter  of  reorganization  along  the  lines  of 
horticulture  was  considered  with  much  favor. 
An  adjournment  was  made  to  meet  with  Mrs. 
E.  0.  Knox  (on  her  invitation),  then  editor- 
ess  of  the  Cuvahoga  Falls  Reporter,  on  Feb- 
marv  8,  1882.  At  this  meeting  it  was  de- 
cided to  organize  the  Summit  County  Horti- 
cultural Society.  Dr.  Mendall  Jewett  was 
chosen  president  and  Matthew  Crawford  sec- 
retary.    A  committee  was  appointed  to  pre- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


139 


pare  a  constitution  and  by-laws  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  society,  which  were  presented 
at  a  subsequent  meeting  and  adopted.  The 
meeting.-;  of  the  society  ai'e  held  monthly,  on 
invitation,  at  the  residences  of  its  members, 
who  regard  it  a  privilege  as  well  as  a  duty 
to  entertain  its  membership.  Reports  are  re- 
ceived on  orchards,  vineyards,  small  fruits, 
ornamental  planting,  ornithology,  ento- 
mology, botany  and  forestry  at  each  meeting 
from  a  standing  committee  in  each  depart- 
ment appointed  for  that  purpose.  Some  com- 
petent person  is  selected  in  addition  to  pre- 
sent a  paper  or  addre.ss,  which  forms  part  of 
the  program  for  each  meeting.  The  discus- 
sions following  the  reports  of  the  standing 
committee  and  the  points  presented  in  the 
esssij  or  address  serve  to  make  the  meetings 
of  much  interest.  The  program  for  the  year's 
work  is  prepared  in  advance  by  the  executive 
committee  of  the  society,  giving  place  of 
meeting  for  each  month,  essayi.st,  and  list  of 
officers  and  standing  committees  for  the  year. 
Since  the  organization  of  the  society  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ago  it  has  continued  to 
grow  and  prosper.    The  influence  exerted  and 


the  good  work  done  by  the  organization  is 
shown  in  its  social  greetings,  the  exhibits  of 
choice  flowers,  and  fine  vegetables  and  fruits 
at  its  monthly  gatherings.  The  incentive  to 
its  members  is  to  make  their  homes  more 
social,  pleasant  and  attractive,  that  when  in 
turn  it  is  theirs  to  entertain,  their  guests  may 
be  delighted  in  the  surroundings.  Neighbors 
are  influenced,  and  fine  homes  with  choice 
lawms  become,  in  a  measure,  contagious. 
The  county  fair  in  its  exhibit  in  the  horti- 
cultural department,  is  another  example  of 
its  work.  The  monthly  meetings  are  reported 
for  the  local  press  of  the  county,  and  in  many 
instances  are  wholly  or  in  part-,  copied  in 
many  of  the  leading  agricultural  and  horti- 
cultural journals  of  the  country. 

A  number  of  the  membership  are  solicited 
to  aid  in  Farmers'  Institute  work,  either 
through  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  or 
directly  by  county  societies. 

The  present  board  of  officers  is  Charies  N. 
Gaylord,  of  Stow,  president;  Capt.  P.  H. 
Young,  of  Tallmadge,  vice  president,  and 
Miss  Nellie  Teeple,  of  Akron,  secretary  and 
treasurer. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


TRANSPORTATION  FACILITIES 


Steam  and  Electric  Railroads — The  Ohio  Canal — The  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  Canal. 


At  the  present  time  the  steam  railroads  of 
Summit  County  are  subsidiary  lines  of  the 
four  great  railroad  systems  of  Eastern  United 
States,  viz:  The  Baltimore  &  Ohio,  repre- 
sented by  the  Cleveland,  Terminal  &  Valley, 
the  Cleveland,  Lorain  &  Wheeling,  the  Akron 
&  Chicago  Junction,  and  the  Pittsburgh  & 
Western.  Allied  to  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio,  is 
the  Pennsylvania  Company,  represented  by 
the  Cleveland,  Akron  &  Columbus,  and  the 
Cleveland  &  Pittsburgh.  The  Erie  is  now  the 
successor  to  the  historic  New  York,  Pennsyl- 
vania &  Ohio,  while  the  great  Lake  Shore 
system  finds  expression  in  the  solitary  North- 
ern Ohio  and  the  latest  line,  the  Lake  Erie 
&  Pittsburgh.  In  addition  to  these  is  the 
Akron  &  Barberton  Belt  Line,  now  generally 
understood  to  be  a  Pennsylvania  property, 
and  sold  in  the  open  market  only  a  few  years 
ago  for  the  sum  of  $1,000,000. 

To  write  of  the  sale  of  a  road  for  a  million 
tells  why  the  history  of  any  railroad  in  this 
day  ceases  to  have  any  strictly  personal  side, 
for  such  a  story  is  no  longer  the  culmination 
of  struggles  and  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  hardy 
pioneers  but  is  rather  the  result  of  a  correct 
reading  of  the  broker's  tape.  The  many 
millions  involved  in  railroads  represent  as 
many  varied  peoples  and  interests  as  the  num- 
ber of  dollars.  Their  owners  live  far  from 
the  line  of  their  property,  so  that  in  Summit 
County  to-day  it  is  literally  true  that  the 
profits  from  the  above  lines  return  to  owners 
in  every  state  of  the  country,  and  in  countries 
as  far  distant  as  Holland  and  Belgium. 


First  in  point  of  time  in  this  county  is  the 
Cleveland  &  Pittsburgh  EaiLroad,  running 
from  Pittsburgh  to  Cleveland  and  entering 
Summit  on  the  east  at  Hudson.  Projected 
and  started  in  1836,  retarded  by  the  panic  of 
1837,  and  finally  completed  in  1851,  this 
road  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  financial 
world,  in  that  it  has  never  defaulted  a  pay- 
ment on  the  interest  of  its  bonds  and  since 
1854  has  paid  a  steady  and  unfailing  income 
of  6  per  cent  on  the  investment  to  all  stock- 
holders. It  has  been  lately  double  tracked 
from  Alliance  to  Hudson  and  over  that 
stretch  of  territory  is  a  model  line  in  physical 
equipment. 

The  road  now  known  as  the  Cleveland, 
Akron  &  Columbus,  also  Pennsylvania  prop- 
erty, possesses  local  interest,  in  that  it  started 
with  "The  Akron  Branch  Railroad,"  which 
in  1851  was  planned  as  a  feeder  to  the  Cleve- 
land &  Pittsburgh.  At  that  time,  through 
the  enterprise  of  Simon  Perkins,  an  amend- 
ment was  made  to  the  charter  of  the  Cleve- 
land &  Pittsburgh,  extending  that  line  from 
Hudson  to  Akron  and  by  popular  vote  this 
county  subscribed  for  stock  in  the  Company 
to  the  amount  of  $100,000.00.  By  the  middle 
of  1852,  the  road  was  completed  to  Orrville. 
Like  all  railroads  it  had  its  ups  and  downs, 
and  after  various  litigation,  in  which  the 
name  was  changed  from  the  "Akron  Branch" 
to  Cleveland,  Zanesville  and  Cincinnati,  later 
to  Cleveland,  Mount  Vernon  &  Delaware, 
and  finally  to  the  Cleveland,  Akron  &  Co- 
lumbus, the  road   prospered   till  it  was  de- 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


141 


clared  fcy  McCrea  of  the  Pennsylvania  Com- 
pany in  1893,  this  road  was  the  bright  spot 
in  that  system.  The  casual  reader  will  do 
well  to  observe  that  this  road  arose  through 
the  aid  of  the  people  of  the  communities 
through  which  it  passed,  and  took  its  life  and 
nurture  from  the  legislature  creating  it,  and 
the  county  which  burdened  itself  with  taxes 
to  maintain  it.  Not  a  dollar  was  paid  this 
county  in  dividends,  but  the  county  took  its 
reward  in  the  increased  wealth  incident  to 
improved  transportation  facilities. 

The  Akron  and  Barberton  Belt  Railroad, 
opened  in  1892,  extends  in  and  around  the  city 
of  Barberton  and  is  thirteen  miles  in  length. 
This  line  represents  one  of  the  most  modern 
phases  in  railroads  in  that  of  itself  it  carries 
nothing  to  any  distance,  but  is  simply  a 
feeder  to  the  railroads  centering  in  Akron 
and  drawing  its  revenue  from  the  factories 
which  it  touches,  but  carrying  no  passengers. 

The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  system,  we  speak 
of  it  as  such,  for  it  does  not  exist  as  a  rail- 
road, comprises  the  roads  of  its  system  al- 
ready named.  There  is  no  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  Railroad  in  Summit  County,  for  that 
railroad  does  not  own  a  mile  of  road  in  the 
state  of  Ohio,  and  does  not  operate  a  mile. 
That  system,  incorporated  under  the  la^vs  of 
We-st  Virginia  and  Maryland,  owns  the  stock 
by  majority  holding  of  the  various  roads  set 
forth,  and  by  such  arrangement  maintaiins 
uniformity  in  the  general  officers  of  the  vari- 
ous constituent  companies.  To  be  specific, 
a  passenger  going  from  Cleveland  to  Wheel- 
ing, arrives  in  ^Vkron  at  Akron  Junction  over 
the  Cleveland  Terminal  &  Valley,  from  there 
he  passes  over  the  P.  C.  &  T.,  also  called  the 
Pittsburgh  and  Western,  to  the  Union  Sta- 
tion, whence  he  passes  over  the  Akron  &  Chi- 
cago Junction  to  Warwick,  from  which  point 
he  completes  hi?  journey  to  Wheeling  over 
the  Cleveland,  Lorain  &  Wheeling.  All  these 
roads  are  part  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  sys- 
tem. 

The  Cleveland  Terminal  &  Valley  is  the 
successor  to  the  Valley  Railroad  Company,  a 
railroad  which  will  ever  hold  a  pleasant  place 
in  the  memorv  of  this  countv,  because  of  the 


many  local  people  whose  life  and  hopes  were 
bound  up  in  its  completion.  Starting  in  1869 
as  the  Akron  and  Canton  Railroad,  under 
Mr.  D.  L.  King,  it  became  the  "Valley"  in 
1871.  To  raise  the  money,  a  public  meeting 
was  held  at  the  Academy  of  Music  in  Akron, 
in  January,  1872.  Committeemen  from 
every  township  were  appointed  to  rouse  sen- 
timent on  the  road.  Sufficient  money  was 
raiser  to  start  construction  in  March,  1873, 
and  much  work  was  done.  But  the  panic  of 
1873  tightened  the  money  supply,  and  in 
1875  Mr.  King  sailed  for  England  to  inter- 
est the  English  capitalists.  In  this  he  failed, 
and  returning  to  America  the  bonds  of  the 
company  were  finally  disposed  of,  and  the 
first  train  was  run  over  the  line  from  Cleve- 
land to  Canton,  January  28,  1880.  The 
Cleveland,  Terminal  and  Valley  corporation 
was  organized  in  1895  and  secured  the  A'al- 
ley  property  at  foreclosure  sale.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  stock  of  this  corporation  is  owned 
by  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio. 

The  Pittsburgh  &  Western  was  projected  in 
1881,  and  in  1891  became  part  of  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  system  by  lease.  The  story  of 
this  road  is  bound  up  with  that  of  the  Akron 
&  Chicago  Junction.  In  1890  two  con- 
struction companies  were  building  in  Akron 
MeCracken  &  Semple  were  building  the  P.  A. 
&  W.,  while  Ryan  &  McDonald  were  at  work 
on  the  A.  &  C.  J.  Both  claimed  to  be  the 
builders  of  a  Western  and  Eastern  outlet  to 
Chicago  and  Pittsburgh,  but  finally  it  devel- 
oped that  the  Akron  &  Chicago  Junction  was 
a  Baltimore  &  Ohio  proposition.  The  acquisi- 
tion of  the  Pittsburgh  &  Western  with  the 
Akron  &  Chicago  Junction  gave  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  a  direct  line  from  Chicago  to 
Pittsburgh.  The  Akron  &  Chicago  Junction 
is  merely  a  right  of  way  from  Chicago  Junc- 
tion to  Warwick.  Thence  it  proceeds  to  Ak- 
ron over  the  Cleveland.  Akron  &  Columbus, 
and  from  Akron  it  terminates  at  Akron  Junc- 
tion. The  method  of  transfer  to  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  is  of  some  interest.  In  1890  it 
was  leased  to  The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  and 
Chicago  Railroad,  one  of  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  stool  pigeons,  for  999  years  renewable 


142 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


forever.  Subsequently  this  lease  was  assigned 
to  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio. 

As  to  the  Cleveland,  Lorain  &  Wheeling — 
this  is  the  latest  acquisition  of  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio.  The  main  line  passes  through  the 
southern  corner  of  the  county  and  in  1902 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  secured  a  majority  of 
its  stock.  On  the  books  of  the  Cleveland, 
Lorain  &  Wheeling  this  stock  appears  in  the 
name  of  a  resident  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  but 
it  is  voted  as  B.  &  O.  stock. 

The  history  of  the  Erie  now  a  continental 
road  and  a  so-called  "trunk  line,"  starts  with 
the  secret  plans  of  Hon.  Marvin  Kent  of 
Kent,  Ohio,  to  form  a  continental  line  from 
east  to  west.  In  the  words  of  another,  "he 
conceived  the  idea  of  forming  a  direct  line 
from  New  York  to  St.  Louis,  nearly  1,200 
miles,  by  connecting  with  the  Erie  road  at 
Salamanca,  on  the  east,  and  by  the  Dayton 
&  Hamilton  with  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
at  Cincinnati,  on  the  west."  A  liberal  charter 
was  secured  and  he  started  in.  Opposition 
developed  in  Pennsylvania,  and  instead  of 
constructing  a  new  road  through  Pennsylva- 
nia, he  and  his  associates  bought  the  Pitts- 
burgh and  Erie  road.  This  charter  author- 
ized unlimited  extension  and  subsequently 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York  per- 
mitted the  chartering  of  separate  roads  in 
each  State,  and  finally  there  was  developed 
the  historic  Atlantic  and  Great  Western 
Railway  Company.  The  road  was  completed 
in  1864,  after  eleven  years  of  labor  on  the 
part  of  Mr.  Kent.  The  road  ran  from  Akron 
to  Dayton,  and  after  various  litigation  be- 
came known  as  the  New  York,  Pennsylvania 
&  Ohio  Railroad  Company.  It  was  finally 
leased  to  the  Erie  Railroad  under  which  it 
now  operates.  Probably  no  one  road  ever 
passed  through  the  litigation  of  this  road,  for, 
from  December,  1874,  down  to  1879,  its  law- 
suits were  continuous  and  apparently  unend- 
ing. Even  at  the  present  writing,  litigation 
is  pending  as  to  the  ownership  of  bonds  of 
the  road  deposited  in  the  county  treasury 
to  the  credit  of  unknown  English  and  Dutch 
owners. 

The  Lake  Shore  Railroad,  or  more  prop- 


erly the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern, 
is  represented  in  Summit  County  by  the  ill- 
.starred  Northern  Ohio  and  the  promising 
Lake  Erie  &  Pittsburg.  These  two  roads  rep- 
resent the  extremes  of  railroad  construction; 
one  is  poverty-stricken  and  wretchedly 
equipped;  the  other  with  no  trains  running 
as  yet,  has  abundant  means  and  every  facil- 
ity for  rapid  gro\\i:h.  Originally  the  North- 
ern Ohio  was  called  the  Pittsburgh,  Akron 
and  Western,  and  was  designed  by  the  late 
Senator  Brice  to  be  a  connecting  link  in  his 
world-wide  road  from  China  to  New  York. 
The  death  of  that  eminent  Democrat  stopped 
its  growth,  and  it  is  now  a  mere  line  running 
from  Akron  to  Delphos,  a  distance  of  165 
miles.  It  was  incorporated  in  1883  and  trains 
began  in  1891.  It  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  Lake  Erie  &  Western,  and  that  small  sys- 
tem passed  into  those  of  the  Lake  Shore.  The 
Lake  Erie  &  Pittsburgh,  now  under  construc- 
tion, is  designed  as  an  important  feeder  to  its 
parent  system.  Originally  it  started  at  Lo- 
rain, and  for  a  long  time  the  exact  owners 
of  the  road  were  unknown.  Finally  the  Belt 
Line  of  Cleveland  was  made  a  part  of  tlie 
scheme,  and  it  passed  from  the  hands  of  the 
contractors  who  projected  it  into  the  posses- 
sion of  the  present  owners. 

A^arious  other  roads  have  been  planned  in 
and  through  Summit  County,  where  the  im- 
mense shipping  done  by  the  various  factories 
has  inspired  the  avarice  or  the  ambition  of 
promoters.  To  recount  them  all  in  detail 
would  only  be  calling  the  roll  of  failure,  at  no 
time  an  elevating  task.  Among  them  are  the 
Clinton  Line,  the  Clinton  Line  Extension,  the 
Hudson  &  Painesville,  and  the  New  York  and 
Ohio.  The  last  unsuccessful  project  was  ad- 
vanced by  the  versatile  Charley  French,  who 
planned  great  things  for  the  railroad  maps 
of  the  country,  and  in  his  organization  in- 
cluded the  A.shland  &  Wooster,  and  finally 
the  Lake  &  River  Route.  This  scheme  failed 
and  at  the  present  time  no  further  changes 
are  proposed  in  Summit  County  railroads. 

So  far  as  concerns  railroad  stations,  all  the 
steam  roads  now  center  at  the  Union  Passen- 
ger Station,  and  this  is  becoming  inadequate 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


143 


to    handle    the    steadily    increiiaiiig    traflie. 

This  Union  Station  was  originally  the  site 
of  the  Bates  homestead  and  was  opened  for 
use  in  1891.  Before  the  Valley  became  part  of 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  system,  it  had  a  sta- 
tion on  West  Market  Street,  now  replaced  by 
the  packing-house  at  the  corner  of  Canal  and 
West  Market.  For  a  long  time  the  Erie  main- 
tained a  separate  station  on  the  ground  of  the 
old  Union  Depot,  but  finally  made  peace  with 
the  Pennsylvania  and  occupied  with  it  the 
present  Union  Station. 

The  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  the  rail- 
road situation  in  Summit  County  is  the  same 
conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  the  railroad  sit- 
uation throughout  the  Nation.  We  have  no 
pressing  need  of  further  transportation  fa- 
cilities from  steam  roads.  We  have  reached 
the  intensive  stage  in  their  development,  and 
that  means  that  original  grantors  of  the  rights 
to  these  roads,  the  people  of  this  county, 
look  to  the  road  for  repayment.  This  repay- 
ment must  take  place  in  fair  passenger  and 
freight  rates,  in  decent  payment  of  taxes,  and 
in  equipment  insuring  safety  both  to  pas- 
senger and  highway  traveler.  The  people  of 
this  county  owe  the  railroads  nothing;  the 
railroads  owe  them  the  above  moderate  and 
honest  returns.  It  is  fair  to  say  that  any 
such  organization  as  is  now  maintained  by 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  in  this  County,  as 
above  detailed,  is  a  menace  to  the  fulfillment 
of  any  of  the  above  conditions.  For  ex- 
ample, the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  as  such,  does 
not  pay  a  dollar  of  taxes  into  the  treasury 
of  this  county,  and  any  attempt  at  competi- 
tion in  freight  rates  is  impossible  under  the 
present  arrangement.  The  solution  of  these 
matters  is  no  part  of  an  historical  article,  but 
it  is  fair  to  say  that  the  final  determination 
of  them  will  occur  when  honest  County  au- 
ditors and  pro-secutors  who  are  sufficiently  in- 
telligent to  grasp  the  situation  occupy  the 
offices.  That  means  intelligence  and  effi- 
ciency on  the  part  of  the  electorate,  and  so 
far  at  least  individuals  may  meet  the  situa- 
tion. 


At  the  present  writing,  the  canals  of  Sum- 
mit County  are  in  a  transition  state  and  the 
average  resident  looks  on  them  as  a  doubtful 
luxury.  This  is  due  partly  to  the  great  out- 
lay of  money  required  to  maintain  them,  with 
.<o  little  result  locally,  and  partly  to  the  feel- 
ing that  the  day  of  the  canal  is  past.  Cer- 
tainly the  present  physical  features  of  the 
canal  are  not  inspiring,  for  in  Summit  they 
consist  of  a  race  running  through  Middle- 
bury,  and  along  the  southern  border  of  the 
Fair  Grounds,  and  terminating  at  Main 
Street,  where  the  canal  goes  underground 
along  Main  Street,  and  finally  flows  into  the 
main  canal.  The  sole  purpose  of  this  muddy 
and  dirty  stream  is  to  supply  power  to  the 
mills  of  the  Quaker  Oats  Company,  and  the 
.stream  itself  is  owned  by  the  Akron  Hydrau- 
lic Company,  a  private  corporation.  The 
main  canal,  officially  known  as  the  Ohio  and 
Erie  Canal,  passes  through  the  townships  of 
Northampton,  Boston,  Northfield,  Portage, 
Coventry  and  Franklin.  This  canal  is  at 
present  valuable  to  the  owners  of  the  various 
rubber  factories  in  Akron,  and  aside  from 
furnishing  transportation  for  various  canoe 
parties,  has  no  other  worth.  What  the  fu- 
ture holds  for  this  canal,  and  every  canal  in 
Ohio,  is  to  be  tested  in  the  light  of  the  re- 
sults to  be  seen  from  the  plans  now  on  foot. 
These  plans  embrace  large  expenditures  of 
money  and  seem  a  part  of  a  con-sistent  effort 
to  demonstrate  the  feasibility  of  canals  as 
water  transportation.  This  chapter  will  dis- 
cuss the  story  of  the  canals  of  Summit  in 
the  light  of  that  plan. 

The  history  of  Akron  begins  with  the 
.story  of  the  Canal  projected  by  Dr.  Cra«by, 
and  as  this  canal  brought  biisiness  and  manu- 
facturing enterprises  to  the  community,  it 
would  seem  that  the  canal  miist  always  stand 
forth  as  a  blessing.  Previous  to  that,  how- 
ever, it  may  be  profitable  to  look  at  the  his- 
tory of  these  canals  in  the  whole  state.  The 
desire  for  extensive  internal  improvements 
found  expression  in  New  York  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Erie  Canal,  and  in  the  divi- 


144 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


sion  of  political  parties  on  the  need  of  further 
interniU  improvements.  In  1825,  Ohio  asked 
of  the  Federal  government  aid  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  canals.  The  Government  re- 
sponded by  a  grant  aggregating  1,230,521 
acres.  From  the  sale  of  these  lands  has  been 
realized  about  two  and  one  quarter  anillion 
dollars,  and  there  remains  at  this  time  of 
this  imperial  grant  only  land  to  the  amount 
of  $100,000.00.  Wo  have  still  many  miles  of 
canal  in  Ohio,  and  as  bearing  on  their  fu- 
ture, it  may  be  instructive  to  bear  in  mind 
the  decision  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court,  construing  the  terms  of  the  above 
named  federal  grant.  In  Wakh  vs.  Railroad, 
etc.,  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  reports.  Vol.  170. 
P.  469,  the  conclu.'iion  was  reached  that  the 
State  of  Ohio  has  the  right  to  abandon  its 
canals  and  to  permit  their  use  for  a  purpo.^e 
analogous  to  the  canals;  but  the  right  to 
abandon  the  canals  entirely  and  to  permit 
the  use  of  them  other  than  that  as  common 
carriers  is  doubted. 

The  Ohio  and  Erie  canal,  as  above  referred 
to,  -was  begun  Julv  4,  1825,  and  completed  in 
1833,  and  cost  the  sum  of  $7,904,971.89. 
The  net  results  of  this  construction  were 
beneficial,  for  it  was  said  that  the  facilities 
of  transportation  from  the  interior  of  Ohio 
to  the  markets  of  New  York  were  such  "that 
wheat  commanded  a  higher  price  at  Massillon, 
one  hundred  miles  west  of  Pittsburg,  than  at 
points  sixty  mil&s  east  of  it."  The  building 
of  this  canal,  with  a  summit  near  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Akron,  naturally  brought  many 
workers  to  this  vicinity,  and  it  became  clear 
to  Messrs.  Perkins  and  King  that  it  would 
be  profitable  to  anticipate  the  founding  of  a 
city.  But  Mr.  King  was  not  content  with  an 
outlet  to  the  Ohio;  he  desired  one  east  and, 
accordingly,  set  on  foot  the  Ohio  and  Penn- 
sylvania canal.  To  aid  him  in  hLs  project 
he  first  .secured  a  charter  from  the  legislature, 
and  to  secure  this  there  were  raised  funds  to 
pay  "expenses."  A  paper  to  raise  such  funds 
read  as  follows:  "We,  the  subscribers,  citi- 
zens of  ]\Iiddlebury  and  Akron,  aud  their 
vicinity,  confident  that  inestimable  advan- 
tages Avould   remit    to  our  villages,   and  this 


section  of  our  country  generally,  from  a  canal 
connecting  the  Ohio  canal,  at  the  Portage 
Summit,  with  the  Pennsylvania  canal  at 
Pittsburg,  and  anxious  that  an  act  should 
pass  the  legislature  of  Ohio,  at  their  present 
session  authorizing  the  construction  of  such 
canal,  will  pay  the  sums  annexed  to  our  re- 
spective names,  to  John  McMillen,  Jr.,  and 
Peter  Bowen,  for  the  purpose  of  defraying 
the  expenses  of  delegates  from  the  aforesaid 
villages  to  the  legislature  to  assist  in  procur- 
ing the  passage  of  such  act.  Payment  to  be 
made  at  the  time  of  .subscribing." 

It  would  seem  from  the  foregoing  that  the 
"Third  House"  had  an  early  history  even, 
among  the  untutored  forefathers.  The  canal 
was  got  uaider  way,  and  it  was  originally  de- 
signed that  the  course  should  be  through  the 
then  rival  village  of  Middlebury.  However, 
wires  were  pulled  and,  instead,  it  pa.ssed 
through  Akron.  Dr.  Crosby,  in  the  mean- 
time had  started  a  cross-cut  below  and  to  the 
North  of  Middlebury,  and  with  this  influx 
of  water,  additional  power  was  secured  for 
the  mills  at  Akron,  and  the  first  step  taken 
toward  Akron's  ascendancy  over  Middlebury. 

The  completion  of  the  Ohio  and  Pennsyl- 
vania Canal  was  the  call  for  a  grand  cele- 
bration all  along  the  line  from  Pittsburg  to 
Akron.  The  accounts  of  that  carnival,  a? 
taken  from  contemporary  records,  furnish  an 
interesting  sidelight  on  life  in  the  '40's.  At 
each  town  and  village  preparations  w'ere 
made  to  receive  the  distinguished  party  on 
board  the  first  boat.  Both  the  Governor  of 
Ohio  and  of  Pennsylvania  were  invited,  and 
at  each  landing  place  new  visitors  were  taken 
on  board  till  the  terminus,  Akron,  where  the 
preceding  festi\'ities  wound  up  with  a  ban- 
quet on  the  site  where  now  stands  the  Claren- 
don Hotel. 

As  a  financial  proposition,  the  state  had 
invested  in  the  canal  $420,000.00  in  stock, 
and  there  had  been  raised  by  other  subscrip- 
tions from  private  sources  $840,000.00.  Divi- 
dends were  declared  for  a  time  and  the  in- 
creased freight  and  passenger  service  from 
Cleveland  to  Pittsburg,  via  Akron,  added  to 
the   pre-itige   of   the   City   of   Akron.      From 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


145 


1852  till  1856,  the  tolls  collected  at  the  port 
of  Akron  raii  from  six  thousand  to  eight 
thousand  dollars.  But  then,  as  now,  the 
menace  of  the  railroad  was  at  hand,  and  this 
time  it  was  not  Mr.  Harriman  or  Mr.  Hill, 
but  the  forgotten  Cleveland  &  Mahoning 
Railroad.  By  precise!}'  the  same  means  as 
has  been  pointed  out  in  the  case  of  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  in  the  chapter  on  Railroads,  this 
creature  of  the  legislature  proceeded  to  settle 
the  career  of  the  canal.  The  stock  was  bought 
in  open  market  by  this  concern  and  a  policy 
of  jockeying  began  to  depreciate  the  rest  of 
the  stock  owned  by  the  state.  The  whole 
block,  amounting  to  $420,000.00,  was  sold 
to  Charles  L.  Rhodes,  of  Cleveland,  in  1862, 
for  $35,000.00,  and  the  ruin  and  debasement 
of  the  canal  was  complete.  The  canal,  a 
queenly  maiden  among  the  commercial  high- 
ways of  the  world,  became  a  wanton  and  a 
by-word  among  the  people,  for  Mr.  Rhodes 
was  vice-president  of  the  railroad,  and  the 
stock  was  used  to  enrich  the  treasury-  of  his 
railroad.  Improvements  stopped,  and  finally 
a  petition  was  sent  to  the  legislature  demand- 
ing that  it  be  abandoned.  Several  times  the 
canal  bed  was  cut  and  the  water  permitted  to 
escape.  This  local  feeling  arose  largely  be- 
cause of  the  stagnant  condition  of  the  water 
and  the  consequent  endangering  of  the  health 
of  the  community. 

Any  article  on  the  canal?  of  Summit 
County  would  be  incomplete  without  men- 
tioning the  ambitious  attempt  to  found  Sum- 
mit City  along  what  is  now  the  "Gorge." 
Dr.  Eliakim  Crosby  conceived  the  idea  that 
a  great  mill-race  could  be  constructed  alone; 
the  site  of  the  Gorge,  and  to  that  end  de- 
signed the  canal  at  that  point.  So  great  a 
man  as  Horace  Greeley  became  deeply  in- 
terested and  wrote  a  glowing  account  of  the 
propo.sed  metropolis  of  the  West.  Interest 
was  roused  over  the  entire  coimtry,  and  great 
quantities  of  money  flowed  in  from  the  Ea.«t. 
A  nominal  capital  "stock  of  $5,000,000.00  was 
proposed,  and  work  was  begun.  So  confi- 
dent were  those  interested  that  one  of  the 
Rochester  shareholders  offered  to  pledge  his 
entire  fortune  on  the  ^supposition  that  the  lots 


surrounding  the  city  would  shortly  be  as  val- 
uable as  the  highest  priced  lot  in  Rochester. 
Below  and  around  what  is  now  the  CTorge  an 
immense  city  was  laid  out,  and  part  of  the 
labor  was  paid  in  scrip  redeemable  in  these 
lots  when  the  City  should  be  complete.  This 
scrip  was  sold  all  through  the  East  and  sup- 
plies of  raw  material  were  taken  in  exchange. 
At  one  time  the  promises  were  so  great  and 
the  prospects  so  alluring  that  it  was  proposed 
to  make  this  the  County  seat.  The  engineer- 
ing difficulties  that  beset  the  projectors  were 
simply  enormous.  Great  blocks  of  stone 
were  to  be  hewn  through,  and  fills  and  cuts 
that  would  daunt  the  best  equipped  engineer 
of  to-day  were  to  be  met.  Dr.  Crosby  rose 
to  every  occasion.  On  May  27,  1844,  the  first 
water  was  sent  through  the  race,  and  the  day 
of  realization  seemed  at  hand.  But  dissen- 
tions  arose  among  the  stockholders;  money 
was  hard  to  secure,  and  at  last  protracted  liti- 
gation settled  this  project.  Finally  in  June, 
1850,  the  entire  property  which  had  cost  in 
the  neighborhood  of  $300,000.00  was  sold 
for  some  $35,000.00,  and  the  dream  of  the 
"Lowell  of  the  West"  was  over. 

At  the  present  writing,  the  one  tangible 
asset  of  value  remaining  of  all  the  canals  of 
Summit  County,  is  the  property  of  the  Akron 
Hydraulic  Company.  This  flows  along  the 
southern  line  of  the  Pair  Grounds  and  fur- 
nishes the  water-power  indicated  before. 

It  would  be  vmprofitable  to  leave  a  discus- 
sion of  the.se  water-ways  without  commenting 
,on  the  cause  of  the  failure  and  indicating  a 
safe  line  of  future  action.  In  his  report  to 
Governor  Nash  in  1903,  Engineer  Perkins 
discusses  the  causes  of  past  failures  and  lays 
out  the  future.  From  this  report  it  appears 
that  from  1827  to  1860  inclusive,  the  latter 
date  being  just  prior  to  leasing  to  a  private 
corporation,  gro.^s  receipts  amounted  to.  some 
$14,000,000.00.  From  that  time  on  a  steady 
decrease  set  in  and,  the  war  coming  on,  the 
interest  of  the  State  was  diverted  to  other 
channels.  Bearing  in  mind  that  the  Legis- 
lature of  the  State  bad  leased  the  canals  to 
private  corporations,  it  is  difficult  to  .see  how 
thev  came  to  the  conclusion  that  to  retain 


146 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


them  would  be  bad  business.  Space  will  not 
allow  a  further  discussion  of  that  report.  It 
is  now  proposed  to  rehabilitate  the  canal  sys- 
tem, and  to  build  new  locks  and  widen  the 
channel  and  increase  the  supply  of  water. 
To  this  end  the  reservoir  in  Summit  County 
is  being  greatly  enlarged  and  it  is  proposed 
to  increase  it  so  that  there  will  be  flooded 
166  acres  of  land,  and  that  will  contain  in 
reserve  about  eighty  million  gallons  of  water. 
New  conditions  of  transportation  have  arisen 
and  among  these  is  the  celebrated  electric 
mule,  this  being  a  kind  of  trolley  car  run 
along  the  tow  path  to  draw  the  canal  boat 
It  is  expected  that  the  canal  will  form  a  con- 


venient means  of  carrying  raw  material  and 
other  merchandise,  in  which  time  is  not  a 
factor  in  the  delivery.  The  sane  conclusion 
of  the  matter  is  a  confident  reliance  in  the 
plans  mapped  out,  and  an  ever  constant  re- 
minding of  the  career  of  the  Ohio  and  Penn- 
sylvania canal,  now  abandoned  beyond  re- 
demption. The  Federal  government  has 
shown  interest  in  the  project;  of  a  ship  canal 
from  lake  to  river,  and  it  is  possible,  if  the 
present  administration  shows  wisdom  in  its 
action,  that  once  more  the  boats  of  Summit 
County  may  go  from  the  town  of  Coventry 
to  New  Orleans. 

Harry  S.  Quine. 


CHAPTER  IX 


MANUFACTURES 


The  County's  Chief  Manufacturing  Establishments  of  the  Past  and  of  the  Present — Clay 
Products — Cereal  Mills — Agricultural  Implements — The  Rubber  Industry  —  Printing 
and  Publishing,  Etc. 


As  premised  in  the  introduction  of  this 
history,  Akron's  great  distinction  lies  in  its 
pre-eminence  as  a  city  of  manufactures.  Long 
before  the  traveler  reaches  the  city  he  finds 
its  position  marked  on  the  horizon  by  a  cloud 
of  smoke  by  day  and  a  blaze  of  light  by  night. 
The  smoke  which  hovers  about  the  city  is  in- 
separable from  any  place  doing  manufactur- 
ing on  a  large  scale,  and,  therefore,  this  is  one 
of  the  discomforts  which  is  borne  by  Akron's 
citizens  with  equanimity.  The  smoke  means 
turning  wheels,  prosperity,  and  an  inflow  of 
golden  wealth  to  enrich  capitalist  and  work- 
ingman  alike.  This  golden  shower  makes 
possible  also  the  extensive  mercantile  life  of 
the  city.  Great  department  stores,  some  of 
them  as  large  as  any  in  the  State  of  Ohio, 
have  been  attracted  here  by  the  great  demand 
for  commoditi&s,  which  they  supply  in  all 
the  various  lines  of  retail  trade.  Akron  has 
stores  which  would  be  a  credit  to  any  city  in 
the  land.  They  are  founded  on  a  substantial 
basis  and  their  success  has  been  uniform. 

The  year  1907  has  marked  the  highest 
point  in  the  commercial  life  of  the  city  a- 
well  as  in  the  manufactories.  The  im- 
portance of  Akron  as  a  center  of  manufactur- 
ing makes  it  necessary  to  devote  an  entire 
chapter  to  a  statement  of  its  resources  in  that 
respect,  and  to  present  an  historical  outline 
of  its  industrial  development.  The  earliest 
manufacturing  in  Akron    was    conducted  in 


Middlebury,  and  was  of  a  kind  which 
was  common  to  all  pioneer  settlements. 
The  first  requisite  of  such  a  settle- 
ment was  a  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  and 
some  sort  of  a  smithy.  In  Middlebury  these 
were  operated  by  the  extensive  water-power 
which  the  Cuyahoga  River  affords  at  that 
place.  The  first  industry  of  this  kind  was  a 
grist-mill  built  in  1808  by  Aaron  Nori;on. 
This  occupied  the  ground  on  Case  Avenue, 
where  the  Akron  Sewer  Pipe  Company  now 
stands.  Ten  years  after,  Bagley's  Woolen 
Mills  was  built  in  the  same  vicinity  on  the 
river  bank.  In  1817  the  Cuyahoga  Blast 
Furnace  was  erected  by  Aaron  Norton  and 
William  Laird  on  the  present  site  of  the  Great 
Western  Cereal  Company's  mills.  This  fur- 
nace was  established  for  the  purpose  of  smelts 
ing  the  iron  ore  which  was  found  in  this  vi- 
cinity. This  ore  consisted  principally  of  bog 
iron,  and  the  industry  became  unprofitable 
upon  the  introduction  of  the  rich  ore  from  the 
Lake  Superior  region,  and  for  that  reason  was 
discontinued.  About  1825  the  furnace  prop- 
erty was  purchased  of  Ralph  Plum,  the  then 
owner,  by  Dr.  Eliakim  Crosby,  who  com- 
menced the  manufacturing  of  plows,  hoes  and 
other  agricultural  implements.  In  1827  the 
furnace  property  was  sold  to  Arnold,  Daniel 
and  Isaac  Stewart.  Dr.  Crosby  then  built  a 
large  grist-mill  farther  east  on  the  Cuj^ahoga 
River,  which  he  operated  for  a  year  or  two, 
and  then  sold  to  Increase  Sumner. 


148 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


CLAY    PRODUCTS. 

The  clay  deposits  in  the  neighborhood 
soon  attracted  the  attention  of  early  settlers. 
The  potter's  clay  found  in  this  vicinity  is  un- 
surpassed in  quality  and  has  made  Akron's 
stoneware  famous  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land.  Before  long  Akron's 
sewer-pipe  was  the  standard  for  the  world. 
Both  the  stoneware  and  the  sewer-pipe  indus- 
try were  established  about  the  same  time.  The 
pioneer  worker  in  both  of  these  fields  was  Ed- 
win H.  Merrill,  assisted  by  his  brother,  Cal- 
vin J.  Merrill.  He  commenced,  in  1847,  the 
manufacture  of  stone  bottles,  jugs,  smoking 
pipes  and  various  other  articlas  of  stoneware 
on  Bank  Street,  in  the  village  of  Middlebury. 
Enoch  Rowley  was  a  contemporary  of  these 
men  and  conducted  a  successful  enterprise  in 
clay  working  for  many  years  in  the  same 
vicinity. 

In  1849  Hill,  Fo.ster  &  Co.  commenced 
making  sewer-pipe.  The  firm  consisted  of 
David  E.  Hill,  Robert  Foster  and  Reuben 
McMillen.  In  1851  the  Merrill  Brothers  and 
Hezekiah  Camp  purchased  the  inter&st  of 
Robert  Foster,  and  the  company  changed  its 
name  to  Hill,  Merrill  and  Company.  Both 
Messrs.  Hill  and  Merrill  devoted  themselves 
to  perfecting  the  process  of  manufacture  and 
invented  many  new  methods.  In  1855  this 
company  became  Merrill,  Powers  &  Company, 
composed  of  Eldwin  H.  Merrill,  Calvin  J.  Mer- 
rill, Frank  Adams  and  Henry  G.  Powers.  In 
1858  the  Merrills  withdrew.  Mr.  Hill  re-en- 
tered the  business  and  the  firm  name  was 
changed  to  Hill,  Powers  &  Company.  In  1859 
Hill  and  Adams  bought  out  the  other  parties 
and  continued  the  business  until  1868,  when 
the  Hill  and  Adams  Sewer  Pipe  Company  was 
formed.  This  company  consisted  of  David 
E.  Hill,  David  L.  King,  Ozias  Barber,  Lorenzo 
Aiistin  and  Frank  Adams.  At  this  time  there 
was  only  one  other  factory  of  this  kind  in  the 
United  States.  In  1871  the  company  was  re- 
organized as  the  Akron  Sewer  Pipe  Company, 
with  a  capital  of  $175,000.  Mr.  Frank  Adams 
was  president  and  David  L.  King  secretary 
and  treasurer  of    the    company.     In    1873 


David  E.  Hill  founded  the  Hill  Sewer  Pipe 
Company,  with  a  capital  of  $80,000.  In  1872 
the  Buckeye  Sewer  Pipe  Company,  with  a 
capital  of  $100,000,  was  organized  by  Joseph 
A.  Baldwin.  In  1879  Robinson  Brothers  and 
Company,  with  a  capital  of  $300,000,  was  or- 
ganized for  the  purpose  of  operating  a  sewer- 
pipe  factory  at  the  Old  Forge.  This  company 
was  formed  by  Henry  Robinson  and  Thomas 
Robinson.  It  was  a  nucleus  for  the  gi'eat  Rob- 
inson Clay  Product  Company  of  the  present 
time.  In  1889  the  Summit  Sewer  Pipe  Com- 
pany was  incorporated,  with  a  capital  of  $100,- 
000.  It  comimenced  the  manufacture  of 
sewer-pipe  on  Miller  Avenue  in  South  Akron. 
Joseph  A.  Baldwin  was  its  president  and 
George  T.  Whitmore  was  its  general  manager. 
In  1850  Enoch  Rowley,  Edward  Baker  and 
Herbert  Baker  commenced  the  manufacture 
of  yellowware  in  Middlebury.  About  1852 
Thomas  Johnson  associated  himself  with  the.-e 
men.  In  1857  Johnson  Whitmore  and  Com- 
pany was  organized,  Mr.  Richard  AVhitmore 
and  the  Robinson  Brothers  having  succeeded 
Mr.  Rowley.  In  1862  the  firm  changed  to 
Whitmore,  Robinsons  and  Company,  wliich 
continued  until  September,  1887,  when  The 
Whitmore,  Robinson  and  Company  was  in- 
corporated, with  a  capital  stock  of  $200,000. 
The  bu.siness  was  continued  under  this  name 
until  1902,  when  the  Robinson  Clay  Product 
Company  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of 
the  State  of  Maine,  with  a  capital  of  $2,000,- 
000.  In  1861  Edwin  H.  Merrill  and  his  son, 
H.  E.  Merrill,  established  the  Akron  pottery 
on  the  corner  of  South  Main  and  State 
Streets.  In  1880  Fred  W.  Butler  became  in- 
terested with  them.  In  1887  these  three  men 
formed  the  corporation  known  as  the  E.  H. 
Merrill  Company,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,- 
000.  The  company  continued  until  they 
merged  with  The  Robinson  Clay  Product 
Company  in  1902.  Other  stoneware  compa- 
nies which  have  done  a  successful  business  in 
Akron  are  the  Ohio  Stoneware  Company  (G. 
A.  Parker,  president;  F.  S.  Stelker,  secretary; 
E.  H.  Gibbs,  treasurer,  227-250  Front  Street), 
The  United  States  Stoneware  Company,  F.  W. 
Rockwell  and  Company,  The  Akron  Stone- 


o 

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AND    REPRESENTATIA'E    CITIZENS 


151 


ware  Company,  Markle  and  Inman  Company 
and  Fred  H.  Weeks. 

In  1875  Joseph  C.  Ewart  commenced  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  city  the  manufacture  of 
vitrified  roofing-tile.  In  1902  this  company 
was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  Ak- 
ron Roofing  Tile  Company,  S.  A.  White, 
president;  Charles  E.  Rowland,  secretary  and 
treasurer  and  general  manager;  W.  B.  Col- 
lins,- assistant  secretary. 

There  have  been  a  number  of  successful 
brick  manufactories  in  the  city,  among  which 
are  the  Diamond  Fire  Brick  Works,  estab- 
lished in  1866  by  J.  Park  Alexander.  The 
business  is  still  carried  on  at  the  corner  of 
Canal  and  Cherry  Streets  in  this  city.  The 
Akron  Fire  Brick  Company  was  established  in 
1873  by  Byron  A.  Allison  and  Delos  Hart. 
Since  1877  Mr.  Allison  continued  the  busi- 
ness alone  until  the  incorporation  of  the  com- 
pany in  1882,  with  .a  capital  stock  of  $50,000. 

CEREAL     MILLS. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  small  grist- 
mills which  were  operated  in  the  county  in 
the  eai-ly  days.  These  were,  of  course,  of  a 
very  limited  capacity  and  were  destined  mere- 
ly to  meet  the  needs  of  the  farmers  in  the 
surrounding  territory.  They  brought  their 
grain  to  these  primitive  mills  and  sometimes 
waited  until  it  was  being  ground  to  flour.  On 
account  of  lack  of  transportation  facilities,  lit- 
tle or  no  attempt  was  made  to  find  a  market 
for  dealer.*  extending  outside  the  county.  In 
1832,  just  after  the  canal  was  opened  from 
Cleveland  to  Portsmouth,  milling  on  a  large 
scale  was  begun.  The  first  of  these  large  mills 
was  the  Old  Stone  Mill,  which  was  built  in 
1832  by  Dr.  Eliakim  Cro.sby,  and  tho.se  inter- 
ested with  him  in  his  canal  projects.  This 
was  budlt  to  use  the  waters  of  the  race  from 
the  Old  Forge  through  the  center  of  Main 
Street  to  Lock  Five.  In  1838  the  Et/na  Mills, 
located  on  the  canal,  just  north  of  West  Mar- 
ket Street,  was  built  by  Samuel  A.  Wheeler 
and  John  B.  Mitchell.  A  year  later,  Joseph 
A.  Beebe  and  William  E.  Wright  built  the 
Center  Mills,  ako  located  on    the    canal    at 


Cherry  Street.  In  1840  the  Cascade  Mills  at 
the  terminus  of  the  races  on  North  Howard 
Street,  were  built  by  AVilliam  Mitchell.  A  year 
or  two  after,  George  W.  McNeil  built  the 
City  Mill  on  West  Market  Street  between 
Canal  Street  and  the  canal.  George  Ayliffe 
about  the  same  time  commenced  the  manufac- 
ture of  cereal  goods  on  South  Main  Street. 
He  sold  out  to  Carter  and  Steward,  who  con- 
tinued the  business  of  making  oatmeal  until 
their  mills  were  destroyed  by  fire  in  1881.  In 
1856  Albert  Allen  established  the  Allen  Mill 
on  Canal  Street,  ju.st  south  of  Cherry  Street. 

In  1851  Ferdinand  Schumacher  came  to 
Akron  from  Germany.  He  was  born  in  Celle, 
Hanover,  March,  30,  1822,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1850.  He  worked  one  year 
on  a  farm  near  Cleveland  and  in  1851  opened 
up  a  fancy  goods  store  in  the  Hall  block  on 
the  corner  of  Market  and  Howard  Streets. 
His  partner  in  this  was  Theodore  Weibezahn. 
Their  store  was  a  very  small  one  and  fronted 
on  West  Market  Street.  It  did  not  offer  the 
inducement  for  advancement  that  Mr.  Schu- 
macher desired  and,  accordingly,  in  August, 
1852,  he  started  a  small  grocery  store  in  the 
room  now  occupied  by  the  Dollar  Savings 
Bank.  His  business  growing  rapidly,  he 
imoved  to  a  larger  stand  across  the  street,  next 
to  the  Empire  House.  In  1859  he  com- 
menced making  oatmeal  on  a  very  small  scale 
in  a  frame  building  on  Howard  Street.  Loyal 
to  his  native  country,  he  named  it  the  Ger- 
man Mill.  Oatmeal  was  a  new  thing  in  this 
locality  and  its  sale  was  at  first  very  slow.  The 
early  deliveries  were  ^made  in  a  hand-cart,  and 
a  humbler  l>eginning  could  not  have  been 
■made. 

Mr.  Schumacher  in  a  few  years  added  the 
making  of  pearl  barley  to  his  line.  In  1863 
he  built  the  first  of  his  mills  on  South  Sum- 
mit Street,  between  Mill  and  Quarry.  In 
1872  a  new  German  Mill  was  built  there.  In 
1879  a  large  grain  elevator  was  built  by  Mr. 
Schumacher.  Then  came  the  Big  Jumbo 
mill,  an  eight-.story  structure,  devoted  entire- 
ly to  the  making  of  cereals.  Then  a  fine,  stone 
office  building,  co.sting  $80,000,  was  built  on 
the  corner  of  Mill  and  Broadway.    Mr.  Schu- 


152 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


macher  was  now  the  foremost  miller  in  the 
world.  The  company,  of  which  he  was  the 
founder  and  head,  had  reached  the  climax  of 
prosperity,  when,  on  the  night  of  March  6, 
1886,  the  entire  plant  was  destroyed  by  fire, 
entailing  a  loss  of  over  a  million  dollars  to 
the  company. 

In  April,  1886,  just  a  month  after  the  de- 
struction of  the  big  plant  by  fire,  the  Ferdi- 
nand Schumacher  Milling  Company  was  in- 
corporated, with  a  capital  stock  of  two  million 
dollars.  The  Old  Stone  Mill,  which  had  been 
operated  by  Cummins  and  Allen,  was  con- 
solidated with  the  Schumacher  interests.  Mr. 
Ferdinand  Schumacher  was  made  president 
of  the  new  company.  In  July,  1891,  the 
American  Cereal  Company  was  incorporated, 
with  a  capital  of  $3,400,000.  This  was  com- 
posed of  all  the  principal  oatmeal  mills  of  the 
United  States.  It  absorbed  the  Hower  Mill- 
ing Company  of  Akron.  In  1907  the  Quaker 
Oats  Company  took  the  place  of  the  Ameri- 
can Cereal  Company.  Just  after  the  forma- 
tion of  the  American  Cereal  Company  the 
principal  office  was  established  in  Chicago 
and  many  of  Akron's  best  citizens  were  taken 
to  that  city  on  account  of  the  change.  The 
representative  of  the  officers  of  the  company 
at  Akron  is  J.  H.  Andrews,  the  local  super- 
intendent. 

In  1870  Robert  Turner  commenced  the 
manufacture  of  oatmed  on  the  corner  of 
Canal  and  Cherry  Streets.  He  was  succeeded 
in  1879  and  1880  by  The  Hower  Company,  of 
which  John  H.  Hower  was  president;  Har- 
vey Y.  Hower,  vice-pre.sident;  M.  Otiis  Hower, 
secretary,  and  Charles  H.  Hower,  treasurer. 
At  the  time  of  their  consolidation  with  the 
American  Cereal  Company  they  were  doing 
a  very  large  and  prosperous  business. 

In  1883  John  F.  Seiberling  organized  the 
Seiberling  Milling  Company,  and  built  a  six- 
story  brick  flouring  mill  in  east  Akron,  which 
is  now  the  Akron  plant  of  the  Great  Western 
Cereal  Companv.  It  was  organized  with  a 
capital  of  $200,000,  and  had  a  capacity  of  100 
barrels  a  day.  The  first  officers  were  J.  F. 
Seiberling,  president;  Lucius  C.  Miles,  secre- 
tuTV,  and  Frank  A.  Seiberling,  treasurer.    In 


1901  it  became  a  part  of  the  Great  Western 
Cereal  Company,  with  a  capital  of  $3,000,000. 
The  Allen  Mills  were  founded  about  1845  by 
Simon  Perkins,  Jedediali  D.  Commins,  Alex- 
ander H.  Commins,  Jesse  Allen,  Hiram  Al- 
len and  Jacob  Allen.  The  mills  were  after- 
wards converted  into  flouring  mills  by  the 
Perkins  Company  and  afterwards  the  Allye 
and  Company  was  formed  of  F.  H.  Allen, 
Victor  J.  Allen  and  William  A.  Palmer. 

THE   MATCH   INDUSTRY. 

At  one  period  of  its  existence  Akron  was 
known  as  the  "Match  Town."  This  was  on 
account  of  the  location  here  of  the  Barber 
Match  Company,  which  afterwards  became 
the  Diamond  Match  Company.  The  most 
primitive  form  of  the  match  was  the  small, 
pine  stick,  coated  with  certain  chemicals, 
which  were  lighted  by  dipping  the  chemical 
end  in  a  solution  of  aqua-fortis.  Matches  aft- 
erwards were  made  by  using  a  chemical  com^ 
position,  which  could  be  ignited  by  means  of 
a  piece  of  sand-paper.  Late  in  the  thirties  came 
the  Loco-Foco  match.  Samuel  A.  Lane  and 
James  R.  Miltimore  were  the  pioneer  makers 
of  matches  in  Akron.  These  Loco-Foco 
matches  were  of  pine,  dipped  alternately  into 
melted  brimstone  and  a  phosphonis  composi- 
tion. S.  A.  Lane  and  Company  began  mak- 
ing them  in  1838.  They  continued  the  busi- 
ness onlv  about  a  vear,  finding  little  profit  in 
it. 

In  1845  George  Barber  commenced  the 
manufacture  of  matches  in  a  small  barn  in 
Middleburv.  This  was  the  humble  beginning 
of  the  great  Diamond  Match  Company  of  to- 
day, with  its  great  factories  and  universal 
business.  Mr.  Barber  found  the  business 
profitable  and  made  several  removals,  finally 
occupying  the  entire  woolen  factory  which 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  Goodyear  Tire 
and  Rubber  Works.  In  1865  the  Barber 
Match  Company  was  formed,  with  George 
Barber,  president;  0.  C.  Barber,  secretary  and 
treasurer,  and  J.  K.  Robinson,  general  agent. 
In  1871  the  Barber  Match  Company  moved 
to  South  Akron  to  where  the  Diamond  Rubber 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


153 


works  is  now  located.  In  1881  the  Barber 
Match  Company,  with  twenty-eight  other  es- 
tablishments in  the  United  States,  were  incor- 
porated under  the  name  of  the  Diamond 
Match  Company,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $6,- 
000,000.  Mr.  0.  C.  Barber  was  made  presi- 
dent of  this  company  and  John  K.  Robinson, 
treasurer.  Today  the  Diamond  Match  Com- 
pany is  one  of  the  great  industrial  corpora- 
tions of  the  world,  and  the  most  credit  for  its 
success  is  due  to  the  Akron  man,  Ohio  Colum- 
bus Barber,  who  has  been  its  president  since 
its  inception. 

In  1879  the  Miller  Match  Company  was 
formed  for  the  manufacture  of  parlor  matches 
in  the  building  which  formerly  stood  just 
west  of  the  old  plant  oif  the  B.  F.  Goodrich 
Company.  It  wa^  organized  bv  Harvev  F. 
Miller  and  S.  S.  Miller.  Col.  A.  L.  Conger 
was  its  president.  In  1885  it  was  incorporated 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000.  In  1888  it 
was  sold  to  the  Diamond  Match  Company. 

AGRICULTUR.\L  IMPLEMENTS. 

The  Buckeye  Mower  and  Reaper  Works :  In 
1864  a  branch  of  the  A.  Aultman  Company, 
of  Canton,  w^as  established  in  Akron  and  th« 
manufacture  of  inowers  and  reapers  was  com- 
menced in  the  great  plant  along  the  railroad;? 
at  the  corner  of  Center  Street.  A  separate 
company  was  then  formed  to  conduct  the 
business  and  was  known  as  Aultman,  Miller 
and  Company.  Lewis  Miller  was  the  general 
superintendent  of  the  works  from  the  begin- 
ning, and,  under  his  able  direction,  the  com- 
pany grew  to  be  one  of  the  largest  institu- 
tions of  its  kind  in  the  country.  Much  of 
the  Buckeye  machine  was  the  invention  of 
Mr.  Miller  himself.  G.  "W.  Crouse  was  presi- 
dent; Ira  Miller,  .secretary,  and  R.  H.  Wright, 
treasurer.  The  company  continued  to  do  a 
prosperous  business  until  about  1902,  when 
the  organization  of  the  International  Harves- 
ter Company  deprived  the  local  company  of 
its  opportunity  to  compete  on  equal  groimds. 
In  1905  a  receiver  for  the  company  was  ap- 
pointed and  the  entire  a.ssets  were  sold  to  the 
International  Harvester  Company,  by  order  of 


the  court.  The  litigation  over  the  failure  of 
the  Aultman,  Miller  Company  is  still  (in 
1907)  pending. 

In  1865  John  F.  Seiberling  organized  the 
J.  F.  Seiberling  Company  and  established  the 
Empire  Mower  and  Reaper  Works  on  the 
railroad,  near  Mill  Street.  Mr.  Seiberling 
had  been  a  druggist  in  Akron  and  in  1858 
had  invented  the  Excelsior  mower  and  reaper, 
with  a  dropper  attachment.  In  1861  he  com- 
menced the  manufacture  of  them  at  Doyles- 
town.  In  1864  he  began  the  manufacture  in 
Massillon,  and  in  1865  brought  the  industry 
to  Akron.  A  large  business  was  soon  e.stab- 
lished  and  very  extensive  shops  were  erected. 
In  the  panic  of  1873  the  company  was  unable 
to  weather  the  storm  and  an  assigne  in  in- 
solvency took  possession  of  the  plant.  When 
the  Excelsior  plant  was  sold,  Mr.  Seiberling 
purchased  it  and  organized  a  new  company, 
entitled  the  J.  F.  Seiberling  Company,  with 
himself  as  president;  F.  A.  Seiberling,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer,  and  Charles  W.  Seiberling 
as  superintendent.  Capital  stock  was  $160.- 
000,  and  the  plant  was  known  as  the  Empire 
Works.  The  business  at  first  was  successful, 
and  Mr.  Seiberling  reaped  a  large  fortune.  In 
the  year  1900  business  began  to  fail  and  ul- 
timately an  'assignee  was  appointed  by  order 
of  court  and  the  business  wound  up.  The  old 
Empire  plant  was  afterwards  occupied  by 
the  India  Rubber  Company  and  still  Later  by 
the  Fiebeger  Heating  Company. 

The  Akron  Iron  Company  was  established 
by  Lewis  Miller  and  other  parties  intere.sted 
in  the  Aultman,  Miller  Company  in  1866. 
Large  rolling  mills  were  built  on  the  railroads 
south  of  Exchange  Street.  Upon  its  reorgani- 
zation in  the  year  1900  the  company  was 
known  by  the  title  of  the  Akron  Iron  and 
Steel  Company,  with  a  large  part  of  its  capital 
stock  held  in  the  East.  Stress  of  competition 
overwhelmed  it,  and  finally  its  business  was 
wound  up,  and  the  plant  sold  to  the  railroad 
.companies.  The  old  site  is  now  a  part  of  the 
Akron  yards  of  the  Erie  railroad. 

In  September,  1886,  the  Selle  Gear  Com- 
pany was  incor{3orated  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$100,000.     George  W.   Crouse  was  its  presi- 


154 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


dent;  F.  M.  Atterholt,  vice-president,  and  W. 
C.  Parsons,  secretary  and  treasurer.  A  large 
factory  was  built  on  Chestnut  Street,  corner 
of  High,  and  the  company  began  the  manu- 
facture of  the  Selle  patented  platform  gear 
for  wagons.  In  1906  it  became  the  Akron- 
Selle  Company,  with  M.  Otis  Hower  as  presi- 
dent and  general  manager ;  H.  Y.  Ho\ter,  vice- 
president;  H.  A.  Paul,  secretary,  and  E.  R. 
Held,  treasurer.  Under  the  able  manage- 
ment of  M.  Otis  Hower,  a  very  large  busi- 
ness is  being  built  up,  and  there  are  good 
reasons  for  believing  that,  in  a  very  short 
time,  this  concern  will  be  one  of  the  largest 
maufacturing  institutions  of  the  city. 

The  Akron  Belting  Company  was  incor- 
porated in  1885  by  George  W.  Crouse,  Alfred 
M.  Barber  and  Sumner  Nash.  Its  first  plant 
was  on  North  Main  Street,  where  the  Grand 
Opera  Hou.'^e  is  now  located.  They  are  mak- 
ing a  very  superior  quality  of  leather  belting 
of  all  sizes.  Upon  the  vacation  of  the  Allen 
Mills  on  Canal  Street,  this  company  moved 
into  them  and  ha.s  continued  to  do  busines.*  at 
that  stand  since.  The  pra'^ent  officers  are :  A. 
B.  Rhinehart,  president;  Sumner  Na.sh,  vice- 
president;  George  Wince,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer, and  Webster  Thorpe,  .-iuperintendent. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

In  1872  Thomas  Phillips  and  Company 
commenced  the  manufacture  of  paper  on  the 
Ohio  Canal  at  West  Exchange  Street.  Their 
business  consisted  of  making  paper  bags,  flour 
sacks,  wrapping  paper,  etc.,  and  a  very  large 
business  has  been  built  up.  In  1887  The 
Thomas  Phillips  Company  was  incorporated 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $150,000.  G.  W. 
Crouse  was  its  president  and  Clarence  How- 
land,  secretarj^  and  general  manager.  The 
present  officers  are  F.  D.  Howland,  president ; 
F.  A.  Seiberling.  vice-president;  G.  D.  How- 
land,  secretary,  and  F.  A.  Howland,  treasurer 
and  general  manager. 

In  1885  the  Akron  Twine  and  Cordage 
Company  was  organized  by  the  directors  of 
the  Aultman,  Miller  Company.  G.  W.  Crouse 
was  its  president;  Ira  M.  Miller,  vice-president. 


and  R.  H.  Wright,  secretary  and  treasurer.  A 
large  factory  was  built  on  Hdll  Street  just  east 
of  the  railroads.  Rope  and  cordage  of  all 
kinds  was  manufactured.  .V  specialty  was 
made  of  binder  twine.  When  hard  times  fell 
upon  the  Buckeye  Mower  and  Reaper  Works, 
the  Twine  and  Cordage  Company  became  in- 
volved in  the  trouble  and  for  a  long  time  they 
did  not  run.  But  at  the  present  time  they  are 
being  operated  under  the  direction  of  the  In- 
ternational Harvester  Company,  which  pur- 
chased the  assets  of  the  Aultman,  Miller  Com- 
pany. 

In  1878  Edward  George  Kubler  and  John 
Martin  Beck  founded  what  has  been  known 
as  the  Akron  Varnish  Works.  They  are 
manufacturers  of  varnishes.  Japans  and  other 
similar  products.  They  commenced  in  a  hu'm- 
ble  way  in  a  .small  building  on  Bowery  Street, 
and  afterwards  built  a  large  brick  factory  on 
West  State  Street,  where  they  still  are  engaged 
in  the  .same  busin&ss.  In  1882  David  L.  King 
organized  the  King  Varnish  Company,  and 
built  a  large,  six-story  brick  factory  on  Canal 
Street,  just  north  of  Market.  The  business 
■proved  unprofitable  and  an  assignment  was 
made.  In  1889  David  R.  Paige  bought  the 
business,  associating  John  H.  McCrum  with 
him.  Upon  the  destruction  of  the  factory  by 
fie,  the  company  was  merged  with  the  Kubler 
and  Beck  Company,  under  the  name  of  the 
Akron  Varnish  Company.  The  officers  are: 
E.  G.  Kubler,  president :  J.  M.  Beck,  vice-pres- 
ident and  treasurer;  E.  M.  Beck,  secretary;  F. 
W.  Whitner,  assistant  treasurer;  F.  A.  Fauver, 
superintendent. 

In  1870  John  W.  Baker  and  John  C.  Mc- 
Millen  established  the  Baker-McMillen  Com- 
pany and  commenced  the  manufacture  of 
enameled  knobs,  handles,  etc.  In  July,  1890, 
the  Baker-McMillen  Company  was  incorpo- 
rated with  a  capital  of  $120,000,  and  a  very 
large  busine&s  was  built  up.  The  present  of- 
ficers are:  H.  B.  Sperr^^,  president  and  treas- 
urer; W.  H.  Stoner,  secretary  and  general 
manager. 

The  firs4.  planing  mill  was  e«tabli.shed  in 
Akron  in  1832  by  Smith  Burton  in  Middle- 
bury.    In  1836  James  Bangs  started  a  shingle 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


155 


mill  near  the  corner  of  Main  and  Federal 
Streets.  Samuel  G.  AVilson  bought  him  out, 
and  a  few  years  later  established  a  shingle 
mill  and  lumber  yard  on  Main  Street,  just 
south  of  Howard.  A  few  years  later  Mr.  Wil- 
son took  in  Justus  Rockwell  and  they  bought 
out  the  lumber  yard  of  W.  B.  Storer,  which 
had  been  established  on  North  Main  Street. 
Mr.  Samuel  G.  Wilson  was  thus  the  pioneer 
lumber  dealer  of  Akron.  In  1865  he  inter- 
ested himself  with  William  B.  Doyle,  Samuel 
Farnum  and  John  H.  Dix,  and  they  organ- 
ized the  firm  of  W.  B.  Doyle  and  Company. 
In  1S67  Hon.  John  Johnson  bought  the  in- 
terest of  Mr.  AVilson.  In  1873  Mr.  Johnson 
retired  and  the  business  was  conducted  by  the 
other  parties,  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Dix  in 
1886,  and  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Farnum  in 
1888,  when  the  business  was  carried  on  by 
Mr.  Doyle.  Upon  his  death,  August  6,  1890, 
this  pioneer  company  ceased  to  exist. 

In  1845  David  Miller  established  a  na'^h, 
door  and  blind  factory,  which  was  purchased 
by  D.  G.  Wilcox  in  1866.  In  1864  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Samuel  B.  Weary,  Jacob 
Snyder  and  Andrew  Jackson,  under  the  firm 
name  of  AVeary,  Snyder  and  Company.  In 
1867  the  company  was  incorporated  and  con- 
tinued to  do  business  until  the  destruction  of 
the  plant  by  fire  about  five  years  ago. 

In  1863  George  Thomas  established  the 
Thomas  Building  and  Lumber  Company, 
with  works  on  the  west  side  of  the  canal,  be- 
tween Bank  and  Cherry  Streets.  In  1877 
David  AV.  Thomas  succeeded  to  the  business. 
In  1888  he  organized  the  corporation  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $100,000.  The  new  company 
also  took  possession  of  the  lumber  business 
thereftofore  conducted  by  AVilliam  Buchtel. 

In  1867  the  business  of  Solon  N.  AVilson 
was  established,  and  he  is  now  doing  a  suc- 
cessful business  in  lumber  and  contracting. 
The  Hankey  Lumber  Company  was  estab- 
lished in  1873  by  Simon  Hankey. 

The  Enterprise  Manufacturing  Company 
is  one  of  Akron's  most  successful  manufactur- 
ing establishments.  It  was  founded  in  1881 
by  Ernest  F.  Pflueger,  and  was  incorporated 
in  1886  for  the  purpose  of    making    fishing 


supplies,  etc.  It  has  grown  from  the  start,  un- 
til it  now  occupies  the  great  factory  of  Ash 
Street.  The  present  officers  are:  G.  A. 
Pflueger,  president;  G.  E.  Pflueger,  vice-presi- 
dent and  superintendent;  E.  A.  Pflueger,  sec- 
retary and  treasurer,  and  H.  A.  West,  assist- 
ant secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  Western  Linoleum  Company  was  in- 
corporated January  1,  1891,  with  a  capital  of 
$200,000.  A.  M.  Cole  was  its  first  president; 
AA^.  E.  Hoover,  secretary  and  treasurer,  and 
Charles  Templeton,  general  superintendent. 
They  are  now  a  part,  of  the  Standard  Table  Oil 
Cloth  Company.  E.  A.  Oviatt  is  the  local 
superintendent. 

The  Globe  Sign  and  Poster  Company  began 
business  as  the  Globe  Sign  Company,  and 
was  incorporated  in  1890.  John  Grether,  S. 
S.  Miller,  Frank  Reefsnyder,  AV.  B.  Gamble 
and  H.  G.  Bender  were  its  first  organizers. 

RUBBER  INDUSTRY. 

The  B.  F.  Goodrich  Con>pany.  Akron  is 
best  known  today  as  the  world's  center  for 
the  rubber  manufacturing  industry.  It  is  the 
chief  of  all  our  industries.  It  has  more  capi- 
tal inve,sted,  more  hands  employed,  larger  fac- 
tories, and  a  larger  value  of  output  than  any 
other  line  of  manufacture  in  the  city.  Most 
of  this  growth  has  taken  place  in  the  last 
twelve  years;  all  of  it  .since  1870.  The  origin 
of  rubber-working  in  Akron  goes  back  to  the 
advent  of  Dr.  B.  F.  Goodrich  in  our  midst. 
The  date  is  1870.  He  was  the  original  rubber 
mam  of  Akron,  and  without  him  there  probab- 
ly would  have  been  no  rubber  industry  here. 
In  1870  Dr.  B.  F.  Goodrich  came  from  the 
East  and  a.ssooiated  himself  with  Colonel 
George  T.  Perkins,  George  AA^.  Crouse  and 
others  of  this  city,  and  started  what  was  then 
known  as  B.  F.  Goodrich  and  Company — ^the 
Akron  Rubber  AA^orks.  The  business  slowly 
grew  and  prospered  until  in  1880  a  co-partner- 
ship was  formed  and  the  business  incorpo- 
rated under  the  name  of  The  B.  F.  Goodrich 
Company,  with  a  capitalization  of  $100,000. 
The  growth  of  the  company  was  continuous 
from  that  time  on   and  the  capital   was  in- 


1?6 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


creased  from  time  to  time  as  the  demands  of 
the  business  required,  until  at  present  the 
capitalization  of  the  company  is  $10,000,000. 

Dr.  Goodrich  remained  president  of  tlie 
company  until  1888,  the  time  of  his  death, 
when  Colonel  George  T.  Perkins  succeeded 
him,  holding  the  position  until  January  15, 
1907.  The  present  officer  are:  B.  G.  Work, 
president;  F.  H.  Mason,  vice-president;  II.  E. 
Raymond,  second  vice-president;  C.  B.  Ray- 
mond, secretary;  W.  A.  Folger,  treasurer;  AV. 
A.  Means,  assistant  treasurer ;  E.  C.  Shaw,  gen- 
eral manager  of  works ;  C.  C.  Goodrich,  gen- 
eral superintendent,  and  H.  E.  Joy,  assistant 
general  superintendent.  The  directors  are 
Colonel  George  T.  Perkins,  F.  H.  Mason,  B. 
G.  Work,  H.  E.  Raymond,  E.  C.  Shaw,  George 
W.  Crou.se  and  C.  C.  Goodrich. 

The  product  oif  the  company  consists  of  a 
full  line  of  soft  rubber  goods,  such  a  belting, 
hose,  packings,  druggists'  sundry  goods,  golf 
balls,-  tennis  balls,  automobile  and  bicycle 
tires,  carriage  tires,  molded  goods,  mats,  boots 
and  shoes.  The  factory  buildings  cover  an  area 
of  sixteen  and  one-half  acres  of  floor  space  on 
fifteen  and  one-half  acres  of  ground,  and 
the  buildings  are  lighted  by  over  8,000  incan- 
descent lamp.s  and  one  hundred  arc  lights. 
The  power  plant  has  a  generating  capacitv  of 
3,500  K.  W.,  and  a  boiler  -capacity  of  6,Cm 
H.  P.,  4,500  H.  P.  of  -motors  being  used  to 
drive  the  machinery  throughout  the  plant. 
The  company  has  3,300  people  in  its  employ. 

Diamond  Rubber  Company.  In  1898  the 
Diamond  Rubber  Company  was  unknown  out- 
side of  a  limited  circle  of  trade.  With  a  oapi- 
talization  of  $50,000,  it  was  manufacturing  a 
modest  line  of  mechanical  rubber  goods  and 
tires — then,  as  now,  in  competition  with  con- 
cerns powerful  in  productive  and  brain  ca- 
pacity. And  ati  that  time,  too,  the  majority 
of  competing  companies  were  rich  with  the 
prestige  which  long  established  business  rela- 
tion? give.  Still  the  Diamond  Rubber  Com- 
pany grew. 

The  present  canitalization  of  the  concern  is 
$5,000,000,  but  the  real  extent  of  its  growth 
and  the  rapid  increase  of  its  strength  are  l>et- 
ter  .shown  by  other  comparisons.     Two  hun- 


dred and  fifty  was  the  number  of  the  com- 
pany's employes  in  1898.  Twenty-!?even  hun- 
dred and  twenty  is  the  number  in  1907,  with 
the  quota  of  brains  per  capita  also  increased. 

Crude  rubber  was  brought  by  cases  of  500 
pounds  each  by  this  company  seven  years  ago. 
Now  single  purchases  amount  to  as  much  as 
200  tons.  For  four  years  the  mill  rooms  of 
the  Diamond  Rubber  Company  have  been  in 
operation  night  and  day  the  year  around. 
Their  equipment  in  1898  included  seven  mills 
and  two  calenders.  Today,  with  twenty-seven 
mills  and  seven  calenders,  it  is  only  by  keep- 
ing every  wheel  constantly  turning  that  stocks 
can  be  made  ready  fast  enough. 

An  engine  capacity  of  250  horse-power, 
whicli  was  sufficient  seven  years  ago,  has 
steadily  increased  until  today  the  capacity  is 
2,050  horse-power  and  every  ounce  of  pressure 
utilized. 

If  every  day  for  ten  years,  Sundays  in- 
cluded, the  factories  of  the  Diamond  Rubber 
Company  had  expanded  95  square  feet,  the 
total  would  still  fall  short  of  equaling  the 
extensions  in  new  buildings  and  additions  the 
company  has  erected  within  that  time.  And 
the  ground  area  used  is  now  eighteen  acres, 
as  compared  with  less  than  six  acres  in  1898. 

Seven  years  ago  the  Diamond  Rubber  Com- 
pany had  no  branch  establishments:  they 
were  not  necessary.  Today  the  company  has 
its  own  branches  in  twelve  principal  cities, 
with  three  stores  in  New  York  and  two  in 
Chicago,  besides  exclusive  agencies  in  many 
other  business  centers. 

Hose  holds  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  prod- 
ucts of  the  company,  and  is  a  department  hav- 
ing .several  extensive  sub-divisions.  Air-brake 
hose  is  the  most  prominent  in  the  line  of  its 
products  for  the  railroad  trade.  From  a  small 
beginning  their  production  of  air-brake  hose, 
made  to  Master  Car  Builders'  Recommended 
Practice,  or  their  own,  or  other  specifications, 
has  grown  to  an  average  of  nearly  2.000  pieces 
per  dav,  made  with  such  care  and  precision 
that  the  percentage  of  rejected  goods  has 
cea.sed  to  be  a  factor — a  remarkable  achieve- 
ment. 

The  steam  hose  problem  is  another  whose 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


157 


solution,  in  a  manner  distinctlj'  gratifying, 
not  only  to  the  company,  but  to  the  trade,  con- 
tributed directly  to  the  growth  of  the  com- 
pany. And.  furthermore,  the  mastery  of  the 
art  of  making  steam  hose  was  in  itself  the 
overcoming  of  the  long-vexing  car-heating 
hose  problem  as  well.  Both  are  now  a  notable 
part  of  their  daily  output,  with  an  increase  in 
these  and  allied  lines,  such  as  signal  hose,  cor- 
rugated tender  hose,  etc.,  steadily  indicated 
from  month  to  month. 

Another  division  of  the  hose  department 
which  has  similarly  expanded  is  that  devoted 
to  water  hose,  tank  hose  and  kindred  kinds. 
Hose  for  fire  protection  is  a  subject  so  impor- 
tant that  they  regularly  divide  it  into  three 
classifications — rubber  fire  ho.*e,  cotton  jacket 
rubber-lined  fire  hose,  and  cotton  jacket  rub- 
ber-lined mill  hose.  There  is  not  a  day  in  the 
year — Sundays  always  excepted — that  their 
own  looms  are  not  roaring  with  industry  in 
the  weaving  of  fire  and  mill  hose  jackets  from 
their  own  tested  yarn.  Their  sales  of  garden 
ho.se,  by  the  way,  where  formerly  measured 
yearly  by  the  thousands  of  feet,  are  now  com- 
puted by  the  millions. 

Belting  constitutes  a  large  department  in 
the  Diamond  factories,  and  in  seven  years  the 
output  has  doubled  and  doubled  again,  one  of 
the  various  additions  erected  within  that  pe- 
riod having  been  expressly  to  provide  greater 
space  and  facilities  for  the  belt  department. 

Six  hand  pres.ses  used  to  keep  up  with  the 
demand  for  moulded  goods  made  by  the  com- 
pany. Today  ten  times  six  and  all  hydraulic 
presses  are  necessary.  Hard  rubber  has  been 
a  part  of  the  Diamond  Rubber  Company's 
product  for  only  a  few  years,  but  today  the 
department  would  make  by  itself  a  factory  of 
creditable  size.  The  output  Is  confined  large- 
ly to  battery  jars,  sheets,  rods  and  tubing,  re- 
insulating  tape,  etc. 

Tires — last,  but  by  no  means  least.  Dia- 
mond detachable  clincher  tires  for  automo- 
biles are  the  equipment  on  a  very  large  per- 
centage of  all  motor  cars  used  in  this  countr\'. 
Diamond  .solid  side  wire  motor  truck  tires  and 
Diamond  solid  and  cushion  tires  for  lighter 
commercial  vehicles  and  carriages  are  scarce- 


ly less  well  known.  The  annual  business  of 
this  eompaey  in  its  tire  department  mounts 
well  into  the  millions  of  dollars  and  has  made 
necessary  the  erection  of  one  of  the  largest 
structures  on  earth  devoted  to  rubber  tire  man- 
ufacturing. 

The  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rubber  Company. 
Frank  A.  Seiberling  purchased  the  Woolen 
and  Felt  Company  plant  in  June,  1898,  and 
immediately  thereafter  caused  to  be  organized 
The  Goodvear  Tire  &  Rubber  Company,  with 
an  authorized  capital  of  $200,000,  $90,000 
paid  in,  the  officers  being  David  E.  Hill,  pres- 
ident; George  Hill,  vice  president:  H.  B. 
]\Ianton,  treasurer;  Charles  W.  Seiberling.  sec- 
retary; F.  A.  Seiberling,  general  manager. 
The  above,  with  Byron  W.  Robinson  and  L. 
C.  Mills  constituted  the  first  board  of  direc- 
tors. The  work  of  installation  of  machinery 
and  equipping  the  plant  was  immediately  un- 
dertaken and  vigorously  prosecute  so  that  by 
December,  1898,  the  mill  was  put  in  opera- 
tion. The  business  was  a  success  from  the 
start,  the  company  readily  securing  sufficient 
orders  to  keep  them  operating  to  their  full 
capacity. 

The  following  year  Mr.  R.  C.  Pen  field  ac- 
quired the  interests  of  the  Hills,  becoming 
president  of  the  company.  One  hundred 
thousand  dollars  of  new  capital  was  put  into 
the  business  at  that  time,  wdiich,  with  a  stock 
dividend  declared  out  of  profits,  made  the 
paid-up  capital  $200,000.  The  business  stead- 
ily increased  under  the  impiilse  of  additional 
capital,  so  that  in  1902  the  authorized  capital 
was  increased  to  one  million  dollars,  $500,000 
of  which  was  paid  up,  partly  in  ca^h  and  part- 
ly in  stock  dividends. 

Each  year  extensive  additions  were  made  to 
the  plant  until  its  capacity  today  is  fully  four 
times  greater  than  w^hen  first  started,  and  the 
company  is  handling  a  business  more  than 
five  times  greater  in  volume. 

Its  present  officers  are:  F.  A.  Seiberling, 
president  and  general  manager:  L.  C.  Miles, 
vice-president;  George  M.  Stadelman,  secre- 
tarv ;  Charles  W.  Seiberling,  treasurer. 

The  history  of  the  company  has  been  one 
of  .steady  progress  and  is  marked  by  an  im- 


158 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


portant  patent  litigation  that  affected  the  en- 
tire carriage  tire  industry  of  the  United  States. 
The  Goodyear  Company  was  operating  under 
a  patent  owned  by  it  for  the  mvanufacture  of  a 
certain  type  of  solid  carriage  tire,  which  the 
owners  of  the  Grant  patent  claimed  was  an  in- 
fringement upon  their  rights.  Up  to  the  time 
that  the  Goodyear  Company  entered  their  field 
the  Grant  patent  had  had  a  complete  monop- 
oly of  the  rubber  tire  industry  of  the  United 
States.  In  a  bitter  contest  involving  a  large 
expenditure  on  both  sides,  extending  over  a 
period  of  two  years'  time,  the  United  States 
Court  of  Appeals  decided  the  Grant  patent  in- 
valid, opening  the  market  in  this  country  to 
anyone  who  desired  to  make  rubber  tires  of 
their  type.  As  a  result,  twenty-five  manufac- 
turers in  this  country  are  now  making  the 
Grant  type  of  tire,  though  The  Goodyear  Tire 
&  Rubber  Company  is  probably  making  more 
solid  rubber  carriage  tires  than  any  other  one 
concern  in  the  United  States,  turning  out  as 
much  as  six  tons  per  day  in  the  height  of  the 
season. 

They  are  also  large  manufacturers  of  pneu- 
matic bicycle  and  automobile  tires,  and  with- 
in the  past  two  years  have  brought  out  a  quick 
detachable  tire  upon  their  Universal  rim, 
which  promises  to  revolutionize  the  method 
of  attaching  and  detaching  tires  in  this  coun- 
try. As  a  result  of  their  initiative,  all  of  the 
leading  concerns  are  working  and  are  bring- 
ing out  devices  for  accomplishing  the  same 
ends.  They  now  employ  over  a  million  dol- 
lars of  capital,  and  800  men,  with  a  volume 
of  business  approximating  $3,000,000  an- 
nually. 

PRINTING  AND  PUBLISHING. 

The  Werner  Company,  book  manufacturers, 
lithographerss,  general  printers  and  engravers, 
publishers  of  the  new  Werner  edition  of  the 
Encyclopedia  Britannica.  Paul  E.  Werner 
started  in  the  printing  business  as  publisher 
of  the  Akron  Germania  in  1875  on  the  third 
floor  of  the  building  on  Howard  Street,  ad- 
joining the  southeast  corner  of  Howard  and 
Market  Streets,  then  owned  bv  E.  Steinbacher. 


In  1877  he  removed  his  business  to  the  sec- 
ond floor  of  the  Kramer  building,  also  on 
Howard  Street.  In  1879  he  occupied  a  frame 
building  on  Howard  Street,  which  stood  where 
the  Arcade  building  now  stands,  and  added 
the  publication  of  the  Sunday  Gazette.  In 
1881  he  removed  to  the  southeast  corner  of 
Howard  and  Mill  Streets  and  added  to  his 
business  the  publication  of  the  Daily  arid 
Weekly  Tribune.  In  1883  he  removed  his 
business  to  a  three-story  frame  building  spe- 
cially fitted  up  for  him,  which  stood  where  the 
large  mill  of  the  American  Cereal  Company 
now  stands  on  Howard  Street.  In  1885  James 
Christy  erected  a  four-story  brick  bulling  es- 
pecially for  him  on  Howard  Street,  directly 
south  of  the  big  mill.  By  that  time  the  com- 
mercial printing  part  of  the  business  had 
grown  to  larger  dimensions. 

Paul  E.  Werner  realized  that  the  field  in 
the  newspaper  business  in  a  town  of  the  size 
of  Akron  was  very  limited,  and  disposed  of 
his  newspapers.  About  100  people  were  em- 
ployed in  that  building.  Very  soon  these 
quarters  were  too  small  for  the  continually 
growing  business.  In  1887  the  Werner  Print- 
ing and  Lithographing  Company  was  organ- 
ized, larger  capital  was  procured,  and  a  large 
tract  of  land,  located  at  the  corner  of  Perkins 
and  Union  Streets  (the  present  location  of 
the  company's  factory)  was  then  purchased 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  buildings  special- 
ly designed  and  equipped  for  the  manufactur- 
ing of  books  on  a  large  scale,  and  of  printed, 
lithographed  and  engraved  articles  in  gen- 
eral. The  business  continued  to  grow  very 
rapidly  and  new  buildings  w^ere  added  every 
year  for  a  number  of  years,  until  at  the  pres- 
ent time  the  Werner  Company  occupies  the 
following  buildings:  Three  buildings  each 
300  feet  long,  forty  feet  wide;  three  buildings 
each  200  feet  long,  fifty  feet  wide ;  three  build- 
ings each  100  feet  long,  fifty  feet  wide;  one 
building,  seventy-five  feet  long,  thirty  feet 
wide;  one  building,  eighty  feet  long,  forty 
feet  wide,  and  a  number  of  other  small  build- 
ings, all  equipped  with  the  most  modem  ma- 
chinery required  for  the  manufacturing  of 
books  and  other  printed,  lithographed  and  en- 


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AND    EEPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


161 


graved  products.  The  capital  invested  in  and 
required  in  the  conduct  of  the  business  of  The 
Werner  Company  is  very  large  and  amounts 
to  over  $3,000,000. 

In  1907  the  officers  of  this  company  are  as 
follows:  P.  E.  Werner,  president  and  gen- 
eral manager;  R.  M.  Werner,  vice-president 
and  assistant  treasurer;  C.  I.  Bruner,  treas- 
urer; Karl  Kendig,  secretary;  H.  M.  Huddles- 
ton,  assistant  secretary;  Edward  P.  Werner, 
general  superintendent. 

The  Werner  Company  is  by  far  the  largest 
and  most  complete  book  factory  on  the  Ameri- 
can continent.  It  comprises  under  one  roof, 
so  to  speak,  and  under  one  management,  all 
the  graphic  arts  and  trades. 

It  furnishes  directly  and  indirectly  material 
oneans  of  livelihood  for  four  or  five  thousand 
Akron  inhabitants.  The  great  majority  of  the 
employees  of  the  Werner  Company  are  skilled 
in  trades  and  arts  and  receive  high  compensa- 
tion. 

During  the  year  1906  the  works  of  The 
Werner  Company  were  in  uninterrupted  oper- 
ation, and  a  great  part  of  the  time  worked 
thirteen  hours  daily.  During  that  year  this 
company  purchased  and  received  raw  mate- 
rials and  shipped  finished  products  rep- 
resenting the  full  capacity  of  one  thousand 
two  hundred  railroad  cars.  The  products  in- 
cluded more  than  3,000,000  large  books;  more 
than  15,000,000  large  and  finely  illastrated 
catalogues  made  for  the  largest  manufacturing 
concerns  of  this  country,  and  millions  of  other 
printed,  lithographed  and  engraved  articles. 

If  the  books  alone  which  were  manufac- 
tured by  The  Werner  Company  last  year  were 
laid  on  a  pile,  one  on  the  top  of  the  other,  this 
pile  would  reach  ninety-.six  miles  into  the  air. 
If  these  books  were  laid  side  by  side  they 
would  constitute  a  line  500  miles  long. 

The  raw  materials  consumed  during  the 
past  year  comprise  3,500  different  kinds.  The 
largest  consumption  is  in  paper,  cloth,  leather, 
gold  and  ink.  If  the  paper  consumed  during 
the  past  year  were  laid  in  sheets  side  by  side, 
they  would  reach  around  the  world  four  times. 
The  binders'  cloth  consumed  measured  5.000,- 
000    square    feet.    The    different    kinds    of 


leather  consumed  required  the  skins  of  25,000 
cattle,  30,000  sheep  and  36,000  Persian  and 
Morocco  goats.  Over  3,000,000  leaves  of  gold 
were  consumed.  While  the  principle  product 
of  this  factory  is  books.  The  Werner  Com- 
pany has  a  world-wide  reputation  for  furnish- 
ing fine  commercial  work,  typographic  as  well 
as  lithographic,  catalogues  of  every  descrip- 
tion. Of  this  particular  kind  of  product  it 
makes  more  than  any  other  concern  in  the 
United  States. 

WHITMAN    AND    BARNES    MANUFACTURING 
COMPANY. 

The  Whitman  &  Barnes  Manufacturing 
Company,  manufacturers  of  mowing  and  reap- 
ing machine  knives,  sickles,  sections  and  parts 
of  cutting  apparatus,  "Diamond"  twist 
drills,  reamers  and  collateral  lines,  wood 
handle  and  drop  forged  wrenches,  lawn  mow- 
ers, haying  tools,  such  as  hay  carriers,  forks, 
pulleys,  etc.,  spring  keys  and  cotters,  rubber 
pad  horse-shoes,  hammers,  planer  knives  and 
cutters  for  wood-working  machinery.  In  1848 
the  predecessors  and  founders  of  the  present 
corporation.  The  Whitman  &  Barnes  Manu- 
facturing Company,  commenced  in  a  very 
small  way  to  make  knives  and  sickles  for  mow- 
ing and  reaping  machines.  They  were  the 
first  in  this  country  to  engage  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  these  parts.  From  the  small  begin- 
ning in  1848  this  firm  has  advanced  and  in- 
creased until  now  it  has  three  factories — one 
at  Akron,  Ohio,  occupied  exclusively  in  the 
manufacture  of  Diamond  twist  drills  and  col- 
lateral lines;  one  at  Chicago,  111.,  at  which  fac- 
tory they  manufacture  knives  and  sections, 
wrenches,  lawn  mowers,  hay  tools,  spring  keys 
and  cotters,  and  rubber-pad  horse  shoes;  one 
at  St.  Catharines,  Ontario,  where  they  manu- 
facture knives  and  sections,  hammers,  haying 
tools,  planer  knives  and  cutters  for  wood-work- 
ing machinery.  Their  factories  are  equipped 
with  the  most  modem  machinery,  and  they 
employ  a  very  large  number  of  skilled  me- 
chanics, which  enables  them  to  produce  goods 
equal  to  any  upon  the  market,  and  at  a  price 
which  allows  them  to  compete  successfully  in 


162 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


the  trade.  Thedr  brands  are  extensively 
known,  not  only  in  this  country,  but  in  all 
foreign  countries,  and  their  trademark,  "Dia- 
mond W.  &  B.,"  is  a  trade  name  the  world 
over  and  a  guarantee  of  the  quality  of  the 
goods  manufactured. 

In  the  past  two  years  they  have  materially 
changed  their  manner  and  way  of  handling 
their  business  with  the  trade,  abolishing  their 
branch-house  system  for  the  purpose  of  ally- 
ing themselves  directly  with  the  jobbing  trade. 
This  change  meets  with  the  hearty  approval 
of  the  jobbere  over  the  country,  and  thej'  are 
fast  associating  themselves  with  this  company 
in  handling  their  large  line  of  products. 

The  Akron  factory  is  managed  by  George 
A.  Barnes,  who  has  been  long  associated  with 
the  company.  The  Chicago  factorv^  is  man- 
aged by  AV.  H.  Eager.  The  St.  Catharines 
factory  is  managed  by  W.  W.  Cox,  who  has 
been  for  many  years  an  officer  of  the  company, 
and  who  stands  very  high,  not  only  in  the 
States,  but  in  Canada.  A.  D.  Armitage,  who 
also  has  been  connected  with  this  company  for 
many  years,  is  general  manager  of  manufac- 
ture. 

The  officers  of  the  company  are:  C.  E.  Shel- 
don, president;  W.  W.  Cox,  vice-president; 
Prank  H.  Hiscock,  second  vice-president; 
Wm.  Stone,  treasurer;  C.  E.  Caskey,  assistant 
treasiirer:  James  Barnes,  secretary;  W.  H.  Gif- 
ford,  chairman  ;  Frank  Hiscock,  general  coun- 
sel. The  directors  are  C.  E.  Sheldon,  George 
T.  Perkins,  George  C.  Kohler,  C.  T.  Bruner, 
George  A.  Barnes,  all  of  Akron,  Ohio;  Frank 
H.  Hiscock,  William  Stone,  W.  H.  Gifford, 
Syracuse,  New  York;  W.  W.  Cox,  St.  Cath- 
arines. 

Milton  Otis  Howor  was  born  in  Doylestown, 
Wayne  County,  Ohio,  November  25, 1859,  and 
i?  a  son  of  John  H.  and  Su.san  Yongker 
Hower.  He  attended  school  in  Doylestown 
and  was  subsequently  a  pupil  in  the  Akron 
public  schools  and  at  Buchtel  College.  .  He 
began  his  business  career  as  secretary  of  The 
Hower  Company,  proprietors  of  the  Akron 
Oatmeal  Mills.  These  mills  were  afterward 
consolidated  with  the  American  Cereal  Com- 
pany, of  which  Mr.  Hower  l)ecame  director. 


vice-president  and  chairman  of  the  Executive 
Committee.  In  1894  he  removed  to  Chicago, 
where  the  general  office  of  the  American 
Cereal  Company  is  located,  but  after  remain- 
ing there  six  years,  he  returned  to  Akron,  He 
is  president  of  The  Akron-Selle  Company, 
The  Lombard-Replogle  Engineering  Com- 
pany, Akron  Wood-Working  Company,  Ak- 
ron Hi-Potential  Porcelain  Company,  San- 
dasky  Grille  and  Manufacturing  Company, 
Jahant  Heating  Company,  The  Bannock  Coal 
Company,  Hower  Power-Building  Company; 
vice-president,  of  The  Central  Savings  and 
Trust  Company ;  director  of  the  Akron  Home 
Building  and  Loan  Association,  and  director 
of  the  Akron  Canal  and  Hydraulic  Company. 
Mr.  Hower  was  married  November  16,  1880, 
to  Blanche  Eugenia  Bruot,  daughter  of  Jamies 
F.  and  Rosalie  Bruot.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Grace  Susan  Rosalie  Hower  (now  Mrs. 
Paul  E.  Findlay)  and  John  Bruot  Hower. 
The  family  residence  is  at  No.  60  Fir  Street. 

INCORPOR.\TED     COMP.'VNIES. 

The  Ab.stract,  Title-Guarantee  &  Trust 
Companv,  124  South  Mmn ;  incorporated, 
1892 ;  capital,  $30,000. 

The  Actual  Business  College  Company,  616 
Hamilton  Building;  incorporated.  1905;  cap- 
ital, $10,000. 

The  Akron  Belting  Company,  74  South 
Canal;  incorporated,  1895;  capital,  $100,000. 

The  Akron  Brewing  Company,  865  South 
High;  incorporated,  190-3;  capital,  $125,000. 
The  Akron  Building  &  Loan  Association,  130 
South  Main;  organized,  1888;  capital,  $5,- 
000,000. 

The  Carriage  and  Implement  Company,  67- 
71  West  Market;  incorporated,  1904;  capital, 
$25,000. 

The  Akron  China  Company,  corner  of  Sec- 
ond Avenue  and  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad; 
incorporated,  1894;  capital,  $150,000. 

The  Akron  Clay  Company,  1010  East  Mar- 
ket: incorporated,  1904. 

The  Akron  Coal  Company,  26  Central  Of- 
fice Building:  incorporated,  1891;  capital, 
$100,000. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


163 


The  Akron  Cultivator  Company,  214  North 
Union;  incorporated,  1889;  capital,  $1,000,- 
000. 

The  .Vkron  Democrat  Company,  92  East 
Mill;  incorporated,  1892;  capital,  $25,000. 

Akron  Electrical  Manufacturing  Company, 
Ira  Avenue;  incorporated,  1891;  capital, 
$500,000. 

The  Akron  Excelsior  Laundry  Company, 
62  South  High;  incorporated,  1903;  capital, 
$35,000. 

The  Akron  Extract  and  Chemical  Com- 
pany, 184  South  Main:  incorporated,  1903; 
capital,  $35,000. 

The  Akron  Fertilizer  Company,  ofRce  516- 
519  Everett  Building;  incorporated,  1900; 
capital,  $25,000. 

Akron  Fire  Brick  Company,  1057  Bank; 
incorporated,  1882;  capital,  $50,000. 

The  Akron  Fireproof  Construction  Com- 
pany, 285  Park;  incorporated,  1901;  capital, 
$40,000. 

The  Akron  Foundry  Company,  526  Wash- 
ington; incorporated,  1894;  capital,  $25,000. 

The  Akron  Gas  Company,  59  Ea'it  Market; 
incorporated   (III).  1891 ;' capital,  $400,000. 

The  Akron  Germania  Company,  124  South 
Howard;  established  1869:  incorporated, 
1889;  capital,  $25,000. 

The  Akron  Glass  and  Machinery  Company, 
12  East  Market:  incorporated,  1901;  capital, 
$50,000. 

The  Akron  Grocery-  Company.  117  East 
Mill:  incorporated,  1889;  capital,  $100,000. 

The  Akron  Laundry-  Company,  77  South 
High;   incorporated,   1900;   capital,   $30,000. 

The  Akron  Machine  Company,  1069  Bank; 
incorporated,  1891:  capital,  $100,000. 

The  Akron  Manufacturing  Company.  929 
South  High:  incorporated,  1898  and  1905; 
capital.  $50,000. 

The  Akron  Odd  Fellows  Temple  Company, 
80  South  Main:  incorporated,  1895:  capital, 
$40,000. 

Akron  Oil  Companv,  Arcade  Block;  incor- 
porated  fW.  Va.),  1899:  capital,  $20,000. 

The  Akron  People'.?  Telephone  Company. 
232  Hamilton  Building:  incorporated,  1899: 
capital,  $500,000. 


The  Akron  Press  Publishing  Company,  foot 
of  Mill;  incorporated,  1900;  capital,  $10, 
000. 

The  Akron  Printing  and  Paper  Company, 
128-132  South  Howard:  incorporated,  1904; 
Ciipital,  $60,000. 

The  Akron  Provision  Company,  135  South 
Main;   incorporated,   1903;   capital,   $25,000. 
The  Akron  Pure  Milk  Company,  265  Bow- 
ery; incorporated,  1903;  capital,  $10,000. 

The  Akron  Reahy  Company,  1120  South 
Main;  incorporated.  1900;  capital,  $150,000. 

The  Akron  Roofing  Company,  10  East  Ex- 
change; incorporated,  1905;  capital,  $5,000. 

The  Akron  Roofing    Tile    Company,    754 
Brook;  incorporated,  1902;  capital,  $105,000. 
.      The     Akron     Rubber    Company,    Rubber 
Street;  incorporated,  1890;  capital,'$10,000. 

The  Akron  Rubber  Shoe  Company,  Rubber 
Street;  incorporated,  1905. 

The  Akron-Selle  Company,  455  South 
High;  incorporated,  1903;  capital,  $100,000. 

The  Akron  Sewer  Pipe  Companv,  999  East 
Market ;  established  1848 ;  cai)ital,  $300,000. 

The  Akron  Skating  Rink  Company,  268 
East  Market:  incorporated,  1905;  capital, 
$18,000. 

The  Akron  Soap  Company,  Cuyahoga 
Street  Extension:  incorporated,  1904:  capi- 
tal, $50,000. 

The  Akron  Tent  and  Awning  Company, 
163  South  Main :  incorporated,  1891 ;  capital, 
$25,000. 

The  Akron  "\^arni=h  Company,  254  South 
Main :  incorporated.  1897 ;  capital,  $250,000. 

The  Akron  Wall  Plaster  Company,  994 
and  996  EcTst  Market:  incorporated.'  1901; 
capital.  $50,000. 

The  Akron  Water  Works  Company,  comer 
Howard  and  Cherrv:  organized  1880;  capital, 
$50,000. 

The  Aladdin  Rubber  Company.  39  Arcade 
Block;  incorporated.  1905;  capital,  $100,000. 

The  Alkali  Rubber  Company,  115  Jack- 
.son ;  incorporated,  1904 :  capital,  $10,000,000. 

The  Aluminum  Flake  Company.  428  Ham- 
ilton Building:  incorporated  (Maine)  1903: 
capital,  $500,000. 

The   American   Scrap   Iron    Company,    10 


164 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


West  Buchtel  Avenue;  incorporated,  1904; 
capital,  $50,000. 

The  Angelo  Andrew  Paint  and  Vamish 
Company,  182  South  Main;  incorporated, 
1901 ;  capital,  $10,000. 

The  Arcturus  Lithia  Springs  Company, 
130  South  Main;  incorporated,  1904;  capi- 
tal, $15,000. 

The  Atlantic  Foundry  Company,  62 
Cherry;  incorporated,  1905;  capital,  $10,000. 

The  Automatic  Clutch  Company,  Ira  Ave- 
nue; incorporated,  1905;  capital,  $120,000. 

The  Baker-McMillen  Company,  17  Bow- 
ery; incorporated,  1890;  capital,  $120,000. 

The  Beacon  Journal  Company,  145  South 
Main;  established  1839;  capital,  $80,000. 

The  Biggs  Boiler  Works  Company,  1007 
Bank;  incorporated,   1900;   capital,  $75,000 

The  Brew.ster  Coal  Company,  444  South 
Main;  organized  1876;  capital,  $50,000. 

The  Braner-Goodhue-Cooke  Company,  130 
South  Main  ;  incorporated,  1897  ;  capital,  $50,- 
000. 

The  Buckeye  Chemical  Company,  Doyle 
Block;  established  1882;  incorporated,  1901. 

The  Buckeye  Loan  Company,  429  Dobson 
Building ;  incorporated,  1905 ;  capital,  $10,- 
000. 

Buckeye  Rubber  Company,  corner  Cook  and 
Third  Avenue;  incorporated,  1900;  capital, 
$200,000. 

The  Buckeye  Sewer  Pipe  Company,  887 
East  Exchange;  organized  1872;  capital, 
$150,000. 

The  Burger  Iron  Company,  42  East  South; 
incorporated,  189G;  capital,  $25,000. 

The  M.  Burkbardt  Brewing  Company,  513 
Grant;  incorporated,  1902. 

The  Burt  Manufacturing  Company,  47 
Central  Savings  &  Trust  Building;  incorpo- 
rated, 1902 ;  capital,  $50,000. 

The  L.  W.  Camp  Companv,  285  Park ;  in- 
corporated, 1902;  capital,  $20,000.    ' 

The  Central  Savings  &  Trust  Company,  90 
South  Main;  incorporated.  1904;  capital  and 
.surplus,  $200,000. 

The  Chaiuite  Cement  &  Clay  Product  Com- 
pany, 1004  Ea.st  Market;  incorporated 
(Maine),  1904;  capital,  $4,500,000. 


Colonial  Salt  Company,  Kenmore;  incor- 
porated (New  Jersey),  1901;  capital,  $350,- 
000, 

The  Colonial  Sign  &  Insulator  Company, 
corner  Grant  and  Morgan ;  incorporated, 
1904;  capital,  $50,000. 

The  Columbia  Coal  Company,  26  Central 
Office  Building;  incorporated,  1903;  capital, 
$100,000. 

The  Columbia  Insulator  Company,  1007 
Bank ;  incorporated,  1902 ;  capital,  $25,000. 

The  Commercial  Printing  Company,  46- 
52  North  Main ;  incorporated,  1899 ;  capital, 
$150,000. 

The  Crown  Drilling  Machine  Company,  67 
East  Thornton ;  incorporated,  1904 ;  capital, 
$150,000. 

The  M.  T.  Cutter  Company,  10  South 
Howard;  incorporated,  1905. 

The  Day  Drug  Company,  10  South  How- 
ard; incorporated,  1905;  capital,  $15,000. 

The  Dentist  Dental  Rubber  Company,  102 
Hamilton  Building;  incorporated,  1906;  capi- 
tal, $100,000. 

The  Diamond  Rubber  Company,  Falor 
Street;  established,  1894;  incorporated,  1901; 
capital,  $3,500,000. 

The  Dickson  Tran.sfer  Companv,  24  North 
High;  incorporated,  1892;  capital,  $100,000. 

The  Dime  Savings  Bank  Company,  corner 
Howard  and  Mill;  incorporated,  1890;  capi- 
tal, $50,000. 

The  Dobson  Building  Company,  330  Dob- 
son  Building;  incorporated,  1905. 

The  Dollar  Sa\"ings  Bank  Company,  12 
East  Market ;  incorporaited,  1903 ;  capital, 
$50,000. 

The  Enterprise  Manufacturing  Company, 
217  Ash;  established,  1881;  incorporated, 
1886;  capital,  $50,000. 

The  W.  H.  Evans  Building  and  Loan  As- 
sociation, con:ier  Howard  and  Mill ;  incorpo- 
rated, 1891:  capital,  $1,000,000, 

The  Ewing  Concrete  Machinery  Com- 
pany, 445  Ewing  Court;  incorporated,  1905; 
capital,  $10,000.' 

The  Faultless  Broom  and  JLanufacturing 
Company,  54  CheiTy;  incoi-porated,  1908; 
capital,  $5,000, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


165 


The  Faultless  Rubber  Company,  281  Bluff; 
incorporated,   1900;   capital,   $325,000. 

The  Fiebeger  Heating  Company,  corner 
Lincoln  and  Forge;  incorporated,  1904;  capi- 
tal, $50,000. 

Firestone  Tire  &  Rubber  Company,  1081 
Sweitzer  Avenue;  incorporated,  (West  Vir- 
ginia), 1900;  capital,  $500,000. 

The  First  National  Bank,  16  South  Main; 
organized,  1862;  capital,  $100,000. 

The  Flanagan  Mining  Company,  27  Ar- 
cade Block;  incorporated,  (Washington) 
1903;  capital,  $100,000. 

The  George  K.  Foltz  Company,  68  South 
Main;  incorporated,   1897;   capital,   $10,000. 

The  Frank  Laubach  &  Clemmer  Com- 
pany, 80  South  Main;  incorporated,  1892; 
capital,  $30,000. 

The  Frantz  Body  Manufacturing  Company, 
corner  Stanton  Avenue  and  Getz;  incorpo- 
rated, 1898 ;  capital,  $60,000. 

The  U.  G.  Frederick  Lumber  Company,  57 
Cherry;  incorporated,  1904;  capital,  $25,000 

The  German-American  Building  &  Loan 
Association,  148  South  Howard;  incorpo- 
rated, 1896;  capital,  $1,000,000. 

The  German  American  Company,  148 
South  Haword;  incorporated,  1900;  capital, 
$50,000. 

The  Gintz  Upholstering  Company,  14  Via- 
duct; incorporated,  1897. 

The  Globe  Sign  &  Poster  Company,  48 
East  Miller  Avenue;  incorporated,  1904;  cap- 
ital, $75,000. 

The  Glock-Korach  Company,  82  South 
Main;  incorporated,   1905;   capital,   $10,000. 

The  Goehring  Manufacturing  Company, 
65  East  Miller  Avenue;  incorporated,  (West 
Virginia)  1899. 

The  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company  Rubber 
Street;  established,  1869;  capital,"  $10,000,- 
000. 

The  Goodyear  Tire  &  Rubber  Company, 
1144  Ea.st  Market;  incorporated,  1898;  capi- 
tal, $1,000,000. 

The  Great  Western  Cereal  Company,  1124 
East  Market;  incorporated,  1901. 

The  Hall-Harter  Insurance  Agency  Com- 
pany,  102  South   Howard;   capital,  $50,000. 


The  Hamilton  Building  Company,  244 
Hamilton  Building;  incorporated,  1899;  cap- 
ital, $200,000. 

The  Hankel  Lumber  Company,  570  South 
Main;  incorporated,  1889;  capital,  $100,000. 

The  Hardware  &  Supply  Company,  50-52 
South  Main;  incorporated,  1905;  capital 
$150,000. 

The  Harper  Drug  Company,  8  East  Mar- 
ket; incorporated,  1903;  capital,  $25,000. 

The  Hill  Sewer  Pipe  Company,  999  East 
Market;  organized,  1873;  capital,  $150,000. 

The  Home  Building  &  Loan  Association, 
102  South  Howard;  incorporated,  1891;  capi- 
tal, $10,000,000. 

The  Hoover  &  Sell  Company,  16  East 
Market;  incorporated,  1905;  capital,  $25,000. 

The  Hower  Building  Company,  corner 
Market  and  Canal ;  incorporated,  1905 ;  capi- 
tal, $1,000,000. 

The  Kasch  Roofing  Companv,  188  South 
Main;   incorporated,    i896;   capital,   $10,000. 

The  Keller  Brick  Company,  Cuvahoga 
Falls  Road;  incorporated,  1900;  capital 
$25,000.  ' 

The  Kile  Manufacturing  Company,  1136 
Sweitzer  Avenue;  incorporated,  1903. 

The  Kirk  Company,  25-27  South  Howard ; 
mcorporated,  1902;  capital,  $50,000. 

The  Klagfts  Coal  &  Ice  Company,  165  Ea^^t 
Mill;  established,  1879;  incorporated,  1888- 
capital,  $100,000. 

The  Kraus-Kirn  Company,  117  South 
Main;  incorporated,   1903;  capital,   $25,000. 

The  C.  J.  Lang  Clothing  Company,  18 
East  Market;  incorporated,  1905;  capital 
$10,000. 

The  Limbert-Smith  Plumbing  Company, 
40  East  Mill;  incorporated,  1904;  capital 
$10,000. 

The  Lodi  Oil  &  Refining  Company,  474 
Washington;  incorporated,  (West  Virginia) 
1902;  capital,  $350,000. 

The  Long  &  Taylor  Company,  corner  Main 
and  Howard;  incorporated,  1903;  capital, 
$10,000. 

The  Long  &  Taylor  Candy  Company,  22 
South  Main;  incorporated.  1902;  capital 
$50,000. 


166 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


The  Loomis-Moss  Coal  Company,  2(j  Cen- 
tral Office  Building ;  incorporated,  1898 ;  capi- 
tal, $100,000. 

The  LjMiian  Lumber  Company,  440  South 
Main;  incorporated,   1897;   capital,   $10,000. 

The  Mclntosh-Baum  Company,  148  South 
Howard;  incorporated,  1900;  capital,  $10,000 

The  McNeil  Boiler  Company,  96  East  Cro- 
sier; incorporated,  (West  Virginia)  1902; 
capital,  $250,000. 

The  Magnolia  Coal  Company,  444  South 
Main;  incorporated,   1899;   capital,   $60,000. 

The  Miller  Rubber  Company,  corner  Hia:h 
and  Stanton  Avenues;  incorporated,  1904; 
capital,  $25,000. 

The  Miller  Rubber  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, corner  High  and  Stanton  Avenues;  in- 
corporated, 1898 ;  capital,  $50,000. 

Motz  Clincher  Tire  and  Rubber  Company, 
Everett  Building,  incorporated,  1905;  capi- 
tal, $50,000. 

The  I.  S.  Myers  Company,  24  South 
Main;   incorporated,   1904;   capital,  $55,000. 

The  M.  &  M.  Manufacturing  Company, 
502  South  Main;  incorporated,  1905;  capital, 
$12,000. 

The  National  Blank  Book  and  Supply 
Companv,  132  South  Howard;  incorporated, 
1904;  capital,  $12,000. 

The  National  City  Bank,  8  South  Howard; 
incorporated,   1903;  capital,   $100,000. 

The  National  Coal  Company,  612  Hamil- 
ton Building;  incorporated,  1892;  capital, 
$300,000. 

The  National  Water  Wheel  Governor  Com- 
pany, 303  Everett  Building;  incorporated, 
1904;  capital,  $10,000. 

Niagara  Fire  Extinguisher  Company,  430- 
438  Hamilton  Building. 

The  Northern  Ohio  Traction  and  Light 
Companv,  206  Hamilton  Building;  incorpo- 
rated, 1899;  capital,  $7,500,000. 

The  Ohio  Stoneware  Company,  227  Foun- 
tain; organized,  1881;  capital,  $50,000. 

The  M.  O'Neil  &  Company,  38-48  South 
Main;  established,  1877;  incorporated,  1892; 
capital,  $200,000. 

The  Ornamental  Iron  Work  Cornpany,  80 


Ea.'St     South;     incorporated,     1906;     capital, 
$10,000. 

The  Peerle&s  Stamp  &  Stencil  Company, 
corner  Howard  and  Market;  incorporated, 
1906;  capital,  $10,000. 

The  People  Publishing  Company,  37 
South  Main;  incorporated,  1903;  capital, 
$5,000. 

The  People's  Savings  Bank,  337  South 
Main;  incorporated,  1890;  capital,  $100,000. 

The  Permanent  Savings  and  Loan  Com- 
panv, 124  South  Main;  incorporated,  1894; 
capital,  $300,000. 

The  Thomas  Phillips  Company,  23  West 
Exchange;  incorporated,  1887;  capital,  $300,- 
000. 

The  Pouchot-Hunsicker  Company,  200 
South  Main ;  incorporated,  1903 :  capital, 
$30,000. 

The  Prudential  Heating  Company,  526 
Washington ;  incorporated,  1904. 

Realty  Development  Company,  392  Albert 
Place;   incorporated,   1903;  capital,   $20,000. 

The  Renner  &  Deibel  Oil  &  Gas  Company, 
275  North  Forge ;  incorporated,  1904 ;  capi- 
tal, $20,000. 

The  Geo.  J.  Renner  Brewing  Company, 
275  North  Forge ;  incorporated,  1900 ;  capital, 
$60,000. 

The  G.  J.  Renner  Property  Company,  275 
North  Forge;  incorporated.  1904;  capital, 
$20,000. 

The  Robinson  Clay  Product  Company, 
1010  East  Market:  established,  1856;  incor- 
porated,  (Maine)    1902;  capital,  $2,000,000. 

The  Safety  Gas  Burner  Company,  rear  103 
Kent;   incorporated,    1904;   capital,   $10,000. 

The  S.  &  0.  Engraving  Company,  330 
South  High ;  incorporated.  1903 ;  capital, 
$25,000. 

The  Second  National  Bank,  35  East  Mar- 
ket; organized,  1863;  capital,  $350,000. 

The  Security  Savings  Bank  Company,  328 
South  Main ;  incorporated,  1901 ;  capital, 
$50,000. 

The  South  Akron  Banlcing  Company,  1092 
South  Main;  incorporated,  1906;  capital, 
$50,000. 

The    Standard    Rubber    Company,    1144 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


167 


East  Market;  incorporated,  1901;  capital, 
$50,000. 

The  Star  Drilling  Machine  Company,  474 
Washington ;  incorporated,  1889 ;  capital, 
$200,000. 

The  Star  Mop  Wringer  Company,  930 
South  Ho^vard;  incorporated.  1906;  capital. 
$10,000. 

The  Star  Planing  Mill  Company,  55 
Cherry;  incorporated,  1903;  capital,  $25,000. 

Stein  Double  Cushion  Tire  Company,  cor- 
ner River  and  Second  Avenues;  incorporated, 
1905;  capital.  $100,000. 

The  Summit  China  Company,  1037  Bank ; 
incorporated,  1879;  capital,  $100,000. 

The  Summit  Lumber  &  Building  Corn- 
pan  v,  44  West  State;  incorporated,  1897;  cap- 
ital, $15,000. 

The  Summit  Sewer  Pipe  Company,  887 
East  Exchange;  incorporated,  1889;  capital, 
$150,000. 

The  Summit  Real  Estate  Company,  148 
South  Howard;  incorporated,  1903;  capital, 
$24,000. 

The  Sumner  Company,  23  East  Exchange; 
incorporated,  1903;  capital,  $10,000. 

The  S\\-inehart  Clincher  Tire  &  Rubber 
Company,  218  North  Howard;  incorporated, 
1904;  capital,  $200,000. 

Tanner  &  Company.  10  East  Market;  in- 
corporated, 1903 ;  capital,  $20,000. 

Taplin,  Rice  &  Company,  177  South 
Broadway ;  organized  1866 ;  capital,  $150,000. 

The  XXth  Century  Heating  &  Ventilating 


Company,  192  South  Main;  incorporated, 
1901 ;  capital,  $100,000. 

The  Tyler  Company,  990  Ea.st  Market;  in- 
corporated, 1904;  capital,  $50,000. 

The  U.  S.  Stoneware  Company,  Annadale 
Street;  incorporated,  1885;  capital,  $25,000. 

The  Union  Printing  Ink  Company,  38 
Wesit  State;  incorporated,  1901;  capital,  $10,- 
000. 

The  Union  Rubber  Company,  123  South 
Howard;  incorporated,  1901. 

The  Unique  Theater  Company,  115  South 
Main;   incorporated,   1905;   capital,   $10,000. 

The  Upham-Brouse  Company,  comer  Mar- 
ket and  Main;  incorporated,  1896;  capital, 
$100,000. 

The  Werner  Company,  109  North  Union; 
incorporated.  1903;  capital,  $1,300,000. 

The  West  Hill  Land  Company,  236  Ham- 
ilton Building:  incorporated.  1902;  capital, 
$75,000. 

The  Whitman  &  Barnes  Manufacturing 
Companv,  114  East  Buchtel  Avenue;  organ- 
ized 1864;  capital,   $2,372,500. 

The  Williams  Electric  Machine  Company, 
corner  Grant  and  Morgan ;  incorporated, 
1904 ;  capital,  $100,000. 

The  Williams  Foundry  and  Machine  Com- 
pany, 56  Cherrv;  established,  1885;  incorpo- 
rated, 1901 ;  capital,  $50,000. 

The  Windsor  Brick  Company.  1011  Grant; 
incorporated,  1904;  capital,  $40,000. 

The  AA'ise  Furnace  Company,  508  Hamil- 
ton Building:  incorporated,  1904;  capital, 
$50,000. 


CHAPTER  X 


BANKS  AND  BANKING 


History  of  the  Banks  of  Sii^mmii  County — Banks  Inadequate — Akron's  Financial  Reputa- 
tion  Akron  a  Large  Borrower — Panic  of  1904 — Clearing  House  Statement — Fu- 
ture Prosperity  Certain. 


BY   JOS.    S.   BENNEB. 


In  1845,  when  Akron  -was  a  town  of  prob- 
ably 1,500  inhabitants,  the  Bank  of  Akron,  a 
branch  of  the  Ohio  Safety  Fund  system,  was 
organized  with  a  capital  of  $50,000.  This 
was  Akron's  pioneer  bank  and  proved  a  very 
great  convenience  to  the  business  men  of  the 
surrounding  community.  It  survived  until 
1857,  when  it  went  into  liquidation,  having 
become  involved  in  the  financial  embarrass- 
ments of  the  Akron  Branch  Railroad. 

In  1855  George  D.  Bates,  with  Gen.  Philo 
Chamberlain  as  a  silent  partner,  opened  a 
private  bank  on  the  west  side  of  Howard 
Street  near  the  present  site  of  B.  L.  Dodge's 
furniture  store,  afterwards  purchasing  the  old 
Bank  of  Akron's  stand  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street,  and  where  under  the  name  of  Bates 
&  Co.  the  bu.siiness  was  continued  until  1863, 
when  it  was  merged  into  the  Second  National 
Bank. 

In  1863  the  First  National  Bank,  with  a 
capital  of  $100,000,  was  organized  with  T. 
W.  Cornell  as  president,  M.  W.  Henry,  vice 
president,   and   W.   H.   Huntington,  cashier. 

In  1867  the  City  Bank,  a  private  institu- 
tion owned  by  J.  B.  Woods,  Milton  Moore 
and  Sylvester  H.  Thompson,  was  started,  and 


this  was  organized  in  1883  into  the  City  Na- 
tional Bank. 

In  1870  the  Bank  of  Akron,  with  George 
T.  Perkins  as  president,  Alden  Gage  as  cash- 
ier, was  started,  which  in  1888  was  merged 
with  the  Second  National  Bank,  taking  that 
name,  with  a  capital  of  $275,000,  and  a  sur- 
plus of  $22,000,  and  using  the  rooms  of  the 
Bank  of  Akron  in  the  Academy  of  Music 
building,  its  present  site. 

In  1872  the  Citizens'  Savings  and  Loan  As- 
sociation was  organized,  which  in  the  panic  of 
1893  had  to  close  its  doors,  but  which  was 
soon  after  reorganized  into  the  Citizens'  Na- 
tional Bank,  which  continued  until  1903, 
when  it  was  merged  with  the  Second  National 
Bank. 

In  1888  the  Akron  Savings  Bank  was 
started;  in  1890  the  People's  Savings  Bank 
Company;  in  1897  the  Central  Savings  Bank 
Company;  in  1900  the  Akron  Trust  Com- 
pany, and  the  Guardian  Savings  Bank  Com- 
pany ;  in  1901  the  Dime  Savings  Bank  Com- 
pany, and  the  Security  Savings  Bank  Com- 
pany, and  in  1902  the  Dollar  Savings  Bank 
Company. 

January  1,  1905,  the  Central  Savings  and 
Trust  Company  started  business,  it  being  a 
consolidation  of  the  Akron  Trust  Company 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


169 


and  the  Central  Savings  Bank  Company, 
which  latter  bank  had  some  months  before  ac- 
quired the  business  of  the  Guardian  Savings 
Bank  Company,  which  went  into  liquidation. 
The  new  bank  purchased  the  building  of  the 
Akron  Savings  Bank,  which  failed  in  April, 
1904,  and  refitted  and  remodeled  it  into  its 
present  shape. 

In  1905  was  started  the  South  Akron  Bank-  ' 
ing  Company  and  in  1907  the  Depositors' 
Savings  Bank  Company,  the  former  locating 
in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Akron,  near 
the  street  car  barns,  and  the  latter  purchasing 
the  building  and  fixtures  of  the  Security  Sav- 
ings Bank  Company,  which  in  April,  1907, 
was  merged  with  the  People's  Savings  Bank 
Company,  across  the  street. 

In  1903  Akron  boasted  of  twelve  banks, 
vfiih  capitals  of  $1,22.5,000  and  depasits  of 
$7,300,000.  Now,  through  two  consolidations, 
two  absorption  and  one  failure,  there  are 
but  nine,  with  a  total  capitalization  of  $950.- 
000,  and  total  deposits  of  $8,200,000,  a  reduc- 
tion of  capital  of  $275,000,  with  an  increase  of 
nearly  $1,000,000  in  deposits. 

Despite  the  sensitive  feeling  still  rankling 
in  the  minds  of  many,  Akron  people  really 
have  cause  to  be  proud  of  the  record  of  her 
banks.  In  the  sixty  years  of  her  banking 
history  there  has  been  but  one  failure,  and 
that  wholly  through  mismanagement. 

We  have  read  from  time  to  time  of  bank 
embezzlements,  of  defalcations  and  rascali- 
ties of  officers,  but  Akron  has  had  none  of 
that  and  can  say  that  the  men  who  have  been 
entrusted  with  the  care  of  the  wealth  and 
sa\angs  of  her  people  are,  and  have  been  at 
all  times,  faithful  and  honest.  The  mistakes 
that  have  been  made  were  made  through  lack 
of  good  judgment  and  incapacity  only.  It  is 
indeed  a  remarkable  fact,  taking  into  con- 
sideration the  length  of  time — over  half  a 
century — the  wea.kne.ss  and  culpability  of 
man.  and  the  numerous  panics  through  which 
they  have  pa.s,sed.  that  the  experience  which 
we  in  1904  went  through  is  the  sole  and  only 
one  to  which  hisrtory  can  point. 


BANKS   IXADEQUATE. 

Akron's  banks,  however,  with  all  their  $9,- 
000,000  and  more  of  resources,  are  far  from 
capable  of  taking  care  of  the  financial  needs 
of  its  manufacturing  and  mercantile  indus- 
tries. In  fact  we  would  warrant  the  assertion 
that  80  per  cent  of  the  money  required  by  the 
large  concerns  of  Akron  is  furnished  by  out- 
side banks. 

To  the  stranger  to  our  local  conditions  and 
to  the  unthinking,  such  a  statement  seems  ab- 
surd, but  it  is  true,  we  believe.  A  simple  ex- 
planation of  this  is  as  follows : 

The  largest  amount  that  any  Akron  bank 
can  legally  loan  to  any  one  concern  is  10  per 
cent  of  its  capital  stock,  which  means  the 
Second  National  Bank  can  loan  $35,000.  the 
Firet  National  Bank,  $20,000;  the  National 
City  and  the  Central  Savings  and  Trust  Com- 
pany, $10,000,  and  the  others  only  $5,000. 
This  being  the  case  and  very  few  of  these 
concerns  doing  business  at  more  than  one 
bank  in  the  city,  they  are  compelled  by  ne- 
cessity to  go  outside,  especially  when  at  cer- 
tain periods  of  the  vear  some  of  them  borrow 
individually  from  $100,000  to  $1,000,000. 

This  very  apparent  disproportion  of  the 
banking  capital  of  Akron  to  the  amount  of 
business  transacted  through  these  same  banks 
is  well  illustrated  by  the  totals  of  its  bank 
clearings  as  compared  vnth  those  of  Youngs- 
town.  Canton  and  Springfield,  its  sister  cities, 
and  their  relative  banking  capitals. 

Clearings  for 

year  ending 

Capital        Re-  July  1, 

Stock.  sources.  1907 

Akron     $    950,000     $9,800,000     |34,700,000 

Youngstown     3,250,000     20,270,000       34,491,000 

Canton     1.055,000     12,287,500       27,386,000 

Springfield    1,100,000       7,523,500       22,400,000 

As  is  shown,  Akron,  with  only  $950,000 
banking  capital,  does  business  of  $34,700,000, 
a  larger  volume  than  Youngstown.  with  $3,- 
250.000  capital,  and  more  than  twice  her  re- 
sources and  wealth:  while  Canton,  with  lar- 
ger capital,  and  25  per  cent  more  of  resources, 
does  only  $27,386,000,  or  25  per  cent  less  in 
actual  volume  of  business. 


170 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


This  unusual  condition  existing  in  a  city 
the  size  of  Akron  is  partly  accounted  for  by 
the  extraordinary  growth  and  success  of  the 
larger  industries  that  have  grown  up  in  our 
midst,  far  surpassing  our  native  wealth  and 
consequently  our  banking  resources,  and  they 
have  necessarily  been  forced  by  such  condi- 
tions to  seek  financial  aid  in  the  large  money 
centers. 

Akron's  financial  reputation. 

These  same  concerns  and  their  necessitias 
have  indeed  made  Akron  very  prominent  in 
financial  circles.  Go  to  New  York,  Chicago, 
Philadelphia,  Boston,  St.  Louis,  Detroit  and 
inquire  at  the  banks  about  Akron,  what  na- 
ture of  a  place  it  is  and  what  is  its  reputa- 
tion. They  will  immediately  reply  that  they 
do  a  great  deal  of  business  with  Akron  con- 
cerns, that  it  is  a  very  enterprising,  hustling, 
manufacturing  city,  and  they  will  surprise 
you  with  the  fund  of  accurate  information 
they  possess  about  it  and  many  of  its  con- 
cerns. 

Akron  today  stands  financially  relatively 
stronger  than  it  ever  stood  in  its  history. 
While  its  growth,  which  has  averaged  over  60 
per  cent  each  decade,  has,  as  has  been  said, 
outstripped  its  financial  re^ourcas,  still  it  has 
prospered,  and  that  is  the  main  thing. 

But  these  same  New  York,  Chicago  and 
other  bankers,  while  praising  Akron  and  its 
concerns  now,  do  it  with  a  more  or  less  re- 
luctant grace,  for  not  a  few  of  them  have  had 
experiences  which  still  rankle  in  their  mem- 
ories. 

AKRON    A    LARGE    BORROWER. 

For  the  reasons  explained,  Akron  has  been 
a  large  borrower.  But  during  the  period  of 
1900  to  1903,  when  the  boom  was  on  and 
business  of  all  kinds  was  at  its  height,  Akron 
was  no  whit  behind  in  its  quota  of  promo- 
tions; new  enterprises  were  started  by  the 
dozens;  where  one  line  of  trade  proved  a  suc- 
cess there  was  always  plenty  of  over-zealous 
promoters  to  form  new  companies  that  were 
sure  to  make  equal  profits.     The  result  was  a 


number  of  mushroom  concerns  sprang  up 
and  began  doing  business,  largely  on  bor- 
rowed capital.  The  local  conditions  with  their 
lack  of  funds,  excepting  for  established  cred- 
its, were  more  or  less  of  a  handicap,  however, 
but  they  "were  not  to  be  stopped.  Times  were 
too  good  and  money  too  plentiful  elsewhere. 
Everyone,  even  the  banks,  had  the  fever  for 
speculative  explorations  and  the  fences  of 
conservatism  were  down. 

Such  conditions  soon  provided  opportuni- 
ties for  a  number  of  persons  who  made  it 
their  basiness  to  furnish  corporations  having 
insufficient  working  capital  or  weakened  cred- 
its with  funds  for  their  needs.  For  this  they 
charged  a  commission  varying  with  the  finan- 
cial necessities  of  each  individual  concern; 
the  one  that  needed  it  the  worst  was  compelled 
to  pay  the  highest  commission. 

Banks  in  surrounding  country  communi- 
ties were  flush  with  money  and  with  no  local 
opportunities  to  lend  it,  and  they  welcomed 
gladly  anything  that  looked  like  a  good  loan. 

These  Akron  brokers,  by  assiduous  writing 
and  many  rosy  representations  of  the  worth 
of  the  various  concerns  they  were  endeavoring 
to  help,  were  thus  able,  spurred  on  by  the 
large  commissions  in  sight,  for  a  number  of 
years  to  bolster  up  their  weak-kneed  cus- 
tomers. 

But  the  day  of  reckoning  arrived,  as  it  must 
arrive  for  all  such. 

PANIC  OF  1904. 

When  the  financial  depression  of  1904 
struck  us  and  conservatism  became  the  rule, 
these  countrv'  banks  began  to  ask  and  then 
demand  their  money.  The  result  was  the 
failure  of  all  those  who  couldn't  provide  the 
capital  which  should  have  been  put  in  when 
first  needed,  numbering  among  these  unfor- 
tunately several  old  established  concerns  that 
had  long  been  considered  responsible,  but  who 
had  gradually  been  dropping  behind  in  the 
race  with  their  younger  and  more  ag.gressive 
competitors.  Likewise  it  caused  the  putting 
out  of  business  of  all  the  money  brokers. 

The  harm  accomplished  was  not  the  fail- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


171 


lire  of  these  concerns,  nor  yet  in  the  loss  of 
their  business  to  Akron,  but  in  the  fact  that 
their  failures  caused  a  large  financial  loss  to 
many  of  those  outside  banks  located  all  over 
the  country,  and  who  had  for  years  been  loan- 
ing to  Akron  concerns.  These  losses,  all  com- 
ing within  a  few  months,  so  shook  their  con- 
fidence in  Akron  and  Akron  concerns  that  for 
two  years  afterward  a  borrower  from  Akron, 
no  matter  what  his  standing,  was  and  even 
is  now,  regarded  with  suspicion  and  distrust 
by  outside  city  and  county  banks. 

As  was  said  these  memories  still  rankle  with 
them,  but  we  are  glad  to  state  the  unprece- 
dented success  of  a  number  of  our  present 
concerns  has  helped  very  materially  to  re- 
deem Akron's  reputation  and  to  restore  it  to 
its  old  position. 

No<w,  in  1907,  there  are  probably  not  more 
than  two  concerns  in  the  city  who  are  not 
able  to  stand  solidly  on  their  own  financial 
basis,  and  these  two  are  not  in  a  position 
where  they  are  dependent  on  brokers.  They 
require  a  reorganization  with  larger  capital, 
and  this  will  probably  be  provided.  Many 
local  industries  report  the  largest  and  most 
pro.^erous  year  of  their  existence,  some  stat- 
ing that  the  volume  of  business  is  25  to  75 
per  cent  greater  than  any  previous  year.  To 
these  the  outlook  is  bright,  despite  the  pessi- 
mistic views  of  many.  But  the  coaservatives, 
■which  means  every  succ&ssful  banker  and  fi- 
naaicier,  regard  the  trend  of  business,  which 
has  shown  unmistakable  signs  of  reaction  the 
past  six  months,  as  the  best  remedy  that  could 
possibly  be  given  for  an  over^ervous  and  too 
prosperous  condition.  As  in  1892  and  in 
1903  prosperity  has  about  reached  the  realms 
of  fantastic  earnings  and  values,  and  it  be- 
hooves the  careful  man  to  husband  all  his  re- 
sources, to  prepare  for  a  period  when  he  may 
not  do  much  more  than  half  the  business  of 
this  year,  which  means  a  great  deal  less  profit 
and  perhaps  a  loss. 

If  such  a  period  comes  he  is  watching  for 
it  and  is  ready;  if  it  does  not  come,  then  he 
is  in  just  that  much  better  shape  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  next  year's  opportunities. 


CLEARING     HOUSE    STATEMENT. 

In  the  following  statement  of  the  clearings 
of  Akron,  since  the  organization  of  the  clear- 
ing house,  can  be  seen  the  effect  of  a  panic  or 
financial  depression : 

March  1  to  December  31,  1892,  $11,056,- 
000;  for  the  vear  1893,  $9,896,000;  1904,  $9,- 
717,000;  1895,  $13,779,000;  1896,  $13,074,- 
000;  1897,  $3,274,000;  1898,  $16,260,000; 
1899,  $20,368,000;  1900,  $23,794,000;  1901, 
$28,059,000:  1902,  $34,578,000;  1903,  $37,- 
310,000;  1904,  $29,357,000;  1905,  $27,630,- 
000;  1906,  $30,615,000;  January  1  to  July  1, 
1907,  $18,094,000;  Januar\'  1  to  Julv  1,  1906, 
$14,008,000. 

It  appears  that  the  clearing  house  started 
its  records  March  1,  1892,  so  that  in  the  year 
1892  only  ten  months'  business  is  recorded. 
This  amounted  to  over  $11,000,000.  But  next 
year  when  the  panic  struck  the  country,  and 
in  1894  business  decreased — -figuring  the  year 
1892  as  a  possible  $13,250,000— at^least  $3,- 
300,000,  nearly  25  per  cent. 

'During  the  years  1895-6-7  business  re- 
mained apparently  at  a  standstill,  with  $13,- 
000,000  each  year,  but  in  1898  it  picked  up 
and  gained  steadily  until  1903,  reaching  a 
maximum  of  $37,000,000.  a  gain  of  nearly  30 
per  cent  in  six  years,  which  is  surely  a  great 
record. 

But  again  in  1904  came  a  financial  depres- 
i-iion  which  lasted  two  years,  then  a  large  gain 
in  1906,  with  a  .still  larger  one  in  1907,  the 
first  six  months  of  1907  showing  $18,000,000, 
against  $14,000,000  in  the  same  period  of 
1906. 

The  clearing  house  reports  show  the  actual 
amount  of  bu.sine.s.s  as  represented  by  the 
checks  of  the  customers  of  the  various  banks 
that  pass  through  the  clearing  hoase.  It 
does  not  represent  the  total  amount  of  busi- 
ness done  through  the  banks,  as  each  does  a 
large  amount  in  currency  over  its  own  coun- 
tei^,  but  it  serves  as  a  record  which  show.? 
substantially  and  as  near  as  can  be  obtained, 
the  total  amount  of  business  transacted  for 
purposes  of  comparison  year  by  year  or  with 
other  cities,  and  answers  every  purpose. 


172 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


PROSPERITY    CERTAIN. 

Akron's  prosperity  is  certain  now.  Slack 
times  may  come  and  even  a  panic,  but  her 
concerns  and  her  banks  have  demonstrated 
their  ability  to  stand  the  test  and  will  live 
through  them  and  com©  out  stronger  than 
ever. 

While  working  out  this  prosperity,  however, 
Akron's  business  men  of  the  last  generation 
have  developed  a  peculiarity  which  it  behooves 
some  of  us  to  sit  down  and  think  over.  In 
the  huiry-skurry  of  an  aggressive,  competi- 
tive business  life,  in  the  fight  for  the  profits 
that  at  first  came  so  slowly,  but  later  came 
pouring  into  their  laps  they  became  so  en- 
grossed in  the  game  that  they  forgot,  or  grew 
to  care  nothing  for  all  other  interests  but  their 
own.  While,  as  before  said,  in  benefiting 
themselvas  they  more  or  less  helped  to  bene- 
fit their  city,  still  what  the  city  got  was  really 
nothing  compared  to  the  real  results  that 
might  have  been  obtained  had  they  given 
but  a  small  part  of  their  thoughts  and  ener- 
gies to  helping  the  growth  and  prosperity  of 
Akron. 

When  approached  to  take  a  part  in  some 
public  enterprise  or  matter  important  to  the 
city,  the  excuse  was  always:  "We  are  too 
busy;  cannot  get  away.  What  is  our  city 
council  and  board  of  ptiblic  service  for?  Let 
them  look  after  such  matters,"  etc. 


By  all  this  is  meant,  Akron  has  been  woe- 
fully lacking  in  public-spirited  men — busi- 
ness men,  successful  bankers  and  manufac- 
turers who  would  take  enough  time  and  in- 
terest away  from  their  own  aff'airs  to  give  to 
the  welfare  of  their  city. 

The  result  Ls  we  have  no  chamber  of  com- 
merce nor  any  kind  of  an  association  of  busi- 
ness men,  such  as  all  progressive  cities  main- 
tain, to  look  after  the  financial  and  industrial 
interests  of  the  community.  Such  matters  for 
years  have  been  left  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves ;  what  comes  our  way,  all  well  and  good, 
if  we  get  nothing  or  just  miss  something  fine 
that  we  might  have  secured  by  a  little  per- 
sonal effort,  it  does  not  matter  much — no  one 
seems  to  care. 

Another  thing  Akron  is  lacking  in  is  in- 
di\'idual  wealth.  We  have  very  few  million- 
aires. What  wealth  w^e  can  boast  of  is  owned 
by  our  rich  corporations.  But  these  same  cor- 
porations are  fast  making  wealth  for  their 
stockholders,  and  there  is  growing  up  among 
us  a  number  of  young,  aggressive,  prosperous 
business  men  who  are  the  main  guiding  hands 
of  these  concerns  and  who  in  a  very  few  years 
will  be  millionaires.  Let  us  hope  when  they 
do  come  into  their  wealth  they  will  use  it, 
not  as  their  forefathers  before  them  have 
done,  selfishly  and  fooli-shly,  but  in  a  wise, 
public-spirited  way,  which  is  the  way  of  the 
truly  rich  and  truly  great. 


CHAPTER    XI 


THE  PUBLIC  SCHpOLS 


BY    DR.    SAMUEL    FINDLEY. 


Schools  for  the  children  has  always  been  a 
matter  of  prime  concern  to  the  American  peo- 
ple. Before  state  government  was  formed  in 
the  territory  of  which  the  preisent  State  of 
Ohio  was  a  part,  the  Continental  Congress 
provided,  in  the  organic  law  for  the  govern- 
ment of  this  ten-itory,  that  "Schools  and  the 
means  of  education  shall  forever  be  encour- 
aged." The  constitution  formed  in  1802, 
under  which  Ohio  was  admitted  to  the  Union 
in  1803,  contains  the  following  provisions: 
"Religion,  morality  and  knowledge,  being  es- 
sentially necessary  to  good  government  and 
the  happiness  of  mankind,  schools  and  the 
means  of  education  shall  forever  be  encour- 
aged by  legislative  provision  not  inconsistent 
with  the  rights  of  conscience.  ...  No 
law  shall  be  pa.ssed  to  prevent  the  poor  in  the 
several  counties  and  townships  within  this 
State  from  an  equal  participation  in  the 
schools,  academies,  colleges  and  universities 
within  this  State,  which  are  endowed  in  whole 
or  in  part  from  the  revenue  arising  from  do- 
nations made  by  the  United  States  for  the 
support  of  schools  and  colleges :  and  the  doors 
of  said  schools,  academies  and  universities 
shall  be  opened  for  the  reception  of  scholars, 
students  and  teachers  of  every  grade,  without 
any  distinction  or  preference  whatever,  con- 
trary to  the  intent  for  which  said  donations 
were  made." 

In  1851.  a  new  constitution  was  adopted, 
superseding  that  of  1802.  In  this,  the  main 
featiires  of  the  first  constitution  on  the  sub- 
ject of  education  are  reaffirmed,  with  the  ad- 
dition of  this  explicit  statement : 

"The  General   Assemblv   shall  make  such 


provisions,  by  taxation  or  otherwise,  as,  with 
the  income  arising  from  the  school  trust  fund, 
will  secure  a  thorough  and  efficient  system  of 
common  schools  throughout  the  State ;  but  no 
religious  or  other  sect  or  sects  shall  ever  have 
any  exclusive  right  to,  or  control  of,  any  part 
of  the  school  funds  of  the  State." 

Thus  in  half  a  century  there  seems  to  have 
been  an  advance  from  encouragement  of 
schools  to  a  distinct  demand  for  a  thorough 
and  efficient  system  of  schools  throughout  the 
State. 

In  the  early  survey  and  disposition  of  Ohio 
lands,  liberal  reservations  were  made  for  the 
support  of  common  schools;  and  it  has  been 
thought  that  the  tardiness  of  the  legislature 
in  caiTving  out  the  requirements  of  the  con- 
stitution regarding  education  was  in  large 
measure  due  to  the  prevalent  expectation  that 
the  revenue  arising  from  the  lands  donated 
by  Congress  would  be  adequate  for  the  main- 
tenance of  free  schools.  Legislative  action  in 
the  earlier  years  of  the  State's  history  was 
confined  mainly  to  the  passage  of  acts  pro- 
viding for  the  leasing  of  the  school  lands, 
and  the  incorporation  of  seminaries  and  other 
private  institutions  of  learning.  No  action 
was  had  looking  in  the  direction  of  the  es- 
tabli.shment  of  a  system  of  free  schools  by 
means  of  State  or  local  taxation.  It  soon 
became  apparent,  however,  that,  in  existing 
conditions,  wild  lands  could  not  be  made  to 
produce  large  revenue.  The  trea.sury  of  a 
school  district  sometimes  contained  not  more 
than  ten  dollars  for  the  support  of  a  school 
for  an  entire  year. 

These  conditions  compelled  a  resort  to  pri- 


174 


HISTOfiY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


vate  enterprise  and  private  means  in  order 
that  the  pioneer  j'outh  of  the  State  might 
enjoy  the  simplest  rudiments  of  a  common 
school  education.  Almost  every  community 
had  its  select  school  or  private  academy.  And 
it  is  worthy  of  note  that  there  was  a  differ- 
ence between  these  pioneer  schools  in  north- 
eastern Ohio  and  those  in  the  southwestern 
paii,  of  the  State.  The  latter  section  was  set- 
tled by  people  from  Virginia,  Kentucky  and 
the  Carolinas,  whose  appreciation  of  educa- 
tional privileges  was  far  below  that  of  the 
settlers  of  the  Western  Reserve,  who  were 
from  the  New  England  states,  where  common 
schools  were  at  that  time  far  in  advance  of 
those  in  any  other  part  of  the  country.  One 
historian  says  that  educational  sentiment  in 
the  southern  section  was  at  a  low  ebb.  The 
few  schools  that  were  established  were  taught 
by  cripples,  worn  out  old  men  and  women, 
physically  unable  or  constitutionally  too  lazy 
to  scotch  hemp  or  spin  flax :  while  on  the 
Western  Reserve  at  an  early  day  schools  were 
in  a  thriving  condition.  Many  of  the  pioneers 
of  this  section  were  men  of  liberal  culture  in 
the  best  schools  and  colleges,  and  the  status 
of  the  teacher  was  on  an  equal  footing  with 
that  of  the  physician  and  the  minister. 

The  first  general  school  law  for  Ohio  was 
enacted  by  the  legislature  in  1S21.  This  was 
revised  and  improved  in  1825.  It  provided 
for  the  division  of  every  township  into  school 
districts,  and  for  the  levying  of  taxes  to  build 
school-houses  and  maintain   schools. 

Taxation  for  the  support  of  common 
schools  met  with  determined  opposition  from 
the  outset.  The  man  whose  ample  means 
enabled  him  to  pay  for  the  education  of  his 
own  children,  saw  no  justice  in  his  being 
compelled  to  assist  in  providing  for  the  edu- 
cation of  his  neighbors'  children.  Hence  it 
was  that  for  many  years  legislative  enact- 
ments providing  school  funds  by  taxation 
were  hedged  about  with  .«uch  restrictions  and 
limitations  as  to  make  the  funds  so  provided 
wholly  inadequate.  It  was  not  until  after  the 
adoption  of  the  general  law  of  lcS,5.'^  thfit  tui- 
tion in  all  the  common  school*  of  the  State 
was  altogether  free.    Prior  to  that  time,  it  was 


the  connnon  practice  to  pay  the  teacher  a 
stipulated  sum  from  the  public  fund  of  the 
district  and  authorize  him  to  collect  from  the 
parents  of  his  pupils  one  or  two  dollars  per 
pupil  for  a  term  of  three  months. 

In  1835,  Portage  Township  contained  seven 
school  districts  and  seven  schools,  including 
two  in  the  village  of  Akron,  the  public  schools 
of  the  village  being  then  under  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  township  and  being  conducted  in 
all  respects  like  country  schools.  Mr.  S.  A. 
Lane,  in  his  history  of  Akron  and  Summit 
County,  tells  of  teaching  one  of  these  schools 
in  the  winter  of  1835-6.  He  received  $11 
a  month  and  "boarded  around."  Less  than 
half  the  salary  was  paid  from  the  public 
money  of  the  district,  the  balance  being  raised 
by  an  assessment  pro  rata  on  those  attending 
the  school. 

In  the  decade  following,  there  was  consid- 
erable increa.se  of  school  youth  in  the  village, 
new  buildings  of  moderate  pretensions  were 
erected,  and  additional  teachers  were  em- 
ployed ;  but  the  attendance  at  the  public 
schools  fell  short  of  the  expectations  of  their 
more  ardent  supporters.  In  1845,  the  at- 
tendance was  scarcely  350  out  of  a  total 
enumeration  of  school  youth  of  twice  that 
number.  Some  were  not  kept  in  school  be- 
cause of  the  rate  bills  by  which  the  public 
funds  had  to  be  supplemented.  Others  gave 
preference  to  the  more  select  private  schools 
which  flourished  at  that  period. 

These  private  or  select  schools  were,  for  the 
mo.st  part,  the  result  of  individual  enterprise. 
For  example,  on  July  27.  1836.  Mrs.  Susan 
E.  Dodge  announces  in  a  local  paper  that  on 
the  first  day  of  August  she  will  open  a  school 
at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Exchange  Streets 
for  young  ladies  and  misses,  in  which  read- 
ing, writing  and  spelling  ^\^ll  be  taught  for 
$2.50  a  term  of  eleven  weeks;  grammar, 
geography  and  arithmetic,  $3.50.  In  another 
paper  is  the  announcement  that  "on  .January 
3,  1838,  a  .select  school  will  be  opened  at  the 
corner  of  Middlebi;ry  and  High  Streets,  under 
the  superintendence  of  Miss  M.  E.  Hubble, 
of  New  York,  where  pupils  will  receive  in- 
struction  in   all  branches   usuallv  taught  in 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


175 


our  eastern  female  seminaries.  Tuition  per 
quarter,  $3.00  to  $5.00,  according  to  studies 
pursued.  Music,  including  use  of  piano, 
$8.00." 

Besides  such  schools  as  these,  dependent 
solely  upon  individual  enterprise,  there  were 
others  with  more  formal  organization  and 
backed  by  leading  citizens.  One  called  the 
Akron  High  School  was  under  the  manage- 
ment of  a  board  of  trustees  consisting  of  lead- 
ing citizens  of  Akron  and  vicinity,  with  S. 
L.  Sa^^'t•ell,  a  graduate  of  an  eastern  college, 
as  principal  instructor.  This  school  flour- 
ished about  1838,  but  it  was  not  long-lived. 
In  1845,  a  stock  company  was  formed  for 
the  organization  of  a  permanent  high  school 
to  be  known  as  "The  Akron  Institution."  A 
charter  was  procured,  which  authorized  the 
conferring  of  degrees,  with  Simon  Perkins, 
Eliakim  Crosby,  Edwin  Angel,  Henry  W. 
King,  James  R.  Ford,  Lucius  V.  Bierce  and 
Samuel  A.  Wheeler  as  corporators.  The 
stockholders  affected  an  organization,  and  a 
board  of  trustees  was  elected;  but  it  docs  not 
appear  that  any  measures  were  taken  look- 
ing toward  the  founding  of  such  a  school  as 
the  charter  contemplated.  It  is  not  improb- 
able that  the  enterprise  was  over-shadowed 
.  by  the  approach  of  a  popular  movement  in 
the  interest  of  Akron's  public  school  system 
■ — a  movement  which  resulted  in  the  enact- 
ment of  what  has  ever  since  been  known  as 

THE   AKRON   SCHOOL   LAW. 

This  law  not  only  gave  form  and  substance 
to  Akron's  system  of  graded  union  schools, 
but  it  became  the  pattern  after  which  the 
graded  school  system  of  the  State  of  Ohio 
was  in  large  mea.sure  modeled. 

From  the  beginning,  there  had  been  those 
among  Akron's  leading  citizens  who  main- 
tained that  the  wealth  of  the  State  should 
educate  its  children.  Opposed  to  this  doc- 
trine were  most  of  the  childless  property 
owners  and  many  of  the  larger  tax-payers. 
The  issue  was  joined  and  the  discussion  went 
on.  At  length,  in  May.  1846,  a  large  and 
enthusiastic  meeting  of  citizens  was  held,  at 


which  a  committee  was  appointed  to  take  into 
consideration  our  present  educational  pro- 
visions and  the  improvement,  if  any,  which 
may  be  made  therein. 

Rev.  Isaac  .Jennings,  then  pa.stor  of  the 
Congregational  Church,  was  chairman  of  this 
committee.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in  the 
movement,  and  gave  much  time  and  thought 
to  collecting  information,  maturing  plans  and 
formulating  and  elaborating  the  report  which 
was  submitted  to  an  adjourned  meeting  of 
citizens  some  months  later.  It  has  been 
claimed  that  Mr.  Jennings  was  the  father  and 
founder  of  the  Akron  school  system,  and  that 
"whatever  credit  and  distinction  Akron  may 
have  for  being  the  first  to  adopt  the  principle 
of  free  graded  schools  in  Ohio  is  due  to  him." 
The  committee's  report.,  submitted  to  an  ad- 
journed meeting  in  November,  1846,  was 
unanimously  approved  and  adopted  by  the 
meeting,  and  a  committee  consisting  of  R.  P. 
Spalding,  H.  W.  King,  H.  B.  Spellman  and 
L."V.  Bierce  was  appointed  to  secure  the  nec- 
essary legislation.  This  committee  embodied 
the  recommendations  of  the  report  in  a  bill 
which  was  enacted  into  a  law  by  the  Legisla- 
ture, February  8,  1847.  The  chief  provisions 
of  the  law  are  as  follows: 

1.  All  the  school  districts  of  the  village 
are  united  into  one,  known  as  the  "Akron 
School  District." 

2.  A  board  of  education  consisting  of  six 
members,  two  elected  each  year,  is  empowered 
to  establish  schools,  build  schoolhouses,  em- 
ploy teachers,  receive  and  disburse  funds, 
make  necessary  rules  and  regulations  for  the 
government  of  the  schools,  etc. 

3.  Sufficient  primary  schools  are  to  be  .so 
located  within  the  district  as  best  to  accom- 
modate the  pupils  of  that  department:  and 
one  grammar  school  centrally  located  is  to 
be  open  to  all  the  school  youth  of  the  district 
who  satisfactorily  complete  the  work  of  the 
primary  schools. 

4.  The  town  council  is  charged  with  the 
duty  of  levying  on  the  property  of  the  dis- 
trict an  annual  tax  of  five  mills  on  the  dollar 
to  .supplement  the  amount  received  from  the 
State  and  other  sources.     This  tax  lew  was 


176 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


subsequently   reduced   to   four   mills,   in   re- 
sponse to  the  clamor  of  the  taxpayers. 

5.  The  town  council  is  ako  required  to 
appoint  three  school  examiners  to  examine 
teachers,  grant  certificates  and  maintain  su- 
pei-\'isory  oversight  of  the  instruction  and  dis- 
cipline of  the  schools. 

6.  Provision  is  made  for  the  thorough 
classification  of  all  the  pupils,  "as  the  best 
good  of  the  schools  may  seem  to  require." 

The  new  plan  was  promptly  inaugurated, 
and  met  with  the  approval  of  a  majority  of 
the  people.  The  board  was  fortunate  in  se- 
curing the  services  of  M.  D.  Leggett,  late  Com- 
missioner of  Patents  at  Washington,  as  head 
teacher  and  siiperintendent,  at  an  annual 
salary  of  $500.  His  two  assistants  in  the 
upper  department  received  $150  and  $200 
respectively,  and  the  primary  schools  were 
taught  by  young  women,  at  $3.50  a  week. 

In  its  first  annual  report,  the  board  ex- 
pressed its  satisfaction  with  the  success  of  the 
new  system.  There  were  large  increase  of 
attendance  and  better  instruction,  at  a  cost 
considerably  less  than  under  the  old  regime. 
Nearly  200  pupils  were  enrolled  in  the  gram- 
mar school  and  880  in  the  primary  schools, 
some  of  whom  resided  without  the  district. 

These  gratifying  results  were  not  secured 
without  strong  opposition  from  some  of  the 
taxpayers.  It  was  a  sore  grievance  to  them 
that  their  property  should  be  taxed  for  the 
education  of  their  neighbors'  children.  The 
clamor  here  and  elsewhere  was  such  as  to 
lead  the  legislature  to  reduce  the  State  levy 
for  school  purposes,  and  the  local  levy  was 
kept  at  the  minimum.  The  rapid  growth  of 
the  schools  made  new  schoolhouses  and  addi- 
tional teachers  necessary.  The  state  of  the 
board's  treasury  compelled  the  exercise  of  an 
economy  bordering  on  parsimony.  The 
grammar  school  had  to  be  suspended  for  a 
time,  and  the  valuable  services  of  Mr.  Leg- 
get,  the  superintendent,  were  dispensed  with 
for  want  of  money  to  pay  him  an  adequnte 
salary. 

Despite  the  unfavorable  conditions,  the 
schools  steadily  increased  numericallv  and 
gained  in  popular  regard.    In  1849,  Mr.  and 


Mrs.  C.  H.  Palmer  took  chai'ge  of  the  gram- 
mar school,  under  an  engagement  for  two 
years,  at  a  joint  annual  salary  of  $600.  Mr. 
Palmer's  health  failing  before  the  expiration 
of  his  engagement,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  B.  Olm- 
stead  were  employed  at  a  joint  salary  of  $50 
a  month,  to  teach  a  high  grade  primary  or 
secondary  school,  which  took  the  place  of  the 
grammar  school. 

Meantime,  the  board  had  purchased  a  lot 
containing  about  two  and  a  half  acres,  front- 
ing on  Mill  Street  between  Summit  and 
Prospect  Streets.  On  this  a  two-story  brick 
building  70  by  50  feet  was  erected,  at  a  cost 
of  $9,250.  This  building  contained  two 
ku-ge  school-rooms,  each  with  a  seating  ca- 
pacity of  150  pupils,  and  each  having  two 
recitation  rooms  attached.  It  was  dedicated 
with  appropriate  ceremonies  October  13, 
1853.  The  upper  room  with  its  recitation 
rooms  was  occupied  by  the  high  school,  in 
charge  of  Mr.  Samuel  F.  Cooper  and  two 
assistant  teachers.  The  grammar  school  oc- 
cupied the  lower  room  with  its  recitation 
rooms,  under  Miss  Codding  and  two  assist- 
ants. 

In  1856-7,  Mr.  H.  B.  Fo.ster,  of  Hudson, 
a  graduate  of  Western  Reserve  college,  served 
for  a  short  time  as  principal  of  the  high 
school  and  superintendent  of  all  the  schools; 
but,  declining  a  re-engagement,  Mr.  Olmstead 
was  employed  to  take  his  place,  and  Mr.  J. 
Park  Alexander  was  put  in  charge  of  the 
grammar  school  at  $35  a  month. 

In  a  report  about  this  time,  the  board  de- 
plores the  evils  resulting  from  frequent 
changes  of  superintendents  and  teachers,  ex- 
presses the  conviction  that  the  employment 
of  the  cheapest  teachers  is  not  the  most  eco- 
nomical, and  maintains  that  such  liberal  com- 
pensation should  be  paid  superintendent  and 
teachers  as  to  secure  the  highest  ability  and 
skill  in  every  department.  In  the  same  re- 
port, the  expen.se  of  running  the  schools  for 
the  ensiling  year,  "including  incidentals,"  is 
estimated  at  $4,200.  Manifestly,  the  board 
shows  ^^^sdom  in  its  efl^ort  to  prepare  the  pub- 
lic mind  for  the  payment  of  better  salaries. 
It  shows  wisdom,  too.  in  its  expressed  deter- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


111 


mination  "to  employ  no  teachers  in  the  Akrou 
schools  but  those  of  ripe  age,  ample  experi- 
ence, successful  tact  and  good  common  sense." 

In  1857,  a  change  was  made  in  the  organi- 
zation making  permanent  provision  for  a  sec- 
ondary grade  between  the  primary  departr 
ment  and  the  grammar  school.  A  general 
scheme  of  studies  was  outlined  for  the  differ- 
ent departments.  Reading  and  spelling  and 
general  practical  oral  lessons  were  assigned 
to  the  primary  department;  to  these  writing 
was  added  for  the  secondary  grade ;  pupils 
in  the  grammar  school  must  be  taught  to 
read  and  spell  the  fourth  reader  fluently, 
master  the  first  half  of  Stoddard's  Intellectual 
Arithmetic,  Tracy's  and  Stoddard's  "Practi- 
cal" as  far  as  interest,  the  general  definitions 
in  grammar,  Colton  and  Fitch's  Modern 
School  Geography  with  map-drawing,  daily 
practice  in  writing,  and  declamation  and 
composition  one  hour  each  week;  for  the 
high  school,  .practice  dn  intellectual  arith- 
metic, the  more  advanced  subjects  of  written 
arithmetic,  English  grammar,  including  pars- 
ing; geography  and  mapdrawing,  philosophy, 
history,  physiology,  algebra,  chemistry,  as- 
tronomy, geometry,  botany,  declamation  and 
composition,  with  practice  in  reading,  spell- 
ing and  wTiting. 

By  resolution  of  the  board,  all  the  teachers 
were  authorized  but  not  required  to  read  a 
short  passage  of  Scripture  and  repeat  the 
Lord's  Prayer  with  the  pupils,  without  note 
or  comment,  at  the  opening  of  school  each 
day. 

Latin  and  Greek  were  taught  in  the  high 
school  spasmodically,  the  board  sometimes 
approving  and  sometimes  declaring  that  "a 
good  practical  English  education  is  all  that 
any  one  has  a  right  to  expect  or  exact  at  the 
hands  of  a  generous  public." 

In  the  first  ten  years  of  Akron'.*  graded 
school  system,  the  supervision  of  the  schools 
was  more  nominal  than  real.  Five  or  six 
different  superintendents,  so  called,  had  been 
employed,  but  their  time  was  so  fully  taken 
up  with  teaching  in  the  department  under 
their  immediate  charge  that  an  occasional 
hurried  visit  to  the  other  schools  wa."  all"  that 


was  possible,  and  this  to  little  purpose.  The 
necessity  for  more  efficient  supervision  be- 
came more  and  more  manifest.  "The  schools 
had  not  at  all  times  maintained  the  prestige 
they  at  first  enjoyed,  nor  the  pre-eminence  to 
which  they  were  entitled  as  the  pioneer  free 
graded  schools  of  Ohio."  The  idea  of  super- 
vision was  a  gradual  growth.  While  the  su- 
perintendent continued  to  act  as  principal 
of  the  high  school,  he  was  given  an  assistant 
capable  of  taking  charge  of  the  high  school 
temporarily  in  his  absence.  A  little  later,  a 
separate  principal  of  the  high  school  was  em- 
ployed, the  superintendent  continuing  to 
teach  a  portion  of  his  time,  conducting  his 
recitations  in  a  class-room.  In  1870,  the  su- 
perintendent was  relieved  from  all  regular 
class-room  work,  and  thereafter  gave  his  en- 
tire time  to  the  work  of  supervision. 

About  1854,  and  for  some  years  following, 
a  plan  was  operated  for  increasing  interest 
and  improving  the  teaching,  which  seems  to 
merit  mention.  Observation  schools  or  teach- 
ers' institutes  were  conducted  every  Saturday 
morning  in  term-time,  in  the  presence  of  all 
the  teachers,  members  of  the  board  and  others 
interested.  One  teacher,  by  previous  ap- 
pointment, holds  a  session  of  her  school,  giv- 
ing lessons  or  conducting  exercises  in  one  or 
more  subjects.  After  dismissal  of  the  pupils, 
lectures  and  discussions  follow.  We  find  the 
board  expressing  approval,  and  saying  that 
the  plan  "worked  admirably." 

The  next  superintendent  in  order  was  Mr. 
T.  C.  Pooler,  a  teacher  of  experience,  from 
the  State  of  New  York.  He  received  a  salary 
of  $1,000.  Besides  acting  as  principal  of  the 
high  school,  it  wa*  required  by  the  rules  of 
the  board  to  visit  each  school  at  least  once 
in  four  weeks,  and  advise  and  direct 
the  teachers  in  regard  to  classifying 
and  disciplining  their  schools.  After 
three  years  of  service,  he  declined  a  re- 
engagement,  and  was  succeeded  in  Septem- 
ber, 1860,  by  Mr.  I.  P.  Hole.  Like  most  of 
his  predecessors,  Mr.  Hole  sers'ed  in  the 
double  capacity  of  superintendent  and  prin- 
cipal of  the  high  school.  His  snlars"^  was 
fixed  at  $900  at  first,  but  in  the  course  of  his 


178 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


eight  years'  term  of  service  it  was  increased 
from  time  to  time  until  it  reached  $1,500. 
This  increase  in  salary  was  no  doubt  in  large 
measure  due  to  the  increased  cost  of  living 
which  prevailed  in  the  time  of  the  Civil  War ; 
but  it  seems  fair  to  infer  that  there  was  in 
it  also  an  expression  of  approval  and  endorse- 
ment of  Mr.  Hole's  work.  There  is  abundant 
evidence  that  he  was  a  capable,  industrious 
and  efficient  worker.  His  term  was  a  period 
of  growth.  The  village  of  Akron  had  become 
a  prosperous  little  city  of  nearly  10,000  peo- 
ple The  youth  of  school  age  had  increased 
from  less  than  700  in  1846  to  3,000.  The 
schools  had  become  crowded.  Enlarged  school 
accommodations  had  become  a  necessity.  To 
meet  this  need  the  board  issued  bonds  to  the 
amount  of  $15,000,  and  made  an  addition  of 
four  rooms  to  the  high  school  building.  Each 
of  these  rooms  had  a  seating  capacity  of  80 
or  90  pupils  and  a  recitation  room  attached 
These  new  rooms  were  occupied  by  the  sec- 
ondary schools  and  the  overflow  from  the 
grammar  school.  Each  of  these  rooms  had  a 
principal  teacher  and  one  assistant,  while  the 
high  school  and  grammar  school  had  each  a 
principal  and  two  assistants.  The  primary 
schools  were  housed  in  small  one-room  build- 
ings, so  located  as  to  be  most  accessible  to  the 
little  ones. 

Tardiness  and  irregularity  of  attendance 
constituted  a  source  of  annoyance  and 
hindrance  from  the  first  organization  of  the 
schools.  To  correct  these  evils  the  board  from 
time  to  time  resorted  to  various  devices.  At 
one  time  the  expedient  was  tried  of  closing 
the  doors  against  tardy  pupils,  shutting  them 
out  until  recess.  This  caused  a  good  deal  of 
irritation  and  dissatisfaction  without  curing 
the  evil.  In  1864  the  board  adopted  a  rule 
authorizing  the  suspension  of  pupils  for  three 
absences  in  one  month,  pupils  so  suspended 
being  required  to  make  application  for  resto- 
ration at  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  board. 
This  rule  is  said  to  have  resulted  in  improved 
attendance.  In  1847-8- the  percentage  of  at- 
tendance was  55^4  in  the  primary  schools  and 
88  in  the  grammar  schools,  while  in  1866  the 


attendance  reached  90  per  cent  in  all  the 
schools. 

The  statute  under  which  the  free  graded 
school  system  of  Akron  was  organized  con- 
tained a  provision  for  the  periodical  visitation 
of  the  schools  by  persons  appointed  by  the 
council  and  mayor.  There  seems  to  be  in 
this  provision  some  recognition  of  the  neces- 
sity of  supervision  in  a  system  of  public 
schools  An  unpaid  school  visitor  was  a  cheap 
•■substitute  for  an  expert  salaried  superintend- 
ent. In  its  eleventh  annual  report  the  board 
calls  attention  of  the  council  to  this  feature 
of  the  law,  saying  that  "while  exclusive  con- 
trol of  the  schools  is  given  to  the  board  of 
education,  the  school  visitor  might  be  the 
means  of  bringing  to  the  aid  of  the  board  the 
best  light  and  the  highest  intelligence  on  the 
subject  of  education,  with  all  improved 
methods  of  instruction,  discipline  and  man- 
agement of  schools" 

Some  such  visitors  were  appointed.  The 
board's  fifteenth  annual  report  contains  the 
report  of  R.  0.  Hammond,  Esq.,  as  school 
visitor,  in  which  he  commends  warmly  and 
censures  sharply.  Among  other  I'ecommenda- 
tions,  he  urges  regular  and  thorough  instruc- 
tion in  vocal  music.  "This,  in  my  judgment," 
he  says,  "should  be  taught  in  our  schools  as 
a  component  part  of  daily  instruction.  I  mean 
that  the  principles  of  music  should  be  taught 
— taught  as  a  science.  In  this  way.  at  a 
small  expense,  singers  with  well  cultivated 
voices,  able  to  read  music  readily,  may  be 
fitted  for  the  choir,  the  concert  and  the  par- 
lor." 

The  tables  accompanying  the  reports  of  Mr. 
Hole  as  superintendent  show  that  the  at- 
tendance in  the  grades  below  the  high  school 
steadily  increased,  while  the  attendance  at  the 
high  .'school  steadily  diminished.  This  fall- 
ing off  in  the  attendance  at  the  high  school 
arrests  our  attention,  and  we  naturally  inquire 
for  the  cause.  We  discover  that  early  in  Mr. 
Hole's  administration  the  course  of  study  for 
the  high  school  was  expanded  into  a  four- 
years'  course,  and  was  made  to  include  nearly 
all  the  studies  of  a  college  course  save  the 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


179 


classics.  Among  the  requirements  were  such 
studies  as  political  economy,  logic,  moral 
science,  mental  philosophy,  evidences  of 
Christianity,  astronomy,  domestic  economy 
and  geology.  The  first  graduation  from  the 
high  school  occurred  in  1864.  There  was  at- 
that  time  but  one  graduate.  Miss  Pamela  H. 
Goodwin,  and  up  to  and  including  1868, 
there  had  been  but  fifteen  graduates. 

The  high  school  at  that  time  may  have 
been  ideal  in  its  organization  and  appoint- 
ments, but  manifestly  it  was  not  meeting  the 
popular  demand.  The  records  for  one  term 
show  an  average  attendance  of  four  males  and 
twenty-one  females.  A  complaint  not  unfre- 
quently  heard  was  to  the  effect  that  after 
spending  so  long  a  time  in  completing  the 
high  school  course  of  study,  those  who  wished 
to  go  to  college  were  compelled  then  to  seek 
admission  to  a  preparatory  school  to  secure  fit- 
ness for  college  entrance  This  touches  the 
important  question  of  the  harmonizing  and 
adaptation  of  high  school  and  college  courses 
of  study — a  question  much  discussed  in  re- 
cent years,  with  profit  to  both  high  schools 
and  colleges. 

About  the  time  we  are  now  considering,  a 
great  deal  of  diflSculty  was  experienced  in  the 
management  of  the  grammar  school.  The 
room  occupied  was  large  and  often  much 
crowded,  sometimes  containing  two  hundred 
or  more  pupils,  and  it  was  not  easy  to  secure 
either  man  or  woman  equal  to  the  task  of 
handling  such  a  school.  Of  this  department 
we  find  the  president  of  the  board  saying  in 
a  printed  report:  "Its  fortunes  have  been  as 
checkered  as  those  of  some  of  the  many  who 
have  taught  or  kept  it,  being  by  turns  a 
small  success  and  a  great  failure."  Fortu- 
nately, school  authorities  have  grown  wiser 
than  to  attempt  to  conduct  schools  in  that 
way. 

In  1868,  after  a  term  of  service  of  eight 
years,  Mr.  Hole  declined  re-election,  and  in 
June  of  that  year  he  and  all  the  teachere  asso- 
ciated with  him  in  both  the  high  and  gram- 
mar departments  retired. 


AN    EDUCATIONAL    REVIVAL. 

The  school  year  opening  in  September, 
1868,  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  period  in 
the  history  of  the  Akron  schools.  It  was  a 
period  of  change,  revival,  progress.  Akron 
was  now  a  city.  Its  growth  and  promise  had 
brought  in  new  men,  and  with  new  business 
prosperity  and  success,  larger  and  more  lib- 
eral views  prevailed.  In  order  to  have  a  full 
understanding  of  this  period,  it  seems  desir- 
able to  notice  some  things  not  primarily  con- 
nected with  Akron  schools. 

In  the  summer  of  1867,  an  educational  re- 
vival started  in  Cleveland,  which  soon  spread 
throughout  and  beyond  Ohio.  While  it  is 
probable  that  the  work  done  in  the  Cleveland 
schools  in  that  day  was  not  below  the  preva- 
lent standard  of  the  time,  the  impression  pre- 
vailed that  something  better  was  attainable. 
It  was  under  the  impulse  of  this  impression 
that,  in  June,  1867,  two  of  Cleveland's  prin- 
cipals, Henry  M.  James  and  Samuel  Find- 
ley,  with  the  approval  of  the  board  of  educa- 
tion, made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  normal  school 
at  Oswego,  New  York,  in  search  of  new  light. 
As  a  result  of  this  pilgrimage,  a  corps  of  in- 
structors from  the  Oswego  Normal  School 
came  to  Cleveland  in  the  following  August 
and  held  a  teachers'  institute  for  one  week. 
Those  compasing  this  body  of  educational 
missionaries  were  Professors  Krusi  and 
Poucher,  Mrs.  Mary  Howe  Smith,  and  Misses 
Lathrop,  Cooper  and  Seaver.  The  fame  of 
this  movement  having  reached  Cincinnati, 
the  president  of  the  Cincinnati  school  board 
came  to  Cleveland  and  persuaded  the  same 
corps  of  instnictors  to  do  missionary  work  in 
Cincinnati  the  following  \feek. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  that  stalwart 
educational  reformer.  Andrew  J.  Rickoff.  was 
called  to  succeed  Dr.-  Anson  Smyth  in  the 
superintendency  of  the  Cleveland  schools,  and 
it  was  in  the  midst  of  the  session  of  this  in- 
.stitute  that  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the 
po!5ition.  These  two  events,  the  coming  of 
the  Oswego  missionaries,  and  the  coming  of 
.Andrew  J.  RickofT,  mark  the  beginnings  of 
an  educational  revival  which  extended  bevond 


180 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


the  limits  of  the  city  of  Cleveland,  and  be- 
yond the  limits  of  Ohio,  and  which,  we  may 
not  doubt,  is  still  a  living  educational  force. 

Something  of  the  bearing  of  these  events 
upon  the  educational  interests  of  Akron  may 
be  understood  when  it  is  known  that,  a  year 
later,  Samuel  Findley,  one  of  the  two  Cleve- 
land principals  who  made  the  pilgrimage  to 
Oswego,  was  called  to  the  superintendency  of 
the  Akron  schools  at  a  salary  of  $2,500.  Prior 
to  his  engagement  in  Cleveland,  he  had  been 
engaged  in  the  schools  of  Xenia  and  Colum- 
bus, Ohio,  and  during  his  last  year  in  Cleve- 
land he  had  some  part  in  the  work  of  recon- 
struction undertaken  by  Superintendent 
Rickoff  in  the  Cleveland  schools.  The  period 
of  his  superintendency  of  the  Akron  schools 
was  fifteen  years. 

At  the  time^of  Superintendent  Findley's 
call  to  Akron  several  specially  strong  teach- 
ers were  also  employed.  Of  these,  Mrs.  N.  A. 
Stone,  a  woman  of  strong  cliaracter  and  lib- 
eral culture,  was  made  principal  of  the  high 
school,  and  Miss  E.  A.  Herdman,  a  graduate 
of  Monmouth  College  (111.),  was  made  prin- 
cipal of  the  grammar  department.  Great 
credit  is  due  to  these  two  ladies  for  the  high 
degree  of  success  attained  by  their  respective 
departments.  Mrs.  Stone's  salary,  at  first 
$1,200,  was  afterwards  increased  to  $1,400; 
Miss  Herdman's  sakry  start-ed  at  $900,  and 
was  soon  after  increa.sed  to  $1,000. 

The  school  syst&m  at  this  time  consisted  of 
eleven  primary  schools  hou.sed  in  eleven  small 
one-room  buildings,  and  the  high  school, 
grammar  school  and  secondary  schools  in  the 
one  central  brick  building. 

The  school-;  opened  in  September,  1868, 
with  twenty-three  teachers  besides  the  sup?!"- 
intendent,  who,  for  the  time  being,  heard 
two  or  three  daily  recitations  in  the  high 
school.  It  is  to  be  noted  in  this  connection 
that  in  this  year  there  were  but  forty-one  pu- 
pils pursuing  high  school  studies.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  expediency,  the  pupils  of  the  A  gram- 
mar grade  occupied  the  upper  room  with  the 
high  school  pupils,  and  were  taught  by  high 
school  teachers. 

No  radical  changes  in  cla.ssification,  course 


of  study,  or  methods  of  instruction,  were  made 
at  the  opening.  The  schools  were  started  in 
their  accustomed  grooves,  and  changes  were 
made  from  time  to  time  as  occasion  seemed  to 
demand. 

The  fii'st  matter  of  importance  to  which  the 
superintendent  directed  his  attention  was  the 
classification  of  the  primary  schools.  A  loose 
classification  had  prevailed  in  these  schools, 
so  that  in  most  of  them  there  were  six  or 
seven  diff'erent  grades  or  classes  of  pupils, 
ranging  from  beginners  to  third  reader  classes. 
Of  course,  it  was  impossible  for  the  teachers 
to  secure  the  best  results  under  such  condi- 
tions. There  were  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
remedying  the  evils,  chief  of  which  were  the 
extended  territory  and  scattered  population  of 
some  portions  of  the  city.  Proper  classifica- 
tion would  necessitate  the  separation  of  chil- 
dren of  the  same  family  who  had  hitherto  at- 
tended the  same  school,  and  in  many  eases 
would  require  them  to  go  a  greater  distance 
to  school.  But  it  was  believed  that  the  ad- 
vantages to  be  gained  would  far  more  than 
counterbalance  these  inconveniences,  and 
the  city  was  divided  into  six  primary-school 
districts  instead  of  eleven,  giving  to  each  dis- 
trict two  schools,  with  one  exception.  In  one 
of  the.se  two  schools  was  placed  all  the  more 
advanced  pupils  of  both,  and  in  the  other  all 
the  le.«s  advanced  of  both,  reducing  each 
school  to  half  its  former  number  of  grades, 
and  nearly  or  quite  doubling  the  teaching 
force  without  any  increase  in  the  number  of 
teachers  or  any  additional  expense. 

From  this  time  (1868)  onward,  the  fol- 
lowing general  classification  has  prevailed  in 
the  Akron  schools: 

Primary  grades,  four  years. 

Grammar  grades,  four  years. 

High  school  grades,  three  or  fonr  yemrs. 

COURSE   OF    INSTRUCTION. 

In  the  autumn  of  1868  the  course  of  study 
for  all  grades  below  the  high  school  was  thor- 
oughly revised.  The  course  was  divided  into 
yearly  steps  or    grades,    and    the    work    for 


AND    REPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


183 


each  grade  was  prescribed  in  detail,  thus  set- 
ting up  a  standard  of  attainment  for  teach- 
ers and  pupils. 

SEMI-ANNUAL  CLASSIFICATION   AND 
PROMOTION. 

Four  or  five  years  later  the  course  of  study 
was  broken  into  semi-annual  steps,  and  pro- 
motions were  made  semi-annually  instead  of 
once  a  year.  This  made  the  classification 
much  moi-e  flexible.  Because  of  the  shorter 
steps,  .strong,  bright  and  industrious  pupils 
could  and  often  did  overtake  the  next  grade 
ahead,  and  pupils  who  failed  of  promotion 
found  the  fall  to  the  next  grade  below  much 
more  endurable  than  when  they  were  com- 
pelled to  fall  back  an  entire  year. 

When  the  semi-annual  plan  was  firet 
adopted,  there  was  some  apprehension  that  it 
might  work  mischief  when  it  came  to  the 
high  school.  It  would  double  the  number 
of  classes,  and  necessitate  the  employment  of 
more  teachers.  But  the  problem  solved  itself. 
As  population  grew,  high  school  attendance 
increased,  until  ere  long  it  would  have  been 
necessarj'  to  break  the  annual  classes  into  sec- 
tions for  purposes  of  recitation  alone.  Thus, 
almost  of  necessity,  came  to  pass  semi-annual 
promotions  and  graduation  in  the  high 
school,  and  so  the  practice  is  unto  this  day, 

ORAL  INSTRUCTION. 

The  revised  course  of  study  provided,  al- 
most exclusively,  for  oral  teaching  in  the  pri- 
mary grades,  or  first  four  years  of  the  course. 
The  reader  was  about  the  only  book  used  in 
these  gi'ades.  The  spelling  book  was  dis- 
carded in  all  grades.  Instead  of  wasting  time 
over  long  columns  of  words  without  moaning 
to  the  pupils,  the  plan  was  to  secure  thorough 
drill  in  the  spelling  of  words  within  the  pu- 
pils' vocabulary,  each  being  held  accountable 
for  the  correct  spelling  of  all  the  words  he 
uses. 

There  were  daily  oral  lessons  in  number 
from  the  start,  but  no  text-book  in  arithme- 
tic was  used  until  the  fourth  or  fifth  vear. 


Fii"st  lessons  in  geography  were  also  oral,  a 
primary  text-book  being  introduced  about  the 
fifth  year. 

SCHOOL    HOURS. 

On  the  recommendation  of  the  superintend- 
ent, the  daily  sessions  of  the  schools  were 
shortened.  The  school  day  for  all  gi-ades  had 
been  six  hours.  With  the  adoption  of  oral 
and  objective  methods  of  instruction,  came  a 
necessity  for  shorter  hours,  for  the  sake  both 
of  pupils  and  teachers.  For  the  children 
of  the  first  and  second  years  there  were  pro- 
vided two  daily  sessions  of  two  hours  each. 
For  all  other  grades  there  was  a  morning  ses- 
sion of  three  hours  and  an  afternoon  session 
of  two  hours.  There  was  no  perceptible 
diminution  in  the  amount  of  work  accom- 
plished, and  both  teachers  and  pupils  mani- 
fested greater  vigor  and  interest  in  the  work. 

EFFORTS   IN    BEHALF    OF    THE   HIGH   SCHOOL. 

We  have  seen  that  for  considerable  time 
the  high  school,  with  its  protracted  and  heavy 
course  of  study,  did  not  seem  to  meet  the 
popular  demand.  Few  pupils  seemed  disposed 
to  remain  long  enough  to  complete  the  course 
and  graduate.  With  a  view  to  popularizing 
the  school  and  securing  larger  attendance,  the 
course  of  study  was  revised,  the  more  ad- 
vanced studies  were  eliminated,  and  the  whole 
was  reduced  to  a  three-years'  course.  The  ef- 
fect of  this  was  immediate.  Seventeen  pupils 
graduated  in  1872,  whereas  the  largest  num- 
ber of  graduates  in  any  previous  year  was 
five.  And  in  the  six  years  ending  in  1875, 
the  number  attending  the  high  school  in- 
creased 234  per  cent,  while  the  increase  in  all 
the  .schools  for  the  same  period  was  only  50 
per  cent. 

Another  measure  which  added  considerably 
to  the  interest  of  the  high  school  and  proved 
of  permanent  value,  was  the  organization  of 
tm^o  literary  societies,  one  for  each  sex,  known 
as  the  Academic  and  Philomathean  societies. 
Friday  afternoons  were  devoted  to  the  ses- 
sions of  these   societies,    under   the   general 


184 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


oversight  of  the  principal  and  teachers.  Each 
society  adopted  a  constitution,  elected  its  own 
officers  and  prepared  and  carried  out  its  own 
program.  The  program  usually  consisted  of 
essays,  declamations,  debates,  reports  of  crit- 
ics, miscellaneous;  etc.  Many  of  the  members 
gained  considerable  facility  in  extempore 
speaking,  and  most  gained  more  or  less 
familiarity  with  parliamentary  usage.  Some 
have  testified  in  after  years  that  the  best 
part  of  their  high  school  training  came  from 
the  Friday  afternoons  in  the  literary  society. 
These  societies  have  existed  for  almost  forty 
years,  and  are  still  successfully  operated. 

WOMEN   AS  TEACHERS. 

A  feature  of  the  school  management  at 
this  period  was  the  almost  exclusive  employ- 
ment of  women.  At  one  time  no  man  was 
employed  in  the  department  of  instruction, 
except  the  superintendent.  In  the  annual  re- 
port for  1874-5  are  found  these  statements: 
"The  testimony  of  all  familiar  with  the 
schools  is  that  the  discipline  has  been  uni- 
formly better  under  the  management  of 
women  than  formerly  when  under  masculine 
rule.  .  .  .  The  experiment  we  have  made 
for  several  years  of  employing  none-  but 
women  as  teachers  has  been  eminently  suc- 
cessful." 

Whatever  may  have  seemed  to  be  the  teach- 
ing of  this  experiment,  it  is  noticeable  that 
as  the  system  has  grown  in  size  and  become 
more  stable  in  its  appointments,  men  and 
women  have  been  employed  as  principals  and 
high  school  teachers  in  about  equal  numbers, 
with  little,  if  any,  discrimination  in  salaries, 
as  between  the  sexes. 

VOCAL    MUSIC. 

It  was  about  the  year  1870  that  vocal  music 
was  made  a  part  of  the  regular  course  of  in- 
struction in  the  schools  of  Akron.  No  doubt, 
there  had  been  from  the  beginning  more  or 
less  of  practice  in  singing  school  songs.  But 
after  the  subject  was  given  its  place  in  the 
list  of  required  branches,  thoroughly  graded 


music  lessons  were  given  daily,  beginning  in 
the  lowest  primary  grades  with  the  simplest 
exercises  in  distinguishing  and  making  musi- 
cal sounds,  and  advancing  by  regular  grada- 
tion to  the  practice  of  classic  music  in  the 
high  school.  Opposition  arose.  A  good  many 
people,  among  them  some  membere  of  the 
board,  looked  upon  the  movement  as  a  waste 
of  time  and  effort.  They  believed  musical 
talent  a  special  gift,  possessed  only  by  the 
favored  few  in  sufficient  degree  to  make  its 
cultivation  desirable.  Opposed  to  this  view 
was  that  of  those  who  maintained  that  the 
Creator  has  distributed  musical  talent  among 
men  about  as  generally  as  he  has  mathe- 
matical talent,  and  that  any  pei-son  who  has 
the  ordinary  vocal  organs,  with  power  to  use 
them  so  as  to  make  the  varying  tones  used  in 
common  conversation,  may  learn  to  sing  with 
as  much  facility  as  he  learns  to  read.  We  find 
the  superintendent  saying,  after  the  experi- 
ment had  been  continued  four  or  five  years, 
that  among  the  pupils  of  the  lower  grades, 
who  have  been  carefully  trained  from  the 
time  of  their  entrance  at  school,  we  find  none 
unable  to  learn  to  sing. 

In  view  of  the  agitation  of  the  subject  and 
the  opposition  developed  in  some  quarters,  it 
w'as  deemed  desirable  to  know  what  rank  the 
subject  of  vocal  music  held  in  the  school  sys- 
tems of  other  cities,  and  the  estimation  in 
which  it  was  held  by  leading  educators  of  the 
country.  Accordingly,  a  list  of  questions  was 
mailed  to  the  superintendents  of  leading  cities 
throughout  the  country,  to  which  over  a  hun- 
dred replies  were  received.  About  four-fifths 
of  the  cities  and  towns  responding  reported 
that  vocal  music  was  inchided  among  the  re- 
quired branches  of  the  regular  course  of  in- 
struction, and  that  the  results  in  music  were 
about  equal  to  those  attained  in  other 
branches.  There  was  great  imanimity  of  sen- 
timent among  the  superintendents  as  to  the 
value  of  music  as  a  branch  of  .study  in  public 
schools.  From  such  responses  as  these  there 
was  no  dissent:  H.  P.  Wilson,  Superintend- 
ent Public  Instruction,  State  of  Minnesota: 
"It  should  be  taught  in  every  grade  of  schools, 
as  it  is  in  Pnis.sia."    John  B.  Peaslee.  Cincin- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


185 


nati:  "It  is  almost  indispensable."  Daniel 
Worley,  Canton,  Ohio:  "For  discipline,  cul- 
ture and  general  influence  upon  pupils,  I 
place  a  very  high  estimate  upon  it."  J.  L. 
Pickard,  Chicago:  "Its  value  cannot  be  over- 
estimated." Edward  Smith,  Syracuse,  New 
York :  "I  would  as  soon  recommend  the  dis- 
continuance of  any  other  branch."  William 
T.  Harris,  St.  Louis,  now  National  Commis- 
sioner of  Education,  AVashington,  D.  C. :  "I 
consider  it  of  great  importance  for  its  moral 
effect  in  softening  the  dLsposition  and  render- 
ing it  teachable,  and  in  cultivating  the  higher 
sentiments."  A.  M.  Gow,  Evansville,  In- 
diana: "It  is  invaluable  to  the  individual, 
to  the  school  and  to  society." 

The  board  was  very  fortunate,  at  the  out- 
set, in  securing  Mr.  W.  L.  Glover  as  music 
master.  Besides  high  attainment  in  his 
specialty  and  great  skill  in  the  work  of  in- 
struction, he  has  everywhere  and  always  ex- 
hibited true  manliness  and  strength  of  char- 
acter. No  other  person  has  had  so  long  a 
term  of  service  in  connection  with  the  Akron 
schools. 

THE  STUDY  OF  GERMAN. 

The  question  of  German  in  public  schools 
has  received  more  or  less  consideration  in  the 
board  and  in  the  community  from  time  to 
time.  In  1877  the  question  came  before  the 
board  in  the  form  of  a  petition  from  citizens, 
asking  that  the  German  language  be  given  a 
regular  place  in  the  course  of  study.  The 
matter  was  referred  to  a  committee  consist- 
ing of  three  members  of  the  board,  two  citi- 
zens outside  of  the  board  and  the  superin- 
tendent of  instruction.  Deepl)^  sensible  of  the 
importance  and  delicacy  of  the  subject,  the 
committee  entered  upon  its  investigation  in 
the  spirit  of  candor,  and  with  the  determina- 
tion to  reach,  if  po.«sible,  a  conclusion  based 
solely  upon  the  merits  of  the  case.  By  means 
of  personal  conference  with  leading  citizens, 
by  visiting  neighboring  cities  which  have 
.made  provision  for  instruction  in  the  German 
language,   by     correspondence    with     college 


presidents  and  with  superintendents  of  in- 
struction in  all  the  more  important  cities  and 
towns  of  this  State,  by  examination  of  various 
.school  reports,  and  by  full  and  free  discus- 
sion of  the  subject  in  its  various  phases,  the 
committee  sought  to  gain  a  comprehensive 
and  correct  -view  of  the  whole  question. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  the  investigations  re- 
vealed great  diversity  of  sentiment  on  the  sub- 
ject, ranging  all  the  way  from  strong  opposi- 
tion to  the  introduction  of  German  into  any 
grade  of  our  public  schools,  to  a  strong  desire 
to  see  it  introduced  into  every  grade.  And 
this  divei^ity  of  sentiment  was  found  no  less 
among  educators  and  others  who  have  made 
the  subject  a  special  study,  than  among  those 
who  have  bestowed  but  little  thought  on  the 
subject. 

After  many  meetings  and  much  discussion, 
majority  and  minority  reports  were  submitted. 
The  majority  report,  signed  by  four  mem- 
bers of  the  committee,  may  be  thus  sum- 
marized :  The  study  of  the  German  language 
should  be  pursued  in  the  schools  of  this  coun- 
try for  purposas  of  higher  culture,  by  those 
who  seek  a  liberal  education,  rather  than  for 
purpases  of  practical  utility,  by  those  whose 
means  and  opportunities  can  afford  them  only 
a  limited  education.     We  conclude: 

I.  The  German  language  may.  with  pro- 
priety, be  made  an  elective  study  in  the 
higher  grades  of  our  public  schools. 

II.  It  is  inexpedient  to  provide  instruc- 
tion in  German  for  the  piipils  in  the  lower 
grades. 

These  conclusions  were  well  sustained  in 
the  report  by  terse  and  cogent  reasoning. 

The  minority  reported  to  the  effect  that  it 
is  inexpedient  and  impracticable  to  introduce 
the  study  of  the  German  language  into  any 
of  the  grades  of  our  public  schools. 

These  reports  were  received  and  printed  in 
full  in  the  thirty-first  annual  report  of  the 
board  of  education.  No  formal  action  was 
taken  at  once,  but  the  policy  advocated  in  the 
majority  report,  has  prevailed  in  the  schools 
ever  since. 


186 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION. 

This  subject  has  received  considerable  at- 
tention from  time  to  time.  The  following 
was  on©  of  the  standing  mles  of  the  board 
for  a  good  many  years:  "It  shall  be  a  duty 
of  the  first  importance,  on  the  part  of  teach- 
ers, to  exercise  constant  supervision  and  care 
over  the  general  conduct  of  their  scholars, 
and  they  are  specially  enjoined  to  avail  them- 
selves of  every  opportunity  to  inculate  the 
observance  of  correct  manners,  habits  and 
principles." 

The  syllabus  of  instruction  at  one  time 
made  this  provision,  under  the  head  of 
morals  and  manners:  "Inculate  reverance 
and  love  for  God  as  the  father  of  all,  obe- 
dience to  parents  and  teachers,  and  a  kind  and 
forgiving  spirit  toward  brothers  and  sisters 
and  schoolmates.  Memorize  verses  and  max- 
ims. Use  Bible  and  other  stories  to  illustrate 
principles  in  morals  and  manners." 

We  find  frequent  allusions  to  the  subject 
in  the  printed  reports  of  boards  and  super- 
intendents. In  the  twenty-fourth  annual  re- 
port, issued  in  1871,  occurs  this  passage: 
"Moral  and  intellectual  culture  are  insepar- 
able. ...  Of  the  two,  the  former  has  the 
higher  claim  to  a  place  in  any  system  of  pop- 
ular education,  since  it  is  far  more  important 
to  society  that  its  members  po.ssess  hearts  of 
love  to  God  and  man  than  that  they  be  giants 
in  intellect.  But  it  is  idle  to  talk  about  mak- 
ing the  in.'^truction  in  the  schools  purely  secu- 
lar. We  could  not  do  it  if  we  would.  Ten- 
der and  impressible  as  are  the  hearts  of  the 
young,  every  teacher  cannot  but  exert  over 
the  moral  nature  of  his  pupils  an  influence 
either  good  or  bad.  A  silent  unconscious  in- 
fluence goes  out  from  the  inner  life  and  char- 
acter of  the  teacher  which  cannot  be  meas- 
ured. 

"It  remains  for  us  to  .see  that  a  healthy, 
moral  influence  permeates  all  the  instruction 
and  all  the  discipline  of  the  schools.  And 
this  can  be  done  without  any  infringement  or 
violation  of  the  principle  of  religious  liberty. 
It  does  not  require  the  teaching  of  creeds  or 
catechisms,  nor  the  inculcation  of  the  pecu- 


liar dogmas  of  any  sect.  Nor  do  I  believe  it 
requires  the  enforced  reading  of  the  Bible  in 
schools.  Better  than  the  Bible  in  schools  is 
its  spirit  in  the  heai-ts  of  the  teachers.  Bible 
reading  in  public  schools  should  not,  in  my 
opinion,  be  enforced,  neither  should  it  be  pro- 
hibited by  either  State  or  local  enactment." 
The  question  of  prohibiting  the  use  of  the 
Bible  in  the  schools  was  once  before  the  board. 
After  considerable  discussion,  it  was  laid  on 
the  table,  where  it  still  rests. 

WRITTEN      EXAMINATIONS     AND     PROMOTIONS. 

In  the  twenty-fourth  annual  report  (year 
1870-71),  the  superintendent  makes  mention 
of  this  subject.  It  had  been  the  practice  for 
some  time  to  conduct  monthly  examinations 
in  all  the  grades.  This  had  become  burden- 
some to  the  teachers,  and  the  number  of  ex- 
aminations was  reduced  to  two  each  term. 
This  seemed  sufficient  to  keep  up  the  pupils' 
interest,  and  to  test  the  thoroughness  of  the 
instruction.  About  85  per  cent  of  all  the  pu- 
pils examined  were  promoted. 

The  same  subject  receives  attention  in  the 
thirty-first  annual  report,  as  follows: 

Regular  examinations  were  held  every  tenth 
week,  making  four  in  the  year,  and  two  gen- 
eral promotions  were  made,  namely,  at  the 
middle  and  at  the  close  of  the  year.  There 
are  thus  two  examinations  for  each  promotion. 
Before  commencing  the  examination  imme- 
diately preceding  each  promotion  of  pupils, 
the  teachers  have  been  required  to  report  a 
list  of  the  names  of  their  pupils,  together  with 
an  estimate  of  the  attainments  and  capabili- 
ties of  each.  The  promotion  of  a  pupil  is 
thus  made  to  depend  on  the  result  of  two  ex- 
aminations, taken  in  connection  with  his 
teachers'  estimate  of  his  fitness. 

The  plan  of  semi-annual  promotion  in  our 
schools  has  been  productive  of  good  results. 
It  affords  better  classification,  and  more  fully 
adapts  the  instruction  to  the  wants  of  all 
classes  of  pupils.  The  shorter  intervals  be- 
tween grades  afford  better  facilities  for  the 
brighter  and  stronger  pupils  to  advance  ac-  . 
cording  to  their  attainments  and  abilities,  and, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


187 


at  the  same  time,  it  is  better  for  those  who  fail 
of  promotion,  permitting  them  to  go  over 
again  the  work  of  a  half  year  only,  instead 
of  throwing  them  back  an  entire  year. 

At  the  middle  of  the  school  year  promo- 
tions were  made  as  follows,  high  school  not 
included : 

Whole  number  examined 1924 

Number  ^ot  promoted   245 

Per  cent  of  promotions   86.3 

Number  advanced  two  grades 44 

Number  withdrawn  because  not  promoted.      4 

At  the  close  of  the  year  the  promotions  in 
all  grades  below  the  high  school  were  as  fol- 
lows: 

Whole  number  examined 1840 

Number  not  promoted    147 

Per  cent  of  promotions 92 

Number  withdrawn  because  not  promoted      2 

It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  the  average  age 
of  pupils  not  promoted  exceeds  that  of  thase 
of  same  grade  promoted. 

MIDDLEBURY   ANNEXED BOARD    ENLARGED. 

The  village  of  Middlebury  became  a  part 
of  the  city  of  Akron  by  annexation  in  1872, 
adding  four  schools  and  four  teachers  to 
Akron's  system,  besides  a  considerable  addi- 
tion to  the  high  school.  About  the  same  time, 
the  statute  was  so  altered  as  to  enlarge  the 
board  of  education  to  twelve  members.  From 
its  first  organization  under  the  Akron  school 
law  to  this  time,  the  board  consisted  of  six 
members,  two  elected  at  large  each  year.  Un- 
der the  later  statute  the  board  consisted  of  two 
members  from  each  ward,  one  elected  each 
year.  The  city  having  six  wards,  the  board 
consisted  of  twelve  members.  When,  a  few 
years  later,  the  number  of  wards  was  increased 
to  eight,  the  board  had  sixteen  members. 

This  was  a  gain  in  quantity,  but  a  loss  in 
quality.  TVTien  two  men  were  chosen  each 
year  from  the  city  at  large,  representative 
men  were  usually  chosen — men  of  enlarged 
views,  but  when  each  ward  chose  its  man  to 
represent  it,  it  seemed  to  be  the  small  poli- 
tician's opportunity.  Men  of  small  caliber 
and  little  fitness  were  often  able  to  push  them- 


selves in.  A  change  in  the  spirit  and  policy 
of  the  board  was  soon  apparent.  Personal  and 
local  interests  often  prevailed  against  the  gen- 
eral good.  Fortunately,  a  recent  revision  of 
the  statute  has  virtually  restored  former  con- 
ditions. 

TEACHERS. 

The  necessity  of  well  qualified  teachers  for 
the  schools  was  the  burden  of  nearly  every  re- 
port in  the  period  now  under  consideration. 
It  is  declared  to  be  the  most  important  of  all 
.subjects  connected  with  public  education. 
"The  selection  of  teachers  is  the  vital  point  in 
our  common  school  system.  .  .  .  The  neces- 
sity of  employing  untrained  and  inexperienced 
teachers  is  the  greatest  evil  with  which  we 
have  to  contend.  .  .  .  The  loss  of  time  to 
the  pupils,  to  say  nothing  of  the  idle  and 
vicious  habits  formed,  during  the  apprentice- 
ship of  our  young  girl  teachers,  is  a  serious 
evil,  and  I  often  wonder  at  the  patience  of  the 
pupils  and  their  parents  under  it.  .  .  . 
T  have  little  hope  of  further  progre.«s  until 
some  decided  steps  are  taken  in  this  matter." 

Measures  were  considered  from  time  to 
time  in  mitigation  of  the  evil  complained  of. 
At  one  time  we  find  the  superintendent  sug- 
gesting, "as  the  least  that  we  should  do  under 
our  present  circumstances,  that  our  young 
graduates,  who  desire  to  teach,  be  required, 
before  receiving  appointments,  to  spend  at 
least  one  year  in  the  study  of  pedagogy,  in- 
cluding the  human  powers  and  the  means 
and  methods  of  their  development  and  train- 
ing, in  the  more  minute  and  thorough  study 
of  the  common  branches  with  reference  to 
teachig  them,  and  in  such  observation  of  the 
best  methods  of  teaching  and  such  practice 
under  experienced  teachers  as  our  own  schools 
might  afford."  This  seems  like  groping  in 
the  right  direction — groping  which,  a  few 
years  later,  resulted  in  a  well-equipped  nor- 
mal school.  Meanwhile,  so  great  seemed  the 
need,  resort  was  had  to  a  temporary  expedient, 
which  had  the  merit  of  originality  and  sim- 
plicity, and  which  gave  promise  of  good  re- 
sults. A  new  building  of  eight  rooms  was 
converted  into  a  quasi-training  school.     Sev- 


188 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


eral  young  ladies,  graduates  of  the  high 
school,  without  experience  in  teaching,  were 
employed  at  a  nominal  salai-y,  and  set  to  teacli- 
ing.  Over  them  was  placed  a  teacher  of  expe- 
rience and  approved  skill  and  ability  to  direct 
their  work  day  by  day  .  The  plan  was  inexpen- 
sive and  met  with  favor  to  the  extent  that  it 
was  subsequently  adopted  in  another  build- 
ing. It  was  with  the  same  end  in  view  that  a 
little  later  a  woman  of  marked  ability  and 
success  in  teaching  was  employed  as  super- 
visor of  primary  instruction.  All  these  efforts 
to  secure  better  teachers  and  improve  the 
teaching  tended  in  the  same  direction,  name- 
ly, the  establishing  of  a  normal  department  as 
a  permanent  part  of  the  city  school  system. 

THE  MORALE  OF   THE  SCHOOLS. 

A  characteristic  of  the  period  of  Akron 
school  history  now  under  consideration  was 
an  improved  and  improving  moral  tone. 
There  was  a  general  toning  up  all  along  the 
line.  Citizens  spoke  of  the  improved  bearing 
of  the  pupils  on  the  street.  There  was  more 
prompt  and  regular  attendance.  For  exam- 
ple, with  1,541  pupils  enrolled  in  the  school 
j^ear  ending  in  June,  1869,  there  were  6,006 
case?  of  tardiness  reported;  with  3.005  pupils 
enrolled  for  year  ending  June,  1880,  there 
were  1,223  cases  of  tardiness.  There  was  less 
of  severity  and  more  of  gentleness  in  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  schools.  It  became  a  rare 
thing  for  any  case  of  discipline  to  be  brought 
before  the  board  of  education.  These  gains 
were  largely  due  to  the  high  character  of  the 
teachers  employed.  It  is  a  rare  thing  to  find 
so  much  strength  and  goodness  of  character 
in  a  corps  of  public  school  teachers. 

Mrs.  N.  A.  Stone,  already  mentioned,  con- 
tinued in  charge  of  the  high  school,  with 
marked  ability  and  success,  until  1873,  a  pe- 
riod of  five  years.  Of  her  a  leading  member 
of  the  Akron  bar  .«aid  that  she  had  the  intel- 
lect of  a  great,  strong  man,  and  the  heart 
of  a  refined,  gentle  woman. 

Mrs.  Stone  retired  for  a  year  of  rest  and 
travel,  and  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Maria  Par- 
sons, who   was  eminently   faithful  and  emi- 


nently successful.  Too  much  cannot  be  said 
in  her  praise.  Under  her  management  the 
high  school  continued  to  grow  in  interest  as 
well  as  in  numbers.  After  seven  yeare  of  very 
exhausting  labor,  she  declined  re-election,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Wilbur  V.  Rood,  the  first 
man  called  to  the  position  since  Superintend- 
ent I.  P.  Hole.  Mr.  Rood  was  not  a  man  of 
great  physical  strength,  but  he  conducted  the 
school  with  a  good  degree  of  success  for  eigh- 
teen yeai's.  Just  as  he  was  completing  the 
work  of  his  eighteenth  year,  only  two  or  three 
days  before  commencement,  he  was  suddenly 
called  home.  His  years  of  service  in  the 
Akron  high  school  were  characterized  by 
great  faithfulness.  Well  done,  good  and 
faithful  servant,  is  the  verdict  in  his  case. 

Miss  E.  A.  Herdman,  who  became  prin- 
cipal of  the  senior  grammar  school  in  the  au- 
tumn of  1868,  and  managed  it  with  phenome- 
nal success,  continued  in  chai'ge  of  that  de- 
partment, with  the  same  eminent  success  that 
marked  her  first  year,  until  the  spring  of 
1874,  when  she  retired  on  account  of  ill 
health,  and  died  in  November  following.  Her 
strength  of  character,  combined  with  fervent 
affection  and  genial  humor,  gave  her  great 
power  over  her  pupils.  She  governed  by  the 
strength  of  her  own  personality,  rather  than 
by  the  infliction  of  pains  and  penalties.  Miss 
Herdman  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Kate  Ur- 
ner,  and  she  by  Miss  Josephine  A.  Newberry. 
These  two  last  named  were  strong  and  suc- 
cessful teachers. 

COLLEGE  PREPARATION. 

It  was  about  1874  that  four  lads  from  the 
Akron  high  .school  pa.ssed  the  entrance  exam- 
ination and  were  admitted  to  Western  Reserve 
College  at  Hudson,  Ohio.  These  are  proba- 
bly the  first  students  prepared  for  college  in 
the  Akron  high  school.  They  prepared  in 
Greek  under  Miss  Oburn,  one  of  the  assist- 
ants in  the  high  school,  in  part  out  of  regular 
school  hours.  Three  of  the  four  completed 
the  college  course  and  were  graduated  with 
credit. 

Sub-sequently,    an     advantageous     arrange- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


189 


ment  was  effected  with  Buchtel  College, 
whereby  high  school  students  wishing  to  pre- 
pare for  college  were  admitted  to  the  regu- 
lai-  preparatory  Greek  classes  in  the  college 
■nathout  cost,  the  Greek  thus  acquired  being 
accepted  as  an  equivalent  for  such  part  of  the 
high  school  course  as  might  be  agreed  upon. 
This  arrangement  continued  in  force  for  a 
good  many  years  and  proved  mutually  advan- 
tageous to  high  school  and  college,  as  well  as 
to  those  students  who  availed  themselves  of 
the  privilege. 

After  fifteen  years  of  continuous  service, 
Superintendent  Findley  declined  a  re-elec- 
tion and  retired.  His  term  began  in  1868 
and  ended  in  1883,  starting  with  twenty- 
two  teachers  and  ending  with  sixty-two. 
Within  this  period,  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
nine  pupils  were  graduated  from  the  high 
school,  making  a  total  of  three  hundred  and 
four,  including  fifteen  graduated  prior  to  1869 
The  following  named  two-story  brick  build- 
ings were  erected,  nearly  all  the  small,  frame 
buildings  previously  used  having  been  aban- 
doned: Bowen,  Crosby,  Perkins,  Howe,  Al- 
len, Spicer,  Kent,  Henry.  These  buildings 
contained  at  first  from  four  to  eight  rooms 
each.  They  have  .since  been  enlarged  by  ad- 
ditions, one  containing  eighteen  rooms;  sev- 
eral others,  twelve  rooms. 

PROF,  fraunfelter's  superintendency. 

Elias  Fraunfelter  entered  upon  the  super- 
intendency of  the  Akron  schools  in  Septem- 
ber, 1883.  After  three  years  of  service  in  the 
Union  army,  he  taught  in  Vermillion  Insti- 
tute and  Savannah  Academy,  subsequently 
filling  the  chair  of  mathematic  in  Buchtel 
College  for  ten  years.  He  filled  the  office  of 
superintendent  very  acceptably  for  fourteen 
years,  being  compelled  to  retire  on  account 
of  failing  health,  and  dying  soon  after. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  no  report,  in  form 
to  be  pre.ser\'ed,  was  published  in  the  time  of 
his  term  of  service,  no  very  full  nor  detailed 
account  of  Superintendent  Fraunfelter's  ad- 
ministration can  be  here  given.  No  radical 
changes  were  inaugurated  at  the  outset  nor. 


indeed,  at  any  time.  The  same  general  or- 
ganization of  the  schools,  the  same  classifi- 
cation and  the  same  principles  and  methods 
of  instruction  in  vogue  in  recent  years  were 
continued.  There  was  no  disposition  to  make 
changes,  merely  for  the  sake  of  change.  The 
period,  as  a  whole,  was  one  of  harmony  and 
success.  The  school  system  grew  rapidly 
amd  maintained  a  high  place  in  public  esti- 
mation. 

new  high  school  and  other  new 
buildings. 

The  need  of  more  school  rooms  had  been 
frequently  brought  to  the  attention  of  the 
board.  Many  of  the  schools  w^ere  over- 
crowded. It  had  been  shown  that  to  as.sign 
to  each  teacher  only  a  suitable  number  of 
pupils  w^ould  require  the  employment  of 
twenty  additional  teachers,  and  the  providing 
of  a  corresponding  number  of  additional 
school  rooms.  And  besides,  the  unsuitable- 
ness  of  the  rooms  occupied  by  the  high  school, 
the  very  defective  heating  and  ventilation  of 
the  entire  high  ,«chool  building,  and  its  close 
proximity  to  railroads,  mills,  depot,  etc.,  ren- 
dered it  very  unfit  for  school  purposes. 

The  location  and  construction  of  a  new 
high  school  building  had  been  under  consid- 
eration for  some  time,  but  the  matter  was 
taken  up  in  earnest  in  1883.  Conflicting  in- 
terests, and  diversity  of  opinion,  both  as  to 
location  and  character  and  style  of  .stnicture. 
caused  considerable  delay.  A  lot  was  selected 
and  puroha.sed  at  a  cost  of  $19,000.  A  con- 
tract for  the  erection  of  the  building  was  en- 
tered into  in  1885,  and  the  whole  was  com- 
pleted and  ready  to  occupy  in  September. 
1886.  The  entire  cost,  including  heating  ap- 
paratus and  •  furniture,  was  about  $135,000. 
Besides  twelve  commodious  school  rooms  \A'ith 
their  appurtenances,  there  were  a  large  as- 
sembly room,  offices  for  the  board  of  educa- 
tion, the  superintendent  of  instruction,  the 
high  school  principal,  clerk  of  the  board, 
truant  officer,  etc.,  teachers'  parlor  and  rooms 
for  literary  societies,  library,  museum,  etc. 

When  first  occupied  the  new  building  con- 


190 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


tained,  besides  the  high  school,  a  consider- 
able number  of  upper  grade  grammar  school 
pupils,  but  it  was  not  long  until  the  entire 
building  was  required  for  the  high  school,  and 
provision  had  to  be  made  elsewhere  for  the 
grammar  school  pupils.  At  the  present  time 
(1907)  the  high  school  has  outgrown  the 
building,  and  a  large  addition  is  almost  com- 
pleted. 

Other  new  buildings  erected  in  this  period 
are  those  known  as  the  Grace,  the  Leggett 
and  the  Bryan. 

COURSE    OF    STUDY    CHANGED. 

Near  the  end  of  the  old  century  the  course 
of  study  in  the  high  school  was  restored  to 
a  four-years'  course.  This  was  done  in  re- 
sponse to  the  requirements  of  the  Ohio  Col- 
lege Association.  A  committee  of  college  men 
had  visited  the  high  schools  of  the  State,  and 
proposed  to  admit  to  college,  without  exami- 
nation, students  from  those  high  schools 
whose  course  of  study  and  teaching  were 
found  to  be  of  sufficiently  high  grade.  The 
Akron  high  school  was  thus  placed  in  the 
list  of  accredited  schools.  It  w^as  felt  that 
the  reduction  to  a  three-years'  course  had  ac- 
complished its  purpose  of  popularizing  the 
school  and  building  it  up  in  numbers. 

MANUAL    TRAINING. 

About  the  same  time  steps  were  taken  in 
the  direction  of  manual  training.  Special 
teachers  were  employed,  and  the  girls  received 
lessons  in  cooking  and  sewing,  and  the  boys, 
in  wood-working.  The  work  a.lo'ng  these 
lines  was  conducted  with  considerable  inter- 
est for  a  time,  but  the  interest  waned,  and  the 
work  was  discontinued,  with  a  view  to  being 
resumed  later  with  better  equipment. 

FREE  TEXT-BOOKS. 

Various  remedies  had  been  proposed  from 
time  to  time  for  the  evils  growing  out  of  the 
adoption  of  text-books  for  use  in  the  schools. 
It  was  even  propped  that  the  State    should 


secm'e  copyrights  and  jjublish  all  the  books 
necessary  to  supply  the  schools.  A  law  was 
enacted  requiring  boards  of  education  to  pur- 
chase the  books  at  wholesale  and  sell  them 
to  the  pupils  at  cost.  This  plan  was  followed 
in  the  Akron  schools  for  a  time,  but  it  had 
many  drawbacks,  and  was,  on  the  whole,  un- 
satisfactory. At  length,  a  law  was  passed 
granting  to  boards  of  education  the  option  of 
adopting  the  free  text-book  plan.  Akron  was 
among  the  first  to  adopt  the  plan :  First,  as 
applicable  to  all  grades  below  the  high  school. 
This  proving  satisfactory,  the  high  school  was 
subsequently  included,  so  that,  at  this  writ- 
ing, the  text-books  used  in  all  grades  of  the 
schools  are  purchased  and  held  as  the  prop- 
erty of  the  board  and  furnished  for  free  use 
by  the  pupils.  The  plan  has  decided  advan- 
tages, and  gives  general  satisfaction. 

EXAMINATIONS  AND  PROMOTIONS. 

There  seems  to  be  an  ebb  and  flow  in  the 
management  of  schools  as  in  most  human  af- 
fairs. There  was  a  time  when  it  seemed  that 
writtcin  examinations  might  prove  the  specific 
for  most  of  the  ailments  of  school  manage- 
ment. At  one  time  the  president  of  the 
Akron  board  of  education  suggested  the  sub- 
stitution of  written  examinations  for  the 
daily  recitation  in  all  grades  above  the  pri- 
mary. But  in  the  period  now  under  consid- 
eration, about  1890,  we  find  it  announced  a^ 
a  "valuable  advance,"  that  "formal  examina- 
tions for  promotion"  have  been  dispensed 
with,  that  promotions  are  made  on  the  rec- 
ommendation of  the  teachers  and  principals 
of  the  several  schools,  and  that  "the  plan  has 
so  far  worked  most  admirably."  The  pendu- 
lum has  since  swung  back.  Examinations 
.still  have  a  place  in  the  Akron  schools. 

NORMAL    SCHOOL. 

The  supply  of  qualified  teachers  for  the 
schools  has  continued  to  engage  the  attention 
of  school  officials  through  all  the  years.  Al- 
most every  conceivable  expedient  has  been 
tried   for  providing    the    necessary    training 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


19] 


without  undue  expense.  One  of  the  latest  ex- 
periments was  the  employment  of  one  student 
teacher  for  each  building  to  be  in  daily  at- 
tendance, and  to  act  as  substitute  in  ca.«e  of  the 
absence  of  a  regular  teacher,  from  sickness  or 
other  cause.  At  length,  in  1896,  a  normal 
training  department  of  the  city  schools  was 
established.  A  two-years'  course  of  study  was 
prescribed,  with  practice  under  a  critic 
teacher.  The  school  was  a  success  from  the 
start.  It  wa.s  not  long  after  the  opening  of 
the  school,  when  twenty-five  of  its  graduates 
were  emploj'ed  as  teachers  in  the  schools 
within  a  single  year.  This  is  undoubtedly 
a  wise  measure — one  having  in  it  much  of 
promise  to  the  schools  of  the  city. 

TRUANT    OFFICER. 

About  this  time  a  law  was  passed  requir- 
ing compulsory  attendance  at  school.  The 
taxpayers'  money  was  forcibly  taken  to  main- 
tain schools  for  the  education  of  the  children. 
It  is  right  to  see  that  the  end  sought  be  not 
defeated  by  the  indifference  or  waywardness 
of  the  children,  or  the  negligence  or  cupidity 
of  their  parents.  Of  necessity  there  must  be 
a  tniant  officer  to  enforce  the  law.  Perhaps 
the  following  report  of  that  officer  for  a  year 
will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  working  of  the 
law : 

Visits  made  at  schools 473 

Visits  made  at  homes   1450 

Pupils  sent  for    1323 

Absentees  brought  to  school 170 

Truants    apprehended    and    brought    to 

school    54 

Pupils  under  14  caused  to  attend  school .    162 
Pupils  between  14  and  16  caused  to  at- 
tend school    33 

Notices  served  on  parents 223 

Pupils  excused  on  physician's  certificate.      39 

Pupils  moved  from  the  city 101 

Reported  to  poor  director  for  shoes 231 

Reported  to  poor  director  for  clothing.  .      54 
Pupils  withdrawn  and  engaged  at  regu- 
lar employment  169 

Pupils  under  14  caused  to  be  discharged 
from  shops  and  sent  to  school 64 


Pupils  brought  before  the  mayor 24 

Parents  prosecuted 21 

Pupils  sent  to  reform  school 4 

Notices  served  on  truants 79 

Dealers  prosecuted  and  fined    for   selling 

cigarettes  and  tobacco  to  minors. ...  3 
Children   placed   in    charitable    institu- 
tions    37 


WOMEN    AS    SCHOOL    DIRECTORS. 

About  1895  a  law  was  passed  authorizing 
women  to  vote  at  school  elections  and  to  hold 
any  school  office,  except  that  of  State  Com- 
missioner of  Common  Schools.  At  the  first 
election  following  this  enactment  a  consid- 
erable number  of  Akron  women  registered  as 
voters  and  ca.st  their  ballots,  and  two  women 
were  regularly  nominated  and  elected  mem- 
bers of  the  board  of  education,  namely,  Mrs. 
Miner  Allen  and  Mrs.  0.  L.  Sadler.  They 
were  representative  women,  well  qualified  for 
the  duties  of  the  office.  Mrs.  Allen  had 
taught  in  the  schools  for  several  years  quite 
successfully.  Both  women  served  faithfully 
and  efficiently  for  the  full  term  of  two  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time,  Mrs.  Sadler  declined 
to  be  a  candidate  for  re-election.  Mrs.  Allen 
was  renominated,  but  lacked  a  few  votes  of 
re-election.  Since  that  time,  no  woman's 
name  has  been  presented  as  a  candidate  for 
the  office,  and  few  women  have  claimed  the 
privilege  of  voting.  Interest  in  the  move- 
ment seems  to  have  died  a  natural  death. 


HIGH    SCHOOL    GRADUATES. 

In  this  period,  pupils  were  graduated  from 
the  high  school  as  follows: 

1884    35  1891    69 

1885    49  1892    74 

1886    56  1893    72 

1887    59  1894    85 

1888    62  1895    107 

1889    48  1896    75 

1890    65  1897    62 


192 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COX' XT Y 


Total  in  Superintendent  Fraunfelter's 

term     918 

Total  from  the  beginning 1222 

Total  number  of  teachers  employed  in 
all  the  schools  in  1897,  including 
principals  and  special  teachers 137 

Total  number  of  pupils  enrolled  in  all 
departments  for  year  1890-1901 ....    5283 

Total  expenditures  for  year  1890-1901, 
including  $25,000  for  a  new 
building    $11 1,581 

SUPPLEMENT.\RY    READING     M.\TTER. 

A  feature  of  Superintendent  Fraunfelter's 
administration  deserving  of  .special  mention 
was  the  supplying  of  every  grade  below  the 
high  school  and  above  the  lower  primary 
grades,  with  suitable  reading  matter,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  regular  reader  of  the  grade ;  .-o 
that  each  pupil  in  every  half-year  grade  had 
from  two  to  four  good  books  to  be  read  in 
class,  under  the  teacher's  direction  and  in- 
struction— books  of  story,  travel,  biography, 
general  literature,  etc.  This  was  a  great 
gain.  Something  in  this  direction  had  been 
attempted  in  previous  years,  by  inducing  pu- 
pils to  subscribe  for  children's  and  youth's 
magazines.  But  this  was  only  partially  suc- 
cessful. There  was  great  gain  when  the  board 
purchased  well  diosen  books  in  quantity,  and 
lent  them  to  the  pupils  without  cost. 

Through  the  stimulus  of  interest  and  infor- 
mation, the  pupils  more  readily  gained  the 
ability  to  read  independently  and  fluently. 
They  acquired  much  useful  information.  But 
above  all,  by  being  introduced  to  good  au- 
thors, many  learned  to  love  good  reading  and 
laid  the  foundation  of  a  taste  for  the  best  in 
literature. 

SUPERINTENDENT     R.     5.     THOMAS. 

On  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Fraunfelter,  Mr. 
R.  S.  Thomas  was  called  from  the  superin- 
tendency  of  the  public  schools  of  Warren. 
Ohio,   to   take   charge   of  the   Akron   schools. 


He  took  up  the  work  in  September,  1897,  and 
held  the  position  for  three  years. 

NIGHT    SCHOOLS. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  night  schools 
were  established  for  the  benefit  of  youth  of 
school  age  whose  circumstances  would  not  al- 
low their  attendance  at  the  regular  daily  ses- 
sions of  the  schools,  but  who  yet  desired  to 
gain  some  education.  In  some  cases,  foreign- 
ers embraced  this  opportunity  of  gaining  a 
knowledge  and  use  of  our  language.  Me- 
chanical drawing  was  sometimes  taught  in 
these  .schools,  but  students  usually  paid  for 
their  tuition  in  this  subject. 

TRANSITION  SCHOOLS. 

A  movement  looking  in  the  direction  of 
kindergartens  was  started  under  Mr.  Thomas' 
superintendency.  Schools  known  as  "transi- 
tion schools"  were  organized  in  some  of  the 
buildings.  Into  these  were  admitted  children 
between  the  ages  of  five  and  six  years,  for 
whom  instruction  was  provided  which  par- 
took more  or  less  of  the  nature  of  kindergar- 
ten exercises,  designed  to  mark  the  transition 
between  the  home  and  the  school.  These 
seemed  to  serve  a  good  purpose,  and,  in  a 
short  time,  very  naturally  grew  into  fully 
equipped  kindergartens. 

GETTING   OUT    OF   THE   RUTS. 

A  feature  of  this  period  was  an  effort  to 
do  things  in  another  way,  to  avoid  monotony. 
to  keep  out  of  the  ruts.  There  was  also  a 
slaekening  of  the  tension,  a  le.<s  rigid  adher- 
ence to  classification  and  course  of  study,  and 
an  attempt  at  greater  lil>erty  and  originality 
in  the  teaching.  There  was  .seeming  good  in 
the  end  sought,  but  the  inevitable  tendency 
was  to  confusion  and  slackne.=s.  The  suc- 
ceeding administration  found  readjustment, 
and  the  restoration  of  former  conditions  in 
large  measure,  essential  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  schools. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


193 


HIGH  SCHOOL  GRADUATES. 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  considerable 
falling  off  in  the  number  of  graduates  in  the 
three  yeare  of  Mr.  Thomas'  administration. 
It  is  noticeable,  too,  that  the  records  contain 
no  mention  of  mid-year  graduation.  A  good 
class  was  graduated  at  the  end  of  each  half- 
yeafl',  from  1886  to  1897.  Why  the  practice 
of  mid-year  graduation  was  intermitted  in 
these  three  years,  does  not  appear.  The  rec- 
ords show  the  following  graduations: 

In  June,  1898   30 

In  June,  1899    24 

In  June.  1900   18 

The  falling  off  may  be  accounted  for  in 
part  by  the  change  from  a  three-year  to  a 
four-year  course  of  study. 

Mr.  E.  H.  Birney  succeeded  Mr.  Rood  in 
the  principalship  of  the  high  school,  and  held 
the  position  for  two  years. 

THE    SUPERINTENDENCY    OF    DR.    H.    V.    HOTCH- 
KISS. 

It  was  in  the  last  year  of  the  old  century 
that  Dr.  H.  V.  Hotchki-ss  was  called  from 
the  superintendency  of  the  schools  of  Mead- 
ville,  Pennsylvania,  to  take  charge  of  the 
Akron  schools.  His  work  in  Akron  began  in 
September  of  that  year.  This  work,  for  con- 
siderable time,  consisted,  in  large  measure,  of 
reconstniction  and  reorganization.  Many  va- 
cancies in  the  teaching  force  had  to  be  filled, 
among  them  the  principalship  of  the  high 
school  and  one  other  principalship.  Territory 
recently  annexed  to  the  city  had  to  be  dis- 
tricted, and  the  pupils  a-s-^igned  and  classified. 
An  elaborate  syllabus  of  instruction  had  been 
prepared  and  printed  in  1897;  but  ver>^  little 
attempt  was  made  at  any  time  to  follow  it, 
and  at  length  it  was  wholly  ignored.  Confu- 
sion reigned  in  all  the  grades,  but  espe- 
cially in  the  high  school.  The  labor  involved 
in  bringing  order  out  of  this  confusion  ^\-as 
very  perplexing  and  very  great.  But  it  was 
soon    manifest  that  the  new   superintendent 


and  his  helpers  understood  their  business. 
Order  was  at  length  restored,  and  the  schools, 
in  every  department,  have  ever  since  contin- 
ued to  run  smoothly  and  prosperously. 

STATUS   IN   1901. 

These  statistics,  gleaned  from  the  annual 
report  for  the  year  ending  August  31,  1901, 
give  a  fair  view  of  conditions  then  existing: 

Total  expenditures  (including 
building  and  grounds,  and 
bonds  redeemed,  $83,643.97)     $249,471.68 

Enumeration   of   school   youth 11,877 

Average  monthly  enrollment 7,361 

Average  monthly  enrollment  in  high 

school    698 

Whole  number  teachers  employed  .  .  .  190 
High  school  teachers — 'men  9,  women 

13,  total    22 

Teachers  in  elementary  schools — men 

13,  women  155,  total 168 

High  School  graduates — boys  19,  girls 

21,  total    40 

Number  of  Kindergartens 8 

Kindergarten  children  enrolled   240 

COURSE    OF    STUDY. 

A  large  share  of  space  in  the  report  is 
devoted  to  the  course  of  study — a  discussion 
of  the  advantages  in  a  large  system  of  schools, 
of  a  clearly  defined  published  course,  and  its 
underlying  principles.  Four  courses  of  study 
are  prescribed  for  the  high  school,  namely, 
the  Latin  course,  the  Gennan  course,  the 
business  course,  and  the  manual  training 
course.  These  courses  are  printed  side  by 
side,  with  directions  and  suggestions  to  aid 
parents  and  pupils  in  making  choice  of  the 
course  to  be  pursued. 

The  same  subject  is  continued  in  the  report 
for  the  next  year,  more  especially  with  refer- 
ence to  the  schools  below  the  high  school. 
The  "course  of  study  and  manuals  of  instruc- 
tion" provided  "outlines  the  work  to  be  done, 
and  enumerates  many  of  the  principles,  laws 


194 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  methods  by  which  it  is  to  be  accom- 
plished." In  the  weekly  teachers'  meetings, 
conducted  by  the  principals  in  the  several 
buildings,  a  considerable  portion  of  the  time 
is  spent  in  a  critical  study  of  the  provisions 
of  the  course  of  study.  Grade  meetings  are 
also  conducted  by  the  superintendent,  in 
which  the  aim  is  to  make  clear  and  familiar 
to  the  teachers  the  prescribed  work  grade  by 
grade — the  aim  and  purpose  of  all  which  is 
to  make  txue  artists  of  the  teachers. 

ORGANIZATION    FOR   EFFICIENCY. 

From  the  annual  report  for  the  year  ending 
August  31,  1902,  it  is  learned  that  the  su- 
perintendent gave  much  consideration  to  the 
perfecting  of  the  organization  of  the  schools 
in  every  department,  to  the  end  that  the 
highest  efficiency  may  be  attained  with  the 
least  expenditure  of  money  and  effort.  With 
a  million  dollars  invested  in  school  buildings 
and  their  furnishing  and  equipment,  and  the 
annual  expenditure  of  one-fourth  of  a  mil- 
lion dollars  on  account  of  the  schools,  or 
thirteen  hundred  dollars  for  every  school  day, 
or  more  than  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
dollars  for  every  hour  of  every  school  day, 
the  necessity  for  the  best  organization  of  all 
the  forces  is  apparent  from  a  financial  stand- 
point. The  superintendent  thus  presents  the 
moral  phase: 

"The  element  of  organization  is  a  miglity  factor 
In  rendering  school  management  effective  for  the 
moral  training  of  the  pupils  who  come  under  its 
influence.  A  system  of  schools  which  insists  that 
pupils  attend  school  every  session;  that  they  he 
punctual  at  all  exercises;  that  they  conduct  them- 
selves in  an  orderly  and  quiet  manner  in  coming 
and  going;  that  they  restrain  themselves  from 
whispering,  and  thereby  disturbing  others;  that 
they  be  considerate  of  the  rights  and  privileges  of 
others;  that  they  be  respectful,  not  only  toward 
teacher,  but  toward  fellow-pupils  as  well;  that 'they 
be  industrious,  accurate,  neat  and  painstaking — 
such  a  system,  it  thoroughly  organized  and  strictly 
administered  during  the  six  to  twelve  years  of 
the  school  life  of  the  child,  when  habits  are 
formed,  will  go  a  long  way  toward  the  develop- 
ment of  those  habits  of  conduct  which  constitute 
the  basis  of  good  citizenship   in  the  republic." 

As  examples  of  this  organization  for  effi- 


ciency the  following  are  given  in  the  report: 
"Upon  the  last  day  of  the  school  year,  every 
teacher  in  the  city  knows  just  where  she  will 
Work  during  the  next  school  year;  what  grade  or 
grades  of  pupils  she  will  teach;  the  number  of 
pupils  in  her  room,  barring  transfers  and  with- 
drawals, and  the  names  of  those  pupils.  Every 
pupil  is  told  just  what  his  work  will  be  next  term. 
In  every  school  room  are  placed  the  books  and 
supplies  necessary  for  the  use  of  the  teacher  and 
pupils  at  the  opening  of  the  term  in  September. 
The  course  of  study  tells  each  teacher  what  her 
class  has  done,  and  what  they  are  expected  to 
do  within  the  term  that  they  are  to  be  under 
her  instruction.  '  She  will  be  able,  therefore,  to 
plan  her  work  so  that  within  ten  minutes  from 
the  opening  of  school  upon  the  first  day  every 
pupil  shall  be  at  work  upon  lessons  that  are  to 
be  learned  by  him  within  the  term." 

"The  present  system  of  ordering  and  distribut- 
ing stationery  supplies  is  also  a  great  saver 
of  time,  money  and  labor.  Early  in  June,  the  su- 
perintendent makes  a  sheet,  stating  in  tabular 
form  the  quantity  of  each  kind  of  supplies  needed 
for  each  building  in  the  city.  These  aggregates 
are  combined  in  a  circular  letter  asking  for  bids. 
These  letters  are  sent  to  manufacturers,  jobbers, 
and  dealers  all  over  the  eastern  part  of  our  coun- 
try. Early  in  June  the  bids  which  have  been  re- 
ceived, are  opened  and  tabulated,  and  the  contracts 
for  furnishing  the  several  kinds  of  supplies  are 
let  to  the  lowest  and  best  bidders.  The  result  is 
that  we  are  buying  our  stationery  supplies  as 
cheaply,  probably,  as  any  dealer  in  the  country, 
and  very  much  more  cheaply  than  most  school  dis- 
tricts can  buy  them.  When  the  contracts  have  been 
let,  the  orders  are  placed  In  such  a  way  that  the 
shipper  packs  the  goods  in  separate  bundles,  mark- 
ing each  bundle  to  the  building  to  which  it  Is  to 
be  delivered.  In  this  way,  the  supplies  are  de- 
livered directly  from  the  factory  to  the  school 
buildings  where  they  are  to  be  consumed;  there- 
by saving  the  labor,  time  and  expense  of  much 
handling." 


FREE  TEXT-BOOKS  AND   SCHOOL  SUPPLIES. 

Reference  is  made  elsewhere  to  the  sub- 
ject of  free  text-books.  In  January,  1901, 
the  Board  of  Education  entered  completely 
upon  the  plan  of  furnishing  all  textrbooks 
and  school  supplies  free  to  the  children  in  ele- 
mentary schools.  Beginning  with  the  school 
year  1905-06,  the  free  text-book  system  was 
extended  to  the  high  school.  Thereafter, 
everything  needed  by  the  child  to  pursue  his 
siudies  in  any  of  the  public  schools  of  the  city 
was  furnished  free. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


195 


DUTIES  OF  THE  PRINCIPALS. 

Under  the  superintendency  of  Dr.  Hotch- 
kiss,  all  the  principals  were  relieved  from 
the  duty  of  supervising  and  teaching  separate 
school  rooms  as  regular  teachers.  It  did  not 
seem  wise,  as  a  business  enterprise,  to  employ 
men  and  women  as  principals  at  principals' 
salaries,  and  then  confine  them  to  separate, 
single  school  rooms  and  require  them  to  per- 
form the  work  of  the  grade  teacher,  which 
ought  to  be  performed  for  the  salary  of  such 
a  teacher.  Principals  are  expected  to  teach 
almost  constantly.  Their  work,  however,  is 
to  be  with  teachers,  with  small  groups  of 
pupils,  and  occasionally  with  schools.  Each 
principal  is  held  responsible  for  the  progress, 
not  only  of  his  schools  as  a  whole,  but  of 
the  individuals  in  them.  If  there  is  a  single 
pupil,  or  a  small  group  of  pupils  in  any 
grade,  especially  strong  and  capable  of  mov- 
ing forward  into  the  next  grade  with  a  little 
wise  help,  it  is  the  principal's  business  to  give 
such  help  and  to  make  such  promotion.  If 
there  are  individual  pupils,  or  small  groups 
of  pupils,  who  find  the  work  a  little  too  diffi- 
cult, but  who  might,  with  some  individual 
help  of  the  right  kind,  at  the  right  time, 
maintain  their  positions  in  the  several  grades, 
it  is  the  principal's  business  to  ascertain  that 
fact  and  to  .give  the  help  needed. 

KINDERGARTENS. 

The  kindergartens,  fifteen  in  number,  are 
now  as  much  a  part  of  the  city  school  system 
as  any  other  school.  They  constitute  the  con- 
necting link  between  the  home  and  the  pri- 
mary school.  It  has  been  the  fault  of  many 
advocates  of  the  kindergarten  to  seek  to  pre- 
serve the  mysticism  and  symbolism  of  its 
founders  and  early  exponents,  and  to  claim 
for  it  a  special  and  mysterious  merit.  The 
later  tendency  is  to  modernize  and  American- 
ize the  kindergarten,  bringing  it  into  closer 
touch  with  the  work  of  the  primary  school. 
The  Akron  kindergartens  have  been  consider- 
ably modified  since  thev  were  first  made  a 


part  of  the  city  school  system;  and  the  ten- 
dency is  in  the  direction  of  still  further  modi- 
fication, to  bring  them  more  completely  into 
harmony  with  the  school  system  of  which 
they  are  a  part. 

THli  NORMAL  SCHOOL. 

The  course  of  study  and  training  extends 
through  two  years.  "In  the  first  year  the 
students  study  educational  psychology  with 
special  reference  to  the  science  and  art  of 
teaching;  the  general  principles,  laws  and 
methods  of  teaching,  or  those  principles,  laws 
and  methods  which  govern  all  teaching  pro- 
cesses; special  methods  of  teaching  all  the 
several  common  English  branches;  the  his- 
tory of  education.  During  the  second  year 
of  the  course  the  .student  teachers  continue 
their  study  of  methods  and  principles  of 
teaching  and  apply  them  in  actual  teaching. 
Four  schools  of  four  different  grades  are 
taught  by  the  student  teachers,  under  the 
constant  direction,  aid  and  criticism  of  two 
expert  teachers  known  as  critic  teachers.  By 
this  arrangement  of  the  normal  course,  one 
year  is  given  to  the  theory  of  teaching  and 
one  year  to  the  practice  of  that  theory  in 
actual  teaching  under  expert  direction  and 
criticism.  The  results  of  the  training  given 
young  women  in  the  normal  school  have  been 
satisfactory  in  a  high  degree.  Young  women, 
after  completing  the  course  in  the  normaJ 
school,  know  not  only  what  it  is  to  teach 
school,  but  how  to  teach  school.  In  short, 
most  of  them  are  good  teachers. 

"The  normal  school  is  a  blessing  to  those 
young  women  of  the  city  who  -uash  to  be- 
come teachers;  for  by  it  any  graduate  of  the 
high  school,  without  expense,  is  enabled  to 
get  as  good  professional  training  as  is  given 
in  the  first  class  normal  schools  of  the 
country." 

The  normal  school  is  maintained  and  op- 
erated without  additional  expense  to  the  city. 
It  is  true  that  two  critic  teachers  are  em- 
ployed at  a  higher  salary  than  that  paid  to 
the  regular  teachers  in  the  grades,  but  with 


196 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


these  two  critic  teachers  and  the  student 
teachers  in  training,  the  city  is  able  to  care 
for  four  schools,  for  which  it  would  be  nec- 
essary to  employ  four  teachers  at  the  salaries 
provided  for  by  the  schedule  of  salaries. 

The  superintendent  maintains  that  there  is 
no  course  of  study  of  two  years'  duration  that 
any  young  woman  who  has  graduated  from 
the  high  school  could  take  that  would  do  her 
more  good  as  a  means  of  broad  culture  than 
the  normal  school  course,  even  though  she 
were  never  to  teach  a  day  after  graduation 
from  the  normal  school. 

HIGH   SCHOOL   READJUSTMENT. 

The  High  School,  some  time  since,  out- 
grew its  building.  In  1906,  the  Board  pro- 
vided for  the  erection  of  an  annex.  This 
annex  is  expected  to  afford  additional  room 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  increased  at- 
tendance in  the  high  school,  as  well  as  facili- 
ties for  physical  training  in  the  gymna.sium ; 
manual  training  for  the  boys;  domestic 
science  and  ai"t  for  the  girls,  and  shorthand 
and  typewriting  for  those  pupils  taking  the 
commercial  coui-se. 

The  courses  of  study  in  the  high  school 
were  changed  in  April,  1907,  to  conform  to 
the  provisions  in  the  new  annex.  The  new 
courses  are  four — the  Latin,  the  German,  the 
commercial  and  the  manual  training.  Ac- 
cording to  the  revi.?ed  courses,  all  boys,  as  a 
part  of  their  first  year's  work,  will  take  car- 
pentry three  double  periods  per  week,  and 
drawing  two  double  periods  per  week;  all 
girls  will  take  cooking  and  sewing  three  dou- 
ble periods  per  week,  and  drawing  two  double 
periods  per  week.  At  the  end  of  the  first 
year,  all  boys  in  the  courses  offering  the  Ger- 
man language,  will  have  an  opportunity  to 
decide  whether  they  will  take  the  manual 
training  course,  or  one  of  the  other  two 
courses. 

The  manual  training  course  is  planned  to 
give  the  boys  who  take  it  a  thorough  high 
school  education  in  the  German  language  and 
literature,  natural  sciences,  mathematics  and 


history,  and,  in  addition,  to  give  them  the 
elements  of  all  of  a  half-dozen  different 
trades.  It  is  believed  that  at  the  completion 
of  the  manual  training  course,  boys  will  have 
sufficient  skill  to  secure  credit  for  from  two  to 
three  yeai"s  upon  an  apprenticeship  in  any 
one  of  a  half<lozen  trades. 

NEW    BUILDINGS. 

Since  1900,  new  schoolhouses  have  been 
completed  as  follows:  The  Perkins  normal 
school  building,  in  1901 ;  the  Miller  school, 
in  1901 ;  the  Lane  school,  in  1903 ;  the 
Fraunfelter  school,  in  January,  1905;  the 
Samuel  Findley  school,  in  1906 ;  the  high 
.school  annex,  in  1907. 

Present  Status  (1907). 

Board  of  Education  consists  of  seven  mem- 
bers. 

Number  of  school  buildings 17 

Total  enrollment  of  pupils 9425 

Number  of  teachers  employed  235 

High  school  enrollment   961 

Teachers  in  high  school   25 

Total  number  of  high  school  graduates 

(including  class  of  June,  1907) 1790 

PAROCHIAL  SCHOOLS. 

ZION's  EVAXGELICAL  LUTHERAN. 

Zion's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  sit- 
uated on  South  High  Street,  has  maintained 
its  own  palish  school  almost  from  its  organi- 
zation. When  the  congregation  was  small, 
the  pastor  was  also  the  parish  teacher.  At 
the  present  time,  there  is  an  enrollment  of 
200  pupils  in  three  departments,  taught  by 
three  male  teachers,  whose  salai'ies  range 
from  $500  to  $600.  The  expense  is  borne  by 
the  parish.  A  small  tuition  fee  is  charged, 
the  amount  thus  raised  being  .supplemented 
by  suliscriptions  as  for  other  parish  expenses. 
The  branches  taught  are:  Religion  (cate- 
chism and  Bible  lessons  in  German) ;  Read- 
ing (German  and  English)  ;  Vocal  Music; 
Grammar  (German  and  English)  ;  Arithme- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


197 


tic  (mostly  in  English)  ;  Composition  (Ger- 
man and  English)  ;  Penmanship;  Geography 
and  U.  S.  History  (in  English).  The  chil- 
dren of  the  congregation  attend  the  parish 
school  from  their  sixth  or  seventh  year  until 
the  age  of  fourteen,  when  they  are  given  a 
certificate  of  scholarship,  and  may  then  enter 
the  public  schools  for  a  higher  education.  In 
their  fourteenth  year,  they  are  confirmed  and 
become  full  members  of  the  church. 

German  Lutherans  believe  in  an  education 
for  their  children  that  will  train  not  only 
the  mind,  but  the  heart  and  conscience  as 
well.  The  public  school  deals  with  the  minds 
of  the  children,  inculcates  patriotism,  and 
prepares  for  American  citizenship,  and,  for 
these  ends,  may  be  sufficient ;  but  it  is  outside 
the  sphere  of  the  State  to  inculcate  the  teach- 
ings of  scripture  pertaining  to  the  soul's  sal- 
vation. It  is  not  the  function  of  the  public 
school  to  teach  the  Christian  creed,  the  ten 
commandments,  the  rites  of  baptism  and  the 
Lord's  supper.  To  do  these  things  is  the 
sacred  duty  of  Christian  parents  and  the 
Christian  church.  And  German  Lutherans 
believe  these  obligations  are  best  fulfilled  by 
the  parochial  school,  and  they  are  ready  to 
make  any  sacrifice  to  maintain  it.  They  ask 
and  expect  no  aid  from  the  public  school 
fund.  It  is  not  the  duty  of  the  State  to  sup- 
port parochial  schools.  That  sacred  obliga- 
tion devolves  upon  Christian  parents  and  the 
Christian  church. 

CATHOLIC   SCHOOLS. 

The  parish  school  of  St.  Vincent  De  Paul's 
Catholic  Church  was  established  in  1853,  in  a 
small  frame  building  on  Green  Street.  It  was 
removed  to  the  fine  two-story  brick  building 
on  Maple  Street  in  1893.  This  building  con- 
tains seven  school  rooms,  in  which  are  en- 
rolled about  300  pupils.  Besides  religious  in- 
struction in  all  the  grades,  the  course  of  study 
includes  the  branches  usually  taught  in  the 
public  schools,  the  course  for  the  highest 
grade  including  the  usual  high  school 
branches,  such  as  algebra,  geometry.  Latin, 
rhetoric,  etc. 


St.  Mary's  branch  of  this  church  erected  70 
buildings  on  South  Main  Street  and  organized 
pai'ish  schools  in  1887.  There  are  now  about 
300  pupils  in  attendance,  and  a  corps  of  six 
teachers.  The  course  of  study  is  identical 
with  that  pursued  at  St.  Vincent's  school. 

St.  Bernard's  Parochial  School,  situated  on 
the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Center  Streets, 
was  built  in  1887.  Prior  to  this  period  school 
was  taught  for  some  years  in  a  small  house 
adjoining  the  old  St.  Bernard's  Church,  and 
later  four  large  rooms  in  the  basement  of  said 
church  were  used  for  school  purposes. 

The  present  building  is  a  brick  structure 
and  contains  eight  large  classrooms  and  a 
spacious  auditorium.  "The  cost  of  building, 
equipments,  etc.,  is  estimated  at  $50,000.  Un- 
til 1893,  St.  Bernard's  School  was  taught  by 
the  Sistere  of  Notre  Dame.  Since  then  the 
school  is  in  charge  of  the  Sisters  of  St.  Domi- 
nic. There  are  475  pupils  in  attendance, 
ranging  in  age  from  6  to  15  years.  The 
school  is  divided  into  primarj'  and  grammar 
departments  and  a  senior  grade.  The 
branches  taught  are:  Reading,  arithmetic, 
orthography,  penmanship,  composition,  lan- 
guage, English  grammar,  geography,  United 
States  history,  Bible  and  church  history, 
physiology,  algebra,  civil  government,  ele- 
ments of  geometry,  elementary  bookkeeping, 
business  correspondence. 

German  reading  and  writing  is  taught  in 
all  the  grades.  All  pupils  are  required  to 
study  the  Catechism  of  Christian  doctrine, 
though  they  are  at  liberty  to  choose  to  take 
this  branch  in  either  language. 

No  tuition  is  required  from  pupils  belong- 
ing to  the  parish ;  but  parents  are  expected  to 
furnish  the  books. 

All  pupils  who  have  completed  the  Senior 
grade  are  awarded  a  diploma  of  graduation. 
This  school  aims  at  the  Christian  training  of 
youth,  not  only  offering  them  every  opportu- 
nity for  obtaining  a  good  and  solid  educa- 
tion in  all  the  common  English  branches,  but 
endeavoring  mainly  to  develop  those  nobis 
traits  of  Chri.stian  manhood  and  womanhood 


198 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


which  constitute  the  high  distinction  of  the 
lionored  Catholic  citizen. 

The  Sacred  Heart  Academy,  on  South 
Broadway,  conducted  by  the  Sisters  of  St. 
Dominic,  was  began  in  1904.  The  Academy 
has  four  departments:  Primary,  Grammar, 
Commercial  and  Academic.  The.se  depart- 
ments embrace  all  the  branches  of  a  thorough 
practical  education.  The  commercial  course, 
coveiing  two  years,  includes  reading  and 
spelling,  commercial  arithmetic,  commercial 
law,  penmanship,  business  correspondence, 
bookkeeping,  stenography,  typewriting  and 
English  grammar. 

Tuition  includes  Latin,  German,  needle 
work  and  embroidery.  The  Academy  affords 
ample  facilities  to  students  who  desire  to  de- 
vote particular  attention  to  the  study  of  mu- 
sic, drai\'ing  and  painting.  Special  attention 
is  given  to  drawing,  crayon  and  pastel,  oil 
painting,  china  decoration,  and  tapestry 
painting. 

Difference  in  creed  or  religious  belief  is  no 
bar  to  the  admission  of  any  pupil  who  is  will- 
ing to  conform  to  the  lailcs  of  the  institution. 

■WESTERN   RESERVE  COLLEGE. 

At  the  time  of  tbe  adoption  of  the  "Articles 
of  Confederation,"  when  the  States  ceded  their 
lands  northwest  of  the  Ohio  River  to  the  gen- 
eral government,  Connecticut  reserved  that 
portion  of  her  territory  lying  next  west  of 
Pennsylvania,  forty  leagues  in  length.  This 
tract  has  since  been  known  as  the  Connecticut 
Western  Reserve.  On  this  tract.  Western  Re- 
serve College  was  established  by  its  early  set- 
tlers for  the  promotion  of  sound  learning  and 
religion  in  their  midst,  and  to  extend  their 
good  influences  over  the  new  country  to  the 
south  and  west. 

The  first  movement  toward  the  founding 
of  a  college  on  the  Western  Reserve  was  made 
in  1801,  when  a  petition  for  a  charter  was 
.sent  to  the  territorial  legislature,  numerously 
signed  by  the  settlers  and  by  many  of  the 
landowners  residing  in  Connecticut.  The 
prayer  of  the  petitioners  was  not  granted  at 


that  time.  In  1803,  after  the  admission  of 
Ohio  into  the  Union  as  a  State,  the  petition 
was  renewed  and  a  charter  was  granted  to  the 
"Erie  Literary  Society"  with  full  college 
powers.  Under  this  charter,  an  academy  was 
opened  at  Burton  in  1806,  with  the  expecta- 
tion that  it  should  be  expanded  into  a  college 
as  fast  as  circumstances  would  warrant. 

In  1822,  the  Grand  River  and  Portage 
presbyteries  undertook  to  raise  a  fund  to  aid 
young  men  in  preparing  for  the  Christian 
ministry,  and  placed  this  fund  in  the  hands 
of  a  board  of  managers.  These  managers, 
under  direction  of  their  presbyteries,  entered 
into  a  compact  with  the  trustees  of  the  Erie 
Literary  Society,  whereby  a  theological  de- 
partment was  to  be  added  to  the  academy  at 
Burton.  This  arrangement,  after  trial,  prov- 
ing unsatisfactory,  the  connection  was  dis- 
solved in  1824,  and  the  managers  at  once 
began  efforts  to  establish  a  college  elsewhere. 
The  academy  at  Burton  continued  under  its 
charter  until  1834,  when  it  ceased  to  exist  as 
a  chartered  school.  Eleven  hundred  and 
thirty  a(?res  of  land  donated  to  the  Literary 
Society  by  William  Law,  of  Connecticut,  in 
1806,  on  condition  that  the  college  be  estab- 
lished and  continue  at  Burton,  reverted  to 
his  heirs  in  1841. 

The  pi'esbyteries,  reinforced  by  the  addition 
of  the  new  presbytery  of  Hui"on,  appointed 
four  commi.s.sioners  each,  to  locate  the  new 
college,  directing  them  to  "take  into  view  all 
circumstances  of  situation,  moral  character, 
facility  of  communication,  donations,  health, 
etc."  The  town  of  Hudson  was  selected  as 
combining  the  greatest  advantages,  the  peo- 
ple of  the  town  subscribing  $7,1  nO  to  secure 
the  location,  besides  the  donation  by  Mr. 
David  Hudson  of  160  acres  of  land  for  a 
campus. 

The  date  borne  by  the  charter  is  Febniary 
7,  1826.  The  corporators  were  George  Swift 
and  Zalmon  Fitch,  of  Tnimbull  County; 
Caleb  Pitkin,  Elizur  Wright,  John  Seward, 
jr.,  Benjamin  Fenn,  .Joshua  B.  Sherwood  and 
David  Hudson,  of  Portage  Countv;  Stephen 
T.  Bradstreet  and  Simeon  Woodruff,  of  Cuva- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


199 


hoga  County;  Henry  Brown  and  Harmon 
Kingsbury,  of  Lorain  County — all  ministers 
own  members  of  the  Presbyterian  or  the  Con- 
gregational Church.  These  twelve  men  con- 
stituted the  Board  of  Trustees,  a  close  cor- 
poration with  full  power. 

The  objects  proposed  by  the  founders  were 
"to  educate  pious  young  men  as  pa.stors  for 
our  destitute  churches,"  "to  preserve  the  pres- 
ent literary  and  religious  character  of  the 
State  and  redeem'  it  from  future  decline,"  "to 
prepare  competent  men  to  fill  the  cabinet,  the 
bench,  the  bar,  and  the  pulpit." 

The  clergymen  among  the  founders  were, 
most  of  them,  graduates  of  Yale  College,  the 
others,  of  Williams  and  Dartmouth ;  the  lay- 
men were  from  Connecticut,  reared  under  the 
shadow  of  Yale.  It  thus  came  about  that 
these  famous  colleges  were  the  models  upon 
which  Western  Reserve  College  was  con- 
structed. 

The  trustees  held  their  first  meeting  in  the 
township  of  Hudson,  on  the  fii-st  Wednesday 
of  March,  1S26,  as  provided  in  the  charter, 
took  immediate  steps  for  the  erection  of  a 
college  building,  and  before  the  close  of  the 
year,  organized  a  freshman  class. 

When  the  college  started,  its  entire  re- 
sources were  only  about  $10,000,  contributed 
mostly  in  small  sums,  by  numerous  donors. 
Its  sole  dependence  for  the  means  of  support 
and  growth  was  the  liberality  and  devotion  of 
the  friends  of  religion  and  learning  in  the 
new  settlements,  and  in  the  older  States  from 
which  the  people  here  had  come. 

The  college  received  no  aid  at  any  time 
from  the  government,  either  State  or  na- 
tional, in  any  form,  except  a  partial  release 
from  taxation.  With  the  exception  of  $13,000 
received  in  the  years  1845  to  1848,  from  "The 
Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Collegiate  and 
Theological  Education  at  the  West,"  its  funds 
all  came  from  private  individuals  interested 
in  the  advance  of  "religion,  morality  and 
knowledge,"  The  largest  single  donation 
ever  received  is  $10,000,  The  whole  number 
of  .«iingle  donations  is  nearly  five  thousand, 
and   the   total    amount    of   donations,   up   to 


1876,  is  $387,040,  Much  of  this  was  con- 
tributed for  current  expenses,  when  the  col- 
lege income  was  insufficient.  The  estimated 
value  of  property  and  endowment  before  the 
removal  to  Cleveland  was  $300,000. 

The  first  president  of  the  college  was  Rev. 
Charles  Backus  Storrs.  He  became  president 
in  1830,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six.  He  died 
September  15,  1833.  Rev.  George  Edmund 
Pierce,  D.  D.,  succeeded  to  the  presidency  in 
1834,  and  retired  from  that  office  in  1855. 
"Under  his  administration  the  college  took 
its  place  for  thoroughness  and  completeness 
among  the  best  in  the  land.  .  .  ,  He 
gathered  about  him  a  wise  and  able  faculty. 
He  enlarged  and  beautified  the  grounds, 
erected  an  observatory  and  three  college  build- 
ings, and  gathered  a  valuable  apparatus  for 
instruction."  Rev.  Henry  Lawrence  Hitch- 
cock, D.  D.,  became  president  in  1855,  re- 
signed in  1871,  but  remained  as  professor  in 
the  college  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
July  6,  1873.  "He  removed  all  the  encum- 
brances of  the  college,  and  added  to  its  perma- 
nent fund  more  than  $175,000."  On  the  re- 
tirement of  Dr.  Hitchcock  in  1871,  the  va- 
cancy was  filled  by  the  promotion  of  Rev. 
Carroll  Cutler,  D.  D.  The  college  was  re- 
moved to  Cleveland  in  1882.  Dr.  Cutler  re- 
signed the  presidency  in  1886. 

A  system  of  manual  labor  in  connection 
•with  the  college  was  advocated  by  the  founders 
as  early  as  1823.  In  1829,  the  trustees  pro- 
vided a  farm,  a  cooper  shop,  carpenter  shop, 
wagon  shop,  and  cabinet  shop,  and  estab- 
lished a  system  of  labor.  The  whole  scheme 
was  unpopular  with  the  students  and  proved 
a  failure.  Some  lingering  remnants  of  the 
enterprise  remained  until  1852. 

Under  an  amendment  of  the  charter,  a 
medical  department  was  established  in  Cleve- 
land, in  1844.  Twelve  hundred  and  fifty-five 
students  in  this  department  received  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Medicine  prior  to  1876. 

A  theological  department  was  a  part  of  the 
original  plan  of  the  founders,  and  a  com- 
plete course  of  theological  instruction  was 
given  from  1831  to  1852.     It  was  suspended 


200 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


on  account  of  financial  embarrassment,  and 
not  resumed.  One  hundred  and  one  theo- 
logical students  pursued  their  professional 
studies  here. 

From  1838  onward,  facilities  were  provided 
for  post-graduate  work  on  the  part  of  any 
graduate  desiring  to  pursue  special  studies  in 
any  of  the  departments  included  in  the  col- 
lege course.  The  number  availing  them- 
selves of  these  opportunities  was  never  large. 

A  preparatory  department  was  connected 
with  the  college  from  the  first.  This  was 
designed  to  be  only  temporary,  but  it  was 
found  necessary  to  'maintain  it.  After  the 
college  was  removed  to  Cleveland,  the  pre- 
paratory department  was  maintained  at  Hud- 
son for  several  years,  under  the  name  of  The 
Western   Reserve  Academy. 

Western  Reserve  College  was  for  a  time  a 
oo-educational  institution.  In  his  inaugural 
address  in  1872,  President  Cutler  announced 
that  the  doors  of  the  college  were  open  to 
women  as  well  as  men.  Thereafter,  a  num- 
ber of  young  women  attended  the  regular 
college  classes,  both  before  and  after  the  re- 
moval to  Cleveland.  Al  the  annual  com- 
mencement in  1888,  the  trustees  formally 
decided  against  co-education ;  and  "the  girls 
were  unceremoniously  turned  out."  Provi- 
sion 'was  made  for  them,  however,  in  a  sep- 
arate department,  known  as  the  Woman's 
College.  The  number  of  students  in  attend- 
ance was  never  large,  the  number  in  all  de- 
partments, including  preparatory,  rarely  ex- 
ceeding 120.  The  highest  number  in  the 
college  department  in  any  one  year  was  78, 
in  1869.  The  firet  gi-aduating  class  (1830) 
contained  four  young  men.  The  largest  num- 
ber of  graduates  from  the  college  in  any  one 
year  was  eighteen,  in  1872.  These  statistics 
apply  only  to  the  period  prior  to  the  removal 
to  Cleveland. 

TWINSBURGH    INSTITUTE. 

Rev.  Samuel  Bissel,  founder  and  proprie- 
tor of  Twinsburgh  Institute,  was  graduated 
at. Yale  College  in  1823.     He  studied  theol- 


ogy, and  in  1825  was  licensed  in  Connecticut 
to  preach  the  gospel.  In  the  spring  of  1828. 
he  came  to  Twinsburgh  to  take  charge  of  the 
Presb}4erian  Church,  to  which  he  had  been 
called.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year,  he  fitted 
up  with  seats  a  rude  log  house,  which  had 
been  built  for  a  shoe  shop,  and  invited  all 
youth  of  suitable  age  to  attend  school,  those 
able  and  willing  being  expected  to  pay  tui- 
tion at  the  rate  of  two  dollars  per  quarter. 
About  forty  young  people  responded,  and  the 
little  room  was  packed.  In  1831,  a  house 
was  built  for  the  two-fold  purpose  of  a  church 
on  Sabbath  and  a  school  on  week  days.  In 
1837,  Mr.  Bissell  erected  a  house  20  by  35 
feet,  in  which  he  held  school  forty  weeks  in 
the  year,  divided  into  three  regular  terms. 
Additions  were  made  from  time  to  time  to 
this  building  and  to  the  dwelling  hard  by, 
a  two-story  building  used  for  a  tavern  was 
purchased,  and  two  other  buildings  three 
stories  high  were  erected.  The  number  of  stu- 
dents increased  to  300,  with  at  least  fifty 
boarders,  requiring  seven  teachers  to  give  in- 
structions in  the  cla.ssics,  mathematics,  Ger- 
man, French  and  musdc,  besides  all  the  usual 
branches  of  an  English  education.  No  char- 
ter was  ever  obtained,  no  appropriations  of 
public  money  were  ever  received.  Board  and 
tuition  were  low  at  best,  and  many  students 
attended  who  paid  little  or  nothing.  None 
were  turned  away  for  want  of  means.  In 
the  course  of  time,  receipts  fell  short  of  ex- 
penditures. A  debt  of  $6,000  accunnilated. 
A  portion  of  the  buildings  were  sold  to  pay 
the  indebtedness,  leaving  a  balance  in  hand 
of  only  $300. 

These  embarrassments,  the  general  im- 
provement of  the  public  schools,  and  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  conspired  to- 
gether to  reduce  the  attendance  and  diminish 
the  income. 

In  1868,  Mr.  Bissell,  at  the  age  of  seventy, 
found  himself  without  means  and  with  very 
scanty  income,  but  with  indomitable  will  and 
tenacity  of  purpose.  He  resolved  to  erect  a 
new  stone  building,  two  stories  high,  77  feet 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS  201 

by  33.     He  borrowed    $1,500    and    received  went  on  slowly,  but  in  the  course  of  time 

some    aid    from   former    pupils    and    other  it  was  sufficiently  advanced  to  provide  for  100 

friends.     Mr.   Bissell  did  most  of  the  work  students.    Mr.  BLssell's  own  estimate  was  that 

with  his  own  hands,  save  cutting  and  laying  not    less    than    6,000    students    received   in- 

the  stone  and  the  plastering.     Without  any  struction    in    Twinburgh    Institute,    among 

previous  knowledge  of  carpentry,  he  framed  them  more  than  200  Indian  youth,  from  sev- 

and  erected  a  self-supporting  roof;  he  made  eral  different  tribes,  east  and  west.     This  re- 

and   put  up   doors,    ceiling  and   casing;   he  markable  man  died  in  1895,  at  the  age  of 

laid  floors  and   built  stairways.     The   work  ninety-eight. 


CHAPTER   XII 


HISTORY  OF  BUCHTEL  COLLEOE 


BY   KEV.    AXIiKEW    WILLSON,   D.    D. 


For  majiy  years  the  need  of  an  institution 
of  learning  had  been  recognized  by  the  pro- 
gressive ministers  and  laymen  of  the  Univer- 
salist  Church.  During  1865,  and  the  early 
months  of  1866,  Ohio  was  canvassed  for  Lom- 
bard University  at  Galesburg,  111.,  and  the 
Buckeye  State  contributed  $20,000  toward  an 
endowment  of  $100,000.  That  canvass  in- 
tensified the  desire  for  a  school  in  Ohio  under 
the  management  of  the  Universalist  denomi- 
nation. 

At  the  Ohio  convention,  held  at  Mt.  Gilead, 
in  June,  1867,  as  chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Education,  Rev.  Andrew  Willson  prepared 
and  presented  a  report  urging  the  establish- 
ment of  an  academy  for  both  sexes.  The  re- 
port was  unanimously  adopted.  The  Com- 
mittee on  Education,  of  which  Mr.  Willson 
was  again  chairman,  was  instructed  to  prepare 
a  plan  for  a  state  school  and  report  the  same 
at  the  next  annual  convention  to  be  held  in 
Dayton  in  June  of  1868.  After  corresponding 
with  the  leading  ministers  and  prominent  lay- 
men in  the  state,  Mr.  Willson  prepared  and 
presented  a  somewhat  elaborate  plan  and  made 
$50,000  the  minimum  sum  to  be  pledged  be- 
fore the  beginning  of  the  work.  Mr.  Will- 
son  rather  surprised  the  convention  by  stat- 
ing that  no  place  could  secure  the  school  for 
less  than  $1 0.000.  He  wa?  finally  assured  that 
Kent  would  give  that  amount. 

The  report  was  unanimously  adopted.  Dur- 
ing that  year  several  towns  seriously  consid- 
ered the  question  of  obtaining  the  school.  The 
principal  competitors  were  Kent.  Mt.  Gilead 
and  Oxford. 


By  June,  1869,  when  the  Ohio  convention 
met  at  McConnellsville,  the  thought  of  a  col- 
lege had  found  favor  with  many  of  the  most 
interested.  The  trustees,  Eevs.  Andrew  Will- 
son,  H.  L.  Canfield,  J.  S.  Cantwell,  J.  W. 
Henly  and  0.  F.  Haymaker,  and  the  Commit- 
tee on  Education,  Revs.  B.  F.  Eaton  and  E. 
L.  Rexford,  were  intsructed  "to  proceed  to  -es- 
tablish a  denominational  school  in  the  state, 
whenever  a  suitable  location  may  be  secured 
and  requisite  funds  pledged." 

In  November,  1869,  at  a  joint  meeting  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  and  Committee  on  Edu- 
cation held  at  Springboro,  Rev.  H.  F.  Miller, 
then  financial  secretary'  of  Smithson  College, 
Indiana,  was  invited  to  become  general  finan- 
cial secretary  of  the  Board  and  Committee. 
He  accepted  the  office  and  began  work  the 
first  of  the  following  January. 

At  this  time  Kent  and  Mt.  Gilead  were 
earnest  com])etitors  for  the  college.  The  lat- 
ter place  was  centrally  located,  but  not  finan- 
cially as  strong  as  Kent.  Against  the  latter 
there  was  a  strong  prejudice  on  account  of  its 
reputation  of  unhealthfulness.  When  Mr. 
Willson  found  that  Kent,  where  he  was  then 
pastor,  was  not  likely  to  win,  he  threw  his  in- 
fluence in  favor  of  Akron.  He  was  the  first 
to  call  the  attention  of  the  citizens  of  this 
city  to  the  proposed  institution,  and  urge  the 
importance  and  advantages  to  the  place  in 
which  it  might  be  located. 

In  September  of  1867  the  Western  Reserve 
A.ssociation  of  Universalists  was  held  in  Ak- 
ron. A  special  car  conveyed  the  Kent  peo- 
ple, and  Brimfield,  Windsor  and  other  places 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


203 


sent  large  delegations.  The  enthusiasm  of 
that  meeting  quickened  much  interest  and 
touched  John  R.  Buchtel.  Although  he  had 
made  his  will,  when  he  clearly  sa-w  the  op- 
portunity of  founding  a  college,  he  was  not 
slow  in  grasping  its  meaning  and  its  impor- 
tance to  the  cause  of  education. 

However,  to  him  the  opportunity  did  not 
fully  a  appear  until  early  in  1870.  Mr.  Willson 
and  Mr.  Miller  had  investigated  the  condition 
in  Akron,  interviewed  prominent  citizens,  in- 
cluding Mr.  Buohtel,  without  satisfactory  re- 
sults. They  did  not  succeed  in  arousing  suffi- 
cient interest  to  justify  large  expectations  of 
locating  the  college  in  that  city.  After  visit- 
ing several  places  and  investigating  their  of- 
fers, Mr.  Miller  decided  in  favor  of  Mt. 
Gilead,  a  centrallv  located  town  in  Morrow 
County.  January  9,  1870,  Rev.  H.  L.  Can- 
field  preached  in  .\kron  and  on  the  evening 
of  that  day  several  friends  met  at  the  residence 
of  Avery  Spicer  and  earnestly  discussed  the 
question  of  the  location  of  the  college.  All 
present  felt  that  Akron  was  the  place.  The 
next  day  Mr.  Canfield  wrote  the  financial  sec- 
retary to  again  visit  Akron  before  finally  de- 
ciding the  question  of  location.  Mr.  Miller 
replied  that  he  had  already  called  a  meeting 
of  the  truste&s  of  the  convention  and  its  Edu- 
cational Committee  to  meet  at  Columbus  to 
decide  the  important  question.  The  meeting 
was  held  but  no  decision  was  reached.  A  com- 
mittee fwas  appointed  to  accompany  Mr.  Mil- 
ler to  Akron  and  reinvestigate  the  situation. 
Rev.  Geo.  Messenger,  an  old  friend  of  Mr. 
Buchtel's,  gave  his  strong  influence  and  the 
committee  was  satisfied  that  Akron  was  the 
right  place  for  the  institution.  This  was  of- 
fered the  city  on  the  condition  that  the  sum 
of  $60,000  should  be  pledged.  The  offer  was 
promptly  accepted,  Mr.  Buchtel  pledging 
$6,000  for  a  building  fund  and  $2.5.000  as  nn 
endowment  when  the  college  should  be  estab- 
lished. 

As  the  records  were  burned  when  the  col- 
lege building  was  destroyed,  it  is  impossible 
to  recall  the  names  of  all  of  the  original  sub- 
.«!cribers.  On  the  list  were  the  following:  J. 
H.     Pendleton,     Ferd     Schumacher,    Aver\' 


Spicer,  Geo.  Steese,  S.  M.  Burnham,  J.  T. 
Trowbridge,  M.  W.  Henry,  E.  P.  Green,  Geo. 
T.  Perkins,  Geo.  W.  Grouse,  N.  D.  Tibbals, 
A.  C.  Voris,  J.  Park  Alexander,  Geo.  Cogg- 
shell,  Talmon  Beardsley,  Lewis  Miller,  L.  V. 
Bierce,  J.  Sumner,  Wm.  Buchtel,  Dr.  Childs, 
Jerry  Long,  W.  B.  Doyle,  Brewster  Bros.,  M. 
J.  Atwood,  Frank  Adams,  James  Christy, 
John  Christy,  John  Burton,  John  Wolf,  Thos. 
Willey,  C.  Howe,  Richard  Howe,  J.  B.  Lane, 
S.  A.  Lane,  M.  T.  Cutter,  J.  B.  Woods,  Chas. 
Bonstead,  John  Seiberling. 

Having  decided  in  favor  of  Akron,  the  next 
important  question  was  where  to  erect  the 
building.  The  trustees  of  the  Ohio  conven- 
tion, accompanied  by  citizens  of  the  city,  spent 
some  time  visiting  diff^erent  sections  and  con- 
sidering offers  from  various  parties.  The  re- 
sult was  the  selection  of  the  old  cemetery 
grounds.  The  decision  has  never  been  re- 
gretted. 

On  the  31st  day  of  May,  1870,  the  Board 
of  Trustees  and  Committee  on  Education  met 
at  the  Court  House  in  Akron  at  10  a.  m. 
Trustees  present:  Rev.  J.  S.  Cantwell,  H.  L. 
Canfield,  J.  W.  Henley  and  Andrew  Willson 
and  Mr.  0.  F.  Haymaker;  Committee  on  Edu- 
cation, Revs.  B.  F.  Eaton  and  E.  L.  Rexford. 
Rev.  H.  F.  Miller,  financial  secretary,  stated 
that  the  citizens  of  Summit  County  had  com- 
plied with  the  terms  of  the  Trustees  and  Com- 
mittee on  Education.  On  motion  of  Rev.  B. 
F.  Eaton,  it  was  unanimously  voted  to  locate 
the  college  in  Akron  and  to  authorize  Rev,  H. 
F.  Miller,  W.  Spaulding,  Geo.  Messenger, 
Henry  Blandy,  J.  R.  Buchtel.  Hon.  N.  D. 
Tibbals,  E.  P.'  Green.  Col.  George  T.  Perkins, 
.Tames  Lantz  and  George  Steese,  together  with 
the  Trustees  and  Committee  on  Education  to 
act  as  corporators. 

By  what  name  shall  the  college  be  known? 
This  was  a  deeply  interesting  and  important 
question  and  was  earnestly  discussed  by  the 
Trustees  and  Committee  on  Education.  Some 
favored  naming  it  Murray  Centennial  Col- 
lege, others  Buchtel  UniversaH«t  College.  Mr. 
Buchtel  was  invited  to  attend  the  meeting  and 
express  his  opinion.  Honestly  and  frankly 
he  said  "name  it  what  you  like.    The  college 


204 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


is  yours,  not  mine.  It  shall  have  my  hearty 
support.  If  prospered,  I  expect  to  give  it  one 
hundred  thou.sand  dollai's."  Then  it  was 
unanimously  voted  to  name  the  child  of  the 
Ohio  Universalist  convention  Buchtel  College, 
in  honor  of  the  man  who  financially  most  loy- 
ally aided  it  in  its  infancy. 

All  necessary  legal  measures  were  taken,  the 
corporation  adopted  articles  of  association, 
also  a  seal ;  elected  a  board  of  trustees,  became 
a  "Body  Corporate"  and  then  delivered  all  the 
propert}'  into  the  hands  of  the  trustees.  This 
board  then  organized  by  electing  Hon.  John 
R.  Buchtel,  president;  Hon.  Sanford  M. 
Burnham,  secretary,  and  Hon.  George  W. 
Grouse,  tre^asurer.  The  services  of  Rev.  H.  F. 
Miller  as  financial  secretary  were  secured,  to 
date  from  January  1,  1870. 

During  the  first  week  in  June  the  Ohio 
Universalist  Convention  was  held  at  Kent. 
The  attendance  was  unusually  large.  In  this 
centennial  year  of  the  Universalist  Church  in 
America,  the  college  occupied  a  prominent 
place  in  the  thoughts  of  all  delegates  and  vis- 
itors. The  action  of  the  Trustees  and  the 
Committee  on  Education  was  earnestly  in- 
dorsed amid  great  enthusiasm.  The  follow- 
ing resolutions  were'  unanimously  adopted : 

Resolved,  That  this  convention  joyfully  rec- 
ognize the  succass  of  the  friends  of  Universal- 
ism  in  their  efforts  to  establish  a  denomina- 
tional institution  of  learning  in  this  State; 
that  we  appreciate  the  magnificent  gift  of  our 
friend  and  brother,  Hon.  John  R.  Buchtel, 
of  Akron,  for  this  object  and  pledge  to  him 
our  cordial  co-operation  to  make  the  enter- 
prise so  generously  aided  a  complete  suc- 
cess. 

Resolved,  that,  haA'ing  confidence  in  tihe 
man,  in  his  honor,  rectitude,  integrity,  in  his 
disinterestedness  in  this  friendly  gift,  in  the 
positive  manly  virtues  of  his  life  and  the  ex- 
ample which  his  history  affords  to  the  stnig- 
gling  youths  of  our  country,  we  gratefully 
recognize  the  wisdom  which  gives  the  institu- 
tion his  name,  and  that  will  hereafter  enable 
us  to  rank  Buchtel  College  among  the  proud- 
est monuments  of  our  centennial  year. 

Under  the  able  management  of  Rev.  H.  F. 


Miller,  efliciently  aided  by  Revs.  J.  S.  Cant- 
well,  editor  of  the  Star  in  the  West,  Andrew 
Willson,  H.  L.  Canfield,  B.  F.  Eaton,  R.  T. 
Polk  and  many  others,  the  canvass  for  funds 
Avas  successfully  pushed.  The  people  had  a 
mind  to  give,  and  preparations  for  erecting 
a  suitable  building  were  speedily  commenced. 
T.  W.  Silloway,  of  Boston,  was  employed  a^ 
architect  and  in  due  time  Noah  Carter,  of 
Akron,  was  engaged  to  superintend  the  work 
of  the  building. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1871,  was  laid  the  cor- 
ner stone  bearing  the  inscription,  "Centenary 
of  Universalism  in  Americ'a,  1870."  In  the 
presence  of  a  great  multitude,  Horace  Greeley 
gave  an  address  on  "Human  Conceptions  of 
God  as  They  Affect  the  Moral  Education  of 
Our  Race."  In  the  evening  a  reception  in 
honor  of  Mr.  Greeley  was  held  at  the  home  of 
Hon.  John  R.  Buchtel. 

The  trustees^  of  the  college  appointed  a  com- 
mittee, of  which  Hon.  Henry  Blandy  was  a 
member,  to  select  a  president  for  the  institu- 
tion. As  Mr.  Blandy  had  business  engage- 
ments in  New  England,  he  was  instructed  to 
confer  with  leading  scholars  in  the  denomina- 
tion and  if  possible  report  the  name  of  some 
well-qualified  man  for  that  responsible  posi- 
tion. On  his  return  he  reported  that  Rev.  S. 
H.  McCoUester,  D.  D.,  had  been  highly  rec- 
ommended and  that  he  would  visit  Akron  in 
March  of  1872.  The  promi.?ed  visit  was  made 
and  resulted  in  the  engagement  of  Dr.  McCol- 
lester,  who  moved  to  Akron  the  first  of  June 
of  that  year. 

By  this  time  the  chapel  was  nearly  finished 
and  in  it  was  held  the  Ohio  Universali.'st  Con- 
vention. This  was  a  memorable  session  for 
the  college.  There  were  present  delegates 
from  nearly  all  the  churches  in  the  State  and 
great  interest  was  manifested  in  the  new  insti- 
tution. Early  in  the  year  Rev.  H.  F.  Miller 
resigned  his  position  as  financial  secretary  and 
retired  the  first  of  April.  Rev.  D.  C.  Tom- 
linson  was  then  employed  to  fill  the  vacancy, 
and,  under  his  leadership,  assisted  by  Rev.  J. 
S.  CantwcU  and  others,  about  $17,000  was 
pledged  for  the  college.  Subscriptions  varied 
in  amount  from  $1,000  to  $1.50  by  a  little 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


205 


girl,  Lillie  Snell,  of  Dayton.  The  cost  of  fur- 
nishing each  room  was  estimated  at  $60,  and 
the  person  or  church  paying  that  sum  had  the 
privilege  of  naming  the  room.  Pledges  for 
furnishing  nearly  all  the  rooms  were  made  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  convention.  To  furnish 
a  room  in  the  name  of  Rev.  I.  D.  William- 
son, D.  D.,  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  exten- 
sively known  of  the  pioneer  ministers,  a  hat 
collection  was  successfully  taken. 

On  the  building  and  furni.shings  between 
$160,000  and  $200,000  had  been  expended. 
The  following  description  was  given  in  the 
first  catalog  i.ssued.  "The  college  building  is 
two  hundred  and  forty  feet  long,  fifty-four 
feet  wide  and  five  stories  high.  Its  style  of 
architecture  combines  the  Doric,  Gothic  and 
Norman.  It  is  a  grand  structure  of  symmetri- 
cal and  harmonious  proportions.  Its  rooms  for 
lectures,  apparatus,  cabinets,  music  and  stu- 
dents, including  the  dining  room  and  gymna- 
sium, are  light,  airy  and  amply  furnished 
with  modern  and  most  improved  conven- 
ience. The  building  is  w^armed  by  steam. 
st*am,  lighted  by  gas  and  supplied  by  water. 
The  site  of  the  college  is  high,  affording  from 
its  obser\'atory  one  of  the  most  extensive  and 
delightful  prospects  in  Ohio."  Under  the  su- 
pervision of  Julius  Sumner  the  spacious 
grounds  had  been  laid  out  artLstically  and  re- 
ceived the  admiration  of  all  visitors. 

There  was  great  rejoicing  when,  on  the 
11th  day  of  September,  1872,  the  college  doors 
were  open  for  students.  On  the  first  day  ninety 
were  enrolled.  The  next  day  the  number 
reached  127,  and  during  the  year  a  total  of 
217.  The  faculty  consisted  of  Rev.  S.  H.  Mc- 
Collester,  D.  D., 'president;  N.  White,  A.  M., 
professor  of  ancient  languages;  S.  F.  Peck- 
ham,  .profes.sor  of  natural  sciencas ;  Miss  H.  F. 
Spaulding,  professor  of  English  literature; 
Carl  P.  Kolbe,  professor  of  modern  languages ; 
A'lfreid  WeLsh,  A.  B.,  professor  of  mathe- 
matics; H.  D.  Person,  professor  in  normal 
department. 

The  Akron  Beacon  said:  "A  more  auspi- 
cious beginning  or  a  better  augury  of  the  com- 
mencement of  a  grand  and  pro.^perous  career 


was  not  expected  even  by  the  most  sanguine 
of  the  friends." 

The  college  was  dedicated  September  20, 
1872.  On  this  memorable  occasion  President 
McCollester  was  assisted  by  home  talent  and 
by  Rev.  Paul  Kendcll  of  Lombard  University; 
Rev.  J.  E.  Forraster,  D.  D.,  of  Chicago ;  Rev. 
L.  J.  Fletcher,  of  New  York,  who  represented 
the  Universalist  Gencra.l  Convention,  and  by 
Mrs.  Caroline  A.  Soule,  author  of  the  Dedica- 
tion hymn.  The  architect,  T.  W.  Silloway, 
made  a  brief  address  and  delivered  the  keys 
to  the  trustee.  On  behalf  of  the  trustees,  Hon. 
Henry  Blandy  expressed  satisfaction  with  the 
w"ork  and  accepted  the  keys.  The  congrega- 
tion then  sang  the  following  Dedication 
hymn,  written  by  Mrs.  Caroline  A.  Soule: 

DEDICATION    HYMN, 

A  hundred  years  of  our  story- 
Had  garnered  their  heavy  sheaves, 

Harvests  of  valor  and  glory, 
As  brilliant  as  Autumn  leaves! 

And   tenderly   then   the  reapers 
Of  this  golden,  precious  grain, 

Chanted  the  dirge  of  the  sleepers 
In  a  soft  and  solemn  strain. 


The  dirge  was  only  for  sleepers, 

As   its   music  died  away, 
There  rose  from  the  voice  of  reapers 

The  song  of  an  op'ning  day. 
Like    martyrs    crowding    the    altar. 

All  pledging  themselves  anew 
In    work    of   love    ne'er   to    falter 

Which  their  hands  may  find  to  do. 


And  now  we  review  the  story. 

As  we  gather  in  our  sheaves! 
Harvests  of  valor  and  glory. 

And  crown  them  with  laurel  leaves! 
Father  Almighty!    we  pray  Thee 

To  bless  this  work  of  our  hands. 
And  may  it  shed  unceasingly 

Bright  radiance  o'er  all  lands! 


Whei'e  error  bindeth  its   tetters, 

Where  sloth  holdeth  prey  in  chain. 
May  soldiers  of  science  and  letters 

Their   triumph   and   honors   gain! 
From  North  and  South  we  will  call  them — 

The  sons  of  our  sainted  sires; 
From   East  and  West   we   will  draw   them 

To  kindle  these  sacred  fires! 


206 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


As  the  years  shall  tell  their  story. 

And  reapers  harvest  the  grain. 
In  the  flush  of  each  year's  glory 

Our   loved  will   meet   here   again  I 
Blessing  Founder  of  this  College, 

Praising   our    Father   above 
For   his   bestowals   of   knowledge, 

And    treasures    of    Infinite    Love! 

Rev.  S.  H.  McCollester,  D.  D.,  was  then  in- 
stalled president.  Hon.  John  R.  Buchtel, 
president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  conduct- 
ing the  service.  Hon.  Henry  Blandy  then 
presented  the  keys  to  President  McCollester 
who  gave  his  inaugural  address  on  "The  Edu- 
cational Demand  of  the  Nation." 

On  the  first  Sunday  after  the  college  was 
opened.  Rev.  James  H.  Herron,  of  the  Erie 
M.  E.  Conference,  preached  in  the  chapel,  and 
froim  that  time  regular  Sunday  services  were 
held  by  Dr.  McCollester,  or  substitutes.  To 
him  belongs  the'credit  of  the  organization  of 
the  Universalist  Church  that  was  intended  to 
furnish  a  religious  home  for  all  who  desired  a 
denominational  place  of  worship.  He  also  or- 
ganized the  educational  work  and  placed  it 
upon  a  solid  foundation..  Day  and  night  he 
labored  for  the  succass  of  the  institution  and 
gave  generously  of  his  means  for  its  support,. 

For  some  time  the  attendance  was  encour- 
aging. Money  was  generously  contributed 
and  the  institution  seemed  on  the  highway  to 
great  prosperity,  when  a  dark  cloud  settled 
over  the  financial  affairs  of  our  country  and 
threatened  many  enterprises  with  speedy  de- 
struction. This  cloud  is  known  as  the  panic 
of  1873.  lis  full  force  was  not  felt  by  the 
college  until  a  year  or  so  later.  It  was  this 
trying  ordeal  that  tested  the  loyalty  of  the 
professed  friends.  It  was  then  demonstrated 
that  John  R.  Buchtel  was  truly  reliable. 

In  the  spring  of  1875  Rev.'  D.  C.  Tomlin- 
son  resigned  the  office  of  financial  secretary. 
Soon  the  Executive  Committee  sought  the 
services  of  Rev.  Andrew  Willson,  then  pastor 
of  the  churches  at.  Kent  and  Brimfield.  After 
being  persistently  urged,  in  the  following  De- 
cember Mr.  Willson  accepted  the  responsible 
position,  which  he  held  till  June.  1878.  Dur- 
ing thi.s  period  the  college  passed  through  its 
most  tr^nng  financial  experience.    Only  John 


R.  Buchtel  and  the  financial  secretary  knew 
how  nearly  it  came  to  olosing  ifc  doors.  In 
debt  nearly  $50,000,  a  large  portion  to  banks 
at  10  per  cent  interest,  it  was  no  easy  tiisk  to 
prevent  notes  going  to  protest.  All  the  bank- 
ers were  as  patient  as  their  rules  would  per- 
mit, and  no  note  was  ever  protested.  While 
money  for  the  debt  was  earnestly  sought, 
special  attention  had  to  be  given  to  securing 
funds  for  the  payment  of  interest  and  regu- 
lar current  expenses.  By  1878  financial  confi- 
dence was  measurably  restored,  and  the  col- 
lege having  passed  safely  through  its  severe 
ordeal,  began  to  .plan  for  more  aggre-sive 
work  to  meet  the  indebtedness  and  increase 
the  endow^ment. 

In  the  time  of  pressing  need  many  besides 
John  R.  Buchtel  and  wife  had  a  mind  to 
work  and  give.  Rev.  and  Mrs.  George  Mes- 
senger had  endowed  the  mental  and  moral 
philosophy  professorship;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  Hilton,  the  chair  of  modern  language,*; 
Mrs.  Chloe  Pierce,  of  Sharpsville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, had  given  $10,000  for  the  chair  of  Eng- 
lish literature,  and  the  balance  of  $10,000 
had  been  nearly  all  subscribed  by  many  don- 
ors. Twenty-five  scholarships  of  $1,000  each, 
fifteen  of  them  drawing  interest,  had  been  es- 
tablished by  the  following  donors:  James 
Pierce,  Elijah  Drury,  Mrs.  Mary  C, 
Roosa,  James  F.  Davidson,  Betsey  Thomas. 
John  Perdue,  Eli  M.  Kennedv,  John  K. 
Smith,. N.  S.  Olin,  John  B.  Smith,  Candia 
Palmer,  George  W.  Steele,  Mrs.  George  W. 
Steele,  Mrs.  Betsy  Dodge,  Brice  Hilton,  John 
Loudenback,  John  Espv,  Joseph  Hidv,  Sr,, 
Rev,  H.  P.  and  Mrs.  D".  E.  Sage,  Mrs.'  E.  V. 
Stedraan,  Mrs.  Henry  Boszar,  E.  F.  Louden- 
back,  IT.  D.  Loudenback,  Thomas  Kirby,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Isaac  Kelly. 

To  help  meet  interest  and  current  expenses 
generous  contributions  were  made  by  Rev.  S. 
H.  McCollester,  D.  D.,  Joy  H.  Pendleton, 
Ferd.  Schumacher,  Avery  Spicer,  J.  T.  Trow- 
bridge, .ludge  N.  D.  Tibbals.  M.  W.  Henry, 
S.  M.  Burnham,  Col.  George  T.  Perkins,  Gen. 
A.  C.  Voris.  E.  P.  Green,  Esq.,  George  Steese, 
Hon.  George  W,  Crouse,  I,  Park  Alexander, 
.Tonas  and  Frank  Pierce,  of  Sharp«ville,  Penn- 


I 


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ii 

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JF     i 

il 

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,  \ 

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■ 

m 

AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


209 


sylvania;  Thomas  Espy,  of  Kenton,  Ohio;  W. 
H.  Slade,  Columbus,  Ohio;  Rev.  C.  L.  Ship- 
man,  Girard,  Pennsylvania;  0.  F.  Haymaker, 
Kent,  Ohio;  Edmunt  Stearns,  Olmstead, 
Ohio;  E.  L.  Litchfield,  Conneautville,  Penn- 
sylvania; Rev.  H.  L.  Canfield,  Rev.  Andrew 
Willson  and  many  others.  Nearly  all  the 
professors  and  teachers  voluntarily  donated  a 
part  of  their  salaries. 

In  June,  1878,  Rev.  Andrew  Willson  re- 
signed as  secretary  and  ex-officio  financial 
secretary.  Rev.  H.  F.  Miller  succeeded  him 
for  a  few  months.  In  June,  1879,  A.  B. 
Tinker,  M.  S.,  LL.  B.,  was  elected  and  con- 
tinued in  that  position  until  1891,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  C.  R.  Olin,  B.  S.  During 
the  early  work  of  the  college,  Rev.  S.  P.  Carl- 
ton acted  for  a  few  months  as  canvassing 
agent,  and  at  a  later  period  Rev.  W.  P.  Bur- 
oell  devoted  a  few  months  to  that  business. 
Financial  and  general  agents  were  employed 
as  follows:  William  F.  Crispin,  from  1880  to 
1885;  Rev.  H.  L.  Canfield,  D.  D.,  1885  to 
1886;  Arthur  A.  Stearns,  A.  M.,  1887  to 
1889 ;  Julius  Simmons,  a  part  of  1891 ;  Rev. 
E.  W.  Preble  and  H.  H.  Hollinbeck,  in  189R 
and  1894. 

For  many  years  the  college  did  not  have 
any  very  unu-sual  financial  experiences.  Like 
all  similar  institutions,  at  was  always  hungry 
for  money  and  thankfiil  for  the  donations  of 
friends.  The  panic  of  1893  limited  its  re- 
sources, but  did  not  seriously  affect  its  finan- 
cial conditions.  The  trAnng  ordeal  came  De- 
cember 20,  1899,  when  the  building  that  wa> 
sacred  in  the  estimation  of  the  founders  and 
early  teachers  and  students,  was  totally  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  With  the  building  went  val- 
uable natural  science  collections,  the  gifts  of 
Dr.  McCollester,  Prof.  E.  W.  Claypole  and 
others.  Many  articles  cannot  be  duplicated. 
The  fire  was  a  great  calamity.  It  shocked  and 
saddened,  but  did  not  discourage  the  friends 
of  the  institution.  Arrangements  were  speed- 
ily made  to  continue  the  regular  work  of  the 
college  in  Crouse  Gymnasium  and  other  build- 
ings, until  a  new  stmcture  could  be  erected. 
The  calamity  deeply  stirred  the  citizens  of 
Akron  and  vicinity,  and  the  friends  of  liberal 


education  throughout  a  large  territory,  and 
general  sympathy  was  embodied  in  generous 
donations.  New  buildings  were  speedily 
planned.  It  was  not  deemed  wise  to  erect  one 
large  structure,  but  to  have  .several  separated 
from  each  other.  The  college  received  from 
insurance,  $63,986.12.  From  donations,  $38,- 
233.95,  a  total  of  $102,220.07.  Exclusive  of 
furnishings,  the  ■  new  buildings  cost  $95,- 
269.28,  viz. :  Buchtel  Hall,  $47,466.67 :  Acad- 
emy Building,  $25,559.73;  Heating  Plant, 
$10,591.73;  Curtis  Cottage,  $11,674.15. 

The  donations  came  from  individuals  and 
churches  in  various  sums,  varying  from  a  few- 
cents  by  children  up  to  several  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  largest  sum  donated  by  any  Uni- 
versalist  Church,  outside  of  Akron,  was  $500 
from  Brimfield.  The  next  was  All  Souls 
Church,  Cleveland,  $207.  Unity  Church, 
Cleveland,  included  a  handsome  individual 
subscription  of  $610. 

For  trustees  the  college  has  had  the  follow- 
ing named  persons: 
Entered.  Retired 

1S72     John  R.  Buchtel,  Akron 1892 

1872     Gen.   A.   C.  Voris,   Akron 1889 

1872     Rev.    Geo.    Messenger,    Akron 1872 

1872     Judge  N.  D.  Tibbals,  Akron 

1872     Rev.  Andrew  Willson,  D.  D.,  Ravenna. . 
1872     Rev.   H.  L.  Canfield,   D.  D..  Pasadena, 

Cal 1890 

1872     Judge   E.   P.   Green,   Akron 1894 

1872     Col.   Geo.   T.   Perkins,   Akron 1896 

1872     Avery  Spicer,  Akron 1881 

1872     Rev.  J.   S.   Cantwell,  D.  D.,  Chicago 1881 

1872     Milton    W.    Henry,    Akron 1880 

1872     Rev.  E.  L.  Rexford,  Columbus,  0 1878 

1872     Philip    Wieland.    Mt.    Gilead 1878 

1872     Hon.   James   Pierce,   Sharpsville,   Pa.... 1875 

1872     J.   L.   Grandin,   Tidioute,   Pa 1874 

1872     S.   K.   Shedd,   Youngstown 1874 

1872     Henry   Blandy,    Zanesville 1873 

1872     John    F.    Sieberling,    Akron 1873 

1872  J.  Dorsey  Angler,  Titusville,  Pa 1873 

1873  Hon.    Geo.   W.   Crouse,   Akron 1875 

1873     Isaac   Eberly.   Columbus 1875 

1873  Geo.  M.  Hord,  Cincinnati.  0 1875 

1874  Joy   H.    Pendleton,    Akron 1891 

1874  William    A.    Mack,    Norwalk 1875 

1875  Ferdinand    Schumacher,    Akron 1899 

1875     Henry   Boszar.    Brimfield 1891 

1875     Jonas  J.   Pierce.  Sharpsville,  Pa 1894 

1875     James    T.    Trowbridge.    Akron 1881 

1875     John  A.  Garver,  Bryan 1877 

1877  James   S.   Birkey,   Newark 1878 

1878  Rev.   J.   F.    Rice,   Olmsted 1881 

1878     William    A.    Mack,    Norwalk 1881 

1878     Hon.  S.  M.  Burnham,  Akron 1899 


210 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COINTY 


Entered.  Retired 

1880  Wm.   H.    Slade,   Columbus 1898 

1881  Horace    Y.    Beebe,    Ravenna 1883 

1881     Col.   A.   L.   Conger,  Akron 1883 

1881     Chas.   J.   Robinson,  Akron 1886 

1881     A.   W.   Wright,    Saginaw   City,   Mich 1882 

1881  Austin    A.    Spicer,    Akron 1883 

1882  Joseph  Hidy,  Jr.,  Ph.  B.,  Wash.  C.  H..!l8S3 

1883  Rev.  Wm.  H.  Ryder,  D.  D.,  Chicago,  111..  1884 
1883     Hon.  H.  L.  Morey,  Hamilton 1886 

1883  Arthur  A.  Stearns,  A.  M..  Cleveland. ..  !l9ff4 

1884  Judge    Selwyn    N.    Owen,   Bryan.  1886 
1886  Rev.  C.  E.  Nash,  A.  B.,  D.  D.,  Pasadena, 

^■1' 1S89 

1886  Chas.   H.   Stephens,  Cincinnati    O             1889 

1886  Jacob    A.    Motz,    Akron..                            igsg 

1889  Dayton  A.  Doyle,  A.  B..  LL.  B.,  Akron!  :i895 

]lll     i"*""  J-   ^•^'^^'    ^^^   City,    Mich 1896 

1889  Hon.  Geo.  W.  Crouse,  Akron 

1889  Rev.   J.   F.   Rice,   Coe   Ridge 1x95 

1890  Judge    A.    C.    Voris,    Akron.  igog 

1892  r"''!  "'n'"'"'^'''  ^-  «•■  L^-  B.:  Akron::   896 

1892  Geo.  L.  Case,  Cleveland...                          iqnq 

]lll  ^''-  ^"by  Schumacher,  Ph.  b:,' Akron: :  1896 

1894  FrTn;,    p"'""'"''  2u  ^°°''^'  Springfield.  . . .  1900 

1894  Prank   Pierce,   Sharpsville,   Pa.  isqv 

w't"^.  ^^^"-' b-  s..  Akron::::::::i9  3 

1S9&  w.   T.   Sawyer,  Akron...                              jq/,., 

1895  D.    Irving    Badger,    Akron 1002 

CoT  A   1-  "p^''^"^^'  ^^^^'^°°-  ■'■'■■■■■  :    1' 

i«95  Col.   A.  L.   Conger,   Akron...                       isqr 

18  6     Rev.    C.    F.    Henry,    Cleveland.:::: S 

1896  Judge   U.    L.   Marvin,  Akron..  1900 

Eberly   D.   Smith,   Blanchester.  :::::::' ' 

1896  Samuel    L.    Thompson,   A    B     LL    B 

Brink    Haven    '         '       "     -.c^.a 

1898     Johnson  A.  Arbogast,  Akron :  : 

1900     Wallace    L.    Carlton,    Akron.        ^ 

1900  uT- 1  ""r  ''^"'"''^-  ^-  ^-  D-  D.; Akron: : 

00  Frank    «•  m^"'""'  °-  ^-   Bellville.  .  .  .  1903 

1900  Frank    H.    Mason,    Akron...  lonK 

0  W^'^n  ""    ^"^^^'   ^-   S-   Cleveland::: 

1901  Wm.    Buchtel,    Akron..  \aaK 

1901  Robt.  Tucker,  Ph.  B..  Toledo:  :::::: 905 

1902  Supt.  Henry  V.  Hotchkiss,  Ph    D    Akron    90^ 

1902  Rev.  Lee  S.  McCoIlester,  D.  a,  DettoU 

Mich 

1903  Chas.  C.  Goodrich,  a:  B.    :ikron 

1903     E.   T.   Binns,   Bryan    iqnfi 

1903  Prank  T.  Fisher,  New  York  City 1906 

1904  James  Ford.  B.   S.,  Washington    C    H 

1905  John  R.  Smith,  A.  B.,  Akron. 

1905     Frank  M.  Cook,  A.   B.,  Akron 

1905  Albert  A.  Kohler,  A.  B.,  M.  D.,  A:kron 

1906  Hon.    Joseph    Hidy.    Ph.    B.,    LL.    B., 

Cleveland     

1906     A.   V.   Cannon,   B.    S..   Cleveland 

1906  Oscar  F.  Haymaker,  Kent 1907 

1907  A.    E.    Roach,    Akron 

1907     R.  A.  Clark,  Pittsburgh.  Pa 


EXECUTIVE  DEPARTMENT. 

President  of  Board — 

Entered.  Retired 

1872     John   R.    Buchtel 1892 

1892     Ferd   Schumacher    1894 

1894     Geo.  W.  Crouse ; 1905 

1905     Rev.  A.  B.  Church,  D.  D 

Secretary — 
1872     Hon.    S.    M.    Burnham 1877 

1877  Rev.  Andrew  Willson,  D.  D 1878 

1878  Hon.  S.  M.  Burnham 1879 

1879  Albert  Tinker,  M.  S.,  LL.  B 1892 

1892  C.  R.  Olin    

Treasurer — 

1872     Hon.  G.  W.  Crouse 1875 

1875  James   T.   Trowbridge 1879 

1879     Joy   H.   Pendleton 1891 

1891     Albert  B.  Tinker   1897 

1897  Charles  R.  Olin,  Sec'y  and  Treasurer. . . . 

Executive  Committee — 

1872     Hon.    John    R.    Buchtel 1892 

1872     Henry    Blandy     1873 

1872     Rev.  J.  S.  Cantwell,  D.  D 1873 

1872     Hon.    S.    M.    Burnham 1877 

1872  Gen.    A.    C.   Voris 1873 

1873  Col.    Geo.    T.    Perkins...: 1877 

1873     Judge    E.    P.    Green 1880 

1873     Rev.    Andrew    Willson,    D.    D 1876 

1876  Milton    W.    Henry 1877 

1877  Joy   H.   Pendleton    1881 

1877     James   T.    Trowbridge 1880 

1877  Rev.   Andrew   Willson,   D.   D 1878 

1878  Hon.  S.  M.  Burnham 1879 

1879  Albert    B.    Tinker 1882 

1880  William   H.   Slade 1881 

1880  Col.  Geo.   T.  Perkins 1883 

1881  Col.    A.    L.    Conger 1882 

1881  Edwin   P.   Green    1883 

1882  Judge  A.  C.  Voris   1889 

1882  Charles  S.  Robinson.  B.  S 1884 

1883  Ferd.  Schumacher   1894 

1884  Joy   H.   Pendleton 1891 

1885  Albert  B.  Tinker   1889 

1889     Col.  Geo.   T.   Perkins    1892 

1889  Rev.  Andrew  Willson,  D.  D 1890 

1890  Hon.  G.  W.  Crouse 1891 

1891  Albert    B.    Tinker 1895 

1891     Hon.  G.  W.  Crouse 

1893  Dayton  A.   Doyle 1895 

1894  Geo.    L.    Case 1895 

1894  Judge   N.   D.   Tibbals 1898 

1895  W.    T.    Sawyer 1900 

1895  D.  Irving  Badger   1898 

1896  Johnson  A.  Arbogast 

1897  Frank   H.   Mason    1903 

1897     Wallace   L.    Carlton    

1901     Supt.  Henry  V.  Hotchkiss 1905 

1901     Rev.   A.   B.   Church,   D.   D 

1905     Frank  M.  Cook,  A.  B 

INSTRUCTION    DEPARTMENT. 
Presidents — 

1S72     Rev.  S.  H.  McCoIlester,  D.  D 1878 

1S7S     Rev.  E.  L.  Rexford,  D.  D 1880 


AND    REPRESENTATI^'E    CITIZENS 


211 


Entered.                                                                  Retired 
18S0     Rev.  Orello  Cone,  D.  D 1896 

1896  Charles  M.  Knight,  A.  M.    (Provisional 

President)     1897 

1897  Rev.   Ira  A.   Priest,   D.   D 1901 

1901     Rev.  A.  B.  Church.  D.  D.,  LL.  D 

Mathematics — 
1872     Alfred    Welsh,    A.    M 1S74 

1874  Elias    Frauntelter,   A.    M.,    Ph.  D 1883 

1883  George  S.  Ely,  Ph.  D 1884 

1884  Charles  S.  Howe,  Ph.  D 1889 

1889     Hermas  V.  Egbert,  A.   M 1903 

1903     Frank   M.   Morrison,  A.   M 1905 

1905  Wilfred  H.  Sherk,  A.  M 1906 

1906  Paul    Biefeld,   A.   M.,   Ph.   D 

Natural    Science — 

1872  S.   F.   Peckham,  A.  M 1873 

1873  Sarah  M.  Glazier,  A.  M 1874 

.1874     Alfred  Welsh,   A.   M 1875 

1875  Charles  M.  Knight,  A.   M 1883 

1883  Edward  W.  Claypole,  B.  A.,  So.  D.,  F. 

G.,  S.  S.  of  L.  E.  and  A 1897 

1897     Samuel  P.  Orth,  B.  S 1903 

1903  Charles  Brookover,  M.  S 

Ancient   Languages — 

1872     Rev.  Nehemiah  White,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D....1876 

1876  Rev.  I.  B.  Choate,  A.  M 1878 

1878     Rev.  G.   A.   Peckham,  A.   M 1880 

1880     Benjamin  T.  Jones,  A.  M 1882 

1882     Wm.   D.    Shipman,   A.   M.    (Greek) 1895 

1882     Charles  C.  Bates,  A.  B.   (Latin) 1895 

1895  Charles    C.    Bates,    A.    B.    (Latin    and 

Greek) 1904 

1904  Joseph  C.  Rockwell,  A.  M 

Modern  Languages — 

1872     Carl  F.  Kolbe,  A.  M 1877 

1877  G.  H.  G.  McGrew,  A.  M 1878 

1878  Carl  F.  Kolbe,  A.  M..  Ph.  D 1905 

1905  Parke  R.  Kolbe,  A.  M 

Physics   and   Chemistry — 

1884  Charles  M.  Knight,  A.  M.,  Sc.  D 

English  Literature — 

1872     Helen  F.   Spalding,  A.  M 1873 

1879  Benjamin  T.  Jones,  A.  M 1880 

1880  Maria  Parsons,  A.  M 1884 

1884     Marv   B.   Jewett,   A.    M 1892 

1892  Margaret  G.   Bradford,  B.   A 1893 

1893  Ellen    E.    Garrigues,    A.    M 1896 

1896  Maria  Parsons,   A.  M 1905 

1905  Albert  L  Spanton,  A.  M 1893 

Philosophy.  Economics  and  History — 

1902     Oscar   E.    Olin,   A.   M 

Rhetoric  and  Oratory — 

1890  Cecil    Harper    1891 

1891  L.  Alonzo  Butterfleld,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D 1894 

1894  Mrs.    A.    M.    Garrigues 1896 

1896     L.  Elmie  Warner,    Ph.    B 1900 

1900  Carita   McEbright,   A.   B 1901 

1901  Maude   Herndon.  B.   S 1902 

1902  Anna    M.    Ray ' 1906 

1906  Louise    Forsyth     

Instructors    in    Law — 

1883     Albert  B.  Tinker,  M.  S.,  LL.  B 1890 

1890  Frediric  C.   Bryan,   A.   B.,  LL.  B 1891 

1891  Charles    R.    Grant.    A.    B 1893 


Entered.                                                                  Retired 
1894     Frediric   C.   Bryan,  A.   B.,   LL.  B 1896 

1896  Lee  K.    Mihills,   LL.  B 1897 

Principals    of    Preparatory   and    Buchtel 

Academy — • 

1872     Prin.,   H.   D.   Persons 1873 

1874     Prin.,    Jennie    Gifford,   B.    S 1898 

1897  Prin..   Oscar  E.  Olin,  A.   M 1904 

1904     Prin.,  Godfrey  Charles  Schaible,  A.  B...1906 
1906     Prin.,  Charles  O.  Rundell,  B.  S 

Art   Department— 
1882     Mrs.    Kate    D.    Jackson 1884 

1884  Mrs.   Ada  E.   Metcalf 1885 

1885  Emma    P.    Goodwin 1886 

1886  Alexander    T.    Van    Laer 1890 

1890  Bolton  Coit  Brown,  M.  D 1891 

1891  Minnie    C.    Fuller 1898 

1899     May   F.    Sanford    

Music — 
1872     Gustavus    Sigel    1899 

1898  Estella  F.  Musson,  Ph.  B 1904 

1904     Lucy    lone    Edgerton     1906 

1906     Isabel    Kennedy 

Valuable  service  as  teachers  has  been  rendered 
by: 

Wallace    Mays.    A.    B.     i  Helen   S.   Pratt,   L.   A. 
Lizzie   M.    Slade,   A.    B.   j  Lillie  R.   Moore,  A.  B. 
Inez  L.   Shipman,  B.   S.     Philip    G.    Wright,    A.  M. 
James    H.    Aydelotte,    B.I  Charles   R.   Olin.    B.    S. 

S.  I  Tracy  L.  Jeffords.  Ph.  B. 

Mary    E.    Stockman.    L.  i  gdwin   L.    Pindley,   A.  B. 


Susie     Chamberlain,    M. 

S. 
Dora  E.  Merrill. 
Martha  A.   Bertie. 
Samuel   Findley,   A.    M., 

Ph.    D. 
Charles     W.     Foote,     A. 

M.,    Ph.    D. 


Willard   H.   Van   Orman, 

B.    S. 
Claudia    E.    Schrock,    A. 

B. 
Blanche        M.        Widde- 

combe.    Ph.    B. 
Charles   H.    Shipman,   A. 

B. 


Lack  of  space  forbids  mention  of  all  names 
entitled  to  credit  for  valuable  services  in  dif- 
ferent department^. 

ENDOWMENTS. 

Besides  the  gifts  already  mentioned  since 
June,  1878,  donations  have  been  received  a^ 

follows : 

DONATIONS. 

BUCHTEL  PROFESSORSHIP. 

The  Buchtel  Professorship  of  Physics  and 
Chemistry  was  named  in  honor  of  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth Buchtel.  late  of  Akron. 


212 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


AINSAVORTH  PROFESSORSHIP. 

The  Ainsworth  Professorship  of  Mathe- 
matics and  Astronomy  was  endowed  hy  Henry 
Ainsworth,  late  of  Lodi. 

RYDER   PROFESSORSHIP. 

The  Ryder  Professorship  of  Rhetoric  and 
Oratory  was  established  by  the  Board  of 
Trustees  in  memory  of  Dr.  William  H.  Ryder, 
late  of  Chicago. 

MESSENGER  FUND. 

The  Messenger  Fund  was  created  by  Mrs. 
Lydia  A.  E.  Messenger,  late  of  Akron.  The 
fund  consists  of  $30,000. 

The  Isaac  and  Lovdnia  Kelly  Fund  was 
created  by  Isaac  Kelly,  late  of  Mill  Village, 
Pa.    This  fund  consists  of  $35,788. 

WILLIAM    PITT   CURTIS   FUND. 

This  fund  was  established  by  "William  Pitt 
Curtis,  of  Wadsworth,  Ohio.  It  now  amounts 
to  $25,000. 

A  friend  of  the  college  and  the  church  has 
given  for  the  endowment  of  a  Theological 
Professorship,  the  sum  of  $10,000. 

Twenty-six  scholarships  have  been  endowed 
by  the  following  named  doners: 

S.   T.   and   S.   A.   Moon Cuba 

George  Thomas    Greenwich 

Mrs.  E.  W.  Terrill  Jeffersonville 

Mrs.   John   H.   Hilton Akron 

Samuel   Birdsell    Peru 

Samuel  Grandin    Tidioute,  Pa. 

N.  B.  and  A.  E.  Johnson Mingo 

Henry  Ainsworth    Lodi 

Miss  Anna  A.  Johnson Bay  City,  Mich. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Miller Edgerton 

John  P.  Chapin   New  Philadelphia 

Christian   Swank    Creston.  O. 

Mrs.  S.  O.  Acomb    Tidioute,  Pa. 

Mrs.   Jane   Betz    Hamilton 

Miss   Hannah  Allyn    Akron 

Mrs.    Rosa    G.    Wakeiield Green 

These  scholarships  are  intended  to  aid 
worthy  and  deserving  students,  and  are 
awarded  by  a  Scholarship  Committee  under 
authority  from  the  Board  of  Trustees. 


The  following  from  the  catalogue  for  1906- 
1907,  contains  valuable  information  worthy 
of  a  place  in  the  history. 

The  College  Campus  comprises  six  acres,  is 
situated  on  the  highest  eminence  in  the 
county  and  faces  on  Buchtel  Avenue,  one  of 
the  pleasantest  residence  streets  of  the  city. 
The  Loop  Line  electric  cars,  which  receive 
transfers  from  all  city  and  suburban  lines, 
pass  the  college  gates. 

BUCHTEL    HALL. 

Buchtel  Hall,  designed  for  college  classes^ 
in  all  work  except  chemistry,  is  a  beautiful 
building,  classic  in  design  and  convenient  in 
.arrangement.  The  main  entrance  is  up 
a  broad  flight  of  marble  steps  to  the  first  floor, 
which  is  high  enough  to  leave  the  basement 
story  almost  entirely  above  ground.  In  the 
center  of  the  first  floor  is  the  grand  staircase 
and  an  open  court  extending  to  a  skylight. 
There  are  four  large  recitation  rooms  with  a 
professor's  private  office  connected  with  each 
on'the  first  and  second  floors.  On  the  groimd 
floor,  besides  a  work-shop  and  separate  study, 
bicycle,  and  toilet  rooms  for  young  men  and 
women,  is  a  suite  of  six  rooms  well  planned 
and  equipped  for  the  Physical  Laboratories. 

BUCHTEL  ACADEMY. 

The  ^\^cademy  is  designed  for  the  conven- 
ience of  the  Prepairatory,  Oratory  and  Art 
Schools.  It  is  a  roomy  and  convenient  three 
story  building.  On  the  ground  floor  are  the 
Physical  Laboratories,  and  the  separate  lock- 
ers and  toilet  rooms  for  young  men  and  wo- 
men. On  the  second  floor  are  the  Adminis- 
tration offices  and  the  main  recitation  rooms. 
On  the  third  floor  are  the  large  -Art  Rooms 
and  Assembly  Room,  which  is  used  for  Me- 
chanical Drawing. 

riRE-PROOF. 

These  two  new  buildings  are  fire-proof  and 
have  the  heating,  ventilating  and  sanitary  ar- 
rangements  and    appointments   of  the   most 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


213 


approved  kind  known  to  modern  builders. 
With  the  Gymnasium;  they  are  heated  from 
one  central  heating  plant. 

ASTKONOMICAL     OBSERVATORY. 

The  Observatory  is  intended  for  the  use  of 
students,  and,  although  some  of  the  appara- 
tus is  very  delicate  and  costly,  yet  it  will  be 
freely  placed  in  the  hands  of  those  students 
who  prepare  themselves  for  its  use.  It  is 
furnished  with  the  following  instruments : 

An  equatorial  telescope  of  4.5  inches  aper- 
ture. 

A  meridian  circle  of  3  inches  aperture,  pro- 
vided with  various  necessary  accessory  appa- 
ratus, and  so  mounted  that  it  can  be  used  as 
a  zenith  telescope. 

Two  astronomical  clocks,  furnished  with 
electrical  connections. 

A  chronograph. 

Various  other  minor  apparatus. 

CROUSE   GYMNASIUM. 

This  building  is  named  in  honor  of  Hon. 
George  W.  Grouse,  of  Akron,  one  of  the  lib- 
eral benefactors  of  the  college.  The  struc- 
ture is  a  substantial  brick  building,  one  hun- 
dred and  two  feet  in  length  by  fifty-three  in 
breadth.  The  basement  contains  the  locker, 
dressing  and  bathing  rooms  thoroughly  fur- 
nished. On  the  first  floor  are  the  directors' 
office  and  the  gymnasium  proper,  which  is 
eighty-four  feet  long  and  forty-eight  feet 
broad.  This  room  is  equipped  with  the  most 
approved  apparatus  and  offers  every  facility 
for  physical  development.  A  nlnning  gal- 
lery of  twenty-five  laps  to  the  mile  surrounds 
the  room. 

The  Gymnasium  is  open  at  stated  times  for 
the  exclusive  use  of  the  young  women,  and 
at  others  times  for  the  exclusive  use  of  the 
young  men,  in  both  instances  under  a  trained 
director. 

In  addition  to  the  above  mentioned  facili- 
ties for  physical  culture,  the  college  possesses, 
only  three  squares  away,  exten.sive  and  elab- 
orately equipped   Athletic  Grounds  of  four 


acres,  which  are  admirably  adapted  for  use  of 

the  students  in  playing  base  ball,  foot-ball, 
lawn  tennis  and  similar  games. 

At  present  the  Chemical  Laboratory  occu- 
pies a  suite  of  six  rooms  in  the  basement  of 
the  Gymnasium  and  is  niodernly  equipped 
for  practical  work. 

The  Buchtel  College  Music  School  occupies 
certain  rooms  in  the  Gymnasium. 

A  two-manual  pipe  organ  has  been  recently 
erected  for  chapel  use  and  instruction.  The 
Gymnasium  is  also  used,  for  the  present,  as 
the  chapel  assembly  room. 

THE  HEATING  PLANT. 

The  Heating  Plant  is  located  in  a  building 
by  itself,  thus  avoiding  any  danger  from  fire 
or  explosion.  The  plant  is  equipped  with  a 
thoroughly  anodem  smoke  consuming  device. 
By  means  of  conduits  the  steam  is  conveyed 
to  the  other  buildings  where  fresh  air  is 
heated  and  forced  through  the  rooms  by  the 
fan  system. 

CURTIS  COTTAGE. 

Curtis  Cottage  is  the  college  home  for  wom- 
en. It  was  completed  and  first  occupied  in 
January  1905.  It  has  eleven  student  rooms, 
uniform  in  size  and  furnishings  and  arranged 
for  two  students  in  a  room, — -parlors,  dining 
room,  kitchen,  laundrj'  and  its  own  efficient 
hot  water  heating  plant.  It  furnishes  also  a 
delightful  suite  of  rooms  for  each  of  the  wom- 
en's fraternities. 

The  Cottage  is  in  charge  of  a  preceptress 
of  culture  and  school  experience,  and  pro- 
vides, at  a  m>oderate  expense,  a  home  for 
women  students,  which  is  most  modern  and 
sanitary  in  all  of  its  appointments,  conven- 
ient and  comfortable  in  its  arrangements,  and 
delightful  and  elevating  in  its  social  life. 

THE    president's    HOUSE. 

The  President's  House  is  situated  on  the 
campus  within  easy  access  of  the  other  build- 
ings, is  a  commodious,  substantial  brick 
structure  wth  modern  conveniences  and  is 
occupied  by  the  President  and  his  family. 


214 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


BUCIITEL   SCHOOL   OF  ART. 


Buchtel  College  is  organized  and  equipped 
to  give  young  men  and  women  a  wholesome 
phj'sical  development,  a  most  thorough  men- 
tal discipline,  and  a  practical,  altruistic,  moral 
training;  to  hold  up  before  them  the  noblest 
ideals  of  manhood  and  womanhood,  and  to 
develop  within  them  a  genius  for  usefulness. 


INSTRUCTION. 

The  instruction  of  the  college  aims  to  com- 
bine the  advantages  of  the  lecture,  recitation 
and  laboratory  system. 

COLLEGE   COURSES. 

The    curriculum    embraces ; 

First:     A  Classical  Course. 

Second:     A  Philosophical  Course. 

Third :     A  Scientific  Course. 

These  are  four  year  courses  leading  to  the 
degrees  of  A.  B.,  Ph.  B.,  and  S.  B.,  and  are 
equal  to  those  adopted  by  other  similar  in- 
stitutions of  the  country. 

.VCADEMY  COURSES. 

In  connection  with  the  college,  but  oc- 
cupying a  separate  building  on  the  Campus, 
and  a  separate  Faculty,  is  Buchtel  Academy, 
in  which  students  are  thoroughly  prepared  for 
college  entrance.  Owing  to  limited  numbers, 
tie  student  is  under  the  personal  .supervision 
of  a  strong  corps  of  teachers  and  is  afforded 
daily  practical  drill  in  class  room  and  labora- 
tory work. 

BUCHTEL   SCHOOL  OF   MUSIC. 

The  Music  School  is  located  at  the  college 
in  Crouse  Gymnasium.  Thorough  and  tech- 
nical training,  beginning  with  fundamentals, 
is  given  in  instrumental  course  by  capable 
and  experienced  specialists. 


The  Art  School  is  situated  at  the  Academy 
Building  in  a  specially  arranged  and  equipped 
suite  of  rooms  and  is  under  the  personal  su- 
perivsion  of  a  trained  and  experienced  spe- 
cialist. The  School  offers  excellent  advantages 
for  the  study  of  art.  It  embraces  instruction 
in  charcoal,  crayon,  pencil,  pastel,  oil  and 
\vater  color.  Students  work  from  original 
designs,  life,  casts,  and  still  life. 

LABORATORY    AND    APPARATUS. 

The  larger  portion  of  the  basement  rooms 
of  Crouse  Gymnasium  have  been  reaiTanged 
since  the  fire  of  1899  for  use  as  chemical  lab- 
oratories consisting  of  five  rooms.  A  general 
laboratory  for  the  use  of  students  during  the 
first  year  of  work  in  chemistry  has  been  fitted 
with  all  modern  facilities.  Drainage,  gas,  hot 
and  cold  water,  and  all  necessary  apparatus, 
are  at  each  student's  desk.  The  students  pur- 
suing quantitative  methods  have  ample  room 
and  opportunities  for  the  more  refined  and 
careful  researches  in  a  laboratory  by  them- 
selves, undisturbed  bj-  other  workers.  The 
ventilation  of  the  laboratories  is  good,  special 
wall  flues  carrying  off  noxious  vapers. 

The  laboratories  for  physics  are  arranged 
in  the  basement  of  Buchtel  Hall.  Six  rooms 
are  given  to  the  use  of  experimental  physics. 
The  rooms  for  experiments  in  electricity  and 
magnetism  are  free  from  iron  in  their  con- 
struction, and  solid  masonrv'  floors  in  all  lab- 
oratories secure  the  instruments  from  all  out- 
side jar  and  disturbance. 

Excellent  facilitic,*  for  work  in  photography 
are  provided  by  a  well  equipped  dark-room, 
and  students  in  physical  science  are  encour- 
aged to  become  familiar  with  the  best  methods 
of  experimental  illustration. 

The  department  of  Natural  Science  is  lo- 
cated in  the  new  Buchtel  Hall,  where  three 
laboratory  and  lecture  rooms  are  fitted  for 
work  in  biology  and  geology'.  The  student  is 
supplied  with  microscopes,  reagents,  micro- 
tomes, and  other  apparatus  needful  for  thor- 
oTigh  work  in  biographical  research.  A  collec- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


215 


tion  of  minerals  and  crystals,  together  with 
maps,  charts  and  paleontological  cabinet, 
comprise  the  equipment  for  work  in  Geology. 

The  College  is  supplied  with  excellent  sur- 
veying instruments,  in  the  way  of  compass, 
engineer's  level,  surveyor's  transit,  with  solar 
attachment  for  determining  the  true  meri- 
dian, independent  of  the  needle,  chains,  tapes, 
poles,  pins,  etc. 

The  Astronomical  Observatory  is  adequate- 
ly equipped  with  efficient,  delicate  and  costly 
instruments  for  carrying  on  in  a  practical 
laboratory  way  that  line  of  higher  mathe- 
matics. 

BIERCE  LIBRARY. 

The  College  Library  had  its  origin  with  a 
collection  of  works  donated  in  1874  by  the 
late  Gen.  L.  V.  Bierce.  During  the  early 
days  of  the  college  the  library  was  augmented 
by  books  purchased  from  the  proceeds  of  a 
bequest  received  from  Gen.  Bierce'4  e-state. 
In  recognition  of  this  etxrly  gift  the  library 
has  been  called  the  Bierce  Library. 

At  the  present  time  the  Library  is  in  Buch- 
tel  Hall  and  embraces  about  9,000  bound 
volumes  of  standard  works  (exclusive  of  pub- 
lic documents).  These  books  have  been 
mostly  selected  with  special  reference  to  their 
use  in  connection  with  the  various  depart- 
ments of  college  instruction.  All  are  classi- 
fied and  arranged  on  the  shelves  by  the  Dewey 
system  of  ola.ssification.  The  whole  Tibrar^' 
is  practically  one  of  reference,  as  students 
have  access  to  the  shelves  at  all  hours  of  the 
day.  Books  may  also  be  drawn  by  students, 
professors  and  officers,  in  accordance  with  the 
regulations,  for  use  outside  the  Library. 

Since  the  fire  of  1899  the  Library  has  been 
reclassified  and  recatalogued  and  put  in  the 
best  working  order  for  students. 

In  connection  with  the  College  Library  is 
the  College  Reading  Room,  which  has  upon 
its  files  the  leading  periodicals  and  newspa- 
pers of  the  day.  These  are  selected,  upon 
recomendation  of  the  various  professors,  with 
special  reference  to  supplementing  their  class- 
room instmction. 


A  trained  librarian  of  experience  has  charge 
of  the  library  to  render  it  of  the  greatest  use- 
fulness to  the  students. 


ATHLETICS. 

Recognizing  the  fact  that  physical  training 
is  as  legitimate  a  part  of  any  system  of  edu- 
cation as  is  the  mental,  Buchtel  College  has 
made  ample  provision  for  this  course  in  edu- 
cation, in  her  large  and  well  equipped  Gym- 
nasium and  Athletic  Field.  Systematic  in- 
struction is  given  to  both  young  men  and 
wamen  in  the  Gymnasium  each  year  by  train- 
ed instructors,  and  the  young  men  are  given 
systematic  training  and  regular  drill  in  track 
athletics.  Public  sports  such  as  foot-ball,  base 
ball,  basket  ball,  and  lawn  tennis  are  per- 
mitted and  encouraged  so  far  as  is  consistent 
with  the  student's  health  and  with  his  prog- 
ress in  the  cla.*s-room. 


ORATORICAL    ASSOCIATION. 

The  students  of  Buchtel  College  maintain 
an  Oratorical  Association  to  which  all  college 
students  are  eligible.  The  object  of  the  socie- 
ty Ls  to  secure  an  increased  interest  in  public 
speaking,  with  special  reference  to  the  pres- 
entation of  original  productions.  The  local 
association  is  a  branch  of  the  State  Associa- 
tion, which  includes  a  number  of  the  leading 
colleges  of  the  State.  Each  year  a  local  con- 
test is  held  by  the  association,  the  winner  of 
which  is  sent  by  the  association  to  the  State 
contest.  The  successful  contestant  in  the 
State  contest  represents  the  State  in  the  inter- 
State  contest. 

LITERARY    AND    DEBATING    CLUB. 

A  Literary  and  Debating  Club  is  organized 
among  the  students.  Regular  meetings  are 
held  for  the  discussion  and  debating  of  topics 
of  interest.  Often  public  debates  are  held 
with  the  neighboring  societies  and  colleges. 


216 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


DRAMATIC    CLUB. 

A  Dramatic  Organization  is  maintained 
by  the  students  for  mutual  self-culture,  and 
for  the  study  of  literature  and  the  histrionic 
art.  One  or  more  public  entertainments  are 
given  each  year  with  credit  to  the  club  and 
the  College. 

All  such  literary  organizations  and  efforts 
are  approved  and  encouraged  by  the  College. 

CO-EDUC.\TION. 

The  College  and  Academy  admit  students 
of  both  sexes.  No  sex  discrimination  is  made 
in  requirements,  and  equal  educational  ad- 
vantages and  honors  are  offered  to  each. 

master's  degrees. 

The  degree  of  A.  M.  will  be  conferred  up- 
on those  who  have  acquired  the  degree  of  A. 
B.  or  Ph.  B.,  and  the  degree  of  M.  S.  upon 
those  who  have  acquired  the  degree  of  B.  S. 
These  degrees  will  be  granted  in  not  less  than 
two  years  after  gi'adualion,  unless  the  appli- 
cant, in  residence,  can  devote  the  larger  part 
of  his  time  to  his  work,  when  the  degrees  may 
be  granted  in  one  year. 

TRIZK    I'lNDS. 

Alumni  Prizes. — A  fund  has  been  estab- 
lished by  the  alumni  of  the  College,  the  in- 
come of  which  is  annually  appropriated  ac- 
cording'to  the  following  regulations: 

Lst.  That  student  being  a  member  of 
the  Senior  Class  of  the  academy — who  makes 
the  highest  average  grade  during  the  year 
in  full  Senior  Avork  in  the  Academy,  and  com- 
pletes his  Senior  year  without  conditions,  shall 
be  entitled  to  free  tuition  during  the  suc- 
ceeding year. 

2nd.  That  student' — being  a  member  of 
the  Freshman  Class — who  attains  the  high- 
est average  grade  during  the  year  in  the  regu- 
lar freshman  work  and  completes  the  year 
without  any  conditions,  .shall  be  entitled  to 
free  tuition  during  the  succeeding  year. 


3rd.  That  student — being  a  member  of 
the  Sophomore  Class — who  attains  the  high- 
est average  grade  during  the  year  in  not  few- 
er than  thirty-two  term  hours  above  the  fresh- 
man yeai',  and  completes  this  year  without 
conditions,  shall  be  entitled  to  free  tuition 
during  the  succeeding  year. 

4th.  That  student — being  a  member  of 
the  Junior  Class — who  attains  the  highest 
average  grade  during  the  year  in  not  fewer 
than  thirty-two  term  hours  above  the  fresh- 
roan  year,  and  completes  this  year  without 
conditions,  shall  be  entitled  to  free  tuition 
during  the  succeeding  year. 

5th.  In  determining  the  award  of  prizes 
for  any  year,  there  shall  be  considered  only 
grades  made  in  regular  class  work  at  Buchtel 
College  during  that  year  in  subjects  <'om- 
pleted  before  Commencement  day. 

6th.  In  case  of  a  tie  in  any  class  the 
prize  shall  be  equally  divided. 

7th.  The  prize  for  any  class  shall  go  to  the 
student  attaining  the  second  highest  average 
grade  only  in  case  the  one  ranking  highest 
does  not  return  to  Buchtel  College  the  next 
succeeding  year. 

Oliver  C.  Ashton  Prizes. — A  fund  consist- 
ing of  $3,000  has  been  established  by  the  late 
Oliver  C.  Ashton,  endowing  the  0.  C.  Ashton 
Prizes  for  excellence  in  reading  and  recitation. 

The  annual  income  of  this  fund  will  be 
paid,  one-third  to  competitors  from  the  Senior 
Cla.ss,  one-third  to  competitors  from  the  Jun- 
ior Class,  and  one-third  to  competitors  from 
the  Sophomore  Class,  in  a  first  and  second 
prize  to  each  class,  in  the  proportion  of  two 
to  one. 

These  are  public  exercises,  and  will  take 
place  at  stated  times  during  the  year. 

Pendleton  Law  Prizes. — For  the  purpose 
of  encouraging  the  study  of  Law  and  Civil 
Government,  a  fund  of  $1,000  has  been  es- 
tabli,shed  by  Joy  H.  Pendleton,  late  of  Akron, 
the  annual  income  of  which  is  u.sed  as  prize= 
for  essays  in  the  Law  Class.  Two-thirds  of 
such  income  is  annually  to  be  paid  for  the 
best  esf;ay,  and  one-third  for  the  second  best 
e.«,say,  on  some  subject  of  Law  or  Government 
announced  by  the  Instructor  in  Law. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


21' 


High  Schools. — The  College  offers  annual- 
ly one  scholarship  to  each  of  several  high 
schools,  to  be  awarded  to  the  student  standing 
highest  during  the  last  year  of  his  High 
School  course.  Each  scholarship  entitles  the 
holder  to  two  years'  free  tuition  in  College, 
subject  to  conditions  which  may  be  learned 
on  application  to  the  President  of  Buchtel 
College. 

Township. — Two  standing  schohirships  in 
the  Academy  are  offered  to  pupils  in  each 
Township  of  Summit  County  who  complete 
the  common  school  course  in  the  country 
schools.  These  scholarships  are  awarded  to 
the  two  pupils  in  each  township  passing  the 
best  examination  before  the  County  Board  of 
School  Examiners,  under  the  provisions  of  the 
Patterson  Law. 

Students  winning  the  High  School  or 
Township  Scholarships  must  begin  their 
course  of  study  not  later  than  one  year  from 
the  opening  of  the  following  school  year. 


The  College  has  just  closed  the  thirty-fifth 
j'eai'  of  substantial  educational  work.  It  has 
been  ably  officered  and  has  had  a  well  quali- 
fied faculty,  one  that  will  compare  favorably 
with  that  of  any  similar  institution  in  our 
countiy.  It  has  had  generous  support  and 
liberal  patronage,  and  has  made  history  of 
which  its  friends  are  not  ashamed.  This  has 
required  earnest  work  and  large  sacrifice.  The 
founders  were  men  and  women  of  large  hearts, 
who  planned  for  the  best  good  of  humanity. 
Cheerfully  and  freely  did  they  give  time  and 
money  for  the  erection  of  buildings  and  the 
endow-ment  of  the  institution,  and  if  their  de- 
scendants truly  honor  the  founders,  tlie  Col- 
lege will  increase  in  strength  and  usefulness 
as  the  years  go  by.  It  surely  has  a  bright  out- 
look. 

WH.\T     H.\S    THK    COLLEGE    DONE    FOR    .VKRON 
.A.ND    SUMMIT   COUNTY. 

It  is  impossible  to  fully  ani?wer  this  very- 
appropriate  and  important  question.  Some 
facts  mav  more  than  suggest  the  true  answer. 


It  has  brought  into  the  City  approximately 
one  million  dollars  for  building  purposes,  en- 
dowment funds  and  current  expenses.  Each 
year  students  expend  thousands  of  dollars  for 
board,  clothing  and  other  items. 

It  has  increased  the  value  of  real  estate, 
especially  in  its  vicinity,  and  it  has  advertised 
the  city,  its  various  industries  and  enterprises 
as  nothing  else  could  have  done.  Young  men 
and  women  who  have  spent  several  years  in 
the  institution  will  not  soon  cease  to  sound 
the  praise  of  the  city  that  gave  them  generous 
hospitality. 

While  the  College  was  established  by  the 
Ohio  Universalist  Convention,  and  a  very 
large  share  of  the  building  fund  and  endow- 
ment has  been  donated  by  members  of  the 
Universalist  Church,  yet  it  is  not,  strictly 
speaking,  denominational.  It  is  religious  but 
not  sectarian.  It  tolerates  and  respects  all  re- 
ligious opinions  and  organizations  and  asks 
no  questions  of  students  concerning  their  the- 
ology. 

It  seeks  to  occupy  a  high  moral  plane  and 
aims  to  inspire  in  students  exalted  ideals  of 
character  and  life. 

Its  educational  standard  is  equal  to  that  of 
any  college  in  Ohio.  Graduates  are  welcomed 
to  Harvard,  Yale,  and  all  American  Univer- 
sities on  the  diplomas  received  at  Buchtel. 
More  than  this,  .students  who  spend  one  or 
more  years  at  Buchtel  are  everywhere  credit- 
ed, without  examination,  with  all  the  marks 
that  have  been  received.  Its  standing  is  un- 
questioned. With  its  record  its  friends  have 
abundant  reason  to  be  satisfied. 

Possessing  buildings  well  adapted  for  the 
purpose  designed,  well  equipped  for  teaching 
Science,  Art,  Literature,  etc.,  with  a  faculty 
composed  of  able,  scholarly  men  and  women, 
the  College  has  furnished  the  opportunity  for 
hundreds  of  young  men  and  women  to  obtain 
a  liberal  education  at  home  at  a  comparative- 
ly trifling  expense.  By  bringing  into  the  city 
a  considerable  number  of  gifted  men  and 
women  it  has  helped  to  elevate  the  intellectual 
and  mora  Itone  of  the  citizens.  It  is  now 
known  not  only  as  an  enterprising  commer- 
cial town,  but  as  an  educational  center,  that 


218 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


challenges  the  attention  of  people  of  char- 
acter and  influence.  Summit  County  has 
abundant  reason  for  being  grateful  to  those 
who  earnestly  and  successfully  labored  to  se- 
cure the  institution  in  its  County  Seat.  While 
it  has  a  wide  field  and  draws  patronage  from 
several  states,  yet  it    peculiarly    belongs    to 


Akron,  and  in  its  perpetuity  and  prosperity 
citizens  should  take  a  just  pride  and  extend 
generous  help.  As  a  beacon  light  to  Akron, 
Summit  County,  and  humanity,  it  challenges 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  world  and 
truly  merits  the  generous  support  of  a  large 
constituency. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


RELIGIOUS  DEVELOPMENT 


First  Churches  and  Pioneer  Clergi/ — General  History  of  Religious  Organ! 

and  Clergi/  of  To-day. 

Akron  has  sixty-two  churches  within  its 
corporation  limits.  This  demonstrates  that 
the  city  is  not  wholly  given  to  manufacturing, 
leisure  and  society.  Akron  is  a  typical  Ameri- 
can city  and  believes  that  all  work  and  no 
play  makes  Jack  a  dull  boy.  Therefore,  its 
citizens  are  provided  with  large  and  modern 
theaters  and  a  beautiful  music  hall.  A  strong 
religious  influence  also  permeates  Akron's 
life.  The  same  desire  for  culture  which  has 
brought  such  great  success  in  educational 
lines,  has  manifested  itself  in  the  various  re- 
ligious societies  of  the  city.  There  has  been 
a  sound  and  healthy  rivalry  among  them  to 
provide  splendid  meeting  places  for  worship 
for  their  various  congregations.  As  a  result 
Akron  today  enjoys  superior  advantag&s  for 
the  church-goer. 

The  oldest  church  organization  in  Akron 
today  is  the  First  Presbyterian  Church.  It  was 
organized  December  15,  1831,  by  Rev.  B.  C. 
Baldwin  and  Rev.  John  Hughes  with  twenty- 
six  members.  They  occupied  the  old  brick 
church  on  Kent  Street  for  any  years,  un- 
til 1906,  when  they  completed  the  beautiful 
modem  church  building  on  East  Market 
Street  near  Buchtel  Avenue. 

In  1834  the  Congregational  Church  was 
organized  by  J.  W.  Pettit.  In  1885  a  small 
frame  church  was  built  where  the  Court 
House  stands  now.  Rev.  James  B.  Walker 
was  its  first  permanent  pastor.  In  June,  1843, 
the  society  built  a  large  church  on  the  comer 
of  North  Main  and  Federal  Streets.  During 
the  pa.*torate  of  Rev.  Carlos  Smith,  the  brick 
church  on  South  High  Street  was  built.    The 


'zations  —  Churches 


society  has  now,  in  the  year  1907,  purchased 
a  site  on  the  corner  of  East  Market  and  Union 
Streets,  and  will  build  a  fine  church  at  that 
point  during  the  next  year.  Rev.  Thomas 
E.  Monroe  became  pastor  of  this  church 
April  1,  1873,  and  continued  as  its  active  pas- 
tor until  1901.    He  is  now  Pastor  Emeritus. 

In  1830  a  Methodist  congregation  was  or- 
ganized by  Rev.  John  Janes,  and  meetings 
were  held  in  the  school  house  at  the  corner 
of  South  Broadway  and  Buchtel  Avenue.  In 
1836  a  church  was  built  at  the  corner  of 
South  Broadway  and  Church  Streets.  In 
1871  the  fine  brick  church  at  the  comer  of 
South  Broadway  and  Church  Streets  was  com- 
pleted. The  Sunday-school  rooms  were  plan- 
ned by  Lewis  Miller  and  gave  rise  to  the 
"Akron  Plan"  of  arranging  Sunday-school 
rooms. 

On  October  19,  1834,  a  Baptist  congrega- 
tion was  organized  in  the  school  house,  on  the 
corner  of  South  Broadway  and  Buchtel  Ave- 
nue. The  moderator  of  the  meeting  was  Ca- 
leb Green.    Amasa  Clark  acted  as  scribe. 

The  Universalist  was  one  of  the  early  re- 
ligious organizations  in  Akron,  and  held 
meetings  here  as  early  as  1835.  In  1837 
Rev.  Freeman  Loring  organized  a  chiirch, 
and  meetings  were  held  at  the  corner  of  Main 
and  State  Streets.  A  church  was  built  on 
North  High  Street  a  few  years  later.  It  was 
built  of  stone  and  was  one  of  the  finest  stmc-, 
tures  in  the  State  at  that  time. 

In  1836  a  parish  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
was  organized  in  Akron  by  Rev.  W.  H.  New- 
man of  Cuyahoga  Falls.     In  1844  a  chiirch 


'-i20 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


building  was  built  on  South  High  Streets.  In 
1884  the  parish  built  the  fine  stone  church  on 
East  Mai-ket  and  Forge  Street. 

The  Disciples  congregation  was  organized 
in  1839,  although  meetings  had  been  held  as 
early  as  1830.  The  society  was  organized  by 
Elders  Bently  and  Bosworth. 

In  1842  the  German  Evangelical  Protes- 
tant Congregation  was  organized.  It  is  the 
parent  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church  and 
the  German  Reformed. 

The  Grace  Reformed  society  was  organized 
in  1858  by  Rev.  N.  Gher. 

The  German  Lntlieran  society  w^as  formed 
in  August,  1854,  by  Rev.  P.  J.  Buehl.  Its 
church  on  the  corner  of  South  High  and 
Quarry  Streets  was  erected  in  1837. 

Trinity  Lutheran  Church  was  organized  in 
1870,  and  its  fine  church  on  Prospect  Street 
was  erected  in  1872.  In  October,  1882,  the 
Rev.  Excell  organized  the  United  Brethren 
Church  on  the  corner  of  High  and  James 
Streets. 

As  early  as  1835  services  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  were  held  in  Akron,  various 
priests  coming  from  neighboring  parishes  for 
that  purpose.  In  1843  a  church  was  built 
on  Green  Street.  On  March  17,  1864,  the 
present  stone  church  on  the  corner  of  West 
Market  and  Maple  Streets  was  begun.  Rev. 
M.  A.  Scanlon  was  pa«tor  of  St.  Vincent  de 
Paul's  Church  from  .June,  1859,  to  December, 
1873.  Rev.  T.  F.  Mahar  became  pastor  Au- 
gust 1,  1880,  and  has  continued  until  the 
present  time.  St.  Mary's  congregation  was 
established  in  1887.  and  a  church  was  erected 
on  South  Main  Street,  opposite  McCoy  Street. 
In  1861  St.  Bernard's  Catholic  Church  was 
organized.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Father 
Loure.  In  1866  Rev.  John  B.  Broun  took 
charge  of  the  church,  and  he  has  continued 
as  its  pa.stor  until  the  pr&sent  time.  In  1903 
a  magnificent  Church  on  South  Broadway 
and  Center — the  finest  in  the  city — was  com- 
pleted. 

In  1865  the  Akron  Hebrew  congregation 
was  organized,  and  services  were  held  in  the 
first  story  of  the  Allen's  block  on  South  How- 
ard Street.    They  were  afterwards  held  in  the 


first  story  of  the  Barber  Block.  In  1885  the 
congregation  purchased  the  Episcopal  church 
on  South  High  Street  and  has  occupied  it 
since  as  a  temple  of  worship. 

These  were  the  parent  congregations  of  the 
city.  As  the  city  grew  rapidly  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  some  of  the  city  congregations  were 
located  in  many  cases  two  or  four  miles  from 
the  city  churches,  various  branches  were  es- 
tablished. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  all  the 
city  churches,  with  their  respective  pastors, 
and  their  location,  at  the  present  time: 

First  Baptist,  37  South  Broadway;  Rev.  A. 
M.  Bailey,  pastor. 

Second  Baptist,  comer  Hill  and  James; 
Rev.  R.  A.  Jones,  pastor. 

Maple  St.  Baptist,  South  Maple  near  Ex- 
change; Rev.  J.  C.  Swan,  pastor. 

Arlington  St.  Baptist,  South  Arlington; 
Rev.  J.  M.  Huston,  pastor. 

German  Baptist,  West  Thornton,  corner  of 
Haynes. 

First  Congregational,  South  High,  near 
Market;  Rev.  H.  S.  MacAyeal. 

West  Congregational,  corner  West  Market 
and  Balch;  Rev.  P.  E.  Bauer. 

Welsh  Congregational,  McCoy  Street. 

First  Church  of  Christ,  South  High ;  Rev. 
George  Darsie,  pastor. 

Broad  Street  Church,  Broad  near  Market; 
Rev.   I.   H.  Durfee,  pastor. 

Third  Church  of  Christ,  comer  Wabash 
and  Euclid  Avenue;  Rev.  A.  F.  Stahl. 

Fourth  Church  of  Christ,  Steiner  Avenue; 
Rev.  C.  A.  MacDonald,  pastor. 

St.  Paul's  Church,  E.  Market  corner  Forge; 
Rev.  S.  North  Watson,  D.  D.,  rector. 

Church  of  Our  Saviour,  corner  Crosby  and 
Oakdale  Avenue;  Rev.  Geo.  P.  Atwater, 
rector. 

St.  Andrew's  Mission,  West  Tallmadge 
Avenue,  near  Cuyahoga. 

Calvary  Church,  corner  Bartges  and  Co- 
burn:  Rev.  W.  L.  Naumann,  pastor. 

Kenmore  Church,  Kenmore:  Rev.  E.  S. 
Flora,  pastor. 

First  U.  E.  Church,  corner  Wooster  Avenue 
and  Locust;  Rev.  H.  W.  Epsy. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


223 


Akron  Hebrew  Reformed  Congregation, 
South  High  near  Mill;  I.  E.  Philo,  rabbi. 

Sons  of  Peace  Congregation,  235  Bowery; 
E.  W.  Lutz,  rabbi. 

Hebrew  Congregation  meets  at  706  Edge- 
wood  Avenue. 

Trinity  Lutheran,  South  Prospect  near 
Mill;  Rev.  E.  W.  Simon,  pastor. 

German  Lutheran,  South  High,  corner 
Quarry;  Rev.  W.  H.  Lothmann,  pastor. 

St.  John's  Lutheran  Church,  Cobum  near 
Voris;  Rev.   E.   C.   Billing,  pastor. 

St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
West  Thorn ;  Rev.  J.  H.  Zinn,  pastor. 

Grant  Street  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
East  Thornton  near  Grant;  Rev.  J.  Franklin 
Yount,  pastor. 

Swedish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
Kent  near  Market;  Rev.  G.  S.  Ohslund,  pas- 
tor. 

First  M.  E.  Church,  South  Broadway  cor- 
ner Church,  Rev.  Frank  W.  Luce,  D.  D., 
pastor. 

Grace  M.  E.  Church,  East  Market  near  Car- 
roll ;  Rev.  A.  R.  Custer,  pastor. 

North  Hill  M.  E.  Church,  North  Howard 
corner  Tallmadge  Avenue;  Rev.  J.  0.  David- 
son, pastor. 

Woodland  M.  E.  Church,  South  Main 
south  of  Thornton ;  Rev.  E.  T.  Mohn,  pastor. 

Main  Street  M.  E.  Church,  Corner  Balch 
and  Crosby;  Rev.  F.  C.  Anderson,  pastor. 

Arlington  Street  M.  E.  Church,  North  Ar- 
lington near  North ;  Rev.  B.  P.  White,  pastor. 

Wooster  Avenue  M.  E.  Church,  Wooster 
Avenue  corner  Raymond ;  Rev.  B.  P.  White, 
pastor. 

German  M.  E.  Church,  corner  Exchange 
and  Pearl ;  Rev.  D.  J.  Harrer,  pastor. 

Zion  A.  M.  E.  Church,  South  High,  near 
Cedar;  Rev.  E.  C.  West,  pastor. 

Free  Methodist,  1044  Yale;  Rev.  J.  E.  Wil- 
liams, pastor. 

Wesleyan  Methodist,  729  Princeton ;  Rev. 
I.  F.  McLei-ster,  pastor. 

First  Presbyterian,  647  East  Market;  Rev. 
H.  W.  Lowry,  pastor. 


Central  Presbyterian,  East  State  near  Main. 

First  United  Presbyterian,  services  in  G.  A. 
R.  Hall;  R_ev.  W.  A.  Chambers. 

Grace  Reformed,  South  Broadway  near 
Mill;  Rev.  Irvin  W.  Hendricks,  pastor. 

German  Reformed,  South  Broadway  cor- 
ner Center;  Rev.  Edward  Stuebi,  pastor. 

Trinitj^  Reformed.  South  Broadway  cor- 
ner York;  Rev.  J.  S.  Freeman,  pastor. 

Wooster  Avenue  Reformed,  Wooster  Ave- 
nue, corner  Bell ;  Rev.  E.  R.  Willard,  pas- 
tor. 

Miller  Avenue  Reformed,  81  West  Miller 
Avenue;  Rev.  S.  E.  Snepp,  pastor. 

Goss  Memorial  Reformed  Church,  Ken- 
more. 

St.  Bernard's  Church,  South  Broadway 
corner  Center;  Rev.  J.  B.  Broun,  pastor. 

St.  Vincent  de  Raid's  Church,  West  Mar- 
ket corner  Maple;  Rev.  T.  F.  Mahar,  pastor. 

St.  Mary's  Church,  South  Main  opposite 
McCoy ;  Rev.  J.  J.  Farrell,  pastor. 

First  LT.  B.,  East  Center  near  Buchtel  Ave- 
nue; Rev.  William  Clarke,  pastor. 

Howe  Street  U.  B.,  Corner  Howe  and  Na- 
than ;  Rev.  0.  W.  Slusser,  pastor. 

First  Universalist,  corner  Broadway  and 
Mill;  Rev.  E.  G.  Mason,  pastor. 

Christian  and  Missionarv  Alliance  meets 
85  West  Cedar;  Rev.  S.  M.  Gerow. 

Seventh  Day  Adventists  meet  57  West 
South  Street. 

Latter  Day  Saints,  Reorganized  Church  of 
.lesus  Christ,  meets  corner  Main  and  Bartges 
Streets. 

Christian  Science,  Services  are  held  in  tbe 
Hebrew  Temple,  High  Street. 

Spiritualists  meet  in  G.  A.  R.  Hall. 

Hungarian  Church,  South  Main  extension. 

Union  Gospel  Mission,  51  North  Howard; 
Rev.  C.  A.  McKinney.  superintendent. 

Gospel  Church,  East  South;  Rev.  C.  A. 
McKinney,  pastor. 

Salvation  Army,  54  Main :  Adjutant  and 
Mrs.  D.  G.  Main  in  charge. 

Industrial  Home,  .33  and  35  Viaduct,  store 
874  South  Main. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


THE  PRESS 


BY  HON.  CHARLES  R.  GRANT  AND  HARRY  S.  QUINE. 


Since  Laurin  Dewey  set  up  a  hand  press  in 
Middlebnry  in  1825  and  began  the  publica- 
tion of  the  07uo  Canal  Advocate,  it  is  recorded 
that  Akron  and  Summit  County  have  had 
nearly  100  somen-hat  similar  ventures.  Mr. 
Dewey  was  Summit  County's  first  editor  and 
publisher.  The  publication  of  his  paper  was 
made  possible  by  the  contribution  of  $204  in 
amounts  varying  from  $2  to  $10  by  public 
spirited  citizens  of  Middlebury.  Some  of  these 
early  newspaper  promoters  were  the  follow- 
ing: Erastus  Torrey,  Henry  Chittenden, 
Charles  Sumner,  Nathan  Gillett,  Jr.,  Rufus 
Hart,  Edward  Sumner,  Samuel  Newton,  Chas. 
W.  Brown,  Theophilus  Potter,  Miner  Spacer 
and  Paul  Williams. 

Laurin  Dewey  was  a  "practical  printer," 
and  came  to  Middlebury  from  Ravenna.  The 
building  of  the  canal  was  being  advocated 
about  that  time,  and  Middlebury  citizens  be- 
lieved that  if  built,  the  future  greatness  of  the 
place  would  be  assured.  And  they  believed, 
further,  that  a  newspaper  booming  the  canal 
might  help  their  hopes  along  toward  realiza- 
tion. Mr.  Dewey  saw  an  opportunity,  and 
seized  it.  Second-hand  materials  were  pur- 
chased from  the  Cleveland  Herald,  brought 
to  Middlebury  in  two  wagons,  and  the  first 
issue  appeared  September  28,  1825,  the  name 
having  been  changed,  in  the  meantime,  to 
the  Portage  Journal,  as  the  building  of  the 
canal  was  by  that  time  assured.  Hiram 
Bowen,  afterwards  founder  of  the  Bearon. 
was  associated  with  Laurin  Dewey  in  the 
publication  of  the  Portage  Journal.  The  size 
of  the  Portage  Journal  -was  nineteen  by  twen- 
tj'-four  inches;   the  price  was  two  dollars  a 


year.  It  was  independent  in  politics  and  op- 
posed Jackson.  In  1826  it  passed  into  the 
hands  of  McMullen  &  Mason,  then  was  again 
transferred  to  Alvah  Hand,  who  discontinued 
it  in  1829. 

The  first  paper  was  unsuccessful,  financial- 
ly. This  was  perhaps  unfortunate,  as  a  prece- 
dent, for  the  same  might  be  said  of  the  most 
of  the  ninety  odd  newspaper  and  magazine 
publications  which  have  followed,  in  the 
years  from  1825  to  1907. 

Today  three  daily  newspapers — two  being 
entire  local  products  and  the  third  a  Cleveland 
publication,  keep  Akron  and  Summit  County 
thoroughly  informed.  Then  there  are  a  num- 
ber of  other  newspapers  and  similar  publica- 
tions, which  will  be  dealt  with  in  their  turn. 
It  might  be  added  in  passing,  however,  that 
Akron's  present  newspapers  ai'e  far  more  suc- 
cessful, from  a  business  view  point,  than  mo.st 
of  their  predecessors. 

In  no  'department  of  its  industry  may  the 
progress  of  the  city  be  so  well  followed  as  in 
its  newspaper  history.  The  printing  art  has 
improved  and  developed  amazingly.  Lane 
says,  speaking  of  the  Portage  Journal,  Sum- 
mit County's  first  newspaper: 

"With  this  fund,  an  old  style  Ramage  press 
and  a  quantity  of  second-hand  materials  were 
purchased  from  the  Cleveland  Flerald,  the 
entire  outfit  being  transported  overland  in  a 
couple  of  two  horse  wagons."  One  team 
could  probably  have  hauled  the  entire  outfit 
an  ordinars'^  distance.  The  equipment  may 
have  weighed  a  ton.  A  new  press  was  brought 
to  Akron  in  the  spring  of  1907  for  the  Akron 


HISTORY    OF  ,  SUMMIT    COUNTY 


225 


'times.  It  ^veighs  over  52,000  pounds,  with- 
out its  accessories. 

Ill  1825,  and  in  fact  until  a  comparatively 
few  years  ago  all  type-setting  was  done  by 
hand.  Now  it  is  indeed  an  obscure  and  back- 
ward paper  which  does  not  have  one  or  more 
type-setting  machines.  In  the  old  days,  a 
strong  youth  furnished  power  for  the  print- 
ing press,  turning  out,  possibly  300  to  500  in 
a  laborious  hour.  Today  presses  in  use  by 
Akron's  daily  papers  are  operated  by  great 
engines  or  motors,  and  vastly  larger  papers 
than  the  earlv  ones  are  turned  out  at  the  rate 
of  12,000  to  15,000  an  hour. 

The  telegraph,  the  telephone,  the  perfecting 
of  mail  delivery  service,  the  evolution  of  the 
photographic  and  tlie  photo-engraving  proc- 
ess liave  made  newspapers  entirely  different 
things,  both  to  publishers  and  to  readers,  than 
they  were  in  the  early  days.  Akron,  proper, 
had  no  newspaper  before  1836.  Its  people 
received  their  news  through  the  Western  In- 
telUgence,  1827:  the  Ohio  Observer,  1832; 
published  at  Hudson  and  Cuyahoga  Falls. 

In  1836,  Akron  was  incorporated.  Im- 
mediately thereafter  Madison  H.  White,  of 
Medina,  came  over  and  establi-shed  the  Akron 
Post,  the  first  issue  appearing  March  23.  It 
was  a  five  column  weekly,  and  it  died  in  No- 
vember of  the  same  year.  Its  equipment  was 
purchased  by  Constant  Bryan,  then  a  young 
lawyer,  and  later  a  judge,  who  established  the 
AIcro7i  Journal.  December  1.  1836.  The 
Jottrnal  gave  up  the  ghost  six  months  later. 

The  Post  and  Journal  had  been  Demo- 
cratic. Now  the  Whigs  had  an  inning,  when 
Horace  K.  Smith  and  Gideon  J.  Galloway 
brought  forth  the  first  issue  of  the  American 
Balanre.  August  19,  1837:  suspended  August 
9,  1838;  age  one  year. 

Easily  the  liveliest  and  most  comTuendable 
of  the  early  Akron  new.spaper  ventures  was 
that  of  Samuel  Alanson  Lane,  who  established 
the  American  Buzzard,  in  1837,  his  object 
being  to  reduce  the  lawless  young  town  of 
Akron,  filled  with  bad  men,  to  a  state  of  law 
and  order.  In  its  stated  object  and  in  finan- 
cial matters  the  Evzzard  was  quite  sticcessful, 
and  after  an  exceding  bri.«k  career  as  editor 


and  manager  for  two  years,  Mr.  Lane  dis- 
posed of  it  to  Hiram  Bowen,  who  turned  it 
into  the  Summit  Beacon,  in  1839. 

The  Beacon  has  continued  to  this  day,  be- 
ing issued  as  a  daily  under  the  name  of  the 
Beaton  Journal.  It  represented  the  Whig 
Party,  and  had  a  hard  time  of  it  for  several 
years.  In  1844  Mr.  Bowen  sold  the  Beacon 
to  Richards  6.  Elkins,  who  was  succeeded  as 
editor  by  Laurin  Dewey  in  1845.  They  in 
turn  sold  it  to  John  Teesdale,  of  Columbus, 
in  1848.  Mr.  Teesdale  was  still  in  command 
when  the  Republican  party  was  formed  in 
1855,  and  the  Beacon  became  its  organ.  He 
sold  out  to  Beebe  &  Elkins  in  1856,  and  was 
succeeded  as  editor  by  James,  later  Judge 
Cai"penter;  A.  H.  Lewis,  of  Ravenna,  succeed- 
ed him,  and  in  1861  S.  A.  Lane,  former  pro- 
prietor of  the  Buzzard,  became  editor.  Four 
years  later  Mr.  Lane  and  Horace  G.  Canfield 
bought  an  interest,  and  in  Januar^^,  1867,  the 
business  was  taken  entirely  out  of  the  hands 
of  Beeibe  &  Elkins,  the  publishers'  names  being 
changed  to  Lane,  Canfield  &  Company.  The 
new  proprietors  believed  that  Akron  had 
grown  to  a  point  where  it  should  have  a  daily 
paper;  the  necessary  preparations  were  made 
and  the  first  issue  of  the  Akron  Daily  Beacon 
made  its  appearance  December  6,  1869.  Mr. 
Lane  was  editor-in-chief,  and  Thomas  C.  Ray- 
nolds,  wa«  assistant  editor.  Mr.  Raynolds 
afterward  piloted  the  Beacon's  ship  of  des- 
tiny for  many  years. 

The  Beacon  Publishing  Companv  was 
formed  in  1871,  capital  $25,000.  Messrs.  Lane 
and  Denis  A.  Long  retained  an  active  inter- 
est :  H.  A.  Canfield  and  A.  L.  Paine  retired 
and  Mr.  Raynolds  was  made  editor-in-chief. 
The  paper  grew,  and  the  fact  that  its  entire 
jilant  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1872  checked 
its  progress  but  little.  In  1875  the  property, 
rehabilitated,  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Rav- 
nolds,  -n-ith  Frank  J.  Staral  and  John  H. 
.\uble.    Later  Mr.  Raynolds  secured  control. 

In  1869,  the  Akron  Daily  Beacon,  the  first 
local  daily,  made  its  appearance.  It  grew,  and 
in  1891  absorbed  the  Akron  Daily  Republi- 
can, which  had,  in  the  meantime  sprung  up 
to  di.spute  its  right  to  the  whole  of  the  local 


226 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


daily  field.  This  led  to  a  complete  reorgani- 
zation. The  Republican  was  a  consolidation 
of  two  papers,  the  Daily  Telegram  and  the 
Sunday  Gazette,  the  latter  founded  by  Paul 
E.  Werner  in  1878. 

When  the  Beacon  took  over  the  Republi- 
ran,  it  reorganized  as  follows:  George  W. 
Grouse,  president;  K.  B.  Congle,  vice-presi- 
dent, and  T.  C.  Raynolds,  business  manager. 
The  Beacon  and  Republican  continued  in 
that  form  until  1897,  when  it  was  again 
deemed  expedient  to  reach  out  and  absorb  a 
competitor,  this  time  the  Daily  Journal. 
founded  by  Charles  H.  Wright.  AVhen  this 
change  was  made  the  name  of  the  paper  be- 
came the  Beacon-Journal  and  a?  such  it  ap- 
pears today.  About  that  time  R.  T.  Dobson, 
who,  with  his  brother,  had  been  conducting 
the  Times,  and  had  disposed  of  his  interest 
there,  came  over  and  acquired  in  interest  in 
the  Beacon-Journal.  This  interest  grew  until 
it  controlled  the  industry  and  it  was  much 
more  prosperou,*  under  the  Dobson  direction 
than  it  had  been  in  years  before.  A  few 
years  ago,  Mr.  Dobson,  tiring  of  the  newspa- 
per business,  disposed  of  his  interest  to  T.  .1. 
Kirkpatrick,  of  Springfield,  Ohio,  and  the 
latter  removed  to  Akron  and  took  personal 
charge,  with  C.  L.  Knight  as  business  mana- 
ger. A  year  ago  Major  Kirkpatrick  disposed 
of  his  holding  and  returned  to  Springfield 
where  he  has  again  engaged  in  the  publish- 
ing business.  Mr.  Knight  remains,  as  the 
manager  and  controller  of  a  majority  of  the 
stock.  William  B.  Baldwin,  an  Akron  boy, 
and  in  newspaperdom  a  product  of  the  local 
field,  has  been  the  editor  of  the  Beacon-Jour- 
nal for  years,  and  continues  in  that  position. 
The  Beacon-Journal  Company  occupies  its 
own  block  at  the  corner  of  Quarry  and  Main 
Streets,  and  has  a  modern  and  complete 
equipment.  So  much  for  the  story  of  what 
has  developed  into  the  leading  Republican 
newspaper  of  the  County.  The  Beacon-Jour- 
nal is  a  prodiict  of  gradual  growth,  of  devel- 
opment with  the  years,  as  the  city  and  county 
have  developed. 

The  Akron  Tim,es,  Summit  County's  lead- 
ing Democratic  paper,  daily  and  weekly,  has 


another  story  to  tell — a  story  of  magnificent 
success  in  shorter  time — a  narrative  of  a 
struggle,  which  though  short  and  successful, 
has  been  sharp. 

The  American.  Democrat,  published  at 
Akron  for  the  first  time  on  August  20,  1842, 
>was  the  first  newspaper  of  that  faith  to  make 
its  appearance  in  Summit  County.  It?  pub- 
lisher was  the  late  Horace  Canfield,  pioneer 
printer,  whose  son,  now  honored  and  full  of 
years,  still  plies  the  trade  in  the  city  of  Akron. 

The  life  of  the  American  Democrat  was  a 
little  above  six  years.  Then  it  daunted.  Mr. 
Canfield  immediately  began  the  publication 
of  another  paper,  with  indifferent  success.  In 
1849,  in  partnership  -with  the  late  ex-gover- 
nor Sidney  Edgerton,  Mr.  Canfield  as  mana- 
ger and  Mr.  Edgerton  as  editor,  he  began  the 
publication  of  the  Akron  Free  Democrat. 
That  was  in  .July.  After  the  fall  election 
that  year,  the  name  of  the  paper  was  changed 
to  the  Free  Demiocratic  Standard.  The  paper 
continued  for  years,  its  name  being  frequently 
changed,  however,  to  correspond  with  editorial 
belief  or  their  burning  issues.  Its  names 
were,  successively,  the  Democratic  Standard, 
the  Summit  Democrat  and  the  Summit  Un- 
ion. As  the  Summit  Vnion  the  paper  died 
in  1867. 

But  Akron  and  Summit  County  were  not 
to  be  left  without  a  Democratic  newspaper, 
and  in  the  same  year  a  new  newspaper  ven- 
ture, at  least  more  enduring  than  its  prede- 
cessors, was  launched  and  christened  the 
Akron  Times.  The  present  Akron  Times  is 
its  lineal  descendant.  As  a  weekly  paper 
the  Akron  Weekly  Times  continued  un- 
til 1892.  During  those  years,  though  it  was 
without  competition  in  its  own  field,  its  for- 
tunes were  varied  and  it  was  at  no  time  over- 
opulent,  conforming  in  that  respect  to  the 
well-known  small  newspaper  rule.  But  it  held 
on,  and  it  grew  despite  the  fact  that  it  was 
the  apostle  of  a  minority  in- local  political  be- 
lief. Among  its  editors  were  E.  B.  Eshelman, 
known  better  as  editor  of  the  Wayne  County 
Democrat,  and  Frank  S.  Pixley,  who  has  since 
become  famous  as  a  playwright. 

In  1892  fate  decreed  that  the  Times  should 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


227 


emerge  from  its  weekly  newspaper  chrysalis 
and  become  a  daily.  It  happened  that  in  that 
year  W.  B.  and  R.  T.  Dobson — then  aggres- 
sive Democrats — decided  that  Akron  must 
have  a  Democratic  daily  paper.  The  Akron 
Daily  Democrat  was  accordingly  launched  by 
them.  This  was  early  in  the  year.  The  daily 
quickly  occupied  the  field  formerly  taken  by 
the  weekly,  and  the  weekly  Times  surren- 
dered, being  taken  over  by  the  Brothers  Dob- 
son. 

For  five  years  the  new  arrangement  contin- 
ued, W.  B.  Dobson  having  in  the  meantime 
become  postmaster  of  the  City  of  Akron,  and 
the  newspaper  having  been  taken  over  by  his 
brother,  Russell  T.  Dobson. 

In  1898  the  latter  decided  that  he  would 
dispose  of  the  paper.  In  his  employ  at  the 
time  was  an  energetic  youth  who  had  gradu- 
ated from  the  printers'  case  to  the  editorial 
rooms  and  had  become  fii-st  a  reporter  and 
later  city  editor  of  the  paper.  His  name  was 
Edward  S.  Harter.  It  was  his  ambition,  of 
course,  to  own  a  newspaper,  and  when  it  was 
made  known  that  the  Daily  Democrat  and 
Weekly  Times  were  for  sale,  he  wanted  to 
buy.  With  a  partner  then — Fred  W.  Gayer, 
of  Akron — Mr.  Harter  made  the  purchase, 
paying  whait  was  under  the  circumstance  a 
large  price  for  the  property.  It  is  a  matter 
of  local  history  that  the  seller  boasted,  when 
he  completed  the  sale,  that  he  would  "have 
it  back  in  six  months."  This  came  to  the 
ears  of  Harter,  the  new  editor.  It  checked 
his  enthusiasm  to  a  marked  degree,  but  it 
also  spurred  him  on  to  prevent,  if  possible, 
any  other  outcome  of  his  venture  than  com- 
plete success.  Mr.  Dobson  has  not  got  the 
property  back  in  ten  years — by  default. — and 
it  is  not  likely  that  he  ever  will.  Under  the 
energetic  direction  of  Mr.  Harter  and  those 
associated  with  him  then  and  since,  the  Times 
has  grown.  AVhen  purchased  its  press  ec(uip- 
ment  wa?  antiquated,  type  was  set  by  hand,  its 
office  equipment  was  poor,  its  circulation  small 
and  its  good  will — an  exceedingly  important 
part,  of  a  newspaper— was  almost  nil. 

Today  the  Times  occupies  its  own  building, 
a  fine  two-story  brick  structure  at  the  corner 


of  Mill  Street  and  Broadway.  Below  are 
counting-room  offices  and  pressroom,  above 
reportorial  and  composing  rooms.  A  battery 
of  four  linotype  machines  prepares  the  type; 
an  elevator  carries  the  pages  to  a  pressroom 
equipped  to  the  minute  with  the  best  and  new- 
est machinery;  a  two-color  sixteen-page  press 
has  just  been  installed,  and  today  the  Times 
has  easily  the  most  modern  and  complete 
newspaper  plant  in  the  county.  Edward  S. 
Harter,  leaving  the  tripod  for  a  business  desk, 
is  manager ;  Judge  C.  R.  Grant,  a  large  stock- 
holder in  the  enterprise,  wields  a  pen  that 
moulds  opinions,  and  the  Times  today  is  in 
the  very  front  rank  among  Summit  County 
publications. 

This  paper  is  produced  by  the  Akron  Dem- 
ocrat Company,  of  whom  the  following  are 
officers:  Judge  C.  R.  Grant,  president;  J.  V. 
Welsh,  vice-president;  Edward  S.  Harter,  sec- 
retary and  manager,  and  M.  N.  Hoye,  treas- 
urer. 

For  the  large  number  of  German  speaking 
people  within  its  borders  Akron  has  a  live 
German  newspaper,  the  Germania,  edited  and 
largely  owned  by  Louis  Seybold.  This  paper 
has  had  a  long  and  successful  career,  having 
been  founded  in  1868  by  H.  Gentz.  Within 
a  year  after  its  birth,  it  passed  into  the  hands 
of  the  late  Prof.  Karl  F.  Kolbe,  who  for  more 
than  half  a  century  was  prominently  identi- 
fied with  all  that  was  good  in  German  litera- 
ture in  this  community.  Louis  Seybold  became 
editor  in  1875.  In  1887  the  Germania  Print- 
ing Company  was  incorporated,  with  Paul 
E.  Werner,  president;  Louis  Seybold,  secre- 
tary, and  Hans  Otto  Beck,  business  manager. 
Later  Mr.  Werner  and  Mr.  Beck  disposed  of 
their  connections,  Mr.  Beck  returning  to  Ger- 
many and  Mr.  Werner  going  into  other  things 
But  the  Germania  lives  on,  Editor  Seybold  at 
the  helm  and  members  of  his  family  at  his 
right  hand — a  power  for  good  in  that  part  of 
the  community  for  which  it  is  especially  in- 
tended. Some  twenty  years  ago  the  Freie 
Presse  was  started,  but  the  Germania  quickly 
absorbed  it. 

In  a  work  of  the  present  scope  it  would  be 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


impossible  to  name  all  the  publications  which 
have  at  various  times  catered  to  the  local  pub- 
lic for  a  time,  then  passed  on.  D&serving  of 
special  mention,  however,  at  the  present  time 
is  The  People,  published  weekly  under  the 
direction  of  the  Akron  Central  Labor  Union. 
The  People  is  by  far  the  most  pretentious 
labor  publication  ever  attempted  in  the  Akron 
field.     It  enjoys  a  wide  patronage  and  circu- 


lates among  the  members  of  the  various  local 
labor  unions. 

The  Akron  Press,  an  edition  of  the  Cleve- 
land Press,  printed  and  prepared  in  Cleveland, 
is  also  circulated  considerably  in  Akron.  It 
is  understood  that  its  ow'uers  at  the  present 
time  contemplate  the  erection  of  a  plant  in 
this  city,  and  the  publication  of  the  Akron 
Press  as  a  bona  fide  Akron  paper. 


JOHN  BROWN 


THE  OLD  JOHN  HKOWN  JlOME  UKKuUK  UELNc;  KEMODELED 


CHAPTER  XV 


GREATNESS  ACHIEVED  BY  SUMMIT  COUNTY  SONS 


JOHN  BROWN.      EDWARD  ROWLAND  SILL. 

There  are  two  names  in  the  history  of  Sum- 
mit County  up  to  the  year  1907,  which,  in 
the  years  to  come,  will  stand  out  far  above 
all  others.  The  name  of  one  who  lived 
among  us  will  always  be  honored  because  of 
the  memories  associated  with  the  anti-slavery 
struggle;  the  fame  of  the  other  is  secure  be- 
cause of  the  perfection  of  his  art.  One 
wrought;  the  other  wrote.  Although  they 
are  the  greatest  by  far  of  all  Summit  County's 
citizens,  yet  neither  of  them  was  a  native  of 
the  county.  They  were  both  born  in  Connecti- 
cut, and  the  places  of  their  birth  were  but 
forty  miles  apart.  Nor,  was  the  great  work 
which  each  of  them  did,  accomplished  in 
Summit  County.  Nevertheless,  as  a  large 
part  of  the  lifetime  of  each  was  spent  within 
her  borders,  the  county  claim?  them  both  as 
her  own  sons.  She  views  with  increasing 
pride  the  added  fame  which  the  years  bring 
to  the  memory  of  John  Brown  of  Osawatomie, 
and  Edward  Rowland  Sill,  one  of  the  worthi- 
est and  truest  of  American  poets. 

Torrington,  in  Western  Connecticut,  is  set 
amid  all  the  glories  of  the  Housatonic  Moun- . 
tains.  Nature  presents  few  landscapes  more 
charming  than  this  idyllic  region.  Litchfield, 
which  means  so  much  to  the  residents  of  Sum- 
mit County  is  only  a  few  miles  to  the  south- 
west. John  Brown  was  born  at  Torrington 
on  the  9th  day  of  ilay  in  the  year  1800. 
The  town  record  supplies  the  date  and  states 
that  he  was  the  son  of  Owen  and  Ruth 
Brown.  He  was  a  direct  descendant  of  Peter 
Brown,  an  English  Puritan  carpenter  who  was 
on6  of  the  Mayflower  company.  His  ancestors, 
too,  had  been  part  of  that  remarkable  colony 


which  founded  Windsor,  Connecticut.  In  his 
own  words,  he  was  born  of  "poor  but  re- 
spectable parents."  His  father  was  a  tanner 
and  shoemaker  who  was  often  hard  put  to 
in  order  to  provide  the  bare  necessaries  of  life 
for  his  faanily.  His  grandfather  was  Captain 
John  Brown,  of  the  Revolutionary  Army. 
Hi^  mother  was  Ruth  IVIills  and  she,  too,  could 
boast  of  a  father  who  had  fought  with  great 
credit  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  His 
mother  was  of  Dutch  descent,  her  first  Ameri- 
can ancestor  being  Peter  Mills  who  emigrated 
from  Holland  about  1700. 

In  1805  Owen  Brown  moved  with  his  wife 
and  babies  to  Ohio.  It  was  an  emigration 
rather  than  a  moving;  for  the  way  was  long 
and  toilsome  and  beset  with  many  perils.  They 
settled  in  Hudson,  which  at  that  time  was 
only  a  clearing  in  an  almost  unbroken  wilder- 
ness. In  the  story  of  his  life  John  mentions 
that  it  was  filled  with  Indians  and  wild 
beasts.  During  the  first  few  years  of  his  life 
in  Hudson,  he  was  accustomed  to  intimate 
association  with  the  Indians;  his  early  play- 
mates were  Indians  and  from  them  he  learned 
much  woodcraft  and  some  of  their  language. 
He  mentions  with  much  feeling  the  loss  of  a 
yellow  imarble  (the  first  he  ever  had),  which 
had  been  given  to  him  by  an  Indian  boy. 
Soon  after  settling  in  Hudson,  his  father  was 
made  a  trustee  of  Oberlin  College.  This 
speaks  volumes  for  the  standing  of  the  family 
and  the  character  of  that  worthy  father.  In 
spite  of  the  scholastic  connection  of  his  father, 
however,  the  youthful  John  received  very 
scanty  schooling.  Dres.sed  in  his  rough  buck- 
.skin  clothes  he  preferred  to  tend  the  cattle 
and  .«heep,  and  roam  on  long  trips  in  the  for- 
est.    AVhen  onlv  twelve  vears  old  he  made  a 


232 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


trip  of  over  a  hundred  miles  driving  alone  a 
herd  of  cattle.  He  enjoyed  immensely  the 
hardest  and  roughest  sports,  and  lost  no  op- 
portunity to  "wrestle,  snow-ball,  run,  jump 
and  knock  off  old  seedy  wool  hats."  Perhaps 
the  battles  in  Kansas  were  being  won  on  the 
field  of  those  rough  frontier  sports  in  Ohio. 
His  mother  died  when  he  was  eight  years  old, 
and  the  poor  little  fellow  mourned  for  her  for 
years.  His  father  soon  married  again,  but 
his  heart  remained  lonely  for  his  mother.  At 
ten  years  he  commenced  reading  books.  It 
is  easy  to  determine  how  that  rugged  charac- 
ter was  formed  by  considering  the  sources  of 
its  inspiration.  From  that  time  on,  his  fav- 
orite books  were:  first  and  always,  The  Holv 
Bible;  then  Baxter's  Saints'  Rest;  The  Pil- 
grim's Progress;  Josephus'  Works,  Plutarch's 
Lives;  The  Life  of  Oliver  Cromwell;  Rollin's 
Ancient  History;  Napoleon  and  His  Mar- 
shals; and  Henry  on  Meekness. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  joined  the  Congre- 
gational Church  at  Hudson,  and  remained  a 
steadfa.st  and  bible-reading  Christian  all  the 
days  of  his  life.  After  he  became  a  nationnl 
character,  the  extent  of  his  Bible  knowledge 
was  much  marvelled  at.  About  this  time  he 
determined  to  study  for  tbe  ministry  and 
entered  the  Hallock  School,  Plainfield,  Ma=sa- 
chusetts,  and  also  Morris  Academy  in  Con- 
necticut. Inflammation  of  the  eyes  compelled 
him  to  quit  study,  and  he  returned  to  his 
business  of  tanning  hides  in  Hudson.  He 
was  made  foreman  in  his  father's  tannery 
and  also  mastered  the  art  of  .surveying.  Sub- 
sequent sui-veys  showed  that  Iiis  early  sur- 
veys Avere  made  with  great  accuracy. 

On  June  21,  1820,  he  was  married  in  Hud- 
son to  Dianthe  Lusk,  of  that  village.  He  de- 
scribes her  as  "a  remarkably  plain,  but  neat, 
industrious  and  economical  girl,  of  excellent 
character,  earnest  piety  and  good,  practical 
common-scn.?e."  He  confesses  that  .«he  "main- 
tained a  most  powerful  and  good  influence 
over  him"  so  long  as  she  lived.  By  her,  he 
had  seven  children,  the  first  three  of  whom 
were  born  in  Hudson,  Ohio;  the  others  in 
Richmond,  Pennsylvania.  These  children 
were   John   Brown.   Jr.;   Jason    Brown,    now 


livijig  in  -Vkron ;  Owen  Brown ;  Frederick 
Brown ;  Ruth  Brown,  who  afterward  married 
Henry  Thompson ;  Frederick  Brown,  mur- 
dered in  the  Kansas  trouble  by  Rev.  Martin 
White;  and  an  infant  son  who  died  three 
daj's  after  birth.  Jason  Brown  was  born  in 
Hudson,  January  19,  1823.  He  was  the  most 
prominent  of  the  "Sons  of  Hudson"  who  re- 
turned for  the  "Old  Home  Festival"  in  the 
autumn  of  1907,  having  walked  all  the  way 
from  Akron  to  Hudson  to  attend  it.  In  1826, 
John  Brown  moved  to  Richmond,  Crowford 
County,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  carried  on 
the  business  of  tanner  until  1835.  His  wife 
died  here  in  Augu.st,  1832,  and  he  soon  re- 
married. His  second  wife  was  Mary  A.  Day, 
who  bore  him  thirteen  children  as  follows: 
Sarah  Brown,  born  May  11,  1834,  at  Rich- 
mond, Pennsylvania;  Watson  Brown,  October 
7,  1834,  at  Franklin  Mills,  Ohio,  (now  Kent, 
Ohio)  ;  Salmon  Brown,  October  2,  1836,  Hud- 
son, Ohio;  Charles  Brown,  November  3,  1837, 
Hudson,  Ohio;  Oliver  Brown,  March  9,  1839, 
Franklin  Mills,  Ohio;  Peter  Brown,  Decem- 
ber 7,  1840,  Hudson,  Ohio;  Austin  Brown, 
September  14,  1842,  Richfield,  Summit 
County,  Ohio;  Anne  Brown,  December  23, 
1843,  Richfield,  Ohio ;  Amelia  Brown,  June 
22,  1845,  Akron,  Ohio;  Sarah  Brown  (2d) 
September  11,  1846,  Akron;  Ellen  Brown, 
Mav  20,  1848,  Springfield.  Massachusetts;  in- 
fant son,  April  26,  1852,  Akron,  died  May 
17,  1852,  and  Ellen  Brown  (2d),  September 
25,  1854,  Akron. 

In  1835  he  moved  back  to  Ohio;  this  time 
settling  at  Franklin  Mills  (now  Kent)  in 
Portage  County.  He  was  unfortunate  in  the 
real  estate  business  here,  and  in  1840  he  re- 
turned to  Hudson  and  formed  a  partnership 
with  Heman  Oviatt,  of  Richfield,  to  engage  in 
the  wool  business.  In  1842  he  moved  across 
the  Cuyahoga  Valley  to  Richfield,  where  he 
lived  two  years.  AVhile  living  in  Richfield 
four  of  his  children  died.  In  1844  he  moved 
with  his  family  to  Akron  and  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Col.  Simon  Perkins,  of  Akron, 
to  engage  in  the  wool  business.  The  firm 
name  was  Perkins  &  Brown  and  they  sold 
large  quantities  of  wool  on  commission.  John 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZENS 


233 


Brown  was  an  expert  judge  of  wool;  in  fact, 
he  had  few  equals.  His  reputation  as  a  wool 
expert  extended  over  the  whole  eastern  part 
of  the  countrj'.  A  Massachusetts  friend  re- 
lates this  anecdote  of  him :  "Give  him  two 
samples  of  wool,  one  grown  in  Ohio  and  the 
other  in  Vermont,  and  he  would  distinguish 
each  of  them  in  the  dark.  One  evening,  in 
England,  one  of  the  party  wLshing  to  play  a 
trick  -on  the  Yankee  farmer,  handed  him  a 
sample  and  asked  him  what  he  would  do  with 
such  wool  as  that.  His  eyes  and  fingers  were 
then  so  good  that  he  had  only  to  touch  it  to 
kno^'  that  it  had  not  the  minute  hooks  by 
which  the  fibers  of  wool  are  attached  to  each 
other.  'Gentlemen,'  said  he,  'if  you  have  any 
machinery  that  will  work  up  dog's  hair,  I 
would  advise  you  to  put  this  into  it.'  The 
jocose  Briton  had  sheared  a  poodle  and 
brought  the  hair  in  his  pocket,  but  the  laugh 
went  against  him,  and  Captain  Brown,  in 
spite  of  some  peculiarities  of  dress  and  man- 
ner, soon  won  the  respect  of  all  whom  he 
met." 

Perkins  it  Brown  was  not  a  success.  Tlie 
failure  was  due  solely  to  John  Brown's  lack 
of  business  instinct.  He  was  not  intended  by 
Nature  for  a  business  career.  He  lacked  all 
the  fundamental  requisites.  He  was  by  na- 
ture a  dreamer,  a  seer,  a  poet,  if  you  will.  The 
impulses  or  intuitions  he  had  at  sixteen  were 
correct;  he  would  have  made  a  splendid 
preacher.  Colonel  Perkins  said  of  him:  "He 
had  little  judgment,  always  followed  his  own 
will,  and  lost  much  money."  During  his 
residence  of  two  years  in  Akron,  he  lived  in 
the  frame  house  on  the  top  of  Perkins  Hill, 
now  occupied  by  Hon.  Charles  E.  Perkins, 
and  which  for  several  years  was  used  as  a 
club-house  liy  The  Portage  Golf  Club.  In  the 
spring  of  1846  he  went  to  Springfield,  Massa- 
chusetts as  the  agent  for  certain  large  wool 
growers  in  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania.  In  1848 
he  went  to  England  with  200,000  pounds  of 
wool,  which  he  was  compelled  to  sell  at  about 
half  its  value.  His  record  as  a  wool  factor  is 
a  series  of  failures.  He  was  now  reduced  to 
poverty  again. 

In  1849  he  fell  in    with    Gerritt    Smith's 


quixotic  plan  to  found  a  colony  of  negro  set- 
tlers in  the  wild  lands  of  the  Adirondack 
wilderness,  and  moved  his  family  there  in  that 
year,  settling  in  North  Elba,  Essex  County, 
New  York.  Mr.  Smith  gave  John  Brown  the 
land  and  the  latter  started  to  clear  it  and  en- 
deavored to  show  the  negro  how  to  cultivate 
and  plant  their  farms  in  the  colony.  North 
Elba  was  the  home  of  his  family  until  the  time 
of  his  death.  It  was  a  wild,  cold  and  bleak 
place,  and  they  suffered  many  privations  while 
living  there.  From  that  time  on  John 
Brown's  business  was  to  fight  slaverj'.  He  had 
been  an  abolitionist  since  the  war  of  1812. 
His  witnessing  the  ill-treatment  of  a  little 
slave  boy,  about  his  own  age,  to  whom  he  was 
much  attached,  brought  home  to  him  the  evils 
of  human  slavery  and  led  him  to  declare  eter- 
nal war  with  slavery.  "This  brought  John  to 
reflect  on  the  wretched,  hopeless  condition  of 
fatherless  and  motherless  slave  children,  for 
such  children  have  neither  fathers  nor  moth- 
ers to  protect  and  provide  for  them.  He  would 
sometimes  raise  the  question :  'Is  God  their 
Father?'  " — Autobiographical  letter  to  Harry 
Stearns.  Verily,  God  was  their  Father  and 
was  even  then  "trampling  out  the  vintage 
where  the  grapes  of  wi'ath  are  stored."  In 
1837.  while  the  whole  family  were  assem- 
bled for  prayer,  John  Brown  made  them  all 
take  a  solemn  oath  to  work  with  him  for  the 
freeing  of  the  slaves,  and  then,  kneeling,  they 
invoked  the  blessing  of  God  on  their  compact 
In  Ohio  and  also  in  Massachusetts,  he  was 
active  in  assisting  runaway  slaves  to  es- 
cape. 

In  1854  his  sons  began  to  emigrate  to  Kan- 
sas, intending  to  settle  there  and  grow  to 
wealth  with  the  country.  In  two  years  five 
of  them,  John,  Jr.,  Jason,  Owen,  Frederick 
and  Salmon,  had  located  in  the  new  terri- 
tory. They  built  their  rude  huts  not  far  from 
the  Missouri  line,  and,  as  it  later  turned  out, 
right  in  the  center  of  the  struggle  between  the 
Free  State  and  Pro-Slavery  forces.  The  Mis- 
souri Compromise  of  1820  had  prohibited 
slavery  in  the  new  territory;  the  Kansas-Ne- 
braska Act  of  1854  repealed  that  prohibition 
and  allowed  the  settlers  in  the  new  territory 


234 


HISTORY    OF  SUMMIT    COUNTY 


to  decide  the  question  for  themselves.  Then 
the  Kansas  war  was  on.  The  Brown  broth- 
ers found  themselv&s  drawn  into  it.  Perhaps 
they  remembered  their  oaths  of  1837.  At  any 
rate,  they  wrote  to  their  father  to  send  them 
arms,  and  finally  asked  him  to  come  and  help 
them.  The  father  did  both.  September,  1855, 
found  John  Brown  in  Kansas  fighting  his 
first  big  battles  for  the  freedom  of  the  slaves. 
In  March,  1856,  the  time  for  the  election 
whether  the  state  should  be  "free"  or  "slave," 
Kansas  was  invaded  by  5,000  Missourians, 
who  took  possession  of  the  polls  and  con- 
trolled the  election.  From  that  time  the  war 
was  on  in  good  earnest.  Its  record  is  a  part 
of  our  national  history,  and  this  is  not  the 
proper  place  to  review  the  stirring  incidents 
of  those  times.  John  Brown  was  now  a  na- 
tional figure.  He  was  the  leader  of  the  Free 
State  forces.  June  2,  1856,  he  won  the  "bat- 
tle" of  Black  Jack.  In  August  he  was  in 
command  of  the  "Kansas  Cavalry."  On  Au- 
gust 30,  1856,  he  won  the  fight  called  the  "bat- 
tle of  Osawatomie."  It  was  from  this  battle 
that  he  got  that  nickname  which  has  always 
clung  to  him.  On  September  15,  1856,  he  was 
in  command  of  the  defenders  of  the  town  of 
Lawrence  and  successfully  resisted  the  attack 
of  the  "Missouri  Ruffians."  These  fights  are 
called  "battles" ;  in  reality,  they  were  skir- 
mishes in  a  guerrilla  warfare.  It  was  as  a 
guerrilla  leader  that  John  Brown  won  his  suc- 
cesses. By  his  activity  he  made  it  impossible 
to  hold  slaves  in  Kansas  and  thus  the  state 
was  saved  to  the  cause  of  Freedom. 

In  October,  1856,  he  started,  with  his  sons, 
for  the  East,  begging  assistance  for  the  Kan- 
sas cause  as  he  journeyed.  On  the  18th  of 
February,  1857,  he  addressed  the  Massachu- 
setts legislature  in  a  notable  speech.  He  spent 
the  winter  with  his  family  at  North  Elba, 
New  York,  and,  in  making  speeches,  collect- 
ing money  for  the  cause  and,  buying  arms. 
He  alreadv  liad  Harper's  Ferry  in  his  mind. 
Autumn  of  1857  found  him  in  Iowa  raising 
his  forces  and  drillino-  them  for  the  invasion 
of  Virginia.  Mo.st  of  1858  was  spent  in  Kan- 
sas at  the  request  of  Abolition  friends  in  the 
East,   who   were   furnishing    funds    for   the 


cause.  ^Vll  the  prepai'ations  for  and  the  at- 
tack on  Hai'per's  Ferry  are  a  matter  of  na- 
tional and  not  local  history.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  on  July  3,  1859,  he  hired  a  farm  near 
Haiper's  Ferry,  called  the  Kennedy  Place, 
and  assumed  the  name  of  Isaac  Smith  and  be- 
gan to  ship  in  the  arms  he  had  collected.  -  He 
succeeded  in  concealing  his  little  band  about 
this  farm  until  he  was  ready  to  strike.  Early 
on  the  morning  of  October  16,  1859,  the  blow 
fell.  With  his  little  band  of  twenty-two  fol- 
lowers he  seized  the  United  States  arsenal  at 
Harper's  Ferry.  On  October  17  he  was  at- 
tacked, by  United  States  forces,  most  of  his 
followers  were  killed  and  he,  himself,  was 
wounded  and  made  prisoner.  He  was  put  on 
trial  October  26,  charged  with  treason,  con- 
spiracy and  murder,  was  found  guilty  on  No- 
vember 2  and  executed  by  hanging  on  the  gal- 
lows on  December  2,  1859.  His  body  was 
delivered  to  his  wife  at  Harper's  Ferry  and 
by  her  taken  to  North  Elba,  where  he  was 
buried.  Wendell  Phillips  preached  the 
funeral  sermon. 

All  the  North  looked  upon  John  Brown  as 
a  martyr.  As  Christ  had  died  to  make  men 
holy,  this  man  had  died  to  make  them  free. 
The  Summit  County  boy  had  awakened  the 
conscience  of  the  Nation.  It  is  difficult  to 
realize  that  the  bright-eyed  little  fellow,  play- 
ing with  his  Indian  mate?  and  tending  his 
father's  sheep  up  at  Hudson,  had  become  the 
central  figure  of  our  national  life  for  the  few 
years  preceding  the  fall  of  Sumter.  He  did 
more;  he  had  compelled  the  attention  of  the 
whole  world.  Victor  Hugo  published  a  sketch 
of  him  in  Paris  in  1861,  which  contained 
Hugo's  own  drawing  of  John  Brown  on  the 
gallows,  and  which  he  marked  Pro  Chrisfo 
sicut  Christus — he  died  for  Christ  in  Christ's 
own  manner.  Biographies  of  him  were  pub- 
lished in  England,  Germany  and  other  Eu- 
ropean countries.  Emerson,  Thoreau,  Wen- 
dell Phillips,  Thoanas  Wentworth  Higgin- 
son  and  other  philosophers,  poets  and  states- 
men were  proud  to  acknowledge  their  friend- 
ship with  the  latest  martyr  to  the  cause  of 
Eternal  Freedom. 

On  the  day  of  his  execution  Akron  made 


EDWARD  ROAVLAND  SILL 


AND    REPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


237 


public  display  of  her  mourning.  Business 
was  entirely  suspended,  flags  were  at  half- 
mast,  bells  were  tolled,  and  in  the  evening 
memorial  services  were  held,  at  which  promi- 
nent citizens  made  addresses.  He  was  Sum- 
mit County's  first,  but  not  her  last,  martyr  to 
the  cause  of  Human  Freedom ;  he  was  only 
the  leader  of  a  mighty  company  of  noble  men 
who  made  willing  sacrifices  of  their  lives  for 
the  cause  of  their  Country  and  Humanity. 
Victor  Hugo  was  right. 

EDWARD    ROWLAND    SILL. 

Year  by  year  the  fame  of  this  true  poet  is 
growing.  It  will  be  only  a  little  while  in  the 
future  until  he  is  given  the  rank  he  deserves — 
among  the  foremost  of  America's  poets.  In 
many  of  his  poems  he  attained  the  highest 
level  of  American  art.  In  many  respects  his 
career  offers  a  striking  parallel  to  that  of  John 
Brown.  He  was  born  in  the  village  of  Wind- 
sor, Connecticut,  April  29,  1841.  This  vil- 
lage was  not  far  from  John  Brown's  birth- 
place, and  had  been  founded  by  a  colony  of 
Puritans,  of  whom  John  Brown's  ancestors 
had  been  an  influential  part.  He  was  not 
born  to  the  poverty  that  was  John  Brown's 
lot.  His  family  were  well-to-do,  and  he  re- 
ceived a  splendid  education  at  Yale  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1861.  On  the  9th  of  December  of  that 
year  he  sailed  for  California  and  landed  in 
San  Francisco  March  25,  1862.  The  long  sea 
voyage  restored  his  health,  which  was  im- 
paired upon  his  graduation.  His  first  posi- 
tion was  that  of  clerk  in  the  postoffice  at 
Sacramento.  He  kept  the  position  only  a 
short  time,  going  to  Folsom,  California,  to  ac- 
cept a  place  as  clerk  in  a  bank.  In  July,  1862, 
he  had  determined  fully  to  study  law  and  en- 
ter upon  that  profession.  He  was  then  much 
disturbed  as  to  the  end  toward  which  his  life's 
activities  should  be  directed.  He  writes  "as 
Kingsley  puts  it,  we  are  set  down  before  that 
greatest  world-problem — 'Given  Self,  to  find 
God.'  "  In  1864  he  determined  to  enter  the 
ministry,  and  by  February,  1865,  he  was  deep 
in  his  theological  reading.    During  these  ear- 


ly days  in  California  he  wrote  much — both 
prose  and  poetry.  Early  in  1867  he  returned 
to  the  East  and  entered  the  Divinity  School 
of  Hai-vard  University,  where  he  studied  for 
a  few  months.  Why  he  quit  the  divinity 
school  and  relinquished  the  hope  of  the  min- 
istry he  tells  in  a  little  autobiographical  let- 
ter ^\Titten  March  29,  1883,  as  follows:  "At 
last  I  went  to  a  Theological  Seminary  (in 
Cambridge,  because  there  you  did  not  have  to 
subscribe  to  a  creed,  definitely,  on  the  start), 
and  thought  I  would  try  the  preliminary 
steps,  anywaj',  toward  the  ministry.  But  here 
I  finally  found  I  did  not  believe  in  the  things 
to  be  preached,  as  churches  went,  as  historical 
facts.  So  I  desperately  tried  teaching."  In 
June,  1867,  he  returned  to  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
fully  determined  not  to  return  to  his  theo- 
logical studies.  He  says  in  a  letter:  "There 
could  be  no  pulpit  for  me.  *  *  *  It  is 
no  sentimentalism  with  me — it  is  simply  a 
solemn  conviction  that  a  man  must  speak  the 
truth  as  fast  and  as  far  as  he  knows  it. — truth 
to  him.  *  *  *  Emerson  could  not  preach, 
and  now  I  understand  why."  He  then  deter- 
mined upon  school  teaching  as  his  life  work — 
a  singularly  happy  choice.  "School  teaching 
always  has  stood  first,"  he  wrote,  significantly, 
at  this  time.  He  began  by  teaching  the  dis- 
trict school  at  Wadsworth,  Ohio.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1869,  he  assumed  the  position  of  princi- 
pal of  the  High  School  at  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
Ohio,  to  which  he  had  been  appointed  during 
that  summer.  His  predecessor  in  that  posi- 
tion was  Vergil  P.  Kline,  well  known  later  to 
the  people  of  Northern  Ohio.  The  memories 
of  his  happy  days  in  California  were  drawing 
him  thither.  He  secured  a  position  in  the 
High  School  at  Oakland,  California,  in  1871. 
In  1867,  he  was  married  to  his  cousin.  Eliza- 
beth Newberrv'  Sill,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  daugh- 
ter of  Hon.  Elisha  Noyes  Sill  and  Elizabeth 
(Newberry)  Sill.  No  children  were  born  to 
them.  In  1871  he  resigned  his  position  as 
principal  of  the  Cuyahoga  Falls  High  School 
and,  with  his  wife,  moved  to  California  to 
accept  the  new  teaching  po-sition  in  Oakland. 
In  1874  he  was  oflFered  and  accepted  the  chair 
of  English   Literature   in   the  Univcrsitv   of 


238 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


California,  where  he  taught  successfully  un- 
til 1882.  His  health,  which  had  never  been 
very  rugged,  failed  him  entirely  in  this  year. 
In  1883,  he  returned  to  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
where  he  died  February  27,  1887.  His  life 
work  was  teaching,  but  he  will  be  known  in 
the  years  to  come  because  of  his  verse.  Most 
of  it  ranks  very  high.  The  critics  have  com- 
pared him  with  Emerson,  Arnold  and  Tenny- 
son. His  first  volume  of  poems  was  published 
in  1868,  and  was  entitled  "The  Hermitage 


and  Other  Poems."  In  1883  his  second  vol- 
ume, "The  Venus  of  Milo  and  Other  Poems," 
was  privately  printed  at  Berkeley,  California. 
In  1887  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Company  is- 
sued "Poems  of  Edward  Rowland  Sill";  in 
1889  "The  Hermitage  and  Later  Poems,"  and 
in  1900,  "Hermione  and  Other  Poems."  In 
1900  these  publishers  also  issued  the  "Prose 
of  Edward  Rowland  Sill"  and  a  splendid  edi- 
tion de  luxe  of  his  complete  poems. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


MILITARY    HISTORY 


Revolutionary  War — War  of  1812 — Mexican  War — War  of  the  Rebellion — Militia  Or- 
gan iza tions — Spanish- A merican  \ Var. 


Few,  if  any,  communities  have  been  more 
patriotic  than  Akron,  and  indeed  all  of  Sum- 
mit County.  Her  sons  have  gone  forth 
willingly  and  gladly  to  fight  their  country's 
battles,  on  many  occasions  not  waiting  to  be 
called  upon.  Akron's  volunteers  were  numer- 
ous and  acquitted  themselves  manfully  in 
1898,  and  during  the  stirring  years  from  1861 
to  1865  the  city  and  the  county  furnished 
their  full  quota  of  defenders  of  the  Union. 
Akron  sent  forth  her  brave  and  strong  to  the 
Mexican  struggle  of  1846,  within  her  gates  are 
buried  men  who  fought  in  1812,  and  in  her 
soil  rest  even  a  few  of  those  heroes  who  fought 
in  1776,  and  the  years  following,  to  give  the 
nation  birth.  There  is  no  chapter  of  local 
military  history  that  were  best  skimmed 
lightly  over.  Glory,  unselfishness  and  patriot- 
ism are  written  large  on  every  page  that  tells 
the  story  of  her  soldiery. 

REVOLUTION.1RY    WAR. 

A  few  of  the  names  of  the  veterans  of  the 
Revolution,  who  became  settlers  of  the  county 
and  were  buried  in  it,  are  preserved  to  us. 
Among  them  were  Captain  Nathaniel  Bettes, 
buried  in  the  family  lot  at  Bettes'  Corners; 
Daniel  Galpin  and  Elijah  Bryan. 

WAR  OF  1812. 

Of  soldiers  of  1812  buried  in  the  city  the 
following  may  be  mentioned:  John  C.  Hart, 


Henry  Spafford,  James  Viall,  Sr.,  George 
Uunkle,  John  C.  De  La  Matyr,  Asa  Field, 
'J'imothy  Clark,  Gideon  Hewett,  William 
Ilardesty,  Jame.s  Mills,  Andrew  May  and  Wil- 
liam Roland. 

MEXICAN     WAR. 

Akron  citizens  who  served  in  the  Mexican 
war  were:  Jeroboam  B.  Creighton,  Adams 
Hart,  George  Dresher,  Ezra  Tryon,  Oliver  P. 
Barney,  Joseph  Gonder,  Thomas  Thompson, 
Cornelius  Way  and  Valmore  Morris. 

From  the  time  Akron  was  a  small  village 
her  citizens  were  appreciative  of  military 
glory.  They  did  their  full  share  of  the  serv- 
ice required  of  the  citizen-soldiers  under  the 
early  militia  laws.  Among  the  early  militia 
organizations  to  win  renown  were  the  "Sum- 
mit Guards,"  commanded  by  the  late  General 
Philo  Chambeilaiu.  From  that  time  down  t:i 
the  present  Akron  has  seldom  been  mthout  a 
military  company.  Now  her  organizations  are 
companies  B  and  F  of  the  Eighth  Regiment, 
Ohio  National  Guard,  commanded  respective- 
ly by  Captains  William  F.  Yontz  and  Wil- 
liam E.  Walkup. 

CIVIL  WAR. 

It  was  in  connection  with  the  Civil  War, 
however,  that  Akron  achieved  the  larger  meas- 
ure of  her  military  glory.  Immediately  fol- 
owing  President  Lincoln's  first  call  for  troops, 
in  1861,  two  companies  of  volunteers    were 


240 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


mustered,  and,  their  services  being  accepled, 
were  sent  into  the  service  as  companies  G  and 
K,  Nineteenth  Regiment,  O.  V.  I.  Company 
G  was  commanded  by  Captain  Lewis  P.  Buck- 
ley, First  Lieutenant  Andrew  J.  Fulkerson 
and  Second  Lieutenant  Gilbert  S.  Carpenter. 
The  oflicers  of  Company  K  were  Captain  An- 
drew J.  Konkle,  First  Lieutenant  Paul  J. 
Kirby  and  Second  Lieutenant  James  Nelson. 
A  third  company,  formed  shortly  after,  in  re- 
sponse to  the  same  call,  was  not  required  to 
help  make  up  the  75.000  volunteers  called 
for  and  was  accordingly  disbanded.  When 
Companies  G  and  K  joined  their  regiment  at 
Columbus,  May  16,  there  was  an  election  of 
officers.  Captain  Buckley  being  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  major  at  that  time.  Assigned  to 
the  command  of  General  Rosecrans,  the  Nine- 
teenth was  in  the  battle  of  Rich  Mountain, 
July  7,  being  especiallj^  mentioned  for  its 
good  conduct  and  bravery.  Having  enlisted 
for  only  ninety  days,  the  Nineteenth  Ohio  was 
mustered  out  in  July,  1861,  but  was  imme- 
diately reorganized,  many  of  the  Akron  men 
remaining.  Its  excellent  conduct  so  long  as 
it  remained  in  service  is  a  matter  of  national 
history.  Major  Buckley,  at  the  expiration  of 
the  three  months'  ser\'ice  of  the  original 
Nineteenth,  was  made  colonel  of  the  Twenty- 
ninth  Regiment,  0.  V.  I.,  serving  with  credit 
until  physical  disability  forced  him  to  leave 
the  sei-vice  in  1863.  He  died  in  Akron  in 
1868.  Buckley  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  Akron's  pres- 
ent organization  of  Civil  AVar  veterans,  wa? 
named  for  him. 

Of  the  Twenty-ninth  Regiment,  0.  V.  I.. 
three  companies,  D,  G  and  H,  were  composed 
largely  of  Summit  County  men.  In  1862  the 
regiment,  after  some  delays,  got  into  active 
service  under  General  Shields,  and  remained 
in  the  service  until  the  close  of  the  war.  The 
Twenty-ninth  was  in  the  folloT^ang  battles,  as 
well  as  many  others.  Antietam,  Chancellors- 
ville.  Gettysburg,  and  with  Sherman  on  his 
march  "from  Atlanta  to  the  Sea,"  remaining 
in  service  continuously  for  over  four  years. 
Akron,  Middlebury  and  Portage  contributed 
largely  to  the  Twenty-ninth. 

One  company  of  the  Sixty-fourth,  0.  V.  I., 


Senator  John  Slierman's  regiment,  contained 
many  Summit  County  men.  This  was  Com- 
pany G.  The  Sixty-fourth  saw  much  fight- 
ing; among  the  battles  in  which  it  took  part 
were  the  following:  Shiloh,  Stone  River, 
Chickamauga,  Chattanooga,  Resaca,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Siege  of  At- 
lanta, Franklin  and  Nashville.  The  238  sur- 
vivors were  mustered  out  at  Victoria,  Texas, 
December  3,  1865. 

Those  who  remember  Akron's  part  in  the 
struggle  of  the  North  and  the  South,  thrill 
at  the  name  of  the  Sixth  Ohio  Battery,  a  sec- 
tion of  which  was  made  up  of  Akron  and 
Summit  County  men.  The  Akron  section 
was  formed  November  21,  with  Captain  Cul- 
len  Bradley,  an  army  officer  of  experience,  in 
command,  the  other  two  commissioned  officers 
being  0.  H.  P.  Ayres  and  A.  P.  Baldwin.  The 
Sixth  Ohio  Battery  saw  much  hard  service, 
some  special  incidents  in  its  career  being  its 
almost  continuous  fighting  for  120  days  in 
the  siege  of  Atlanta,  and  its  mention  by  Gen- 
eral Howard  for  its  accurate  firing  before 
Kenesaw.  The  battery  was  mustered  out  at 
Huntsville,  Alabama,  September  1,  1865. 

In  the  gallant  One  Hundred  and  Fourth, 
0.  V.  I.,  Akron  had  nearly  all  of  Company  H, 
and  was  represented  in  several  other  compa- 
nies. The  regiment  was  formed  in  August, 
1862.  Captain  Walter  B.  Scott  commanded 
Company  H.  His  immediate  subordinates 
were  First  Lieutenant  Hobart  Ford  and  Sec- 
ond Lieutenant  Samuel  F.  Shaw.  The  One 
Hundred  and  Fourth  was  under  fire  within 
a  month,  its  first  assignment  being  to  head 
off  General  Kirby  Smith's  advance  on  Cincin- 
nati. The  first  clash  came  near  Covington, 
Kentucky,  September  10,  1862,  the  Confeder- 
ates being  repulsed.  Shortly  after  this  the 
regiment  went  on  guard  duty  at  Frankfort, 
Kentucky.  In  February,  1863,  it  was  relieved, 
and  in  September  of  the  same  year  became  a 
part  of  General  Burnside's  command.  It  took 
the  Confederate  arms  and  stores  at  the  sur- 
render at  Cumberland  Gap;  it  took  an  active 
part  in  the  Atlanta  campaign  in  1864;  had 
almost  daily  exchanges  of  the  "courtesies  of 
war"  with  Hood's  men,  near  Nashville,  and 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


•J41 


cuptui-ed  eleven  battle  flags  at  the  battle  of 
Frankfort.  It  was  a  part  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  and  was  detailed  to  receive  the  sur- 
render of  Johnston.  Six  hundred  and  forty 
survivors  were  mustered  out  at  Camp  Tay- 
lor, Cleveland,  June  27,  1865. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Regiment, 
0.  V.  I.,  like  the  One  Hundred  and  Fourth, 
was  formed  at  ^lassillon,  in  August,  1862,  and 
went  int&the  United  States  service  in  Septem- 
ber. Companies  C,  G  and  I  contained  many 
Summit  County  men.  It  was  assigned  to 
various  re.sponsible  duties,  guarding  prisoners, 
doing  provost  work,  and  in  all  things  acquit- 
ting itself  well  until  October,  1863,  when  on 
orders  it  joined  General  Rosecrans  at  Chatta- 
nooga. Here  part,  of  the  regiment  was  put 
into  guerrilla  warfai'e,  and  the  remainder  as- 
signed to  guard  duty  along  the  line  of  the 
Nashville  &  Chattanooga  Railroad.  In  De- 
cember, 1864,  while  engaged  in  guarding  this 
railroad,  being  stationed  in  block  houses. 
Companies  C,  F  and  G  were  captured  by  the 
enemy.  Among  the  prisoners  were  two-thirds 
of  the  Summit  County  men  in  the  regiment. 
Many  of  these  Summit  County  prisoners, 
upon  being  exchanged  for  Confederates,  near 
the  close  of  the  war.  were  unwilling  partici- 
pants in,  and  some  of  them  victims,  of  the 
famous  Sultana  disaster.  They  were  confined 
during  their  captivity  at  Andersonville  and 
at  Meridian,  Mississippi.  April  25,  1865,  the 
exchange  took  place  at  Vicksburg,  and  the 
Summit  County  men,  with  some  2,000  others, 
were  packed  aboard  the  river  steamer  Sultana 
for  tran.sportation  to  Cincinnati  on  their  way 
home.  Shortly  after  leaving  Jlemphis,  past 
midnight  of  April  27.  as  the  homeward- 
bound  soldiers  either  .slept  upon  the  decks  or 
lay  awake  thinking  of  their  loved  ones,  and 
anticipating  .joyful  reunions,  one  of  the  Sul- 
tana's boilers  exploded,  wrecking  her  and  set- 
ing  her  afire,  so  that  she  burned  to  the  water's 
edge.  Half  of  her  passengers  were  lost,  either 
killed  by  the  explosion,  or  drowned  when  they 
were  hurled  into  the  water.  Thirty  of  the 
victims  were  Summit  County  men,  though  no 
.\kronians  are  known  to  have  lost  their  lives. 
The  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  wa«  assigned 


to  active  and  dangerous  work  at  Murfrees- 
boro,  where  it  also  performed  garrison  and 
.guard  duty  for  a  time;  it  continued  in  the 
same  kind  of  duty  until  mustered  out  at  Cleve- 
land at  the  close  of  the  war.  As  provost  mar- 
shal at  Cincinnati,  Captain  Edward  Bucking- 
ham, of  Company  I  (an  Akron  man),  was 
practically  in  command  of  the  city  during 
the  Vallandingham  afi'air.  Lieutenant  George 
S.  Waterman,  of  Cincinnati,  was  shot  and 
fatally  wounded  at  Cincinnati  by  "Copper- 
heads," as  one  of  the  incidents  of  that  af- 
fair. 

John  Morgan  and  Kirby  Smith,  rebel 
raiders,  caused  Ohio  much  uneasiness  in  1862. 
Cincinnati  was  threatened;  all  available  troops 
were  stationed  near  the  border,  but  even  then 
the  presence  of  more  defenders  seemed  ad- 
visable. So  Governor  Tod  issued  a  call  for 
volunteers  to  defend  the  borders  of  the  state, 
his  message,  dated  at  Columbus,  September 
10,  1862,  calling  for  the  transportation  of  "all 
armed  men  that  can  be  raised,  immediately 
to  Cincinnati,"  being  responded  to  with  com- 
mendable promptness  by  citizens  in  all  walks 
of  life.  Akron  and  the  vicinity  sent  two 
hundred.  Many  of  them  were  "fearfully  and 
wonderfully"  armed  and  accoutered,  but  all 
had  the  fighting  spirit.  Some  placed  their 
faith  in  the  old-fashioned  rifles,  with  which 
they  had  picked  squirrels  out  of  Summit 
County  trees  in  Summit  County  guUie.",  and 
the  presence  of  this  variety  of  arms  caused 
the  volunteer  defenders  of  Cincinnati  to  be 
called  "The  Squirrel  Hunters."  When  thev 
arrived  at  Cincinnati,  however,  the  enemy  had 
retreat-ed  and  the  "Squirrel  Hunters"  returned 
to  their  homes,  not  having  fired  a  shot.  Dan- 
iel AV.  Storer  was  captain  of  the  company  from 
Akron  and  vicinity. 

The  Second  Ohio  Cavalry  was  recruited  en- 
tirely in  the  Western  Reserve,  and  three  com- 
panies were  largely  made  up  of  Akron  men. 
Then  as  now,  more  sentiment  attached  to  the 
cavalrj'-  branch  of  the  service  than  to  either 
artillery  or  infantry,  and  the  career  of  the 
Second  was  watched  closely  from  old  Sum- 
mit. The  regiment  began  its  existence  late 
in  1861,  Colonel  Charles  Doubleday  being  in 


242 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


command.  Among  Akron  men  prominent  in 
its  affairs  were  George  A.  Purington,  captain 
of  Company  A  (promoted  to  be  a  colonel  and 
afterwards  entering  the  regular  army),  and 
Dudley  Seward,  who  rose  to  be  colonel  of  the 
Second  before  the  war  was  over.  The  regi- 
ment joined  General  Porter  in  Missouri  early 
in  1862,  engaging  in  skirmish  work  against 
the  guerrilla  Quantrell  soon  after.  It  assisted 
in  the  capture  of  Fort  Gibson  and  after  about 
a  year  of  active,  wearing  work  on  the  border, 
returned  east  and  was  reorganized  and  re- 
equipped  -at  Columbus.  In  1863  it  was  in 
the  pursuit  and  capture  of  Morgan,  the  rebel 
raider.  In  the  same  year  it  joined  Rosecrans, 
engaging  in  numerous  hot  fights,  seeing  the 
hardest  kind  of  service  and  gaining  death  and 
glory  quite  impartially.  Half  the  command 
re-enlisted  Januaiy  1,  1864,  and  fought,  first 
under  Burnside,  and  then  with  Sheridan,  be- 
having brilliantly  throughout,  and  taking 
part  imder  this  dashing  commander  in  the 
la«t  raid  of  the  war,  which  resulted  in  the  cap- 
ture of  Early's  army.  The  Second  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Camp  Chase  September  11,  1865. 
It  had  marched  27,000  miles  and  took  part 
in  ninety-seven  fights  of  various  magnitudes. 

In  the  First  Ohio  Light  Artillery,  formed 
in  1861,  were  two  batteries  composed  largely 
of  Akron  and  Summit  County  men,  A,  Cap- 
tain Charles  Cotter,  of  Middlebury,  command- 
ing, and  D,  Captain  Andrew  J.  Konkle,  of 
Cuyahoga  Falls.  The  First  immediately  got 
into  the  fighting,  firet  with  McCook,  then 
with  Buell  in  Kentucky,  again  M'ith  McCook 
in  1863,  doing  fine  work  at  Chickamauga, 
and,  after  re-enlisting  as  veterans,  taking 
part  in  the  entire  Atlanta  campaign.  After 
making  a  record  that  was  full  of  fight,  it 
ended  its  .service  in  Texas,  when  the  war 
ended,  and  was  anu.stered  out  at  Cleveland, 
having  tiravcled  6,000  miles  and  fought  the 
enemy  thirty-nine  times. 

Akron  was  represented  honorably  in  the 
Fifty-eighth  Regiment,  0.  V.  I.,  a  German 
regiment,  organized  by  Colonel  A^alentine 
Bausenwein  in  1861,  which  remained  in  the 
service  till  the  close  of  the  war,  taking  part 


in  some  of  the  greatest  battles  fought  in  the 
four  years. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Seventh  0.  V.  I., 
also  a  German  regiment,  was  organized  in 
1862.  It  contained  Akron  men,  among  them 
being  Captain  George  Billow,  the  well-known 
local  undertaker.  The  local  men  were  in 
Company  I.  The  One  Hundred  and  Seventh 
fought  under  General  Franz  Sigel,  and  lost 
42  per  cent  of  its  men  in  the  Gettysburg  cam- 
paign. It  was  mustered  out  at  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  July  10,  1865.  Among  other 
fights  in  which  it  took  part  may  be  mentioned 
Chancellorsville,  Getty,sburg,  Hagerstown, 
Sumterville  and  Swift  Creek. 

A  handful  of  Akron  men  were  members  of 
the  Thirty-seventh  Regiment,  0.  V.  I.,  the 
third  German  regiment  organized  in  Ohio. 

In  the  Ninth  Ohio  Battery  the  following 
Akron  men  played  their  parts  in  the  war: 
Robert  Cahill,  Adam  France,  Charles  Gifford, 
Martin  Heiser,  F.  A.  Patton,  Frederick  Pot- 
ter, Caleb  Williams,  Thomas  Williams  and  C 
0.  Rockwell. 

The  Sixty-seventh  0.  V.  I.  was  the  vehicle 
that  started  the  late  General  A.  C.  Voris  on 
his  way  toward  the  military  eminence  which 
he  attained  during  the  war.  He  and  two 
other  Akron  men,  C.  W.  Bucher  and  C.  A. 
Lantz,  were,  however,  the  only  local  repre- 
sentatives in  that  famous  command.  When 
the  war  broke  out,  Hon.  A.  C.  Voris  was  a 
representative  in  Ohio's  General  Assembly. 
He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Twenty-ninth 
Regiment,  0.  V.  I.  Soon  after  he  received 
a  second  lieutenant's  commission  and  left  the 
Twenty-ninth  to  help  form  the  Sixty-seventh, 
being  elected  lieutenant-colonel  when  the  regi- 
ment was  organized.  In  1862  he  became  col- 
onel and  entered  upon  a  series  of  events  which 
stamped  him  as  a  man  of  dashing  courage, 
and  paved  the  way  to  the  promotions  which  he 
earned  so  hardly  and  deserved  so  richly.  He 
was  made  a  major-general  in  1865,  after  a  life 
of  real  leadership,  plenty  of  fighting  and 
wounds  and  great  glory.  General  Voris  was 
one  of  Akron's  most  distinguished  soldiers 
in  the  Civil  War. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


243 


The  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-fourth  Regi- 
ment, 0.  N.  G.,  composed  of  "100  day  men," 
contained  a  host  of  Summit  County  men.  Its 
service  consisted  of  guarding  the  capitol  at 
Washington  in  1864,  and,  although  it  took 
part  in  no  battles,  several  of  the  local  men 
died  of  disease.  The  One  Hundred  and  Sixty- 
fourth  was  mustered  out  at  Cleveland,  August 
27,  1864. 

Akron  was  represented  by  a  half-dozen  sol- 
diers, including  Captain  Josiah  J.  Wright,  in 
the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-ninth  Regi- 
ment, 0.  V.  I.,  organized  August  10,  1863, 
and  mustered  out  in  March,  1864. 

Several  Summit  County  men  were  also  in 
the  One  Hundred  and  Ninety-seventh  Regi- 
ment, 0.  V.  I.,  Ohio's  last  complete  regimental 
contribution  to  the  Civil  War. 

The  service  of  Ulysses  L.  I\Ia.r\'in  was 
unique,  as  he  was  probably  Akron's  only  of- 
ficer of  colored  troops  between  1861  and 
1865.  He  enlisted  in  1862  as  a  private  in  the 
One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  0.  V.  I.,  was 
commissioned  a  lieutenant  in  the  Fifth  U.  S. 
Colored  Infantry  in  1863,  took  part  in  the 
Peninsula  campaign,  was  promoted  to  cap- 
tain during  the  siege  of  Richmond,  was  at 
the  final  surrender  of  the  Confederate  army 
at  Releigh,  N.  C,  was  brevetted  major  at  the 
clo.se  of  the  war  and  made  judge  advocate  on 
the  staff  of  General  Paine. 

Another  Akron  soldier  who  won  promotion 
was  George  T.  Perkins.  He  was  a  volunteer 
in  1861,  joining  the  Nineteenth  Regiment,  0. 
V.  I.,  as  a  second  lieutenant.  In  August, 
1862,  he  enlisted  for  three  years  as  a  major 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth.  This  regi- 
ment has  a  glorious  history.  Major  Perkins 
was  made  a  lieutenant-colonel  in  1863  and 
colonel  in  1864.  He  ser\'ed  until  the  end  of 
the  war. 

Among  other  regiments  besides  those  which 
have  l)een  mentioned,  in  which  Akron's  sol- 
diers fought  during  the  Civil  War,  were  the 
following:  Forty -second  0.  V.  I.,  Eighty- 
fourth  0.  V.  I.,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
Fifth  0.  V.  I.,  One  Hundred  and  Eighty- 
eighth  0.  V.  I.,  One  Hundred  and  Seventy- 
seventh  0.  V.  I.,  Seventv-sixth  0.  V.  I.,  Sev- 


enty-fifth 0.  V.  I.,  Twenty-fourth  O.  V.  I. 
Sixteenth  0.  V.  I.,  Twenty-fifth  0.  V.  I.,  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  O.  V.  I.,  and 
many  others. 

ThvLs  far  the  reader  has  followed  in  brief 
fashion  the  fortunes  of  those  who  went  to  the 
front,  those  who  smelled  the  powder,  faced 
the  bullets,  endured  the  discomforts  and  the 
dangers  of  camp,  march  and  battle.  All 
through  the  Civil  War,  however,  Akron  and 
Summit  County  had  a  full  share  of  heroes 
and  heroines  who  worked,  not  on  the  firing 
line,  but  right  here  at  home.  The  departure 
of  so  many  men  from  this  city  and  surround- 
ing territory  left  hundreds  of  families  to  be 
provided  for.  And  the  boys  at  the  front 
must  have  comforts  and  necessities,  and 
money  and  hospital  supplies.  Patriotic  citi- 
zens, unable  to  enlist  themselves,  gave  for- 
tune after  fortune  to  the  cause.  In  the  later 
days  of  the  war  there  were  the  drafts  to  en- 
courage. And  all  through  the  great  struggle 
Akron  women  praj'ed  and  worked,  and  their 
toil  and  their  unceasing  interest  gave  many 
a  dying  soldier  a  moment  of  comfort  and 
made  many  a  forced  march  endurable.  The 
woanen  of  Akron  did  their  full  share  toward 
the  preservation  of  the  Union. 

MILITI.V    ORGANIZ.\TIONS. 

After  the  Civil  War  there  was  a  natural  re- 
turn to  the  pursuits  of  peace.  Akron's  ceme- 
teries contained  numerous  green,  yet  grim,  re- 
minders of  the  thing  that  had  been.  There 
were  aching  hearts  in  numberles.s  homes,  yet 
time  applied  its  healing  lotion,  and  the  deep.^r 
wounds  in  human  hearts  were  eventually 
healed,  so  far  as  such  wounds  may  be.  For  a 
full  generation  there  was  peace.  The  militia 
man  was  the  only  reminder  of  war  to  be  met 
with  frequently  in  the  flesh. 

Under  the  militia  law  passed  by  the  legis- 
lature in  1870,  interest  in  citizen  soldiery, 
which  had  lagged  considerably  after  the  war. 
was  revived.  In  1875  the  "Porter  Zouaves" 
were  organized,  under  command  of  Henry 
Porter,  a  veteran  soldier.  Shortly  aftenvard 
the  organization  changed  its  name  to  "Bierce 


244 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Cadets,"  in  honor  of  the  late  General  Lucius 
V.  Bierce,  who  had  backed  the  organization 
financially.  M.  W.  Santry  was  the  first  cap- 
tain under  the  reorganization. 

In  the  same  year  the  "Akron  City  Guards" 
were  organized,  many  of  the  members  being 
veterans.  D.  \V.  Thomas  was  the  first  cap- 
tain and  the  official  membership  was  thirty- 
seven.  A  new  election  was  held  January  3, 
1876,  D.  W.  Thomas  being  re-elected. 

These  two  organizations  saw  some  strike 
and  riot  service  within  a  reasonably  short 
time.  Both  companies  were  included  in  the 
Ninth  Regiment,  when  organized  in  1877, 
and  the  first  regimental  encampment  was 
held  in  Akron  in  October,  1877.  Captain 
Thomas  of  the  City  Guards  was  the  regi- 
ment's first  colonel. 

In  1878  the  Ninth  was  mei'ged  into  the 
Eighth  Regiment,  and  the  City  Guards,  which 
had  become  Company  A  of  the  Ninth,  now  be- 
came Company  B  of  the  Eighth.  Company 
B  continues  till  thLs  day.  Colonel  Thoma* 
took"  command  of  the  regiment  by  reason  of 
his  rank,  being  succeeded  by  Colonel  A.  L. 
Conger,  and  then  by  George  R.  Gyger,  of  Al- 
liance, in  1891.  The  regiment  was  fre- 
quently called  upon  for  strike  duty,  riot  duty 
and  annual  encampments,  until  1898,  when  a 
war  cloud  again  appeared  above  the  horizon 
and  the  stirring  scenes  of  1861  were,  in  a 
mca.sure,  repeated. 

Akron  was  also  represented  in  the  artil- 
lery branch  of  the  Ohio  militia  for  manv 
years.  The  Sixth  Battery,  0.  N.  G.,  was 
formed  in  1877.  Joseph  C.  Ewart  was  the 
first  captain.  The  organization  thrived  from 
the  beginning.  In  1886  a  regiment  of  Ohio 
artillery  was  formed,  and  the  Sixth  Battery 
became  Battery  F,  First  Regiment,  0.  N.  G., 
retaining  that  dftsignation  until  the  out- 
break of  the  Spanish-American  war.  This 
organization  w-as  called  upon  for  important 
services  and  invariably  acquitted  itself  in  sol- 
dierly fashion. 

Unique  in  Akron's  citizen  army  was  "Com- 
pany Buchtel,"  composed  of  veterans  of  the 
German  army,  who  organized  in  Akron  in 
1883,  with  a  membership  of  twenty-five.     Its 


first  captain  was  Paul  E.  Werner.  The  com- 
pany retained  its  identity  for  a  number  of 
years.  It  was  named  after  the  late  John  R. 
Buchtel,  who  assisted  the  organization  finan- 
cially at  the  beginning. 

SPANISH-AM ERIC.\N    WAR. 

War  with  Spain  was  declared  April  21, 
1898.  There  Avas  little  fighting;  peace  re- 
turned after  a  few  months,  so  far  as  the  Cuban 
campaign  was  concerned,  yet  it  was  a  deadly 
campaign.  When  President  McKinley  called 
for  volunteers,  Akron  boys  responded  as 
promptly  and  as  patriotically  as  many  of  their 
fathers  had  done  in  1861.  The  two  local  mili- 
tary organizations,  Company  B  of  the  Eighth 
Infantry,  0.  N.  G.,  Captain  H.  0.  Feecferle, 
commanding,  and  Battery  F,  First  Regiment 
Light  Artillery,  0.  N.  G.,  volunteered  as  one 
man.  The  infantrymen  were  accepted.  The 
artillerymen  were  not  taken  on  the  first  call. 
There  was  a  special  reason  for  the  acceptance 
of  the  one  organization  over  the  other.  The 
home  of  President  McKinley  was  in  Canton, 
and  that  city  was  represented  by  three  compa- 
nies, F,  L  and  I,  in  the  Eighth  Regiment. 
It  was  a  matter  of  considerable  gratification  to 
the  President  that  the  boys  from  his  home 
and  regiment  of  which  they  were  members 
(including  Akron  and  Company  B)  should 
be  among  the  first  to  respond  to  his  call  for 
troops.  He  demonstrated  his  appreciation  of 
that  promptness  by  accepting  the  proff'ered 
.seiTices  immediately.  Moreover,  the  Eighth 
was  at  that  time  considered  one  of  the  most 
compact  and  best  drilled  bodies  of  citizen 
troops  in  Ohio. 

The  regiment,  consisting  of  twelve  compa- 
nies, was  mobilized  at  Akron,  April  26,  1898, 
and  then  embarked  for  Columbus,  where  it 
was  drilled  thoroughly  and  on  May  18th  was 
mustered  into  the  vohniteer  service  of  the 
ITnited  States  as  Company  B.  Eighth  O.  V.  I. 
Colonel  C.  V.  Hard,  of  Wooster,  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  regiment,  LieutenantrColonel 
Cluarles  Dick,  of  Akron,  since  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  Ohio  guard,  being  second  to  Col- 
onel Hard  under  that  organization.   Company 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


24& 


B  was  a  part  of  the  Third  Battalion,  com- 
manded by  Major  C.  C.  Weybrecht,  of  Al- 
Hance.  On  May  16th  the  Eighth  proceeded 
to  Camp  Alger,  near  Falls  Church,  Virginia, 
and  was  assigned  to  the  Second  Brigade,  First 
Division,  Second  Army  Corps,  under  Briga- 
dier-General George  A.  Garretson,  of  Cleve- 
land. Here,  under  the  sun  of  Virginia,  the 
regiment  was  prepared  for  service  in  the  trop- 
ics, attracting  much  attention  from  visitors 
from  Washington  by  reason  of  its  designa- 
tion as  "The  President's  Own,"  and  the  fact 
that  two  nephews  of  President  McKinley  were 
enlisted  in  Canton  companies. 

On  July  4  the  Eighth  was  ordered  to  Cuba 
to  re-enforce  General  Shafter  before  Santiago. 
A  quick  run  was  made  from  Camp  Alger  to 
New  York  and  on  the  evening  of  July  6  the 
regiment,  on  board  of  the  auxiliary  cruiser 
St.  Paul  (Capt.  Sigsbee),  steamed  out  of  New 
York  harbor,  bound  for  Cuba.  Five  days 
later  they  arrived  off  Santiago,  and  were 
landed  in  small  boats  at  Siboney.  One  bat- 
talion was  landed  that  night  and  the  re- 
mainder the  next  day.  One  hundred  rounds 
of  ammunition  and  three  days'  rations  were 
issued,  and  the  march  inland  began. 

On  July  13  the  Third  Battalion,  including 
Company  B,  was  detached  from  the  remainder 
of  the  regiment  for  special  guard  duty  and 
did  not  rejoin  the  main  body  until  the  time 
came  for  departure  for  tlie  United  States.  The 
surrender  of  Santiago  came  almost  simul- 
taneou.sly  with  this  detail,  and  the  long  wait 
and  the  battle  with  sickness  began,  ending  in 
the  embarkation  of  the  regiment  at  Santiago, 
Augvist  18.  The  Eighth  was  taken  to  Mon- 
tauk  Point.  Long  Island,  whence,  after  a  rest, 
the  health  of  the  men  being  extremely  bad, 
the  various  companies  returned  home  Septem- 
ber 6.  After  sixty  days'  furlough,  the  Eighth 
was  mustered  out  at  Wooster,  Ohio,  November 
10.  The  regiment  lost  seventy-two  men  by 
death  between  the  muster  in  and  the  mu.ster 
out,  yet  did  not  fire  a  single  shot.  Company 
B's  death  roll  during  that  time  numbered 
eight. 

Shortly  after  the  muster  out,  the  company 


was  .reorganized  as  a  militia  company,  and 
continues  as  such  today.  Its  present  officers 
are:  Captain,  William  E.  Walkup;  fir.st  lieu- 
tenant, Royal  A.  W^alkup;  second  lieutenant, 
Austin  B.  Hanscom.  The  Eighth  Regiment 
Band,  composed  mostly  of  Akron  musicians, 
accompanied  the  Eighth  Regiment  on  the 
expedition  to  Cuba. 

Though  Battery  F's  offer  of  its  services  ■ 
came  just  too  late  to  be  available  under  Presi- 
dent McKinley's  first  call  for  volunteers,  that 
organization  was  later  mustered  into  the  serv- 
ice of  the  United  States  and  did  its  pan 
faithfully  and  well  in  the  War  with  Spain. 

The  Tenth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  was 
formed  of  the  militia  organization  remaining 
after  Ohio's  quota  of  the  first  call  troops  had 
been  filled.  It  contained  naval  militia,  light 
artillerj',  engineers  and  infantry,  all  or- 
ganized as  infantry  for  the  purposes  of  the 
campaign.  The  regiment  was  formed  in  re- 
sponse to  President  McKinley's  second  call 
for  volunteers,  Battery  F  repeating  its  offer 
and  cheerfully  giving  up  its  heavy  guns  and 
shouldering  Springfield  rifles  in  compliance 
with  the  conditions  governing  acceptance. 
The  organization  retained  its  letter,  becoming 
Company  F.  Mobilization  was  at  Camp 
Bushnell,  Columbus,  June  25th,  the  com- 
pany being  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service  July  7th,  with  the  following  officers: 
Captain,  Herman  Werner;  firsst  lieutenant, 
John  M.  Straub;  second  lieutenant,  J.  P. 
Caldwell  (afterwards  transferred  to  signal 
service)  ;  second  lieutenant,  Ora  F.  Wise. 
Uniforms  were  issued  to  the  regiment  on  July 
13th.  On  AugiLst  18th  the  regiment  was  or- 
dered to  Camp  Meade,  Middletown,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  it  became  a  part  of  the  Second 
Brigade,  Third  Division,  Second  Army  Corps, 
under  command  of  General  Graham.  Here 
the  Tenth  remained  until  November  12th, 
when  it  was  ordered  to  Augusta,  Georgia.  At 
this  place  "Camp  Young"  had  been  estab- 
lished, this  name  being  afterward  changed  to 
"Camp  MacKenzie."  The  Tenth  remained 
at  Camp  MacKenzie  until  March  23rd,  when 
it  was  mustered  out. 


246  HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 

The  members  of  Company  F  returned  to  bers  of  the  company  died  of  disease  during 

Akron  and  about  two  weeks  later  as  a  com-  the  service  in  1898. 

pany  became  a  part  of  the  Eighth  Regiment,  Akron  sent  her  full  share  of  soldiers  to  the 

0.  N.  G.,  of  which  regiment  Company  F  still  Philippines,  both  in  1898  and  later;  many 

forms  a  part,  its  present  commanding  officer  are  still  in  that  service;  others  have  returned 

being  Captain  William  F.  Yontz.    Six  mem-  home  and  taken  up  the  pursuits  of  peace. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


FRATERNAL    ORGANIZATIONS 


A.s  the  reader  runs  through  the  long  list 
of  secret  societies,  and  other  bodies  of  men 
and  women  united  for  a  common  cause,  which 
have  existed  and  prospered  in  Summit  Coun- 
ty, almost  from  its  very  earliest  time,  he  can- 
not fail  to  Ix'  impressed  with  the  truth  that 
the  spirit  of  brotherhood  has,  indeed,  been 
very  strong  in  this  community.  Today,  there 
are  many  lodges  whose  memljershij)  rises  as 
high  as  400  and  500.  Two  fraternities  witli 
national  plans.  The  Pathfinders  and  The 
Chevaliers,  liad  their  origin  here.  There  is 
not  a  single  fraternity  of  any  prominence 
whatsoever  that  is  not  represented  in  Sum- 
mit County.  In  addition,  there  are  innum- 
erable non-secret  organizations  for  every  con- 
ceivable purpose.  The  last  ten  years  liave 
been  remarkable  for  the  growth  of  the  club 
idea  among  the  women  of  the  county.  The 
women's  clubs  of  Akron  are  an  important 
factor  in  the  daily  life  of  that  city.  Nearly 
every  church  has  its  men's  club  or  its  boys' 
brigade  and  other  associations  of  its  members. 
Many  workingmen  are  members  of  trades 
unions.  The  farmers  have  organized  granges, 
horticultural  societies  and  neighborhood 
clubs.  The  Summit  County  citizen  who  has 
not  '"joined"  something  is,  indeed,  a  rarity. 


The  first  lodge  of  any  secret  society  to  be 
formed  within  the- county  was  Akron  Lodge, 
No.  83,  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
Its  charter  was  granted  October  21,  1841. 
Its  first  master  of  the  lodge  was  Hon.  R.  P. 
Spaulding.  He  was  succeeded  in  1842  by 
Gen.  L.  V.  Bierce  who  held  the  office  until 
1850.     Dr.  S.  W.  Bartges  then  assumed  the 


chair  for  four  years.  Other  distinguished 
masters  of  this  lodge  were  C.  A.  Collins,  Dr. 
Thomas  McEbrighf,  Hon.  S.  C.  WUliamson, 
R.  P.  ]\Iarvin,  B.  F.  Battles  and  A.  P.  Bald- 
win. It  has  had  two  past  grand  masters  in 
L.  V.  Bierce  and  Frank  vS.  Harmon.  It  now 
numbers  433  members  and  is  officered  (1907) 
as  follows:  Orlando  W.  Groff,  master;  John 
Crisp,  senior  warden;  James  R.  Cameron, 
junior  warden;  A.  C.  Rohrbacher,  treasurer; 
A.  E.  Roach,  secretary;  M.  E.  Fassnacht, 
senior  deacon;  William  A.  Sackett,  junior 
deacon ;  Harry  F.  Runyeon ,  tyler ;  Ernest  C. 
Housel,  chaplain:  W.  E.  Wangle,  marshal; 
C.  AVeaver  and  W.  Boesche,  stewards;  H.  T. 
Budd,  J.  M.  Weidner  and  R.  A.  Walkup, 
prudential  committee;  and  George  N.  Haw- 
kins, assistant  secretary. 

Washington  Chapter,  No.  25,  Royal  -Arch 
Masons,  was  established  October  25th,  1841. 
In  1907  its  membership  was  454.  Its  present 
officers  are :  D.  W.  Hollowav,  high  priest ;  H. 
T.  Budd,  king;  W.  B.  Baldwin,  scribe;  0.  W. 
Groff,  captain;  AV.  A.  Sackett,  principal  so- 
journer; 0.  A.  Nelson,  treasurer;  W.  E. 
Waugh,  secretarv;  C.  A.  Dixon,  R.  A.  captain; 

F.  A.  Clapsadel,'G.  M.,  3d  Vail;  E.  C.  Housel, 

G.  M.  2nd  Vail;  R.  R.  Peebles,  G.  M.  1st 
Vail:  H.  F.  Runyeon,  guard;  Ira  A.  Priest, 
chaplain;  Geo.  W.  Shick,  M.  of  C.  &  D.  of 
M. ;  Judson  Thomas,  Geo.  W.  Shiek,  and 
Joseph  Kolb,  prudential  committee;  and  R. 
A.  AValkup  and  Charles  Meier,  stewards. 

The  next  Masonic  body  to  be  established 
was  Akron  Commandery,  No.  25,  Knights 
Templar.  The  commandery  officers,  for  1907 
are:  C.  S.  Eddy,  eminent  commander:  C. 
C.  Benner,  general;  H.  J.  Blackburn,  cap- 
tain ;   F.   W.   Shirer,   senior   warden ;   A.   A. 


24S 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


KohliT,  junior  warden;  R.  F.  Palmer,  prel- 
ate; John  Motz,  treasurer;  Bela  B.  Clark, 
recorder;  W.  H.  Douglas,  standard  bearer; 
Robert  Wilson,  sword  bearer;  C.  W.  Wicklinc, 
warder;  H.  F.  Runveon,  sentinel;  Geo.  W. 
Sliick,  M.  of  C;  E.'e.  Morse,  H.  T.  Budd, 
and  11.  M.  Hagelbarger,  guards;  W.  F.  Lau- 
bach,  G.  H.  Dunn,  and  A.  W.  Hawkins,  pru- 
dential committee;  0.  W.  Groff,  electrician: 
and  Frank  Farst,  organi.-it. 

The  next  Ma.sonic  body  to  be  established 
was  Adoniram  Lodge,  No.  517,  F.  &  A.  M., 
the  charter  for  which  was  granted  October 
16th,  1878.  Its  ofRcere  in  1907  are:  H.  J. 
Blackburn,  master;  Lee  R.  Knight,  senior 
warden;  J.  S.  Lowman,  junior  warden;  Geo. 
W.  Shick,  treasurer;  Norman  G.  Nelson,  sec- 
retary; H.  H.  Garman,  senior  deacon;  C.  A. 
Dixon,  junior  deacon;  A.  T.  King.sbury, 
chaplain;  H.  R.  Tucker,  tyler;  E.  E.  Morse 
and  C,  S.  Hiddleson,  .stewards;  W.  B.  Bald- 
win, mai-shal;  and  F.  M.  Cooke,  J.  A.  Palmer 
and  D.  W.  Holloway,  prudential  committee. 
In  the  list  of  past  masters  of  this  lodge  appears 
the  name  of  Henry  Perkins,  who  held  the 
master's  chair  for  four  years. 

Akron  Council,  No.  80,  R.  &  S.  M.,  was 
organized  September  28,  1897.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  it  has  175  members.  Its  officers 
are  C.  W.  Wickline.  T.  I.  M.;  O.  W.  Groff, 
D.  I.  M.;  H.  T.  Budd,  P.  C.  AV.;  Geo. 
L.  Curtice,  treasurer;  W.  E.  Waugh,  record- 
er; W.  A.  iSackett,  captain;  E.  E  Morse, 
conductor;  C.  A.  Dixon,  steward;  H.  F. 
Runyeon,  sentinel;  Judson  Thomas  and  R. 
B.  Wilson,  auditing  committee;  Geo.  W.  Bil- 
low, chaplain;  Geo.  W.  Shick,  marshal;  and 
W.  F.  Farst,  musical  director. 

The  Akron  Masonic  Relief  A.ssociatioii  was 
incorporated  February  Ifith,  1888.  It.-;  ob- 
ject is  to  provide  a  fund  for  funeral  and  other 
immediate  expenses  in  the  event  of  the  death 
of  one  of  its  members.  All  master  masons 
in  good  standing  under  sixty  yeai-s  of  age  are 
eligible  to  membership.  George  Billow  is 
president;  John  Crisp,  vice-president;  Geo. 
W.  Shick,  trea.surer;  W.  E.  Waugh,  secretarv; 
and   O.    W.    Groff,    C.     C.     Benner,    Judson 


Thomas,  D.  ^^^  Holloway,  C.  W.  Wickline, 
all  of  Akron;  A.  A.  Cahoon,  of  Wadsworth; 
€.  E.  Bass,  of  Hudson ;  T.  J.  Davies,  of  Bar- 
berton;  Fred  Bolich,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls;  and 
A.  B.  Young  of  Kent;  are  the  board  of  di- 
rectors. 

The  Akron  Ma.-^onic  Temple  Company  was 
incorporated  May  9,  1896.  Its  officers  are 
Geo.  Billow,  president;  P.  W.  Leavitt,  vice- 
president;  W.  A.  MoClellan,  treasurer;  A. 
E.  Roach,  secretary:  and  R.  M.  Pillniore.  P. 
W.  Leavitt,  Geo.  W.  Shick,  W.  A.  McClellan, 
John  Crisp,  John  Motz  and  George  Billow, 
directors. 

The  Masonic  Club,  of  Akron,  Ohio,  was  in- 
corporated November  27,  1899.  Its  object  is 
to  promote  and  cailtivate  social  and  fraternal 
relations  among  it?  members  and  also  to  pro- 
vide amusement  for  the  members'  wives  and 
daughters.  It  maintains  very  well  appointed 
club  rooms,  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Masonic 
Temple.  It-;  officers  for  1907  are:  F.  M. 
Cooke,  president;  C.  W.  Wickline,  vice-presi- 
dent; Bela  B.  Clark,  secretarv;  John  Crisp,- 
treasurer;  and  H.  T.  Budd,  J.  W.  Kelley,  and 
D.  W.  Holloway,  directors.  It  has  309  mem- 
bers at  i)resent. 

Many  Akron  Masons  are  also  members  of 
the  Society  of  Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite 
Masons  and  of  Al  Koran  'Temple,  nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine,  which  is  located  in  Cieve- 
hnid,  Ohio. 

I.  n.  o.  F. 

The  Odd  Fellows  were  not  far  behind  the 
Masons  in  e.stablishing  their  first  lodge  in 
Summit  County.  On  September  16,  1845, 
Edward  Rawson  and  eight  others  acting  as 
charter  members  instituted  Summit  Lodge 
No.  50  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. This  lodge  has  had  an  unbroken  record 
of  prosperity  since  that  early  day.  Its  officers 
in  1907  are:  Noble  grand,  R.  A.  Porter;  vice- 
grand,  Charles  P.  Gregory;  recording  secre- 
tary, William  F.  Chandler;  financial  secre- 
tary, Frank  T.  Hoffman :  treasurer.  Perry  A. 
Krisher;  trastees,  W.  H.  McBarnes,  A.  C. 
Bachtel  and  IT.  W.  Haupt ;  relief  committee, 
Ilenrv  Bollincrer. 


^.^i^ 


I.  0.  0.  F.  BUILDING.  AKRON 


FIRST  NATIONAL  BANK,  AKRON 


-<■ 


DUB.SON  BLlLDINd,  AKKoX 


FLATIRON  BUILDING,  AKRON 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZENS 


251 


The  second  lodge  was  Akron  Lodge,  No. 
5-17,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  which  was  instituted  July 
9,  1873.  Among  its  charter  members  were 
John  J.  Wagoner,  Aaron  Wagoner,  R.  P. 
Marvin,  H.  J.  Church,  Charles  L.  Brown, 
John  Memimer,  Jolm  H.  Auble,  D.  W. 
Thomas  and  T.  W.  McGillicudy.  It  officers  in 
1907  are:  Noble  grand,  A.  P.  Myers;  vice- 
grand,  E.  B.  Anderson ;  secretary,  C.  B. 
Quine;  treasurer,  Charles  Warner;  tnistees, 
E.  W.  Stuart,  A.  W.  Hawkins  and  W.  J. 
Coney;  relief  committee,  A.  K.  Fouser. 

Nemo  Lodge,  No.  746,  I.  0.  0.  F.  was  insti- 
tuted May  22,  1886,  by  Richard  Bacon,  grand 
master.  Among  its  charter  members  were  H. 
G.  Canfield,  P.  H.  Hoffman,  E.  Colloredo,  A. 
A.  Bartlett,  A.  G.  Keck,  P.  W.  Leavitt,  C.  W. 
Kline,  Jacob  Koplin,  Robert  Guillet  and  D. 
R.  Bunn.  Its  officers  for  1907  are:  Noble 
grand,  H.  R.  Wells;  vice-grand,  Harvey  Par- 
ker; recording  secretary,  F.  G.  Smith;  finan- 
cial secretarv,  J.  H.  Wagoner;  treasurer,  Wil- 
liam H.  Rook.  Sr. ;  trustees,  F.  G.  Marsh.  A. 
G.  Keck  and  W.  F.  Payne. 

Granite  Lodge,  No.  522,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  is  the 
German  lodge  and  is  located  in  fine  lodge 
rooms  in  the  Kaiser  Block.  East  Akron  is 
also  represented  in  Odd  Fellowship,  having 
a  lodge  named  Apollo  Lodge.  In  Cuyahoga 
Falls  there  are  Howard  Lodge,  No.  62,  I.  0. 
0.  F..  and  Rebecca  Lodge.  I.  0.  0.  F.,  Elm 
227.  The  total  membership  of  the  five  Akron 
lodgjs  in  1907  Avas  1400. 

The  greatest  event  in  the  history  of  Odd 
Fellow.ship  in  Summit  County  was  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  magnificent  New  Temple  on 
South  Main  Street  in  Akron.  The  building 
is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  city  and  consists  of 
eight  stories  and  a  tower.  It  was  dedicated 
with  due  ceremony  on  April  2,  1895.  It 
was  built  by  the  Akron  Odd  Fellows  Temple 
Company.  The  first  board  of  officers  were: 
President,  A.  C.  Bachtel;  vice-pre.sident,  Lewis 
Bullinger;  .secretary.  A.  G.  Keck;  treasurer, 
Ma.-on  Ciiapman.  The  officers  of  the  Temple 
Company  for  1907  are:  President,  John  Mem- 
mer;  vice-president,  W.  H.  Lohr;  secretary. 
A.  G.  Keck;  treasurer,  A.  W.  Hawkins. 


OTHKR    ORDERS. 

The  other  orders  represented  in  Akron  are 
the  following:  Buckley  Post,  No.  12,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  organized  in  March 
1867,  of  which  Major  H.  A.  Kasson  is  now 
commander.  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  Buckley 
Corps,  No.  23.  Union  Veteran's  Legion,  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  Command,  No.  1 ;  Women's  Vet- 
eran Relief  Union,  No.  2;  Sons  of  Veterans, 
Akron  Camp,  No.  27;  Ladies'  Aid  Society, 
No.   8,  Auxiliary  to  the  Sons  of  Veterans; 
Knights  of  Honor,  Acme  Lodge  and  Spartan 
Lodge;   National   Union,   Diamond   Council, 
48 ;  American  Legion  of  Honor,  Akron  Coun- 
cil, No.  248;  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Honor, 
Agenda  Lodge,  No.   310  and  Akron  Lodge,. 
No.  2518;  Royal  Arcanum,  Provident  Coun- 
cil,  No.   16;  Protected  Home   Circle,   Akron 
Circle,  No.  54  and  Summit  Circle  No.  565; 
The  Maccabees,   Akron   Tent,  No.   26,   Lean 
Tent,   No.   282,  Charity   Tent,  No.   538  and 
Unity  Division,    Uniformed    Rank,  No.  14; 
Ladies  of  the  Maccabees,  Busy  Bee  Hive  No. 
35,     Protective    Hive   No.   60,    Independent 
Hive  No.  147,  Favorite  Hive  No.  164 ;  Ladies 
of   the   Modern   Maccabees;    Benevolent   and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  No.   363;   Sons  of 
St.  George,  Akron  Lodge  No.  180 ;  Daughters 
of  St.  George,  Ganter  Lodge  No.  18 ;  Foresters 
of  America,  Court.  Akron  No.  42,  and  Court 
Summit  City  No.  24;  Independent  Order  of 
Foresters,    Court    Pride   No.    356   and   Court 
Portage  Path  No.  4470;  Companions  of  the 
Forest,  Pride  of  Akron  Circle,  No.  220 ;  Royal 
Neighbors    of   America,    Puritan    Camp    No. 
1746  and  Evening  Star  Camp;  Independent 
Order  of  Red  Men,  Saranac  Tribe  No.  141  and 
Ogareeta  Council  No.  29.     Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,    Akron   Camp,    4334,    Security 
Camp  No.  4937,  and  Welcome  Camp.     The 
Pathfinders,  Akron  Lodge  No.  1,  and  Acme 
Lodge  No.  135.     National  Protective  Union. 
Akron  Legion  No.  712.    Junior  Order  United 
American     Mechanics,      Commodore     Perry 
Council  No.  209.     Daughters  of  Liberty.  Co"- 
lumbia  Council,  No.  21.     Independent  Order 
of  Heptasophs,  Akron  Conclave,  713.     Order 
of  Ben  Hur.  Antioch  Court  No.  11.  Kniglits 


252 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  Ladies  of  Security,  Summit  Council  No. 
661  and  Liberty  Council,  No.  1356.  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  the  Red  Cross,  Teutonic 
Commandery  No.  25.  United  Commercial 
Travellers,  Akron  Council  No.  87.  Royal 
Templars,  Summit  Council  No.  36.  Fraternal 
Order  of  Eagles,  Akron  Aerie  553.  Court  of 
Honor,  Akron  District  Court,  No.  238.  Royal 
League,  Akron  Council  No.  243.  Home 
Guards  of  America,  Akron  Home  No.  47. 
American  Insurance  Union,  Akron  Chapter 
No.  175.  Knights  of  Columbus,  Akron 
Council  No.  547.  Knights  of  St.  John,  Akron 
Commandery  No.  42  and  St.  George  Com- 
mandery No.  6.  Catholic  Knights  of  Ameri- 
ca, St.  Vincent's  Brancli  No.  227.  Catholic 
Knights  of  Ohio,  St.  Mary'.-i  Branch  No.  21. 
Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians,  Division  No. 
1,  and  Ladies  Auxiliary.  Father  Mathew 
Temperance  Society,  No.  1621.  Catholic 
Ladies  of  Ohio,  St.  Rose  Branch,  No.  5.  Catho- 
lic Mutual  Benevolent  Association,  Gibbons 
Branch  No.  14,  St.  Bernard's  Branch  37,  and 
St.  Mary's  Branch  No.  78.  Ladies'  Catholic 
Benevolent  A.ssociation,  St.  Mary's  Branch 
No.  180.  National  Association  of  Stationary 
Engineei-s,  Akron  Section  No.  28.  The  Order 
of  Mutual  Protection.  Independent  Order  of 
Good  Samaritans  and  Daughters  of  Samaria. 
Western  Reserve  Lodge,  No.  L  Daughters  of 
Jerusalem,  Ida  May  Council  No.  12.  United 
Order  of  True  Reformers,  Superior  Fountain 
1311,  and  .\kroii  Star  llHO. 

The  principal  nun-si'crct  organizations  are 
the  following:  German  Club,  Akron  Lieder- 
tafel,  Akron  Turnverein,  Thalia  Unter.stuet- 
zung's  Verein,  Landwehr  Society,  ■  Akron 
Saengerbund,  Gruetli  Society,  Saxony  Bene- 
ilcial  Association,  German  IMilitarj-  Society, 
Young  Men's  Hebrew  Association,  St.  Joseph's 
Benevolent  Society,  St.  Bernard's  Benevolent 
Society,  Alsace-Loraine  Benevolent  Union, 
Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union, 
Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  Young 


Men's  Christian  Association,  Elks  Club,  Kirk- 
wood  Club,  Masonic  Club,  Odd  Fellows  Club, 
Akron  Camera  Club,  Akron  Dental  Society, 
Portage  Path  Canoe  Club,  Akron  Bar-Asso- 
ciation,  Celsus  Club,  Summit  County  Clinical 
Society,  Summit  County  Medical  Society,  and 
many  others  . 

In  Barberton,  many  orders  are  represented 
by  lodges  as  follows:  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, National  Lodge  No.  568;  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Pharos  Lodge  No.  863 ; 
Daughters  of  Rebecca,  Summit  Lodge  No. 
603 ;  Knights  of  Pythias,  Barberton  Lodge 
No.  486 ;  Modern  AVoodmen  of  America,  Al- 
pha Camp  No.  3206;  Knights  of  the  Macca- 
bees, Barberton  Tent  114 ;  Ladies  of  the  Mac- 
cabees, Lake  Anne  Hive,  No.  104;  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Red  Men,  Katonka  Tribe,  No. 
218  and  Pocohontas  Council ;  Woodmen  of 
the  World,  Magic  City  Camp  No.  136;  Path- 
tinders,  Barberton  Lodge  No.  5;  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters,  Lodge  4058;  C.  M.  B.  A. 
l^ranch  55;  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  Barberton  Lodge  No.  982;  Fraternal 
Order  of  Eagles,  Barberton  Aerie,  No.  562 ; 
Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians,  Barberton 
Branch ;  Junior  Order  United  ^Vnierican  Me- 
chanics; Daniel  Webster  Council  No.  161, 
Barberton  Cadets  and  Daughters  of  America. 

In  Cuyahoga  Falls  the  principal  organiza- 
tions are  the  following:  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  Star  Lodge  No.  187 ;  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Howard  Lodge  No. 
62 ;  Royal  Arcanum,  Enterprise  Council  No. 
234 ;  National  Union,  Security  Council,  No. 
51;  Knights  of  Pythias,  Pavonia  Lodge  No. 
301 ;  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Eadie 
Post  No.  37 ;  Sons  of  Veterans,  Wood  Camp 
No.  66;  Good  Templars,  Lodge  No.  59; 
l')aughters  of  Rebecca,  Elm  Lodge  No.  227; 
Protected  Home  Circle,  Glen  No.  85 ;  Pythian 
Si.'itorhood,  Ivy  Lodge  No.  8 ;  The  Public  Li- 
brary As,sociation,  the  Women's  Christian 
Temperance  Union,  and  others. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


THE    MEDICAL    PROFESSION 


North  Akron  was  founded  by  a  doctor.  The 
prosjjerous  and  bufiv  Akron  of  today  is  due 
more  to  the  restless  energy  of  Eliakim  Crosby, 
M.  D.,  than  to  any  other  factor.  Since  his 
time,  the  medical  profession  have  not  been 
content  to  busy  themselves  with  pills  and 
fevers  alone,  but  have  been  active  in  an  extra- 
ordinary degree,  in  the  civil,  business  and 
social  life  of  the  community.  The  first  two 
large  additions  to  the  city  were  those  planned 
and  executed  by  physicians:  Dr.  S.  H.  Co- 
burn  and  Dr.  S.  W.  Bartges.  Two  of  the  im- 
portant streets  of  the  city  have  been  named 
after  them.  -The  founder  of  one  of  Akron's 
largest  manufactories — perhaps  the  largest — ■ 
was  Dr.  B.  F.  Goodrich,  from  whom  the  B.  F. 
Goodrich  Company  takes  its  name.  The  pro- 
fession has  also  been  prominent  in  the  City 
Council,  the  Board  of  Education  and  Public 
Library  affairs. 

There  is  very  little  on  record  concerning 
the  early  physicians  of  the  county.  Who  was 
the  first  to  regularly  practice  medicine  in 
Summit  County  is  a  matter  of  dispute.  Dr. 
Crosby  was  practicing  in  Middlebury  in  1820 ; 
Dr.  Joseph  Cole  began  his  practice  in  1826, 
removing  to  ■A'kron  in  1827.  Other  early 
physicians  were  Elijah  Hanchett,  Titus  Chap- 
man, Theodore  Richmond,  E.  F.  Bryan,  H. 
A.  Ackley,  D.  D.  Evans,  W.  T.  Huntington 
and  Edwin  Angel.  Perhaps,  the  very  oldest 
residents  now  living  will  recall  the  names  of 
Drs.  E.  L.  Munger,  Elijah  Curtis,  A.  Kilbourn 
and  Wareham  "W&st.  Of  all  these  early  phy- 
>icians  there  is  only  one  whose  name  is  famil- 
iar to  posterity:  It  is  that  of  Dr.  Eliakim 
Crosby.  It  is  perpetuated  in  the  names  of 
Crosby  School,  Crosby  street  and  the  Crosby 
Race.     He  was  born  in  Litchfield,  Connecti- 


cut, March  2,  1779,  studied  medicine  in  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y. ;  began  his  professional  career  in 
Canada,  where  he  also  married;  served  in  the 
American  Army  in  the  war  of  1812,  as  a  sur- 
geon ;  and,  in  1820,  moved  to  Ohio  and  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  medicine,  in  Middle- 
bury,  now  a  part  of  the  city  of  Akron.  In 
1826  he  formed  the  partnership  of  Crosby 
and  Chittenden,  contractors.  From  that  time 
on  his  gigantic  business  affairs  claimed  his  at- 
tention almost  exclusively,  and  what  practic- 
ing of  medicine  he  did  was  merely  incidental. 
His  next  business  venture  was  the  operation 
of  the  Cuyahoga  Furnace  for  the  reduction  of 
the  local  iron  ores.  Then  in  rapid  succession 
he  took  on  the  manufacture  of  agricultural 
implements,  the  operation  of  a  sawmill,  and, 
lastly,  a  grist-mill.  Finally,  in  1831,  came 
his  great  scheme  for  the  hydraulic  canal  and 
the  founding  of  the  village  of  Cascade,  which 
are  fully  described  in  another  chapter  of  this 
history.  In  1836,  he  started  the  "Portage 
Canal  and  Manufacturing  Company"  project, 
a  gigantic  undertaking,  but  one  which  ended 
disastrously.  He  lost  his  entire  fortune  in 
this  disaster,  and  evidently  his  fine  spirit  was 
cru.<hed  by  the  completeness  of  the  failure, 
for  we  hear  of  him  no  more  in  connection 
with  any  additional  schemes.  Upon  the  cele- 
bration of  the  completion  of  the  Crosby  Race, 
May  29,  1844,  this  was  the  one  sentiment  of 
the  entire  community  as  voiced  by  the  chair- 
man of  the  meeting,  namely,  "Dr.  Eliakim 
Crosby :  The  noble  projector  and  efficient  ex- 
ecutive of  the  great  enterprise  this  day  suc- 
cessfully accomplished,  of  introducing  the 
waters  of  the  Great  Cuyahoga  River  to  Akron 
by  land.  Of  his  noble  and  persevering  spirit 
of  enterprise,    his   fellow   citizens   are   justly 


254 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


proud."  The  tribute  was  as  deserved  as  it 
was  fitting.  Dr.  Crosby's  wife,  whom  he  mar- 
ried in  Canada  in  1810,  died  in  Akron,  Octo- 
ber 13,  1830.  Seven  children  had  been  born 
to  them.  He  was  twice  subsequently  mar- 
ried. In  1853  he  moved,  with  his  family 
to  Wisconsin,  near  the  city  of  Green  Bay, 
where  he  died  September  2,  1854,  in  the  76th 
year  of  his  life.  Akron  owes  much  to  Dr. 
Crosby.  We  should  pause  once  in  each  year 
and  pay  a  tribute  of  respect  to  his  memory. 
In  the  30's  and  40's  the  Crosby  family  was 
easily  the  foremost  in  the  village,  in  every 
sphere  of  activity.  The  Doctor  was  not  only 
foremost  in  the  work  of  founding  the  city 
and  establishing  its  business  enterprises  but 
he  was  active  in  every  good  work.  One  is 
compelled  to  admire  that  restless  energy,  that 
magnificent  .spirit  of  activity,  that  was  his 
first  characteristic.  If  Akron  should  ever 
have  a  "Founder's  Day"  in  its  list  of  Anni- 
versary Days,  the  largest  part  of  the  celebra- 
tion will  be  the  recalling  of  the  works  of  this 
early  physician. 

Dr.  Joseph  Cole  was  born  in  Winfield,  New 
York,  September  17,  1795,  graduated  in  med- 
icine in  1825  and  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Old  Portage  in  1826.  The  next 
year  he  moved  to  Akron  where  he  built  up 
a  very  large  practice.  He  took  a  leading 
part  in  formulating  local  sentiment  in  favor 
of  the  Temperance  and  Anti-slavery  Move- 
ments. He  aided  in  securing  the  Akron 
School  Law,  and  served  on  the  Akron  Board 
of  Education  in  1847.  Dr.  Cole  died  Octo- 
ber 28,  1861,  in  the  67th  year  of  his  life. 

Dr.  Elias  W.  Howard,  another  of  the  most 
prominent  of  the  early  physicians,  was  born 
in  Andover,  Vermont,  April  14,  1816;  studied 
and  was  graduated  in  medicine;  and  came  to 
Akron  in  1889.  Here  he  enjoyed  a  large 
general  practice  for  more  than  fifty  years. 
Dr.  Howard  served  many  years  in  the  70's 
on  the  Board  of  Education,  the  City  Council 
and  the  Board  of  Health.  In  1875,  he  was 
president  of  the  Council.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Summit  County  Medical  So- 
ciety and  was  a  member  of  many  other  medi- 
cal societies.     He  was  married    in    1840    to 


JClizabeth  Chittenden  who  bore  him  two  sons; 
Dr.  II.  C.  Howard  and  Frank  D.  Howard. 
Dr.  E.  W.  Howard  died  August  9,  1890. 

Dr.  Amos  A\'right  was  the  first  white  male 
child  born  in  Tallmadge.  He  was  born  Oc- 
tober 8,  1808.  His  parents  were  natives  of 
Connecticut.  His  father  was  a  practicing 
physician,  and  he  read  medicine  in  his  fath- 
er's office  and  also  attended  lectures  in  New 
Haven,  Connecticut.  He  began  hLs  practice  in 
Tallmadge  in  1833  and  continued  his  minis- 
trations until  his  death,  more  than  sixty  years 
of  active  practice.  He  was  married  to  Clem- 
ence  C.  Fenn,  of  Tallmadge,  March  31,  1831. 
Nine  children  were  born  to  them. 

Dr.  Mendal  Jewett  was  born  in  Greenwich, 
Massachusetts,  on  September  4,  1815;  moved 
to  Portage  County  in  1836;  was  graduated 
from  Western  Reserve  Medical  College 
with  the  class  of  1839,  and  began  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  Mogadore  in  the 
autunni  of  that  year.  In  the  50's  he  was 
elected  to  the  State  Legislature  and  served 
four  years.  He  was  a  strong  advocate  of 
temperance  and  a  bitter  foe  of  slavery.  He 
was  much  interested  in  education,  horticulture 
and  scientific  matters,  and  the  city  owes  much 
to  his  activity  in  worthy  causes.  He  moved 
to  Middlebury  in  1858  and  continued  his 
practice  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
married  to  Cordelia  H.  Kent,  on  June  14, 
1839. 

Dr.  Stephen  H.  Coburn,  the  father  of  Mrs. 
J.  A.  Kohler,  was  one  of  the  most  prominent 
citizens  of  Akron  during  the  period  1850- 
1880.  He  was  born  in  Hillsdale,  New  York, 
December  29,  1809 ;  studied  medicine  and  be- 
gan his  practice  in  Massachusetts;  moved  to 
Akron  in  1848  and  for  many  years  enjoyed 
a  large  practice  as  a  homeopathic  physician. 
He  was  married  to  Adeline  Myers,  May  15, 
1839.  Soon  after  coming  to  Akron,  he  be- 
came interested  in  several  business  concerns, 
and  was  very  successful.  He  made  large  in- 
vestment.s  in  real  estate  and  platted  a  large 
tract  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  city, 
which  is  still  known  as  the  Coburn  allotment. 
Coburn  Street,  in  that  portion  of  the  city,  was 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


255 


named  for  him.     He  died  June  1"-,  1888,  at 
the  age  of  78  years. 

Another  early  Akron  physician  who  made 
considerable  money  in  his  real  estate  ventures 
was  Dr.  Sanuiel  W.  Bartges,  who  was  born  in 
Mifflinsburg,  Pennsylvania,  April  19,  1814. 
Upon  completing  his  medical  studies  in  1842, 
he  commenced  practice  in  Akron,  and  soon 
enjoyed  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  The 
Bartges  allotment  and  the  Bartgcri-Mallison 
allotment  were  both  laid  out  by  him'  and 
were  big  successes.  They  now  constitute  a 
substantial  portion  of  the  city.  Dr.  Bartges 
was  married  to  Catherine  A.  Citimp  in  1835. 
He  died  November  24,  1882,  aged  68  years, 
leaving  a  widow  and  three  children. 

The  kindly  face  of  Dr.  Daniel  A.  Scott  will 
be  recalled  by  all  old  Akron  residents.  He 
was  born  in  Cadiz,  Ohio,  May  4,  1821 ;  was 
graduated  in  medicine  and  commenced  prac- 
tice in  Akron  in  1848.  He  was  soon  in  com- 
mand of  a  large  practice,  which  he  continued 
to  look  after  until  the  day  of  his  death — .Janu- 
ary 23,  1890.  During  the  last  four  years  of 
his  life  he  was  a  member  of  the  Akron  Board 
of  Health. 

Many  of  us  in  Akron  have  reason  to  be 
thankful  for  the  skill  and  patient  care  uni- 
formly exercised  by  Dr.  Thoma.s  McEbright 
toward  hLs  large  circle  of  patients  during  his 
long  professional  career.  He  came  to  Akron 
in  November,  1864,  upon  the  mustering  out 
of  the  166th  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  had  served  as  an  Army  Surgeon 
continuously  since  1861.  Dr.  McEbright 
was  born  in  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  April  14, 
1824.  His  parents  soon  moved  to  Ohio 
where  he  received  his  education  in  Norwalk 
Academy  and  Ohio  Wesley  an  University. 
Graduated  in  medicine  in  1851  he  commenced 
active  practice  at  once.  In  1857  he  moved 
to  Millersburg.  When  the  Civil  War  broke 
out.  he  offered  his  services  to  his  country,  and 
for  three  years  rendered  splendid  service  as 
an  army  surgeon.  In  1864,  he  was  appointed 
ealonel  of  the  166th  Regiment.  Dr.  Mc- 
Ebright was  married  to  Nancy  Liggett,  of 
Millersburg.  on  the  16th  day  oif  June,  1853. 
Until  the  time  of  his  death.  Dr.  McEbright 


tonk  an  intense  interest  in  public  affairs,  es- 
pecially those  concerning  education.  Hi^ 
strong  public  spirit  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
he  served  for  more  than  fourteen  years  as  a 
member  of  the  Akron  Board  of  Education, 
some  of  the  time  as  its  president.  The  next 
public  school  building  should  be  named  for 
him. 

Another  of  the  early  doctors  who  was  also 
greatly  interested  in  Akron  school  affairs,  and 
for  whom  the  Bowen  School  on  North  Broad- 
way was  named,  was  Dr.  William  Bowen. 
He  was  born  in  New  York  July  3,  1805,  and 
about  1825  moved  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Can- 
ton. He  taught  school  and  .studied  medicine 
there  until  1832,  when  he  commenced  prac- 
tice in  Doylestown,  Ohio.  In  1836,  he  was 
graduated  from  the  Ohio  Medical  College  and 
resumed  his  practice,  locating  first  in  Canton 
and  later  in  Massillon.  In  1857  he  came  to 
Akron  and  soon  won  a  large  practice.  In, 
1830  he  was  married  to  Iluldah  M,  Chitteri- 
den.  Nine  children  were  born  to  them,  oxie 
of  whom  married  Dr.  A.  E.  Foltz,  of  Akron. 
Dr.  Bowen  served  for  maay  years  as  a  member 
of  the  Akron  Board  of  Education,  part  of  the 
time  as  its  president.  While  living  in  Massil- 
lon he  published  a  journal  called  "The  Free 
School  Clarion"  in  the  interests  of  education. 

Dr.  Byron  S.  Chase  was  born  in  Vermont, 
January  9,  1834.  About  1856  he  came  to 
Akron  and  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  E.  W. 
Howard.  He  finished  his  medical  education 
at  Michigan  University  and  began  his  active 
practice  in  Akron.  Upon  the  advent  of  the 
Civil  War,  he  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the 
16th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
faithfully  throughout  the  whole  war  period. 
In  1865  he  resumed  his  practice  in  Akron. 
In  1863  he  was  married  to  Henrietta  Sabin. 
Four  children  were  born  to  them,  the  eldest 
of  whom  is  Dr.  William  S.  Chase,  a  success- 
ful practicing  physician  of  Akron  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  Dr.  Chase,  the  elder,  died  February 
23.  1878.  at  the  early  age  of  forty-four  years. 
Dr.  Elizur  Hitchcock  was  born  in  Tall- 
madge;  Ohio,  August  15,  1832 ;  graduated  at 
Yale  in  1854 ;  received  his  medical  education 
at  the  University  of  Michigan  and  the  West- 


250 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT   COUNTY 


erii  Reserve  Medical  School;  practiced  two 
years,  and  then  entered  the  Union  Army  as 
surgeon  of  the  Seventh  Regiment,  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry.  In  1870  he  came  to  Akron 
and  practiced  successfully  until  his  death  a 
few  years  ago.  In  November,  1861,  he  was 
married  to  Hattie  Reed,  who  died  in  1834. 
He  afterward  married  Lucrctia  Kellogg,  who 
bore  him  two  children,  Hal.  K.  Hitchcock,  an 
electrical  engineer  of  Pittsburg,  and  Lucius 
W.  Hitchcock,  the  artist,  now  living  near 
New  York  City. 

Dr.  William  C.  Jacobs  probably  enjoyed 
the  confidence  of  a  larger  circle  of  patients 
and  friends  than  any  other  phj^sician  who 
ever  practiced  in  Summit  County.  Hi.s  death 
a  year  or  two  ago  was  lamented  throughout 
the  county.  He  was  an  earnest,  honest, 
straight-forward  and  plain-spoken  man  whom 
everyone  who  knew  hini  loved  for  his  fine 
qualities.  He  was  born  in  Lima,  Ohio, 
February  26,  1840 ;  was  educated  for  the  Navy, 
but  resigned  from  the  Academy  at  Annapolis 
to  study  medicine.  In  Annapolis  he  was  a 
schoolmate  of  Admirals  Schley  and  Sampson. 
He  was  graduated  from  Ohio  Medical  College 
in  Cincinnati,  with  the  class  of  1862.  He 
immediately  joined  the  Union  Army  as  a  sur- 
geon and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  was  connected  with  the  Fourth  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Cavalry  and  the  Eighty-first 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  He 
came  to  Akron  in  October,  1865,  and  com- 
menced to  practice  medicine  and  surgery. 
He  was  one  of  the  chief  workers  in  founding 
the  Akron  City  Hospital,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  Chief  of  the  General  Staff  of 
that  institution.  Dr.  Jacobs  was  twice  mar- 
ried, his  first  wife  being  Ilulda  M.  Hill,  to 
whom  one  child  was  born,  Dr.  Harold  Hill 
Jacobs,  at  present  a  successful  and  respected 
surgeon  of  Akron  and  the  head  of  the  City 
Hospital. 

Dr.  James  H.  Peterson  came  to  Akron  in 
1854  and  was  one  of  the  earliest  practitioners 
of  dentistry  in  Summit  County.  He  was 
born  in  New  Bnmswick  in  1830  and  passed 
his  early  years  in  BufiFalo,  New  York.  In 
November,    1855,  he  married   Caroline    Van 


Evra,  of  Akron.  The  eldest  of  their  three 
children  is  the  wife  of  Senator  Charles  Dick. 
Up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  Dr.  Peterson  gave 
much  attention  to  public  affairs  and  rendered 
valuable  service  in  behalf  of  the  general  wel- 
fare. 

Dr.  Mason  Chapman,  who  came  to  Akron 
in  1865,  was  another  successful  dentist  who 
took  a  deep  interest  in  municipal  affairs, 
serving  in  the  70's  as  a  member  of  the  Akron 
City  Council. 

Dr.  John  W.  Lyder,  now  rounding  out  a 
successful  career  as  dentist,  came  to  Akron 
in  April,  1870.  He  has  been  very  much  in- 
terested in  Horticultural  and  Agricultural  de- 
velopment, and  has  been  of  much  service  to 
those  interests  during  his  residence  in  Sum- 
mit County.  Other  physicians  who  came  to 
Akron  just  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War 
and  to  whom  this  community  is  much  in- 
debted both  for  the  unselfish  and  faithful 
practice  of  their  profession,  and  their  untir- 
ing zeal  in  jiublic  affairs,  are  Dr.  Warren  J. 
Underwood,  the  father  of  the  present  Dr.  Ed- 
ward S.  Underwood;  Dr.  A.  C.  Belden,  who 
met  an  untimelv  death  by  accident,  Decem- 
ber 11,  1890;  Dr.  Abner  E.  Foltz,  the  father 
of  the  present  Dr.  Esgar  B.  Foltz;  Dr.  0.  D. 
Childs,  who  is  still  continuing  his  successful 
practice;  and  Dr.  Leonidas  S.  Ebright,  Ak- 
ron's efficient  postmaster,  who  has  been  con- 
tinued in  that  post  since  the  first  term  of 
President  McKinley.  The  five  last  mentioned 
were  veterans  of  the -Civil  War,  and  the  first 
four  served  long  appointments  as  army  sur- 
geons in  various  Ohio  regiments.  This  chap- 
ter should  not  close  without  reference  to  the 
services  of  Doctors  John  Weimer,  George  P. 
Ashmun.  0.  E.  Brownell,  George  G.  Baker, 
.Mexander  Fisher,  Henry  M.  Fisher  and  Rol- 
lin  B.  Carter.  The  following  is  a  complete 
list  of  the  Physicians  and  Surgeons  practic- 
ing their  professions  in  Akron  and  vicinity 
in  the  year  1907 : 

PHYSIf'I.XNS    AND    SITRGEOXS   OF   AKRON. 


Adams.  F.  X. 
Alspach,  E.   Z. 


Angler,  J.  C. 
Barton,  E.  W. 


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1^ 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


259 


Beidler.  Williniii 
Bowman,  I).  S. 
Boyd,  J.   P. 
Callin,  F.  B. 
Cauffield,  E.  J. 
Chase.  W.  S. 
Childs,  0.  D. 
Clapcadel,  F.  A. 
Cleaver.  J.  \'. 
Conn,  Eli 
Conner,  II.  E. 
Cranz,  D.  E. 
Dixon,  C.  A. 
Eberhard.  L.  R.  C 
Ebright,  L.  S. 
Emery,  Wm.  J. 
Evans,  Jennie  L. 
Evans,  Nellie  M. 
Ewers,  F.  A. 
Fehr,  Peter 
Foltz  &  Foltz 
Fouser,  A.  K. 
Grant,  J.  G. 
Halter,  M.  V. 
Hassenflue.  -T.  W. 
Havs,  C.  J. 
Held.  C.  E. 
Hiddleson,  C.  S. 
Hill,  C.  T. 
Hill,  J.  E. 
Hottenstein.  E.  K. 
Hulse.  J.  A. 


Humphrey,  C.  M. 
Humphrey,  L.  B. 
Jacobs,  H.  H. 
Johnson,  S.  W. 
Jones,  A.  W. 
Keller,  ^\'.  L. 
Kendig,  R.  C. 
Kennedv  &  Kergan 
Kneale.^V.  E. 
Kohler,  A.  A. 
Kurt,  Katherine 
Leas.  Luev 
Lee,  J.  L.' 
Leonard,  ^^'.  \V. 
Leppa  &  Co. 
Lyon.  0.  A. 
McDonald.  D.  M. 
McKay,  R.  H. 
Mather.  E.  L. 
Millikin,  C.  W. 
Montenyohl,  E.  A. 
Moore,  T.  K. 
Morgan,  D.  H. 
Morgenroth,  Simon 
ISIurdock,  Wm. 
NorrLs,  C.  E. 
Parks,  Thos.  C. 
Pumphrev,  J.  M. 
Rabe,  J.  \V. 
Rankin.  G.  T. 
Rankin.  I.  C. 


Reed,  F.  C. 
Robinson,  R.  DeW. 
Rockwell,  J.  \V. 
Rowe,  Darius 
Rowland,  Albert 
Sackett,  W.  A. 
Sanborn  &  Gleason 
Seller,  J.  H. 
Shirey,  J.  L. 
Shuman,  J.  C. 
Sicherman,  Armin 
Sippv,  A.  F. 
Stauffer,  G.  W. 
Stevenson,  M.  D. 
Sturgeon,  S.  H. 
Swan,  C.  G. 
Svveitzer,  L.  S. 

Taggart,  H.  D. 
Theiss,  G.  A. 
Theiss,  H.  C. 
Todd,  H.  D. 
Underwood,  E.  S. 
Waldron,  L.  P. 
Weaver,  Elizabeth  M. 
Weber,  J.  H. 
Weeks,  E.  A. 
Weller,  J.  N. 
Wilson,  William 
Wise,  L.  J. 
Workman,  T.  W. 
Wright,  S.  St.  J. 


DENTISTS  OF   AKRON. 


Albany  Dental  Parlors,  Dr.  C.  C.  Spangler, 
Prop. 

American  Painless  Dentists,  Dr.  F.  H.  Mc- 
Lean, Prop. 

Barton,  H.  W. 

Branch,  E.  E. 

Browne,  L.  T. 

Buchtel,  A.  P. 

Capron,  F.  M. 

Cole,  H.  W. 

Conner.  W.  B. 

Cooper,  W.  C. 

Dewey.  W.  H. 

Dreutlein,  B.  H. 


Felker,  Charles 
Hamilton,  T.  J. 
Henninger,  D.  H. 
Hillman,  J.  W. 
Hottenstein,  W.  J. 
Johnson,  A.  G. 
Lewis,  F.  M. 
Lyder,  J.  W.  and  F.  H. 
Maxwell,  W.  J. 
Mottinger,  C.  C. 

Philadelphia    Dental    Rooms,    Dr.    W.    J. 
Slemmons.  Prop. 
Pontius,  B.  B. 
Quirk,  E.  E. 


260 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Risch,  J.  F. 
Ruegsegger,  D.  U. 
Saunders  &  Locy 
Schultz,  J.  E. 
Shriber,  B.  A. 
Sibley,  N.  B. 
Smitii,  C.  E. 
Yedder,  J.  B. 
Watters,  W.  J. 

White  Dental  Parlors,  Dr.  A.  C.  Buffing- 
ton,  Prop. 

Williams,,  E.  J. 
Williamson,  G.  B. 


Lahmers,  Frederick 
Livermore,  F.  B. 
Mansfield,  W.  A. 
RodenBaugh  &  Rodenbaugh 
Snyder,  H.  A. 
Stall,  A.  H. 
Whipple,  C.  H. 

BARBERTON   DENTISTS. 

Chandler  &  Benner 
Galloglv,  D.  B. 
Hille,  6.  A. 
Wearstler,  11.  0. 


PHYSICIANS    AND    SURGEONS    OF    BARBERTON. 

Brown,  G.  A. 
Carr,  C.  B. 
Cory,  Mrs.  Kate  W. 
Davidson,  H.  S. 
Gardner,  G.  E. 


PHYSICIANS  AND  SURGEONS  OF    CUYAHOGA 

FALLS. 
Bill,    A.    II. 

Hough,  W.  S. 
Middleton,  W.  B. 
Smith,  F.  D. 
Taylor,  W.  X. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


the:  bench  and   bar 


Ein-hj    HiMi>nj^Thr    Pir^rnt    Bar    and  Us  Ilifjh  Sfunding. 


Prior  to  the  erection  of  Suiniiiit  County, 
about  the  year  1838  or  1839,  there  were  com- 
paratively few  lawyers  in  the  city  of  Akron. 
Those  who  were  here,  were  required  to  attend 
the  courts  in  Ravenna,  Medina  and  Canton, 
which  were  then  the  county  seats  of  Portage, 
Medina  and  Stark  Counties.  The  county  of 
Summit  was,  in  fact,  made  up  by  taking  a 
number  of  townships  from  each  of  the  coun- 
ties named. 

Among  the  earliest  practitioners  who  had 
established  themselves  in  the  little  town  of 
Akron,  were  some  of  the  old  pioneer  advo- 
cates who  have  long  since  passed  away. 

The  completion  of  the  Ohio  Canal  about 
the  year  1827,  and  the  subsequent  junction 
at  Akron  of  the  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  Canal 
brought  the  town  of  Akron  into  great  promi- 
nence, as  there  were  practically  no  railroads 
at  that  time  in  the  state,  and  the  opening 
of  these  canals,  opened  water-ways  for  the 
tran.sportation  of  produce  to  the  cities  of 
Cleveland,  Pittsburg  and  Cincinnati. 

Quite  a  number  of  lawyers  came  to  Akron 
who  had  previously  located  at  Ravenna, 
and  among  the  earliest  lawyers  of  that  time 
may  be  mentioned  Gregory  Powers,  Rufus  P. 
Spaulding,  Seneca  and  Alvin  Hand,  John  C 
Singletery,  Van  R.  Humphrey,  David  K. 
Carter,  George  Bliss  and  others,  who  came  in 
later  years. 

Later  on  the  General  Assembly  of  this  sitate 
enacted  a  law,  authorizing  suits  against  water 
craft  by  name,  and  as  the  canal  was  then  in 
full  tide  of  prosperity,  and  there  being  a  con- 


(stant  procession  of  boats  in  use,  a  large 
amount  of  litigation  in  the  way  of  collections, 
damage  suits  and  otherwise  resulted,  and  this 
class  of  business  occupied  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  time  of  the  court. 

In  those  earlier  years,  following  the  erec- 
tion of  the  Court  House,  there  were  compara- 
tively few  divorce  cases  and  very  few  cases  for 
the  recovery  of  damages  for  personal  injury. 
And  the  amounts  involved  in  suits,  compared 
with  the  present  time,  were  exceedingly  small. 
But  the  records  of  the  court  will  show  that 
the  eases  that  were  brought  into  court  were 
generally  tried  by  the  court  or  jury,  and  they 
will  also  show  that  the  cases  were,  without 
regard  to  the  amount  involved,  carefully  pre- 
pared and  thoroughly  and  ably  tried.  There 
were  then,  as  now,  generally  three  terms  of 
court  during  the  year,  but  these  terms  rarely 
lasted  longer  than  two  or  three  weeks  at  the 
outside,  and  during  this  time  the  business 
was  generally  fully  di.sposed  of.  Unlike  the 
j)resent  time,  when  the  court  convened,  on 
the  first  day  of  the  term,  the  lawyers  of  the 
town  vacated  their  offices  and  attended  the 
court.  They  were  on  hand  and  present  at  the 
trial  of  each  ca.se,  so  that  practically  all  the 
members  of  the  bar  heard  the  testimony  and 
arguments  of  counsel  in  each  case.  And  dur- 
ing the  tenu  of  court  there  was  generally  a 
full  audience,  not  only  the  members  of  the 
bar,  but  bystanders  and  people  who  came  in 
to  hear.  The  large  court  room  in  the  present 
old  Court  House,  was  none  too  large  to  ac- 
commodate the  people  who  were  almast  uni- 


2()2 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT   COUNTY 


formly  present  during  the  entire  term  of 
court.  The  lawyers  were  given  ample  time 
for  the  trial  of  their  cases.  They  were  rarely, 
if  ever,  limited  as  to  the  time  for  argument 
as  to  the  court  or  jury.  It  ls  needless  to  say 
that  rare  ability  and  the  most  persuasive  elo- 
quence was  frequently  displayed  in  the  trial 
of  cases. 

All  this  has  greatly  changed  in  recent 
years,  .so  that  appeals  to  the  passions  and 
prejudices  of  men  are  rarely  permitited  at 
the  present  time,  and  so  valuable  is  the  time 
of  the  court  and  so  practical  in  business,  that 
concise,  clear  and  business-like  statements 
have  taken  the  place  of  the  oratory  and  elo- 
quent addresses  of  the  lawyers  of  former 
years. 

RUFUS  P.  SPAULDING,  among  the 
earlier  lawyers,  was  conspicuous  for  his  efforts 
as  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  in  se- 
curing the  passage  of  the  act  creating  Sum- 
mit County.  He  was  foremost  in  the  effort  to 
make  Akron  a  county  seat,  Cuyahoga  Falls 
being  at  the  time  a  very  strong  competitor 
for  the  location.  Judge  Spaulding  was  indeed 
an  ornament  to  the  bar  and  an  example  to 
imitate.  He  was  dignified  and  courteous  in 
his  deportment,  a  logical  and  forcible  de- 
bater, and  he  wa,-  deeply  learned  in  law.  He 
was  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  and  in  later 
years  of  life  he  became  a  judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  He  was. 
however,  strongly  inclined  to  a  political  life, 
and  his  interest  in  politics  brought  about  his 
election  as  a  member  of  Congress  to  represent 
the  Cleveland  District,  of  which  Summit 
County  was  then  a  part.  He  served  in  Con- 
gress with  rare  distinction  during  the  period 
of  the  Civil  War. 

Another  lawyer  of  great  distinction  was 
GENERAL  LUCIUS  V.  BIERCE.  He  prac- 
ticed law  a  great  many  years.  He  came  to 
Akron  about  the  year  1836  and  died  in  1864, 
and  during  that  time  he  was  engaged  in 
perhaps  as  many  suits  in  the  courts  of  this 
county  and  Portage  as  any  other  lawyer  of 
tha/t.  time.    He  was  very  skillful.     Among  his 


partners  during  that  time  was  Charles  G. 
Ladd,  and  subsequently  Alvin  C.  Voris.  Gen- 
eral Bierce  was  very  efficient  in  aiding  the 
government  during  the  Civil  War;  he  raised 
several  companies  of  men  for  the  military 
and  naval  service.  He  w^as  elected  to  repre- 
sent Portage  and  Summit  Counties  in  the 
(Jhio  Senate,  and  made  an  enviable  record  as 
a  Senator.  And  in  later  years,  towards  the 
close  of  life,  he  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city 
of  Akron.  He  was  an  able  and  vigorous 
writer,  and  in  the  intervals  of  his  large  legal 
practice  he  prepared  a  number  of  lectures, 
which  he  delivered  in  various  parts  of  the 
country.  But  above  all  General  Bierce  was  a 
large  practitioner,  and  very  successful  in  his 
bu.^iness. 

VAN  R.  HUMPHREY  was  one  of  the  old 
(imo  judges  and  lawyers.  He  was  presiding 
judge  and  held  court  in  Ravenna,  Akron  be- 
ing then  a  part  of  that  jurisdiction.  He  was 
a  very  portly  man,  affable  and  genial.  He 
was  skilled  in  the  old  common  law  practice, 
and  when  the  oivil  code  went  into  effect  in 
1851,  all  those  old  common  law  forms  were 
abolished  and  Judge  Humphrey  never  could 
reconcile  himself  to  the  new  modes  of  prac- 
tice, and  constantly  made  war  upon  the  new 
proceeding.  Pie  was  a  very  able  lawyer  and 
continued  in  practice  up  to  the  date  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  at  Hudson,  in  Sum- 
mit County.  He  was  effective,  both  before 
the  court  upon  questions  of  law  and  in  argu- 
ing oases  to  the  jury. 

GEORGE  BLISS  was  a  native  of  Vermont. 
He  was  educated  at  Granville  College  and 
came  to  Akron  in  1832  and  studied  law  with 
Hon.  D.  K.  Carter.  He  practiced  law  in  Sum- 
mit County,  and  was  appointed  in  1851  presi- 
dent judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in 
this  county,  succeeding  Benjamin  F.  Wade. 
He  held  this  po.sition  which  he  filled  with 
distinguished  ability,  \mtil  the  taking  effect 
of  the  new  Con.=;titution  in  1852.  He  was 
elected  a  member  of  Congress,  from  this 
district  in  1854,  and  subsequently  he  re- 
moved to  Wonster,  in  Wavne  Countv,  where 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


'263 


he  practiced  law  in  partnership  with  the  Hon. 
John  McSwaney.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  Judge 
Bliss  had  few  equds  and  no  superiors  as  a 
lawyer.  He  was  learned  in  the  law  and  hi^ 
logic  was  most  profound.  His  command  of 
language  was  such  that  his  extempore  argu- 
ments to  the  court  or  jury  would  read  like 
a  page  of  Junius.  His  eloquence  was  of  the 
Web.sterian  type,  profound  and  convincing, 
while  in  the  art  of  examining  and  cross-ex- 
amining witnes.ses  he  has  never  been  excelled. 
He  married  late  in  life,  and  at  his  death  a 
wife  and  five  children  survived  him.  He  was 
a  most  companionable  nian,  very  witty  and 
interesting.  He  never  lost  his  temper,  but 
exercised  complete  selfcontrol.  He  took  an 
active  part  in  politics,  and  achieved  a  na- 
tional reputation  as  one  of  the  leading  stat&^- 
men  of  the  country.  He  was  one  of  the  lead- 
ing counsel  in  the  case  of  Ohio  against  -James 
Park.-:,  which  was  the  first  and  perhaps  the 
most  important  murder  trial  ever  tried  in 
Summit  County. 

JAMES  S.  CARPENTER  was  a  very  prom- 
inent lawyer,  born  in  New  Hampshire  in 
1805.  Moved  with  his  i>arent.s  to  Pottsdam, 
New  York,  and  was  educated  at  the  St.  Law- 
rence Academy  at  Pottsdam.  In  June,  1832, 
he  came  to  Ohio  and  removed  to  Medina,  in 
Medina  County,  in  1835,  where  he  edited  a 
newspaper  called  the  Constitutionalist.  He 
was  elected  to  the  Legislature  of  the  State  dn 
the  fall  of  1839.  He  was  a  strong  anti-slav- 
ery man  and  advocated  in  his  papers  as  well 
as  in  his  addres.ses  the  rights  of  the  colored 
people  of  Ohio.  He  moved  to  Akron  in  184(; 
and  practiced  law  at  Akron  for  many  years. 
He  occupied  the  Common  Pleas  Bench  from 
1856  to  1861.  Judge  Carpenter  was  of  Eng- 
lish ancestry,  and  in  his  example  and  by 
precept  he  represented  the  extreme  type  of 
Puritan  morality  and  uprightnes-;.  He  was 
very  highly  educated  as  a  judge,  lawyer  and 
citizen.  His  wife  and  three  children  sur- 
vived him. 

COLONEL  WILBUR  F.  SAUNDERS  was 
born  in  Lorn,  New-  York.  May  2,  1834,  and 


he  came  to  Akron  in  1854.  He  taught  in  the 
high  school  of  Akron  for  a  year  or  two,  after 
coming  to  Ohio,  and  during  the  time  studied 
law  in  the  office  of  his  uncle,  Hon.  Sidney 
Edgerton,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1876.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War 
in  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  army  and  was 
elected  a  lieutenant  in  Company  G,  Sixty- 
fourth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  re- 
mained in  service  until  1863.  He  commenced 
the  practice  of  law  in  Akron  with  his  uncle, 
Sidney  Edgerton,  and  his  rise  in  the  pro- 
fession was  rapid.  He  was  a  very  fluent 
speaker,  and  was  especially  prominent  in  po- 
litical discussions.  Ho  accompanied  his  un- 
cle, Sidney  Edgerton,  to  the  territory  of  Idaho 
and  to  Bennock  City;  this  was  in  1884.  So- 
ciety in  this  portion  of  the  west  at  that  time 
was  in  a  very  chaotic  condition.  There  was 
but  little  security  for  life  or  property,  through 
the  regular  legal  channels.  Murders,  rob- 
beries and  crimes  of  all  kinds  were  of  such 
frequent  occurrence  that  the  peoi^le  of  this 
portion  of  the  territory,  for  their  protection, 
organized  themselves  into  a  body,  called 
■'Vigilantes."  Colonel  Saunders  was  very 
prominent  in  this  organization,  and  fifty  or 
more  outlaws  and  desperadoes  were  hung  un- 
der the  orders  of  this  court.  It  was  a  very 
speedy  and  effective  measure  of  justice,  but 
it  made  honest  men  and  it  was  not  long  before 
law  and  order  prevailed.  Colonel  Saunders  was 
appointed  United  States  attorney  by  President 
Grant,  and  he  became  also  a  inember  of  the 
Territorial  Legislature,  and  in  1890  was 
elected  L'nited  States  Senator  from  the  newly 
organized  State  of  Montana.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  he  returned  to  the  practice 
of  the  law  in  the  city  of  Helena,  Montana, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death. 

CHRISTOPHER  PARSONS  WOLCOTT 
came  from  Connecticut,  was  born  in  1825, 
and  with  his  parents  removed  to  Steubenville, 
Ohio.  He  graduated  at  Jefferson  College, 
Pennsylvania,  and  .studied  law  with  Tappin 
&  Stanton  in  Steubenville.  Upon  his  admis- 
sion to  the  bar  in  1843,  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  General  L.  V.  Bierce  at  Ravenna, 


264 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Ohio,  and  in  1846  came  to  Akron,  forming 
a  partnership  with  William  S.  C.  Otis,  and 
after  Mr.  Otis  removed  to  Cleveland,  he  be- 
came a  partner  of  Judge  William  H.  Upson. 
Upon  the  death  of  the  Attorney  General  F. 
D.  Kendel  in  1856,  Governor  Chase  appointed 
Ml-.  Wolcott  to  fill  the  vacancy,  and  he  was 
subsequently  elected.  His  services  as  Attor- 
ney General  were  particularly  notable.  Dur- 
ing that  time  there  occurred  a  heavy  defalca- 
tion in  the  State  Treasury  and  this  brought 
on  a  number  of  very  important  State  trials, 
in  which  Mr.  Wolcott  took  a  very  prominent 
j)ai1,  and  perhaps  the  most  important  case 
that  occurred  was  the  case  of  ex  parte  Bu^h- 
nell,  sometimes  called  the  "Oberlin  rescue 
ciuses."  It  grew  out  of  the  attempt  to  en- 
force the  fugitive  slave  law  by  carrying  back 
fugitive  slaves  to  the  State  of  Kentucky.  The 
people  of  Oberlin  resisted  the  enforcement  of 
this  law;  indeed  public  opinion  in  the  North 
was  strongly  against  this  enforcement,  and  a 
mn liber  of  citizens  of  Oberlin  were  arrasted 
for  resisting  the  enforcement  of  tliis  law,  and 
the  case  came  up  in  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Ohio  on  application  for  a  writ  in  Habeas  cor- 
pus; in  behalf  of  the  persons  who  had  been 
arrested.  The  main  quesition  was  over  the 
constitutionality  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  law. 
Mr.  AVolcotts  argument  on  this  occasion  was 
a  most  masterh'  effort.  The  decision  of  the 
court  was  against  him,  but  they  did  Mr.  Wol- 
cott the  honor  of  having  his  argument  in 
full,  printed  in  the  volume  of  the  Ohio  Re- 
ports. Mr.  Wolcott  was  strictly  a  lawyer;  he 
gave  law  his  whole  attention,  even  at  the  ex- 
pense of  his  social  duties.  His  arguments 
were  .solid,  logical  and  convincing.  He  never 
indulged  in  matters  of  sentiment,  or  appealed 
to  the  emotions  or  passions.  He  relied  simply 
upon  his  logical  processes  and  reasoning.  ^Ir. 
Wolcott  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Summit 
County  bar.  Soon  after  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Civil  W^ar,  he  was  appointed  by  his 
brother-in-law,  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  assistant 
secretary  of  war.  He  entered  upon  the  dis- 
charge of  these  important  duties  with  energy 
and  skill,  taxing  himself  to  sucli  an  extent 
that  his  health  broke  down,  and  lie  died  in 


the  city  of  Akron  shortly  after  his  retiring 
from  that  position. 

SAMUEL  W.  McCLURE  was  born  in 
Cheshire  County,  New  Hampshire,  Novem- 
ber, 1812.  In  1828  he  came  to  Medina 
County,  Ohio,  and  taught  school  at  Medina 
for  a  period  of  two  years.  He  then  attended 
Allegheny  College,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
graduated.  At  that  time  he  intended  becom- 
ing a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  He  taught  the 
academy  at  Ashland,  in  Ashland  County,  for 
two  years,  and  while  so  engaged  studied  law 
in  the  offices  of  Silas  Robbins  and  Judge 
Charlas  Sherman ;  during  the  time  he  edited 
the  Ashland  Phoenix.  He  subsequently  re- 
turned to  Medina  and  became  the  editor  of 
the  Constitutionalist,  and  during  that  time 
also  entered  into  a  law  partnership  with  Judge 
Carpenter.  He  removed  to  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
in  Summit  County,  about  the  year  184.3,  and 
practiced  law  at  that  place  with  great  suc- 
CC.S.S,  until  he  removed  to  Akron,  about  1865, 
where  he  practiced  his  profession  in  partner- 
shiip  with  the  late  Edward  Oviatt.  Judge  Mc- 
Clure  held  the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney 
in  Summit  County,  and  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  in 
1848,  and  he  was  .subsequently  elected  a  judge 
of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  the  dis- 
tricts of  Summit,  Medina  and  Lorain  Coun- 
ties, which  office  he  held  for  one  term.  Judge 
McCluro  'was  a  very  able  lawyer,  and  by  his 
constant  attention  to  business  and  his  skill 
and  energy,  he  acquired  a  large  practice  and 
was  very  .successful,  especially  in  the  trial  of 
jury  cases.  While  Judge  McClure  lived  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  he  entered  into  a  partner- 
ship with  Hon.  Henry  McKinney,  who  .still 
lives  in  the  city  of  Cleveland. 

MR.  McKINNEY  was  elected  i)rosecuting 
attorney  of  Summit  County,  which  office  he 
filled  with  great  succe,«s,  and  was  also  elected 
a  Senator  from  this  district.  He  removed  to 
Cleveland  in  about  1880,  where  he  wiis  elected 
a  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Plea-;  and 
held  the  oftice  for  one  term.  It  i<  no  more 
tlian   just   to  say   that   Judg.'  McKiniiiy   liad 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


2(55 


few  equals  as  a  trial  lawyer.  He  was  espe- 
cially strong  in  the  trial  of  jury  cases,  and 
his  preparation  for  trial,  both  as  to  law  of 
the  case  and  the  facts  involved,  was  com- 
plete dn  every  particular.  He  w'as  a  man  of 
large  s}-mpathie.s  and  most  generous  impulses. 

HON.  SIDNEY  EDUERTON, '  formerly 
one  of  Ohio's  distinguished  citizens,  who  from 
1852  until  1865  sei-ved  his  city.  State  and 
country,  in  positions  of  honor  and  great  re- 
sponsibility, was  born  at  Cazenovia,  New 
York,  August  17,  1818.  His  fathei'.  a  teacher 
by  profession,  was  afflicted  by  l^lindness  dur- 
ing his  later  life,  dying  when  Sidney  was  six 
months  old.  Mi's.  Edgerton,  left  in  strait- 
ened circumstanc&s,  could  support  lier  family 
for  a  few  years  only,  and  the  boy  was  forced 
into  the  world  at  the  age  of  eight  to  battle 
for  himself. 

After  attending  the  district  school  for  the 
usual  period,  he  began  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
to  ie-M-h  school,  soon  earning  enough  to  en- 
able him  to  enter  Wesley  Seminary,  at  Lima, 
New  York,  where  he  was  subsequently  en- 
gaged as  a  teacher.  In  the  spring  of  1844 
he  came  to  Akron,  making  the  journey  by- 
water.  The  day  after  Ms  arrival  he  entered 
the  office  of  Judge  Rufus  P.  Spalding,  for 
the  study  of  law,  and  during  the  following 
winter  he  taught  in  the  Tallmadge  Academy. 
In  1846  he  was  graduated  from  the  Cincin- 
nati Laav  School  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
that  city  and  immediately  opened  an  oflico 
at  Akron.  He  soon  became  identified  with 
public  affairs,  and  in  1848  was  a  delegate 
to  the  convention  which  resulted  in  the  for- 
mation of  the  Free  Soil  Party.  In  1852  lie 
secured  election  as  pro.secuting  attorney  of 
Summit  County,  in  which  office  he  served  for 
four  years.  In  1858  came  his  election  to 
Congress,  followed  by  his  re-election  in  1860. 
His  record  as  a  statesman  was  such  that  in 
1863  lie  was  appointed  by  President  Lincoln 
to  the  oflice  of  chief  justice  of  Idaho.  It  wa?, 
Mr.  Edgerton  who  prepared  the  bill  for  the 
organization  of  the  territory  of  Montana,  and 
who  went  to  Washington  and  presented  it  to 
Congress,    making   the    long   journey   partly 


by  stage  and  horseback  through  a  country 
then  almost  entirely  unsettled.  President 
Lincoln  recognized  the  value  of  his  services 
l)y  appointing  him  governor  of  the  Territory 
of  Montana,  an  office  he  held  until  a  more 
perfect  organization  was  effected,  and  the  way 
[>aved  for  further  legislation  and  the  opening 
up  of  that  rich  region  to  settlement.  Mr. 
Edgerton  then  resigned  his  office  and  in  Jan- 
uai-y,  1866,  resumed  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Akron,  where  he  continued  a  resi- 
dent during  the  rest  of  his  life,  which  ter- 
minated July  19,  1900. 

On  May  18,  1849,  Mr.  Edgerton  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Wright,  of  Tallmadge,  Ohio, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
ilren.  ilrs.  Edgerton  died  August  3,  1883. 
Four  of  their  children  survive,  namely: 
Martha  E.  Plassmann,  residing  at  MLssoula., 
Montana;  Mary  Pauline  Edgerton,  of  Akron; 
Lucia  Idaho  Buckingham,  wife  of  George  E. 
Huckingham,  of  Akron,  Ohio;  Nina  E.  Whit- 
man, wife  of  CaiJtain  W.  M.  Whitman,  U. 
S.  A.,  now  stationed  at  Fort  Riley,  Kansas. 
Those  (locca.^ed  are:  Wright  Prescott  Edger- 
t')n,  jirofessor  of  mathematics  at  the  We.-t 
Point  Military  Academy,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  June  24,  1904;  Sidney  Carter  Bdger- 
t'lii.  died  November  29,  1895;  Francis  Lowell 
Edgerton,  died  Octol>er  2,  1861 :  Lucy  lone 
]':duerton,  died  May  10,  1906. 

Sidney  Edgerton  was  a  man  of  stanch 
moral  courage,  wonderfully  proven  in  the 
anti-slavery  struggle,  and  in  the  formaitdve 
jieriod  of  the  New  West,  He  was  gifted  with 
a  mai'velous  memory,  his  reading  broad,  yet 
discriminating.  In  his  profession  of  law  he 
gained  distinction,  and  was  parti cularly  re- 
nowned as  a  jury  lawyer.  He  had  a  keen 
<;Mise  of  humor,  and  possessed  an  inexhaust- 
ible supply  of  anecdotes.  He  was  an  ardent 
champion  and  a  fervent  hater,  and  his  whole 
life  was  a  struggle  for  the  upbuilding  of 
right  and  justice. 

HON.  NATHANIEL  \Y  (GOODHUE,  for- 
merly judge  of  the  Probate  Court  of  Sunniiit 
County,  was  one  of  the  county's  mo.st  promi- 
nent and  u.^eful  men  in  his  day  and  genera- 


266 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


tioii.  He  was  barn  in  Lincoln  County,  Maine, 
December  20,  1818,  in  childhood  accompany- 
ing bia  parents  to  Lower  Canada,  where  he 
lived  until  the  age  of  seventeen  years. 

In  1837  N.  W.  Goodhue  moved  to  Wayne 
County,  Ohio.  At  that  time  there  were  fewer 
avenuea  of  labor  promising  satisfactory  emol- 
uments than  at  present.  He  was  ambitious 
and  turned  his  eyes  in  the  direction  of  the 
law  even  while  spending  his  summers  in  ped- 
dling notions  and  general  merchandise 
through  the  country  and  his  winters  in 
teaching  school,  which  occupied  his  time  for 
several  years.  In  1840  he  studied  law  in 
the  office  of  Hand  &  Nash,  at  Middlebury, 
having  come  to  Summit  County  as  a  teacher, 
and  in  1846  and  1847  was  fortunate  enough 
to  secure  the  posiition  of  engrossing  clerk  in 
the  House  of  Representatives,  at  Columbus. 
In  the  latter  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
in  1848  he  was  elected  auditor  of  Summit 
County  and  was  re-elected  in  1850,  fill- 
ing the  office  for  four  years.  In  1856 
he  was  appointed  canal  collector,  serv- 
ing for  two  years,  and  was  collector  of  inter- 
nal revenue  for  Summit  County,  from  Sep- 
tember, 1882,  until  September.  18G().  He  bed 
always  been  active  in  the  Reinil)lican  party 
since  its  formation,  and  in  1878  he  was  elected 
by  this  organization  State  Senator  from  Sum- 
mit and  Portage  Countie,s,  sen-ing  two  years. 
In  1880,  he  was  Republican  elector  for  the 
Eighteenth  Congres.sional  -District  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Ohio  Electoral  College.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1881,  he  was  elected  .judge  of  the  Pro- 
bate Court  of  Summit  County,  this  being  has 
last  public  honor.  On  the  bench  lie  gave 
entire  satisfaction  and  occupied  this  honor- 
able position  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
September  12,  1883.  In  his  many  official 
capacities  he  had  always  acquitted  hin^'elf 
with  credit. 

Judge  Goodhue  was  married  December  20. 
1841,  to  Nancy  Johnston,  who  was  born  in 
Green  Township,  Summit  County  and  they 
had  four  children,  namely:  James  P.,  who 
died  in  infancy;  Allan  J.,  now  residing  at 
Chicago,  Illinois,  who  served  as  a  member  of 
the  104th  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infan- 


try, during  the  Civil  War;  Mary  H.,  now  de- 
ceased, who  was  the  wife  of  Rev.  Samuel 
Maxwell,  a  clergyman  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church ;  and  Nathaniel  P.,  ex-clerk  of 
the  Summit  County  Court.  The  last  named 
is  a  prominent  business  citizen  of  Akron,  in- 
terested in  many  of  her  successful  enterprises, 
and  is  treasurer  of  the  Bruner,  Goodhue, 
Cooke  Company  and  president  of  the  Akron 
Laundry  Company.  He  resides  at  No.  140 
Adolph  Avenue. 

CONSTANT  BRYAN.  Judge  Constant 
Bryan  was  another  of  the  old  time  lawyers. 
He  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York  in 
1809.  Read  law  and  graduated  from  the  law 
department  of  Yale  College  in  1833  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1834.  He  was  elected 
Probate  Judge  for  Summit  County  in  1852. 
He  took  a  great  interest  in  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation and  was  a  member  of  the  School  Board. 
Judge  Bryan  was  a  very  dignified,  quiet  gen- 
tleman. He  had  no  taste  for  the  hurlyburly 
of  a  court  trial,  he  preferred  rather  the  quiet 
of  an  office  practice,  and  the  business  part 
of  the  legal  profession.  He  was  a  man  of 
jiroved  integrity  and  was  very  highly  re- 
spected. 

CHARLES  B.  BERNARD  was  a  son  of 
Rev.  David  Bernard,  a  former  Baptist  clergy- 
man in  Akron.  Mr.  Bernard  was  l>orn  in 
New  York,  and  came  to  Akron  in  1846,  where 
be  taught  school  and  later  entered  the  office 
of  the  county  auditor.  Six  years  later  he  was 
elected  auditor  and  served  four  years.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  studied  law  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  and  became  a  member  of 
tlie  firm  of  Wolcott,  LTpson  &  Bernard.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education. 
During  the  Civil  Wair  he  was  made  adjutant 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-fourth  Ohio 
Rt'giment,  Ohio  National  Guard.  Mr.  Ber- 
nard was  a  splendid  .specimen  of  physical 
manhood  and  was  prominent  in  public  affairs. 
His  probity  no  one  ever  doubted,  and  his 
character  M-as  the  very  highest.  As  a  busi- 
nes's  laiwyer,  or  rather  a  lawyer  for  office  prac- 
tice, he  had  no  superiors. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


267 


CALMN  PEASE  HUMPHREY,  son  of 
Van  R.  Humphrey,  Avas  born  at  Hudson, 
Ohio,  in  1840.  He  graduated  at  "Western 
Reserve  College  in  1863,  and  was  soon  after 
admitted  to  the  bar.  He  served  for  a  time  in 
the  Civil  War.  After  the  close  of  the  war 
Mr.  Humphrey  commenced  the  practice  of 
his  profession  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  later  com- 
ing to  Akron,  where  he  entered  into  a  part- 
nership with  .ludge  E.  \V.  Stuart.  Mr, 
Humphrey  made  a  specialty  of  patent  laws 
and  he  became  a  very  successful  and  efficient 
attorney  in  that  department.  He  wa.s  a  clever 
lawyer  as  well  as  a  skillful  mechanic. 

E.  P.  GREEN.  Judge  Edwin  P.  Green 
was  born  in  Windsor  County,  Vermont,  Marcli 
10,  1828.  He  was  educated  at  Bradford 
.Vcademy,  and  commenced  the  study  of  law 
in  Littleton,  New  Hampshire.  Coming  to 
Akron  in  1852,  he  entered  the  office  of  Hum- 
phrey &  Edgerton,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1853.  He  was  elected  clerk  of  the 
court  in  October,  1854,  .and  at  the  clo.^ie  of 
his  term  he  resumed  his  law  practice,  and  he 
was  elected  Judge  of  the  Common  Pleads 
Court,  •which  office  he  held  for  five  years. 
Judge  Gre«i  was  president  of  the  Ohio  Bar 
Association  in  1878.  He  Mas  a  very  careful 
lawyer;  he  was  not  an  advocate  in  any  sens? 
of  the  temi,  but  he  was  learned  in  the  law 
and  WHS  a  prudent  judicial  advisor.  His  de- 
cisions a*  judge  of  the  Connuon  Pleas  Court 
were  very  able,  and  his  judgments  were  very 
rarely  reversed  by  the  higher  courts.  Judoe 
Green  was  prominent  in  educational  matters, 
he  was  a  great  reader  and  po.ssessed  a  splendid 
and  well  selected  library  of  books.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Akron  Public  Library  A.s.so- 
ciation,  and  was  one  of  the  corporator-  and 
trustees  of  Buchtel  College. 

ROLIN  W.  SADLER  was  born  in  St.  Jo- 
seph County,  Michigan,  in  1856.  His  father 
was  a  .school  teacher  by  profession.  ^Ir.  Sad- 
ler entered  Baldwin  University  and  later  went 
to  Mt.  Union  College,  where  he  graduated  in 
1871.  He  then  engaged  in  teaching,  finst  a- 
principal    of   the   High    School   at    R-ad'ng. 


Michigan,  and  then  at  Bedford,  Summit 
County,  Ohio.  In  1876  he  entered  the  law 
office  of  Edgerton  and  Kohler,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1876.  He  was  for  sev- 
ertil  years  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Kohler 
and  later  he  became  a  partner  in  the  firm  of 
Marvin,  Sadler  &  Atterholt.  Mr.  Sadler  was 
one  of  the  j'ounger  members  of  the  bar,  but 
from  the  very  start  of  his  profession  he  ex- 
hibited tho.se  qualities  which  brought  him 
to  the  front  of  the  profession,  and  he  very 
soon  became  one  of  the  best  equipped  lawyers 
of  the  Summit  County  bar.  He  had  a  thor- 
ough education  and  his  mind  readily  grasped 
the  most  intricate  leading  questions  and 
solved  them  with  intuitive  ease  and  clearness. 
He  was  also  an  influential,  persuasive  and  elo- 
quent speaker.  He  met  with  an  accident  in 
the  city  of  Akron  which  co.st  him  his  life, 
and  had  he  lived  there  is  no  doubt  that  he 
would  have  achieved  a  national  reputation 
as  a  great  lawyer  and  advocate.  In  his  prac- 
tice and  in  the  trial  of  cases  he  was,  in  the 
best  sense  of  the  term,  a  gentleman,  and  made 
it  clear  that  one  can  be  a  perfect  gentleman, 
kind  and  courteous,  and  at  the  same  time  a 
most  effective  trial  lawyer. 

FRANK  M.  ATTERHOLT  was  born  in 
1848  near  New  Lisbon,  Ohio.  He  w-as  edu- 
cated at  New  Lisbon  High  School  and  at  Mt. 
Union  College,  graduating  at  the  latter  in- 
stitution in  1870.  He  wa.s  a  prominent 
teacher  for  several  years  and  became  editor 
of  the  Columbiana  Register.  He  came  to  Ak- 
ron in  1879  and  read  law  with  Upson,  Ford 
and  Baird.  "Was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the 
Supreme  Court  at  Columbus,  and  later  be- 
came a  partner  of  Judge  ilarvin  in  the  law 
])ractice.  i\Ir.  Atterholt  was  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  member  of  the  Board  of 
School  Examiners  and  trustee  of  Mt.  Union 
College.  Mr.  Atterholt  ga.ve  the  latter  years 
of  his  life  almost  exclusively  to  business  af- 
fairs, being  largely  interested  in  a  number  of 
corporations  and  in  organizing  others.  He 
was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church  in  the  city  of  Akron.  He  died  at 
Akron  after  a  long  and  painful  illne.-s. 


268 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


DAVID  LESLIE  MARVIN,  son  of  Ulysses 
L.  Marvin,  was  born  at  Kent,  Ohio,  in  1862. 
He  was  educated  in  the  Akron  public  schools 
and  at  Kenyon  College,  Gambler.  He  was 
elected  assistant  engineer  of  the  board  of 
Public  Works  of  Ohio,  and  was  re-elected  in 
1888  and  1890.  During  this  time  he  read 
law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Decc^m- 
ber,  1889.  Coming  to  Akron  he  began  tlie 
practice  of  his  profession,  as  a  member  of 
the  law  firm  of  Marvin,  Atterholt,  Slabaugh 
&  Marvin.  Mr.  Mar\-in  was  a  bright,  capable 
and  genial  young  man,  and  gave  promise  of 
success  in  his  profession.  His  untimely  death 
was  mourned  by  all  who  had  enjoyed  the 
pleasure  of  Ids  acquaintance. 

HENRY  AVARD  INGERSOLL  was  born 
in  Richfield,  October  23,  1833.  He  moved 
•with  his  family  to  Hudson.  He  was  grad- 
uated at  the  Western  Raserve  College  in  1857, 
and  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Van 
R.  Humphrey,  and  Avas  admitted  to  the  bar 
by  the  Supreme  Court  at  Columbus,  March 
9,  1859.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
War  he  enlisted  in  the  Second  Ohio  Cavalry 
Regimental  Band,  serving  in  the  division  of 
General  Blont  in  the  Western  campaign.  He 
was  commi,s.sioned  by  Governor  Tod  as  Cap- 
tain in  the  124th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry. 
In  1864,  at  the  caU  of  Governor  Brough,  he 
served  one  hundred  days  in  defense  of  the 
National  Capital  as  a  member  of  the  164th 
Ohio  National  Guard.  Mr.  Ingersoll  was  a,n 
indefatigable  worker,  energetic  and  pains- 
taking. He  was  a  man  of  high  character  and 
was  highly  educated.  In  addition  to  hi?  at- 
tainments as  a  lawyer  he  was  a  fine  mn- 
sician ;  he  had-  a  splendid  voice,  which  was 
highly   cultivated. 

WILLIAM  M.  DODGE  desen-es  honorable 
mention  among  the  earlier  lawyers  of  Sum- 
mit County.  He  was  born  in  1805,  in  New 
York,  where  he  studied  law  with  Judge 
WTieeler.  After  his  admission  to  the  bar,  he 
came  to  Middleb;ir\%  which  was  then  the  chief 
town  in  Summit  County.  He  was  elected 
prosecuting  attorney  of  the  new  county,  being 


the  first  one  to  hold  that  ofHce  in  the  new 
jurisdiction ;  he  was  re-elected  and  held  the  of- 
fice two  years.  He  was  one  of  the  leading 
advocates  and  workers  for  the  famous  Ak- 
ron School  Law,  and  became  a  member  of  the 
first  board  of  education  in  the  city  of  Akron. 
In  1860  Mr.  Dodge  was  elected  probate  judge 
of  Summit  County,  and  this  office  he  held  un- 
til his  death,  July  21,  1861.  He  was  fifty-six 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

EDWARD  OVIATT  was  another  of  Sum- 
mit County's  earlier  lawyers.  He  was  born 
in  Hudson  Township  in  1822.  He  attended 
school  at  the  Richfield  Academy,  whei'e  the 
family  lived,  and  later  at  Granville  Institute 
and  Western  Reserve  College.  He  prepared 
for  admission  to  the  bar  in  Akron  in  the  of- 
fice of  Hon.  D.  K.  Carter,  and  he  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  at  Medina  in  1844.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  practice  for  a  number  of  years  until 
about  1865,  when  he  became  partner  of  Hon. 
Samuel  W.  McClure,  and  after  the  dissolution 
of  that  firm  Mr.  Oviatt  continued  his  profes- 
sional practice  with  his  .«on-in-low,  George  G. 
Ellen,  Esq.;  later  Mr.  Charles  Cobbs  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  firm.  Mr.  Oviatt  held  the  office 
of  prosecuting  attorney  of  Summit  Cinnity.  to 
which  he  was  elected  by  the  people,  and  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  he  served  in  a  hundred  day 
service  as  a  member  of  the  164th  Regiment, 
Ohio  National  Guard.  Mr.  Oviatt  was  a 
patriotic,  public-spirited  citizen  and  a  most 
painstaking,  conscientious  lawyer.  He  was 
frequently  selected  and  instructed  with  the  set 
tlement  of  estates  in  which  he  was  very  prompt 
and  thorough. 

ROLLAND  0.  HAMMOND  was  another  of 
the  old  lawyers  long  since  pa.s,?ed  away.  He 
was  born  in  1826  in  the  town.ship  of  Bath.  He 
wa?  educated  at  Oberlin  College  and  also  at- 
tended Western  Reserve  College.  He  pre- 
pared for  the  business  of  his  profession  in  the 
office  of  Judge  Carpenter  and  IMcClure  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Painesville  in  1850. 
He  held  the  office  of  probate  judge,  imder  ap- 
pointment from  Governor  Reuben  Wood.  He 
made  a  very  excellent  officer,  and,  upon  the 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


269 


election  of  James  Buchanan  as  president,  he 
wai  appointed  postmaister  of  the  city  of  Ak- 
ron, which  office  he  held  for  four  years.  Mr. 
Hammond  Avas  an  excellent  trial  lawyer.  He 
was  a  man  of  high  tastes  and  culture,  and  was 
a  fine  writer  as  well  as  a  persuasive  and  elo- 
quent orator. 

HON.  ULYSSES  L.  MARVIN  was  born 
in  Stow,  in  1839.  He  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  and  Twinsburg  Institute,  and 
for  a  time  engaged  in  teaching  the  common 
schools.  In  1858  he  entered  the  law  office 
of  H.  B.  Foster  in  Hudson,  and  then  he 
came  to  Akron  and  entered  the  law  office  of 
Hon.  Sidney  Edgerton,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1860.  In  1862  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  the  115th  Regiment,  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  later  he  became  first  lieu- 
tenant of  the  Fifth  United  States  Colored 
Regiment.  He  was  promoted  tO'  captain  dur- 
ing the  Siege  of  Richmond  in  1869.  Judge 
Marvin  was  elected  probate  judge  of  Summit 
Count}^,  serving  six  j^ears  and  was  appointed 
Common  Pleas  Judge  by  Governor  Faster  in 
place  of  Judge  Tibbals,  serving  until  the  fol- 
lowing October.  He  was  later  elected  a  judge 
of  the  Circuit  Court  for  Cuyahoga,  Summit, 
Lorain  and  Medina  District  and  is  still  serv- 
ing as  a  judge  of  that  court,  having  been 
nominaited  for  a  third  term. 

GEORGE  C.  KOHLER  was  born  at  Akron 
June  26,  1869.  He  attended  the  High  School 
in  Akron  and  Buchtel  College,  and  in  1885 
went  to  Williston  Seminary,  East  Hampton, 
Masj^achusetts,  graduating  there  three  years 
later.  He  then  went  to  Yale  College  and 
graduated  from  that  University,  returning  to 
Akron  and  entered  upon  the  study  of  law  in 
the  office  of  Kohlcr  &  Mu.-ser,  and  was  later 
admitted  to  the  bar  by  the  Supreme  Court 
at  Columbu.s.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  School  Examiners  in  the  city  of  Akron  for 
several  years  and  was  appointed  by  the  Su- 
preme Court  a  member  of  the  board  of  the 
examination  of  applicants  for  the  admission 
to  the  bar.  He  became  a  member  of  the  law 
finn  of  Musser,  Kohler  &  Mottiiiger,  and  is 


now  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Kohler,  Kohler 
&  Mottinger,  attorneys,  of  Akron,  Ohio. 

HENRY  W.  HOWE,  son  of  Captain  Rich- 
ard Howe,  was  born  in  Bath,  1828.  He  came 
to  Akron  with  hiis  parents  and  was  educated 
in  the  Akron  public  schools,  and  afterwards 
attended  the  Oberlin  College,  where  he  grad- 
uated in  1849.  He  read  law  with  James  S. 
Carpenter  and  became  his  partner  and  prac- 
ticed with  him,  until  the  judge's  election  to 
the  bench  in  1856.  Mr.  Howe  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Akron  Board  of  Education.  For 
many  years  last  past  Mr.  Howe  has  devoted 
his  entire  time  to  agTicultural  matters,  living 
upon  his  farm  in  Northampton  Township. 
He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Grange, 
and  is  a  close  and  careful  student  of  impor- 
tant questions,  and  has  largely  directed  his 
attention,  his  writing  and  addresses  to  the 
subject  of  agriculture. 

LORENZO  DOW  WATERS  was  born  in 
Carroll  County,  Ohio,  1855,  and  when  four- 
teen years  of  age,  came  to  Akron  with  his 
parents.  He  attended  "the  public  schools  here 
until  1872,  at  which  time  he  entered  Buchtel 
College,  where  he  studied  for  three  yeare.  Jn 
1877  he  became  a  student  in  the  office  of  -John 
J.  Hall,  Esq.,  and  upon  his  admission  to  the 
bar  in  1879,  became  a  partner  of  Mr.  Hall,  by 
the  firm  name  of  Hall  and  Waters.  Mr.  Wat- 
ers was  mayor  of  the  city  of  Akron,  1883 
to  1885,  and  was  re-elected,  serving  in 
all  four  years.  At  the  end  of  his  term  Mr. 
Waters  then  resumed  his  practice  of  law  on 
his  own  account.  He  was  popular  as  an  office 
holder,  and  his  discharge  of  the  duties  of 
mayor'  were  highly  satisfactory. 

HON.  CHARLES  DICK  was  born  in  Ak- 
ron November  3,  1858,  and  was  educated  in 
the  Akron  schools.  Mr.  Dick  marked  out  for 
himself  a  bu.siness  life,  and  commenced  as 
clerk  in  a  hat  .store.  He  then  became  book- 
keeper for  the  Citizens'  Savings  and  Loan  As- 
sociation. Later  he  was  chief  bookkeeper  for 
the  Empire  Reaper  and  MoA^'er  Company.  In 
1881  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Liicius  C. 


270 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Miles,  under  the  name  of  Dick  &  Miles,  in  a 
general  grain  and  commission  business.  Mr. 
Dick  was  elected  auditor  of  Summit  County  in 
1886  and  was  re-elected  in  1889.  Tliis  ottico 
he  filled  with  great  credit  to  himself,  and 
made  many  friends  by  his  prompt  and  agree- 
able manner  in  doing  business.  About  this 
time  Mr.  Dick  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
politics  of  Summit  County;  he  became  chair- 
man of  the  Republican  E.xecutive  Commit- 
tee, and  so  efficient  was  he  in  the  perform- 
ance of  his  duties  that  he  became  a  member 
and  chairman  of  the  State  Executive  Conunit- 
tee.  He  has  held  that  office  for  a  number  of 
years,  successfully  carrying  the  Republican 
party  to  victory  in  this  state  in  many  succes- 
sive campaigns.  He  was  one  of  the  close 
friends  of  William  McKinley,  as  well  as  of 
Mark  Hanna.  Upon  the  death  of  Mark 
Hanna,  Mr.  Dick  was  elected  United  States 
Senator,  which  office  ho  now  holds,  and  the 
duties  of  which  he  has  performed  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  lids  constituents  and  with  great 
credit  to  himself. 

ARTHUR  S.  MOTTINGER,  born  at  In- 
land, Green  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
May  14,  1873.  He  attended  the  district  school 
and  completed  a  course  at  Uniontown  High 
School,  graduating  in  1892.  He  then  taught 
in  district  and  village  school  at.  Summit, 
Ohio,  for  several  yeai-s,  entering  Hiram  Col- 
lege in  the  fall  of  1895,  and  graduating  from 
that  in.«titution  in  1899,  having  completed  the 
collegiate  course,  including  one  year  of  legal 
work.  October  29,  1899,  he  came  to  Akron 
and  took  up  the  study  of  law  with  the  tirm  of 
Musser  &  Kohler.  He  was  admitited  to  the, 
bar  in  the  January  term  of  1901,  «nd  re- 
mained in  the  employ  of  Musser  &  Kohler  un- 
til January,  1905,  when  he  was  taken  into 
the  firm  of  Mus,ser  &  Kohler.  the  firm  l)eing 
Musser,  Kohler  &  Mottinger.  In  June,  1906, 
this  firm  was  dissolved,  Mr.  ]\Iusser  reliring 
from  the  firm,  and  Judge  J.  A.  Kohler  taking 
his  place,  since  which  time  the  firm  has  been 
known  as  Kohler,  Kohler  &  Mottinger.  Mr. 
Mottinger  was  married  August  9,  lOOli.  1o 
Cassie  M.  Lawyer,  of  Burton,  Ohio. 


F.  J.  ROCKWELL,  attorney-at-law,  Akron, 
was  born  in  Akron,  Ohio,  February  19,  1878, 
and  has  always  resided  in  this  city.  His  lit- 
i>rary  education  was  acquired  in  the  public 
schools,  including  the  High  School,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1895,  and  at  Buch- 
tel  College,  'where  he  was  graduated  in  1899. 
He  studied  kw  with  tlie  firms  of  Atterholt  & 
Marvin,  Rowley  &  Bradley,  and  Rogers,  Row- 
ley &  Bradley,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1902,  He  immediateh'  entered  into  part- 
nership with  Messrs.  Rogers,  Rowley  and 
Bradley,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  suc- 
cessful law  firm  of  Rogers,  Rowlev  &  Rock- 
well. 

ERNEST  C.  HOUSEL,  son  of  Martin  J. 
and  Amanda  C.  Housel,  was  born  in  Middle- 
bury  (now  East  Akron),  Summit  Countv, 
Ohio,  Augusit  18,  1868.  He  attended  the  Ak- 
ron public  schools,  read  law  in  the  office  of 
John  J.  Halland,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bai',  October  3,  1889,  since  Avhich  time  he 
has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in 
the  city  of  Akron.  He  wa*  elected  justice  of 
.  the  peace  in  Akron  Township  in  the  spring 
of  1891.  and  .served  in  that  capacity  for  the 
term  of  three  years.  He  was  a  memlier  of 
the  Akron  Board  of  Education  from  1902  to 
1905.  He  was  appointed  a  director  of  public 
safety  for  Akron,  in  January,  1906,  to  serve 
for  the  term  of  four  years.  Mr.  Housel  was 
married,  December  28,  1892,  to  Emma  E., 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Jane  Caine,  and  ha^ 
one  daughter,  Elinore  E. 

CHARLES  BAIRD,  a  well  known  attor- 
iiey  of  Akron,  was  born  in  this  cily  ^larch  25, 
1853,  a  son  of  Robert  and  Helen  Baird.  His 
father  Avas  a  native  of  Scotland,  born  in  Kin- 
cardine.^liire,  in  1818,  who  came  in  1843  to 
America,  settling  in  Akron,  where  he  fol- 
lowed the  trade  of  blacksmith  for  many  years. 
He  was  a  strong  anti-slavery  man  and  free- 
stiiler.  and  later  one  of  the  most  faithful  ad- 
herents of  the  Republican  party.  He  was 
married  in  Akron  to  Helen  Knox  Moir,  a  na- 
tive of  Forfarshire,  Scotland,  and  daughter 
of  Charles  and  Mary   (Gordan)    Moir.     She 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


271 


died  in  Akron  in  February,  1891,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-oiie  year.*.  They  were  the  parents 
of  five  children — William,  Isabel,  Charles, 
Mary  and  Helen. 

Charle.3  Baird  acquired  his  elementary  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools,  being  later 
graduated  from  the  Akron  High  School.  He 
then  spent  a  year  in  classical  study  at  Buch- 
tel  College,  after  which  he  entered  the  law  of- 
fice of  Upson  &  Ford,  under  whose  mentorship 
he  studied  closely  until  his  admission  to  the 
bar,  November  2,  1875.  He  then  entered  into 
partnership  with  Judge  Up^on,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Upson  &  Baird.  Mr.  Ford  entering 
the  firm  in  1877,  its  style  became  Upson, 
Ford  &  Baird,  and  it  was  so  continued  until 
March,  1883,  when  Mr.  Upson  was  called  to 
the  Supreme  Bench  of  Ohio.  The  firm  was 
then  dissolved  and  Mr.  Baird  practiced  alone 
until  1891,  at  which  time  he  formed  a  partner- 
.ship  with  Edwin  F.  Voris,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Baird  &  Voris,  which  connection 
la.sted  until  June,  1895.  Mr.  Baird  now  has  a 
large  and  lucrative  law  practice  and  gives  spe- 
cial attention  to  corporation  law,  in  which 
branch  of  his  profession  he  has  been  very 
successful. 

j\Ir.  Baird  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
orjganization  and  development  of  some  of  Ak- 
ron's important  industries.  He  was  one  of 
the  incorporators  of  the  Portage  Straw  Board 
Company,  and  also  one  of  its  directors,  until 
it  was  consolidated  with  the  American  Straw 
Board  Company.  He  also  assisted,  in  1880-81, 
in  the  organization  of  the  Diamond  Match 
Company,  and  was  one  of  the  incoiporators  of 
the  Goodrich  Hard  Rubber  Company,  in 
which  he  has  also  been  interested  as  a  director 
and  .stockholder.  He  has  taken  a  prominent 
part  in  the  organization  and  development  of 
the  town  of  Barberton,  and  i.?  interested  as  an 
officer,  director,  or  stockholder,  in  various 
other  important  enterprises,  both  local  and 
foreign.  He  has  also  been  concerned  as  ad- 
ministrator or  executor  in  the  administration 
of  several  of  the  largest  estates  ever  admin- 
istered in  Summit  County,  notably  the  Com- 
mins  c-tate,  in  1888.  and  that  of  Thomas  W. 


Coi-nell,  of  which  he  was  appointed  one  of 
the  executors  in  1892.  As  an  attorney  Mr. 
Baird  practices  in  the  courts  of  IllinoLs,  In- 
diana, Michigan,  Pennsylvania,  Connecticut, 
New  York  and  Ohio,  and  also  in  the  federal 
courts. 

Mr.  Baird  was  married,  Febmary  10,  1882, 
to  Miss  Lucy  Allen  Voris,  a  daughter  of  Gen- 
eral A.  C.  Voris,  of  Akron,  of  which  union 
there  have  been  born  children  as  follows :  Al- 
vin  Voris,  December  3,  1882;  Helen  Eliza- 
beth, August  30,  1884;  Betsev  Coe,  June  11, 
1886;  Charles,  October  15,  1888;  and  Kath- 
arine, November  19,  1890. 

JAMES  MADISON  POULSON  wa^  born 
March  27,  1842,  near  Holmesville,  Holmes 
County,  Ohio.  In  his  boyhood  he  attended 
the  district  schools  and  was  early  trained  to 
agricultural  work.  For  several  years  before 
attaining  his  majority  he  taught  winter 
school,  working  on  a  farm  during  the  sum- 
mers. He  supplemented  his  education  by  at- 
tending a  private  school  in  Fredericksburg  for 
several  terms,  and,  after  studjdng  for  a  year 
in  Hayesville  Academy,  he  entered,  in  1865, 
Princeton,  New  Jersey,  College,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  June,  1868.  In  the 
same  year  he  'became  a  student  at  the  Colum- 
l)ia  College  Law  School  at  New  York,  and  was 
graduated  therefrom  in  May,  1870.  On  May 
12,  1869,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New 
York  city,  on  examination.  In  August,  1870, 
he  came  to  Akron,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Summit  County  on  September  9th  fol- 
lowing. He  soon  after  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  John  J.  Hall,  which  wa.5  con- 
tinued until  January  1,  1877.  He  was  elected 
on  the  Democratic  ticket  prosecuting  attorney 
for  Summit  County  in  October,  1874,  and 
efficiently  performed  the  duties  of  tliat  office 
for  two  years — from  January  1,  1875,  to  Jan- 
nary  1,  1877.  He  has  since  been  engaged  in 
the  general  practice  of  his  profession  and  has 
lieen  very  successful.  !Mr.  Poulson  was  mar- 
ried September  28,  1875,  to  Miss  Helen  F. 
Smagg,  only  daughter  of  William  Smagg,  of 
Akron. 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


MATTHEW  CANFIELD  READ  was  born 
August  21,  1823,  in  Williamsfield,  Ashtabula 
County,  Ohio.  When  he  was  about  twelve 
years  old  his  parents  removed  to  Mecca, 
Trumbull  County,  where  he  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools,  working  a  part  of  the  time  on  a 
farm.  Resolved  to  secure  a  better  education, 
he  attended  successively  the  Western  Reserve 
Seminary,  at  Farmington,  and  the  Grand 
River  Institute,  at  Austinburg,  and  then,  in 
1844,  entered  the  Western  Reserve  College. 
From  tliis  institution  he  was  graduated  in 
1848,  afterwards  receiving  from  it  the  de- 
gree of  A.  M.  He  taught  school  for  a  while, 
and  began  the  study  of  law  under  Chaffee  A. 
Woodbury,  at  Jeffei'son.  On  the  close  of  his 
law  studies  he  became  editor  of  the  Hudson 
Family  Visitor,  and  about  the  same  time  he 
taught  for  a  year  in  the  grammar  school  of 
Western  Reserve  College.  After  this  he  prac- 
ticed law  for  a  while  in  Hudson.  During  the 
Civil  AVar  he  was  employed  as  general  agent 
of  the  Western  Department  of  the  United 
States  Sanitary  Commission,  and  at  its  close 
became  deputy  revenue  collector.  He  then 
obtained  the  congenial  position  of  geologist 
on  the  Geological  Survey  of  Ohio.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  was  lecturer  on  zoology  and 
practical  geology  in  the  Western  Reserve  Col- 
lege, and  he  had  charge  of  the  archeological 
exhibits  of  Ohio  at  the  Centennial  Expositions 
at  Philadelphia  and  New  Orleans.  He  has 
also  spent  some  time  in  the  investigation  of 
mineral  lands  for  private  parties.  Mr.  Read 
has  served  in  the  local  offices  of  township 
clerk,  justice  of  the  peace,  mayor,  etc.,  in  all 
jwoving  an  efficient  public  servant. 

HON.  "\WLLIAM  H.  UPSON,  now  living 
retired  at  Akron,  after  a  long  and  distin- 
guisihed  public  life,  wa.s  born  January  11, 
1823,  in  Franklin  County,  Ohio.  In  1832  he 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Tallmadge,  Sum- 
mit County. 

At  an  early  age  he  displayed  the  native  abil- 
ity which  in  later  life  contributed  to  his  pro- 
fessional success,  for  he  was  but  nineteen  years 
old  when  he  was  graduated  from  the  Western 


Reserve  College.  He  then  read  law  with 
Judge  Reuben  Hitchcock,  at  Painesville,  aft- 
erwards spending  one  year  in  the  laAv  depart- 
ment of  Yale  College.  In  September,  1845, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  in  January 
of  th©  following  year  entered  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  at  Akron.  For  many 
years  he  was  in  partnership  with  Hon.  Sid- 
ney Edgerton  and  Christopher  P.  Wolcott, 
and  stood  at  the  head  of  his  profession  in 
Summit  County.  He  was  elected  the  first 
president  of  the  Summit  County  Bar  Associa- 
tion, and  was  a  member  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  State  Bar  Association.  In 
March,  1883,  Mr.  Upson  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Foster,  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Ohio,  and  served  until  December.  In  1884 
he  was  elected  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and 
in  1886  was  re-elected  for  the  full  term  of  six 
years. 

Judge  Upson  has  always  been  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party,  and  for  years 
stood  very  near  to  the  head  of  the  organiza- 
tion in  the  .«tate.  His  first  public  office  was  that 
of  prosecuting  attorney,  in  which  he  served 
Summit  County  from  1848  to  1850.  He  was 
a  member  of  Ohio  State  Senate,  1854-5.  In 
1868  he  was  elected  to  Congress  from  the 
Eighteenth  District,  serving  imtil  1873.  His 
party  delighted  to  honor  him,  and  in  1864 
he  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  Republican 
National  Convention,  which  renominated 
Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was  also  a  delegate- 
at-large  to  the  convention  which  nominated 
Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  in  1876. 

From  Judge  Upson's  return  to  privaite  life 
until  his  retirement  from  the  practice  of  his 
profession  he  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  every- 
thing pertaining  to  the  development  of  Akron 
and  Summit  County.  For  many  yeare  he 
has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Western  Reserve 
College,  Oberlin  College  and  the  Lake  Erie 
Female  Seminary. 

On  May  20,  1856,  Judge  Upson  was  married 
to  Julia  Ford,  a  daughter  of  Hon.  James  P. 
and  Julia  A.  (Tod)  Ford,  of  Akron,  whose 
family  consisted  of  seven  children.  Mrs.  Up- 
son's father  was  born  in  New  York  state,  Jan- 
uary 28,  1797,  and  in  earlv  manhood  became 


HON.  WILLIAM  H.  UPSON 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


a  resident  of  Suiuiiiit  County,  where  the  re- 
mainder of  his  Hfe  was  spent.  He  was  ap- 
pointed by  Governor  Bartley,  associate  judge 
of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  for  Summit 
County,  and  filled  this  position  until  ill  health 
forced  him  to  resign,  in  1849 ;  his  death  took 
place  less  than  two  years  later,  January  2, 
1851.  His  wafe  was  a  daughter  of  Judge 
George  Tod,  of  Youngstown,  Ohio.  Judge 
Upson  and  his  wife  have  four  children,  name- 
ly: William  Ford,  a  practicing  attorney  in 
New  York  city,  with  residence  in  Glen  Ridge, 
New  Jersey;  Henry  Swift,  a  resident  of  Cleve- 
land, engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine; 
Anna  Perkins,  wife  of  Colonel  G.  J.  Fieberger, 
U.  S.  Engineer  Corps,  now  professor  of  en- 
gineering at  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  West 
Point,  New  York :  and  Julia  Ford.  Judge  Up- 
son resides  with  his  family  on  East  Market 
Street. 

SENEY  A.  DECKER,  attorney-at-law,  at 
Barberton,  is  a  leading  member  of  the  Sum- 
mit County  bar  and  has  been  established  in 
this  city  since  May,  1903,  having  convenient 
offices  in  the  Barberton  Savings  Bank  build- 
ing. He  was  born  in  Seneca  County,  Ohio, 
March  11,  1875,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Levi n a  (Noel)  Decker. 

Mr.  Decker  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
and  attended  the  country  schools.  He  was 
an  ambitious  boy  and  made  the  most  of  his 
opportunities  and  secured  a  certificate  per- 
mitting him  to  teach,  before  he  had  completed 
his  own  education.  For  five  years  he  taught 
country  schools  and  then  attended  Heidel- 
berg College,  at  Tiffin,  Ohio,  for  two  years, 
following  this  by  the  study  of  law  in  the  of- 
fice of  Piatt  &  Black,  leading  attorneys  at  Tif- 
fin. After  two  years  of  study  there  he  at- 
tended the  Ohio  Normal  University,  at  Ada, 
for  eight  months,  and  on  December  6,  1902, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  His  close  devo- 
tion to  study  had  somewhat  impaired  his 
beallh.  and  he  returned  to  the  home  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  the  follo^ang  March, 
when  he  located  for  practice  at  Attica.  From 
there,  six  weeks  later,  he  came  to  Barberton, 
where  he  found  he  was  not  deceived  in  believ- 


ing that  a  field  of  business  was  awaiting  him. 
On  February  19,  1905,  Mr.  Decker  was 
married  to  Minnie  Leininger,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  Leininger,  of  Flat 
Rock,  Seneca  County,  Ohio.  Mr.  Decker  is 
fraternally  connected  with  the  Elks  and  the 
Eagles.  His  i^rofcs-sional  ability  has  brought 
him  many  business  friends  while  the  agree- 
able personality  of  himself  and  wife  has  led 
to  their  welcome  admission  into  the  most 
select  social  circles  of  Barberton. 

CETARLES  C.  BENNER,  attorney,  of  Ak- 
ron, Ohio,  was  born  in  ^Manchester,  Franklin 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  March  27, 
1870,  son  of  Simon  and  Caroline  (Slaybaugh) 
Benner.  His  parents,  both  of  whom  are  now 
deceased,  were  natives  of  Franklin  Township, 
this  county. 

Simon  Benner  was  a  farmer  and  dealt  in 
stock.  Born  January  17,  1846,  he  died  Au- 
gust 22,  1884.  His  wife  was  born  July  21, 
1844,  and  died  January  7,  1890.  They  had 
nine  children,  as  follows:  Elda  F.,  wife  of 
Frank  Warner,  of  Barberton ;  Clinton  A.,  at- 
torney at  Cleveland;  Melvin  L.,  who  owns  and 
conducts  a  ranch  at  Sidney,  Montana;  Charles 
C,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Otto  M.,  who  died 
in  1877,  aged  five  years;  Irvin  R.,  a  dentist 
of  Barberton;  Gertrude  M.,  single,  a  resident 
of  Akron;  Wallace  J.,  a  physician  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio;  and  Howard  C,  auditor  for  the 
.Etna  Insurance  Company,  who  resides  in 
Cleveland.  The  parents  were  members  of  the 
M.  E.  Church.  Simon  Benner  was  a  Demo- 
crat, and  though  not  in  any  sense  a  politician, 
he  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  in 
Norton  Town.ship. 

Charles  C.  Benner  was  reared  on  the  farm, 
and  acquired  his  literary  education  in  the  dis- 
trict and  High  Schools  of  Copley  and  Norton 
Townships.  He  attended  the  law  school  of 
the  Northern  Ohio  University,  at  Ada,  Ohio, 
and  finishing  his  law  course  in  ihe  office  of 
Baird  and  Voris,  of  Akron.  Ohio,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  June  8,  1893,  at  Columbus, 
He  immediately  opened  an  office  at  No.  12 
East  ISIarket  Street,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained,  bavins:  met  witli   a  mo~l   gratifying 


276 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


degree  of  success.  He  wa.s  police  pro.^ecutor 
from  1897  to  1901. 

On  September  29,  1897,  Mr.  Beniier  was 
married  to  Gertrude  F.  Foster,  a  native  of 
Akron,  and  a  daughter  of  Martin  B.  and 
Sarah  (Clark)  Foster.  In  politics  Mr.  Ben- 
ner  is  an  Independent  Democrat. 

Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Elks,  being 
Past  Exalted  Ruler,  a  charter  member  of  the 
local  lodge,  and  a  life  member  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  United  States.  He  is  also  a 
charter  member  of  Akron  Lodge  603,  K.  of 
P.,  a  member  of  Adoniram  Lodge  517,  F.  & 
A.  M.;  Wa-^hington  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  No. 
25;  Akron  Council,  R.  &  S.  M.,  No.  80;  Akron 
Commandery,  K.  T.,  No.  25,  and  Lake  Erie 
Consistory,  Ancient  Accepted  &  Scottish  Rite 
of  Free  Masonry,  of  Cleveland.  He  was  captain 
of  Company  B,  Eighth  Regiment,  Ohio  Na- 
tional Guard,  for  four  years,  1894-1897.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Portage  Country  Club  and 
a  trustee  of  the  City  Ho.spital  of  Akron. 

HON.  WILLIAM  BARNABAS  DOYLE, 
until  recently  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Summit  County  bar,  formerly  mayor  of  Ak- 
ron, and  editor  of  the  present  volume,  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Akron,  in  the  old  Doyle 
homestead,  at  (old)  No.  150  South  High 
Street,  April  19,  18G8.  His  parents  were  Wil- 
liam B.  and  Mary  Maud  (Lantz)  Doyle,  and 
he  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Felix  Doyle,  who 
came  to  America  from  the  North  of  Ireland 
very  early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  and 
made  a  home  for  himself  in  the  wilderness, 
where  a  son,  whom  lie  named  Barnaba«,  was 
born. 

This  Barnabas  became  the  father  of  ten 
children,  among  whom  were  Barnabas  Doyle, 
Jr.,  and  Thomas  John  Sylvester  Doyle. 

Thomas  J.  S.  Doyle,  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  married  Anne  Taylor, 
who  was  born  at  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  Feb- 
ruarv  12,  1797,  and  who  died  in  Akron  De- 
cember 12,  1882.  Their  children  were:  Wil- 
liam Barnabas  (1),  Thomas  John,  and  Mary 
A.,  the  last  mentioned  of  whom  became  the 
wife  of  Hon.  James  Ferguson,  of  Chambers- 
burg,  Pennsylvania. 


William  Barnabas  Doyle  (1)  wi\s  born  in 
Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  a  valley 
of  the  Blue  Mountains  called  Path  Valley, 
March  5,  1825.  When  thirteen  years  old,  he 
was  apprenticed  for  three  years  to  learn  the 
trade  of  cabinet-maker,  which  he  mastered. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen,  filled  with  a  spirit  of 
adventure,  he  turned  his  steps  toward  the 
West;  in  1842  arriving  in  Akron  practically 
penniless,  and  having  walked  the  entire  dis- 
tance on  foot.  He  soon  found  employment  at 
his  trade,  however,  and  in  time  became  a 
master  cabinet-maker.  After  several  years  he 
gave  up  that  business,  and  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Doyle  &  Chamberlain,  dealers 
in  cattle  and  meat.  Later  he  engaged  in  agri- 
culture on  a  large  farm  which  he  had  pur- 
chased in  Coventry  Township.  In  August, 
1865,  with  John  H.  Dix  and  Daniel  Farnum, 
he  purchased  the  lumber  and  manufacturing 
business  of  S.  G.  Wilson  and  originated  the 
firm  of  W.  B.  Doyle  &  Co.  Of  this  business, 
he  subsequently  became  the  sole  owner  and 
conducted  it  alone  until  his  death,  which  took 
place  in  Akron,  August  6,  1890,  when  he  was 
sixty-five  years  old.  He  was  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party,  but  neither 
held  nor  sought  office.  In  1863  he  was  cap- 
tain of  the  Coventry  Company  of  National 
Militia,  organized  under  the  act  of  April  14, 
that  year,  but  the  company  was  not  called 
upon  to  go  to  the  front. 

Mr.  Doyle  Avas  married  October  30,  1855, 
to  MLss  Harriet  Sage,  of  Monroe  County,  New 
York,  who  died  November  6,  1862,  leaving 
one  child,  Dayton  A.  Doyle.  On  June  9, 
1867,  IVIr.  Doyle  married  Mary  Maud  Lantz 
of  Akron,  who  died  February  11,  1874,  leav- 
ing three  children — William  B.  Doyle  (2), 
Delia  May  Doyle  Wilcox,  and  Dean  Lantz 
Doyle.  In  1877  Mr.  Doyle  married  again, 
and  of  that  union  there  was  one  daughter, 
iVnna. 

William  Barnabas  Doyle  (2),  son  of  Wil- 
liam B.  and  Mary  Maud  (Lantz)  Doyle,  whose 
nativity  has  been  already  given,  was  educated 
in  the  Akron  public  schools  from  1874  to 
1883 ;  in  the  Wes.tern  Raserve  Academy  from 
1883  to  1886,  where  he  graduated  after  com- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


277 


pleting  the  classical  course;  he  received  his 
higher  educational  training  at  Amher.st  Col- 
lege from  1886  to  1890,  and  was  graduated 
as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1890.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1891,  he  was  elected  a  director  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Akron  Electrical  Manufacturing 
Company,  but  resigned  to  enter  Harvard  Law 
School  in  October,  1892.  He  .«pent  three 
years  at  Harvard  and  graduated  in  June, 
1895,  receiving  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from 
Harvard  University.  In  1895  he  was  again 
elected  a  director  and  treasurer  of  the  electri- 
cal company,  positions  which  he  continued  to 
hold  until  recently.  In  October,  1895,  Mr. 
Doyle  w'as  admitted  to  the  bar  by  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  at  Columbus,  and 
immediately  commenced  the  active  practice 
of  his  profession  in  his  native  city.  He  sensed 
as  mayor  of  the  X'ity  of  Akron  for  the  years 
1901-1903,  having  been  elected  on  the  Re- 
pul>lican  ticket  April  1,  1901.  He  was  invited 
by  the  League  of  American  IMunicipalities  to 
read  a  pai^er  on  "The  .JMunicipal  Situation 
in  Ohio"  at  its  annual  meeting  in  Grand 
Rapids,  Michigan,  in  August,  1902.  This 
paper  was  afterwards  printed  by  several  legal 
journals.  In  June,  1903,  he  was  granted  the 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts  by  Amherst  College, 
for  researches  in  Municipal  Government. 

Upon  quitting  the  office  of  mayor  he  re- 
sumed the  successful  practice  of  law  in  Akron 
until  Februarj",  1907,  when  the  tnistees  of  the 
Carnegie  Technical  Schools  of  the  Carnegie 
Institute  in  Pittsburg  invited  him  to  take  the 
chair  of  Contract  Law  in  their  school  of  Ap- 
plied Science.  As  he  felt  himself  especially 
fitted  for  work  of  that  nature,  he  accepted  the 
invitation  and  will  hereafter  reside  in  Pitts- 
burg. 

Mr.  Doyle  was  married  on  September  14, 
1899,  to  Frances  Louise  Wilcox,  of  Akron. 
They  have  five  children :  Mary,  Enid,  Kath- 
leen, Wilhelmine  and  William  B.  Doyle,  Jr. 
The  last  named  was  born  November  15,  1907. 

Mr.  Doyle  is  a  member  of  the  Beta  Theta 
Pi  college  fraternity,  and  was  for  two  years 
chief  of  the  New  England  district.  In  July, 
1906,  he  was  elected  president  of  the  national 
convention  of  the  fraternity,  held  at  Denver, 


Colorado.  He  is  connected  by  membership 
with  the  Congregational  Churcli,  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution  and  various  Masonic 
bodies. 

FRANK  G.  MARSH,  a  leading  member  of 
the  Akron  bar,  with  offices  in  the  Dobson 
Block,  belongs  to  one  of  the  old  pioneer  fami- 
lies of  this  section,  and  was  born  March  18, 
1869,  in  Franklin  Township,  Sunnnit  County, 
Ohio.  He  is  a  son  of  Hiram  F.  Marsh  and 
a  grandson  of  George  Marsh,  who  came  to 
Summit  County  among  its  earliest  settlers. 

Mr.  Marsh  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Franklin  Township  and  at  a  superior  select 
school  at  Manchester,  <where  he  spent  four 
years.  He  began  to  teach  when  only  sixteen 
years  of  age,  and  continued  in  that  occupation 
for  four  school  yeare  in  his  native  county.  In 
1891  he  went  to  Detroit,  where  he  took  a 
course  in  stenography  and  typewriting  at  the 
Pernin  Institute,  and  after  his  return  he 
worked  during  that  fall  for  the  Republican 
Central  Committee,  teaching  school  dui'ing 
the  following  winter.  On  March  10,  1892, 
he  accepted  a  position  with  the  Aultman-Mil- 
ler  Company,  and  remained  with  that  firm  for 
eleven  years,  tenninating  the  connection  in 
1903.  In  1896  he  registered  w'ith  the  law 
firm  of  Andress  &  Whittemore  and  was  sup- 
plied with  law  text  books.  These  he  studied 
during  all  the  hours  he  could  call  his  own, 
for  the  next  three  years,  and  his  diligence 
and  perseverance  were  rewarded  iwhen  he  suc- 
cessfully passed  the  examination  necessary  be- 
fore the  Supreme  Court,  at  Columbus,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1899.  He  was  still  retained  by  the 
Aultman-Miller  Company  as  special  corre- 
spondent and  assistant  counsel  for  the  com- 
pany up  to  May,  1903,  when  he  went  to  the 
Goodyear  Tire  &  Rubber  Company,  entering 
the  sales  department,  where  he  remained  one 
year.  On  May  15,  1904,  Mr.  Marsh  .severed 
his  connection  with  that  firm  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing month  began  the  practice  of  law,  in 
which  he  has  been  engaged  since,  meeting 
with  the  success  which  his  years  of  prepara- 
tion entitle  him  to.  His  personal  popularity 
was  proved  in  the  following  September,  when 


278 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


he  was  brought  forward  as  a  candidate  for  a 
place  on  the  Board  of  Education.  Although 
he  was  one  of  fifteen  contestants,  he  was 
selected  as  having  the  third  largest  number 
of  votes  and  was  subsequently  elected  for  a 
term  of  four  years.  He  has  always  been  in- 
terested in  politics  and  was  a  candidate  for 
mayor  before  the  Republican  convention  in 
1907,  but  while  ho  had  a  large  following,  was 
not  nominated.  At  a  meeting  held  Septem- 
ber 16,  1907,  by  the  City  Council  of  Akron 
Mr.  Marsh  received  the  apiaointment  of  justice 
of  the  peace,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of 
George  A.  Patterson,  resigned.  On  Tuesday, 
November  5,  of  the  same  year,  he  was  elected 
one  of  the  four  justices  of  the  peacfe 
in  and  for  the  township  of  Akron  for  a  term 
of  four  yeai's  beginning  witli  Januaiy  1,  1908. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Marsh  belongs  to  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  to  the.  Modern  AVoodmen  of 
America.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church. 

W.  A.  SPENCER,  attorney,  "a  member  of 
the  well-known  law  firm  of  Esgate,  Spencer 
and  Snyder,  at  Akron,  was  born  in  London, 
England  in  1870,  and  was  seven  years  of  age 
when  his  parents  came  to  America  and  located 
at  Akron. 

In  1888  Mr.  Spencer  was  graduated  from 
the  Akron  High  School  and  spent  the  follow- 
ing year  on  a  fruit  farm  in  Tennessee,  earn- 
ing the  money  with  which  to  give  him  two 
years  training  at  Buchtel  College.  He  then 
entered  upon  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  Sawders  and  Rogers,  at  Akron,  where  he 
remained  until  the  spring  of  1898,  when  he 
enlisted  in  Company  B,  Eighth  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantrj',  for  service  in  the 
Spanish-American  War.  His  regiment  was 
sent  to  Cuba,  and  with  his  comrades  he  partic- 
ipated in  the  Santiago  campaign,  and  re- 
mained in  the  service  for  eight  months.  He 
■was  mustered  out  at  Wooster,  Ohio,  and  re- 
turned to  Akron,  where  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  one  year  later.  He  began  practice 
alone,  but  later  became  a  member  of  the  pres- 
ent firm  of  Esgate,  Spencer  and  Snyder,  which 
succeeded  Esgate,  Spencer  and  Loomis,  on  the 


death  of  Mr.  Loomis.  Mr.  Spencer  is  a  di- 
rector in  the  Uerman  American  Building  and 
Loan  Association.  He  has  ever  taken  an  ac- 
tive jiart  in  i^olitics  and  is  chairman  of  the 
Democratic  executive  comniittecs  of  city  and 
county.  Under  Mayor  Kemple  he  served  two 
years  as  police  prosecutor. 

In  1900  Mr.  Spencer  was  married  to  Ger- 
trude Huse,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Margaret.  Fraternally  Mr.  Spencer  is 
identified  with  the  Masons  and  the  Pathfind- 
ere,  and  he  belongs  also  to  the  Spanish- Ameri- 
can War  Veteran  Association.  He  is  a  self- 
•made  man  to  a  large  extent,  and  owes  little 
to  favoring  circumstances  attending  his  boy- 
hood or  youth. 

JOHN  C.  FRANK,  of  the  law  firm  of  Tib- 
bals  and  Frank,  Akron,  has  been  a  resident 
of  this  city  for  the  past  twenty-seven  years, 
and  has  been  one  of  the  enterprising  citizens 
whose  energies  have  contributed  to  its  re- 
markable development  during  that  pei'iod. 
He  was  born  at  Uniontown,  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  in  1864,  and  when  sixteen  yeai's  of  age 
came  to  Akron,  completing  his  literary  edu- 
cation in  the  Akron  High  School.  He  pre- 
pared for  his  chosen  profession  in  the  law 
department  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1885.  He  imme- 
diately entered  the  law  office  of  the  late  Gen- 
eral Voris,  where  he  remained  until  June, 
1886,  at  which  time  he  became  associated  pro- 
fessionally with  Judge  Tibbals.  He  subsequent- 
ly practiced  alone  for  two  years  and  then 
formed  his  present  partnership  with  Judge 
Tibbals.  The  firm  of  Tilibals  and  Frank  is 
now  the  oldest  law  firm  in  Akron,  and  has 
been  concerned  in  a  large  share  of  the  most 
important  litigation  that  has  come  before  the 
courts  of  the  city  and  county  during  the 
period  of  its  existence.  Probably  no  law  firm 
in  Summit  County  stands  higher  in  public 
esteem,  or  more  justly  deserves  the  high  repu- 
tation which  it  enjoys. 

Mr.  Frank  was  married  in  1888  to  Celia 
E.  Esselburn,  of  Akron,  and  he  and  his  wife 
have  two  sons,  Charles  W.  and  Paiil  A.,  both 
of  whom   are  receiving  superior  educational 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


279 


training,  calculated  to  fit  them  for  the  best 
American  citizenship.  Politically  Mr.  Frank 
is  a  liepublican,  and  takes  an  active  interest 
in  public  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Court  House  Building  Committee,  an  impor- 
tant office  at  this  time.  With  his  family  he 
belongs  to  Grace  Reformed  Church. 

COL.  GEORGE  MITCHELL  WRIGHT, 
only  son  of  Clement  Wright  and  Lucy  Ayer 
Whitney,  his  wife,  was  born  August  8,  1847, 
in  Tallmadge  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  on  the  farm,  one  mile  south  from  Tall- 
madge Center,  on  which  his  great-grandfath- 
er, Captain  John  Wright,  and  his  grandfather, 
Alpha  Wright,  settled  in  1809,  and  where  his 
father,  Clement  Wright,  was  born.  Of  this 
branch  of  the  Wright  family  four  generations 
have  lived  on  this  farm  and,  including  Col- 
onel Wright's  children,  five  generations  have 
lived  in  Tallmadge.  The  home  of  Colonel 
Wright,  however,  was  on  the  farm  only  dur- 
ing his  infancy,  his  father  having  moved  from 
the  farm  to  Tallmadge  Center  and  there  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile,  business  when  Col- 
onel '\\'right  was  less  than  two  years  old. 

The  father  and  mother  of  Colonel  Wright 
were  both  from  well-known  New  England 
families  of  high  standing,  which  had  been 
transplanted  from  England  to  America  prior 
to  1640.  His  father  was  a  direct  descendant 
of  the  eleventh  generation,  in  the  male  line, 
from  .John  Wright,  Escj.,  of  Kelvedon  Manor, 
Kelvedon  Hatch,  County  Essex,  England, 
who  acquired  Kelvedon  Manor  by  purchase 
in  1538,  the  emigrant  ancestor  to  this  country 
being  Thomas  Wright,  who  settled  at  Weth- 
ersfield,  Connecticut,  before  1640,  probably  in 
1639.  The  mother  of  Colonel  Wright  was 
from  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  honorable 
families  of  Herefordshire,  England,  the  ear- 
liest  ancestor  in  England,  in  the  direct  male 
line,  having  been  one  of  the  invaders  who 
came  with  William  I.  in  1066.  Of  this  branch 
of  the  Whitney  family,  the  emigrant  ancestor 
to  America  was  .John  Whitney,  who,  with  his 
wife  Elinor  and  five  children,  came  from  Eng- 
land in  1635  and  settled  at  Watertown,  Mas- 
sachusetts.    Colonel  Wright's  mother  was  of 


the  seventh  generation  from  this  emigrant 
ancestor  to  America;  and  before  such  emi- 
grant ancestor  this  branch  of  the  family  is 
traced  in  England  for  eighteen  generations  in 
the  direct  male  line.  Although  for  manj-  gen- 
erations after  the  Norman  Conquest  this  fam- 
ily was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  in  Here- 
fordshire, it  began  gradually  to  die  out  in 
England  about  the  time  the  American  branch 
was  transplanted  and  established  in  this 
country. 

Colonel  Wright  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  Tallmadge  Academy  and  Western  Re- 
ser\'e  College,  but  left  college  early  in  the 
course.  After  studying  law  at  Akron,  Ohio,- 
with  his  uncle  Hon.  Sidney  Edgerton  and 
Hon.  Jacob  A.  Kohler  (who  were  then  in 
partnership)  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Ohio,  June  16,  1873,  and  began  practice  at 
Akron  as  a  partner  of  Hon  Henry  McKinney, 
who  had  then  recently  moved  from  ^Vkron 
to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  desired  a  partner  for 
his  Summit  County  business.  The  law  part- 
nership of  "McKinney  &  Wright"  existed  for 
several  years,  and  Colonel  Wright  afterwards 
continued  in  the  active  and  successful  practice 
of  the  law  until  1882.  But  his  interest  in 
scientific  researches  in  the  domain  of  geology 
was  so  great  that  for  several  years  he  devoted 
much  time  and  attention  to  scientific  studies. 
Finally,  in  1882,  having  received  an  appoint- 
ment as  Assistant  Geologist  in  the  United 
States  Geological  Survey  (without  the  aid  of 
any  political  influence  whatever,  but  on  the 
recommendations  and  indorsements  of  scien- 
tific experts  only),  he  left  the  practice  of  the 
law  and  during  the  next  four  yeai's  devoted 
him.self  wholly  to  geological  field-work  and  in- 
vestigations for  the  government.  Assigned  at 
first  to  the  stafif  of  the  Division  of  the  Great 
Basin,  his  field-work  was  in  Nevada,  Califor- 
nia and  Utah.  Subsequently  transferred  to 
the  staff  of  the  Division  having  charge  of  the 
geological  survey  of  the  Yellowstone  National 
Park,  that  interesting  region  was  his  special 
field  of  work  for  three  years,  with  field-work 
also  in  Montana,  Idaho  and  Wyoming.  While 
his  work  and  investigations  were  in  structur- 
al and  dynamical  geology  in  general,  his  spe- 


280 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


lialty  was  the  study  of  volcanic  and  crystalline 
ri)c-k.-i  and  the  problems  of  volcanic  action  and 
phenomena  (which  throw  so  nmch  light  on 
mineral  deposits),  and  he  also  did  some  spe- 
cial work  in  glacial  geology.  During  the  win- 
ters he  was  stationed  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah, 
New  York  City,  N.  Y.,  and  Washington,  D, 
C.,  engaged  in  scientific  study  and  research, 
working  out  the  problems  presented  by  field 
observations  and  collections,  and  writing  re- 
port;3.  Having  had  the  valuable  experience 
and  education  of  these  four  years  of  scientific 
study  and  field  investigation  under  the  most 
favorable  circumstances  and  in  some  of  the 
most  instructive  and  interesting  regions 
known,  he  resigned  in  1886,  although  re- 
quested and  desired  to  continue  in  this  scien- 
tific work  for  the  government,  and  resumed 
the  practice  of  the  law  at  Akron,  Ohio,  where 
he  continued  in  active  practice  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  with  Spain  in  April, 
189S. 

Colonel  ^^'right  has  always  taken  great  in- 
terest in  military  affairs,  and  prior  to  the  War 
with  Spain  he  had  been  an  officer  of  the  Ohio 
National  Guard,  having  held  a  commision  for 
more  than  five  years  in  the  First  Regiment  of 
Light  Artillery — then  one  of  the  finest  mili- 
tary organizations  in  the  United  States.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  war  he  was  commissioned 
in  the  military  service  of  the  United  States, 
May  13,  1898  (having  been  enrolled  April 
26,  1898),  as  second  lieutenant  and  battalion, 
adjutant  in  the  Eighth  Regiment  of  Ohio 
A'^olunteer  Infantry;  wa.s  detailed  as  acting 
ordnance  officer  of  the  regiment,  May  14, 
1898,  and  accompanied  the  regiment  from 
Camp  Bushnell,  Columbus,  Ohio,  to  Camp 
Alger,  Virginia;  was  appointed  aide-de-camp 
and  brigade  ordnance  officer  on  the  staff  of 
Brigadier  General  George  A.  Garret.son,  June 
13,  1898,  and  served  as  such  until  after  the 
close  of  the  war;  left  Camp  Alger,  Virginia, 
July  5th,  with  brigade  headquarters  and  two 
regiments,  and  proceeded  by  rail  to  Charleston, 
South  Carolina — the  third  regiment  of  the 
brigade  being  transported  by  rail  to  New 
York,  there  to  embark  for  Cuba;  sailed  Jvtly 
8th  from  Charleston,  S.  C,  for  Cuba,  on  the 


U.  S.  S.  "Yale,"  carrying  Major  General  Nel- 
son A.  Miles,  conmianding  the  U.  S.  Army, 
and  staff',  and  arrived  off  Santiago  Harbor, 
July  11th,  while  the  fleet  was  bombarding  the 
city,  six  days  before  the  surrender;  and  took 
part  in  the  demonstrations  against  the  Span- 
ish works  at  the  entrance  to  Santiago  Harbor 
before  the  surrender  of  Santiago,  being  on 
duty  with  the  troops  under  command  of  Gen- 
erals Henry  and  Gai'retson,  held  in  readiness 
for  three  days  under  orders  to  be  landed  at  a 
given  signal,  under  protections  of  the  fire  of 
the  fleet,  west  of  Sacopa  Battery — the  first  plan 
being  to  try  to  connect  with  the  right  of  Gen- 
eral Shaffer's  line,  which  plan  was  changed  to 
one  involving  an  attempt  to  carry  Sacopa  by 
a.ssault.  After  the  surrender  of  Santiago  the 
troops  held  on  shipboard,  being  no  longer 
needed  at  Santiago,  were  available  for  the  ex- 
pedition to  Porto  Rico,  the  final  plans  for 
which  were  arranged  in  a  conference  between 
General  Miles  and  Admiral  Sampson  on 
board  the  flag-ship  "New  York,"  lying  off 
Aguadores,  July  16th.  Colonel  (then  lieuten- 
ant) Wright  was  so  fortunate  as  to  be  one  of 
the  staff  officers  present  at  this  conference. 
Lieutenant  Wright  continued  on  board  the 
"Yale,"  which  the  next  day  (July  17th) 
steamed  eastward  for  Guantanamo  Bay,  still 
carrying  General  Miles  and  staff  and  also 
General  Garret.son  and  staff.  The  troops  for 
the  first  expedition  to  Porto  Rico  having  been 
concentrated  at  Guantanamo  Bay,  Cuba,  the 
transport  squadron,  with  its  naval  convoy, 
sailed  for  Porto  Rico,  July  21st,  carrying  an 
effective  force  of  only  about  3,300  troops  to 
invade  the  island  of  Porto  Rico,  where  the 
enemy  then  had  8,233  Spanish  regulars  and 
9,107  armed  volunteei-s — more  than  17,000 
troops  in  all.  But  General  ^liles  having  out- 
witted the  Spanish  commanders  by  causing 
the  course  of  the  fleet  to  be  changed  at  the 
last  moment,  a  landing  was  effected  at  Guan- 
ica  on  the  southwestern  coast  of  Porto  Rico, 
.July  2oth,  without  loss  of  life.  Lieutenant 
Wright  Avas  with  the  first  troops  landed  here, 
and  was  present  when  General  Miles  formal- 
ly planted  the  flag  and  took  possession  of  the 
island  for  the  LTnited  States ;  and  he  also  took 


WADE  G.  SHORT.  LL.  B. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


283 


part  in  the  decisive  action  the  next  day  (July 
'26th),  under  General  Garretson,  in  front  of 
Yauco,  Porto  RicOj  which  gave  the  American 
troops  possession  of  the  important  town  of 
■Yauco  and  the  railroad  leading  thence  to 
Ponce,  and  resulted  in  the  surrender  of  Ponce, 
then  the  largest  town  on  the  island,  without 
resistance.  In  the  commanding  general's  of- 
ficial report  of  this  action  the  name  of  Lieu- 
tenant Wright  ajjpears  in  a  list  of  the  names 
of  eight  officers  "especially  commended  for 
gallantry  and  coolness  under  fire.''  Lieutenant 
Wright  accompanied  the  troops  under  Gener- 
als Henry  and  Garretson  on  the  march  from 
Guanica,  via  Yauco,  to  Ponce ;  and,  in  Gen- 
eral Mile^'  subsequent  concerted  movement  of 
the  four  columns  of  troops  from  the  southern 
coast  northward.  Lieutenant  Wright  accom- 
panied the  left-center  column,  under  Gener- 
als Henry  and  Garretson,  in  its  march  from 
Ponce  over  the  mountain  trail,  via  Adjuntas 
and  Utuado,  toward  Arecibo — ^which  column 
penetrated  farther  north  than  any  other 
American  troop.s  before  the  peace  protocol  put 
an  end  to  hostilities. 

Colonel  (then  Lieutenant)  Wright  wa.*  rec- 
ommended for  brevets  as  First  Lieutenant  and 
Captain  (recommendation  indorsed  and  ap- 
proved by  General  Miles)  for  meritorious  serv- 
ices during  the  Porto  Rican  campaign,  and 
for  great  personal  bravery  in  action  with 
Spanish  troops  near  Yauco,  Porto  Rico,  July 
26,  1898 ;  and  after  the  close  of  the  war  he 
was  honorablv  discharged  from  the  service  of 
the  United  States,  November  21,  1898.  In 
1899  he  resumed  the  practice  of  the  law  and  is 
still  engaged  in  active  practice  at  Akron, 
Ohio. 

In  the  Ohio  National  Guard  Colonel  Wright 
has  held  tlie  following  commissions  and  posi- 
tions: second  lieutenant,  First  Regiment, 
Light  Artillery;  second  lieutenant  and  bat- 
talion adjutant.  Eighth  Regiment,  Infantry; 
captain  and  regimental  adjutant.  Eighth  Reg- 
iment, Infantry;  acting  adjutant  general, 
Second  Brigade;  lieutenant-colonel  and  assist- 
ant adjutant  general,  adjutant  general  of  the 
division ;  lieutenant-colonel  and  chief  of  staff 
of  division :  and  colonel  and  chief  of  staff  of 


division.  He  is  now  (November,  1907)  chief 
of  staff  of  division,  -with  the  rank  of  colonel; 
and  he  has  served  as  such  chief  of  staff,  or 
as  adjutant  general  and  chief  of  staff  ever 
since  January  29,  1900 — for  very  nearly  eight 
years. 

Colonel  Wright  is  a  member  of  the  Philo- 
sophical Society  of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  is 
at  present  the  president  of  the  Akron  Bar 
Association.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
-Vlpha  Delta  Phi  college  fraternity,  and  a 
member  of  numerous  military  and  patriotic 
orders  and  societies,  in  several  of  which  he  has 
held  some  of  the  higher  offices. 

Colonel  Wright  was  married  October  18, 
1876,  at  Akron,  Ohio,  to  Lucy  Josephine 
Hale,  of  Akron,  a  daughter  of  James  Madi- 
son Hale  and  Sarah  Allen,  his  wife.  Their 
children,  all  born  at  Tallmadge,  Ohio,  are: 
(1)  Clement  Hale  Wright,  born  July  4,  1882, 
who  graduated  at  the  United  States  Military 
Academy,  June  15,  1904,  and  is  now  a  second 
lieutenant  in  the  Second  United  States  In- 
fantry, on  duty  with  his  regiment  in  the 
Philippine  Islands;  (2)  Allen  Whitney 
Wright,  born  July  17,  1889;  and  (3)  George 
Maltby  Wright,  born  June  24,  1892.  Lieu- 
tenant Clement  Hale  Wright  was  married  at 
Hartwell  (a  suburb  of  Cincinnati),  Ohio, 
January  1,  1906,  to  Laura  Mitchell,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  Frank  Gridley  Mitchell,  D.  D., 
and  Mary  Electa  Davis,  his  wife. 


AVADE  G.  SHORT,  LL.  B.,  principal  of 
the  Hall  BiL~ine,'>s  L^niversity  at  Youngstown, 
Ohio,  the  Lorain  Business  College,  at  Lorain, 
and  the  Hammel  Business  College,  at  Akron, 
is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law,  with  offices 
in  the  Dobson  Building,  at  Akron.  Profes- 
sor Short  was  born  in  Geauga  County,  Ohio, 
in  1880,  where  he  secured  hi-^  preliminary 
educational  training. 

When  but  fifteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Short 
went  to  Cleveland,  where  he  made  a  thorough 
.«tudy  of  eomriiercial  work,  and  graduated 
from  a  commercial  college  in  that  city,  and 
later  from  the  law  denartment  of  Baldwin 
L'niversitv.     He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 


284 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


1902.  For  sonic  six  yeaxs  before  coming  to 
Akron,  Mr.  Short  had  been  closely  connected 
with  business  college  work,  having  purchased 
the  Hammel  BiLsiness  College  from  its 
founder,  who  had  established  it  in  1881.  In 
June,  1904,  he  bought  the  Hall  Business  Uni- 
versity, which  had  been  established  at  Youngs- 
tofWTi,  in  1892,  and  in  1903  he  established  the 
Lorain  Business  College,  at  Lorain.  The  offi- 
cers of  these  several  commercial  schools  are 
as  'follows :  Of  the  Hamauel  Business  College, 
W.  G.  Short,  LL.  B.,  is  president,  and  J.  W. 
Short  is  business  manager.  Of  the  Hall  Biisi- 
ness  University,  C.  C.  Short  is  manager,  J.  W. 
Shorti,  treasurer,  and  W.  G.  Short,  LL.  B., 
principal.  The  saime  personnel  makes  up  the 
official  force  of  the  Lorain  Business  College, 
W.  G.  Short,  LL.  B.,  being  president,  J.  W. 
Short,  vice-presiident,  and  P.  S.  Short,  man- 
ager. All  these  gentlemen  are  thoroughly 
competent  in  the  work  of  commercial  instruc- 
tion and  their  institutions  take  high  rank  in 
the  business  world. 

Few  men  of  his  years  have  accomplished  so 
much  along  a  given  line  in  so  short  a  time  as 
has  Mr.  Short,  and  he  is  justly  numbered 
with  the  progressive  and  enterprising  young 
men  of  this  city.  In  addition  to  his  law  prac- 
tice and  commercial  college  interests,  Mr. 
Short  handles  a  large  amount  of  real  es- 
tate. 

RAY  F.  HAMLIN,  a  young  but  able  mem- 
ber of  the  Akron  bar,  now  serving  his  sec- 
ond term  as  city  clerk,  in  spite  of  his  youth 
has  been  nominated  by  the  Republican  party 
for  the  important  office  of  city  treasurer.  Mr. 
Hamlin  was  born  at  Akron,  April  24,  1881, 
and  is  a  son  of  Byron  S.  Hamlin,  a  native  of 
Summit  County  and  for  forty  years  a  resi- 
dent of  Akron.  He  was  reared  in  his  native 
city,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools, 
and  then  took  a  two-years'  course  in  the  law 
department  of  Columbia  University  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  and  was  graduated  from  Bald- 
win Univer.*ity  at  Cleveland  in  1903.  Upon 
his  return  to  Akron  he  took  the  bar  examina- 
tion and  in  the  same  year  was  admitted  to 
practice.    lie  was  at  once  appointed  city  clerk 


and  thus,  from  the  beginning  of  his  career, 
has  been  recognized  as  a  political  factor. 

On  May  28,  1907,  Mr.  Hamlin  was  mar- 
ried to  Mabel  J.  Gordon,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Fred  F.  Gordon,  of  Akron.  He  is  a  member 
of  Woodland  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  and 
wife  are  participants  in  the  pleasant  social  life 
of  the  city,  and  both  are  valued  for  their 
personal  attributes. 

ORLANDO  WILCOX,  one  of  the  leading 
members  of  the  Summit  County  bar,  and  sen- 
ior member  of  the  law  firm  of  Wilcox,  Par- 
sons, Burch  and  Adams,  at  Akron,  was  born 
in  Medina  County,  "Ohio,  in  December,  1851, 
and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Orlando  Wilcox,  once  a 
man  of  great  prominence  in  this  section. 

Dr.  Orlando  Wilcox  settled  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls  in  1828,  and  in  the  following  year,  in 
association  with  Henry  Wetmore,  organized 
the  first  temperance  society  in  the  state  of 
Ohio.  He  remained  one  of  the  leading  citi- 
zens of  Cuyalioga  Falls  until  1831,  when  he 
moved  to  Medina  County,  where  he  practiced 
for  many  years,  but  prior  to  his  death,  in 
1886,  he  returned  to  the  Falls.  It  is  inter- 
esting to  recall  historic  events  and  compare 
them  with  those  of  modern  times.  The  tem- 
perance organization  mentioned  above,  was 
the  cause  of  the  first  strike  in  the  industrial 
world  of  Summit  County.  At  that  time  Mr. 
Wetmore  was  the  owner  of  the  paper  mills 
at  Cuyahoga  Falls  and  it  had  been  his  cus- 
tom to  each  Saturday  set  out  a  barrel  of 
whiskey  for  his  employes  to  help  themselves. 
After  the  organization  of  the  temperance  so- 
ciety, he  cut  off  this  luxury,  with  the  result 
that  the  men  went  out  on  a  strike,  and  a  num- 
ber of  them  were  never  again  employed  in  the 
mills.  Mr.  Wilcox  has  in  his  possession,  with 
other  interesting  papers,  a  number  of  the 
original  contracts  made  between  Joshua  Stow 
and  William  Wetmore,  father  of  Henry  Wet- 
more, for  the  organization  of  Stow  Town- 
ship, some  of  these  bearing  the  date  of  1804. 

Orlando  Wilcox  was  reared  in  Medina 
County  and  attended  the  country  schools  prior 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


286 


to  entering  Baldwin  University.  He  subse- 
quently read  law  in  the  otRcc  of  A.  J.  Mar- 
vin, of  Cleveland,  being  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  the  spring  of  1884.  Locating  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his 
profession  and  continued  it  there  until  1898, 
when  he  went  to  Indian  Territory,  being  as- 
signed to  duty  as  special  United  States  dis- 
trict attorney.  During  the  time  he  remained 
in  Indian  Territory,  which  covered  a  period  of 
two  years,  he  tried  sixty-four  murder  cases, 
-  and  convicted  the  first  man  that  was  ever 
*  hung  in  the  Territory  by  order  of  the  Fed- 
eral courts.  For  various  reasons  Mr.  Wilcox 
resigned  this  position  and  returned  to  Ohio, 
in  1900  establishing  his  law  office  at  Akron, 
and  becoming  dissociated  with  C.  T.  Grant  in 
the  firm  of  Wilcox  and  Grant,  which  con- 
tinued until  the  spring  of  1904.  In  a  new 
association  Mr.  Wilcox  became  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  law  firm  of  Wilcox,  Parsons  and 
Burch,  Mr.  Adams  later  being  admitted  as 
the  junior  member  of  the  firm.  Mr.  Wilcox 
has  successfully  handled  ■  a  large  number  of 
important  cases  before  the  Ohio  courts,  and 
has  an  enviable  record  in  the  different 
branches  of  his  profession. 

Mr.  Wilcox  still  retains  his  home  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls  and  is  interested  in  several  finan- 
cial enterprises  in  that  city.  He  is  a  director 
in  the  Cuyahoga  Falls  Savings  Bank  and 
in  the  Falls  Savings  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion. He  is  also  president  of  the  Mer- 
cantile Credit  Company,  of  Cincinnati. 
Fonnerly  he  took  an  active  interest  in  politics 
and  his  party  chose  him  as  its  candidate  for 
prosecuting  attorney,  and  in  1896  for  pro- 
bate judge.  He  came  within  seventy-seven 
votes  of  the  nomination  for  the  latter  office. 
For  fifteen  years  he  was  city  solicitor  for  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  but  the  demands  of  his  profes- 
sion have  given  him  very  little  time  to  push 
his  claims  for  political  preferment,  had  he 
po.?sessed  the  ambition  to  do  so. 

In  1874  Mr.  Wilcox  was  married  to  Zelia 
M.  Severance,  of  Medina  County,  and  they 
have  two  daughters,  Lottie  and  Mabel.  Lot- 
tie is  the  wife  of  Charles  C.  McCuskey.  resid- 
ing at  Cuyahoga  Falls.    Mabel  is  a  student  at 


Buchtel  College,  where  she  has  made  a  re- 
markable record,  taking  the  highest  honors  of 
her  class,  both  in  190o  and  1907 ;  she  antici- 
pates graduating  in  the  class  of  1908.  The 
family  belong  to  the  Disciples  Church  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  which  Mr.  Wilcox  has  sensed 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  tnistees;  he  is 
now  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Elks 
and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  The  family  is 
one  of  social  prominence  at  Cuyalaoga  Falls. 

H.  E.  ANDRESS,  a  member  of  the  law 
firm  of  Allen,  Watere,  Young  &  Andress,  with 
oflices  in  the  Hamilton  Building,  Akron,  has 
been  a  resident  of  this  city  since  1893.  He 
was  born  in  Ashland  County,  Ohio,  and  is 
a  son  of  the  late  Samuel  D.  Andress,  former- 
ly an  agriculturist  in  Ashland  County. 

Mr.  Andress  spent  his  boyhood  and  obtained 
his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  his  na- 
tive county,  and  later  entered  Vermillion  In- 
stitute, where  he  was  graduated  in  1892.  He 
then  read  law  for  two  years  with  W.  E.  Sla- 
baugh  and  in  1894  entered  the  Cincinnati 
Law  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1895.  During  the  period  in  which  he  was 
securing  his  own  academic  and  collegiate 
training,  he  taught  school,  his  time  in  this 
profession  aggregating  about  five  years.  For 
six  months  after  locating  at  Akron,  Mr.  An- 
dress continued  to  practice  alone,  and  then 
entered  into  partnership  with  F.  E.  Whitte- 
more,  under  the  firm  name  of  Andress  & 
Whittemore.  This  business  association  con- 
tinued until  1902,  when  Mr.  Andress  became 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Allen,  Cobbs  &  An- 
dress, T\'hich  later  became  Allen,  Cobbs,  Wa- 
ters &  Andress,  changing  to  Allen,  Waters  & 
Andress,  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Cobbs  in  1905. 
The  present  style  was  assumed  November  1, 
1906,  when  W.  E.  Young  became  a  member 
of  the  firm.  This  combination  of  legal  talent 
is  regarded  by  the  bench  and  bar  of  the 
coimty  as  one  of  the  strongest  in  this  section ; 
flieir  work  covers  all  branches  of  law  and 
jurispnidence  and  they  have  .successfully 
handled  many  cases  of  grave  importance. 

In  1898  Mr.  Andress  was  married  to  Addie 


286 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


L.  ]\lontcnyohl,  who  was  formerly  a  popular 
teacher  in  the  Akron  public  schools,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  George  Montenyohl.  They 
have  one  child,  Virginia. 

Mr.  Andress  is  a  prominent  Democrat  and 
has  served  as  chairman  of  the  Democratic 
County  Committee,  and  as  a  member  of  the 
Democratic  State  Central  Committee.  For  four 
years  he  .«erved  as  clerk  of  the  Summit  County 
board  of  elections,  and  i.s  a  member  of  the 
board  of  Sinking  Fund  trustees  of  the  city 
of  Akron.  '  He  is  interested  in  a  number  of 
the  city's  prosperous  business  enterprises,  but 
the  larger  part  of  his  time  is  given  to  his 
law  practice.  He  is  one  of  the  directors  of 
the  National  City  Bank  and  a  stockholder  in 
other  financial  institutions. 

Since  early  life,  Mr.  Andress  has  been 
united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  he  served  on  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
First  M.  E.  Church  at  Akron  for  some  time. 

PHILIP  B.  TREASH,  attorney,  wa.-^  bori^ 
at  Uniontown,  Stark  County,  Augu.-^t  10,  1875, 
and  a  few  j'eai's  later  came  with  his  parents 
to  Akron,  where  he  has  since  resided.  His 
preliminary  education  was  received  in  the 
public  schools  and  he  graduated  from  the 
High  School  in  1895.  During  his  High 
School  course  Mr.  Treash  decided  to  study  law, 
but  desiring  to  first  acquire  a  broad  academic 
education  he.  studied  two  terms  at  Buchtel 
College,  then  entered  Oberlin  College,  from 
Mhich  institution  he  graduated  in  1900  with 
the  degree  of  Ph.  B. 

Immediately  after  graduation  from  Oberlin 
he  took  up  the  study  of  law,  only  interrupt- 
ing that  study  long  enough  to  earn  funds 
with  which  to  continue.  In  1901-1902  he 
wa^  assistant  principal  of  the  Cuyahoga  Falls 
High  School.  Subsequently  entering  the  law 
department  of  Ohio  State  University,  he  was 
graduated  in  June,  1903,  and  being  admitted 
to  the  bar,  he  chose  Akron  as  his  field  of  work, 
and  became  associated  with  the  law  firm  of 
Young  &  Wanamaker  until  Mr.  Wanamaker 
was  elected  to  the  Common  Pleas  Bench.  Af- 
ter the  dissolution  of  this  firm  he  remained 
with  Mr.  Youno;  until  November.  1906,  since 


which  time  he  has  practiced  alone.  Mr. 
Treash  is  actively  connected  with  the  business 
development  of  the  city,  and  is  also  a  lead- 
ing Republican,  at  present  being  chairman  of 
the  City  Republican  Committee.  In  1905  Mr. 
Treash  was  married  to  Ida  M.  Roberts,  of 
Akron.  He  is  a  member  of  the  West  Con- 
gregational Church  and  is  serving  as  its  treas- 
urer. He  belongs  to  Akron  Tent,  K.  O.  T.  M., 
the  Protected  Home  Circle,  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  and  several  other  or- 
ganizations. 

F.  E.  WHITTEMORE,  of  the  well-known 
law  firm  of  Grant  and  Whittemore,  at  Akron, 
was  born  at  Fitchburg,  Massachusetts,  in 
1870.  When  he  was  seven  j'ears  of  age  his 
parents  located  in  Akron,  where  he  was  reared 
graduating  from  the  Akron  High  School  in 
1887.  He  then  entered  Denison  University, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1892,  with  the 
degree  of  Ph.  B.  He  studied  law  in  the  office 
of  Marvin.  Saddler  and  Atterholt,  of  Akron, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1894.  He 
was  with  Judge  Stuart,  in  the  probate  office 
for  one  year,  which  gave  him  excellent  spe- 
cial training,  and  he  then  began  the  practice 
of  his  profes.<ion  alone,  one  year  later  entering 
into  partnership  with  H.  E.  Andress,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Andress  and  Whittemore. 
This  partnership  continued  until  1903,  and 
about  nine  months  later  the  firm  of  Grant 
and  Whittemore  was  organized.  It  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  strong  legal  combinations 
of  the  city  and  handles  a  large  amount  of 
important  litigation.  Besides  attending  to  his 
law  practice,  Mr.  Whittemore  has  duties  as  a 
director  of  the  Akron  Grocery  Company  and 
the  Colonial  Tire  and  Rubber  Company.  For 
a  number  of  years  he  served  as  clerk  of  the 
Board  of  Elections. 

In  1897  Mr.  Whittemore  was  married  to 
Anna  G.  Clark,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the  late 
George  B.  Clark,  and  they  have  two  children 
— Marian  Esther  and  Robert  C.  The  family 
belong  to  the  First  Baptist  Church,  which  Mr. 
Whittemore  is  serving  as  a  member  of  the 
official  board. 

Fraternallv  he   is  a   ThiVtv-second  Degree 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


28'; 


Ma^ou,  iiiid  belongs  to  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chap- 
ter, Council  and  Comniandei'v  at  Akron,  and 
to  Lake  Erie  Consistory  at  Cleveland. 

N.  M.  GREENBERGER,  attorney,  and 
Republican  candidate  for  city  solicitor  of  Ak- 
ron, is  one  of  the  prominent  j^ounger  mem- 
bei-s  of  the  bar,  and  a  very  popular  citizen. 
Mr.  Greenberger  has  practically  .^pent  hid 
whole  life  in  this  city,  securing  his  literary 
education  in  it.s  excellent  schools,  and  select- 
ing it  a.s  the  field  of  his  professional  work. 

As  soon  as  he  had  completed  his  education, 
Mr.  Greenberger  entered  the  law  office  of  Ed- 
win F.  Voris,  where  he  finished  his  law- 
studies.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  by  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Ohio,  in  June,  1902.  He 
has  been  notably  successful,  having  climbed 
from  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  to  his  present 
position  entirely  through  Iils  own  efforts.  His 
fellow  citizens  who  honor  him  a.s  one  fitted 
for  high  responsiljilities,  recall  when  he 
blacked  shoes  and  sold  newspapers  rather  than 
be  dependent.  Later,  while  traveling  for  the 
Brooks  Oil  Company,  of  Cleveland,  he  spent 
his  nights  in  hi.s  hotel,  poring  over  his  law 
books.  Energetic  and  ambitious,  he  has  al- 
ways taken  an  active  interest  in  politics  and 
has  recently  been  nominated  for  city  .solic- 
itor on  the  Republican  ticket,  over  four  com- 
petitors, all  of  them  strong  men.  His  friends 
are  confident  that  he  has  a  bright  future  be- 
fore him.  both  in  hi^  profession  and  in  pub- 
lic life.  He  is  a  member  of  Court  Pride,  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  and  of 
Akron  Camp,  Modern  AVoodmen  of  Amer- 
ica, also  of  thi-s  city.  He  is  located  in  the 
Central  Office  Building,  Akron. 

CHARLES  H.  STAHL,  attorney-at-law,  at 
Akron,  with  offices  at  No.  518  Hamilton 
Building,  is  a  prominent  citizen  and  has  large 
financial  interests  in  Summit  and  other 
counties.  He  was  born  near  Winesburg, 
Holmes  County,  Ohio,  May  18,  1873,  and  is 
a  son  of  Charles  and  Louise  (Dodez)  Stahl. 
The  father  of  Mr.  Stahl  was  born  in  Gennany 
and  was  a  pioneer  of  Holmes  County.  Ohio, 
v>-herc  he  became  a  man  of  suhstance  and  lo- 


cal prominence.  He  held  county  offices  and 
wa*  long  numbered  among  the  leading  men 
cf  his  community.  His  wife,  Louise,  was  of 
French  extraction,  but  was  born  in  Wayne 
County,  Ohio. 

Charles  H.  Stahl  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  attended  the  country  schools,  later 
entering  the  Ohio  Northern  University  at 
Ada,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  A.  B.  He  then  engaged  in  teaching  and 
for  two  years  was  principal  of  the  Winesburg 
public  schools.  In  1902  he  wa.s  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from  the  law  department 
of  the  Ohio  State  University,  and  in  the  same 
year  received  the  A.  M.  degree  from  his  alma 
mater.  In  that  year  he  was  also  admitted  to 
the  bar,  and  in  the  following  .spring  he  located 
in  Akron  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  in  which  he  has  since  continued. 
Politically  he  is  a  Democrat  and  has  taken 
an  active  part  in  public  affairs.  He  has  many 
financial  interests,  being  a  director  in  the 
South  Akron  Banking  Company,  in  the  Ak- 
ron Realty  Company,  and  in  the  Beach  City 
Banking  Company,  of  Beach  City,  Stark 
County,  Ohio. 

September  26,  1906,  Mr.  Stahl  was  married 
to  Cora  B.  Snyder,  who  is  a  daughter  of  C. 
J.  Snyder,  a  prominent  business  man  of  this 
city.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stahl  have  one  daughter, 
Margaret  Louise,  born  August  8,  1907. 

Mr.  Stahl  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason  and 
belongs  to  Akron  Comrnandery,  No.  25.  and 
to  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter  and  Council,  of  this 
place.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  He  has  never  given  up  his  member- 
ship in  the  Delti  Chi  college  fraternity,  hav- 
ing been  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the 
organization,  at  the  Ohio  State  Universitv  in 
1902. 

ARTHUR  JAMES  ROWLEY,  formerly 
city  .solicitor  of  Akron  and  a  member  of  the 
law  firm  of  Rogers,  Rowley  &  Rockwell  of 
this  city,  was  born  December  4,  1868.  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Mary  J.   (Wills)  Rowley. 

Mr.  Rowley  is  of  English  ancestry  and  his 
grandfather,  Enoch  Rowlev.  was  the  first  of 


288 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


tlio  family  In  .si'llle  in  Akron,  where  he  did 
in  1H48.  To  the  hitter  helongs  the  dLstinc- 
tion  of  establishing  the  tirst  pottery  here.  He 
brought  a  family  of  seven  children  from  Eng- 
land, and  four  more  were  added  after  the  fam- 
ily settled  here.  He  died  in  this  city,  aged 
seventy-three  years.  William  Rowley,  fath- 
er of  Arthur  J.,  \va.s  ten  years  old  when  his 
parents  came  to  Ohio.  He  assisted  his  father 
in  his  work  as  a  potter  and  succeeded  him  in 
the  business.  In  1886  he  retired  from  active 
business  and  died  in  November,  1891,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-four  years.  HLs  children  were : 
Florence,  who  died  in  infancy;  Arthur  .J.. 
Maude  L.,  and  Zelle  I. 

Arthur  James  Rowley  was  graduated  from 
the  Akron  High  School  in  January,  1885, 
and  from  Buchtel  College,  in  June,  1890.  He 
then  began  the  study  of  the  law  with  Charles 
Cobbs,  and  the  firm  of  Green,  Grant  &  Sieber, 
and  wa.s  admitted  to  the  bar  in  March,  1892. 
In  the  following  year  Mr.  Kowley  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Akron  Board  of  Education. 
In  1895  he  was  made  city  solicitor,  two  years 
later  being  re-elected  and  by  a  larger  majority 
than  any  other  candidate.  Since  the  close  of 
his  second  term  of  office  he  has  applied  him- 
self entirely  to  his  large  and  growing  practice. 
In  1902  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Rogers,  Rowley  &  Rockwell,  whose  offices  are 
in  the  Central  Savings  &  Trust  Building. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Rowley  is  an  Elk  and  re- 
tains membership  in  his  college  iraternity,  the 
Delta  Tan  Delta.  He  belongs  also  to  the  Sum- 
mit County  Bar  Association.  He  stands  very 
high  in  public  esteem,  both  as  a  citizen  and 
profe.s.sionally. 

On  October  20.  1897,  he  was  married  to 
Amelia  Grether  and  they  have  three  children  : 
Pauline  Barbara,  William  Arthur  and  John 
Grether  Rowley,  all  of  whom  reside  at  the 
family  resident,  838  Eaet  Market  Street. 

ALEXANDER  H.  COMMINS.  an  attorney, 
practicing  at  Akron,  is  interested  in  a  num- 
ber of  Akron  business  enterprises.  He  was 
born  at  Akron  in  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  the 
late  Alexander  II.  Gomtnins.  After  complet- 
ing the  common  school  course  in  his  native 


city,  Mr.  Commins  entered  Kenyon  College, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1894,  with  the  de- 
gree of  A.  B.  Shortly  afterward,  he  began 
reading  taw  with  Charles  Baird.  In  1899  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  since  has  been 
associated  with  Mr.  Baird  in  the  practice  of 
his  profes.sion.  He  is  a  director  in  the  Cen- 
tral Savings  and  Trust  Company,  at  Akron, 
and  is  largely  interested  in  real  estate  through 
Sunnnit  County,  pai'ticularly  in  the  vicinity 
of  Akron  and  Barberton.  In  1900  Mr.  Com- 
mins was  married  to  Ethel  Sheldon,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  C.  E.  Sheldon,  president  of  the 
Whitman-Barnes  Company.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Connnins  have  two  children,  Ethel  Louise 
and  Henrietta. 

WATSON  E.  SLABAUGH,  .senior  mem- 
ber of  the  law  firm  of  Slabaugh  &  Seiberling, 
has  been  a  resident  of  Akron  since  1886.  He 
was  born  in  Portage  County,  Ohio,  where  he 
attended  school  until  he  entered  Mount  Union 
College.  Mr.  Slabaugh  has  been  mainly  the 
maker  of  his  own  foi-tunes.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  he  began  to  teach  school,  which 
profession  he  followed  for  four  years.  In  the 
meantime  he  was  preparing  himself  for  a 
collegiate  course  in  law,  and  in  1885  he  was 
graduated  from  the  Cincinnati  Law  School. 
In  the  following  j'ear,  he  located  at  Akron, 
and  here  he  entered  into  practice  with  Ed- 
ward P.  Otis,  under  the  firm  name  of  Otis 
&  Slabaugh.  Later  he  became  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Marvin,  Atterholt  &  Slabaugh, 
which  continued  until  1892.  From  that  date 
until  1898  Mr.  Slabaugh  practiced  alone,  and 
then  entered  into  partnership  with  Mr.  Seiber- 
ling, under  the  present  firm  style.  This  firm 
is  regarded  as  one  of  Akron's  most  reliable 
combinations  of  legal  talent,  and  many  im- 
portant interests  are  placed  in  their  hands. 

Mr.  Slabaugh  is  a  director  in  the  Second 
National  Bank  and  a  stockholder  in  numer- 
ous other  prosperous  concerns.  While  not 
veiy  active  in  politics,  he  has  the  welfare  of 
the  city  at  heart  and  has  served  on  many 
boards  which  have  civic  progress  a*  their  ob- 
ject. Lie  is  a  leading  member  of  the  High 
Street  Christian  Church. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


289 


Mi:  Slabaugh  was  married  (lir^t)  in  1884, 
to  Mary  Bettes,  who  died  iu  1892,  leaving  one 
son,  Edwin,  who  is  a  student  in  the  public 
schools.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  George 
W.  Bettes,  of  Randolph,  Portage  County.  Mr. 
Slabaugh  was  married  (second)  iu  1895,  to 
Jessie  M.  Gongwer,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel Gongwer.  Of  this  union  there  are  iwo 
children,  Harold  and  \V.  E.,  Jr. 

ELLSWORTH  E.  OTIS,  attorney,  junior 
member  of  the  law  firm  of  Otis  and  Otis,  at 
Akron,  with  well  ajjpointed  offices  at  Nos.  15- 
16  Arcade  Building,  has  been  in  active  prac- 
tice since  1887.  He  was  born  in  Tuscarawas 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Resin  P.  and 
Cathei'ine  (Bair)  Otis.  Mr.  Otis  comes  of 
Revolutionary  stock,  three  membei's  of  the 
family,  Robert,  Stephen  and  Edward  Otis 
having  served  in  the  Continental  army,  one 
of  them  losing  his  life  in  the  cause.  These 
patriots  were  great-  and  great-great-uncles  of 
Edward  P.  and  Ellsworth  E.  Otis,  of  Akron. 
The  parents  of  Mr.  Otis  were  both  born  in 
Ohio.  The  Otis  family  came  to  this  state  frou;i 
New  England,  where  it  has  been  prominent 
from  the  days  of  the  Revolution.  The  Bair 
family  came  from  Pennsylvania  and  is  of 
German  extraction. 

Ellsworth  E.  Otis  was  liberally  educated,  at- 
tending both  Wittenberg  College  and  AVooster 
LTniversity  prior  to  entering  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Michigan,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1887.  His  elder  brother, 
Edward  P.  Otis,  was  already  established  in  the 
practice  of  law  at  Akron  and  Mr.  Otis  imme- 
diately entered  into  partnershij)  with  him, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Otis  and  Otis.  This 
firm  has  continued  up  to  the  present  time  and 
has  become  well  known  all  over  Summit 
County.  In  a  city  where  legal  talent  is  espe- 
cially con.spicious,  the  firm  has  won  many 
hard-fought  battles,  and  both  members  are 
numbered  with  the  able  men  of  the  profession. 

On  June  27,  1894,  Ellsworth  E.  Otis  was 
married  to  Mary  Louise  Guth,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  R.  Guth,  an  old  resident  of  Akron. 
They  enjoy  a  beautiful  home  at  No.  642  East 
Market  Street.     Politically  Mr.  Otis  is  identi- 


fied with  the  Republican  party,  but  only  as  a 
good  citizen,  anxious  to  promote  the  pros- 
perity of  his  community  and  the  country  gen- 
erally. He  is  connected  fi-aternaliy  with  the 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
is  secretary  of  the  local  chapter  of  the  Beta 
Theta  Pi,  his  college  fraternity.  For  many 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

EDWARD  P.  OTIS,  senior  member  of  the 
prominent  law  firm  of  Otis  and  Otis,  at  Ak- 
ron, with  offices  in  the  Arcade  building,  wa^ 
born  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
son  of  Resin  P.  and  Catherine  (Bair)  Otis. 
He  comes  of  Revolutionary  stock,  three  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  Robert,  Stephen  and  Ed- 
ward Otis,  having  sei-ved  nobly  with  the  Con- 
tinental army,  one  of  them  losing  his  life  in 
the  cause  of  freedom.  These  militant  patriots 
were  great-  and  great-great-uncles  of  Edward 
P.  and  Ellsworth  E.  Otis,  of  Akron.  The 
name  of  Otis  has  always  been  identified  with 
military  valor,  .statesmanship  and  professional 
prominence.  The  family  settled  early  in  Ohio 
and  in  this  state  both  the  parents  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  were  born. 

Edward  P.  Otis  prepared  for  Oberlin  Col- 
lege in  the  local  schools,  and  after  attending 
the  college  for  a  while,  taught  .school  prior  to 
entering  Wittenberg  College,  in  1877,  where 
he  remained  until  graduation  in  1882.  He 
immediately  began  the  study  of  law  m  the 
office  of  Nealy  and  Patrick,  at  New  Philadel- 
phia, and  during  1884-5  he  attended  the  Cin- 
cinnati Law  School,  in  June  of  the  latter  year 
being  admitted  to  the  bar.  Mr.  Otis  located 
at  Akron  in  August,  1885,  and  was  associated 
in  a  law  practice  for  two  years  with  W.  E. 
Slabaugh.  He  then  formed  a  partnership 
with  his  younger  brother,  Ellsworth  E.  Otis, 
the  firm  of  Otis  and  Otis  coming  into  existence 
in  1887.  During  its  continuance  of  two  dec- 
ades it  has  made  its  ability  felt  at  the  bar  of 
Summit  County,  and  has  been  engaged  in 
much  of  the  most  important  litigation  of  this 
section. 

On  September  21,  1887,  Mr.  Otis  was  mar- 
ried to  Jessie  L.  Wolfe,  who  is  a  daughter  of 


290 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Henry  H.  Wolfe,  of  Springfield,  Ohio.  He  has 
one  daughter,  Catherine  Louise.  The  beauti- 
ful family  home  at  No.  65  Adolph  Avenue 
is  often  the  scene  of  many  pleasant  social 
functions,  Mrs.  Otis  being  a  gifted  musician 
and  a  patroness  of  the  leading  musical  events 
of  the  city.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Otis  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Luthertm  Church.  Politically  the 
former  is  a  Republican,  but  is  too  much  en- 
gaged in  his  profession  to  be  willing  to  accept 
political  honors.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Free 
Mason,  and  is  also  president  of  the  local  chap- 
ter of  his  college  fraternity,  the  Beta  Thefa  Pi. 
He  has  shown  his  interest  in  the  growth  and 
development  of  Akron,  as  becomes  a  public- 
spirited  citizen,  and  has  helped  to  promote  her 
educational  and  religious  interests,  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  having  been  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  Wittenberg  College. 

GEORGE  W.  ROGERS,  attorney,  and 
credit  man  with  the  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rub- 
ber Company,  at  Akron,  was  born  at  Akron, 
Ohio,  in.  1875.  He  is  a  son  of  John  Rogers, 
and  a  grandson  of  James  Rogers,  both  of 
whom  survive,  honored  residents  of  this  city. 
He  was  reared  in  his  native  city  and  after 
graduating  from  the  Akron  High  School,  en- 
tered Buchtel  College,  which  he  left  in  order 
to  enter  upon  the  study  of  law  with  the  well- 
known  law  firm  of  Baird  &  Voris.  One  year 
later  this  firm  was  dissolved,  after  which  Mr. 
Rogers  remained  for  a  time  under  Mr.  Baird's 
instruction,  later  becoming  a  student  with 
Oviatt,  Allen  &  Cobbs.  In  March,  1899,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Akron,  thus  con- 
tinuing until  April,  1902.  when  ho  accepted 
his  present  position. 

In.  1895,  Mr.  Rogers  joined  Company  B, 
Eighth  Regiment,  Ohio  National  Guards,  and 
in  1898  when  war  was  declared  againsit  Spain, 
went  out  a.s  a  member  of  that  Company.  He 
was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  at 
Columbus.  May  13,  1898,  and  a  few  days  later 
went  to  Washington,  D.  C.  where  the  regi- 
ment remained  in  camp  at  Camp  Alger  imtil 
the  fifth  day  of  the  following  Julv.  It  was 
then   transported  to  Cuba,  where  it  was   on 


duty  for  six  weeks,  and  then  returned  to 
America,  landing  at  Montauk  Point.  Mr. 
Rogers  wtis  given  a  furlough  of  sixty  days 
which  he  spent  at  home,  and  was  then  mus- 
tered out,  in  November,  1898.  During  this 
brief  military  experience  he  was  corporal  of 
liis  company. 

On  October  15,  1902,  Mr.  Rogers  was  mar- 
ried to  Anna  G.  Bauer,  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Bauer,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  one  son.  Har- 
old G.  Mr.  Rogers  is  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Ai-canum,  and  of  the  organization  of  United 
Spanish  War  Veterans. 

LOUIS  D.  SEWARD,  attorney,  and  a  lead- 
ing member  of  the  Akron  bar,  was  born  at 
Akron,  Ohio,  in  1852,  and  Is  a  son  of  the  late 
Colonel  Dudley  Seward,  who  Avas  a  distin- 
guished officer  in  the  Civil  War. 

Colonel  D'udley  Seward  came  to  Akron  in 
1840,  where  he  entered  into  business  aind  be- 
came a  factor  in  politics.  Prior  to  the  Civil 
War  he  served  as  sheriff  of  Summit  County. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  men  to  offer  his  life 
and  services  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  and 
was  promoted  for  gallantry  to  be  colonel  of 
the  Second  Ohio  Cavalry,  serving  all  through 
as  such.  After  the  war  he  was  a  captain  in 
the  Eighth  Regiment,  United  States  Cavalry, 
and  brevet  major  in  the  United  States  army, 
receiving  his  appointment  in  the  United 
States  army  for  gallant  and  meritorious  serv- 
ice at  MonticeUo,  Kentucky.  He  did  good 
service  in  the  West  during  the  Indian  trou- 
bles. At  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1881 ,  he 
was  on  the  retired  list  of  the  army. 

Lonis  D.  Seward  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Akron,  and  read  law  in  the  offices  of  Edger- 
ton  &  Kohler  and  of  H.  C.  Sanford.  In  1876 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  has  been  in 
active  practice  ever  since  in  his  native  city. 
He  has  been  active  in  politics  since  early  man- 
hood, LS  at  present  serving  in  the  City  Coun- 
cil, and  was  mayor  of  Akron  from  1886  to 
1888,  a  period  of  great  prosperity  and  advnnce- 
mont  for  this  municipality. 

In  1890  Mr.  Seward  was  married  to  Kath- 
erine  Johnston,  who  ds  a  daugliter  of  AV.  G. 
Johnston,  of  Akron,  a  prominent  citizen,  who 


LOUIS  I).  SEWARD 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


293 


has  just  completed  a  six-yeai'  term  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Botu'd  of  Public  Works.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Seward  have  one  daughter,  Martha, 
who  is  attending  school.  Mr.  Seward  is  a 
Knight  Templar  Mason,  and  is  well  known 
in  the  fraternity.  He  is  one  of  the  trustees 
of  the  East  Akron  cemetery,  and  he  is  a 
sitockholder  in  various  successful  business  en- 
terprises of  Akron. 

CHARLES  S.  COBBS,  formerly  a  leadmg 
member  of  the  Akron  bar,  and  for  twelve 
years  a  partner  in  the  prominent  law  firm  of 
Oviatt,  Allen  and  Cobbs,  of  this  city,  was  born 
July  7,  1853,  near  Alliance,  Columbiana 
County,  Ohio,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Akron, 
January  27,  1903.  He  was  a  son  of  Walker 
and  Hannah  (Morris)  Cobbs. 

On  the  maternal  side,  Mr.  Cobbs  came  of 
distinguished  ancestry.  His  forefathers  in- 
cluded Robert  Morris,  one  of  the  signers  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence;  Jonathan 
Morris,  who  married  Mary  West,  sister  of  the 
great  painter,  Benjamin  West;  and  Jonathan, 
Benjamin,  William,  Joseph  and  Samuel  Mor- 
ris, all  of  whom  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  The  Morris  family  professed  the  peace- 
ful principles  of  the  Quaker  faith,  but  in  time 
of  public  stress,  they  proved  their  loyalty  even 
to  the  extent  of  taking  up  arms.  Jonathan 
Morris  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at 
the  battle  of  Camden,  August  16,  1780,  and 
was  kept  a  prisoner  on  Ediso  Island,  off  the 
coast  of  South  Carolina,  during  the  remainder 
of  the  war.  William  Morris  was  taken  prison- 
er on  board  an  American  privateer,  and  later 
was  incarcerated  in  Dartmouth  Prison,  Eng- 
land. He  made  his  situation  known  to  his 
uncle,  Benjamin  West,  who  was  then  in  Lon- 
don, who  first  interceded  with  the  king,  and 
later  succeeded  in  bribing  the  guards,  .secur- 
ing William's  release  in  this  way.  The  latter 
escaped  and  returned  to  the  United  States.  In 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion  there  were  five  mem- 
bers of  this  family  in  the  Union  army;  one 
of  them,  J.  Morris  Johnston,  fell  at  Murfrees- 
lioro.  Tennessee.  Another,  Benjamin  F.  Mor- 
ri.-i,  was  wounded  and  subsequently  captured 
at  Macon,  Georgia.     The  Morris  family  has 


also  been  prominent  in  the  paths  of  peace  in 
various  parts  of  the  reunited  couutrj-, '  and 
many  of  their  blood  have  won  laurels  in  pro- 
fessional careers. 

Charles  S.  Cobbs  completed  his  education  at 
Mt.  Union  College,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
1877.  During  the  two  succeeding  years,  while 
studying  law,  he  engaged  in  teaching  school, 
and  for  the  larger  part  of  this  period,  was 
superintendent  of  the  Malvern  Union  schools. 
Innnediately  after  his  admission  to  the  bar, 
in  1879,  he  located  in  Akron,  where  his  legal 
ability  quickly  became  recognized,  and  in  the 
.spring  of  1881  he  was  elected  city  solicitor. 
In  this  office  he  served  two  full  terms,  declin- 
ing a  re-election,  and  henceforth  devoting 
himself  entirely  to  practice  of  his  profession. 
On  March  9,  1891,  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  the  late  Edward  Oviatt  and  George  G. 
Allen,  under  the  firm  style  of  Oviatt,  Allen 
and  Cobbs — a  strong  combination,  which  for 
years  handled  a  large  part  of  the  important 
litigation  in  Summit  County.  In  addition  to 
his  work  as  a  member  of  this  firm,  Mr.  Cobbs 
was  retained  by  various  corporations  and  was 
local  attorney  for  the  Valley  Railway  Com- 
pany. 

On  November  2,  1881,  Mr.  Cobbs  was  mar- 
ried to  Margaret  S.  McCall,  who  was  born  at 
^Lilvern,  Ohio,  and  who  is  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
Hosea  McCall,  a  native  of  the  state  of  Connec- 
ticut. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cobbs  had  four  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  survive — Reginald  Mc- 
Call and  Margaret.  Mrs.  Cobbs  resides  at  No. 
(382  Buchtel  Avenue,  Akron. 

FRANCIS  SEIBERLING,  attorney-at-law, 
and  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Slabaugh  & 
Seiberling.  at  Akron,  with  offices  in  the  Ever- 
ett Building,  was  born  September  20,  1870, 
at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  is  a  son  of  Nathan 
Septimus  and  Joseva  (Myers)   Seiberling. 

Nathan  Septimus  Seiberling,  father  of  Fran- 
cis, was  a  son  of  Nathan  Seiberling,  who  was 
one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Summit  County. 
Nathan  S.  Seiberling,  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years,  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  War, 
in  March,  1865.  for  one  year,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  D,  198th  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 


294 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


fantry.  He  was  honorably  discharged,  May 
8,  1865,  at  the  close  of  hostilities.  He  mar- 
ried Joseva  Myers,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Al- 
pheus  Myers,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in 
Norton  Township.  Both  the  Seiberling  and 
Myers  families  came  to  Summit  County  in  the 
days  when  it  was  a  wilderness  and  both  as- 
sisted materially  in  the  development  of  its 
resources  and  in  bringing  about  civilizing  in- 
fluences. 

When  but  three  years  of  age,  Francis  Sei- 
berling suffered  the  loss  of  his  father,  who 
died  in  early  manhood.  His  mother  thea»  re- 
turned to  her  old  home  in  Norton  Township, 
this  county,  where  he  was  reared  to  the  age  of 
twelve  year.~.  He  then  went  to  Medina 
County  and  completed  his  course  of  study  at 
the  Wads  worth  High  School.  He  entered 
Wittenberg  College,  Si^ringfield,  Ohio,  in  the 
fall  of  1888,  where  he  remained  two  years, 
and  then  entered  Wooster  University,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1892,  with  his  degree  of 
A.  M.  He  immediately  began  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  Marvin,  Saddler  &  Atter- 
holt,  and  was  adinitted  to  the  bar  in  October, 
1894.  He  practiced  his  profession  for  about 
one  year  alone,  and  then  entered  into  his 
present  partnership,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Slabaugh  &  Seiberling.  Mr.  Seiberling's  in- 
terest, in  politics  is  merely  that  which  he  has 
in  common  with  every  good  citizen. 

On  June  16,  1897,  Mr.  Seiberling  was  mar- 
ried to  Josephine  Laffer,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  James  M.  Laffer,  one  of  the  pioneer  drug- 
gists of  Akron.  He  and  his  wife  have  two 
children,  Eleanor  and  Josephine.  Mr.  Sei- 
berling is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
and  belongs  to  its  board  of  trustees.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  Mason. 


he  was  graduated  at  Mt.  Union  College,  after 
which  he  was  engaged  in  school  teaching  for 
about  four  years.  In  1877  he  came  to  Akron 
with  the  intention  of  studying  law,  and  be- 
ing received  into  the  office  of  J.  M.  Poulson, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1878,  and  later  to 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Ohio.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  was  the  attorney  for  Aultman, 
Miller  &  Company,  and  in  their  interests 
traveled  all  over  the  country.  He  has  tried 
cases  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and 
necessarily  has  been  long  familiar  with  the 
laws  of  all  sections.  Probably  in  his  partic- 
ular line  of  practice,  he  has  no  equal  in  Sum- 
mit County.  Mr.  Sadler  has  been  active  in 
county  politics  for  a  number  of  years  and 
for  one  year  was  secretary  of  the  Republican 
County  Committee.  He  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  first  Board  of  City  Commis- 
sioners and  of  the  first  Board  of  Review,  on 
which  latter  board  he  served  for  five  years. 
He  is  a  man  of  public  spirit  and  on  many 
occasions  has  proven  his  interest  and  useful- 
ness in  civic  affairs. 

In  1881  Mr.  Sadler  was  married  to  Mar- 
garet Fox,  who  is  a  daughter  of  David  Fox. 
They  have  three  living  children,  namely : 
Frank  Herbert,  who  has  charge  of  the  testing 
department  of  the  Edison  Storage  Battery  at 
West  Orange,  New  Jersey;  Edith,  who  is  chief 
clerk  in  the  Summit  County  treasurer's  office ; 
and  Jean  Cairns,  residing  at  home.  In  addi- 
tion to  hLs  other  business  interests,  Mr.  Sadler 
is  vice-president  and  a  member  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  Akron  Building  and  Loan 
Association,  and  has  been  a  charter  member 
on  its  board  of  directors  since  its  inception  in 
1888.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Lodge  and 
to  the  U.  C.  T. 


0.  L.  SADLER,  an  attorney  at  Akron, 
whose  professional  labors  have  called  him  to 
many  sections  of  the  countrj^  while  still  re- 
taining his  home  in  this  city,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 11,  1854,  at  Rootstown,  Portage 
County,  Ohio. 

When  Mr.  Sadler  was  one  year  old  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Southern  Michigan,  where  he 
was  reared  and  primarily  educated.    In  1872 


EMORY  A.  PRIOR,  M.  S.,  LL.  B.,  a  lead- 
ing member  of  the  bar  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  was 
born  in  Northampton  Town.«hip,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  Jime  27,  1855,  and  is  a  son 
of  Henry  W.  and  Emily  (Bonesteel)  Prior. 

The  study  of  Mr.  Prior's  ancestral  line  leads 
us  back  to  the  early  settlement  of  New  Eng- 
land. The  first  of  the  name  of  whom  he  have 
record,  was  Benjamin  Prior,  whose  birth  is 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


295 


recorded  at  Duxbury,  Massafluisetts.  In  1697 
he  married  Bertha,  daughter  of  John  and  Abi- 
gail (Wood)  Pratt,  of  Plymouth,  Massaehu- 
sett:^. 

Jo:~hua  J'rior,  son  of  Benjamin  and  Bertha 
Prior,  was  born  in  1709  and  died  in  1784.  He 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  Eleazer  and  Lydia 
(Waterman)  Barnham,  January  31,  1735. 

Simeon  Prior,  younge.-^t  of  the  nine  chil- 
dren of  Jo.<hua  and  Mary  Prior,  and  great- 
grandfather of  Emory  A.,  was  born  May  16, 
1754,  at  Norwich,  Connecticut,  and  died  June 
29,  1837.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  enlisting  in  Connecticut,  as 
armorer,  under  Colonel  John  Durgey,  about 
1776,  joining  the  army  at  King's  Yard.  New 
York  City.  His  record  shows  that  aliout  15 
weeks  later  he  joined  a  regiment  on  Painter's 
Hook,  and  after  the  city  was  taken  by  the 
British,  his  regiment  went  to  Fort  Lee  and 
later  participated  in  the  battle  of  Trenton. 
The  family  history  asserts  that  on  this  occa- 
sion, Simeon  Prior  was  a  member  of  General 
Washington's  body-guard.  He  married  Kath- 
erine  Wright,  and  in  1802  brought  his  fam- 
ily to  Northampton  Township.  He  was  the 
first  regular  farming"  settler  here,  the  only 
other  family  being  that  of  a  Mr.  King,  who 
kept  a  tavern  at  Old  Portage,  the  coramenoe- 
ment  of  Portage  Path.  Simeon  Prior  was  a 
fanner,  blacksmith  and  machinist,  a  combi- 
nation of  occupations  well  qualifying  him  to 
make  an  admirable  pioneer  settler. 

William  Prior,  son  of  Simeon,  and  grand- 
father of  Emory  A.  Prior,  was  born  at  Nor- 
wich, Connecticut,  April  6,  1783,  and  died 
June  7,  1872.  He  accompanied  his  father  to 
Northampton  in  1802,  where  he  secured  farm- 
ing land.  He  participated  in  the  War  of 
1812,  being  a  member  of  Colonel  Rial  Mc- 
Arthur's  regiment.  In  politics  he  was  a  Jef- 
fersonian  Democrat.  He  was  twice  married: 
first,  to  Sarah  Wharton,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  James  Wharton,  and  who  died  in  early 
married  life;  and,  second,  to  Polly  Culver. 

Henry  AV.  Prior,  son  of  William  and  fath- 
er of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in 
Northampton  To-wnship,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  January  25,  1813,  and  died  in  1875. 


He  was  a  man  of  exceptional  mentality  and 
made  the  best  of  the  educational  advanttxges 
afforded  him  and  of  his  business  opportuni- 
ties. He  acceptably  filled  all  the  local  offices 
of  any  responsibility  in  Northampton  Town- 
ship, and,  although  not  united  with  any  re- 
ligious body,  was  a  liberal  supporter  of 
churches  and  all  moral  movements.  In  1849 
he  went  to  California,  by  way  of  New  York 
and  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  remained 
there  one  year  engaged  in  prospecting  and 
mining.  Having  much  natural  mechanical 
skill,  he  combined  farming  with  carpenter 
work,  and  with  his  father  and  a  brother,  he 
built  a  mill  on  the  present  site  of  the  Puritan 
mill,  in  Northampton  Township,  which  they 
operated  together  for  many  years.  He  re- 
mained actively  interested  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits up  to  the  clo.-e  of  his  long  and  useful 
life.    • 

His  wife,  Emily,  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Bonasteel,  also  an  old  settler  in  this  vicinity. 
She  died  in  April,  1860,  on  the  home  farm 
in  Northampton  Township.  There  were  two 
children  born  to  Henry  W.  Prior  and  wife, 
of  whom  Emory  A.  is  the  only  survivor,  the 
elder  in  order  of  birth  having  died  in  infancy. 

Emory  A.  Prior  was  aft'orded  the  best  edu- 
cational advantages  to  be  obtained  in  his  na- 
tive locality,  and  he  is  inclined  to  think  that 
in  some  ways  the  youth  of  his  day,  when  they 
had  the  personal  attention  of  their  teachers, 
enjoyed  better  opportunities  for  individual 
advancement  than  is  sometimes  the  lot  of  stu- 
dents under  the  present  graded  system.  He 
attended  the  Cuyahoga  High  School,  "and 
came  under  the  personal  attention  of  Almeda 
Booth,  who  was  a  noted  teacher  and  philan- 
thropist at  that  time.  In  1874  he  was  gradu- 
ated at  Buchtel  College,  completing  the  scien- 
tific course  and  securing  his  B.  S.  degree,  and 
later,  after  completing  a  post  graduate  course, 
received  the  degree  of  M.  S.  In  1877,  after 
a  course  in  the  Harvard  Law  School,  Mr.  Prior 
was  graduated  there  and  secured  his  LL.  B. 
degree,  shortly  afterward  coming  to  Cuyahoga 
Falls.  He  took  the  necessary  examination,^ 
in  the  Old  District  Court  at  Cleveland,  Ohio. 


296 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  following 
September. 

After  this  prolonged  season  of  close  study, 
Mr.  Prior  decided  to  settle  on  a  farm  in  North- 
ampton Township,  and  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  dairying  thereon  up  to  1890.  He  then 
opened  an  office  in  Akron,  where  he  practiced 
law  until  1895,  when  he  located  permanently 
at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  entering,into  a  partnership 
with  Charles  H.  Howland.  This  association 
lasted  five  years,  during  which  time  the  firm 
had  its  share  in  the  business  of  importance 
that  came  before  the  Sunnnit  County  courts. 

In  the  fall  of  1902  Mr.  Prior  became  secre- 
tary of  the  Falls  Savings  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion. In  August,  1904,  the  Cuyahoga  Falls 
Savings  Bank  was  organized  by  the  following 
capitalists  who  comprised  its  board  of  direct- 
ors: Emory  A.  Prior,  C.  M.  Walsh,  L.  W. 
Loomis,  Henry  Thomas,  W.  R.  Lodge,  Ed- 
win Seedhouse  and  William  A.  Searle.  This 
bank  was  organizexi  to  take  up  the  business 
in  this  vicinity  of  the  Akron  Savings  Bank, 
which  had  failed.  Mr.  Prior  has  been  identi- 
fied with  this  institution  as  secretary  and  as  a 
director  eiver  since,  and  since  June,  1906,  he 
has  been  a  member  of  its  financial  committee. 
He  is  concerned  in  other  business  enterprises 
and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Walsh 
Paper  Company,  of  which  he  is  a  stockholder, 
and  in  which  he  has  been  secretary  since  its 
founding. 

On  March  25,  1882,  Mr.  Prior  was  married 
to  Abbie  F.  Allen,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Al- 
bert Allen,  of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  and 
they  have  three  children,  namely :  Henry 
William,  Margaret  H.  and  Ruth  Wharton. 
The  family  belong  to  the  Episcopal  Church. 
In  political  sentiment,  Mr.  Prior  is  actively 
identified  with  the  Republican  party.  He  was 
elected  village  solicitor  during  his  years  of 
active  practice  and  was  re-elected,  serving 
two  terms.  Otherwise,  he  has  accepted  no 
political  office.  He  is  a  member  of  Star 
Lodge.  No.  187.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
Ohio. 

ANDREW  JACKSON  KREIGHBAUM,  a 
representative  citizen    of    Springfield    Town- 


ship, is  a  member  of  the  Summit  County  bar, 
and  is  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  He  was  born  in  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  September  23,  1862,  and  is  a 
son  of  Johnston  B.  and  Martha  (Martin) 
Kreighbaum. 

The  maternal  ancestors  of  Mr.  Kreighbaam 
were  people  of  importance,  several  generations 
back,  in  Pennsylvania.  Thomas  Martin,  the 
great-grandfather,  was  born  in  Ireland  and 
married  Kate  Kennedy,  a  native  of  England. 
The  maiden  name  of  the  grandmother  of  Mr. 
Kreighbaum  was  Way,  and  she  was  the  first 
white  child  born  in  Suffield  Township,  Port- 
age County.  Andrew  Martin,  the  grandfath- 
er, was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  wa.s  nine 
years  old  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Portage  County.  Andrew  and  Rebecca 
Mnrtin  had  the  following  children  :  Rebecca, 
residing  in  Summit  County,  who  is  the  widow 
of  Johnston  Roser;  Martha,  the  mother  of  Mr. 
Kreighbaum ;  Elmira,  residing  in  Stark 
County,  who  married  John  Grotz;  Matilda, 
who  married  Benjamin  W.  Bi.xler,  residing  at 
Springfield  Center;  and  David  W.,  deceased, 
who  is  survived  by  his  widow  who  formerly 
•was  Rebecca  Henderson.  The  grandparents 
died  on  the  farm  on  which  they  settled  after 
marriage. 

Johnston  B.  Kreighbaum  was  born  in 
Green  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  No- 
vember IS.  1826.  and  was  married  January 
29,  1851,  to  Martha  Martin,  who  was  born 
July  16,  1831.  Of  their  eight  children,  there 
are  three  survivors" — Andrew  J.,  McClelland 
and  Ida  Ella.  McClelland  Kreighbaum  was 
born  September  23,  1864  and  is  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  in  Summit  County,  own- 
ing a  good  farm.  He  married  Minerva  Press- 
ler,  who  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Lu- 
cinda  Pressler,  and  they  have  three  children. 
Ida  Ella  Kreighbaum  married  Charles  Mc- 
Calgan.  of  Stow  Township,  who  died  at  Mun- 
roe  Falls,  leaving  three  children :  Ru.ssell, 
Claude  and  Maud,  the  two  latter  being  twins. 
Prior  to  entering  the  army  for  service  in 
the  Civil  War,  .Johnston  B.  Kreighbaum  was 
engaged  in  farming  and  in  operating  a  hotel 
at  Green'iburs.  Ohio.     On  Mav  2,  1864.  he 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


297 


was  enrolled  at  Cleveland  as  a  member  of 
Company  H,  lO^ith  Regiment,  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Infantry.  He  wa^  honorably  discharged 
August  27,  1864.  Although  his  sendee  cov- 
ered but  ninety  days,  the  hardships  encoun- 
tered during  this  period  were  the  cause  of  his 
death,  he  having  ruptured  a  blood  vessel.  For 
the  fidelity  and  efficiency  of  his  service  he 
received  the  thanks  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States  and  the  Governor  of  Ohio.  He 
belonged  to  that  portion  of  the  army  that 
operated  effectively  against  Richmond  and 
Petersburg. 

Andrew  Jackson  Kreighbaum  attended  the 
local  schools  through  boyhood  and  prepared 
for  the  profession  he  had  chosen  by  taking 
a  couree  in  the  Cincinnati  Law  School,  where 
be  spent  the  years  of  1890  and  1891.  After 
his  admission  to  the  bar  he  engaged  in  prac- 
tice at  Akron,  retaining  his  residence  in 
Springfield  Township.  He  married  Ella 
Phillips,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Franklin 
and  Christiana  Phillips,  the  latter  of  whom 
is  deceased.  Mr.  Phillips  resides  at  Akron. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kreighbaum  have  four  children, 
namely:  McKee,  aged  fourteen  years; 
Martha,  aged  ten  years ;  Maud,  aged  seven 
years;  and  Claud,  aged  three  years.  Mr. 
Kreighbamu  is  in  a  position  to  give  his  chil- 
dren many  advantages,  both  educational  and 
social. 

While  Mr.  Kreighbaum  has  been  actively 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party  .since  his 
maturity,  he  has  never  been  a  seeker  for  po- 
litical offiqes  or  honors,  but  has  been  a  willing 
wf)rker  for  his  friends.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  order  of  Maccabees,  belonging  to  Union 
Tent  at  Uniontown.  Stark  County.  With  his 
family  he  belongs  to  the  Reformed  Church  of 
Springfield  Town.ship. 

CHARLES  AMMERMAN.  attorney-at-law. 
Barberton,  where  he  has  been  established  since 
1893.  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  this 
village.  Mr.  Ammerman  was  born  near  Mil- 
ler.sburg.  Holme.s  County,  Ohio,  May  4,  1863, 
and  is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Sarah  (Korns) 
Ammerman.  He  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Holmes  County,  and  obtained  his  pri- 


mary education  in  the  district  schools.  Later 
he  attended  the  Millersburg  High  School  and 
then  began  to  teach.  He  remained  six  years 
in  the  local  educational  field,  and  then  he 
taught  three  years  at  Benton,  Ohio,  during 
the  interims  completing  his  education  at  the 
Ohio  Normal  L'niversity,  at  Ada.  He  read  law 
with  Judge  Maxwell  and  Hon.  George  W. 
Sharp,  at  Millersburg,  and  subsequently  at- 
tended the  law  school  at  the  Ohio  State  Uni- 
versity at  Columbus,  being  admitted  to  the 
Ohio  bar,  December  7,  1893.  He  immediate- 
ly located  at  Barberton,  where  he  has  since  en- 
gaged in  practice.  He  was  elected  village 
solicitor  for  two  terms  and  was  then  appointed 
to  the  same  office  by  the  village  council,  and 
served  on  this  occasion  for  a  year  and  a  half. 
He  is  recognized  as  an  able  lawyer  and  ha-? 
been  chosen  on  numerous  occasions  to  man- 
age important  cases  of  litigation. 

On  June  10,  1891,  Mr.  Ammerman  was 
married  'to  Kate  Thompson,  and  they  have 
three  children — Harold,  Helen,  and  Charles, 
Jr.  Mr.  Ammerman's  fraternal  connections 
'  include  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows, the  Elks,  and  the  Independent  Order  of 
American  Mechanics. 

STEPHEN  C.  MILLER,  attorney-at-law, 
at  Barberton.  with  offices  in  the  American  Na- 
tional Bank  Building,  on  the  corner  of  Fourth 
Street  and  Tu.scarawas  Avenue,  enjoys  a  large 
and  lucrative  general  practice,  which  extends 
all  over  Summit  County.  Mr.  Miller  was  born 
at  Hudson.  New  York,  March  1,  1863,  and  is 
a  son  of  Abraham  and  Ann  H.  (Miller)  Mil- 
ler. 

Abraham  Miller,  also  a  lawyer,  practiced 
has  profession  for  some  years  in  New  York, 
and  died  at  Palmyra,  in  that  state,  in  1871, 
at  the  age  of  thirty-three.  His  wife  Ann  still 
survives. 

In  1876  the  subject  of  this  sketch  came  to 
Akron,  Ohio,  to  make  his  home  with  his  un- 
cle. Dr.  S.  H.  Ooburn,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  1881,  in  the  meantime  attending  the 
common  and  High  Schools  of  this  city.  He 
commenced  his  law  reading  in  the  office  of 
Edgerton  &  Kohlcr,  at  Akron,  and  completed 


298 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


his  legal  studies  in  Florida,  to  which  state  he 
went  in  1881.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Flor- 
ida bar  in  1890,  and  practiced  at  Tallahassee 
until  1895.  He  then  returned  to  Akron, 
where  he  practiced  law  until  1901,  and  then 
located  permanently  at  Barberton.  Here  he 
has  taken  part  in  a  large  portion  of  the  im- 
portant business  before  the  various  courts,  and 
has  demonstrated  his  ability  on  many  occa- 
sions. Mr.  Miller  was  married  dn  Florida  to 
Minnie  Beazley,  who  was  reared  at  Monticello, 
Jefferson  County,  Florida,  and  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Judge  William  Beazley,  of  that  place. 
They  have  two  children,  Susie  and  Isbell,  the 
latter  being  named  for  Charles  Isbell,  of 
Akron. 

HON.  GEORGE  W.  SIEBER,  formerly 
state  senator,  serving  in  the  Seventy-fourth 
General  Assembly  of  Ohio,  is  a  leading  mem- 
ber of  the  Akron  bar  and  a  partner  in  the 
prominent  law  firm  of  Grant,  Sieber  &  Mather, 
which,  in  January,  1907,  succeeded  the  firm 
of  Grant  &  Sieber.  Mr. 'Sieber  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1858,  in  Snyder  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah 
(Moyer)  Sieber.  The  Sieber  family  Ls  of 
German  extraction.  Both  parents  of  Senator 
Sieber  were  born  and  reared  in  Pennsylvania. 
In  1868  they  came  to  Summit  County,  where 
the  father  carried  on  a  successful  business  for 
a  number  of  years.     He  died  in  1896. 

In  1876  George  W.  Sieber  was  graduated 
from  the  Akron  High  School.  He  then  took 
a  course  in  Buchtel  College,  afterwards  en- 
tering the  Cincinnati  Law  School,  from  which 
institution  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of 
June,  1882,  carrying  off  first  honors.  In  the 
same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  be- 
gan practice  at  Akron.  On  March  25,  1897, 
he  was  admitted  to  practice  before  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  United  States.  In  1891 
Mr.  Sieber  entered  into  partnership  with  Hon. 
Edwin  P.  Green,  formerly  of  the  Common 
Pleas  Court,  and  Hon.  Charles  R.  Grant, 
formerly  of  the  Probate  Court,  the  new  firm 
assuming  the  .style  of  Green,  Grant  &  Sieber. 
The  death  of  Judge  Green  caased  a  reorgan- 
ization of  the  firm  as  Grant  &  Sieber. 


Prominently  identified  with  Republican 
politics.  Senator  Sieber  has  frequently  been 
invited  to  accept  public  office.  In  1886  he 
was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of  Summit 
County,  and  in  his  official  capacity  acquitted 
himself  during  his  first  term  with  such  credit 
that  he  was  re-elected  and  served  in  the  oflice 
for  six  years,  retiring  in  1893.  In  1899  he 
avas  elected  senator  from  the  Twenty-sixth 
District,  and  when  he  completed  his  term  of 
service  and  returned  to  his  private  practice,  it 
was  with  the  consciousness  of  public  duty  well 
performed. 

On  September  1,  1883,  Senator  Sieber  was 
married  to  Elsie  C.  Motz,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  George  M.  Motz,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Middleburg,  Pennsylvania.  They  have  three 
children:  Joseph  B.,  Florence  S.  and  Ruth. 
The  family  belong  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Mr.  Sieber  is  a  Thirty-second  Degree  Mason, 
and  belongs  also  to  the  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Elks. 

H.  F.  CASTLE,  member  of  the  firm  of 
Felmly  &  Castle,  prominent  attorneys  at  Ak- 
ron, was  born  at  Cuyalioga  Falls,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  son  of  E.  H.  Castle,  who  came  to  Sum- 
mit County  from  New  York,  in  1860,  and  who 
has  been  engaged  in  farming  near  ^luiu'oe 
Falls  ever  since. 

H.  F.  Castle  attended  the  district  schools 
and  spent  four  years  in  the  Cuyalioga  Falls 
schools,  after  Mhich  he  studied  law  at  home, 
and  on  June  1,  1903,  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
He  immediately  located  for  practice  at  Akron 
and  continued  alone  tmtil  1905,  when  the 
present  firm  was  established.  Mr.  Castle  has 
won  his  way  to  the  front  rank  of  his  profes- 
sion by  personal  ability  backed  by  hard 
work,  and  he  has  also  become  a  factor  in 
politics.  He  is  a  Republican  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Akron  County  Board  of  Elections, 
and  is  secretary  of  the  Republican  County 
Executive  Committee.  During  the  Spanish- 
American  War  he  was  a  member  of  Com- 
pany A.  Third  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
which  was  mustered  into  service  in  May, 
1898,  but  was  never  actively  engaged,  spend- 
ing its  whole  term  of  enlistment  in  camp  at 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


Tampa  aud  Key  ^^'est.  The  company  was 
mastered  out  of  the  service  al  Columbus,  in 
November,  1898.  Mr.  Castle  is  a  member 
of  the  Spanish-American  War  Veteran  Asso- 
ciation, and  belongs  also  to  the  Odd  Fellows. 
Religiously,  he  is  afRIiaited  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

T.  W.  WAKEMAN,  attorney,  and  claim 
agent  for  the  Northern  Ohio  Traction  and 
Light  Company,  at  Akron,  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  interests  of  this  city  since  De- 
cember, 1884.  Mr.  Wakeman  was  born  at 
Kendallville,  Noble  County,  Indiana,  in  1866. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  had  already 
completed  the  common  and  High  School 
courses  at  Kendallville,  and  when  twenty-one 
had  commenced  the  study  of  law,  which  he 
prosecuted  in  the  office  of  R.  W.  Sadler,  a 
prominent  attorney  in  Akron  at  that  time. 
Hl5  admission  to  the  bar  took  place  in  March, 
1889,  and  he  continued  with  Mr.  Sadler  un- 
til 1892,  when  he  began  individual  practice, 
retaining  the  same  office.  In  1902  he  became 
claim  agent  for  the  Northern  Ohio  Traction 
and  Light  Company,  the  duties  of  which  posi- 
tion have  since  absorbed  a  large  part  of  his 
time  and  attention.  He  is  interested  also  in 
some  of  Akron's  business  enterprises  and  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  Highland  Park  Land  Com- 
pany. Formerly  he  was  quite  active  in  poli- 
tics, but  he  now'  finds  little  time  to  give  to  any- 
thing outside  his  profession.  Mr.  "Wakeman 
belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythia«.  the  Elks, 
tlie  Elks  Club  and  the  Portage  Country  Club. 

WILLIAM  E.  SNYDER,  attorney,  for- 
merly a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Esgate, 
Spencer  &  Snyder,  of  Akron,  but  now  prac- 
ticing alone,  with  offices  in  the  Hamilton 
Building,  was  born  in  Franklin  Town.ship, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  in  1871,  and  is  a  son 
of  Michael  and  Nancy  (Marsh)  Snyder. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Snyder  was  born  in  Al- 
sace-Lorraine, France,  and  after  emigrating 
to  America,  he  .«ettled  first  in  Springfield 
Town.«hip.  Summit  County,  Ohio,  for  several 
years,  and  then  removed  to  Franklin  Town- 
ship, where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1893. 


having  become  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his 
community.  He  married  Nancy  Marsh,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  George  A.  Marsh,  a  pioneer 
settler  in  the  region  of  Turkey  Foot  Lake,  and 
a  son  of  Adam  George  Marsh,  who  settled 
there  in  1810. 

William  E.  Snyder  was  reared  in  Franklin 
Township,  attending  the  local  schools.  He 
then  took  a  special  course  at  \'alparaiso,  In- 
diana, and  subsequently  spent  one  year  at 
Mt.  Union  College.  He  began  to  teach  sch(X)l 
when  but  seventeen  years  of  age  and  contin- 
ued that  occupation,  with  some  intervals,  for 
the  next  eight  years.  In  1895  he  took  up  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Otis  &  Otis,  hav- 
ing mastered  the  elementary  principles  of  the 
science  while  teaching.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  October,  1898,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  he  located  in  Akron,  and  entered  into 
associatetl  practice  with  Mr.  Kerstetter,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Snyder  &  Kerstetter.  The 
firm  lasted  for  two  years,  after  which  Mr. 
Snyder  practiced  alone  until  1904,  when  the 
pr&sent  firm  of  Esgate,  Spencer  &  Snyder  was 
formed.  Mr.  Snyder  is  somewhat  interested 
in  politics,  but  to  a  larger  degree  in  his  pro- 
fession. In  1894  Mr.  Snyder  was  married  to 
Olive  C.  Kerstetter,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren, namely :  Margaret,  Marion  and  Harold. 
Mr.  Snyder  is  a  member  of  Grace  Reformed 
Church.     Fraternally,  he  is  an  Odd  Fellow, 

HON.  E.  W.  STUART,  senior  member  of 
the  law  firm  of  Stuart  &  Stuart,  ait  Akron,  and 
formerly  probate  judge  of  Summit  County, 
is  a  prominent  citizen  who  is  identified  with 
a  number  of  the  successful  enterprises  of  this 
city.  .Judge  Stuart  was  born  May  9,  1840,  at 
New  Preston,  Litchfield  County,  Connecticut. 
His  parents  settling  in  Erie  County,  Ohio, 
in  1842,  his  boyhood  was  .spent  on  his  fath- 
er's farm.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered 
the  Western  Reserve  College,  having  prepared 
at  the  Huron  Institute  at  Milan,  and  was 
graduated  in  October,  1862. 

For  a  period  of  four  months  he  ser\'ed  in 
the  Civil  War  as  a  member  of  Company  B, 
Eighty-fifth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantrs',  being  stationed  at  Camp  Chase,  Colum- 


300 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


bus,  Ohio.  He  enlisted  in  May,  1862,  and 
was  discharged  on  the  27th  of  the  following 
September  by  reason  of  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  enlistment.  Company  B  was  organ- 
ized at  Hudson,  Ohio,  and  was  composed  of 
students  of  the  Western  Reserve  College,  the 
captain  being  C.  A.  Young,  later  a  noted  pro- 
fessor at  this  institution,  Dartmouth  College, 
and  Princeton  University. 

After  his  army  experience  and  graduation 
from  college,  Mr.  Stuart  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing for  four  years,  during  which  period  he 
was  principal  of  Shaw  Academy,  at  Collamer, 
Ohio,  for  two  years.  In  the  meantime  he  had 
assiduou.?ly  applied  himself  to  the  study  of 
the  law,  and  with  such  success  that  in  1866 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  partnership 
with  Hon.  S.  P.  Wolcott,  at  Kent,  Ohio, 
where  he  continued  until  May.  1870.  He  then 
came  to  Akron  and  formed  a  law  partner- 
ship here  with  C.  P.  Humphrey.  Mr.  Stuart's 
abilities  were  soon  recognized,  and  he  served 
Summit  County  as  prosecuting  attorney  from 
January,  1877  to  1880,  having  previously 
served  as. city  solicitor  of  Akron  from  1871  to 
1877.  In  1890  he  was  elected  to  the  Probate 
Bench  of  Summit  County  and  served  two 
terms,  from  February  9,  1891,  to  February  9, 
1897.  His  work  in  that  position  was  char- 
acterized by  the  same  qualities  which  have 
always  commended  him  to  the  people — great 
industry,  ability  of  a  high  order  and  fear- 
lessness in  the  performance  of  duty.  Since 
retiring  from  the  bench  he  has  been  engaged 
in  the.  practice  of  the  law  with  his  son  at 
Akron.  Pie  is  a  director  in  the  Central  Sav- 
ings &  Tn:st  Company  and  in  the  Permanent 
Savings  and  Loan  Company. 

JudgeStuart  was  married  May  11,  1864,  to 
Harriet  E.  Whedon,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Harvey  Whedon,  a  former  prosecuting  attor- 
ney of  Summit  County,  now  deceased.  They 
have  one  son,  Fred  H.,  a  graduate  of  Buch- 
tel  College,  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1889,  who 
is  practicing  law  in  partnership  with  his 
father.  The  firm  of  Stuart  &  Stuart  having 
offices  at  No.  402  Hamilton  Building, 
handles  a  large  part  of  the  important  litiga- 


tion in  Summit  County.  Judge  Stuart  re- 
sides at  No.  24  Fir  Street,  and  his  son  at  No. 
31  North  Prospect  Street. 

NEWTON  CHALKER,  a  retired  law- 
yer of  Akron,  who  has  been  identified  with 
l)oth  the  business  and  professional  life  of  the 
city  for  a  number  of  years,  is  generally  rec- 
(ignized  as  one  of  Akron's  prominent  men. 
Mr.  Chalker  was  born  at  Southington,  Trum- 
bull County,  Ohio,  September  12,  1842,  and 
is  a  son  of  James,  Jr.,  and  Eliza  J.  Chalker. 

The  Chalker  family  originated  in  England 
and  became  established  about  1640  in  Con- 
necticut, and  in  1805  in  Ohio.  James 
Chalker,  the  grandfather  of  Newton  Chalker, 
was  born  at  Saybrook,  Connecticut,  where  he 
married  Mercy  Norton,  and  with  his  wife  and 
infant  son  he  came  to  the  Western  Reserve, 
locating  in  Southington,  Trumbull  County, 
Selecting  a  location  in  the  midst  of  the  forest, 
he  built  a  cabin  of  logs,  and  entered  upon  a 
pioneer  existence.  He  lived  until  1867,  his 
span  of  life  covering  ninety  years,  and  the 
death  of  his  aged  wife  hut  shortly  preceding 
his  own.  They  reared  thirteen  children — Or- 
rin,  Joseph,  Edmond,  James,  Phoebe,  Anna, 
Polly,  Calvin,  Daniel,  Philander,  Harri.'^on, 
Allen  and  Mercy. 

Ja/mes  Chalker.  Jr.,  the  father  of  Newton, 
was  born  in  Southington,  June  15,  1811.  His 
educational  opportunities  were  confined  to 
three  winter  terms  in  an  old  log  schoolhouse, 
situated  one  mile  east  of  Southington  Center, 
but  by  much  reading  he  became  in  after  years 
iwell  versed  in  history,  and  was  aLso  a  thor- 
ough student  of  the  Bible.  When  a  young 
man  he  purcha.«ed  on  credit  a  tract  of  fifty 
acres  of  woodland,  located  two  miles  west  of 
Southington  Center,  where,  after  years  of 
earnest  labor,  he  established  a  comfortable 
home  for  himself  and  family.  He  eventual- 
Iv  became  one  of  the  largest  land  owners  in 
the  township,  having  added  to  his  original 
property  from  time  to  time.  Mr.  Chalker 
was  married  (first)  to  Eliza  Jane  Hyde,  of 
Farmington,  who  died  in  1849,  leaving  three 
children:  Byron,  who  became  a  farmer,  and 
died  in   Southington  at  the  age  of  fifty-two 


NEWTON  CIIAI.KER 


AND    EEPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


303 


years;  Newton,  subject  of  this  article;  and  Co- 
luimbus,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
years;  another  child,  Benson,  died  in  infancy. 
In  1851  Mr.  Clialker  was  married  (second)  to 
Adeline  Timmerman,  who  was  born  in  the 
state  of  New  York,  and  they  had  two  daugh- 
ters, Mary  Jane  and  Bertha.  The  former 
married  A.  J.  Morris,  a  resident  of  Southing- 
ton,  and  died  in  her  thirty-seventh  year.  The 
latter  beoaine  the  wife  of  Thomas  McConnell, 
a  resident  of  Youngstown,  Ohio.  James 
Chalker  died  September  23,  1893,  having 
passed  his  eighty-second  birthday.  For  years 
he  was  a  pillar  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

Newton  Chalker  attended  the  district 
schools  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age, 
after  which,  for  six  years,  at  irregular  inter- 
vals, he  was  a  student  at  the  Western  Reserve 
Seminary,  West  Farmington,  in  the  mean- 
while becoming  a  very  successful  district 
school  teacher.  Prior  to  enlisting  for  service 
in  the  Civil  War,  in  the.  spring  of  1862,  he 
had  taught  school  in  his  home  neighborhood 
and  at  Braceville,  Southington,  Parkman  and 
Champion,  Ohio,  and.  after  his  return  at 
Litchfield,  ^Michigan.  When  twenty  years  of 
age  he  offered  his  services  in  defense  of  his 
country,  enli.«ting  in  Company  B,  Eighty-sev- 
enth Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
which  Ijelonged  to  the  department  of  the  army 
then  under  the  command  of  General  George 
B.  McClellan.  The  most  important  military 
event  of  his  term  of  service  was  the  protracted 
battle  of  Harper's  Ferry,  in  which  the  Union 
forces  were  captured  by  thase  of  Stonew^all 
Jackson,  the  latter  having  a  very  much  larger 
force.  In  the  fall  of  1862,  on  account  of  the 
expiration  of  its  term  of  enlistment,  the 
Eighty-seventh  regiment  wa=!  mustered  out, 
and  the  members  who  had  survived  its  many 
dangers  returned  to  their  homes,  Mr.  Chalker 
being  one  of  them. 

In  the  spring  of  1863,  Mr.  Chalker  entered 
Allegheny  College,  at  Meadville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  was  graduated  in  June,  1866, 
with  the  degree  of  B.  A.,  later  receiving  that 
of  M.  A.  During  1866-7  he  served  as  prin- 
cipal of  Dixon  Seminary,  at  Dixon,  Illinois, 


and  in  the  year  following  he  accepted  the  su- 
perintendency  of  the  public  schools  at  Dar- 
lington, Wisconsin.  But  while  successful  to 
a  flattering  degree  as  an  educator,  this  was  not 
the  full  extent  of  his  ambition.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1868,  therefore,  after  some  preliminary 
preparation,  he  entered  the  Albany  Law 
School,  and  in  1869  he  was  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  B.  L.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion at  Cameron,  Missouri,  where  he  remained 
until  1874.  He  then  returned  to  Ohio,  in  the 
summer  of  that  year  locating  in  Akron,  since 
which  time  this  city  has  been  his  home. 

Mr.  Chalker  continued  actively  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  law  until  1894,  when  he  began 
to  give  the  greater  part  of  his  attention  to 
his  other  large  and  varied  interests.  He  was 
one  of  he  founders  of  the  Peoples'  Savings 
Bank  at  Akron,  and  of  the  Savings  Bank  at 
Barberton,  owning  a  large  amount  of  stock, 
and  serving  on  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
fonner  institution.  He  owns  a  large  amount  of 
property,  including  a  farm  adjoining  South- 
ington, which  he  now  makes  his  legal  resi- 
dence. He  has  purchased  and  improved  a 
number  of  tracts  in  Summit  County,  several 
of  these  being  new  additions  to  Akron, 
notablv  that  choice  residence  section  known 
as  North  Hill. 

After  giving  up  his  law  practice,  Mr. 
Chalker,  in  1895-6,  made  a  busy  trip  around 
the  globe,  having  previou.sly  visited,  by  pref- 
erence, almost  everj'  interesting  portion  of  his 
own  land.  Among  the  countries  he  visited  on 
this  trip  were  Ireland,  England,  Scotland, 
France,  Belgium,  Germany,  Switzerland. 
Italy,  Greece,  Syria,  Palestine,  Eg^^pt,  Nubia, 
India,.  Burmah.  China,  Japan  and  our  own 
Sandwich  Islands,  in  all  of  which  he  found 
much  to  interest  a  man  of  cultured  mind. 

Mr.  Clialker  is  identified  politically  with 
the  Republican  party.  Since  1892  he  has 
ben  a  member  of  Buckley  Post,  Grand  Army, 
of  the  Republic,  and  has  sensed  as  its  com- 
mander. One  of  his  di.stin,guishing  charac- 
teristics Is  his  civic  pride  in  regard  to  .Ak- 
ron, and  another,  his  tender  memory  of  the 
old  home  where  he  was  reared,  and  of  the  lo- 


304 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


cality  with  whicli  his  parents  and  grandpar- 
ents were  so  closely  identified.  The  old  Meth- 
odist Church  in  which  they  worshipped  has 
profited  many  hundreds  of  dollars  by  his 
bounty  in  the  past  few  yeai-s.  There  is  also 
just  being  completed  at  Southington  the  New- 
ton-Chalker  High  School,  which  Mr. 
Chalker  has  erected  at  a  cost  of  $20,000,  and 
which  was  donated  by  him  to  the  Board  of 
Education,  the  donation  ceremonies  taking 
place  on  August  22,  1907-.  His  charities  have 
always  been  large,  their  full  extent  being 
known  only  to  himself.  Ilis  acquaintance  is 
extensive,  and  his  friendships  include  individ- 
uals of  taste,  learning  and  culture,  all  over 
the  world. 

HENRY  MARCELLUS  HAGELBARGER, 

prosecuting  attorney  of  Summit  County, 
sen-ing  his  second  term,  was  born  at  the  ham- 
let of  Spring  Mountain,  Coshocton  County, 
Ohio,  December  2,  1887,  ^'ou  of  Henry  and 
Louise    (RaJey)    Hagelbarger. 

The  late  Henry  Hagelbarger  was  a  farmer  of 
,  Monroe  Township,  Coshocton  County,  serving 
several  terms  as  a  justice  of  the  peace.  For  three 
yeare  in  the  Civil  War  he  was  a  faithful  sol- 
dier in  the  Union  army,  first  as  a  member  of 
Company  A,  Sixteenth  Regiment,  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  in  which  he  enlisted  April 
24,  1S61,  for  three  months.  He  enlisted  Sep- 
tember 18,  1861,  in  Company  I,  Fifty-first 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  being  a 
sergeant  of  said  company,  and  was  trans- 
ferred November  18,  1862,  to  Battery  H, 
Fifth  Regiment',  United  States  Artillery,  and 
was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
He  died  March  25,  1895.  His  widow  sur- 
vives. 

H.  M.  Hagelbarger  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  secured  his  primary  educational  training 
in  the  local  schools.  Me  taught  school  three 
tern.s,  and  later  attended  the  Ohio  Northern 
University  at  Ada,  subsecjuently  studying  law 
in  the  law  office  of  ex-Lieutenant-Governor 
A.  W.  Jones,  at  Youhgstown,  Ohio.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1892,  he  came  to  Akron  to  accept  the 
position  of  official  stenographer  for  the  courts 
of  Summit  County,  to  which  he  was  appointed 


l)y  tiie  late  Judge  A.  C.  ^'o^is,  and  which  he 
acceptably  filled  for  seven  and  a  htdf  years. 
Having  been  admitted  to  the  bar  in  October, 
1897,  he  resigned  this  position  and  began  the 
practice  of  law  in  September,  1899,  having  his 
law  office  with  that  of  Attorneys  Young  & 
Wanamaker.  In  politics  Mr.  Hagelbarger  is  a 
Republican.  In  November,  1901,  he  was  elected 
prosecuting  attorney  of  Summit  County,  tak- 
ing the  office  in  January,  1902.  In  the  fall 
of  1904  he  was  re-elected.  In  February,  1902, 
he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  ■  N.  0. 
Mather,  under  the  Hi-m  name  of  Hagelbarger 
&  Mather,  which  continued  three  years,  and 
wlien  it  was  dis.solved,  Mr.  Hagelbarger  moved 
his  office  to  the  court  hou.se. 

On  September  10,  1895,  Mr.  Hagelbarger 
was  married  to  Martha  May  Jones,  daughter 
of  William  H.  and  Sarah  (Mustill)  Jones,  of 
iVkron.  They  have  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters,'viz. :  Paul  Raley,  Ralph  Henry,  Martha 
Louise  and  Sara.  The  family  attend  tlie 
Greece  Methodist  EpLscopal  Church  ait  Akron, 
Mr.  Hagelbarger  being  a  member  of  its  board 
of  trustees.  He  is  a  Thirty-second  Degree 
Mason,  is  a  past  master  of  Adoniram  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  for  three  years  has  been  dis- 
trict lecturer  for  the  Twenty-first  Masonic  Dis- 
trict. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Sons  of 
Veterans,  and  in  1902  was  Junior  ^^ice  Com- 
mander of  the  Ohio  Division  of  the  Sons  of 
Veterans,  and  is  at  present  Division  Coun- 
.selor. 

HON.  JACOB  ADAMS  KOHLER,  presi- 
dent of  the  People's  Savings  Bank,  at  Akron, 
;uid  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Kohlcr, 
Kohler  &  Mottinger,  with  offices  in  the  Ar- 
cade Building,  has  been  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  business  and  professional  life 
of  this  city,  and  also  with  the  public  affairs 
of  this  .-section  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Kohler  was  born 
in  Berks  County,  Penn-^ylvania,  August  15, 
1885,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary 
(Slanker)  Kohler. 

When  the  subject  of  thi.s  sketch  was  an  in- 
fant his  parents  moved  to  Franklin  Town.ship, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  he  obtained  hi< 
education  in  the  district  .schools  of  that  lucal- 


HON.  JACOB  A.  KOIILER 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


305 


ity  and  at  Lodi  Acadeiav.  In  early  manhood 
he  letu-ned  the  cabinet-maker'^  trade,  but  later 
turned  his  attention  to  the  law,  for  which  he 
prepared  under  Attorney  N.  W.  Goodhue,  at 
Akron,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1859. 
During  many  of  the  years  spent  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  he  AVius  alone,  but  at 
other  times  was  in  partnership,  first  with  Hon. 
Sidney  Edgerton,  later,  RoUin  W.  Sadler,  and 
vStill  later,  with  Hai'vey  Musser,  all  once  lead- 
ing members  of  the  Summit  County  bar. 
Judge  Kohler  served  two  terms,  from  1868 
to  1872,  as  i^rosecuting  attorney  of  Summit 
County.  In  1880  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  State  Legislature,  serving  until  1885; 
from  1886  until  1888,  he  served  as  attorney- 
general  of  Ohio,  and  in  November,  1895,  he 
was  elected  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Plea*,  for  Medina,  Lorain  and  Summit  Coun- 
ties. He  proved  an  able  judge  and  retired 
from  the  bench  with  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  all  those  familiar  with  the  able  manner  in 
which  he  had  performed  his  duties. 

Judge  Kohler  has  been  more  or  less  inter- 
ested in  building  and  improving  for  some 
years.  In  1882,  in  association  w-ith  his  friend, 
the  late  Russell  A.  Alger,  then  of  Detroit, 
Michigan,  but  formerly  of  Akron,  he  erected 
the  Arcade  Block  in  this  city,  a  five-story 
structure  on  Howard  Street,  which  is  the  larg- 
est and  most  modern  of  all  the  city's  build- 
ings devoted  to  bu.sine.ss  purposes.  He  owns 
a  large  amount  of  property  in  this  section  and 
is  continually  adding  to  its  value  by  improv- 
ing it. 

Judge  Kohlerwas  married  May.  16,  1860,  to 
Frances  H.  Coburn,  who  is  the  only  child  of 
the  late  Dr.  Stephen  H.  Coburn,  one  of  Ak- 
ron's capitalists,  whose  estate  is  managed  by 
the  judge. 

Judge  and  Mrs.  Kohler  have  been  the  par- 
ents of  two  children — Hurlbut  Stephen, 
born  January  20.  1868,  and  George  Coburn, 
born  November  17,  1870,  both  graduates  of 
Yale  College.  Judge  Kohler  owns  an  impos- 
ing residence  at  No.  315  East  Market  StrcOt. 

EDWIN  .F.  VORIS,  a  prominent  attorney 
at  .\kron.  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  \'oris. 


X'aughan  &  A'aughan,  with  offices  in  the  Dob- 
son  i^lock,  was  born  July  31,  1855,  at  Ak- 
lon,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  General  Alviu 
C.  and  Lydia  (AUyn)  Voris.  He  was  grad- 
uated in  1872  from  the  Akron  High  School, 
and  in  the  following  September  entered  Buch- 
tel  College,  where  he  was  graduated  June  30, 
1875.  He  entered  the  Harvard  Law  School, 
at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  and  was  grad- 
uated there  June  27,  1877.  Early  in  the  fol- 
lowing October  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  first  located  for  prac- 
tice at  St.  Louis,  being  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  the  state  of  Missouri,  and  was  associated 
there  with  the  well  known  law  firm  of  J.  M. 
and  C.  H.  Crum,  from  June,  1878,  until 
Febiiiary,  1879.  Upon  his  return  to  Akron, 
ho  entered  into  partner.ship  with  his  father. 
General  Alvin  C.VorLs,  under  the  firm  name  of 
A^oris  and  Voris,  which  association  continued 
until  General  Voris  was  called  to  the  Common 
Pleas  Bench.  Mr.  Edwin  F.  Voris  then  en- 
tered into  partnership  with  Charles  Baird, 
w;ith  whom  he  practiced  for  about  three  years. 
Upon  the  death  of  the  late  John  C.  Means, 
Mr.  Voris  was  appointed  to  fill  out  the  unex- 
pired term  as  jn-osecuting  attorney,  and  faith- 
fully and  efficiently  performed  the  duties  of 
the  office  from  Mav,  1886,  until  January, 
1887. 

On  October  21,  1879,  Mr.  Voris  was  mar- 
ried to  Lizzie  U.  Slade,  of  Columbus,  Ohio. 
Their  family  numbere  five  children — Lydia, 
William  S.,  Elizabeth,  Edwin  F.,  Jr.,  and 
Marion.  Politically  Mr.  Voris  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  but  has  never 
sought  political  honors.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Akron  Board 
of  Education.  He  is  interested  in  the  Sons 
of  A'eterans,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
Camp  27.  of  that  Society. 

EDWARD  H.  BOYLAN,  senior  member 
of  the  well-known  law  firm  of  Boylan  & 
Brousc,  located  at  No.  23  Doyle  Building, 
Akron,  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  in 
1875,  and  is  a  son  of  Edward  Boylan,  form- 
erly a  railroad  man  of  that  section.  Mr.  Boy- 
lan wn<  left  an  or])haM  when  he  was  a  child 


306 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


of  but  ten  year.--.  To  be  placed  face  to  face 
with  the  most  serious  problems  of  life  in 
early  childhood  is  a  htird  fate,  and  the  boy 
who  meets  such  a  situation  with  a  brave  heart 
and  has  the  courage  and  ambition  to  conquer 
fortune  in  spite  of  such  initial  difficulties,  well 
deserves  success.  Mr.  Boylan  first  learned 
telegraphy,  working  during  the  summers,  but 
attending  school  in  the  winters.  He  thus  ac- 
quired the  means  to  take  two  years  in  the 
literary  department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan.  He  then  resumed  telegraphic 
work,  reading  the  jareliminary  principles  of 
law  in  his  leisure  time,  and  when,  in  1900, 
he  had  secured  sufficient  capital,  he  became 
a  student  of  huv  at  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan. From  this  institution  he  was  subse- 
quently graduated,  and  w-as  admitted  to  the 
Michigan  bar.  He  later  returned  to  Ohio 
and,  after  taking  the  necessary  examination 
in  his  native  state,  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  its  courts,  and  soon  after  entered  the  law 
office  of  Dayton  Doyle.  He  continued  io  prac- 
tice alone  until  October  8,  1903,  when  he 
entered  into  his  present  partnership  with  Ed- 
win W.  Brouse,  under  the  firm  name  of  Boy- 
lan &  Brouse. 

Politically  Mr.  Boylan  is  a  Republican,  and 
takes  a  lively  interest  in  public  matters  and 
city  affairs.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  an 
Odd  Fellow,  a  Knight  of  Pythias,  a  Macca- 
bee,  and  a  AVoodman,  in  all  these  organiza- 
tions being  valued  for  his  bright  and  helpful 
qualities.  He  belongs  also  to  the  Masonic 
Club,  and  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Akron. 

F.  B.  TIIEISS,  vice-president  and  executive 
officer  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Akron, 
and  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Wadsworth,  besides  being  a  well-known  law- 
yer, is  one  of  the  leading  financiers  of  this 
section  of  Ohio,  and  is  identified  with  many 
successful  business  enterprises,  both  in  Akron 
and  in  other  jiarts  of  Summit  County.  He 
was  born  in  Northampton  Township,  Sum- 
mit County.  Ohio,  in  1866,  and  is  a  son  of 
Christian  Theiss,  a  native  of  Germany. 

The  venerable  parents  of  Mr.  Theiss  both 


reside  in  Northampton  Township.  They  were 
both  born  in  Germany  and  after  emigrating, 
resided  for  a  time  in  Pennsylvania,  coming 
to  Sunnnit  County  in  1855.  In  maidenhood, 
his  mother  was  Charlotte  Noe.  She  has 
reached  her  seventieth  year,  while  her  hus- 
'band  is  seven  yeai-s  her  senior.  They  live  re- 
tired on  their  .farm  and  are  respected  and 
esteemed  in  their  community. 

F.  B.  Theiss  completed  the  ordinary  public 
school  course  in  his  native  township  and  then 
entered  Buchtel  College,  where  he  remained 
for  four  and  one-half  years.  He  then  began 
to  read  law  with  the  firm  of  Oviatt  &  Allen, 
and  in  1888  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He 
continued  with  the  same  legal  firm  for  five 
years,  and  then  opened  an  office  of  his  own. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Summit  County  Bar 
Association.  In  addition  to  his  above-named 
interests,  Mr.  Theiss  is  a  director  in  the  Amer- 
ican Sewer  Pipe  Company  and  the  American 
Strawboard  Company,  and  as  stockholder  and 
director,  is  interested  in  many  other  prosper- 
ing concerns.  In  1889  Mr.  Theiss-was  mar- 
ried to  Addie  Smith,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
John  Smith,  of  Northampton  Township. 
They  have  one  child,  Ruth.  Mr.  Theiss  is  a 
member  of  the  First  Church  of  Christ,  at  Ak- 


HON.  ALVIN  COE  ABORTS.  Among  the 
distinguished  sons  of  Summit  County  whose 
memories  are  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  its 
best  citizens,  and  whose  gallant  deeds  are  re- 
corded on  the  page  of  our  country's  history, 
few,  if  any,  occupy  a  more  honorable  place 
than  he  whose  name  staaids  at  the  head  of  this 
biography. 

General  Voris  was  born  in  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  April  27,  1827.  His  father,  .Judge 
Peter  Voris,  was  for  many  years  one  of  the 
best  known  citizens  of  the  county — a  man  of 
high  standing  in  his  profession  and  promi- 
nent in  public  life.  Elected  county  surveyor 
in  184.3,  Peter  Voris  succassfully  performed 
its  duties  /or  the  full  term  of  three  years,  and 
in  1847  was  chosen  one  of  the  two  represent- 
atives which  Summit  County  was  in  that  year 
entitled  to  in  the  State  Legislature,  his  col- 


AND    REPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


301 


league  beiug  Captain  Anio?  Seward,  of  Tall- 
inadge.  In  1850  he  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Ford  associate  judge  of  the  Court  of 
Connnon  Pleas,  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned 
hy  the  resignation  of  Judge  Samuel  A.  Wheel- 
er, which  office  he  held  until  the  new  consti- 
tution went  into  effect,  in  February,  1852. 

Alvin  G.  Voris  was  given  a  liberal  educa- 
tion at  Twinsburg  Institute  and  at  Oberlin 
College.  Having  his  father's  taste  for  a  pro- 
fessional career,  he  studied  law,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  on  June  20,  1853.  He  had 
jireviously  been  deputj'  county  clerk  for  about 
two  years,  and  had  also,  from  1851  to  August, 
1852.  jierformed  the  duties  of  probate  judge, 
to  which  office  Charles  G.  Ladd  had  been 
elected  under  Summit  County's  new-  constitu- 
tion. Judge  Ladd's  health  never  permitted 
liini  to  a.ssume  the  duties  of  this  office,  and 
young  "V'oris  was  apjiointed  deputy  clerk  by 
him  and  ver\'  acceptably  performed  the  pro- 
liate  business  of  the  county  until,  upon  the 
judge's  death,  his  successor  was  elected. 

From  this  time  on  Mr.  Voris  went  steadily 
forward.  He  soon  became  noted  as  one  of  the 
alil&st  members  of  the  bar,  and  in  1859  he 
was  elected,  in  connection  with  Judge  Sylves- 
ter H.  Thompson,  of  Hudson,  to  represent 
Summit  County  in  the  State  Legislature.  In 
this  body  he  .served  until  1860. 

The  serious  condition  of  public  affairs,  and 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  AVar.  brought  many 
changes  to  people  in  every  walk  of  life.  Laj'- 
ing  aside  for  the  time  being  all  personal  am- 
liition  with  respect  to  his  profession,  Mr. 
"\'ori.s  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Twenty- 
ninth  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
which  was  being  recruited  by  Major  Lewis  P. 
Buckley  for  the  three  years'  service.  "Before 
the  oi'ganization  was  completed,  however, 
Governor  William  Dennison  tendered  him  a 
second  lieutenant's  commission,  with  author- 
ity to  recruit  men  for  an  entirely  new  regi- 
ment. The  recruits  secured  by  him  were 
finally  consolidated  ■with  others,  raised  in 
other  portions  of  the  state,  into  the  Sixty- 
seventh  Regiment,  with  Otto  Burstenbinder  a.s 
colonel  and  A.  C.  Voris  as  lieiitenant-colonel. 

The  Sixty-seventh  was  mustered   into  the 


service  at  Camp  Chase,  December  22,  1861, 
and  b\'  January  19th  being  ready  for  active 
duty,  was  sent  into  the  field  in  Western  Vir- 
ginia. March  22,  1862,  it  reported  to  Gen- 
eral Banks,  at  Winchester,  Virginia,  and  on 
the  following  day,  Lieutenant-colonel  Voris 
being  in  full  command,  had  its  first  brush 
with  the  enemy,  "driving  the  opposing  forces 
till  past  midnight  as  far  south  as  Kearnstern.'' 
Early  on  the  morning  of  the  24th  it  was  called 
to  engage  the  enemy  under  Stonewall  Jack- 
son, being  the  first  regiment  to  enter  the 
fight. 

Being  ordered  to  support  a  battery  of  artil- 
lery, the  regiment,  under  the  impetuous  lead 
of  Colonel  Voris,  crossed  an  open  field,  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile,  on  a  double-quick,  exposed 
to  the  enemy's  fire,  the  Colonel  forming  his 
men  on  the  left  of  General  Tyler's  brigade, 
within  point-blank  range  of  a  rebel  batteiy 
protected  by  a  stone  w'all."  While  engaged 
in  arranging  his  men  Colonel  Voris  was 
wounded  in  the  thigh,  but  supported  by  two 
of  his  men,  he  seized  the  colors  and  started  for- 
ward. After  giving  the  enemy  two  or  three 
volleys  he  ordered  a  charge,  which  was  made 
with  such  vigor  and  impetuosity  that  the 
enemy  broke  and  fled,  this  being  one  of  the 
very  few  instance.?  on  which  Stonewall  Jack- 
son was  discomforted  in  his  brilliant  military 
career.  The  Sixty-seventh  lost  in  this  battle 
fifteen  killed  and  thirty-two  wounded. 

After  some  heavy  marching  the  regiment 
was  ordered  to  reinforce  the  army  of  General 
McClellan  on  the  James,  and  on  June  26  em- 
barked on  the  steamer  Herald  and  the  barge 
Delaware,  before  the  end  of  their  journey  be- 
ing in  great  peril  from  a  severe  storm,  during 
which  the  hawser  connecting  the  barge  and 
steamer  parted,  lea\'ing  the  barge  at  the 
mercy  of  the  wind  and  waves.  Men,  hoi-ses 
and  equipment  were  wa.«hed  overboard  and 
lost.  The  rescue  of  the  survivors  was  largely 
due  to  Colonel  Voris,  who  wa*  himself  on  the 
liarge,  and  who  lost  all  his  military  trappings. 

The  Sixty-seventh  remained  with  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  until  the  evacuation  of  the 
Peninsula  in  December,  1862,  when  it  was 
transferred   to   North   Carolina,   and   thence. 


308 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


February  1,  1863,  to  Hilton  Head,  South 
Carolina,  where  they  endured  all  the  dangers 
and  privations  of  the  siege,  sustaining  a  heavy 
loss  in  the  disastrous  assault  on  Fort  Wagner, 
July  18,  1863.  In  this  engagement  Colonel 
Voris  was  seriously  wounded  in  the  side, 
wliich  necessitated  his  return  home  for  rest 
and  recuperation. 

At  the  end  of  sixty  days  Colonel  Voris  re- 
joined his  regiment,  which,  in  February, 
1864,  re-enlisted  as  veterans  and  returned  to 
Ohio  on  furlough.  Early  in  May,  1864,  the 
regiment  joined  General  Butler's  forces  at 
Bermuda  Hundred,  and  on  the  8th  was  sent 
to  guard  the  left  flank  of  the  Tenth  Corps, 
while  destroying  the  railroad  from  Chester 
Station  to  Petersburg.  On  the  19th  they  liad 
a  desperate  encounter  with  the  enemy,  los- 
ing sixty-seven  officers  and  men  in  killed  and 
wounded,  but  holding  their  ground  against 
four  successive  charges.  For  their  conduct  on 
this  day  Colonel  Voris  and  his  command  were 
highly  complimented  by  General  Terry,  the 
Colonel  being  recommended  for  promotion  as 
a  brigadier-general  of  volunteers.  The  rest 
of  the  history  of  this  regiment  to  the  close  of 
the  war  was  one  of  glory  and  honor.  May 
20,  1864,  in  a  magnificent  charge  on  the 
enemy's  lines,  the  Sixty-seventh  lost  sixty-nine 
officers  and  men  killed  and  wounded,  but  ac- 
complished the  object  of  the  charge — to  re- 
cover a  portion  of  our  lines  which  had  been 
captured  by  the  rebels.  In  this  engagement 
the  rebel.  General  W.  H.  S.  Walker  was  cap- 
tured. Colonel  Voris  relieving  him  of  his 
sword,  which  he  afterwards  retained  as  a 
trophy.  In  Augu.«t,  at  Deep  Bottom,  four 
companies  of  the  Sixty-seventh  lost  nearly 
one-third  of  their  men  in  a  charge  on  the 
enemy's  rifle-pits,  which,  however,  they  cap- 
tured before  the  rebels  could  reload  their 
guns.  During  that  year  the  regiment  was  un- 
der fire  200  times,  and,  it  wsos  said  by  White- 
law  Reid,  that  "out  of  600  muskets  taken  to 
the  front  in  the  .spring,  three-fifths  were  laid 
aside  during  the  year  on  account  of  cas- 
ualties." 

In  the  spring  nf  186^  the  Sixty-seventh  was 
actively  engaged  until  the  collapse  of  the  re- 


bellion. Its  record  shows  gallant  service  at 
Fort  Gregg,  Petersburg,  April,  where  Colonel 
Voris  was  the  first  Union  officer  to  enter  the 
fort,  and  at  Appomattox,  where  the  Colonel 
received  a  wound  in  the  left  arm  from  a  frag- 
ment of  a  rebel  shell.  "Brevetted  Brigadier- 
General  in  1864,  and  Major-General  in  1865, 
on  the  close  of  hostilities  General  \'oris  was 
assigned  to  command  the  politico-military 
district  of  South  Anna,  Virginia,  and,  with 
his  regiment,  to  perform  garrison  and  police 
duty.  For  six  months  and  more  the  general 
performed  the  arduous  and  perplexing  duties 
of  the  position  so  satisfactorily  to  all  parties 
as  to  call  forth  the  following  commendatory 
notice  from  the  Charlottesville  Daib/  Chron- 
icle, of  strong  rebel  proclivities:  'General 
Voris  has  conducted  himself  in  command 
here  in  the  kindest  and  most  considerate  man- 
ner, and  has  shown  himself  an  energetic, 
faithful,  and  just  oflicer.  He  leaves  with  the 
be.st  wishes  of  our  people.'  " 

From  the  close  of  his  army  service  until 
the  end  of  his  life,  which  closed  July  28, 
1904,  General  Voris  was  actively  engaged  in 
professional  work,  and  he  was  honored  by  an 
election  to  the  Common  Pleas  Bench,  for 
Summit,  Medina,  and  Lorain  Counties,  No- 
vember 4,  1890.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1873,  in  the 
deliberations  of  which  he  bore  a  conspicuous 
and  honorable  part. 

On  .lune  20,  1853,  Judge  Voris  married 
Lydia  Allyn,  who  died  March  16,  1876,  leav- 
ing three  children,  namely:  Edwin  F..  now 
senior  member  of  the  well-known  law  firm 
of  Voris,  Vaughan  &  Vaughan,  of  .Akron; 
Lucy,  who  became  the  Avife  of  Charles  Baird; 
and  B&ssie  C,  who  married  William  T.  Saw- 
ver.  General  Voris  married,  for  his  second 
wife,  February  21,  1882,  Mrs.  Lizzie  H.  Kel- 
ler, a  daughter  of  the  late  .Judge  C.  G.  Ladd. 
Mrs.  Voris  who  survives  her  distinouished 
husband,  resides  on  Diagonal  Road,  Perkins 
Hill,  Akron. 

HON.  NEWELL  D.  TIBBALS,  senior 
member  of  the  law  firm  of  Tibbals  &  Frank, 
at  Akron,  formerlv  state  senator,  and  judge 


HON.  NEWELL  D.  TIBBALS 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


311 


of  the  Court  of  Common  Plea^,  has  heen  a 
])roiiiiiK'nt  factor  in  public  affairs  in  Sumnut 
County  for  many  years.  lie  is  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  was  born  at  Doerfield,  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  September  18,  1.SM;>,  and  is  a 
son  of  Alfred  M.  and  Martha  (Sweni)  Tib- 
bals. 

The  parents  of  Jud.ne  Tibbals  were  pioneers 
in  Portage  County.  The  fatlur  wius  born  in 
Massachusetts  and  the  mother  in  New  Jersey, 
a,nd  both,  in  their  youth,  had  accompanied 
older  members  of  the  family  to  this  section, 
where  the  whole  of  their  subsequent  lives  iwcre 
])a.ssed.  They  were  among  the  early  founders 
of  the  Methodi.st  Episcopal  Church.'  They  bo- 
came  people  of  substance  and  reared  their  chil- 
dren in  comparative  comfort. 

Newell  D.  Tibbals  completed  his  education 
in  1853  at  McLain  Academy,  then  a  noted 
.school  at  Salem,  Ohio.  Two  years  of  contin- 
uous study  of  the  law  prepared  him  for  ad- 
mittance in  1855  to  the  bar,  and  he  entered 
upon  practice  at  Akron.  In  1860  he  was 
elected  prosecuting  attorney,  and  two  year.^ 
later  he  was  re-elected,  and  in  1865  he  was 
elected  city  solicitor,  being  the  first  incum- 
bent of  that  office.  While  advancing  thus 
rapidly  in  his  profession,  he  was  also  becom- 
ing a  valuable  factor  in  the  Republican  party, 
which  was  proven  by  his  election  as  state  sen- 
ator to  represent  Portage  and  Summit  Coun- 
ties, and  his  subsequent  service  in  tlie  notable 
sessions  of  1866  and  1867.  In  1875  he  was 
called  to  the  bench,  being  elected  judge  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas,  for  the  second  sub- 
division of  the  Fourth  Judicial  District  of 
Ohio,  to  which  honorable  position  he  was  re- 
elected in  1880.  Judge  Tibljals  continued  to 
alJy  perform  his  official  duties  until  the 
spring  of  1883,  when  he  resigned  in  order  to 
•levote  his  attention  to  the  active  practice  of 
law. 

Judge  Tibbals  was  married  Octolicr  22, 
1856,  to  Lucy  A.  Morse,  l)orn  at  Randolph, 
Portage  Countv,  Ohio,  Julv  9,  1835,  who  died 
at  Akron,  October  28,  1894.  She  was  a  lady 
of  beautiful  Christian  character  and  ininimer- 
ablc  virtues.  An  admirable  Tuotber  and  lov- 
ing wife,  her  heart  was  so  largi'  tliat  her  gen- 


tle ministrations  went  out  to  all  who  were 
unhappy  or  in  need  in  any  circle. 

She  was  at  the  head  of  many  charitable 
organizations,  both  during  the  Civil  War  and 
subsequently,  and  was  the  founder  of  many 
benevolent  enterprises,  which  still  prosper  and 
remember  her  with  affection  and  admiration. 
Judge  Tibbals  and  wife  had  seven  children 
and  the  following  still  survive:  JMrs.  Martha 
A.  Day,  Mrs.  Jessie  A.  Hoover,  Mrs,  Gier- 
trude  A.  Stanley,  Newell  L.  and  Ralph  Waldo. 

i\.lthough  Judge  Tibbals  has  always  been  a 
man  with  laudable  ambitions,  he  has  never 
permitted  the  high  honors  conferred  on  him 
to  close  his  eyes  to  loyalty  to  his  country,  in- 
terest in  his  city  or  devotion  to  his  home.  In 
1864  he  .served  as  sergeant  in  Company  F, 
164th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  Later  he  was  commiissioned  by 
Governor  John  Brough  'as  major  of  the  Fifty- 
fourth  Battalion,  Ohio  National  Guard.  In 
1886  he  was  appointed  judge  advocate  for  the 
Department  of  Ohio,  G.  A.  R.,  and  in  1890 
was  reappointed  and  made  aide-de-camp  to 
Commander-in-Chief  R.  A.  Alger;  also  was 
on  the  staff  of  Commander-in-Chief  R.  B. 
Brown  in  1906.  Since  the  close  of  the  Civil 
War  he  has  constantly  interested  himself  in 
the  affaii-s  of  Buckley  Post,  No.  12,  G.  A.  R., 
at  Akron,  and  in  1894  was  elected  its  com- 
mander. In  that  year  he  was  the  Post's  rep- 
resentative at  the  National  Encampment  held 
at  Pittsburgh,  Penn.sylvania.  Since  1887  he 
has  been  associated  in  the  practice  of  law  with 
Mr.  J.  C.  Frank. 

HON.  HENRY  C.  SANFORD,  an  able 
member  of  the  Summit  County  bar,  and  one 
of  Akron's  most  entei-prisinsi-  citizens,  is  a 
con.spicuous  example  of  the  value  of  self-help, 
through  which  only  he  has  attained  his  ]ires- 
ent  position  in  life.  He  was  born  at  I'oitland. 
Maine,  September  11,  1833. 

His  father,  John  Sanford,  was  a  native  of 
Maine  and  an  inventive  genius,  being  granted 
several  patents,  among  whicli  were  those  for 
a  fanning  mill,  straw  board,  a  journal  for 
reducing  friction,  a  pulley  power,  a  tide  mill 
fonc  of  the  most   novel)    and  several  others 


312 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


that  came  into  practical  use.  He  married 
Pri.<cilla  Delano,  by  whom  he  had  nine  chil- 
dren. The  Delanos  are  of  Huguenot  ances- 
try, and  are  descended  from  the  family  of 
that  name  from  which  came  General  Grant. 
The  first  of  them  to  come  to  this  country  made 
the  passage  in  the  sailing  vessel  "Fortune/' 
landing  at  Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  where 
the  mother  of  the  .subject  of  this  sketch  was 
born. 

When  he  wiis  but  nine  years  old,  Henry  C. 
Sanford's  father  died,  and  from  that  time 
until  reaching  the  age  of  eighteen  he  made 
his  home  with  a  brother,  at  Manchester,  New 
Hampshire.  During  his  .school  days  he  not 
only  kept  up  with  his  classes  in  the  Kendall 
Academy,  but  entered  upon  an  apprenticeship 
in  the  Manchester  Locomotive  AVorks.  When 
eighteen  years  old  he  came  to  Ohio.  For  a 
number  of  years  thereafter  he  followed  rail- 
roading, increasing  his  knowledge  and  receiv- 
ing steady  promotion  until  he  was  one  of  the 
most  capable  engineers  to  be  found  on  any  of 
the  various  systems.  In  the  latter  part  of  his 
railroad  career  he  was  located  for  some  time 
at  Kent,  Ohio,  as  engine  dispatcher  for  the 
Erie  Railroad.  He  also  had  charge  of  ordi- 
nary repairs  on  locomotives  at  that  point.  Dur- 
ing his  career  as  a  railroad  man  he  encoun- 
tered many  dangers  and  had  many  trying  ex- 
perienc&s.  One  such  occurred  near  Plymouth. 
when  he  wa.s  engineer  for  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  road,  which  in  these  days 
might  have  aaou  him  a  Carnegie  medal.  It 
was  a  daring  act  which  endangered  his  own 
life,  to  run  his  train  into  another  for  the  pur- 
pose of  crippling  it,  and  thus  prevent  it  from 
being  engulfed  at  Crooked  Creek,  where  he 
had  discovered  the  bridge  had  been  wa.«hed 
away. 

Before  giving  up  railroading  Mr.  Sanford 
had  procured  books  and  begun  the  study  of 
law.  Every  spare  moment  was  taken  advan- 
tage of.  Sometimes  he  might  have  been  seen 
sitting  on  the  foot-board  of  his  engine  with  a 
law  book  in  his  hand.  His  determined  efforts 
were  rewarded  by  .success.  He  completed  the 
study  of  his  chosen  profession  at  tlie  law- 
school   of  the  Universitv  of  Michigan.   .\nn 


^Vrbor,  where  he  was  a  student  for  one  year 
preceding  his  admission  to  the  bar.  When 
he  came  to  Akron,  in  1870,  he  was  already 
recognized  as  an  able  attorney,  and  since  then 
he  has  botli  added  largely  to  his  professional 
reputation  and  has  also  served  in  public  life 
with  conspicuous  success.  Elected  prosecuting 
attorney,  he  served  in  that  important  office  in 
1S7.3  and  1874,  and  in  1879  and  1880  as  city 
solicitor.  Not  content  with  thLs,  his  fellow- 
citizens  .still  further  showed  their  appreciation 
of  his  ability  and  trustworthiness  by  electing 
him  to  the  State  Legislature,  in  which  he 
served  two  full  terms,  covering  the  years  from 
1888  to  1891,  inclusive.  He  is  still  engaged 
in  the  active  practice  of  law,  having  an  office 
in  Room  1,  Arcade  Block,  Akron. 

Aside  from  his  law  practice  and  public 
service,  Mr.  Sanford  has  ever  been  a  useful 
and  public-spirited  citizen.  He  has  been  per- 
sonally connected  with  the  promotion  of 
many  worthy  business  enterprises,  whose  suc- 
ce.«s  has  contributed  largely  to  the  prosperity 
of  the  city.  He  was  one  of  the  two  promoters 
of  the  Peoples'  Savings  Bank,  and  for  some 
years  a  member  of  its  board  of  directors.  In 
the  fall  of  1907  he  organized  the  Commercial 
Savings  Bank  of  Akron,  with  a  capital  .stock 
of  $100,000.00,  which  institution  is  located  in 
the  building  owned  by  him,  at  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Exchange  Streets. 

Mr.  Sanford  was  married,  January  10,1857, 
to  Emily  J.  Fairchild,  of  Amher.st,  Lorain 
County,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Sanford  died  March  6, 
1890,  having  borne  her  husband  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  AVilliam  H.,  a  graduate  of  the 
Cincinnati  Law  School,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business  in  Akron;  Burton  L,  who 
is  now  deceased;  and  May  F.,  who  for  the 
past  five  years  has  had  charge  of  the  art  de- 
partment at  Buchtel  College. 

WILLIAM  T.  VAUGHAN.  a  member  of 
the  prominent  law  firm  of  Voris,  Vaughan  & 
Vaughan,  of  Akron,  Ohio,  was  born  in  Cov- 
entry Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  in 
1860,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Catherine 
Vaughan,  who  was  married  in  Ireland,  in 
1848.     His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Cath- 


AND    REPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


313 


urine  Callahan.  The}-  eauie  to  America  from 
Ireland  in  the  same  year,  and  to  Sunnnit 
County  in  1849,  and  engaged  in  farming  in 
Coventry  Township  in  1850,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death  in  1892.  His  wife  Catherine 
died  in  1884.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in 
local  politics  and  was  well  and  favorably 
known  in  his  locality.  They  reared  a  family 
of  seven  sons,  namely :  Maiuice,  who  is  con- 
nected with  the  freight  department  of  the  B. 
it  0.  Railroad  Company,  at  .Vkron;  Timothy, 
residing  on  the  old  farm;  Thomas,  who  was 
a  graduate  of  St.  Charles,  Md.,  died  in  1892; 
William  T.,  who  is  a  middle  member  of  the 
law  firm  of  Voris,  Vaughan  &  A'aughan ;  Cor- 
nelius, who  is  a  foreman  of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich 
Company ;  Richard,  re-siding  on  the  old  farm, 
and  John  R.,  wlio  is  the  jmiior  member  of  the 
la^^•  firm  of  Voris,  Vaughan  &  Vaughan. 

William  T.  Vaughan  spent  his  boyhood 
days  on  a  farm,  and  was  educated  at  Buchtel 
College,  Akron,  and  the  Ohio  Northern  Uni- 
versity. He  taught  in  the  public  schools  in 
Summit  County  for  fourteen  years.  He 
.studied  law  in  the  law  office  of  Watters  and 
Phelps,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Oc- 
tober, 1894.  He  is  interested  in  politics  and 
in  1884  was  elected  clerk  of  Coventry  Town- 
ship. In  1898  he  was  appointed  member  of 
the  Board  of  Control  of  the  Akron  Public  Li- 
brary, and  is  at  present,  1907,  president  of 
said  board.  He  was  married  to  Mary  Doherty 
in  1897  at  Hudson.  Ohio,  and  they  have  four 
children — Wilola,  Francis,  Eldred  and  Wil- 
liam T.,  Jr.  Mr.  Vaughan  and  family  be- 
long to  the  Catholic  Church,  and  he  belongs 
to  the  order  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

JOHN  R.  VAUGHAN,  a  member  of  the 
prominent  law  firm  of  Voris.  Vaughan.  & 
Vaughan,  of  Akron,  was  born  in  Coventry 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  in  1869, 
and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Thomas  Vaughan.  He 
was  reared  in  his  native  township,  where  he 
attended  school,  after  which  he  was  for  some 
time  a  student  at  Buchtel  College.  He  then 
taught  for  two  years  in  the  public  schools, 
and  subsequently  entered  the  Northern  Ohio 
University  at  Ada.  where  he  completed  his  lit- 


ertu-y  education.  He  then  engaged  in  the  in- 
surance busines  tis  general  agent  for  the 
Union  Central  Life  Insurance  Company,  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  which  position  he  resigned 
to  accept  a  position  with  C.  T.  Parks,  under- 
taker, and  remained  with  him  for  three  years. 
Almost  immediately  on  entering  into  business 
life  he  'began  to  take  an  interest  in  politics, 
and  was  soon  appointed  deputy-sheriff,  which 
position  he  filled  for  three  yeai-s,  when  he 
resigned  to  take  charge  of  the  Akron  District 
Telegraph  Company.  He  was  with  this  con- 
cern but  a  short  time  when  he  was  appointed 
justice  of  the  peace,  in  November,  1900,  to 
serve  out  the  unexpired  term  of  E.  J.  Hard. 
In  the  meanwhile  he  had  begun  the  study  of 
law  with  the  firm  of  Vaughan  &  Phelps,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  December,  1902. 
He  immediately  began  practice  with  his 
brother,  under  the  style  of  Vaughan  & 
Vaughan,  the  firm  being  expanded  later  by 
the  admission  of  Edwin  F.  Voris,  when  the 
present  style  of  Voris,  Vaughan  &  Vaughan 
was  adopted.  In  addition  to  his  law  practice, 
which  is  considerable,  Mr.  Vaughan  has  large 
farming  interests,  and  is  one  of  the  lead'ug 
citizens  of  this  section. 

He  was  married,  June  28,  1905,  lo  Mrs. 
Margaret  Anne  (Kennedy)  Nelan.  He  is  a 
member  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul's  Callioli'; 
church,  and  is  fraternally  connected  with  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Maccabees,  and  An- 
cient Order  of  Hibernians. 

HON.  CHARLES  G.  LADD,  once  promi- 
nent in  the  professional  and  social  life  of 
Akron,  and  the  first  probate  judge  ever  elected 
in  Summit  County,  was  born  June  22,  1822, 
at  Rutland,  Vermont.  He  came  to  Akron  in 
the  spring  of  1840.  his  sister  being  already 
a  resident  of  this  city,  and  the  wife  of  General 
Lucius  V.  Bierce.  He  was  a  young  man  of 
ability,  but  was  largely  dependent  upon  his 
own  efforts,  and  by  serving  as  a  deputy  to  the 
United  States  marshal  at  Akron,  he  earned 
enough  money  to  enable  him  to  complete  his 
education  at  the  Western  Reserve  College. 
After  adequate  study  in  the  office  of  General 
Bierce,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1845, 


314 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  \va.'<  takoii  iiitn  partnership  by  his  brother- 
in-law,  under  the  lirm  name  of  Bierce  and 
Ladd.  In  the  fall  of  1851,  he  was  elected 
probate  judge  of  Summit  County,  but  his 
health  was  then  failing  and  the  duties  of  the 
ofiice  were  aceordingiy  delegated  to  Alvin  C. 
A'oris,  who  was  made  liis  deputy,  and  who 
f^erved  as  such  until  the  lamented  death  of 
Judge  Ladd,  July  30,  1852. 

Judge  Ladd  was  married  July  12,  1845,  to 
Hannali  Ermina  Williams,  who  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Barnabas  "\Mlliams,  one  of  the  founders 
of  Akron,  Ohio.  They  had  three  children, 
namely:  Walter  C,  Lizzie,  and  Emma  E. 
^^"alter  C.  Ladd,  born  June  21,  1843,  was  mar- 
ried December  23,  1869,  to  Genevra  F.  Oviatt. 
and  died  in  1902.  Lizzie,  now  residing  on 
Diagonal  Road,  Perkins  Hill,  Akron,  is  the 
widow  of  the  late  GJen.  A.  C.  Voris.  She  is  a 
lady  of  social  prominence  in  this  city  and  is 
a  charter  member  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
I-tev'olution.  Emma  E.,  the  youngest  daugh- 
ter, is  the  -widow  of  Albert  J.  McMeil,  who  died 
July  10,  1873.  She  has  one  child,  Grace  E., 
Avife  of  C4eorge  B.  Merrill,  who  is  connected 
with  the  Robinson  Clay  Product  Company. 
They  have  t-wo  children — Henry  and  James. 

Judge  Ladd  died  while  Ijut  at  the  entrance 
of  what  promised  to  be  a  brilliant  and  useful 
career.  He  served  one  term  as  mayor  of 
Akron,  and  almost  every  office  of  trust  and 
responsibility  was  within  his  gra.^p. 

HON.  R.  M.  AVANAMAKER,  attorney  of 
Akron,  was  born  at  North  Jackson,  Mahoning 
County,  Ohio,  son  of  Daniel  anl  Laura  (Scho- 
enberger)  W^anamaker.  He  completed  his 
literary  education  at  the  Ohio  Nonnal  Uni- 
versity, at  Ada,  Ohio.  He  began  the  study  of 
law  under  Ridenour  tt  Halfhill,  of  Lima,  in 
the  fall  of  1891  entered  the  law  depailment 
at  Ada  University,  and  was  graduated  there- 
from in  the  spring  of  1893,  being  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  Mai'ch  of  the  same  year.  He  came 
to  Akron  in  September,  1893,  and  in  October 
folloAving  the  firm  of  Young  &  Wanamaker 
A\as  established.  In  1895  Mr.  Wanamaker 
v.'as  elected  prosecuting  attorney    of    Summit 


County.  He  i-  a  ujember  (it  !!:<■  Stale  liar 
Association,  and  of  several  fraternal  order.-. 
In  1906  he  was  elected  to  the  ottice  of  the 
Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  the 
district  composed  of  Summit,  Medina  and 
Lorain  Counties.  Judge  Wanamaker  was  a 
very  successful  lawyer  and  ably  filled  the  of- 
fice of  prosecuting  attorney  for  two  terms, 
and  during  this  time  he  reinesented  the  state 
in  the  celebrated  case  of  the  State  of  Ohio 
against  Cottell  for  murder,  and  also  prose- 
cuted a  large  number  of  indictments  for  riot, 
growing  out  of  the  great  riot  and  destruction 
of  proj^erty  that  occurred  in  the  city  of  Ak- 
ron. He  has  entered  now  upon  the  discharge 
of  his  duties  as  Common  Pleas  Judge  a. id 
hi(l~  to  become  as  successful  in  that  office  as 
he  was  in  the  office  of  prosecuting  atloniry. 

HON.  C.  R.  GRANT,  senior  member  of  the 
law  firm  of  Grant,  Sieber  &  Mather,  at  Akron, 
and  for  se^veral  terms  probate  judge  of  Sum- 
mit County,  though  >a  resident  of  Ohio  since 
1864,  was  born  in  Nesv  Haven  County,  Con- 
necticut, October  23,  1846.  When  a  school 
boy  of  only  fifteen  years,  he  demonstrated  his 
patrioti.sm  and  manly  cjualities  by  enlis-ting 
in  the  service  of  his  eountry,  being  accepted, 
although  so  A'oung,  as  a  member  of  the 
Twelfth  Regiment  of  Connecticut  Volunteer 
Infantry.  He  was  later  a.'Nsigned  as  beai-er 
of  dispatches  for  se\-eral  of  the  noted  officers 
of  the  Union  army  in  the  Civil  War,  among 
them  General  B.  F.  Butler  and  Creneral  Banks, 
serving  on  the  staff  of  the  latter  general  until 
October,  1863,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged and  returned  to  Connecticut. 

In  April,  1864,  Mr.  Grant  .settled  on  a  farm 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
where,  during  his  leisure  moments,  he  pre- 
pared for  college  by  pi'ivate  study,  and  in 
September,  1868,  he  entered  the  freslnnan 
class  of  tlie  Western  Reserve  College,  at  Cleve- 
land. A  brilliant  student,  he  was  graduated 
at  the  head  of  his  class,  which  consisted  of 
eighteen  members,  dn  1872.  receiving  valedic- 
torian honors.  For  the  two  following  years 
he  was  engaged  in  the  .^udy  of  law  under  the 
supen'ision  of  Judge  N.  D.  Tibbals,  ai  Akron, 


HON.  C.  R.  (iRAXT 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


317 


and  in  1874  lie  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Close 
attention  to  study  had  somewhat  impaired  his 
health,  and,  therefore,  he  wisely  returned  for 
_a  Avhile  to  the  invigorating  life  of  the  farm. 
In  1876  Mr.  Grant  entered  into  partnership 
with  H.  B.  Foster,  of  Hudson,  and  in  the  fall 
of  that  year  the  law  firm  of  Foster,  jMar\in  & 
Grant  was  organize  '  and  continued  in  busi- 
ness at  Akron  until  Sej^tember  16,  1883. 
This  congenial  association  was  then  dissolved, 
owing  to  the  junior  member  being  appointed 
probate  judge  of  Summit  County  by  Governor 
Foster,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death 
of  Judge  Goodhue.  Twice  afterward,  in  1884, 
and  in  1887,  Judge  Grant  was  elected  to  the 
bench  and  served  through  the  w-hole  period, 
acquitting  himself  with  credit,  and  never  for- 
getting thait  he  was  entrusted  with  the  admin- 
istration of  an  office,  not  only  of  honor,  but 
of  grave  responsibilit}".  He  returned  to  his 
private  practice,  with 'many  friends  botli  on 
the  bench  and  bar.  His  present  offices,  with 
(he  firm  of  Grant,  Sieber  &  ]\lather,  are  in  the 
Dobson  Building. 

Judge  Grant  was  married  (first)  October  9, 
1873,  to  Frances  J.  Wadhams,  who  died  Sep- 
tember 14,  1874.  He  married  (second),  No- 
vember 9,  1876,  Lucy  J.  Alexander,  who  died 
June  8,  1880,  lea\ing  one  child,  Frances  Vir- 
ginia, who  was  born  September  24,  1877.  The 
third  marriage  of  Judge  Grant  took  place  Au- 
gust 19.  1S91.  U)  Ida  Schick,  by  whom  he  has 
two  sun-iving  children,  Louise  E..  and  lone. 

WILLIAM  E.  YOUNG,  of  the  firm  of  Al- 
len, Waters,  Young  and  Andress,  attorneys, 
of  Akron,  was  born  at  Mount  Hope,  Holmes 
County.  Ohio.  February  3,  1863,  son  of  Mat- 
thias and  Catherine  (King)  Young.  In  1882 
he  entered  the  Ohio  Normal  L'nivei-sity  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1888.  He  .studied 
his  profession  in  the  law  department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  and 
was  graduated  in  1892.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  March,  1892,  and  on  January  1, 
1893,  opened  a  law  office  in  the  Pflueger 
Block,  on  Howard  Street,  Akron.  In  October, 
1893.  he  formed  a  partnei-ship  with  Mr.  Wana- 
niaker.     In  April.  1897.  he  was  clectid  mayor 


of  Akron.  November  1,  1906,  Mr.  Young 
assumed  his  present  firm  relationship,  as  above 
noted. 

WILLIAM  T.  SAWYER,  attorney,  of 
Akron,  was,  born  in  Springfield  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  December  1,  1862,  son 
of  Robert  V.  and  Martha  Ann  Sawyer.  After 
liis  father's  death,  which  occurred  in  ]\larch, 
1877,  he  accompanied  his  mother  to  Akron. 
He  spent  two  years  in  the  city  schools  and 
two  years  in  the  preparatory  department  of 
Bucbtel  College,  and  was  then  admitted  to  the 
college  proper,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  June,  1887.  After  some  time  spent  in 
travel,  he  began  to  read  law  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  firm  of  Kornie  and  Caldw^ell.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Tennessee  in  May, 
1888,  and  then  returned  to  Akron.  Here  he 
further  pui-sued  the  study  of  law  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bai-  of  Ohio  in  June,  1890,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  active 
and  .successful  practice  of  his  profession.  Mr. 
Sawyer  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city  of  Ak- 
ron, in  the  fall  of  1907,  after  a  very  spirited 
contest  and  his  term  of  otfice  will  begin  in 
January,    1908. 

SAMUEL  G.  ROGERS,  a  member  of  the 
law  firm  of  Rogere,  Rowley  and  Rockwell,  of 
Akron,  was  born  in  this  city,  November  6, 
1865,  son  of  Jaseph  M.  and  Sarah  J.  (Gray- 
bill)  Rogers.  In  1885  he  entered  the  law  of- 
fice of  Judge  U.  L.  Marvin  to  begin  the  study 
of  liis  profession.  After  being  graduated 
with  honors  from  the  Cincinnati  Law  School 
in  1887,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  lie- 
gan  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Akron. 
In  1892  he  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney 
of  Summit  County,  in  which  office  he  .sensed 
efficiently  for  three  years.  He  has  since  con- 
tinued in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  is 
now  a  conspicuous  figure  at  the  Summit 
County  bar.  He  is  one  of  the  attorneys  for 
the  Northern  Ohio  Traction  and  Light  Com- 
pany and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
successful  and  efficient  trial  lawyers  in  the 
countv. 


318 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


GEORGE  G.  ALLEJSI,  attorney,  of  Akron, 
member  of  the  law  firm  of  Allen,  Waters, 
Young  and  Andre.ss,  was  born  in  Granger, 
Medina  County,«Ohio,  August  26,  1855.  He 
was  graduated  from  the  Akron  High  school 
in  1S73,  and  began  the  study  of  law  in  the 
offices  of  John  J.  Hall  and  Edward  Oviatt. 
He  then  took  a  six  months'  course  in  the  law 
dqaartment  of  Michigan  Univereity,  at  Ann 
Ax'bor,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bai'  at  Akron 
in  August,  187(i.  He  began  practice  in  as- 
sociation witli  Edward  Oviatt  under  the  firm 
name  of  Oviatt  and  ^Vllen,  and  has  since  built 
up  a  very  successful  practice.  He  has  taken 
an  active  part  also  in  business  and  public  af- 
fairs, and  in  1883  was  for  a  short  time  acting 
mayor  of  Akron. 

HON.  DAYTON  A.  DOYLE,  judge  of  the 
Common  Pleas  Court,  was  born  in  Akron,  Sep- 
tember 27,  1856.  He  was  graduated  from  the 
Higli  scJiool  in  June,  1874,  and  from  Buehtel 
College,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  June  26, 
1878.  After  reading  law  for  one  year  in  the 
office  of  attornej'-general  Jacob  A.  Kohler, 
lie  entered  the  Cincinnati  Law  school,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  May  26,  1880,  wdth 
the  degree  of  ]^L.  B.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ohio,  at 
Columbus,  May  27,  1880,  and  to  practice  in 
the  United  States  Courts,  at  Cleveland,  May 
26,  1882.  In  1885  he  opened  a  law  office  in 
Akron,  l)eing  'a.-^sociated  as  a  partner  with 
Frederick  C.  Bryan,  Esq.  In  April  of  that 
year  be  was  elected  city  solicitor,  and  he  was 
re-elected  to  that  office  in  April,  1887,  ef- 
liciciitlv  jxTforming  its  duties  for  four  years. 
Up  to  tlic  time  of  his  elevation  to  the  bench. 


he  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful attorneys  practicing  in  Akron. 

FRANK  D.  CASSIDY  was  born  January 
29,  1849,  at  Peninsula,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
son  of  William  P.  and  Caroline  M.  (Kohler) 
Cassidy.  After  some  exinerience  in  mercan- 
tile business,  he  began  the  study  of  law  in 
1877  with  the  firm  of  Edgerton  &  Kohler,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  March,  1879.  He 
has  since  j^racticed  his  profession  in  Akron 
and  has  made  a  reputation  as  an  able  attor- 
ney. He  married,  in  1878,  Miss  Sarah  J. 
Francis,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Francis. 

NATHAN  MORSE,  ESQ.,  was  born  at 
Union,  Tolland  Countj^,  Connecticut,  Novem- 
ber 2,  1848;  he  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
graduated  from  Amherst  College  in  1874. 
He  studied  law  with  Senator  George  F.  Hoar 
and  at  Boston  University;  and  on  examina- 
tion was  admitted  to  the  Suffolk  (Boston) 
bar  in  1875.  After  being  a  short  time  in 
Holyoke,  Mass.,  lie  located  at  New  Hartford, 
Conn.,  in  1876,  and  in  -June  of  that  year  he 
married  Miss  Ellen  AVhite,  of  South  Hadlev 
Falls,  Mass.  In  April,  1882,  he  moved  to  Ak- 
ron, where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  the 
succes-;ful  practice  of  the  law.  He  has  been 
closelv  identified  with  The  People's  Savings 
Bank  Company,  as  stockholder,  director,  and 
its  attorney  since  about  the  time  of  its  organi- 
zation. During  all  his  Akron  life,  he  has 
been  connected  with  the  First  Congregational 
Church.  Has  been  twice  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Council  of  that  body,  and  is  now  the 
registrar  of  Puritan  Conference  of  the 
churches  of  that  denomination. 


CHAPTER  XX 


STATISTICS 


Population     of     Akron      (ceu^us     of 

1900)   42,728 

State  rank  of  Akron  according  to  jjop- 

ulation 7 

National  rank  of  Akron  according  to 

population 87 

Valuation  of  Akron's  proijerty  ac- 
cording to  general  tax  dupli- 
cate   $22,(3-14,670.00 

Miles  of  paved  streets  in  Akron '60 

Miles  of  sanitary  sewers  in  Akron ...  75 

It  is  interesting  to  compare  the  neighbor 
cities  of  Youngstown  arid  Canton  in  respect 
to  the  last  two  items.  Youngstown  has  seven- 
teen miles  of  paved  streets  and  fifty-four  miles 
of  sanitary  sewers.  Canton  haa  eighteen  miles 
of  paVed  streets  and  thirt3'-five  miles  of  san- 
itary sewers. 

The  sixth  census — that  of  1840 — does  not 
give  the  population  of  Akron.  Summit 
County  is  given  22,560.  At  that  time  Cleve- 
land had  6,071 ;  Steubenville,  4,247 ;  Zanes- 
ville.  4,766;  and  Chillicothe,  3,977. 


Census 
of  1850 

Bath 1,400 

Boston   1,180 

Coplev   1,541 

Coventry    1,299 

Franklin   1,674 

Green   1,928 

Hudson    1,457 

Northampton 1,147 

Northfield   1,474 

Norton 1,346 

PortaiTc 1,160 

Akron    3,266 

Richfield   1.268 


nsus 
1860 
1,165 
1,202 
1,323 
1,368 
1,820 
1,885 
869 
972 
1.340 
1,524 
1,328 
3,477 
1.053 


Springfield 1,907  1,815 

Stow 1,701  994 

Tallmadge    2.4513  1,086 

Twinsburg 1,281  1,141 

Cuyahoga  Falls l,51o 

Middlebury 710 

ORDINANCES    OF    THE    CITY    OK    AKRON. 

Book  219,  page  253. 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  Cmui- 
cil  of  the  City  of  Akron,  Ohio,  that  as  the 
inhabitants  of  said  City  generally  desire  to 
enlarge  the  corporate  limits  of  said  City  by 
the  annexation  of  the  following  territory,  to 
wit: 

Situated  in  the  Township  of  Coventry, 
County  of  Summit,  and  State  of  Ohio,  be- 
ginning at  a  point  in  the  pre.sent  south  line 
of  the  Corporation  of  Akron,  180  feet  ea-t 
of  the  center  line  of  Brown  street,  which  cen- 
ter line  is  also  the  west  line  of  Lot  No.  5, 
Tract  9,  Coventry  Township,  and  said  Vje- 
ginning  point  is  also  595.65  feet  south  of 
the  north  line  of  said  Lot  5,  and  center  line 
of  South  street;  Thence  south  0°  55'  west 
2082.95  feet  to  a  point  in  the  south  line  of 
said  lot  5,  180  feet  east  of  the  southwest  cor- 
ner thereof;  Thence  south  1°  west  1004.70 
feet  to  a  point  180  feet  east  of  the  west  line 
of  Lot  6,  in  said  Tract  9.  Thence  south  89" 
36'  wesit  11712.87  feet  to  a  point  in  Lot  No. 
7,  Tract  2,  Coventry  Township;  Thence 
north  0°  39'  30"  east  42157.45  feet  to  a  point 
in  the  north  line  of  Coventry  Township; 
Thence  nearly  east  along  said  north  line  of 
Coventry  Township  2090  feet  to  a  corner  of 
Coventry  Township;  Thence  east  along  the 
north   Hne  of  Coventry    Township    2430.50 


320 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT   COUNTY 


feet  to  a  point  in  the  west  line  of  the  corpo- 
ration of  jVkron  ;  Thence  south  2940  feet  along 
said  west  line  to  the  southwest  corner  of  said 
corporation;  Thence  nearly  east  2900  feet 
along  the  center  of  Crosier  street ;  it  being  the 
Ijresent  south  line  of  said  corporation  and 
about  82"  58'  east  437  feet  to  a  point  in  the 
center  line  of  Main  Street;  Thence  north 
19"  48'  east  about  235  feet  along  the  center 
line  of  Main  street  and  line  of  said  corpora- 
tion ;  Thence  nearly  east  5230  feet  along  the 
south  lino  of  said  corporation  to  the  begin- 
ning. The  courses  here  given  as  true  merid- 
ian. 

KSituated  in  the  Township  of  Ponage, 
County  of  Summit,  and  State  of  Ohio,  begin- 
ning at  a  point  in  the  Portage  Path  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  Tract  No.  5,  Coventry 
Township;  Thence  west  along  the  south  line 
of  Portage  Township  278.97  feet ;  Thence 
north  0"  39'  30"'  east  14486.65  feet  to  a  point 
in  Lot  No.  10,  west  of  the  Portage  Path  in 
Portage  Township;  thence  south  89°  13'  30" 
east  6362.87  feet  to  a  point  in  the  east  line  of 
the  towing  path  on  the  east  side  of  the  Ohio 
Canal ;  Thence  along  said  east  line  of  said 
towing  path  the  following  courses  and  dis- 
tances; north  2°  31'  30"  west  685.30  feet; 
north  13°  18'  30"  west  225.00  feet;  north  6" 
12'  30"  west  1343.40  feet;  Thence  leaving  .said 
towing  path  and  running  north  89°  33'  30" 
(>ast  (3075  feet  to  a  point  in  the  east  line  of 
Lot  No.  3,  in  Tract  3,  Portage  Township; 
Thence  along  the  line  between  lots  Nos.  3  and 
4  in  Tract  3,  and  lots  Nos.  4  and  5  in  Tract  6, 
smith  0°  18'  30"  west  1978.50  feet  to  the  cen- 
ter line  of  Tallmadge  avenue;  Thence  along 
the  east  line  of  Lot  22,  in  tract  6,  and  the 
same  continued  south  0°  57'  30"  west  4018 
feet  to  a  point  in  the  line  between  Tracts 
Nos.  6  and  7 ;  Thence  south  89°  51'  west  504 
feet  to  the  east  line  of  the  corporation  of 
Akron  in  Tract  6;  Thence  along  the  present 
east  line  of  said  corporation  in  Tract  6,  north 
1 907.75  feet  to  a  corner  of  said  corporation ; 
Thence  running  nearly  west  9180  feet  along 
the  present  north  line  of  said  corporation  in 
Trncts  6  and  5  to  the  jiresont  northwest  cor- 
ner of  said  corporation;  'l'iicnc(>  ninirly  sdutb 


104.30  feet  along  the  present  west  line  of  said 
corporation  to  the  south  line  of  Portage 
Township;  Thence  west  along  the  south  line 
of  Portage  Township  2430.50  feet  to  a  point 
in  the  Portage  Path;  Thence  southerly  along 
said  Portage  Path  and  along  a  line  of  Portage 
Township  2090  feet  to  the  beginning. 

The  courses  here  given  are  true  meridian. 

This  Ordinance  passed  August  14,  1899. 
An  ordinance  accepting  the  application  of 
the  City  of  Akron  for  the  annexation  of  ter- 
ritory above  described  was  passed  by  Akron 
City  Council,  April  23,  1900.  Instrument 
dated  April  26.  1900.  Received  April  27, 
1900.  at  1:10  p.  m. 

Book  219,  page  616. 

An  Ordinance  autliorizing  the  annexation 
of  certain  contingent  territory  to  the  City  of 
Akron.  The  following  described  territory  is 
herebv  authorized  to  be  annexed,  to  wit: 

The  part  of  Lot  11,  W.  P.  P.  in  the  Town- 
ship of  Portage,  Sunnnit  County,  Ohio,  and 
bounded  and  described  as  follows: 

l^eginning  at  a  point  in  the  west  corpora- 
tion line  of  the  City  of  Akron,  where  said 
corporation  line  intersects  the  north  line  of 
Portage  Park  Allotment  as  recorded  in  Plat 
Book  7,  page  50,  Summit  County  Records  of 
Plats;  Thence  west  along  the  north  line  of 
said  allotment  in  Mull  Avenue,  and  along  a 
continuation  of  said  north  line  due  west  to 
the  center  of  West  Exchange  street,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  1421.60  feet;  Thence  south- 
easterly along  the  center  line  of  West  Ex- 
change street  to  its  intersection  with  the  west 
corporation  line  of  the  city  about  1931.40 
feet;  Thence  north  along  the  west  corpora- 
tion line  of  said  City  of  Akron  about  1336.50 
feet  to  the  place  of  beginning,  containing 
about  twenty-two  acres  of  land,  twelve  acres 
of  which  land  is  a  part  of  the  Portage  Park 
Allotment  and  6.41  acres  of  said  22  acres 
subject  to  public  streets  surrounding  it  as  set 
apart  for  a  public  park. 

Passed  November  17,  1902.  Ordinance 
passed  by  Citv  Council  of  Akron,  Ohio,  to 
accept  the  annexation  of  the  above  premises 
to  the  City  of  Akron,  pas.sed  April  20.  1903. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


821 


Instrument   dated  Mav   1,     1903.      Received 
May  4,  1903,  at  10:50  a.  m. 

THE   TREATY   OF  FOKT   Si'lXTOSH   IN    1785. 

On  the  21.^t  of  January,  1785,  George 
Rogei'.-i  Clark,  Riehard  Butler  and  Arthur  Lee 
met  a  body  of  Indian.s  at  Fort  Mclnto.sh,  who 
asserted  them.*elve.s  to  be  repre.-ientative.-;  of 
the  Wyandot.*,  Delaware^,  Chippewas  and 
Ottawas.  The  document  they  signed  on  that 
occaiiion  and  known  afterward  as  the  Treaty 
of  Fort  Mcintosh  is  in  the  word.s  and  figures 
following : 

"The  Commissioners  Plenipotentiary  of  the 
United  States  in  Congress  assembled,  give 
peace  to  the  Wyandot,  Delaware,  Chippewa 
and  Ottawa  nations  of  Indians,  on  the  follow- 
ing conditions: 

Article  1.  Three  chiefs,  one  from  among 
the  Wyandot  and  two  from  among  the  Dela- 
ware nations,  shall  be  delivered  up  to  the 
commissioners  of  the  United  States,  to  be  by 
them  retained  till  all  the  prisoners,  white  and 
black,  taken  by  the  said  nations,  or  any  of 
them,  shall  be  restored. 

Article  2.  The  said  Indian  nations  do  ac- 
knowledge themselves  and  all  their  tribes  to 
lie  under  the  protection  of  the  United  States, 
and  of  no  other  sovereign  whatever. 

Article  3.  The  boundary  line  between  the 
United  States  and  Wyandot  and  Delaware 
nations,  .shall  begin  at  the  mouth  of  the 
River  Cuyahoga,  and  run  thence  up  the  said 
river  to  the  portage  between  that  and  the 
Tuscarawas  branch  of  Muskingum,  then  down 
the  said  branch  to  the  forks  at  the  crossing 
place  above  Fort  Lawrence;  then  westerly  to 
the  portage  of  the  Big  Miami,  which  runs 
into  the  Ohio,  at  the  mouth  of  which  branch 
the  fort  stood  which  was  taken  by  the  French 
in  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty-two; 
then  along  the  said  portage  to  the  Great  Mi- 
ami or  Ome  River,  and  down  the  southeast 
side  of  the  same  to  its  mouth ;  thence  along 
the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  to  the  mouth  of 
Cuyahoga,  where  it  began. 

Article  4.  The  United  States  allot  all  the 
lands  contained  within  the  said  lines,  to  the 


\\'yandot  and  Delaware  nations,  to  live  and 
to  hunt  on,  and  to  such  of  the  Ottawa  nation 
as  now  live  thereon ;  saving  and  reserving  for 
the  establishment  of  trading  posts,  six  miles 
square  at  the  mouth  of  Miami  or  Ome  River, 
and  the  same  at  the  portage  on  that  branch 
of  the  Big  Miami  which  runs  into  the  Ohio, 
and  the  same  on  the  Lake  of  Sanduske  where 
the  fort  formerlj-  stood,  and  also  two  miles 
square  on  each  side  of  the  lower  rapids  of 
Sanduske  River,  which  posts,  and  the  lands 
annexed  to  them,  shall  be  to  the  use  and  un- 
der the  Government  of  the  United  States. 

Article  5.  If  any  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  or  other  person  not  being  an  Indian, 
shall  attempt  to  settle  on  any  of  the  lands  al- 
loted  to  the  Delaware  and  Wj^andot  nations 
in  this  treaty,  except  on  the  lands  reserved  to 
the  United  States  in  the  preceding  article, 
such  person  shall  forfeit  the  protection  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  Indians  may  punish 
him  as  they  please. 

Article  6.  The  Indians  who  sign  this 
treat}',  as  well  in  behalf  of  all  their  tribes  as 
of  themselves,  do  acknowledge  the  lands  east, 
south  and  we.st  of  the  lines  described  in  the 
third  article,  so  far  as  the  said  Indians  former- 
ly claimed  the  same,  to  belong  to  the  L'nited 
States ;  and  none  of  their  tribes  shall  presume 
to  settle  upon  the  same  or  any  part  of  it. 

Article  7.  The  post  of  Detriot,  with  a  dis- 
trict beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Ro- 
sine,  on  the  west  end  of  Lake  Erie,  and  run- 
ning we.st  six  miles  up  the  southern  bank  of 
the  said  river,  thence  northerly  and  always  in 
six  miles  west  of  the  strait,  till  it  strikes  the 
Lake  St.  Clair,  shall  be  also  reserved  to  the 
sole  use  of  the  United  States. 

Article  8.  In  the  same  manner,  the  post 
of  Michillimachinac  with  its  dependencies  and 
twelve  miles  square  about  the  same,  shall  be 
reserved  to  the  use  of  the  United  Stat<.\«. 

Article  9.  If  any  Indian  of  Indians  shall 
commit  a  robbery  or  murder  on  any  citizen 
of  the  United  States,  the  tribe  to  which  such 
offenders  may  belong,  shall  be  bound  to  de- 
liver them  up  at  the  nearest  past,  to  l^e  pun- 
i-hfd  according  to  the  ordinances  of  the 
United  States. 


322 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Article  10.  Tlie  commissioners  of  the 
United  States  in  pursuance  of  the  humane 
and  H'beral  views  of  Congress,  upon  this 
treaty's  being  signed,  will  direct  goods  to  be 
distributed  among  the  different  tribes  for 
their  use  and  comfort. 

Separate  Article.  It  is  agreed  that  the  Dela- 
ware chiefs,  Kelelarrand,  or  Lieutenant-Col- 
onel Henry  (alias  Killbuck),  Hengue  Pushees 
or  the  Big  Cat,  Wicocalind  or  Captain  White 
Eyes,  who  took  up  the  hatchet  for  the  United 
States,  and  their  families,  shall  be  received 
into  the  Delaware  nation,  in  the  same  situa- 
tion and  rank  as  before  the  war,  and  enjoy 
their  due  portion  of  the  lands  given  to  the 
Wyandot  and  Delaware  nations  in  this  treaty 
as  fully  as  if  they  had  not  taken  part  with 


America,  or  as  any  other  person,  or  persons 

in  the  said  nations. 

■  Geo.  Clark,  Packelant. 

Richard  Butler,  Cingewauno, 

Arthur  Lee,  Waanoos, 

Daunghquat,  Konalawassee, 

Abraham  Kuhn,  Siiawnaqum, 

Ottawerreri,  Tnecookia. 

Hobocan,  Wingeniim, 

Walendightun,  Talapoxie, 

Witnes.s — Samuel  J.  Atlee,  Francis  John- 
ston, Commissioners  of  Pennsylvania;  Alex- 
ander Campbell;  Joseph  Harmar,  Colonel 
Commandant;  Alexander  Lowrey;  Joseph 
Nicholas,  interpreter;  J.  Bradford;  George 
Slaughter;  Van  Swearingen;  John  Boggs;  (t. 
Evans;  D.  Luckett. 


COL.  SIMON  PERKINS 


Representative  Citizens 


COL.  SIMON  PERKINS.  In  Grace  Park, 
Akron,  stands  a  granite  monument,  which  was 
erected  by  thi^  city,  in  1895,  in  memory  of  its 
greatest  philanthropist  and  one  of  its  most 
distinguished  former  citizens.  It  recalls  to 
memory  one  whose  almost  entire  life  was  gen- 
erously given  to  promote  the  prosperity  of 
Akron  and  to  advance  the  happiness  of  her 
citizens.  Simon  Perkins  was  born  February 
6,  1805,  at  Warren,  Ohio,  where  he  was  reared 
to  manhood,  and  was  a  son  of  General  Simon 
and  Nancy  (Bishop)  Perkins,  nativ&s  of  Nor- 
wich, Connecticut. 

Colonel  Perkjns  traced  a  clear  line  of  ances- 
try back  to  Puritan  forefathers.  General  Si- 
mon Perkins  attained  his  military  rank  while 
commanding  the  United  States  forces  in 
Northern  Ohio,  during  the  War  of  1812.  He 
had  moved  from  Connecticut  and  settled  at 
Warren,  Ohio,  in  1801,  where  he  was  made 
commissioner  of  the  Connecticut  AVestern  Re- 
serve Land  Company. 

During  his  early  manhood.  Colonel  Simon 
Perkins  was  associated  with  his  father  in  han- 
dling the  large  amount  of  land  which  the  lat- 
ter had  acquired,  and  it  was  in  relation  to 
land  that  he  came  to  Akron,  in  1835.  This 
city,  then  an  insignificant  one,  became  his  per- 
manent home  and  as  years  went  by  greatly 
benefitted  by  his  public  spirit,  his  far-seeing 
judgment  and  his  liberal  and  broad-cast  gen- 
erosity. From  the  first  he  was  a  man  of 
force  and  energy  in  every  direction,  and  four 
years  after  coming  to  Summit  County  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  State  Senate,  and  in 


1841-42  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  from 
this  county.  The  selection  of  the  county  seat 
was  one  of  the  questions  in  which  Colonel  Per- 
kins took  a  personal  interest,  and  he  was  the 
champion  of  many  of  the  important  meas- 
ures which  now  appear  as  laws  on  the  State 
records. 

While  political  life  had  many  attractions 
for  a  virile,  ambitious  man  like  Colonel  Per- 
kins, agricultural  employments  also  claimed  a 
large  part  of  his  attention.  He  advocated 
farming  along  the  most  modern  lines  then 
known,  and  was  the  pioneer  live-stock  breeder, 
from  standard  stock,  in  this  section.  He 
owned  hundreds  of  acres  of  productive  land. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  first  to  see  the  ad- 
ventages  accruing  from  an  extended  line  of 
railroad  through  Summit  County,  to  run 
through  Akron,  and  was  the  first  pre=ident 
of  the  Cleveland,  Zancsville  &  Cincinnati,  now 
the  Cleveland,  Akron  &  Columbus  Railroad, 
later  becoming  its  general  superintendent.  In 
pushing  the  interests  of  this  line.  Colonel  Per- 
kins is  credited  with  sinking  a  large  fortune, 
but  even  he  could  never  have  imagined  the 
beneficial  results  this  great  transportation  line 
has  brought  to  the  country  through  which 
it  is  operated.  Perhaps  no  other  citizen  con- 
tributed so  much,  in  time,  energy,  land  and 
money,  to  the  material  development  of  Ak- 
ron, as  did  this  broad-souled,  large-hearted 
man.  He  lived  to  see  the  industrial,  educa- 
tional and  charitable  institutions  which  he 
had  more  or  less  founded,  enter  upon  a  peri- 
od of  pro.?perity,  and  to  realize,  in  a  small 
degree  at  least,  the  gratitude  of  his  fellow- 


32(3 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


citizens.  His  death  occurred  July  21,  1887, 
at  the  age  of  over  eighty-two  years. 

Colonel  Perkins  was  married  in  1832,  to 
Grace  I.  Tod,  a  daughter  of  Judge  George 
and  Sally  (IngersoU)  Tod,  and  a  sister  of  the 
late  Governor  David  Tod,  a  sketch  of  whom 
may  be  found  in  this  work.  Of  the  eleven 
children  born  of  this  marriage,  ten  reached 
maturity,  and  seven  still  survive.  The  Colo- 
nel's eldest  son,  Colonel  George  T.  Perkins,  is 
one  of  Akron's  most  prominent  business  men, 
being  president  of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Com- 
pany and  of  the  Akron  Rubber  Com])any. 
Mrs.  Perkins  died  Ajirll  6,  1'867,  aged  fifty- 
six  years. 

JOHN    FREDERICK    SEIBERLING,    a 

former  cdtizen  of  Akron,  where  he  was  for 
many  years  identified  with  a  number  of  the 
important  business  interests  of  the  city, 
some  of  which  were  directly  the  result  of  his 
own  genius  and  energy,  was  born  March  10, 
1834,  at  Norton,  Ohio.  He  was  one  of  a 
family  of  fifteen  children  (thirteen  of  whom 
grew  to  maturity)  born  to  his  parents,  who 
were  Nathan  and  Catherine  (Peters)  Seiber- 
ling. 

Mr.  Seiberling  completed  his  education  at 
the  Western  Star  Academy,  and  for  two  years, 
from  1856  to  1858,  he  was  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness at  Akron.  He  was,  however,  of  a  me- 
chanical turn  of  mind,  and  in  the  latter  year 
went  to  operating  a  sawmill  at  Norton.  It 
was  while  there  that  he  invented  his  noted 
E'xcehior  mower  and  reaper,  with  the  drop- 
per attachment,  and  in  1861  he  established 
works  for  their  manufacture  at  Doylestown, 
which  are  still  in  operation.  By  1864  the 
business  had  sn  exjianded  that  extra  works 
were  needed,  which  were  erected  at  Ma«sil- 
lon.  In  1865  the  J.  F.  Seiberling  Company 
was  established  at  Akron,  but  in  1869,  Mr. 
Seiberling  withdrew  and  then  began"  the 
manufacture  of  tlie  Emprrc  machine,  which 
is  so  well  known  all  over  the  country.  Mr. 
Seiberling  by  this  time  not  only  had  a  per- 
fect knowledge  of  business  conditions  and 
trade  relations  in  every  section,  but  he  had 
command  of  a  large  amount  of  capital,  and 


in  1871  he  organized  the  Akron  Strawboard 
Company,  which  he  conducted  until  1887. 
In  1883  he  founded  the  Seiberling  Milling 
Company  and  at  this  time  built  a  six-story 
brick  flouring  mill,  as  well  as  the  Academy 
of  Music  Block.  In  1889  Mr.  Seiberling  ob- 
tained a  controlling  interest  in  the  Akron 
Electric  Street  Railway.  Later  he  expanded 
other  inportant  interests  both  in  Akron  and 
at  other  points. 

On  September  6,  1859,  Mr.  Seilierling  was 
married  to  Catherine  L.  Miller,  of  Norton, 
Their  family  numbered  eleven  children,  nine 
of  whom  are  still  living.  They  are  as  fol- 
lows: Anna  A.,  wife  of  S.  Samuel  Miller,  of 
Akron;  Frank  A.,  president  and  general 
manager  of  the  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rubber 
Company,  who  married  Gertrude  F.  Penfield, 
and  resides  at  No.  158  Ea^t  Market  Street; 
Charles  W.,  trea.surer  of  the  Goodyear  Tire 
and  Rubber  Company,  who  married  Blanche 
Carnahan,  and  resides  at  No,  76  Fay  Street; 
Co-ra  D.,  wife  of  Lewis  T.  Wolle,  of  Cam- 
bria, Wyoming;  Harriet  M.,  wife  of  LuciiLS 
C.  Miles,  of  Akron;  Grace  I.,  wife  of  Dr.  W. 
S.  Chase,  of  Akron;  Kittie  G.,  wife  of  Luther 
H.  Firey,  of  Kansas  City;  Mary  B.,  iwife  of 
Henry  B.  Manton,  of  Akron;.  Ruth  J.,  wife 
of  Ernest  A.  Pfleuger,  also  of  Akron.  The 
two  decea.sed  are  John  Frederick  and  Maude 
M.,  both  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  John 
Frederick  Seiberling,  the  father  of  these  chil- 
dren, died  September  6,  1903.  His  widow 
still  survives,  and  re.sides  at  No.  144  East 
Market  Street. 

Mr.  Seiberling  wa.«  a  man  who  was  honor- 
able, prompt,  and  true  to  every  engagement. 
Throughout  his  career  of  far-reaching  use- 
fulness he  remembered  with  a  generous  heart 
those  who  had  not  been  so  fortunate,  and 
in  quiet  benevolence  brought  much  cheer  to 
those  who  needed  it.  For  many  years  he 
was  a  member  and  a  trustee  of  the  Trinity 
Lutheran  Church. 

JAMES  R.  HEMPHILL,  general  manager 
of  the  Colonial  Sign  and  Insulator  Company, 
at  Akron,  was  born  in  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
in  1860,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert.  Hemphill, 


AND    REPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


327 


who  came  to  Summit  County  about  1855, 
where  he  was  first  a  farmer  and  later  a  dealer 
in  lumber. 

James  R.  Hemphill  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Fairlawn  and  Akron  and  started 
into  business  as  an  employe  of  the  Aultman- 
Miller  Company,  with  whom  he  remained 
five  years.  Since  then,  with  the  exception 
of  a  period  of  two  years,  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  his  present  business,  first  with  the 
Akron  Insulator  and  Marble  Company,  which 
was  organized  in  1894,  and  which  in  1904 
was  consolidated  with  the  Colonial  Sign 
Company.  The  business  was  incorporated 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000,  as  the  Co- 
lonial Sign  &  Insulator  Company,  with  H. 
B.  Camp,  president ;  C.  R.  Quine,  secretary ; 
W.  H.  Motz,  treasurer,  and  James  R.  Hemp- 
hill, general  manager.  Mr.  Hemphill  has  al- 
ways displayed  a  helpful  interest  in  under- 
takings out.side  his  own  sphere  of  work 
which  have  promised  to  benefit  the  city,  and 
while  never  active  in  politics,  performs  every 
duty  of  a  good  citizen.  In  1890  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Louada  Weeks,  and  they  have  had 
two  children,  Helen  and  Ray,  the  former  of 
whom  is  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hem])hill 
are  members  of  the  Fir.*t  Congregational 
Church. 

GEN.  SIMON  PERKINS.  Verj^  many  of 
the  prominent  families  of  Ohio  trace  their 
ance.~try  to  Connecticut,  and  this  is  the  case 
with  the  distinguished  Perkins  family.  Si- 
mon Perkins,  who  for  so  long  a  period  was 
one  of  the  leading  men  of  Ohio,  was  born  at 
Li.sbon.  Conneetiout,  September  17,  1771. 
In  1795  he  is  found  at  Oswego,  New  York, 
and  in  1798  he  was  chosen  by  the  Erie  Land 
Company  to  act  as  its  agent  in  the  explora- 
tion of  the  Western  Reserve,  and  in  this  ca- 
pacity he  spent  his  .summers  in  Ohio.  After 
his  marriage,  he  settled  permanently  at  War- 
ren, Ohio,  where  he  was  postmaster  from 
1801  to  1829,  and  was  also  special  agent  of 
the  government  in  establishing  local  oflices 
and  treating  with  the  Indians.  In  August, 
1812.  as  brigadier  general  of  militia,  he  took 
oliarge  of  the  troops  in  Northern  Ohio  and 


marched  to  defend  the  northern  frontier.  At 
the  close  of  the  campaign  in  the  following 
year,  he  was  offered  by  President  Madison  a 
commission  as  colonel  in  the  regular  army, 
which  military  honor  he  declined  on  account 
of  his  many  pressing  business  duties. 

In  1813  General  Perkins  organized  the 
Western  Reserve  Bank  and  remained  its 
president  until  1836.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Ohio  Canal  Fund  Commission  from  1826 
until  1838.  In  1825,  in  association  with 
Paul  Williams,  he  founded  the  village  of 
Akron,  and  in  1831,  in  connection  with 
Judge  King  and  Dr.  Cro.siby,  that  portion 
known  as  North  Akron.  He  donated  ground 
for  public  buildings,  parks,  schools  and 
churches,  and  enriched  in  every  possible  way 
the  young  town  where  he  enjoyed  passing 
much  of  his  spare  time.  He  died  at  War- 
ren November  6,  1844,  aged  73  years,  one 
month  and  nineteen  days. 

On  March  18,  1804,  he  married  Nancy 
Bishop,  who  was  born  at  Lisbon,  Connecti- 
cut, January  24,  1780,  and  who  died  at  War- 
ren April  24,  1862,  aged  eighty-two  years 
and  three  months.  Among  their  children 
was  Colonel  Simon  Perkins,  now  deceased, 
who  for  many  years  was  a  leading  figure  in 
the  affairs  of  Akron.  Colonel  George  Tod 
Perkins,  president  of  the  P.  F.  Goodrich 
Company  and  the  Akron  Rubber  Company, 
a  .sketch  of  whom  may  be  found  in  this  vol- 
ume, is  a  grandson  of  General   Perkins. 

GEORGE  P.  GRAFTON,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Norton  Township,  who  carries  on 
a  general  line  of  agriculture,  operates  a  anilk 
route  and  also  grows  many  berries  for  the 
market,  is  serving  as  clerk  of  the  School 
Board  of  this  town.ship,  with  which  body  he 
has  been  connected  a  number  of  years.  Mr. 
Grafton  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Ohio, 
December  10,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  .John 
D.  and  SaraJi  J.    (Palmer)    Grafton. 

The  parent.*  of  Mr.  Grafton  still  reside  on 
their  farm  in  Jeffer.-ori  County,  where  he 
was  reared.  He  obtained  a  good  district 
school  education,  and  was  trained  to  be  a 
careful  and  capable  farmer.    He  continued  to 


328 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


live  in  Jefferson  County  for  eight  years  fol- 
lowdng  his  marriage,  moving  then  to  Medina 
County,  where  he  remained  for  almost  a 
year.  In  March,  1892,  he  bought  his  present 
farm  in  Norton  Township,  and  here  has  been 
since  engaged  in  farming,  dairying  ad  fiiiit- 
gronving.  He  devotes  an  acre  to  small  fruit, 
finding  a  ready  mai-ket  for  all  he  can  pro- 
duce. He  grows  many  potatoes,  raising  only 
the  best  varieties  and  giving  them  scientific 
care. 

Mr.  Grafton  marrieid  Nora  J.  Rwickard, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth 
(Zimmerman)  Swickard,  and  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  Jefferson  County.  They  have 
had  seven  children,  all  surviving  except  Sid- 
ney, the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  who  died 
aged  sixteen  months.  Those  livino-  are: 
Elvah,  Lizzie,  Clyde,  Mabel,  John  and  Ella. 

Mr.  Grafton  is  a  member  of  the  First  Lu- 
theran Church  at  Barberton  and  is  a  luember 
of  the  Church  Council.  For  about  two  years 
lie  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board 
and  several  years  before  completed  a  sen'ice 
of  four  years. 

J.  B.  LOOKER,  pre.-iidcnt  of  (he  Western 
Reserve  Security  Company,  of  Akron,  is  one 
v)f  the  city's  leading  citizens,  participating 
largely  in  its  business  amd  social  life,  and 
taking  an  interest  in  its  development  as  ■well 
as  in  its  good  government.  Mr.  Looker  was 
born  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1873,  and  was 
reared  and  educated  in  his  native  city.  He 
came  to  Akron  in  1897,  for  some  eight  years 
previously  having  been  in  the  rectifying 
bu.sine.«s.  For  five  years  he  was  in  business 
at  Akron  as  a.  representative  of  Fleischman 
<^  Company,  of  Cincinnati,  and  then  opened 
a  restaurant  and  was  additionally  interested 
in  a.  five  and  ten  cent  store  at  ColumbTis.  Prior 
to  December,  1903,  when  Mr.  Looker  organ- 
ized the  Western  Reserve  Security  and  Loan 
Company,  he  had  been  engaged  in  a  bank- 
ing and  loan  bu.«iine,ss.  He  still  operates  two 
restaurant,  one  in  Canton  and  another  in 
Akron,  they  being  the  most  select  and  high- 
cla.ss  places  of  the  kind  in  the  respective 
cities. 


In  1893,  Mr.  Looker  was  married  to  Leta 
Lake,  of  Chicago,  and  they  have  tluve 
children :  Adelaide,  Florence  and  Ilelene. 
Mr.  Looker  is  a  thirty-second  Degree  Mason, 
and  belonging  to  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter, 
Council  and  Commandery  at  Akron  and  to 
Lake  Erie  Consistory  at  Cleveland.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  the  Akron 
Lunch  clubs. 

GEORGE  VIALL.  Akron  has  a  number 
of  sutetantial  citizens  living  in  easy  retire- 
ment after  a  long  and  useful  bu.saness  life, 
and  among  these  is  George  Viall,  who  was 
l)orn  in  this  city  March  12,  1834,  his  parents 
being  Thomas  C.  and  Mahala  (Atwood) 
Viall. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Viall  came  to  Akron  in 
1824,  where  he  built  both  a'  saw-  and  a 
woolen-'mill,  and  besides  operating  tliem  he 
invested  in  a  large  amount  of  farm  property 
in  Summit  County.  He  died  when  his  only 
child,  George,  was  about  two  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Viall  completed  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Akron,  or  old  Middlebury,  a*  that 
.■section  of  the  city  wa«  then  denominated, 
and  was  nineteen  years  old  when  he  engaged 
in  a  grocery  business  at  Old  Forge.  Two  years 
later  he  purchased  a  boat  and  for  three  sum- 
mers plied  with  it  on  the  canal.  After  that 
lie  wa.s  for  three  year's  in  the  grocery  bu.siness 
ill  Middlebury,  and  continued  it  for  three 
more  in  the  Tappan  Block.  He  next  en- 
gaged in  the  stoneware  business,  which  occu- 
l)i«l  him  for  eight  years,  and  afterwards  he 
was  ill  the  general  merchandise  busiincss  for 
nine  years  in  Middlebur\\  Mr.  Viall  was  one 
of  Middlebury's  most  active  business  men  for 
a  long  period,  during  a  part  of  this  time, 
in  addition  to  the  occupations  above  noted, 
being  a  representative  of  the  United  States 
Life  Tn.surance  Company,  and  also  of  the 
Cleveland  Mutual  Accident  Insurance  Com- 
pany. For  some  years  he  was  secretary  and 
trea.surer  of  the  Middlebur\'  Clay  Company, 
of  which  he  was  one  of  the  incorporators. 

On  August  24,  1857,  Mr.  Viall  was  mar- 
ried (first)  to  Maria  Reepsumer,  who  died 
Febmarv   17,   1877.     Of  the  three   children 


LEWIS  MILLER 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


331 


born  to  tihiis  union,  the  one  .survivor  is  Mrs. 
Frank  Comstock,  residing  at  Akron.  Mr. 
Viall  married  for  liis  .second  wife,  December 
7,  1887,  Mrs.  Jennie  (Thomp.son)  Sweeney, 
a  daughter  of  Duncan  Thompson.  Mrs.  Miill 
wa.s  born  in  1849,  at  Edinburg,  Scotland, 
and  was  but  one  year  old  wlien  her  parents 
came  to  America  and  settled  at  East  Liver- 
pool, Ohio.  Nine  years  later  they  removed 
to  Akron,  where  she  was  reared,  being  edu- 
cated in  the  old  Sixth  Ward  school.  By  her 
former  maiTiage,  j\Irs.  Viall  had  three  chil- 
dren :  May  and  George,  both  residing  in 
Chicago,  Illinois,  and  Frank,  residing  at  Lis- 
bon, Ohio,  where  he  is  engaged  in  a  general 
mercantile  business.  Mr.  "\^iall  reared  Ed- 
ward F.  Carl,  from  childhood,  and  the  latter 
is  connected  with  the  j\I.  O'Ncil  Company, 
of  Akron. 

Mr.  Viall  has  served  in  public  offices  in 
his  native  city,  at  different  times,  having 
ever  been  interested  in  public  movements 
and  ainxious  to  promote  the  general  welfare. 
For  thirty  years  he  has  been  identified  with 
the  Odd  Fellows,  and  he  belongs  also  to  the 
Knights  of  Honor.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Broad  Street  Church  of  Christ,  which  he 
served  many  years  as  a  deacon,  and  as  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  trustees.  Advancing 
years  have  caused  him  to  resign  these  offices, 
but  not  to  relax  his  interest  in  the  work  of 
the  church,  or  to  curtail  his  liberality  toward 
it.  Mrs.  Viall  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Ladies'  Add  Society  of  this  church. 

LEWIS  MILLER.  Few  citizens  of  Akron, 
now  passed  off  the  scene  of  life,  have  more 
claims  to  remembrance  than  the  late  Lewis 
Miller,  the  genius  who  invented  the  Buckeye 
Mower  and  Reaper.  He  was  born  July  24, 
1829,  at  Greentown,  Stark  County,  Ohio,  and 
his  useful  life  closed  February  28,  1899. 

Mr.  Miller  completed  his  education  in  the 
Academy  at  Plainfield,  Will  County,  Illinois. 
From  1846  until  1851  he  taught  school  dur- 
ing the  winter  seasons  and  worked  as  a  plas- 
terer in  the  summers.  All  the  time  he  was 
studying  out  inventions,  many  of  which  have 
been  since  patented  and  put  on  the  market. 


In  1851  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Ball,  Aultman  and  Company,  manufacturers 
of  stoves,  plows,  threshers,  and  the  old  Hussey 
reaper.  After  the  firm  removed  to  Canton, 
Mr.  Miller  became  superintendent  of  the 
plant.  Then  followed  his  invention  of  the 
Buckeye  Mower  and  Reaper,  and  in  1865  of 
the  Buckeye  Table  Rake  and  still  later,  the 
self-binders.  To  his  inventive  genius,  Akron 
and  other  manufacturing  cities  of  Ohio  owe 
a  large  part  of  their  prosperity.  In  1864 
works  were  erected  at  Akron  for  the  further 
enlargement  of  the  business,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Aultman,  Miller  and  Company,  Mr. 
Miller  being  the  president  and  superintendent 
of  the  organizations  with  which  his  name 
was  connected.  His  capital  became  invested 
in  numerous  other  manufacturing  plants,  par- 
ticularly at  Akron  and  Canton,  as  well  as  in 
lianks  and  other  business  organizations.  He 
was  a  trustee  of  Mt.  Union  College,  of  Alle- 
gheny College  and  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity, and  at  Akron  was  connected  promi- 
nently with  educational  work.  Although  a 
good  citizen  he  was  never  a  prominent  poli- 
tician, being  too  busily  engaged  otherwise, 
but  at  various  times  he  consented  to  serve  on 
the  City  Council,  and  gave  generously  of  hi^ 
time  to  promote  all  civic  measures  of  im- 
portance. Thousands  each  year  enjoy  the 
benefits  of  the  Chautauqua  Association,  of 
which  he  was  the  originator  and  founder. 

Mr.  Miller  was  united  in  marriage,  Septem- 
ber 16,  1852,  to  Mary  V.  Alexander,  a  native 
of  Macoupin  County,  Illinois,  who  was  born 
December  6,  1830.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  of  whom  eight,  are  now  liv- 
ing, namely:  Ira,  who  resides  in  Akron; 
Edward,  also  of  Akron;  Robert,  postmaster 
of  Porto  Rico ;  Lewis,  residing  at  the  family 
home  in  Akron;  Mina,  wife  of  the  distin- 
guished inventor,  Thomas  A.  Edison,  of 
Llewellyn,  New  Jersey;  Mary,  who  is  single 
and  resides  at  home;  Grace,  a  teacher  in  a 
select  school  at  Cleveland,  and  John  B.,  who 
is  associated  with  Mr.  Edison  in  his  scientific 
work.  Those  deceased  are:  Eva,  who  died 
just  before  reaching  her  sixteenth  year;  Jen- 
nie, who  was  the  wife  of  Richard  Marvin,  who 


332 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


is  also  deceased;  Theodore,  who  was  killed  in 
Porto  Rico  during  the  Spanish- American  war. 

WILLIAM  J.  EMERY,  M.  D.,  a  well- 
known  member  of  the  medical  fraternity  at 
Akron,  was  born  in  1860,  near  Lowell,  Sen- 
eca County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  reared  and 
obtained  his  earlier  education.  Later  he  en- 
tered Buchtel  College,  where  he  was  grad- 
uated Ph.  B.,  in  1885.  For  two  years  fol- 
lowing his  graduation,  Dr.  Emery  was  in  the 
office  of  Ferdinand  Schumaker,  and  he  then 
entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine,  subse- 
quently becoming  a  student  at  the  Western 
Reserve,  where  he  was  graduated  M.  D.  in 
1890.  He  immediately  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Akron,  and  has ' 
been  fortunate  in  gaining  the  confidence  and 
support  of  the  public  through  his  acknowl- 
edged professional  ability,  winning  an  excel- 
lent status  both  as  a  physician  and  surgeon. 
Pie  has  identified  himself  with  the  lending 
medical  oi'ganization? — the  Summit  County, 
the  Sixth  Councillor  District  and  the  Ohio 
State  Medical  Societies.  He  has  been  citv 
physiician,  and  during  1891-2-3  he  was  phy- 
sician to   the  County  Infirmary. 

In  1894,  Dr.  Emery  Avas  married  to  Flora 
M.  Stein,  of  Summit  County.  His  busine-ss 
location  is  at  No.  581  South  Main  Street. 
Fraternally,  Dr.  Emery  is  a.  Mason,  a  mem- 
ber of  Adoniram  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
also  of  the  Home  Guards.  He  is  identified 
religiously  with  Grace  Reformed  Church  of 
Akron. 

DAVID  C.  SMITH,  a  representative  citi- 
zen of  Clinton,  who  does  an  extensive  busi- 
ness in  hardware,  paints,  implements,  bug- 
gies and  harness,  was  born  on  the  home  farm 
east  of  Clinton,  Fra.nklin  Township,  Suumiit 
County,  Ohio,  February  27,  1859,  and  is  a 
son  of  Lewis  and  Elizabeth    (Croft)    Smith. 

John  Adam  Smith,  the  grandfather  of 
David  C,  was  a  substantial  citizen  of  liis 
native  town  in  Germany,  where  he  was  mayor 
and  professor  in  the  Pligh  School.  He  came 
to  this  country  with  his  three  children,  of 
whom  Lewis,  the  youngest,  was  three  years 


old,  and  landed  at  Baltimore.  Mr.  Smith 
brought  with  him  $7,000  in  gold,  which,  in 
the  few  hours  at  night  that  were  spent  on 
the  boat  at  the  docks  in  Baltimore,  was  stolen 
from  him,  and  he  was  compelled  to  begin 
all  over  again  in  the  new  country.  Sustain- 
ing his  great  lo.ss  with  fortitude,  this  sturdy 
emigrant  settled  for  a  short  time  in  Penn- 
sylvania, whence  they  came  to  the  vicinity 
of  Canton,  Ohio,  and  located  for  a  time  on 
a  farm.  A  small  place  was  then  purchased 
near  Canal  Fulton,  Ohio,  where  John  Adam 
Smith  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  at  the  age  of  89  years.  In 
spite  of  his  great  pecuniary  loss  in  early  life, 
Mr.  Smith  had  become  a  very  successful  man, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  rated  one 
of  the  substantial  men  of  his  community. 
He  had  three  children,  Catherine,  Elizabeth 
and  Lewis. 

Lewis  Smith,  father  of  David  C,  being 
the  only  son  of  his  parents,  was  comjielled 
to  spend  his  youth  in  hard  labor  on  the 
home  farms,  and  his  period  of  schooling  was 
limited  to  about  eighteen  months.  After  his 
marrige  he  lived  for  several  years  on  a 
rented  farm  north  of  Canal  Fulton,  and 
then  purchased  eighty-one  acres  of  fine  land 
east  of  Clinton,  Franklin  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  where  he  resided  for  about  thir- 
ty4hree  years.  He  then  bought  a  farm  of 
160  acres  west  of  Clinton,  w-here  his  death  oc- 
curred twenty  years  later,  when  he  was  in 
his  eighty-first  year.  Mr.  Smith  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  Croft,  who  was  born  in  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  and  who  died  at  the  age  of 
fifty-seven.  Of  this  union  there  are  living 
five  children:  Adam,  who  lives  on  the  home 
place  in  Franklin  Township :  William  H., 
of  Clinton,  Ohio;  .lacol),  who  died  in  1901; 
David  C.  and  Mary  E.  Ruck,  residing  at 
Canal  Pulton.  After  the  death  of  his  first 
wife,  Lewis  Smith  was  married  to  Louisa 
Fritz,  who  died  in  1903,  there  being  no  chil- 
dren of  the  second  union. 

David  C.  Smith  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm,  attending  the  district  schools,  and  when 
about  nineteen  years  of  age  engaged  in  a 
thre.'^hiner  business  with  his  brothers,   which 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


333 


was  continued  for  about  ten  years,  with 
much  success.  At  the  end  of  this  time  Mr. 
Smith  engaged  in  a  hard  lumber  business 
on  a  hirge  scale,  but  after  conducting  it  for 
twelve  years  he  sold  out  hi.s  interests  therein, 
and  on  October  22,  1903,  he  purchased  the 
stand  of  N.  N.  Housman  and  Company,  and 
since  that  time  has  been  engaged  in  the  sale 
of  hardware,  paint-s,  implements,  buggies  and 
harn&ss,  of  which  he  carries  a  full  line,  his 
sons,  Clarence  D.  and  Thurman  C.  being  in- 
terested in  the  ibusdness  with  him.  With 
much  business  ability,  Mr.  Smith  also  com- 
bines a  pleasing  manner,  which  wins  both 
business  and  personal  friends. 

On  October  11,  1883,  Mr.  Smith  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  E.  Hul)er,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Phillip  Huber,  and  tn  this  union 
there  have  been  born  eight  children,  namely: 
Dora,  who  married  C.  AV.  McLaughlin,  assist- 
ant cashier  of  the  Fulton  Bank ;  Clarence  D., 
Thurman  T.,  Carrie,  Ruth,  Lewis,  Miriam 
and  Amelia. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican  in  his  political 
views,  but  he  takes  only  a  good  citizen's  in- 
terest in  public  matters.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  mth  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees 
and  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American 
Mechanics.  With  his  family  lie  belongs  to 
the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  is  deacon. 

K.  H.  HAYS,  secretary  of  the  Akron  Cul- 
tivator Company,  with  which  enterprise  he 
has  been  identified  since  1890,  was  born  at 
Manchester,  Ohio,  in  1862,  and  is  a  member 
of  an  old  and  representative  family  of  tb.at 
section. 

After  leaving  the  Manchester  schools,  he 
entered  the  Ohio  Northern  University,  and 
later  attended  Oberlin  College,  following 
which  he  taught  school  for  eight  years.  He 
then  caime  to  Akron  and  entered  the  office 
of  the  Akron  Cultivator  Company,  of  whdoh 
for  the  past  eight  years  he  has  been  secre- 
tary. He  has  proved  the  affirmative  in  his 
own  case  of  the  much  discu.^sed  question  as 
to  whether  a  college  man  makes  a  good  busi- 
ness man.  In  1888.  Air.  Hays  was  married 
to  Frances  Everhard.  who  died  in  1903,  leav- 


ing one  daughter,  Marguerite.  He  was  mar- 
ried (second)  in  1906  to  Lena  AVilson,  a 
native  of  Akron.  Mr.  Hays  is  a  member  of 
the  First  Church  of  Christ,  and  is  one  of  its 
board  of  elders.  Fraternally,  he  is  connected 
with  the  order  of  Maccabees. 

HARVEY  S.  FIRESTONE,  president  of 
the  Firestone  Tire  and  Rubber  Company,  of 
Akron,  was  the  founder  of  this  important 
business  organization,  and  its  great  success  is 
mainly  due  to  his  own  energy  and  business 
capacity.  He  was  born  in  Columbiana 
County,  Ohio,  in  1868,  where  he  was  reared 
and  educated. 

Mr.  Firestone  has  been  actively  identified 
with  business  since  early  manhood,  fir.st  en- 
gaging as  a  coal  merchant  at  Columbus  for 
one  year,  and  then  becoming  associated  with 
the  Columbus  Buggy  Company,  at  Detroit, 
Michigan.  In  1895  he  drove  a  buggv 
equipped  with  the  first  rubber  tire  made  by 
the  company,  and  was  so  impressed  with  its 
superior  qualities  that  he  decided  to  embark 
in  the  manufacture  of  these  tires  if  he  could 
create  a  public  demand  for  them.  He  turned 
out  a  fine  quality  of  rubber  tires,  manufac- 
turing them  at  Akron,  and  demonstrated 
their  value  at  Chicago,  and  the  encourage- 
ment thus  received  determined  him  to  go 
into  the  business  on  a  large  scale.  He  there- 
fore organized  the  Firestone  Tire  and  Rub- 
ber Company,  which  was  incorporated  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $50,000,  which  has  been 
increased  to  $500,000.  The  oflricers  of  the 
company  are :  H.  S.  Firestone,  president 
and  general  manager;  AVill  Christy,  vice 
president;  L.  E.  Sisler,  treasurer;  S.  G.  Cark- 
huff,  .secretary,  and  F.  R.  Talbott,  assistant 
treasurer,  with  R.  J.  Firestone  as  sales  man- 
ager. The  business  has  grown  to  immense 
proportions,  giving  employment  to  300  work- 
men.. 

In  1895  Mr.  Firestone  was  married  to  Ida 
Belle  Smith,  of  .Jackson,  Michigan,  and  thev 
have  three  sons:  Harvey  S.  Jr.,  Russell 
Allen  and  Leonard  Kimball.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Firestone  are  members  of  St.  Paul's  Episco- 
pal Church.     Mr.  Firestone  has  a  wide  busi- 


334 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ness  and  social  acquaintance  and  belongs  to 
the  Portage  Country  Club  and  to  the  Chicago 
Athletic  Club. 

ALBERT  G.  MALLISON,  who  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers  and  first  surveyors  of 
Summit  County,  coming  here  in  the  capaciity 
of  a  civil  engineer  during  the  construction 
of  the  Ohio  Canal,  was  born  in  1797,  at 
Groton,  Connecticut,  and  died  at  Akron,  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1879,  aged  almost  eighty-two  years. 
When  he  was  eleven  years  of  age  his  parents, 
Amos  and  Clarissa  (Newton)  Malldson, 
moved  to  Berkshire  County,  Massachuisetts, 
and  thence,  in  1832,  to  Akron,  settling  on 
a  farm  that  is  now  Wooster  avenue,  one  of 
the  choice  residence  districts  of  Akron.  Land 
then  acquired  by  Albert  G.  Mallison  and  lii- 
brother,  Amos,  is  still  owned  by  his  descend- 
ants. Mr.  Mallison  was  given  good  educa- 
tional advantages  and  also  learned  surveying. 
and  his  ability  in  this  direction  was  recog- 
nized by  the  officials  who  had  in  charge  th" 
construction  of  the  State  line  between  Massa- 
chusetts and  New  York,  the  surveying  being 
given  to  the  young  sun'eyor.  After  locating 
in  Akron  Mr.  Malli.son  sun-eyed  and  platted 
a  large  part  of  the  northern  section  of  the 
city  for  Dr.  Crosby,  Mr.  King  and  other-, 
and  in  many  of  the  old  deeds  of  conveyance 
his  name  appears.  He  continued  to  be  a 
prominent  and  useful  citizen  for  many  years, 
and  his  memory  is  ke|')t  green  along  with 
that  of  the  other  pioneer  Imilders  of  Akron. 

On  June  22,  1843,  Mr.  Malli.=;on  married 
Cornelia  G.  Washburn,  of  Akron.  Their 
family  consisted  of  three  children :  Eveline, 
who  married  Horace  G.  AIduu.  residing  at 
Akron;  Albert.  H.,  who  i-  vice  pre.-ident  of 
the  Depositors'  Savings  Bank  at  Akron ;  and 
A-mos,  who  died  in  1883.  Mrs.  Malli-on.  the 
mother,  died  December  8,  187"). 

PETER  M.  ERASE,  one  of  Clinton's  mast 
substantial  citizens,  who  is  treasurer  and 
ca.sihier  of  the  Clinton  Savings  Bank,  is  well 
known  in  banking  circles  throughout  Sum- 
mit County.  Mr.  Erase  was  Iwrn  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Chippewa  Towrisbi]i,  Wayne 


County,  Ohio,  on  the  Summit  County  line, 
July  24,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Ann    (Etling)    Erase. 

John  Erase,  the  grandfather  of  Peter  M., 
was  an  emigrant  in  the  early  days  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Ohio,  and  owned  the  land 
where  was  opened  the  first  coal  mine  in  that 
.section  of  Wayne  County,  the  old  Chippewa 
mine.  His  son,  John,  who  was  a  native  of 
Wayne  County,  remained  there  all  his  life, 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  died  in 

1892,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  Mr. 
Erase  married  Ann  Etling,  also  a  native  of 
Wayne  County,  Ohio,  who  died  in  1905, 
aged  about  seventy -i^ven  years.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Erase  were  born  eight  children :  Noah, 
who  resides  in  Franklin  Township,  Siunmit 
County ;  Catherine,  wlio  married  William 
Deekerhoof;  William,  Peter  Madison,  John 
W.,  Mary,  who  married  Charles  Ajiplinger; 
Enmia,  who  married  Henry  Slee,  of  Frank- 
lin Township,  and  Ida,  who  married  C.  Al- 
brecht  of  Akron. 

Peter  M.  Erase  attended  the  district  schools 
of  his  native  locality,  and  grew  up  on  his 
father's  farm  until  his  marriage,  when  he 
started  to  operate  hi'j  father-in-law's  farm, 
where  he  continued  for  four  years.  He  then 
came  to  Clinton,  where  he  opened  a  general 
store  with  Henry  Serfass,  this  partnership 
continuing  for  about  eight  years.  Then  Mr. 
Serfass  sold  his  interests  to  C.  S.  Spangler, 
who    was    Mr.    Erase's    partner    initil    June, 

1893,  when  Mr.  Era-^e  retired  from  the  firm. 
He  then  began  to  organize  the  bank,  which 
was  established  in  1903  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $25,000.  and  the  following  officers:  E. 
R.  Hill,  of  Akron,  president;  Martin  Lim- 
bach,  of  Clinton,  vice  president;  P.  M.  Erase, 
treasurer  and  cashier,  and  Fred  Deutsch,  sec- 
retary. Mr.  Erase  was  also  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  Clinton  Bell  Telephone  Com- 
pany and  is  a  stockholilcr  in  the  Clinton  INIill- 
ing  Company. 

In  November,  1883,  Mr.  Erase  wa<  mar- 
ried to  Ella  A.  Serfass,  daughter  of  Law- 
rence and  Lydia  Serfa.«s,  of  Franklin  Town- 
.ship.  Summit  County,  and  four  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union,  namelv:     Earl  B., 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


335 


who  married  Tura  B.  Spark:  John,  Mildred 
and  Drummond. 

Mr.  Erase  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
for  four  years  served  as  township  clerk.  He 
is  a  charter  member  of  the  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees  of  Clinton.  Mr.  Erase,  with  his 
family,  attends  the  Lutheran  Church. 

H.  G.  BRANDAU,  vice  president  of  the 
Ornamental  Iron  Work  Company,  of  Akron, 
was  born  in  1876,  at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  was  reared  and  educated  and 
gained  his  first  knowledge  along  the  lines  of 
his  present  business,  in  boyhood  entering  an 
iron  and  w^re  factory  in  his  native  city. 
Working  at  his  trade,  Mr.  Brandau  visited 
different  sections  of  the  country,  reaching 
Akron  in  1899,  where  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Burger  Iron  Company.  Here 
he  met  Frederick  Zindel,  like  tastes  and  sim- 
ilar employment  bringing  about  a  business 
association  which  re.'^ulted  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Ornamental  Iron  Works  Com- 
pany in  February,  1906.  This  succe.<.sful 
business  enterprise  was  incorporated  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $10,000,  the  officers  being 
Fred  Zindel,  president;  H.  G.  Brandau,  vice- 
president,  and  W.  A.  Boesche,  secretary-  and 
treasurer.  All  the  officers  are  young,  enter- 
prising, capable  and  practical  men.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  company  is  the  manufacturing  of 
all  kinds  of  ornamental  iron  and  wire  goods. 
In  1902  Mr.  Brandau  was  married  to  Pauline 
Zindel.  and  they  have  one  child.  Lillian. 

WILLIAM  BARNETT,  general  contractor, 
senior  member  of  the  contracting  firm  of 
Barnett  &  O'Marr,  has  been  a  resident  of 
Akron  since  1871.  He  was  born  in  April, 
1846,  at  Exeter,  England,  where  he  was 
reared,  and  where  he  served  his  apprentice- 
ship to  the  brick  and  stone  mason's  trade. 

Shortly  after  coming  to  Akron.  Mr.  Bar- 
nett began  to  work  on  the  Schumacher  house, 
in  the  same  .summer  as-sLsted  in  the  building 
of  Buchtel  College,  and  within  three  years 
after  locating  in  this  city,  began  contracting. 
His  first  contract  was  the  building  he  erected 
on  the  corner  of  Akron  and  Chestnut  Street-, 


and  later  he  built  the  Market  House,  on  the 
corner  of  Howard  and  Cherry  Streets,  Mr. 
Whitelaw's  Temple  of  Fashion  on  Howard 
Street,  and  many  more  of  the  substantial 
buildings  which  line  that  busy  thoroughfare. 
Mr.  Bamett  is  also  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Gardiner  &  Barnett,  paving  contractors, 
which  firm  paved  Main  Street  from  Buohtcl 
Avenue  to  Tallmadge  Street,  Prospect  Street 
to  Perkins  Street,  and  Union  Street  from  Blutt 
to  Buchtel  Avenues.  Mr.  Barnett  has  also 
done  a  large  amount  of  paving  in  neighbor- 
ing towns,  and  has  a  reputation  for  bu.siness 
integrity  second  to  none  in  this  city. 

Mr.  Barnett  was  married  in  England  to 
Lucy  Stankum,  and  they  have  five  children, 
namely;  Emma,  who  mamcd  George  Con- 
ger, residing  at  Akron ;  Charlotte,  who  mar- 
ried Frederick  Dodge,  also  a  resident  at  Ak- 
ron ;  Alice,  who  married  Carl  Colby,  resid- 
ing at  Passaic,  New  Jersey;  Jeannette,  who 
married  A.  Sadler,  and  lives  in  Akron,  and 
Louise,  who  married  William  Curtin,  also 
living  in  Akron.  With  his  family,  Mr.  Bar- 
nett belongs  to  the  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Barnett  ls  in  sympathy  with  labor  or- 
ganizations and  helped  to  organize  the  first 
brick  ^layers'  Union  at  Akron.  For  eight 
years  he  was  treasurer  of  this  body,  and  a? 
their  delegate  voted  for  the  first  nine-hour 
system,  at  their  convention.  Until  eleven 
years  ago,  when  he  suffered  from  partial 
paralysis,  he  was  a  noted  athlete  and  he  for- 
merly gave  instruction  in  boxing.  Since  be- 
ing incapacitated  he  has  received  $3,000  from 
the  disability  fund  of  the  order  of  Macca- 
bees, of  which  he  has  long  been  a  member. 
He  has  twice  visited  Europe  since  locating 
at  Akron,  and  is  a  man  whose  ideas  have 
been  broadened  through  travel  and  mingling 
with  men  of  all  classes.  He  is  recognized  as 
one  of  Akron's  best  citizens. 

HENRY  FREDERICK,  whose  valuable 
farm  of  200  acres,  situated  in  Portage  Town- 
.ship,  has  been  in  his  possession  since  June, 
1867,  has  developed  this  property  into  its 
present  high  state  of  cultivation  from  a  tract 
of  native  timber.     He  was  born   at  Doylcs- 


336 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


town,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  Jlarch  20,  1834, 
and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  jMargaret  (Ra^or) 
Frederick. 

Jacob  Frederick  was  born  in  Westmore- 
land County,  Pennsylvania,  and  accompanied 
his  fatlier,  Thomas  Frederick,  in  boyhood  to 
Columbiana  County,  Ohio.  When  he  was 
fourteen  years  old,  the  family  made  another 
change,  removing  to  Wayne  County,  Ohio, 
where  Thomas  Frederick  bought  a  half  sec- 
tion of  land,  which  included  the  present  site 
of  Doylestown.  At  that  village  Jacob  Fred- 
erick was  married  to  Margaret  Rasor,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Christopher  Rasor,  wlio 
came  from  Allegheny  County,  Pennsylvania, 
to  Summit  County  when  Margaret  was  a 
child,  and  she  was  reared  at  AVadsworth.  In 
November,  1842,  Jacob  Frederick  bought  a 
farm  in  Copley  Township,  on  which  his  son, 
Henry,  was  reared,  and  where  both  the  pa- 
rents died.  They  were  good,  Chri.stian  peo- 
ple, who  led  a  peaceful  life  and  did  their 
full  duty  to  their  neighbor. 

Henry  Frederick,  in  his  boyhood,  attended 
the  district  .schools  in  Wayne  County,  and 
later  in  Copley  Township,  and  assisted  his 
father  on  the  home  farm  until  he  married, 
in  1858.  He  then  rented  in  Copley  Town- 
ship a  farm  which  was  then  owned  by  John 
C.  Stearns,  and  which  is  now  occupied  by 
William  Waggoner.  After  residing  there  for 
three  years,  he  moved  to  a  seventy-eight-acre 
farm  north  of  the  White  Elephant  Church, 
in  Copley,  renting  it  for  eighteen  months 
and  then  buying  it.  Mr.  Frederick  lived  on 
that  farm  for  eighteen  month?  and  then 
sold  it  and  moved  to  Clark's  Mills  for  a  resi- 
dence of  .?ix  months,  after  which  he  lived 
for  a  year  on  a  rented  fann  of  240  acres. 
About  this  time  Mr.  Frederick,  together  with 
Royal  Brockway,  bought  the  place  on  which 
he  now  resides,  the  whole  tract  containing 
546  acres.  This  enterprise  was  entered  into 
in  May,  1867,  and  in  the  following  fall,"  the 
partners  divided  their  land,  Mr.  Frederick 
keeping  235  acres,  with  the  improvement*. 
Since  then  he  has  bought  thirty  acres  of  the 
Brockway  part  on  the  west  side,  and  seventy- 
one  acres  of  the  Sherbondy  plat,   selling  a 


portion  of  his  land  in  1904.  lie  has  de- 
voted his  attention  to  general  farming  and 
dairying.  During  his  first  five  or  six  years 
on  this  land,  he  was  engaged  in  a  lumber 
business  to  a  large  extent,  but  since  then  has 
paid  attention  exclusively  to  raising  large 
crops  and  to  operating  his  first-class  dairy, 
keeping  twenty-six   head  of  cows. 

On  May  20,'  1858,  Mr.  Frederick  was  mar- 
ried to  Ellen  Viers,  who  was  reared  in  Nor- 
ton Township,  Summit  County,  and  who  is 
a  daughter  of  James  McClintock  Viers.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Frederick  have  three  children, 
namely:  Charlotte,  residing  at  home;  James 
McHenry,  who  is  a  graduate  of  Amherst  Col- 
lege, and  resides  at  Lakewood,  where  he  is 
superintendent  of  the  schools,  and  Ulysses 
Grant,  who  is  secretary  of  the  U.  G.  Fred- 
erick Lumber  Company,  of  which  his  father 
is  president. 

Mr.  Frederick  has  long  been  prominent  in 
township  and  county  affairs.  From  1876 
until  1882  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
County  Board  of  infirmary  directors;  he  has 
frequently  been  township  trustee  and  a  mem- 
Vier  of  the  School  Board,  and  in  1889  he  was 
elected  county  commi.ssioner.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Church  of  Christ  and  ha« 
served  for  years  on  its  Board  of  Trustees. 

R.  E.  ARMSTRONG,  .secretary  imd  treas- 
urer of  the  L.  W.  Camp  Company,  manu- 
facturers of  all  kinds  of  tile,  at  Akron,  has 
been  a  resident  of  this  city  for  the  past  dec- 
ade. He  M-as  born  at  Kent,  Portage  County. 
Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  William  Arm- 
strong. He  was  reaa'ed  and  educated  in  his 
native  place,,  and  after  leaving  school  learned 
the  printer's  trade.  For  about  seven  years 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  AVerner  Com- 
pany, at  Akron,  and  later  was  with  the  H. 
B.  Camp  Company,  manufacturers  of  tile, 
for  .scvei'al  years.  When  the  I^.  W.  Camp 
Comjiany  in  the  same  line,  was  organized,  in 
1902,  he  became  its  .secretary  and  treasurer, 
and  has  continued  as  such  ever  .=;ince.  He 
is  also  secreta.ry  in  the  Akron  Fireproofing 
Company,  vice  president  of  the  Colonial  Sign 
&  In.sulator  Company,  and  vice  president  of 


CAPT.  GEORGE  BILLOW 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


339 


the  Factory  Oil  Company.  He  is  a  man  of 
system,  having  an  easy  grasp  of  business,  and 
performs  the  duties  attendant  upon  his  re- 
sponsible position  with  ready  efficiency.  In 
1900  Mr.  Armstrong  wa.s  married  to  (Trace 
Camp,  daughter  of  H.  B.  Camp.  He  has 
two  cliildren :     Dorothy  and  AHce. 

CAPT.  GEORGE  BILEOW,  president  of 
the  Akron  Masonic  Temple  Company,  has 
been  established  since  1875  in  an  undertaking 
business  at  Akron,  which  is  now  conducted 
under  the  firm  style  of  Billow  &  Sons.  He 
was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany, 
April  2,  1833,  and  accompanied  his  parents 
to  the  United  States  in  1844. 

He  was  reared  to  the  age  of  sixteen  years  on 
his  father's  farm  near  Fremont,  Sandusky 
County,  Ohio,  and  then  learned  the  trade  of 
wagon  and  carriage  making,  which  he  fol- 
lowed at  Tallmadge  and  Akron  until  July, 
1862,  when  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil 
war.  From  a  private  in  the  ranks  of  Com- 
pany I,  107th  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, he  was  regularly  promoted,  for  effi- 
cient service  and  soldierly  qualiti&=,  to  the 
captaincy  of  the  company,  and  did  duty  as 
brigade  and  post  commissary  at  Fernandina, 
Florida,  and  as  local  provost  marshal  at  Jack- 
sonville, lie  received  his  discharge  at 
Charlestown,  South  Carolina,  July  10,'l865, 
and  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  July  26th,  following. 

After  the  honorable  termination  of  his  mil- 
itary service,  Captain  Billow  returned  to  Ak- 
ron, where  he  wns  engaged  in  a  grocery  busi- 
ness for  some  two  years.  Later  he  took 
charge  of  another  grocery  enterprise,  subse- 
quently going  on  the  road  as  traveling  sales- 
man for  about  eighteen  months  in  the  inter- 
ests of  a  .stoneware  house.  About  this  time  he 
wa=  led  to  make  investments  in  Alabama 
which  proved  unprofitable.  He  returned  in 
April.  1875,  to  x^kron,  where  shortly  after- 
ward he  engaged  in  the  undertaking  busine.-s, 
subsequently  admitting  his  sons  to  partner- 
ship. In  connection  with  the  mortuary  de- 
partment, an  ambulance  and  invalid  car- 
riage  service  is   also   conducted.      The   firm's 


place  of  business  is  located  at  the  corner  of 
Mill  and  Ash  Streets.  Captain  Billow  is  a 
well-known  and  very  highly  regiarded  citi- 
zen. 

On  September  19,  1854,  Captain  Billow 
was  married  to  Mary  Fink,  of  Akron,  and 
they  have  had  eight  children,  namely:  Anna, 
George  W.,  Charles  Fernando,  Ida,  Albert  C, 
■Jacob  L.,  Edwin  M.,  and  Claire.  The  family 
home  is  located  at  No.  110  Beck  avenue.  For 
his  services  in  behalf  of  Ma.sonry,  Captain 
Billow  has  been  honored  with  the  33d  degree 
of  the  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite. 
He  is  also  an  Odd  Fellow. 

FRED  ZINDEL,  president  of  the  Orna- 
mental Iron  AVork  Company,  of  Akron,  has 
been  a  resident  of  this  city  for  eighteen  years, 
and  during  this  time  has  been  connected 
with  a  number  of  its  great  manufacturing  en- 
terjDriscs.  Although  a  comparatively  young 
man,  Mr.  Zindel  has  reached  a  prominent 
position  in  the  city's  commercdal  life  and 
stands  high  in  his  special  line  of  work.  He 
was  born  in  1876,  in  Aastria,  and  was  twelve 
years  of  age  when  he  came  to  America  and 
located  at  Akron. 

IMr.  Zindel's  first  industrial  connection  wa- 
with  the  Diamond  Match  Company,  with 
which  organization  he  remained  for  five 
years,  during  this  period  heing  placed  in 
charge'  of  diff'erent  departments  succes-sively 
and  acquiring  an  excellent  knowledge  of  the 
business.  From  the  Diamond  Match  Com- 
pany he  went  to  the  Burger  Iron  Company, 
where  he  was  employed  for  eleven  years. 
Here,  even  before  he  had  completed  his  ap- 
prenticeship, he  was  made  foreman  anrl  con- 
tinued in  that  responsible  position  mi  til  he 
severed  his  relations  with  that  concern.  With 
this  much  experience  behind  him,  Mr.  Zin- 
del decided  to  go  into  business  for  himself, 
and  in  February.  190S,  he  organized  the  Or- 
namental Iron  AVork  Company  at  Akron. 
It  was  incornorated  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$10,000,  with  Fred  Zindel  as  president;  H. 
G.  Brnndau,  vice  pre=iden1 ;  W.  A.  Boc^che 
as  sccretnry  find  treasurer.  Tlie  company  is 
enffatred   in    the  manufacture  of  nil   kinds  of 


340 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ornamentel  iron  and  wire  work.  The  suc- 
cess which  has  been  achieved  by  these  young 
men  in  their  enterprise  is  proof  both  of  their 
ability  and  of  the  fact  that  the  business  field 
was  open  to  just  such  a  concern  at  the  time 
they  launched  it.  In  1898  Mr.  Zindel  was 
married  to  Lizzie  Weirath,  of  Akron,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Edna. 

SOLOMON  KOPLIN,  one  of  Portage 
Township's  best-known  and  most  highly  es- 
teemed residents,  resides  on  his  valuable  farm 
of  sixty-nine  acres,  which  is  situated  on  the 
Merriman  road,  one-half  mile  northwest  of 
Akron.  He  was  born  at  Wadsworth,  Medina 
County,  Ohio,  March  3,  1828,  and  is  a  son 
of  Christian  and  Magdalena  (Baughman) 
Koplin. 

Christiajn  Koplin  accompanied  his  father, 
Mathias  Koplin,  from  Maryland,  and  they 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Chippewa  Town.ship, 
Wayne  County.  The  Koplins  were  very 
early  settlers  there,  and  on  that  farm  the 
grandfather  died.  Christian  Koplin  re- 
mained there  until  after  his  marriage  to 
Magdalena  Baughman,  who  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Lorentz  Baughman,  an  early  settler  in  Me- 
dina County.  After  his  marriage,  Christian 
Koplin  moved  to  Wadsworth  Township, 
Medina  County,  where  he  bought  a  farm, 
but  he  died  in  the  following  year,  when  only 
thirty-three  years  of  age.  He  left  his  widow 
with  three  chiMren,  namely:  Solomon,  sub- 
ject of  this  .sketch;  David,  who  resides  in 
Florida,  aged  seventy-seven  years,  and  Anna 
Maria,  who  is  the  widow  of  Nicholas  Edick 
and  resides  in  New  Mexico. 

The  father's  death  left  the  little  family 
badly  off.  They  secured  but  $100  from  the 
farm,  but  Mrs.  Koplin  purchased  five  acres 
of  land,  and  she  had  learned  the  weaver's 
trade,  so  her  efforts  supported  the  family 
until  the  sons  were  able  to  a.sisist.  The  little 
log  cabin  home  was  never  without  bread. 
She  was  a  woman  of  great  capacity  and  well 
deserved  the  gratitude  of  her  children. 

When  he  was  eighteeai  years  of  age,  Solo- 
mon Koplin  left  home  to  learn  wagon-mak- 


ing, hi^  brother  leaving  about  the  same  time 
to  learn  the  tanning  business.  During  the 
first  year,  Solomon  received  seven  dollars  a 
month,  and  he  was  thus  able  to  relieve  his 
mother  of  his  support,  purchase  good  clothes 
and  to  show  a  balance  of  $44  at  the  end  of 
the  year.  On  September  7,  1850,  he  wa-i 
married  to  Sarah  ISIiller,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  George  Miller,  who  owned  237  acre-s  of 
land  in  Summit  County.  The  Miller  and 
Koplin  families  came  to  Portage  Township 
together,  and  together  they  farmed  this  large 
tract  of  land.  For  two  years  after  marriage 
Mr.  Koplin  and  wife  lived  at  Wadsworth, 
but  in  1853  they  came  to  their  present  farm, 
which  was  a  part  of  the  Miller  property. 
George  Miller  later  bought  the  interest  of 
the  heirs  of  his  father,  Jacob  Miller,  in  the 
farm  in  Medina  County  of  114  acres.  Solo- 
mon Koplin  then  moved  to  Wad<worth  and 
lived  on  that  farm  for  twenty-one  years,  but 
in  1866,  Mr.  Koplin  returned  to  the  farm 
in  Portage  Township,  and  in  the  year  follow- 
ing was  elected  a  jastice  of  the  peace,  in 
which  office  he  sei-ved  for  fourteen  years. 
The  large  residence  which  fonnerly  stood  on 
this  farm,  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1902,  and 
was  replaced  by  the  present  comfortable  and 
commodious  house.  Mr.  Koplin  is  no  longer 
active  in  farm  work,  having  delegated  duties 
of  that  kind  to  younger  hands.  He  contin- 
ues, however,  to  be  interested  in  all  that  goes 
on,  and  important  matters  are  usually  re- 
ferred to  his  judgment. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Koplin  have  had  the  follow- 
ing chiildren :  Editha,  who  died  aged  two 
years  and  nine  months;'  Mary,  who  Avas  the 
wife  of  William  Shays,  and  died  at  the  age 
of  thirty-seven  years;  Charles  M..  who  mar- 
ried Catherine  Wolf,  and  resided  in  Akron,  is 
the  active  farmer  on  the  hoimestead,  and  by 
a  former  marriage  has  one  child,  Claude  R., 
residing  in  Wyoming;  George  A.,  who  mar- 
ried Hattie  Miller,  has  one  daughter,  Mrs. 
Beulah  -Tohnson,  wife  of  Dr.  Robert  L.  .John- 
son, residing  at  Wadsworth;  Rolland  Fon-est, 
residing  on  the  home  farm  and  assisting  in 
its  management,  married  Sarah  .lackson,  and 
has  two  children,  Forrest  and  Wade;  Homer 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


341 


S.,  residing  on  Portage  Path,  niarried  Clara 
Bailej';  Walter  S.,  employed  in  the  rubber 
works  at  Akron,  resides  at  home;  and  a  son 
who  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  and  Mr.s.  Koplin 
have  one  great-grandchild,  Charlotte,  the 
daughter  of   Dr.   and   ]Mrs.   Johnson. 

Mr.  Koplin  is  one  of  the  olde.-;t  Masons  in 
Summit  County,  and  belongs  to  the  first  Ala- 
sonic  lodge  established  in  Akron.  Both  he 
and  u'ife  are  valued  members  of  Grace  Re- 
formed Church.  They  have  a  wide  circle 
of  friends  to  whom  they  delight  to  offer  the 
hospitality  of  their  home. 

WILLIAM  P.  McFARLAND,  ftorist,  who.-e 
greenhouses  are  at  No.  491  Wooster  Avenue, 
^Vkron,  is  a  thoroughh'  experienced  man  in 
this  business,  having  devoted  his  attention  to 
it  since  he  wa.s  a  boy  of  nineteen  years.  He 
was  born  in  Greene  County,  Ohio,  in  1880, 
and  when  a  lad  of  thirteen  set  out  from 
home  to  make  his  way  unaided  in  the  world. 
During  his  boyhood  he  had  few  educational 
opportunities,  but  he  made  the  most  of  tho.-e 
he  had,  and  worked  for  his  own  support.  He 
had  a  natural  taste  for  floriculture,  and  at 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  florist's 
establishment  of  C.  A.  Reeser,  of  Spring- 
field, with  whom  he  remained  for  nine  years. 
Thence  he  went  to  a  florist  at  Youngstown, 
with  whom  he  remained  for  several  years, 
and  he  later  worked  at  the  business  at  Erie. 
Pennsylvania,  for  one  year.  In  1806  Mr. 
McFarland  came  to  Akron,  and  after  work- 
ing for  some  time  with  two  different  florists 
here,  he  embarked  in  the  business  for  him- 
self, securing  his  present  location  at  No.  401 
Wooster  Avenue.  Here  he  has  a  finely- 
equipped  plant,  with  about  7,000  square  feet 
under  gla<w.  He  does  a  very  large  business 
in  cut  flowers,  and  in  his  cooling  depart- 
ment keeps  on  hand  rare  blooms  at  all  sea- 
•sons,  to  .supply  festive  occasions  or  funeral 
demands. 

In  1899  Mr.  McFarland  wa>  married  to 
Mrs.  G.  B.  Kendall,  of  Akron.  Lewis  C.  Mc- 
Farland, son  of  Mr.  McFarland,  was  bom 
October  Ifi,  1887,  has  been  educated  in  the 
business  \\nth  his  father  and  e.xpects  to  suc- 


ceed him.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  always  takes  an  active  interest  in  local 
matters.  For  five  years  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  precinct  election  board.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  Mason,  a  Woodman,  a  Macca- 
bee  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias,  in  the  latter 
organization  being  a  member  of  the  board 
of  directors.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Protected  Home  Circle. 

W.  A.  BOESCHE,  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Ornamental  Iron  Work  Company,  of 
Akron,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  since 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  was  born 
in  1883,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  was 
educated  and  had  his  first  practical  business 
experience. 

After  leaving  school  Mr.  Boesche  became 
identified  with  newspaper  work  and  for  sev- 
eral years  was  connected  in  a  reportorial  ca- 
pacity with  the  Cincinnati  Enquirer.  He 
then  came  to  Akron,  seeking  a  wider  field 
of  effort,  and  became  connected  with  the  B. 
F.  Goodrich  Company,  with  which  he  con- 
tinued for  three  years.  In  February,  1906, 
when  the  Ornamental  Iron  Work  Company 
was  organized  and  incorporated  at  Akron, 
lie  became  interested  therein  and  was  offered 
and  accepted  the  pasition  of  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  company.  The  enterprise 
has  proved  very  successful,  and  its  prospects 
indicate  that  in  the  near  future  its  facilities 
will  have  to  be  enlarged  to  keep  up  with  the 
increasing  demand  for  the  company's  prod- 
uct. The  president  and  vice  president  of  this 
company,  Frederick  Zindel  and  H.  G.  Bran- 
dau,  are  both  practical  and  experienced  men 
in  the  iron  business.  The  output  of  the 
works  include  all  kinds  of  ornamental  iron- 
and  wire-work.  Mr.  Boesche  is  a  Knight 
Templar  Mason  and  he  belongs  to  the  Ma- 
sonic Club. 

WILLIAM  H.  SMITH,  a  leading  con- 
tractor and  lumber  dealer  of  Clinton,  and 
one  of  the  substantial  business  men  of  the 
locality,  was  born  at  the  home  farm  east  of 
Clinton,  Franklin  Town.«hip,  Summit  County, 


342 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Oliio,  March  17,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Lewis 
and  Elizabeth   (Croft)   Smith. 

John  Adam  Smith,  the  grandfather  of 
William  H.,  was  a  substantial  citizen  of  his 
native  town  in  Germany,  where  he  was  mayor 
and  also  professor  in  the  High  School.  He 
came  to  this  comitry  ATOth  his  three  children, 
of  whom  Le'iA'is,  the  youngest,  was  thre« 
years  old,  landing  at  Baltimore.  Mr.  Smith 
brought  with  him  $7,000  in  gold,  which,  in 
the  few  hours  at  night  that  were  spent  on 
the  boat  at  the  docks  in  Baltimore,  was  stolen 
from  him,  and  he  was  compelled  to  begin  all 
over  again,  in  the  new  countrj'.  SiLstaining 
this  misfortune  with  a  brave  heart,  this  sturdy 
emiigi'anit  settled  for  a  short  time  in  Penn- 
sylvania, whence  he  came  to  the  vicinity  of 
Canton,  Ohio,  and  located  for  a.  time  on  a 
farm.  A  small  place  was  then  purchased 
near  Canal  Fulton,  Ohio,  where  he  s]ient  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occumng  at 
the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  In  spite  of  his 
great  lo.5S  in  early  life,  Mr.  Smith  had  lic- 
come  a  very  .successful  man,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death  was  rated  one  of  the  substan- 
tial men  of  his  community.  He  had  three 
children :     Caitherine,  Elizabeth  and  I^ewis. 

Le^A-is  Smith,  father  of  William  H.,  being 
the  only  son  of  hLs  parents,  was  compelled  to 
spend  his  youth  in  hard  labor  on  the  home 
farms,  a.nd  his  schooling  was  vei'y  limited, 
la.sting  in  all  about  eighteen  months.  After 
his  [marriage  he  lived  for  several  years  on  a 
rented  farm  north  of  Canal  Fulton.  He  then 
purcha.sed  eighty-one  acres  of  fine  land  cast 
of  Clinton,  Franklin  Township,  Summit 
County,  where  he  resided  for  about  thirty- 
three  years.  His  next  and  last  purchase  was 
a  farm  of  160  acres  west  of  Clinton,  where 
his  death  occurred  after  twenty  years,  when 
he  was  in  his  eighty-first  year.  His  wife, 
Elizabeth  Croft  Smith,  was  born  in  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  and  died  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
seven  years.  To  them  were  born  eight  chil- 
dren:  Adam,  who  lives  on  the  home  place 
in  Franklin  ToT\-n?hip;  AYilliam  H.,  whosi' 
name  begins  this  sketch:  .Tacob,  who  died  in 
1901 ;  David  C,  of  CHnton.  Ohio,  and  four 
who    died  in   infancv.      After   the   death    of 


his  first  wife,  Lewis  Smith  was  married  to 
Loui.sa  Fritz,  who  died  in  1903 ;  there  were 
no  children  of  tliis  second  miion. 

William  H.  Smith  secured  his  education 
in  dLstiiot  school  No.  8,  in  his  native  town- 
ship, and  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm, 
Avhere  he  remained  until  his  marriage,  in 
1881.  In  that  year  he  removed  to  Clinton, 
and  for  a  number  of  year.s  was  engaged  in 
the  hardwood  lumber  business  with  his 
brother,  David  C.  In  1889  they  opened  a 
planing-^mill,  which  Mr.  Smith  has  operated 
ever  since,  having  purcha.sed  his  brother's  in- 
terests therein  about  six  months  after  enter- 
ing into  busine.ss.  He  also  engage^  in  all 
kinds  of  contracting  and  building,  and  has 
various  other  business  interests  which  include 
a  directorship  in  the  Clinton  Savings  Bank 
and  the  Franklin  Industrial  Company  of 
Warwdck.  Mr.  Smith's  fine  home,  a  frame 
residence  of  fourteen  rooms,  was  erected  bv 
him  in  1901. 

On  November  31,  1881,  Mr.  Smith  was 
married  to  Annie  Mueller,  who'  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Peter  and  Mary  Mueller,  and  three 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union, 
namely:  Elsie,  Jessie,  who  married  Archie 
Dunmead,  and  resides  at  Barbcrton,  Ohio, 
and  Effie. 

In  political  matters  ilr.  Smith  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  he  has  always  taken  an  interest 
in  the  succe.s.s  of  his  party,  although  he  has 
never  cared  for  public  office.  He  belongs 
fraternally  to  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees. 
He  attends  the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which 
he  is  an  elder,  and  to  which  hi?  family  also 
belongs. 

C.  C.  WARNER,  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Public  Safety,  at-  Akron,  is  one  of  the 
city's  prominent  men,  who  has  been  identi- 
fied with  itvS  business,  political  and  social  in- 
terests for  a  long  course  of  years.  Mr.  War- 
ner was  born  in  1860,  in  Germany,  and  is 
a  son  of  the  late  FredcTick  Warner. 

C.  C.  Warner  was  about  ten  years  of  age 
when  he  caime  to  Akron,  and  here  he  was 
reared  and  educated.  He  left  school  to  enter 
the  employ  of  the  E.  H.  Merrill   Company, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


343 


with  whom  he  remained  for  twenty-three 
yeans,  going  then  to  the  Robinson  Clay 
Product  Company,  where  he  stayed  four 
years.  Since  then  Mr.  Warner  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  Akron  Gas  Company.  He 
owns  a  considerable  amount  of  real  estate, 
and  a  large  part  of  his  time  is  taken  up  in 
looking  after  these  intereists.  For  many 
years  he  has  been  more  or  less  prominent  in 
Democratic  politics  and  has  sen-ed  a  num- 
l>cr  of  times  as  a  member  of  the  City  Comi- 
cil,  showing  the  careful  interest  in  civic  af- 
faii-s  that  betokens  the  good  citizen.  He 
served  two  years  also  as  a  trustee  of  Portage 
Townsiiip,  and  three  years  as  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Public  Safety,  and  is  the  Demo- 
cratic nominee  for  the  Board  of  Public 
Service. 

In  1890  Mr.  AVarner  was  married  i<> 
Louise  Knapp,  of  Massillon,  Ohio.  His  home 
is  a  beautiful  residence  at  No.  373  Wooster 
Avenue.  Mr.  Warner  is  a  member  of  the 
Akron  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he 
has  been  treasurer  for  eight  years,  and  he 
belongs  also  to  several  of  the  leading  Ger- 
man benevolent  societies. 

G.  F.  KASCH,  president  of  The  Portage 
Park  Land  Company,  of  Akron,  was  born  in 
1867,  in  Germany,  but  accompanied  his 
father,  "\A"illiam  Kasch,  and  his  mother, 
Ernestine  Kasch,  to  this  city  in  childhood, 
where  he  was  reared  and  educated.  With 
his  father,  he  learned  the  tinner's  trade,  and 
was  only  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  went 
into  the  roofing  l>usiness  on  his  own  account 
In  1S90,  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  the  firm  of  Ka*ch 
Brothers  (Roofers)  was  organized,  its  mem- 
bers being  F.  C.  Kasch  and  G.  F.  Kasch, 
and  the  latter  remained  a  member  until  1893, 
when  he  disposed  of  his  interest  and  went 
into  real  estate.  This  firm  was  afterward  or- 
ganized as  The  Kasch  Roofing  Company, 
and  so  continues  until  the  present  time. 

lentil  1900  Mr.  Kasch  operated  independ- 
ently, handling  only  his  own  property,  buy- 
ing land,  and  platting  and  improving  the 
same.      During    this    period    he    platted    two 


allotments  in  the  Cobb  farm  on  West  Hill — 
one  on  West  Market  Street  at  the  intersec- 
tion of  Portage  Path  Road,  and  Kasoh's 
Glenwood  Allotment  on  the  north  side  of  the 
citv. 

in  1900,  with  Will  Christy  and  J.  R.  Niitt, 
two  prominent  local  capitalists,  he  organized 
the  West  Hill  Land  Company,  which  was 
incorporated  for  $75,000.  They  received 
from  the  ccwnmissi oners  of  Summit  County 
fifty-five  acres  of  land  of  the  Summit  County 
Infirmary  farm,  on  West  Hill  (which  land 
lays  between  West  Market  and  West  Ex- 
change Streets),  in  exchange  for  122^  acres 
of  other  land  lying  west  of  the  present 
County  Infirmary  and  immediately  adjoin- 
ing the  County  Farm.  The  fifty-five  acres 
obtained  by  The  AA'est  Hill  Land  Company 
was  all  the  land  the  county  owned  lying  be- 
tween the  Infirmary  and  the  city,  the  greater 
portion  of  it  lay  within  the  city  limits.  In 
1900  and  in  1902  the  remaining  portion  was 
annexed  to  the  city. 

The  West  Hill  Land  Company  h;^  opened 
up  this  fine  pro]ierty,  making  it  the  choicest 
residence  section  of  the  city,  providing  it 
with  every  city  improvement.  A  number  of 
the  avenues  in  this  allotment  were  named 
for  some  of  Akron's  most  distinguished  citi- 
zens, among  them  being  Senator  Charles 
Dick  (Dick  Avenue) ,  former  Congressman 
David  R.  Paige  (Paige  Avenue),  former 
Mayor  Richard  P.  Marvin  (Marvin  Avenue), 
and  H.  C.  Corson,  philanthropist,  (Corson 
Avenue) .  The  removal  of  this  beautiful  al- 
lotment far  from  Akron's  industriai  plants, 
for  which  this  city  is  world  famous,  insures 
the  absence  of  all  smoke  in  that  section,  and 
the  phrase,  "West-of-the-Smoke,"  which  Mr. 
Kasch  originated,  tells  the  story  of  its 
greatest  advantage  for  home  purposes. 

Mr.  Kasch  and  his  a.s,sociates  have  shown 
great  public  spirit  and  deserve  the  thanks  of 
all  Akron  for  the  gift  of  three  beautiful 
parks,  namely:  Christy  Park,  Portage  Park 
(consisting  of  three  and  one-half  acres),  and 
Watershed  Park.  The  latter  is  situated  on 
the  watershed  of  Ohio  from  which  the  water 
is   deflected   to   Lake   Brie  and   the  Gulf  of 


344 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Mexico.  The  company  has  spent  a  large 
amount  in  beautifying  these  parks,  entirely 
free  of  any  expense  to  the  city. 

While  prominently  connected  with  The 
West  Hill  Land  Company,  Mr.  Kasch  has 
been  busy  in  other  realty  enterprises.  He 
opened  up  the  Rubber  Works  Allotment  at 
the  corner  of  East  Exchange  and  Fountain 
Streets,  located  midway  between  the  great 
rubber  manufacturing  plants  of  the  city.  He 
is  also  at  the  present  time  opening  The 
KaschA^iall  Allotment  at  the  intersection  of 
Beaver  and  Gage  Streets,  near  the  indu.<trial 
section  of  the  city. 

In  September,  1906,  Mr.  Christy,  Mr. 
Nutt  and  Mr.  Kasch  divided  their  interest  in 
the  West  Hill  Land  Company,  Mr.  Kasch 
taking  over  one-half  of  the  West  Hill  prop- 
erty. He  then  incorporated  the  Portage  Park 
Land  Company,  taking  its  name  from  the 
Allotment,  "Portage  Park,"  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $50,000.  The  following  are  the  of- 
ficers; G.  F.  Kasch,  jiresident  and  trea.surer; 
Charles  F.  Wallraff,  vice  president,  and  W. 
H.  Kasch,  secretary.  On  this  property  val- 
uable improvement.s  have  recently  been 
made,  including  the  paving  and  introduction 
of  sewer  and  water  pipe's  and  concrete  side- 
walks the  entire  length  of  IMai-vin  Avenue. 
This  avenue  has  the  unique  distinction  of  ly- 
ing right  along  "The  Watershed"  ridge  of 
Ohio,  with  a  mean  elevation  of  1,130  feet 
above  sea-level.  The  view  of  the  surrounding 
country  from  this  avenue  is  superb,  as  from 
the  roofs  of  the  residences  located  thereon, 
every  township  in  Summit  County,  except 
Green,  is  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  The  lots 
here  offered  for  .«ale  have  all  city  improve- 
ment, and  at  a  price  that  has  formerly  been 
asked  for  lots  without  any  improvements. 
The  advantage.s  for  acquiring  a  comfortable 
home  in  i)k'!isanl  surnuniding-  at  such  ])ricc's 
has  never  been  before  equalled  and  there  are 
manj-  satisfied  hou.seholders  who  are  under 
many  obligations  to  Mr.  Kasch  and  his  asso- 
ciates for  their  enter]) rise. 

He  has  devoted  the  last  fourteen  years  to 
this  line  of  business  and  has  done  much  to 
develop  and  improve  the  west  end  of  the  city. 


His  time  has  been  entirely  taken  up  with  his 
own  projects  and  he  has  never  engaged  in 
real  estate  brokerage.  The  Indian  monument 
standing  on  West  Market  Street  was  erected 
by  liim  on  July  4,  1905,  to  commemorate  the 
spot  where  the  old  Indian  trail  cios.sed  the 
watershed,  in  the  days  when  the  Connecticut 
Yankees  first  came  into  The  Western  Resei-ve. 
The  above  date  is  exactly  a  century  since  the 
LTnited  States  commissioners  met  the  repre- 
sentatives of  all  the  Indian  tribes  tben  living 
between  the  Portage  Path  and  the  Ml  si.ss'ppi 
River,  at  Toledo,  and  purchased  from  them 
for  $20,000  their  rights  in  this  immense  tract 
of  land.  The  title  of  the  United  States  to 
this  vast  domain  then  became  perfect,  and 
purchasers  of  land  at  Portage  Park,  west  of 
the  Portage  Path,  have  the  assurance  that 
they  not  only  have  a  good  legal  title  to  their 
land,  but  a  perfect  moral  title  as  well.  This 
cannot  be  said  of  the  land  lying  east  of  The 
Portage  Path,  as  the  Indians  were  driven 
west  by  the  settlers,  and  they  made  their  last 
stand  at  the  line  formed  by  The  Cuyahoga 
River,  the  Portage  Path  and  The  Tuscarawas 
River. 

In  1895  Mr.  Kasch  was  married  to  Mis-> 
Augusta  Wallraff,  a  lady  who  was  formerly  a 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Akron.  They 
have  one  son,  Allan  Wallraff  Ka.sch. 

ilr.  Kasch  is  a  member  of  the  Arlington 
Street,  or  "Old  Forge"  Congregational 
Church,  and  for  sixteen  years  ha?  been  iden- 
tified with  its  Sunday  School,  duriuQ-  the  mo  t 
of  this  time  being  the  superintendent.  He 
is  a  man  of  great  energy  and  remarkable 
business  foresight,  and  these  qualities,  com- 
bined with  the  virtues  of  honesty  and  per- 
sonal integrity,  have  contributed  to  his  busi- 
ne.ss  success.  He  is  one  of  Akron's  first  advo- 
cates of  political  independence  in  local  affairs, 
and  does  not  hesitate  to  urge  the  election  of 
men  for  office  whom  he  believes  best  fitted  for 
the  positions,  regardless  of  his  personal  feel- 
ings or  party  lines. 

CHARLES  H.  LAHK,  auditor  of  the 
Northern  Ohio  Traction  and  Light  Comiiany, 
Akron,  has  been  identified  with  the  railroad 


J1AK\EY  BALD\\J:S 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


347 


interests  of  thi^  city  throughout  ahnost  the 
entire  period  of  his  business  career.  He  was 
born  at  Norton  Center,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
in  1873,  and  is  a  son  of  William  li.  Lahr. 

William  H.  Lahr  was  born  at  Norton  Cen- 
ter in  1850  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  a 
leading  farmer  of  Norton  township,  where  he 
now  lives  retired.  His  father,  John  Lahr, 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  township 
and  the  family  has  always  been  one  of  more 
or  less  prominence  in  this  section. 

Charles  H.  Lahr  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  after  completing  the  High  School 
course  at  Norton  Center,  came  to  Akron,  en- 
tering the  office  of  the  J.  F.  Seiberling  Com- 
pany, where  he  remained  a  short  time.  He 
then  entered  the  employ  of  the  Akron  Street 
Railroad  .Company,  from  1892  until  Janu- 
ary 1,  1907,  serving  as  cashier  of  that  cor- 
poration. At  the  date  last  mentioned  he  be- 
came auditor  of  the  Northern  Ohio  Traction 
and  Light  Company,  in  which  he  is  a  stock- 
holder. 

In  April,  1900,  Mr.  Lahr  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  May  Seeger,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Seeger,  of  Akron.  They  are  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  Lahr  is  affili- 
ated fraternally  with  the  Elks. 

HARVEY  BALDWIN,  president  of  the 
Buckeye  Sewer  Pipe  Company  at  Akron,  for 
many  years  was  one  of  the  city's  most  active 
business  men,  and  is  identified  still  with  a 
number  of  its  leading  enterprises,  although  he 
ha-s  been  retired  from  active  participation  in 
business  life  for  fully  twenty-five  years.  Mr. 
Baldwin  was  born  August  29,  1822,  at  Gosh- 
en, Connecticut,  and  is  a  member  of  a  family 
which  has  been  one  of  importance  there  since 
the  time  of  the  early  settlements.  He  is  a  son 
of  Erastus  and  Lucretia   (Austin)    Baldwin. 

In  1844  Mr.  Baldwin  came  to  Ohio,  locat- 
ing first  at  Hudson,  and  in  1857  at  Middle- 
bury,  where  he  engaged  in  the  match  business 
and  the  manufacture  of  stonewai'c.  He  later 
entered  into  the  sewer  pijie  industry,  with 
which  he  has  been  identified  ever  since.  He  is 
a  director  in  the  Permanent  Savings  and  Loan 
Association,   of  wliich    his  brother,   the  late 


Joseph  A.  Baldwin,  was  president,  and  is  also 
on  the  directing  board  of  the  Central  Sav- 
ings and  Trust  Company. 

In  1855  Mr.  Baldwin  was  married  (first) 
to  Cordelia  Mather,  who  died  .soon  after.  In 
1859  he  was  married  (second)  to  Margaret  L. 
Hawn.  By  the  first  marriage  he  had  one 
daughter,  Delia  Louisa,  who  is  the  wife  of 
George  W.  Ruckel,  of  Akron.  Mr.  Baldwin 
resides  in  a  handsome  mansion  at  No.  797 
East  Market  Street. 

Under  appointment  from  Governor  David 
Tod,  Mr.  Baldwin  served  for  .seven  years 
as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  he  was  also  for 
some  time  clerk  of  the  Board  of  Infirmary 
Directors.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  Akron 
since  1857,  and  is  one  of  its  best  known  and 
most  highly  respected  citizens.  An  ample 
fortune  and  plenty  of  leisure  have  served  to 
broaden  his  life,  and  he  has  taken  advan- 
tage of  many  opportunities  to  advance  the 
moral  and  material  interests  of  the  city.  He 
has  been  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  for  more  than  a  half  cen- 
tury. 

JOHN  F.  MILLER,  a  general  farmer,  re- 
siding on  his  valuable  farm  of  forty-eight 
acres  in  Portage  Township,  was  born  at 
Wadsw'orth,  Medina  County,  Ohio,  July  29, 
1844,  and  is  a  .son  of  George  and  Rebecca 
(Baughman)  ^liller. 

Jacob  Miller,  the  grandfather  of  John  F., 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Medina 
County,  locating  at  AVadsworth  in  181(5,  and 
purchasing  a  farm  one  mile  east  of  the  vil- 
lage. In  journeying  from  Pennsylvania,  Mr. 
Miller  and  family  pa&sed  through.  Middle- 
bury,  then  the  infant  Akron.  They  stayed 
for  one  year  at  Oanfield,  MaJioning  County, 
before  pursuing  their  journey  farther  west. 
Jacob  Miller,  anxious  to  secure  good  land,  ex- 
amined its  quality  in  .several  .sections  before 
purchasing.  He  was  offered  a  farm  for  $3 
per  acre,  which  is  now  in  the  very  heart  of 
Akron,  on  the  site  of  the  Perkins  public 
school.  He  was  not  satisfied,  however,  and 
went  on  to  Medina  County,  where  he  invested 
his  money.     The  maternal    grandfather    of 


348 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


John  F.  Miller  came  also  from  Pennsylvania. 
locating  between  Wadsworth  and  Doyles- 
town. 

George  Miller  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  a  boy  when  his  parents  came  to  Ohio. 
His  older  brother,  John  Miller,  went  into 
partnership  with  John  Pardee,  in  a  morcan- 
tile  business  at  Wadsworth,  which  was  one 
of  the  earliest  enterprises  there,  and  when 
the  brother  died,  George  assumed  his  inter- 
ests and  continued  in  partnership  with  Mr. 
Pardee  for  some  time.  A  few  years  later  he 
bought  a  fai-m  on  Silver  Creek,  near  Wad-;- 
worth,  on  which  he  lived  for  a  few  year.-, 
selling  it  at  a  later  date.  In  1853  he  bought 
240  acres,  and  on  a  part  of  this  property  Jolm 
F.  Miller  now  lives.  George  Miller  carried  on 
farming  and  .stockraising  on  this  land  quite 
extensively.  In  1856  he  built  the  substan- 
tial stone  house  which  is  still  standing.  He 
was  a  very  just  man,  and  divided  his  land  so 
that  all  his  children  were  provided  for.  He 
made  three  farms  of  the  240  acres  he  owned 
in  Portage  Township,  and  the  old  Miller 
homestead  in  AVadsworth  Township  he  left 
to  the  heirs  of  his  davighter,  ]\Irs.  Springer. 
There  he  died,  four  days  after  his  80th  birth- 
day.- George  Miller  married  Rebecca  Rauarh- 
man  and  they  had  four  children:  Sarah, 
Paul,  Martha  and  John  F.  Sarah,  residing 
in  Portage  Township,  married  Solomon  Kop- 
lin,  Paul  has  lieon  a  resident  of  California 
since  1860.  Martha,  now  deceased,  was  mar- 
ried, first  to  Dr.  F.  F.  Falk,  wlio  died  at 
Western  Star,  aged  twenty-eight  years.  She 
married,  second.  Frank  Springer.  The 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  died  in 
1868  on  the  home  farm. 

John  F.  Miller  wa^  eight  vears  old  when 
his  parents  came  to  Portage  Township,  and, 
althouah  he  ha.s  .spent  some  time  away  from 
here,  on  various  occasions,  thi-^  has  always  rc- 
niained  his  home  residence.  For  two  years 
in  early  manhood  he  followed  railroading  and 
mountain  teaming  alona;  the  Pacific  coast, 
but  for  many  years  he  has  been  enoiaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  on  his  fine  propeiiv 
here.  This  land  is  well  improved,  and  its 
value   mav   be   estimated    from   the    fact    t'-at 


Mr.  Miller  recently  sold  twelve  acres  of  it,  for 
which  he  received  $1,000  per  acre,  the  pur- 
chaser being  W.  B.  Miller,  of  Akron.  Mr. 
Miller  also  owns  another  farm  of  sixty-four 
acres  in  Medina  County,  Ohio. 

In  October,-  1868,  Mr.  Miller  w<is  married 
(fir.st)  to  Charitv  Brouse,  who  died  in  Febru- 
ary, 1892.  They  had  four  children:  Ellon 
Harry,  Paul  and  Laura,  of  whom  Laura  died 
when  aged  fourteen  montlis.  Elton  Miller, 
who  resided  on  the  farm  in  Wadsworth  town- 
.ship,  wliich  is  owned  by  his  father  and  sons, 
was  accidentally  killed  there  September  13, 
1900,  by  an  accidental  explosion  of  the  steam 
pipes  in  a  saw  mill.  He  married  Nellie 
Blackford.  Harry  Miller  is  foreman  of  the 
ship]iing  department  of  the  Quaker  Oat- 
mills  at  Akron ;  Paul  Miller  assi.sts  on  the 
home  farm.  On  October  20,  1897,  Mr.  Mil- 
ler married  (second)  Mrs.  Chri.steen  (Mohn) 
Palmer. 

For  twenty-five  years  Mr.  Miller  was  identi- 
fied with  the  Prohibition  party,  and  then 
united  with  the  Democratic  party.  For  four 
years  he  served  as  tnistee  of  Portage  Town- 
ship. He  has  long  been  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  AVest  Congregational  Church  at 
Akron.  In  1904  he  and  his  wife  took  a  trip 
to  California,  where  he  revisited  .scenes  made 
familiar  to  him  in  his  first  trip.  On  the  way 
they  visited  the  exposition  then  in  progress 
at  St..  Louis. 

HIRAM  and  HAYES  AVHEELER 
BREAVSTER,  uncle  and  nephew,  residing  on 
the  old  Brew.'ter  evstate,  which  extends  throneh 
(both  Coventry  and  Springfield  Townships, 
and  'was  settled  in  1811,  are  representatives 
of  one  of  the  old,  prominent  and  wealthy 
families  of  Summit  County. 

Hiram  Brewster,  who  lives  retired  from 
business  activity,  was  formerly  an  extensive 
farmer,  coal  producer  and  active  business  man. 
He  comes  of  New  England  ancestry,  but  wa-< 
born  on  his  present  farm,  June  8,  1835,  and 
is  -a  .'^on  of  James  G.  Brewster,  and  a  grand'^on 
of  Stephen  Brewster,  who  was  the  founder 
of  the  family  in  Ohio. 

Stephen  Brewster  wa.^  born  nl  Grot'Hi,  Con- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


349 


nectdcut,  and  jirobably  could  trace  his  ances- 
try back  to  the  landing  of  the  Mayflower 
colonists.  He  mai'ried  Lydia  Bellows,  also 
of  Groton,  who  had  been  a  childhood  play- 
mate and  school  mate,  and  they  had  the  fol- 
lowing children  born  to  them :  James  G. ; 
]\Irs.  Lucinda  ilurray;  Hannah,  who  married 
David  Dunbar;  Charlotte,  who  married  Mar- 
tin Howell;  Alexander,  and  Hiram.  The  lat- 
ter died  in  1813  and  his  grave  is  marked  by 
a  stone  still  .standing  on  the  farm. 

Stephen  Brew.siter  was  a  carpenter  and  mill- 
wright and  he  probably  followed  his  trade  at 
Groton  initil  short  after  the  birth  of  his 
elder  children,  when  he  moved  to  the  State 
of  New  York,  doubtless  with  the  idea,  of  secur- 
ing a  permanent  home  in  an  agricultural  re- 
gion, Ijut  not  finding  what  he  desired  there, 
in  1811.  he  came  to  Ohio,  securing  160  acres 
in  Sunnnit  County,  nt  a  very  low  rate,  from 
the  Connecticut  Land  Company.  The  Brew- 
sters  came  as  early  jiioneers  to  this  section. 
making  the  long  journey  in  covered  wagons, 
as  at  that  time  no  railroads  had  been  built 
or  canal.i  constnicted.  Their  way  often  led 
over  different  roads,  through  unbridged 
streams  and  dense  forests,  but  at  last  they 
reached  their  destination.  At  that  date  there 
had  been  not  a  single  house  erected  between 
their  wild  farm  and  Akron,  which  was  then 
but  a  village,  with  no  appearance  of  ever  be- 
coming the  home  of  more  than  42,000  souls, 
and  all  their  surroundings  were  of  the  M-ild- 
est  description.  A  little  log  cabin  was  .=oon 
constructed  in  the  mid.^^t  of  the  forest,  And  the 
appearance  of  human  beings  in  the.se  dense 
woods  caused  the  deer  to  run  in  herds,  like 
flocks  of  .sheep,  at  the  sound  of  the  ax  on  the 
heavy  timber.  Game  was  .so  plentiful  and  so 
easily  obtained  that  the  family  never  wa.s  in 
danger  of  .starvation  until  they  were  able  to 
raise  grain  in  the  rich  land  which  quickly 
responded  to  their  efforts  of  cultivation,  Viut 
they  went  through  many  of  the  inevitable 
hardships  which  belonged  to  pioneer  life.  On 
this  farm  both  Stephen  Brewster  and  ^-ife 
died,  he  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight,  and  she 
aged  seventy  vears. 

James  G.  Brew-ter.  father  of  Hirarn.  was 


born  in  1797,  at  Groton,  Connecticut,  and  was 
yet  young  when  the  family  came  to  Summit 
County.  He  had  few  educational  advantages 
and  his  early  life  was  completely  filled  with 
the  hard  work  of  clearing  the  farm  and  put- 
ting it  under  cultivation,  the  fact  of  his  be- 
ing the  eldest  son  placing  heavy  responsibili- 
ties on  him.  These  circumstances  probably 
assisted  in  developing  a  strong  and  sturdy 
character,  for  Mr.  Brewster  was  known  far 
and  wide  for  his  integrity,  foresight  and 
soimd  business  judgment.  His  active  years 
were  given  to  farming  and  improving  the 
■  part  of  his  father's  estate  which  he  had  in- 
herited, and  to  which  he  added  until  he 
owned  320  acres,  situated  on  both  sides  of  the 
public  highway.  He  died  in  June,  1842.  He 
was  married  in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  to 
Martha  Has.*en,  who  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  accompanied  her  parents  to  Colum- 
biana County,  where  the  family  was  a  promi- 
nent one  among  the  pioneer  .settlers.  They 
had  five  children :  Stephen,  who  married 
Charlotte  Meeeh  (both  deceased)  ;  Jonathan 
H.  and  James  G.,  twins,  both  now  deceased, 
the  latter  of  whom  married  Mary  Davey; 
Hiram ;  and  George,  who  married  Maria  L. 
Kent,  and  died  May  25,  1907. 

Hiram  Brewster,  who  is  the  only  sur\-ivor 
of  the  above  -mentioned  family,  was  reared 
on  his  present  farm,  and,  with  the  exception 
of  a  period  of  three  months,  which  he  spent 
with  his  brother  .Jonathan,  in  Florida,  during 
lOOfi,  he  has  never  resided  elsewhere.  He 
went  to  school  in  a  frame  building  which 
had  .succeeded  the  old  log  one,  remains  of 
which  still  stood,  and  others  of  its  kind  can 
.«till  be  found  through  this  section.  There 
he  secured  a  good,  common-school  education, 
which  has  served  him  well  through  years  of 
active  business  life,  Mr.  Brewster  has  a  well- 
improved  place,  and  he  assisted  in  building  all 
the  houses  and  barns  which  are  necessary  here 
for  the  carrying  on  of  the  work  on  750  acres, 
which,  with  his  nephew,  Hayes  Wheeler 
Brcw.ster,  he  operates.  Although  no  longer 
active  in  extending  its  interests.  Mr.  Brewster 
is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  tlie  Buckeye  Sewer 
Pipe  Company,  and  is  al*o  a  stockholder  in 


350 


HISTORY    OF    Sl'.MMIT    COUNTY 


the  Summit  Sewer  Pipe  Company.  Mr. 
Brewster  has  been  interested  more  or  less  for 
years  in  the  developing  of  coal  lands.  He  has 
never  taken  any  very  lively  interest  in  poli- 
tics, absolutely  refusing  to  hold  local  offices, 
and  has  contented  himself  with  merely  per- 
forming those  duties  which  appeal  to  him  as 
a  good  citizen.  Hiram  Brewster  never  mar- 
ried. 

Hayes  Wheeler  Brewster,  who  is  associated 
with  his  uncle,  Hii-am  Brewster,  in  the  luan- 
agement  and  operation  of  about  the  largest 
farm  in  Summit  County,  is  one  of  the  bes't- 
known  agriculturists  of  Coventry  and  Spring- 
field Townships.  Mr.  Brewster  was  born  on 
the  farm  on  which  lie  has  spent  his  whole 
life,  the  old  Brew.-^ter  homestead,  June  25, 
1876,  and  is  a  son  of  Stephen,  a  grandson  of 
Jaimes  G.  and  a  great-grandson  of  Stephen 
Brewster,  who  settled  on  this  land  in  1811. 

Stephen  Brewster,  son  of  James  G.,  mar- 
ried Charlotte  i\Iceeh  and  they  had  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Ephraim,  who  is  e.staHished 
in  the  far  West;  Hayes;  Stephen,  who  is  also 
in  the  West;  and  John.  The  father  of  Mr. 
Brewster  died  in  January,  1887,  but  the 
mother  survived  until  December,  1903. 

Hayes  Wheeler  Brewster  was  married  in 
October,  1899,  to  Susan  Dodd,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  and  Catherine  (Griffith)  Dodd, 
well-known  residents  of  Summit  County. 
They  have  two  children,  a  son  and  daughter, 
Hiram  and  Charlotte, 

]\Ir.  Breiw.ster,  in  the  management  of  the 
large  family  estate,  displays  the  judgment  and 
capacity  for  business  which  has  marked  the 
Brewster  family,  and  which  has  made  them 
so  long  prominent  factors  in  all  that  concerns 
this  section.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in 
public  matters  that  concern  the  general  wel- 
fare, but,  like  his  uncle,  has  always  had  a 
dista.ste  for  public  office.  His  interests  al- 
■ways  having  centered  here,  he  stands  a«  one 
of  the  section's  truly  representative  men. 

LOUIS  SKYBOLD,  treasurer  and  manager 
of  the  Akron  Germania  Company,  with  of- 
fices at  No.  148  South  Howard  Street,  Akron, 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  for  the  past 


thirty-two  years,  coming  here  from  his  home 
in  Bavaria,  Germanv,  where  he  was  born  in 
1856. 

Mr.  Seybold  was  educated  in  the  excellent 
schools  of  his  native  land,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  he  crassed  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 
hoping  to  find  more  favorable  opportunities 
for  advancement  here  than  in  Germany. 
Shortly  afterward  he  came  to  Akron  and  se- 
cured employment  in  the  rubber  works,  and 
later  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  grocery  store. 
This  was  all  preliminary  to  his  real  work,  for 
Mr.  Seybold's  abilities  were  recognized  as  soon 
as  he  became  acquainted  with  men  of  promi- 
nence in  the  community,  who  were  seeking 
intelligent  and  reliable  p.ssistance.  He  short- 
ly became  a  member  and  then  a  director  of 
the  old  German  Harmonie  Society,  at  the 
same  time  interesting  himself  in  politics  to 
some  degree,  and  was  also  engaged  to  write 
a  few  editorials  for  the  German  newspaper 
published  by  Mr.  Werner.  An  acquaintance 
thus  established  led  to  his  further  continuance 
with  the  paper,  of  which  he  subsequently  be- 
came editor  and  proprietor.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  years,  when  otherwise  employed, 
Mr.  Seybold  has  since  continued  ni  his  edi- 
torial pasition,  and  also  owns  the  controlling 
interest  in  the  Germania  Company.  He 
wields  a  facile  pen  and  has  devoted  close  study 
to  public  questions  and  is  a  wise  adviser  to 
his  army  of  readers. 

In  1879,  Mr.  Seybold  was  married  to 
Louisa  Doppstaedter,  who  was  born  at  Ash- 
land, Ohio.  They  have  eight  children, 
namely:  Clara,  who  is  secretary  of  the  Ak- 
ron Germania  Company;  Carl,  who  is  adver- 
tising manager  of  the  same  company;  Louis, 
who  lives  in  the  city  of  Chicago;  Elsie.  Edith, 
Paul  and  Margaret,  all  of  whom  rc.-iili'  witli 
their  parents. 

Mr.  Seybold  is  a  man  of  musical  talent  and 
social  tastes,  and  is  a  popular  meml)er  of  the 
■Odd  Fellows,  the  Elks,  the  German  club,  the 
Liebertafel,  Turn  Verein,  the  German  Rifle 
club,  the  Pilsener  club,  and  the  Akron  San- 
gerbund,  and  an  honorary  member  of  the 
German  Militarv  Socictv. 


HON.  GEORGE  W.  GROUSE 


AND    RErRESENTATl\'E    CITIZENS 


353 


HON.  GEOKtJE  W.  CROUSE,  a  ])roini- 
iient  resident  of  Akron,  whose  i)ortrait  ac- 
companies this  article,  is  now  enjoying  a  life 
of  ease,  after  having  been  one  of  the  city's 
most  effective  business  men  for  many  years. 
He  is  identified  with  such  great  industries 
as  the  Buckeye  Mower  and  Reaper  Works, 
the  Whitman  &  Barnes  Manufacturing  Coni- 
panv.  The  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  (Akron 
Rnliljcr  Works),  The  Thomas  Phillips  Com- 
pany Paper  Mills,  the  Akron  Iron  Company, 
the  Woolen  &  Felt  Companj',  the  Diamond 
Match  Works,  the  Stove  Works,  the  Sclle 
Gear  Works  and  many  other  succe.ssfiil  con- 
cerns. 

]\Ir.  Crouse  is  a  native  of  Summit  County, 
born  at  Tallmadge,  Novendier  23.  1832,  and 
is  a  son  of  George  and  Margaret  H.  (Robin- 
son) Crouse.  He  is  of  German  and  Irish 
ancestry.  His  grandfather  fell  in  battle  in 
the  War  for  Independence.  The  family  ap- 
peared in  Ohio  at  a  very  early  day,  and  it  was 
in  Summit  County,  on  a  farm  he  had  de- 
veloped from  the  forest,  that  George  Crouse 
reared  his  family  of  ten  children. 

George  W.  Crouse  assisted  in  the  clearing 
and  cultivation  of  the  above  mentioned  farm 
until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age, 
while  securing  a  fair  connnon-school  educa- 
tion. He  continued  to  spend  the  summers  in 
farm  work,  but  was  occupied  in  teaching 
through  the  winters  for  the  next  five  years,  in 
the  meantime  making  so  good  an  impre.ssion 
on  his  fellow-citizens  that  in  1855  he  was. 
profi'ered  the  position  of  deputy  county  treas- 
urer, with  office  at  Akron,  and  until  1858 
he  also  performed  the  duties  of  deputy  county 
auditor.  He  was  then  elected  county  auditor, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1860,  but  before  his 
second  term  expired  he  was  called  upon  to 
fill  out  the  term  of  county  treasurer.  All 
the  important  interests  connected  witli  these 
offices  were  placed  mider  his  control  while 
he  was  still  a  young  man,  and  the  manner 
in  which  his  every  duty  was  performed  but 
added  to  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  already 
held. 

Mr.  Crouse,  who  was  one  of  the  county  of- 
ficials at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil   war.  in 


his  official  capacity  and  as  a  private  citizen 
did  all  that  lay  in  his  power  in  support  of 
the  Union  cause.  He  was  very  active  in  se- 
curing recruits,  and  saw  that  they  were  well 
provided  for  by  obtaining  favorable  action 
from  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners. 
Finally,  he  himself  enlisted,  entering  Com- 
pany F,  164th  Reg.,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, for  the  100-days'' service;  he  received  his 
honorable  discharge  in  1864.  After  the  war, 
upon  the  organization  of  the  Commandery  of 
Ohio,  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion 
of  the  United  States,  he  became  a  Third  De- 
gree member,  and  today  is  the  only  member 
of  the  Commandery  of  this  degree.  Natu- 
rally he  takes  pleasure  in  wearing  the  tri-color 
button.  The  Soldiers'  Memorial  Chapel  at 
Akron,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  structures 
in  the  city,  was  secured  mainly  through  his 
f'fforts. 

In  1863  Mr.  Crouse  was  made  .secretary  of 
the  Akron  Board  of  Trade,  and  subsequently 
became  very  active  in  encouraging  -the  loca- 
tion of  manufacturing  industries  in  this  city. 
He  became  in  the  same  year  financial  mana- 
ger for  C.  Aultman  &  Company,  of  Canton, 
in  the  erection  of  a  branch  factory  here,  and 
later  was  the  financial  manager  of  what  is 
named  as  the  initial  manufacturing  plant  of 
what  is  now  one  of  the  greatest  manufactur- 
ing centers  of  the  State — the  great  Buckeye 
Mower  &  Reaper  Works.  When  a  stock  com- 
pany was  formed  in  1865,  Mr.  Crouse  was  first 
secretary  and  treasurer  and  later  its  very  able 
president.  There  can  scarcely  be  named  any 
important  business  enterprise  at  Akron,  of 
substantial  standing,  that  has  not  in  some 
way  benefitted  by  his  assistance  or  advice.  In 
1870  ho  helped  to  form  the  Bank  of  Akron, 
and  was  a  director  and  officer  of  that  bank 
until  1890,  when  he  became  president  of  the 
Citv  National  Bank,  and  served  as  such  until 
1893.  For  a  period  he  was  proprietor  of  the 
Akron  Beacon. 

Politically,  Mr.  Crouse  is  closely  affiliated 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  his  efficiency 
has  been  recognized  by  his  succes.sive  elections 
(o  important  stations.  In  1872  he  ^va."^  elected 
count v  commis.«ioner.  in  1885  he  was  elected 


354 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


to  the  State  senate,  and  in  188(5  he  was  elected 
to  Congre.ss,  from  the  Akron  district,  in  all 
these  honorable  positions  bearing  himself  with 
dignity  and  showing  himself  thoroughly 
capable.  In  civic  affairs  Mr.  Grouse  has  also 
always  "taken  a  deep  interest,  and  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  City  Council,  and  as 
president  of  the  Board  of  Education.  He  is 
one  of  the  trustees  of  Buchtel  College,  to 
which  institution  the  Crouse  Gymnasmm  was 
one  of  his  gifts. 

Mr.  Crouse  was  married  October  18,  1859, 
to  Martha  K.  Parsons,  a  daughter  of  Edward 
and  Clementine  (Lingsley)  Parsons,  and  they 
have  four  daughters — Martha  P.,  Julia  M., 
Mary  R.  and  Nellie  J. — and  one  son,  George 
W.,  Jr.,  who  is  a  prominent  manufacturer 
of  Akron.  The  family  home  i.?  located  at 
No.  263  Ea.st  Mill  street. 

JOHN  FRANKLIN  WEYGANDT,  a  suc- 
cessful farmer  and  substantial  citizen  of  Port- 
age Township,  owns  a  residence  adjoining 
the  grounds  of  the  Akron  Country  Club,  on 
the  old  Portage  path,  which  was  the  boundary 
line  in  early  days,  between  the  United  States 
and  the  Indian  Nations.  Mr.  Weygandt  was 
born  in  Ashland  County,  Ohio,  September  24. 
1840,  and  is  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Miriam 
(Baughman)  Weygandt. 

Jonathan  Weygandt  in  boyhood  accom- 
panied his  father,  Henry  AVeygandt.  from 
Washington  County,  Pennsylvania,  to  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  who  bought  a  farm  in  Chip- 
pewa Township,  which  he  cleared  up,  being 
of  the  earliest  settlers.  In  later  years,  he 
would  often  tell  of  how  he  used  to  make  the 
trip  from  Chippewa  Township  to  Akron,  to 
the  old  stone  mill,  with  an  ox-team,  being  two 
days  on  the  road.  He  removed  to  Ashland 
County,  Ohio,  after  his  marriage,  and  lived 
on  a  farm  that  his  father  owned,  and  which, 
with  his  brother  Eli,  he  cleared  and  developed 
into  a  good  piece  of  agricultural  property. 
He  resided  there  from  1838  until  1853  and 
then  moved  to  Copley  Township,  Summit 
County,  where  he  purchased  sixty-nine  acres ; 
but  one  year  later  he  moved  to  Portage  Town- 
ship and  bought  a  farm  of  136  acres.     On 


this  the  family  lived  until  1864,  when  Mr. 
Weygandt  sold  out  to  Joseph  E.  Wesener  and 
moved  to  Illinois,  where  he  bought  200  acres 
of  land.  Both  Jonathan  Weygandt  and  his 
wife  died  in  Illinois. 

In  April,  1895,  John  F.  Weygandt  sold  his 
farm  of  eighty-five  acres,  in  Illinois,  and  re- 
turned to  Summit  County,  where  he  was 
subsequently  married,  after  which  he  settled 
in  Macon  County,  Illinois,  and  lived  there  for 
thirty-one  years.  In  1895  he  came  back  to 
Summit  County  and  purchased  his  present 
place,  erecting  a  fine  residence  and  substantial 
farm  buildings. 

December  31st,  1864,  Mr.  Weygandt  w;is 
married  to  Elizabeth  Garman,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Garman,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Emory  Marion.  The  latter 
married  Jennie  Baughman,  who  died  in  Illi- 
nois. He  resides  with  his  parents.  The 
family  belong  to  Grace  Reformed  Church. 

J.  E.  PFLUEGER,  vice-president  and  su- 
perintendent of  the  Enterprise  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  leaders  in  the  saddlery  in- 
dustry at  Akron  and  commanding  a  trade 
that  covers  the  whole  United  States,  is  one  of 
the  city's  most  active  and  enterprising  men  of 
affairs.  Mr.  Pflueger  has  scarcely  reached 
middle  age,  having  been  born  September  18, 
1864,  and  is  a  native  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania. 
He  is  a  son  of  the  late  E.  F.  Pflueger,  who  was 
the  foimder  of  the  present  business. 

E.  F.  Pflueger  was  born  at  Baden,  Ger- 
many, in  Febi-uary,  1843,  and  after  a  most 
useful  life,  passed  away  at  Akron;  Novem- 
"ber  18,1900.  An  enduring  monument  to  his 
memory  is  the  prosperous  industry  to  which 
he  devoted  many  years  of  his  life,  and  which 
had  its  inception  in  his  inventive  brain.  He 
was  brought  to  America  in  early  childhood, 
being  then  an  orjihan,  and  by  the  time  he  was 
six  years  old  had  made  himself  of  use  to  his 
protectors,  by  carrying  water  from  the  old 
town  pump,  in  Buffalo,  for  use  in  a  bakery. 
From  the  age  of  eight  years  to  that  of  four- 
teen he  was  chore  boy  in  a  stove  foundry.  He 
then  entered  upon  his  apprenticeship  to  the 
molder's  trade,  which  he  followed  until  1868, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


355 


when  he  came  to  Akron.  For  u  number  of 
j'ears  he  was  connected  with  the  Erie  Stove 
Company,  a  Pennsylvania  organization.  As 
an  example  of  his  industry  and  business  fore- 
sight, it  is  related  that  when  the  foundry  was 
closed  during  July  and  Augast,  he  was  ac- 
customed to  go  through  the  country  and  buy 
up  apples  and  produce,  which  he  would  ship 
to  the  city  markets,  making  a  good  profit.  It 
was  in  connection  with  this  industry  which 
he  opened  up  for  himself,  that  Mr.  Piiueger 
came  to  Akron  and  with  capital  supplied  by 
Mr.  Miller,  a  wholesale  grocer  of  Buffalo, 
New  York,  who  had  become  interested  in 
his  operations,  embarked  in  a  groceiy  busi- 
ness on  Howard  street,  which  he  continued 
with  great  success,  until  1880.  Then  the  in- 
ventions which  for  a  number  of  years  he 
had  been  engaged  in  perfecting  demanded 
factory  facilities,  and  a  business  organization 
for  their  manufacture  and  sale. 

Mr.  Pflueger's  first  successful  inventions 
were  a  horse  head  light  and  a  harness  rosette, 
and  when  these  were  put  on  the  market,  the 
inventor  went  out  on  the  road  and  sold  them 
himself,  thus  in  great  degree  accumulating 
the  capital  with  which  the  Enterprise  Man- 
ufacturing Company  was  started.  He  sub- 
sequently continued  his  inventions  until  he 
had  fifty  patents  granted  him,  of  which 
the  following  is  a  partial  list:  Hinge-tug  as 
applied  to  fishing  spoons  and  baits,  fish  scalers, 
coil  spring  fastener  for  fishing  float,  sweat- 
pad  spring  for  attaching  sweat-pads  to  horses' 
collars,  medicated  sweat-pads,  riveting  loops 
to  backs  and  mountings,  luminous  head-light 
and  rosette,  wire  rosette.  Jockey  Club  rosette: 
detachable  rubber  horse  shoe,  fist  bait  with 
flitter,  weed  protector  as  applied  to  fishing 
tackle,  luminous  paint  as  applied  to  fishing 
tackle,  paper  or  pulp  fishing  float,  fish  bait 
decoy,  swivel  for  fishing  bait,  wooden  Trolling 
Peek,  soldering  machine,  and  a  luminous  pa- 
per weight,  these  being  but  some  of  the  inven- 
tions which  seemed  to  spring  almost  spontane- 
ously from  Mr.  Pflueger's  active  mind.  He 
continued  active  to  the  time  of  his  death,  and 
died  just  as  he  would  doubtless  have  wished, 
still  in  harness. 


J.  E.  Pflueger  was  placed  as  superintendent 
of  the  Enterprise  Manufacturing  works  while 
still  young,  following  out  his  father's  in- 
structions, and  gradually  assuming  more  and 
more  responsibility.  After  the  death  of  the 
elder  Pflueger,  the  business  was  reorganized 
and  J.  E.  Pflueger  became  vice-president, 
George  A.  Pflueger  succeeding  his  father  as 
president  of  the  business.  J.  E.  Pflueger  also 
has  made  many  practical  inventions  which 
are  manufactured  by  the  company.  Among 
them  may  be  mentioned,  the  cyclone  spinner, 
metal  rosette  fastener,  a  hard  rubber  side 
plate  with  metal  center  reinforcement  for 
fishing  reels,  a  leather  thumb  brake  for  fish- 
ing reels,  and  a  reinforced  flange  washer  for 
fishing  reels;  he  has  also  many  others  pend- 
ing. His  inventions,  like  those  of  his  father, 
are  all  practical  and  add  greatly  to  the  value 
of  the  articles  to  which  they  are  applied. 

The  Enterprise  Manufacturing  Company, 
organized  in  1880,  was  incorporated  in 
1886,  and  was  reorganized  in  1901.  The 
present  home  of  the  company  is  a  four-story 
brick  building,  which  has  supplanted  smaller 
quarters.  This  plant  is  equipped  with  all 
kinds  of  modern  machinery,  with  original 
appliances  made  by  the  Pfluegers,  and  their 
products  include  many  other  articles  in  ad- 
dition to  their  rosettes,  ornaments,  spots,  sad- 
dle-mails, fronts  and  houseing  plates,  which 
have  been  leaders  in  regard  to  popular  de- 
mand. 

In  1891,  J.  E.  Pflueger  was  married  to 
Lovina  Ulm,  of  Brimfeld,  Portage  County, 
Ohio,  and  they  have  two  children.  Erne  arid 
Edna.  Fi-aternally,  Mr.  Pflueger  is  a  Knight 
Templar  and  belongs  to  all  of  the  Masonic 
branches  at  Akron;  he  is  also  an  Odd  Fel- 
low and  a  Knight  of  Pythias.  He  is  cor- 
responding secretary  of  the  Avansas  Pass  Tar- 
pon club,  of  Tarpon,  Texas;  and  of  the  Tuna 
club,  of  Catalina  Islands,  California. 

AUSTIN  J.  TRIPLETT,  a  representative 
citizen  of  Coventry  Township,  and  the  owner 
of  a  well-cultivated  farm  of  thirty  acres,  was 
born  in  an  old  log  house  on  his  present  farm 
in   Kenmore.   Coventry    Township,    Summit 


356 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Laura 
(Bellows)  Triplett. 

William  Triplett,  the  grandfather  of  Aus- 
tin J.,  was  probably  born  in  Virginia,  from 
whence  he  moved  to  East  Liberty,  Logan 
County,  Ohio,  and  there  purchased  a  farm, 
which  he  cleared  from  the  woods.  Some 
years  later  he  sold  this  property  and  bought 
a  farm  in  Coventry  Township,  now  a  part  of 
the  Brewster  brother's  estate,  which  he  culti- 
vated until  within  ten  years  of  his  death, 
when  he  retired,  the  rest  of  his  life  being  spent 
with  his  children.  His  death  occurred  at  the 
home  of  his  son,  Joshua  Triplett,  when  he  was 
over  70  years  old,  his  wife  having  passed 
away  some  years  before.  William  Triplett 
was  twice  married,  his  second  wife  being 
Saviera  Viers,  and  had  eight  cliildren,  three 
of  whom  were  sons  and  five  daughters. 

John  Triplett,  the  father  of  Austin  J.,  was 
born  March  4,  1809,  and  was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Green  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  the  eldest  of  his  parents' 
children.  He  was  reared  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  experienced  all  the  hardshijis  of 
pioneer  life,  clearing  a  home  from  the  dense 
wilderness.  Shortly  after  his  marriage  he 
located  on  what  is  now  the  farm  of  Austin 
J.  Triplett,  and  cleared  a  small  space  in  the 
center,  on  which  he  built  a  small  log  house, 
this  being  the  family  home  until  his  son  Aus- 
tin was  four  years  old.  At  this  time  a  house 
was  built  on  the  Manchester  road,  and  in  1841 
was  built  a  frame  house,  in  which  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Triplett  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  the 
former's  death  occurring  in  August,  1888,  and 
that  of  his  wife  in  August,  1875.  He  was 
a  Democrat  in  politics  and  served  one  term  as 
town.ship  trustee,  although  ho  never  cared  for 
jaiblic  life. 

John  Triplett  married  Laura  Bellows,  who 
was  born  in  Coventry  Township,  a  daughter 
of  Ithemer  Bellows,  of  Connecticut.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Triplett  there  were  born  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Amelia,  who  married  John 
Haines,  of  Lockwood  Corners ;  Austin  James, 
whose  name  begins  this  article;  and  Marietta, 
who  was  the   wife   of  George   W.   Foust,   of 


Coventrv  Township,  and  who  died  May  3, 
1905. 

Austin  J.  Triplett  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm,  and  his  education  was  largely  secured 
at  home,  as  in  his  early  youth  there  was  lit- 
tle or  no  public  money  in  the  township,  and 
as  a  result  what  educational  institutions  there 
were  at  that  time  were  supported  by  what 
each  family  could  afford  to  subscribe.  Teach- 
ers were  advertised  for  and  bids  for  the  posi- 
tions accepted,  and  school  sessions  were  held 
in  a  double  log-house,  a  family  living  in  one 
.side  while  the  school  was  held  in  the  other. 
Mr.  Triplett's  father  was  in  poor  health,  and 
as  soon  as  the  son  became  old  enough  he  took 
charge  of  the  home  farm,  which  he  later  re- 
ceived from  his  father's  estate.  About  twenty 
acres  of  this  land  he  sold  for  building-lots 
in  Kenmore,  and  the  remainder  he  has  used 
for  agricultural  purposes.  His  home,  which 
is  located  at  the  corner  of  the  two  roads,  was 
erected  by  him  in  1902  and  its  beautiful  lo- 
cation and  surroundings  attract  the  attention 
of  every  visitor  to  this  section.  Mr.  Triplett 
is  a  Prohibitionist  in  politics,  and  for  many 
years  has  .served  efficiently  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board. 

On  September  19,  1858,  Mr.  Triplett  was 
married  to  Mary  Cartmill,  who  was  liorn  at 
Mogadore,  Sunnnit  County,  Ohio.  There 
were  three  children  born  of  this  union,  name- 
ly: William,  a  carpenter,  residing  near  his 
father,  who  married  Nellie  Lodge  and  has 
three  children,  Claude,  Lydia  and  Hattie 
(Mrs.  Lloyd  Stein)  ;  Charles,  also  residing 
near  his  father's  home,  who  married  Nancy 
Norris  and  has  two  children,  Flossie  and  Les- 
ter; and  Jesse,  a  machinist  living  at  Akron, 
who  married  Bertha  Daily,  and  has  three 
children,  Elsie,  Dorothy  and  Earl.  Mr. 
Triplett,  with  his  wife  and  family,  belongs  to 
the  Evangelical  Church,  which  he  has  served 
as  trustee. 

JOHN  SOWERS,  county  recorder  of  Sum- 
mit County,  now  serving  in  his  second  term, 
is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War.  He  was  born 
in  Wavne  Countv,  Ohio,  in  1845,  where  in 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


357 


hi.-j  boyhood  he  attended  school  and  assisted 
on  the  home  farm. 

Mr.  Sowers  was  not  quite  seventeen  years 
of  age  when  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  war 
for  the  preser\'ation  of  the  Union,  in  1861  be- 
coming a  member  of  the  Sixth  Battery  in 
Sherman's  brigade.  The  command  to  which 
he  was  attached  left  Mansfield  for  Louisville, 
and  for  a  time  it  was  employed  guarding  the 
Columbia  River,  near  Shiloh.  It  later  took 
part  in  the  siege  of  that  city,  j^articipated  in 
the  battles  of  Corinth,  Stone  River,  Chicka- 
mauga,  [Missionary  Ridge,  and  through  all 
the  skirmishes  and  long  marches  of  the  At- 
lanta campaign,  going  from  Atlanta  to  Jones- 
boro,  then  back  to  Tenne.ssee,  where  were 
fought  the  battles  of  Franklin  and  Nashville. 
The  command  wav-;  then  ordered  to  East  Ten- 
nessee, and  from  there  to  Texas,  and  then  to 
Cairo,  Illinois,  from  which  point  it  went  by 
water  to  New  Orleans.  The  end  of  the  war 
closed  Mr.  Sowers'  long  military  .service  and 
he  was  honorably  discharged  at  Camp  Chase, 
Ohio,  September  1,  1865. 

Having  suffered  no  serious  injury  in  spite 
of  the  many  fields  of  danger  on  which  he 
had  been,  Mr.  Sowers  returned  safely  to 
Wayne  County  and  set  about  completing  his 
education.  After  a  year  at  school  he  learned 
the  plasterer's  trade  and  in  1868  began  work 
at  it  in  Greensburg,  where  he  subsequently  fol- 
lowed it  for  some  thirty  years.  He  then  pur- 
chased a  meat  market  which  he  conducted 
until  1897,  when  he  sold  out  and  came  to 
Akron,  which  city  has  been  his  home  since. 
He  has  always  been  active  in  politics  and  while 
residing  at  Greensburg,  was  township  asses- 
sor for  eleven  years  and  school  director  for 
three  years,  later  .serving  three  years  as  con- 
.stable.  Mr.  Sowers  was  first  elected'  county 
recorder  in  the  fall  of  1902  and  assumed  the 
duties  of  the  office  in  September,  1903,  per- 
forming them  so  satisfactorily  that  he  was 
easily  re-elected  in  the  fall  of  1905. 

In  1870,  Mr.  Sowers  was  married  to  Kate 
Garman,  of  Summit  County,  and  they  have 
eight  children,  namely:  Blanche,  who  is  the 
wife  of  AVilliam  Brady,  residing  at  Massillon ; 
Grace,  who  is  her  father's  assistant     in     the 


recorder's  office;  Floyd,  residmg  in  Pennsyl- 
vania; William,  chief  deputy  in  the  recorder's 
office ;  Leroy,  residing  at  Akron ;  Maud,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Joseph  Funk,  residing  at  Akron ; 
and  Paul  and  Fay,  both  residing  at  Akron. 
Mr.  Sowers  is  a  valued  comrade  in  Bucklev 
Post,  G.  A.  R. 

U.  G.  FREDERICK,  secretary,  treasurer 
and  general  manager  of  the  U.  G.  Frederick 
Lumber  Company,  was  born  in  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  during  the  whole  of  his 
business  life  has  resided  in  Akron.  He  is  a 
son  of  Henry  Frederick,  who  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  this  county,  where  he  became 
a  successful  farmer. 

U.  G.  Frederick  after  completing  the  com- 
mon-school course  in  his  native  county  was  a 
student  for  awhile  at  Hiram  College.  Later 
he  took  a  business  course  in  Eastman's  Com- 
mercial College,  at  Poughkeepsie,  New  Yoi-k. 
Prior  to  going  east,  Mr.  Frederick  had  been 
with  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  for  a  short 
time,  and  after  his  return  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Thomas  Lumber  Company.  In 
1901,  he  bought  the  Thomas  interests  and  in 
1905  he  incorporated  The  U.  G.  Frederick 
Lumber  Company,  at  Akron,  with  a  capital 
sto*k  of  $25,000.  The  officers  of  the  com- 
pany are:  Henry  Frederick,  president;  L.  A. 
Frederick,  vice-president;  and  U.  G.  Fred- 
erick, secretary,  treasurer  and  manager.  The 
company  does  a  general  lumber  and  contract- 
ing business  and  its  commercial  standing  is 
of  high  rating.  In  1887,  Mr.  Frederick  was 
married  to  Lulu  Walterman,  who  w-as  born  in 
New  York,  and  they  have  one  child,  Ethel. 
With  his  famil}'  he  belongs  to  the  Disciples 
Church.  Fraternally  Mr.  Frederick  is  a 
Knight  Templar  and  an  Elk,  and  he  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  Club  and  the  Portage  Countrj' 
Club. 

J.  A.  MAHAFFEY.  Among  the  self-made 
men  of  Akron,  whose  business  success  has 
been  the  direct  result  of  his  own  personal  ef- 
fort, is  J.  A.  Mahaffey,  proprietor  of  the  larg- 
est furniture  and  house-furnishmg  store  in 
this  city.     He  was  born  in  1858,  at  Freeport, 


358 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Armstrong  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
taken  to  Pittsburg  when  ten  years  of  age, 
where  he  was  educated,  attending  the  public 
schools  for  a  few  years. 

Mr.  Mahaffey  has  displayed  remarkable 
business  faculty  and  he  began  to  be  self-sup- 
porting when  only  twelve  years  of  age,  work- 
ing first  as  a  newsboy  and  later  as  a  messenger 
in  a  telegraph  office.  He  then  became  office 
boy  for  a  civil  engineer,  and  all  the  time, 
while  performing  the  duties  of  the  position 
for  which  he  was  paid,  he  was  learning  busi- 
ness methods  and  using  his  spare  time  to 
qualify  as  a  bookkeeper.  When  seventeen 
years  old  he  became  assistant  bookkeeper  in 
a  mercantile  house  and  later  bookkeeper  in  a 
Pittsburg  wholesale  house,  where  he  continued 
for  fourteen  years.  In  1890  Mr.  Mahaffey 
went  to  Canton,  Ohio,  where  he  established  a 
housefurnishing  store,  and  later,  in  the  same 
year,  opened  a  branch  store  at  Akron.  He 
conducted  both  these  enterprises  until  his  Ak- 
ron business  became  so  large  as  to  be  of  more 
importance  than  the  original  enterprise  at 
Canton,  when  he  sold  the  Canton  store,  and 
has  since  devoted  his  attention  exclusively  to 
that  in  Akron.  His  commodious  quarters 
give  him  30,000  square  feet  of  floor  space  and 
he  carries  a  complete  stock  of  all  goods  in  his 
line. 

In  1879,  Mr.  Mahaffey  was  married  to 
Emma  Foust,  of  Pittsburg,  and  they  have 
three  children :  Edna  Blanche,  who  married 
D.  M.  Krug,  of  Canton;  and  J.  Earl  and  A. 
Roy,  both  of  whom  are  associated  with  their 
father  in  the  business.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Ma- 
haffey is  a  Mason,  an  Odd  Fellow,  an  Elk,  a 
Knight  of  Pythias,  and  an  Eagle,  and  be- 
longs also  to  other  beneficial  orders.  He  still 
retains  membership  with  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  Canton. 

D.  R.  HANAWALT,  superintendent  of  the 
Hower  Building,  at  Akron,  and  a  director  of 
the  Lombard  &  Replogle  Engineering  Com- 
pany, of  this  city,  was  bom  in  Mifflin  County, 
Pennsylvania,  April  12,  1861.  He  remained 
in  his  home  neighborhood  until  eighteen  years 
of  age,  and  completed  his  education  at  Ju- 


niata College,  having  previously  taught  school 
for  three  years  in  central  Pennsylvania.  In 
1883  he  went  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  was 
bookkeeper  for  five  years  with  a  wholesale 
grocery  house  and  for  nine  years  a  traveling 
representative  of  a  photographic  supply  house. 
Following  this  he  became  interested  in  the 
manufacture  of  stoves  at  Royersford,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  which  he  continued  for  seven  years, 
after  which  he  came  to  Akron  and  became  in- 
terested in  the  business  life  of  this  city,  as 
above  noted.  In  making  Akron  his  home, 
he  has  connected  himself  with  local  institu- 
tions, and  has  made  friends  among  the  peo- 
ple, to  his  and  their  mutual  benefit.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  German  Baptist  Church.  On 
July  11,  1900,  Mr.  Hanawalt  was  married  to 
Matilda  Augusta  Preston,  of  Newark,  New 
Jersey,  and  they  have  three  children :  George 
Preston,  Joseph  Donald  and  Virginia  Brands. 

GEORGE  D.  BATES,  formerly  mayor  of 
Akron  and  founder  and  jirasident  of  the  Sec- 
ond National  Bank  of  this  city,  was  born  No- 
vember 11,  1811,  at  Brandon,  Vermont,  and 
died  at  Akron,  July  25,  1887,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years.  In  1828  Mr.  Bates  came 
to  Ohio  and  worked  for  a  time  on  a  farm  in 
the  vicinity  of  Solon,  but  in  1836  he  opened 
a  general  store  at  Franklin  Mills,  which  he 
conducted  for  about  ten  years.  In  1848  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Charles  -  Webber 
and  James  B.  Taplin,  under  the  firm  name  of 
G.  D.  Bates  &  Company^  establishing  the 
Globe  Foundry,  which  business  still  survives 
under  the  name  of  the  Webster,  Camp  &  Lane 
Machine  Works.  Several  years  later  Mr. 
Bates  sold  his  foundry  niterests,  and  engaged 
in  railroad  building,  in  partnership  with  J. 
H.  Pendleton,  in  which  business  he  continued 
to  be  interested  for  some  years.  In  1855,  in 
association  with  the  late  Gen.  Philo  Chamber- 
lin,  he  embarked  in  a  private  banking  busi- 
ness, under  the  firm  name  of  G.  D.  Bates  & 
Company,  several  years  later  buying  the  stand 
of  the  old  Akron  Bank.  In  1863  he  organized 
the  Second  National  Bank  of  Akron,  and  to 
the  interests  of  this  financial  institution  he 
devoted  the  greater  part  of  his  time  for  the 


HON.  J.  I'ARK  ALEXANDER 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


3G1 


lest  of  his  life.  His  public  services  to  Akron 
included  a  performance  of  all  the  duties  per- 
taining to  the  mayoralty,  to  which  he  wtis 
elected  in  18(34  and  1865,  and  to  advancing 
the  commercial  importance  of  the  city  in 
every  way  possible  to  a  good  citizen. 

Mr.  Bates  was  married  (first)  to  Anna  Maria 
Warner,  who  died  December  4,  1841.  He 
was  married  (second)  June  22,  1845,  to  Alice 
Maria  Baker,  who  was  born  at  Olean,  New 
York,  and  who  died  September  19,  1853. 
Three  children  were  born  of  that  marriage. 
On  April  4,  1856,  Mr.  Bates  married  his 
third  wife,  Mary  Ann  Mathews,  who  was 
born  at  Mclndoe  Falls,  Vermont,  and  who 
died  August  12,  1885,  leaving  two  children, 
Jennie  and  George  D.  The  latter  is  cashier 
of  the  Second  National  Bank  of  Akron  and 
a  member  of  the  board  of  directors.  His  resi- 
dence is  at  No.  152  Adolph  avenue. 

HON.  J.  PARK  ALEXANDER,  who,  after 
many  years  of  prominence  in  business  and 
public  life,  is  now  serving  as  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Commissioners  in  relation  to  the 
building  of  the  magnificent  new  Court  House, 
of  Summit  County,  is  one  of  Akron's  dis- 
tinguished and  honored  citizens.  For  a  pro- 
tracted period  he  was  prominent  in  political 
life,  representing  this  community  first  in  the 
State  Legislature,  in  1882  and  1883,  and  the 
counties  of  Summit,  Portage,  Geauga,  Lake 
and  Ashtabula,  in  the  State  Senate,  from  1888 
until  1892,  and  again,  from  1896  to  1898; 
and  throughout  his  life  up  to  the  present 
time,  he  has  been  identified  with  matters  of 
public  concern. 

Mr.  Alexander  was  born  August  7,  1834, 
at  Bath,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  and  Mary  (Scott)  Alexander.  Dur- 
ing his  boyhood  and  early  youth,  he  attended 
Richfield  Academy  and  the  Marlboro  Normal 
School,  at  the  latter  institution  taking  a  course 
in  civil  engineering.  He  then  began  to  teach 
school,  and  from  April,  1855,  until  July, 
1857,  he  was  principal  of  the  Akron  Gram- 
mar School,  many  of  the  present  residents  of 
this  city  having  been  students  under  him  at 
that  time.     In  1866  he  went  into  business, 


jnu-chasing  the  site  of  the  present  Diamond 
Fire  Brick  Works,  where  he  began  the  manu- 
facture of  silica  fire  brick,  upon  which  he 
held  a  patent,  also  the  manufacture  of  stone- 
ware, contracting  for  the  output  of  some 
fifteen  other  potteries,  and  establishing 
warehouses  at  Akron,  Detroit  and  Chi- 
cago. In  1887  he  still  further  enlarged  his 
business,  and  from  1872  until  1877,  he  op- 
erated in  addition  two  oil  refineries.  He 
continued  to  be  actively  interested  in  illumi- 
nating and  lubricating  oils  until  1891,  since 
which  time  he  has  turned  his  attention  in 
other  directions. 

On  September  4,  1860,  Mr.  Alexander  was 
married  to  Martha  D.  Wright,  and  into  their 
household  have  been  born  eight  children, 
namely:  Clara  W.,  who  married  Prof. 
Charles  B.  Wright,  residing  at  Middlebury, 
Vermont;  Helen  B.,  who  married  Henry  B. 
Sperry  and  resides  in  Akron,  Ohio;  George 
Bates,  who  is  now  deceased;  Grace  F.,  "wife  of 
C.  N.  Belden,  president  of  the  Taplin,  Rice 
Company,  and  residing  in  Akron ;  Martha  D., 
who  married  Charles  H.  Little  of  Cleveland; 
Bessie  H.,  who  married  Stephen  H.  Pitkin, 
residing  at  Akron,  where  he  is  general  mana- 
ger for  the  Wellman  Seaver  Company ;  John 
Park,  who  is  deceased;  and  Alice  S.,  who  mar- 
ried Frank  E.  Hulett,  who  with  his  father 
is  the  patentee  of  the  hoisting  machinery 
known  as  the  Hulett  Unloader,  residing  at 
Cleveland. 

During  the  greater  part  of  his  mature  life, 
Mr.  Alexander  has  been  active  in  politics, 
and  his  fellow-citizens  have  recognized  his 
claims  to  public  confidence.  Among  many 
other  causes  which  he  has  successfully  cham- 
pioned, are  the  colonization  of  the  imbeciles 
and  feeble-minded  youths  of  the  State,  and 
through  his  eft'orls  an  appropriation  of  $150,- 
000  was  secured  for  that  purpose,  and  an 
institution  was  established  after  he  had  worked 
ten  years  for  its  success.  During  the  several 
years  following  he  served  on  the  board  that 
regulated  its  affairs.  While  the  needs  oT  his 
whole  State  have  always  appealed  to  him, 
Mr.  Alexander  has  been  particularly  anxious 
at  all  times  to  promote  the  interests  of  Akron 


362 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  Summit  County.  For  some  fifteen  years 
he  occupied  a  seat  in  the  City  Council,  ior 
almost  the  whole  of  that  time  being  president 
of  the  board.  In  1858  he  was  made  secretary 
of  the  Summit  County  Agricultural  Society, 
and  for  fourteen  years  following,  was  its  sec- 
retary and  president.  In  1872  he  was  elected 
treasurer  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 
In  fraternal  life  Mr.  Alexander  has  been 
an  Odd  Fellow  for  many  years,  oelonging  to 
the  various  divisions   of  that  order. 

OTIS  REED  THOMPSON,  proprietor  of 
the  Crystal  Creek  Celery  Farm,  a  tract  of 
171  acres,  situated  in  Stow  Township,  has 
been  a  prominent  citizen  of  this  section  for 
a  numbet  of  vears.  Mr.  Thompson  was  born 
September  12',  1849,  at  Hartville,  Lake  Town- 
ship, Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
Benjamin  F.  and  Susanne  (Werner) Thomp- 
son. 

Benjamin  F.  Thompson,  was  born  January 
13,  1820,  in  the  same  house  and  on  the  same 
farm  in  which  his  son  Otis  R.  was  born,  his 
father  John  Thompson,  having  been  a  very 
early  settler  in  Stark  County.  All  through 
his  active  life  he  has  been  engaged  extensive- 
ly in  farming,  has  bought  and  sold  cattle  on 
a  large  scale  and  raised  many  sheep.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  paid 
less  attention  to  office-holding  than  many  oth- 
ers whose  business  interests  were  not  so  large. 
He  has  been  twice  married  and  he  and  his 
first  and  second  wife  have  been  consistent  and 
active  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

Benjamin  F.  Thompson  was  married  (first) 
to  Susanne  Werner,  who  died  in  1863.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  John  Werner,  of  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  and  she  became  the  mother  of 
eight  children,  six  of  whom  reached  maturity, 
as  follows:  John  L.,  residing  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls;  Henry,  residing  in  Cuyahoga  Falls 
Township;  Emily,  who  married  Travella  Wil- 
cox, and  resides  in  Cleveland;  Mary,  wife  of 
Cyrus  Yerrick,  and  residing  in  Akron;  Otis 
Reed;  and  Loretta,  who  married  William 
Lane.  Emily  and  Loretta  are  deceased.  Mr. 
Thompson  was  married   (second)   to  Martha 


Linn,  of  New  Berlin,  Ohio,  and  they  have  hud 
one  son,  Harvev,  who  resides  at  Cuvahoga 
Falls. 

Oti.s  Reed  Thompson  was  reared  in  a  home 
where  all  material  comforts  were  abundant, 
but  his  educational  advantages  were  very  lim- 
ited. He  was  only  fifteen  years  of  age  when 
he  enlisted  as  a  drummer  boy  in  Company  A, 
19th  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
under  Col.  Charles  F.  Manderson,  and  he  re- 
mained in  the  service  a  little  over  two  years. 
The  first  battle  in  which  his  mettle  was  tried, 
was  at  Ringold  Station,  below  Chattanooga. 
He  later  took  part  in  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
was  engaged  in  battle  of  Franklin,  Tennes- 
see, later  on  participated  in  the  second  battle 
of  Nashville,  after  which  he  went  with  his 
regiment  to  Texas.  After  his  honorable  dis- 
charge from  the  army  in  which  he  had  dis- 
played the  enthusiasm  of  youth  and  the  brav- 
ery of  manhood,  Mr.  Thompson  returned  to 
Lake  Township  and  remained  at  home  with 
his  father  whom  he  greatly  assisted.  Some 
two  years  later  he  accompanied  his  father  and 
step-mother,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  kind, 
motherly  woman,  to  Stow  Townshiji,  where 
they  settled  on  a  farnr  on  which  the  Test  Sta- 
tion now  stands.  His  parents  subsequently 
moved  to  Cuyahoga  Falls,  but  Otis  Reed  re- 
mained on  that  fai-m  for  fourteen  years. 

From  the  age  of  fourteen  Mr.  Thompson 
was  trusted  by  his  father  with  business  affairs, 
having  shown  rare  good  judgment,  even  in 
childhood,  concerning  the  handling  of  stock. 
During  most  of  his  subsequent  life,  Mr. 
Thompson  has  given  special  attention  to  this 
line  of  industry,  for  many  years  being  a  noted 
breeder  of  stock  and  fine  horses;  and  even 
now,  when  his  main  attention  is  directed  to 
another  industry,  he  still  breeds  Shetland 
ponies  and  at  the  i)resent  writing  (1907)  has 
twenty-four  head  of  these  beautiful  little 
animals.  On  the  above  farm,  Mr.  Thonij)Son 
also  ran  a  dairy,  raising  many  cows  at  that 
time  and  there  started  his  horse-breeding  in- 
dustry which  later  assumed  such  large  pro- 
portions. In  1888  he  bought  his  present 
farm  of  171  acres,  naming  it  appropriately 
the  Crystal  Creek  Stock  Farm.,  for  the  breed- 


AND    KEPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


363 


ing  of  trotting  and  draft  hordes  from  regi.s- 
tered  stock.  Mr.  Thompson  improved  hi.s 
farm  with  the  idea  of  developing  speed,  along 
with  other  good  qualities  in  the  horses  he 
bred,  to  this  end  building  a  half  mile  track, 
where  matinee  races  were  held  as  long  a.s  he 
devoted  his  attention  to  that  industry.  lie 
raised  many  notable  horses,  among  them  b;'- 
ing  Fariny  Wilki's,  who  ea.sily  made  a  record 
of  2.26  1-4,  and  that  wa.s  not  the  limit  of  her 
speed.  She  was  used  mainly  as  a  brood  mare. 
Mr.  Thompson  also  bred  the  noted  horse 
Jessie  Wilkes,  who  made  a  record  of  28  1-4 
and  a  trial  mile  of  2.11.  Mr.  Thompson  was 
offered  $7,000  for  her,  but  she  died  on  his 
hands.  Mr.  Thompson  has  since  bred  Car- 
dinal Wilkes,  and  Noble  Wilkes,  who  made  a 
mark  of  29  1-4. 

Mr.  Thompson  continued  in  the  horse  busi- 
ness on  his  place  until  within  the  past  twelve 
years,  and  he  is  still  interested  in  the  breed- 
ing of  "draft  horse.s,  being  president  of  the 
Springdale  Horse  Company,  which  imported 
the  Belgian  stallion,  Toto  to  improve  the 
breed  of  local  draft  horses.  This  noble  ani- 
mal was  imported  July  27,  1903,  at  a  cost  of 
$3,000.  He  was  approved  by  the  Belgian 
government  to  stand  for  public  service  in  Bel- 
gium, and  was  also  approved  by  the  French 
government  to  stand  for  public  service  in 
France.  It  is  generally  conceded  that  the 
Belgian  is  the  coming  breed  of  draft  horses. 
During  all  the  time  that  Mr.  Thompson  was 
engaged  in  the  horse  business,  he  also  ran  a 
large  dairy,  having  a  milk  route  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls  and  supplying  milk  to  Fair  Oaks  ^'illa 
for  many  years. 

About  the  time  that  Mr.  Thompson  retired 
from  the  breeding  of  horses,  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  another  profitable  industry,  the 
growing  of  celery,  his  celery  tract  covering 
about  twenty-five  acres,  on  which  he  raises 
something  like  $5,000  worth  of  the  succulent 
vegetable  a  year,  with  the  work  of  eight  em- 
ployes. He  raises  also  corn,  wheat  and  oats, 
and,  as  mentioned  above,  gives  attention  to 
his  Shetland  ponies.  It  will  be  seen  that  Mr. 
Thompson  is  a  man  of  great  business  capacity 
and  occupies  a  very  prominent  place  in  the 


attention  of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  has  had 
the  foresight  to  enable  him  to  see  favorable 
business  opportunities,  and  has  had  the  cour- 
age to  push  forward  and  make  every  enter- 
prise to  which  he  has  given  direct  attention, 
a  success. 

When  nineteen  years  of  age  Mr-.  Thomj).<on 
was  married  to  Isabella  Machmer,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  John  Machmer,  of  Lake  Town- 
ship, Stark  County.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Pinetta,  who  married  Fred- 
erick Hibbard,  residing  in  Stow  Township; 
Lillian,  who  married  ^\\  C.  Keenan,  residing 
at  Akron;  and  Roy  Otis.  In  1906,  Mr. 
Thompson  erected  what  is  probably  the  finest 
rural  residence  in  this  county.  It  is  modern 
in  every  particular,  equipped  with  hot  and 
cold  water,  with  a  sewerage  sy.stem  that  carries 
the  waste  to  a  distant  creek  running  through 
the  farm.  The  house  is  placed  on  an  emi- 
nence which  gives  a  beautiful  view  of  the 
surrounding  country,  with  a  handsomely 
shaded  lawn  sloping  from  the  front  to  the 
highway.  He  luis  three  other  dwellings  on 
the  farm  which  are  occupied  by  his  employes. 
Other  substantial  improvements  made  by  Mr. 
Thompson,  include  the  fine  bank  barn  which 
was  built  in  1895,  its  dimensions  being  40  by 
60  feet,  with  18-foot  posts.  Prior  to  this,  in 
1887,  he  built  the  horse  barn  which  is  70  by 
26  feet  in  dimensions,  with  1 6-foot  po.sts.  For 
fourteen  years  he  has  been  a  director  of  the 
Summit  County  Agricultural  Society  and  he 
has  served  as  expert  judge  of  hoKes  and  cattle 
at  county  fairs  all  over  the  State.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never 
sought  political  ofiice.  Since  its  organization, 
he  has  been  a  member  of  Eddy  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  at  Cuyahoga  Falls. 
He  is  termed  the  "celery  king"  on  account  of 
his  success  in  growing  celery  and  to  the  fact 
that  he  is  the  largest  grower  in  this  part  of 
Ohio.  Personally,  Mr.  Thompson  is  a  man 
who  impresses  one  with  his  vigor  and  enter- 
prise. 

COL.  STEWART  MILLER,  a  well  known 
and  highly  respected  citizen  of  Akron,  resid- 
ing   in  his  comfortable  and  attractive  home 


304 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTS 


at  No.  183  EUwood  Street,  is  a  worthy  veteran 
of  the  great  Civil  War,  throughout  which  he 
served  with   honorable  distinction.     He  was 
born   in  Cumberland  County,   Pennsylvania, 
February  7,  1834,  and  comes  of  the  sturdy 
Scotch  and  German  stock   with  which  that 
section  of  the  United  States  is  largely  settled. 
When  Colonel  Miller  was  a  child  of  ten 
years  his  parents  moved  to  Harrisburg,  where 
he  spent  three  years  of  his  early  life,  at  the 
end   of  that  period   accompanying   them   to 
Lancaster  County,  in  the  same  State,  where 
they  settled  on  a  farm.     This  furnished  him 
with  plenty  of  healthful  occupation  until  he 
was  eighteen  years  old.     He  then  began  an 
apprenticeship  to  the  blacksmith's  trade,   at 
which  he  continued  for  three  j^ears,  during 
this  period  receiving  wages  amounting  to  but 
$25  a  year.  After  becoming  proficient  at  his 
trade,  and  being  confident  of  securing     em- 
ployment almost  anywhere,   in  order  to  see 
something  of  his  native  country,  he  left  home 
in  1860,  journeying  as  far  west  as  Mansfield, 
Ohio,  where  in  August  of  that  year,  he  began 
work  in  the  blacksmith  shop  of  the  Mansfield 
Machine  Works.       Here  he  might  have  re- 
mained indefinitely,  but  for  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Civil  War.     But  the  rebel  attack  on 
Fort  Sumpter  changed  for  the  time  being  the 
even  cv;rrent  of  his  life.     He  had  a  good  posi- 
tion with  an  excellent  concern,  but  to  him 
his   country's   call   was   imperative.     Putting 
aside  all  thoughts  of  self-interest,  with  loyal 
determination  he  stepped  promptly  forward 
to  join  the  ranks  of  the  Nation's  defenders. 

On  April  13,  1861,  Mr.  Miller  enlisted  for 
a  service  of  three  months  in  Company  I,  First 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was 
mustered  in  at  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  April 
18th,  being  sent  directly  to  Philadelphia. 
Ten  days  later  the  regiment  went  to  Wash- 
ington City,  camping  for  drill  along  the 
Orange  Run  Railroad.  From  that  point  it 
was  sent  soon  after  to  Vienna,  Fairfax  County, 
Virginia,  where  it  had  its  first  engagement 
with  the  enemy,  sustaining  a  loss  of  ten  men 
wounded.  Its  second  w-as  at  Bull  Run,  July 
21,  1861,  and  this  closed  Mr.  Miller's  first 
term  of  enlistment,  which  had     been     fairly 


strenuous.  His  second  enlistment  was  on 
October  14,  1861,  in  the  Sixth  Ohio  Inde- 
pendent Battery,  and  his  third,  for  three  years 
more,  on  December  12,  1863,  his  final  dis- 
charge being  effected  September  1,  1865,  at 
Camp  Chase,  Columbus,  Ohio. 

During  this  long  period  of  almost  constant 
military  activity  Colonel  Miller  participated 
in  the  following  engagements,  being  pro- 
moted from  the  ranks  to  one  official  position 
after  another.  As  noted,  his  first  two  engage- 
ments were  at  Vienna  and  Bull  Run  respect- 
ively, after  which  he  was  on  duty  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  until  his  discharge,  August  3, 
1861. 

The  Si.xth  Ohio  Battery  in  which  Mr.  Mil- 
ler re-enlisted  in  the  following  October,  was 
organized  at  Camp  Buckingham,  Mansfield, 
Ohio.  On  November  10,  1861,  Mr.  Miller  was 
made  a  sergeant  of  his  company.  On  De- 
cember 15,  1861,  the  battery  was  sent  to 
Louisville,  Kentucky  and  assigned  to  the 
Eleventh  Brigade,  Department  of  the  Ohio. 
It  remained  at  Camp  (Tilbert  until  January 
12,  1862,  when  it  transferred  to  the  Cumber- 
land River.  March  18,  it  journeyed  to  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee,  by  steamer,  marched  with 
the  Artillery  Reserve,  Army  of  the  Ohio,  to 
Savannah,  arriving  at  Pittsburg  Landing  on 
the  morning  of  the  second  day  of  the  battle 
of  that  name,  otherwise  known  as  the  battle 
of  Shiloh.  The  siege  of  Corinth  under  Hal- 
leck,  April  30,  to  May  30,  followed,  the  bri- 
gade being  under  the  immediate  command  of 
General  James  A.  Garfield.  On  the  evacua- 
tion of  Corinth  by  the  Confederates  the  bri- 
gade went  into  camp  at  Stevenson,  Alabama, 
where  it  remained  from  June  18  to  August  21. 
It  then  took  part  in  the  pursuit  of  Bragg  to 
Louisville,   Kentucky,   imtil   September     25. 

As  a  part  of  the  Artillery  Brigade.  Sixth 
Division,  Second  Corps,  the  Sixth  Battery  en- 
gaged in  the  pursuit  of  Bragg  to  Crab  Orch- 
ard, October  1  to  15,  subsequent  movements 
being  to  Perryville,  October  8,  Harrodsburg, 
October  11,  Stanford,  October  14:  thence  to 
Na.shville,  Tennessee. 

The  Sixth  Battery  was  then  made  a  part 
of  the  Artillerv   Brigade  First   Division  Re- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


365 


serves  of  the  Fourteenth  Army  Corps  of  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  as  such  saw 
active  service  at  Lavergne,  December  26-27 ; 
Stewart's  Creek,  December  28;  Stone  River, 
December  28-31;  January  1-3,  1863,  Colonel 
Miller  being  wounded  January  2d.  The  next 
service  of  the  battery  was  at  TuUahoma,  June 
24-30;  Hoover's  Gap,  July  2-4-25;  Lee  and 
Gordon's  Mill,  September  11 ;  Leet's  Tan- 
yard,  September  12-13;  Chickaniauga,  Sep- 
tember 18-21 ;  Siege  of  Chattanooga,  Septem- 
ber 24-October  26;  then  in  garrison  at  Fort 
Wood,   where  Colonel  Miller  veteranized. 

Colonel  Miller  took  part  in  all  the  engage- 
ments of  importance  in  which  his  command 
participated  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  includ- 
ing the  following:  Tunnel  Hill,  May  7; 
Buzzard's  Roost  Gap,  May  8;  Rocky  Face 
Ridge,  May  8-11 ;  Resaca,  Mav  13-16 ;  Adairs- 
ville,  May  17-18;  Dallas,  Mky  25-June.24; 
Pickett's  Mill,  May  27;  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
June  17- July  2;  Pine  Mountain,  June  14; 
Lost  Mountain,  June  15-17 ;  Pine  Knob,  June 
19 ;  Gulp's  House,  June  22 ;  Assault  on  Kene- 
saw, Jmie  27;  Smyrna  Camp  Ground,  July 
3-4 :  Chattahoochee  River,  July  6-17 ;  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  July  19-20 ;  Siege  of  Atlanta,  July 
21-Au,gust  25;  Ezra  Chapel,  July  28;  Utoy 
Creek,  August  5-6 ;  Jonesboro,  August  31- 
September  1 ;  Lovejoy  Station,  September  2- 
6;  Pursuit  of  Hood  in  Nashville  Campaign. 
November  to  December;  Columbia,  Duck 
River,  November  24-28 ;  Spring  Hill,  Novem- 
ber 29;  Franklin,  November  30;  Nashville, 
December  15-16;  Pursuit  of  Hood  to  the  Ten- 
nessee River,     and  Huntsville,  Alabama. 

Colonel  Miller  was  on  duty  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  Louisiana  from  July  3  to  August  23. 
1865,  and  was  mustered  out  September  1,  as 
before  mentioned.  During  this  long  period 
of  almost  constant  danger  Colonel  Miller  was 
twice  wounded — once  seriously,  through  the 
arm  at  Stone  River,  and  once  slightly,  in  the 
abdomen,  his  life  Being  saved  on  this  latter 
occasion  by  his  having  a  notebook  with  family 
letters  in  his  pocket.  His  wounds  kept  him 
in  the  hospital  for  over  two  months.  The 
life-preserving  book  and  papers  he  still  keeps, 
naturally  regarding  them  with  tender  senti- 


ments. They  will  descend  to  those  who  come 
after  him  as  precious  relics  of  the  day  when, 
but  for  their  opportune  presence,  a  brave  sol- 
dier's life  would  have  been  sacrificed. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Colonel  Miller  re- 
turned to  Mansfield,  where  he  resided  until 
1882.  He  then  came  to  Akron,  entering  the 
rolling  mills  of  the  Akron  Iron  Company,  in 
which  he  continued  to  work  at  his  trade  for 
thirteen  years,  after  which  he  retired  from 
active  industrial  life. 

On  December  15,  1864,  Colonel  Miller  was 
married  to  Lizzie  McCoy,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Jane  McCoy.  He  and  his  wife  are  the 
parents  of  three  children,  namely:  Mary  S., 
wife  of  A.  J.  Wills,  who  has  charge  of  the  tire 
department  of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company; 
Charles  J.,  who  is  a  traveling  representative 
of  Leggett  and  Company,  of  New  York  City, 
the  largest  wholesale  grocery  house  in  the 
world;  and  Harry  C,  who  is  a  salesman  for 
the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company.  Both  Mr. 
Miller's  sons  are  very  able  business  men. 

A  man  of  firm  political  convictions.  Colonel 
Miller  has  taken  an  active  part  in  civic  mat- 
ters. He  has  held  local  offices  at  various 
times  and  for  six  years  was  assessor  for  the 
Second  Ward  at  Akron.  Army  affairs,  too, 
have  always  remained  interesting  to  him,  and 
the  old  veteran  organizations  have  claimed 
much  of  his  time  and  attention.  He  was  the 
main  organizer  of  the  Union  Veteran  Union 
of  Ohio,  from  which  organization  -his  title  of 
colonel  was  received.  For  the  last  thirty-two 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  order 
known  as  the  Knights  of  Honor,  belonging 
to  Acme  Lodge,  No.  35,  Akron,  Ohio. 

PHILO  B.  UPSON,  who  is  now  one  of  the 
most  influential  citizens  of  Sedgwick  County, 
Colorado,  where  he  has  a  valuable  homestead 
of  160  acres,  belongs  to  one  of  Ohio's  old  and 
honorable  families,  whose  ancestors  were 
identified  not  only  with  the  early  settlement 
of  the  Western  Reserve,  but  also  the  establish- 
ing of  civilization  in  the  New  England  col- 
onies. He  was  born  June  14,  1844,  in  Me- 
dina County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Reuben 
A.  and  Jane   (Furber)  Upson. 


366 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Reuben  Upson,  the  grandfather  of  Philo 
B.,  was  born  at  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  Au- 
gust 14,  1771,  and  in  1798  he  married  Han- 
nah Richardson,  who  was  born  at  Water- 
bury,  October  18,  1780.  In  1808,  he  came  to 
Ohio  with  his  brother  Stephen  and  family, 
cutting  a  path  tlirough  the  forest  to  Portage 
County,  where  the  brothers  bought  land  of 
the  Connecticut  Land  Company.  Later  Reu- 
ben Upson  moved  to  Tallmadge  Township, 
Summit  County,  where  lie  bought  a  farm,  on 
which  he  lived  until  1818,  when  he  removed 
to  another  part  of  the  same  township,  pur- 
chasing 800  acres.  Not  being  able  to  secure 
a  clear  title  to  this  land  he  later  accepted  the 
same  amount  in  still  another  part  of  the  same 
town.ship.  He  died  in  1848,  aged  seventy- 
four  years.  His  children  were:  Phebe, 
Emma,  Reuben,  Polly,  Chloe.  Hannah.  .I\il- 
ius  A.  and  George  C. 

Reuben  Upson  (second),  son  of  Reuben 
and  Hannah  Upson,  was  born  near  Water- 
bury,  Connecticut,  in  1808,  and  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Ohio,  growing  to  manhood  in 
Summit  County.  He  then  returned  to  Con- 
necticut and  worked  one  year  for  Seth 
Thomas,  the  famous  clock  maker,  after  which 
he  returned  to  Ohio  and  settled  on  a  farm. 
In  1836  he  made  a  trip  to  Iowa,  going  down 
the  Ohio  River  and  up  the  Mississippi,  and 
after  reaching  that  then  far  distant  State,  he 
■'homesleaded"  a  farm ;  but  not  finding  the 
prospect  satisfactory,  he  returned  to  Ohio  in 
1837,  walking  the  distance  from  Rock  Island, 
Illinois  to  Chicago,  then  a  "little  village  in 
the  mud,"  where  he  took  a  steamer  to  Cleve- 
land and  settled  in  Medina  County.  In  18(j7 
he  traded  his  farm  for  a  hotel  in  the  town  of 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  where  he  remained  until 
1871,  when  he  removed  to  Henry  County, 
Illinois  and  resided  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  m  February,  1884. 

Before  moving  to  Iowa,  Reuben  Upson 
(second)  was  married  to  Jane  Furber,  who 
was  born  in  England,  August  26,  1810,  and 
who  died  in  Illinois  in  1901.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Frances  and  Elizabeth  Furber, 
who  settled  in  Summit  County  w'hen  she  wa.-; 
nine   years  old.     Her  parents  lie  buried   at 


Kent.  Of  the  nine  children  comprising  the 
family  of  Reuben  and  Jane  Upson,  three  sur- 
vive, namely:  Philo  B. ;  Benjamin  L.,  resid- 
ing in  Henry  County,  Illinois,  engaged  in 
farming;  and  Mary  L.,  who  is  now  the  wife 
of  Joseph  U.  Barnes,  residing  at  Minneapolis, 
Minnesota. 

Philo  B.  Upson  was  reared  and  mainly  edu- 
cated in  Northampton  Township,  Summit 
County,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  there  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War.  In  July, 
1862,  he  entered  the  Union  army,  enlisting 
as  a  member  of  Company  G,  115th  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  ordered  to 
the  front.  For  one  year  the  regiment  was 
engaged  in  provost  duty  at  Cincinnati,  and  at 
Covington,  Kentucky,  going  thence  to  Mur- 
freesboro,  and  during  the  winter  of  1863-4 
it  did  picket  duty.  In  the  following  summer, 
Mr.  Upson  was  one  of  the  body  of  thirty  men 
detailed  to  man  a  blockhouse  on  the  Nashville 
and  Chattanooga  Railroad,  near  Lavergne, 
and  on  the  5th  of  December  the  men  were 
surrounded  by  a  party  from  General  Forest's 
army,  and  all  were  captured.  When  en  route 
for  Andersonville  Prison,  twenty  days  later, 
Mr.  Upson  was  fortunate  enough  to  escape, 
whtle  his  poor  comrades,  after  enduring  the 
horrors  of  that  terrible  prison  pen,  were  pa- 
roled and  placed  on  board  the  ill-fated  steamer 
"Sultana"'  which  was  destroyed  by  an  explo- 
sion, near  Memphis,  in  which  disaster,  many 
of  tlie  members  of  Mr.  Up?on's  coni]ianv  were 
killed. 

After  his  escape  from  the  Confederates,  Mr. 
U{ison  returned  to  Murfeesboro  and  rejoined 
his  regiment  and  a  few  days  later  was  detailed 
for  duty  at  the  very  point  where  he  had  been 
captured,  the  blockhouse  having  been  de- 
stroyed at  that  time.  Mr.  Upson  was  a  good 
soldier  and  he  remained  on  duty  at  this  point 
until  he  was  recalled  in  order  to  receive  his 
discharge,  which  took  place  at  Murfreesboro, 
Tennessee,  in  July,  1865.  He  was  paid  off 
at  Cleveland  and  then  was  at  liberty  to  return 
to  his  home,  reaching  there  safely,  with  the 
consciousness  that  he  had  performed  his 
whole  duty  as  a  patriotic  and  loyal  citizen. 
]'{v  has  ahvavs  since  then  enjoyed  his  meet- 


HON.  LEONID  AS  S.  EBRIGHT,  M.  D. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


369 


ings  with  old  comrades,  taking  much  interest 
in  matters  pei'taining  to  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  and  at  present  is  past  connnan- 
der  of  Julesburg  Post,  No.  21,  Department  of 
Colorado  and  Wyommg. 

Mr.  Up.son  remained  in  Sununit  County 
until  1867,  when  he  went  to  Illinois  and  for 
two  yeans  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  Henry 
County,  and  then  rented  a  farm  which  he  car- 
ried on  for  two  years,  after  which  he  bought  a 
place  five  miles  from  Geneseo,  which  he  culti- 
vated for  the  following  thirteen  years. 

It  was  in  1885  that  Mr.  Upson  made  a  great 
change  m  his  life  by  removing  to  Colorado, 
and  arriving  there,  having  the  foresight  to 
take  up  a  homestead,  being  the  first  man  to  set- 
tle in  Sedgwick  Township.  His  farm  lies  with- 
in two  miles  of  Sedgwick,  and  its  value  has 
increa.sed  many  times  over  since  he  saw  its 
po.ssibilities  in  the  spring  of  1885.  For  some 
years  he  was  extensively  engaged  in  the  cattle 
business,  but  in  1892  he  turned  his  attention 
to  other  lines  of  industry,  his  son  being  old 
enough  by  this  time,  to  take  charge  of  the 
farm.  Mr.  Upson  went  to  Wadena,  Min- 
nesota, where  he  became  manager  of  a  farm 
loan  agency,  and  vice-president  of  the  Wa- 
dena State  Bank.  One  year  later  he  went  to 
Minneapolis,  where  he  w-as  connected  with  the 
Minneapolis  Title  and  Trust  Company  as  col- 
lector, remaining  in  that  city  until  August, 
1895.  He  then  severed  hLs  connection  with 
the  corajjany  and  returned  to  Colorado,  once 
more  resuming  the  care  of  his  cattle  business. 

AVhen  Sedgwick  County  was  cut  off  from 
Logan,  in  1889,  Mr.  Upson  was  .selected  by 
Governor  Cooper  as  one  of  the  first  county 
commissioners,  and  in  the  following  fall  he 
was  formally  elected  to  fill  a  term  of  three 
years,  being  the  only  member  of  the  first  board 
who  was  returned  to  office.  In  the  summer 
of  1802,  he  was  chosen  as  an  alternate  dele- 
gate to  the  National  Republican  Convention 
which  convened  at  Minneapoli.-,  and  which 
nominated  Benjamin  Harrison  for  the  Presi- 
dencv  of  the  United  States. 

On  March  12,  1868,  Mr.  Upson,  while  liv- 
ing in  Henry  County,  Illinois,  was  married 
to  Sarah  A.  Richardson,  who  is  a  daughter  of 


Stephen  Richardson,  a  farmer  of  that  sec- 
tion. She  w-as  born  at  Pleasant  \^alley, 
Illinois,  where  she  enjoyed  fair  educational 
advantages.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Upson  a  family 
of  eleven  children  have  been  born,  and  what 
is  remarkable  is  that  all  but  one  survive. 
William  G.,  the  eldest,  is  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-raising  in  Logan  County.  Clara  L. 
is  the  wife  of  E.  C.  Smith,  a  stockman  of  Sedg- 
wick County.  Charles  B.  is  cashier  and  pay- 
ing teller  of  the  Minneapolis  Title,  Insurance 
and  Trust  Company,  of  Minneapolis.  Joseph 
Clinton  is  a  business  man  also  of  that  city. 
John  E.  is  a  member  of  Company  B,  Thir- 
teenth Regiment,  Minnesota  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, now-  at  Manila,  having  left  the  Uni- 
versity of  Minnesota  in  order  to  enter  the 
army:  Chloe  Etta  is  a  teacher  in  the  public 
schools  of  Sedgwick.  Jennie  E.,  Ray  R., 
Daniel  D.  and  Bes.sie  R.,  reside  at  home. 
Mrs.  Upson  died  July  5,  1904.  Mr.  Upson 
and  family  belong  to  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church. 

HON.  LEONIDAS  S.  EBRIGHT,  M.  D., 

postmaster  at  Akron  and  formerly  a  memlier 
of  the  Ohio  State  Legislature,  representing 
Summit  County,  was  born  near  Royalton, 
Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  September  25,  1844, 
and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Rachel  (Hatha- 
way) Eliright. 

Dr.  Ebright  is  of  German-Scotch  ancestry. 
His  father,  who  for  many  years  wa.'i  a  minis- 
ter in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  died 
in  1864,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three,  leaving  a 
widow  and  nine  children. 

From  the  public  schools  of  Fairfield  Coun- 
ty, Leonidas  S.  Ebright  entered  the  Union 
Army  a-^  a  soldier,  enlisting  May  7,  1862. 
for  three  months'  service  in  Company  K,  85th 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  honorably 
discharged  in  the  following  September.  He 
re-enli.sted  in  April,  1864.  in  the  Eighty- 
seventh  Regiment  Ohio  ^'ohmteer  Infantry. 
Later  he  was  transfen-ed  to  Company  G,  88th 
Infantry,  and  served  on  detached  duty  until 
July  3,"  1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out  by 
special  order  at  Camp  Chase. 

During  the   interval  bctwi-en  hi-;  terms  of 


370 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


army  service,  he  taught  school.  In  February, 
186'8,  he  came  to  Akron,  after  serving  as  a 
clerk  in  a  drug  store  at  Wooster,  for  six 
months,  and  entered  upon  his  medical  stud- 
ies in  the  office  of  Drs.  Bowen  and  Ebright. 
Subsequently  he  entered  the  Charity  Hospital 
Medical  College,  at  Cleveland,  where  he  \vi\s 
graduated  m  February,  1869.  He  then  re- 
sumed his  residence  in  Akron,  engaging  in 
practice  until  1871,  when  he  took  a  post- 
graduate course  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  at  New  York  City.  In  the  fall 
of  1872  Dr.  Ebright  went  to  Europe  and 
spent  ten  months  m  special  study  in  some  of 
the  most  famed  hospitals  and  laboratories 
there.  After  an  absence  which  covered  tliirtccn 
months,  he  returned  to  Akron,  in  which  city 
he  became  an  eminent  practitioner.  He  was 
the  first  secretary  of  the  Northeastern  Medi- 
cal Society  and  later  was  its  president.  For 
a  protracted  period  he  was  the  city  health  of- 
ficer, and  for  a  number  of  years  also  w;is 
physician  to  the  Children's  Home,  and  a 
member  of  the  board  of  physicians  of  the 
Akron  City  Hospital. 

For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  Dr. 
Ebright  has  been  one  of  the  active  and  influ- 
ential Republicans  of  this  section  of  Ohio, 
serving  on  the  various  important  county  and 
State  committees.  In  1879  he  was  elected  a 
representative  from  Summit  County,  to  the 
State  Legislature,  and  demonstrated  during 
his  term  at  Columbus  that  he  might  be 
trusted  to  look  after  the  people's  interests. 
In  campaign  work  throughout  the  country. 
Dr.  Ebright  has  been  a  tower  of  strength  to 
his  party,  and  has  been  associated,  on  one  or 
another  oca.sion,  with  almost  all  of  its  lead- 
ing orators.  His  equal  command  of  the  Ger- 
man tongue  with  the  English,  often  proved 
advantageous  to  Republican  interests.  Dur- 
ing 1898,  Dr.  Ebright,  as  a  political  speaker, 
vi.sited  the  States  of  Illinois,  Michigan,  Ken- 
tucky and  a  large  part  of  Ohio.  July  "27, 
1897,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Akron 
by  the  late  President  McKinley,  who  was  liis 
personal  as  well  as  political  friend.  In  that 
year  the  Akron  office  had  sixteen  carriers, 
one  of  whom  .still  serves  as  .such,  having  been 


identified  with  the  office  ever  since  its  estab- 
lishment, and  the  receipts  amounted  to  $400,- 
000.  In  comparison,  in  1907,  Postmaster 
Ebright  has  twenty-three  clerks  and  thirty- 
six  carriers,  handling  in  all  the  respectable 
sum  of  $1,000,000. 

On  November  15,  1883,  Dr.  Ebright  was 
married  to  Julia  A.  Bissell,  who  was  born  at 
Sharon,  Medina  County,  Ohio,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Ruth  B.  and  Mary  R.  The  fam- 
ily residence  is  situated  at  No.  678  Ea.st  Mar- 
ket street. 

Dr.  Ebright  has  been  prominent  also  for 
many  years  in  fraternal  circles,  having  filled 
some  of  the  highest  offices  in  R.  A.  bodies  as 
well  as  with  the  Knights  of  Honor.  For  four 
years  he  served  as  surgeon-general,  with  the 
rank  of  brigadier-general,  on  the  staff  of  Gov- 
ernor McKinley ;  for  five  years  was  surgeon  of 
Battery  B,  Ohio  National  Guards,  and  for 
five  years  of  the  German  Guards.  In  1890 
he  was  honored  by  being  made  president  of 
the  Decennial  Real  Estate  Board  of  Equaliza- 
tion, of  Akron.  At  various  times  he  has  been 
more  or  less  interested  in  business  enterprises. 
He  served  as  president  of  the  Akron  Sewer 
Pipe  Company,  and  was  one  of  the  directors 
until  it  was  merged  with  the  American  Sewer 
Pipe  Company.  His  busy  life  has  brought 
him  into  close  contact  with  men  and  aft'airs, 
and  he  numbers  friends  and  admirers  in  every 
class  both  in  Akron  and  elsewhere. 

MAURICE  G.  SNYDER,  manager  of  the 
Oliio  Mining  &  Railway  Company,  at  Akron, 
who  has  been  a  resident  of  this  .  city  since 
1871,  was  born  at  New  Baltimore,  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  in  1860.  His  father,  John 
C.  Snyder,  was  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
New  Baltimore,  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War. 

Maurice  G.  Snyder  was  nine  years  old 
when  his  parents  moved  to  Akron,  and  he  se- 
cured his  education  in  this  city,  later  going  to 
Wadsworth,  Ohio,  where  he  worked  in  a 
printing  office  for  one  year.  He  then  came 
back  to  Akron,  where  he  entered  the  offices 
of  the  Aultman-Miller  Company,  and  he  re- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


371 


mained  with  that  house  for  twenty-one  years 
subsequently.  He  was  then  elected  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Public  Service,  at  Akron, 
and  after  serving  one  term  embarked  in  a  coal 
business.  In  April,  1907,  Mr.  Snyder  ac- 
cepted the  management  of  the  Ohio  Mining 
and  Railway  Company,  a  position  which  car- 
ries with  it  a  large  amount  of  responsibility. 
He  is  one  of  the  stockholders  and  is  chairman 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Ohio  &  Penn- 
sylvania League  of  professional  base  ball  play- 
ers and  has  all  the  ordinary  American's  en- 
thusiasm  for  the  sport. 

In  1888,  Mr.  Snyder  was  married  to  Eliza 
Wigley,  who  was  born  in  England.  They 
have  three  sons,  Maurice  H.  and  Paul  and 
Park,  twins,  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder  are  mem- 
bers of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church.  He  be- 
longs to  the  fraternal  order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  social  organization,  the  Kirkwond 
Club. 

N.  C.  STONE,  president  of  the  National 
City  Bank,  of  Akron,  was  born  in  this  city  in 
1854.  He  is  a  son  of  Nelson  B.  Stone,  who 
was  formerly  a  prominent  citizen  here,  and 
a  sketch  of  whom  may  be  found  on  another 
page  of  this  volume.  Mr.  Stone  was  reared 
in  Akron,  and  after  graduating  from  the  pub- 
lic schools,  became  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1876  of  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  at  Dela- 
ware. Ohio.  He  then  spent  one  year  in  Eu- 
ropean travel,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  re- 
turning to  Akron,  he  entered  business  life, 
becoming  connected  with  the  Weary-Snyder- 
Wilcox  Manufacturing  Co.,  manufacturers 
of  and  dealers  in  lumber.  With  this  concern 
he  remained  for  about  seven  year.<.  He  was 
then  connected  for  a  short  time  with  the  Sci- 
berling  Milling  Company.  His  next  move 
was  to  Kansas  City,  but  after  a  short  stay 
there  his  business  interests  called  him  to  New 
York  City,  where  he  was  located  for  about  two 
years.  In  1887  he  returned  to  Akron  and 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Selle  Gear  Com- 
pany, with  whom  he  remained  until  the 
spring  of  1888.  In  this  year  he  entered  upon 
an  entirely  different  sphere  of  busmess  activi- 
ty, becoming  cashier  of  the  City  National 
Bank.     On  the  expiration  of  the  bank's  char- 


ter in  1903,  by  limitation,  a  new  organiza- 
tion became  necessary,  and  the  National  City 
Bank  was  acordingly  organized  in  May  of 
that  year,  Mr.  Stone  becoming  president, 
which  office  he  has  since  retained.  Mr.  Stone 
is  also  interested  in  a  number  of  manufactur- 
ing enterprises  in  Akron.  He  is  a  man  of 
sound  and  extensive  information  in  regard  to 
the  business  and  financial  conditions,  both  of 
Akron  and  the  surrounding  district,  and  while 
enterprising  and  fully  abreast  of  the  times, 
exercises  a  conservative  judgment  in  all  busi- 
ness matters  which  come  before  him  for  his 
decision.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
is  affiliated  with  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  which  he  is  now  serving  on  the  board 
of  trustees.  Mr.  Stone  was  married  in  1879, 
to  Miss  Margaret  J.  Oburn,  of  Chicago,  Illi- 
nois. 

C.  H.  BORST,  president  and  manager  of 
The  Borst  Stone  &  Brick  Company,  of  Akron, 
has  been  identified  with  the  business  life  of 
this  city  for  the  past  decade.  He  was  born 
in  1856,  at  Wadsworth,  Medina  County,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  son  of  the  late  J.  A.  Borst. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Borst  resided  at  Wads- 
worth  until  the  latter  was  sixteen  years  of 
age,  where  he  was  engaged  in  raising  fruit 
with  great  success,  and  then  moved  to  Green- 
town  and  for  some  time  carried  on  a  coal  busi- 
ness. Subsequently  he  became  interested  in 
the  growing  of  celery,  and  his  investigations 
and  experiments  resulted  in  his  becoming  one 
of  the  first  notable  celery  growers  in  this  part 
of  Ohio.  Subsequently  he  became  one  of  the 
most  extensive  growers  in  the  State,  and  also 
jiroduced  the  best  varieties,  of  which  he  had 
100  acres  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1894. 
He  has  made  a  complete  sucess  of  the  indus- 
try. 

C.  H.  Borst  attended  the  High  Schools  of 
both  Wadsworth  and  Greentown.  His  first 
work  was  in  the  line  of  civil  engineering,  and 
for  two  years  he  was  connected  with  the  Wash- 
ington, Cincinnati  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  line, 
in  Virginia.  In  1878  he  "went  on  the  road," 
traveling  between  Cleveland  and  Canton,  for 
two  vcars,  after  which  his  field  of  work  lay 


372 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


in  Kansas,  Missouri,  Colorado,  and  New  and 
Old  Mexico.  He  spent  nine  years  west  of  Mis- 
souri. He  then  came  back  to  Ohio  and  for 
about  seven  years  was  connected  with  the  city 
engineer's  office  at  Akron,  resigning  that  posi- 
tion in  order  to  look  after  personal  business 
interests.  In  the  spring  of  1903,  The  Borst 
Stone  &  Brick  Company  was  incorporated, 
with  a  cajnlal  stock  of  $10,000,  with  Mr. 
Borst  as  president  and  general  manager.  The 
business  of  this  concern  is  the  manufacturing 
of  all  kinds  of  cement  blocks,  plain  and  orna- 
mental, and  they  do  a  general  cement  block 
contract  work  in  all  kinds  of  building.  The 
firm  stands  at  the  head  in  this  line  of  indu.'^- 
try.  Mr.  Borst  is  a  man  of  extensive  experi- 
ence and  thorough  business  integrity. 

In  1895  Mr.  Borst  was  married  to  Belle 
Tait,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  two  children : 
Helen  E.  and  Frank  A.  As  a  good  citizen, 
Mr.  Borst  is  interested  in  the  perpetuation  of 
hone.st  city  govcTmnciit.  Fraternally  he  is  an 
Odd  Fellow.  ■ 

I'lIILlP  WAGONER,  a  retired  citizen  of 
Akron,  an  ex-county  commissioner  of  Sum- 
mit County,  and  a.  man  long  identified  with 
its  lending-  interests,  was  born  m  Franklin 
Townshiii,  Summit  County,  when  it  was  still 
a  part  of  Stark  County,  Ohio,  April  3,  1829. 
He  is  a  son  of  George  Wagoner,  an  early  set- 
tler. 

George  Wagoner  was  born  in  Cumberland 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to  Ohio  in 
1812,  locating' in  Jackson  Township,  Stark 
County,  where  he  remained  until  1821.  He 
then  .s^old  his  farm  and  entered  160  acres  of 
Government  land  in  what  is  now  Franklin 
Township,  Sunuiiit  County,  and  there  he  re- 
mained engaged  in  farming  and  stockraising 
until  the  clo.se  of  his  active  career.  He  died 
April  23,  1873.  He  married  Rebecca  Sowers, 
who  was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  died  in  188(J.  They  reared  six  of 
their  family  of  ten  children,  the  survivors  at 
this  writing  being  the  following;  Henry  L., 
postmaster  at  Krumroy,  Springfield  Town- 
ship; Philip,  residing  in  Akron;  John  J.,  re- 
siding at  Akron :  Harriet,  widow  of  Michael 


Hariisler,  also  residing  at  Akron;  Amanda, 
widow  of  John  Spangler,  residing  in  Franklin 
Township,  and  Aaron  of  Akron. 

Philip  Wagoner  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Franklin  Township.  For  nine  years  he 
followed  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  then  turned 
his  attention  to  farming  and  this  occupation 
he  successfully  followed  until  he  retired  from 
active  life  in  1900.  He  has  been  an  active 
participant  in  public  matters  in  Franklin 
Township,  voting  first  with  the  Whig  party 
and  later  with  the  Republicans,  having  sup- 
ported every  Republican  presidential  candi- 
date. On  many  occasions  he  has  been  elected 
to  office,  serving  four  years  as  township  treas- 
urer of  Franklin  township,  one  year  as 
assessor,  in  1890  as  census  enumerator,  and 
in  September,  1900,  assuming  the  duties  of 
county  commissioner,  in  which  office  he  served 
for  two  terms  or  six  years. 

In  1850  Mr.  Wagoner  was  married  to  Han- 
nah Henney,  who  died  in  August,  1900.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wagoner  had  twelve  children  born 
to  them,  the  five  living  being  the  following: 
Amanda  C,  who  married  Henry  Taylor,  of 
Akron;  Irvin  S.,  residing  in  Colorado,  where 
he  is  interested  in  gold  mines;  Emma,  who 
married  C.  F.  Reinhold,  of  Ma.ssillon,  Ohio; 
Mary,  who  married  ^Maurice  Monegan,  of 
West  Richfield,  Summit  County;  and  Harvey 
Philip,  residing  at  Akron.  Since  he  was 
seventeen  years  of  age,  Mr.  Wagoner  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  is 
one  of  Summit  County's  honored  citizens. 

LOREN  WAY,  one  of  the  sub-tautial 
farmers  of  Summit  County,  living  on  his 
valuable  farm  of  ninety-two  acres  in  Coventry 
Township,  was  born  January  22,  1850,  on  his 
father's  farm,  which  was  situated  on  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Barberton,  Coventry  Township,  this 
county,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Jane 
(McCracken)  Way. 

Ezra  Way,  the  grandfather  of  Loren,  was 
a  native  of  Connecticut,  whence  he  came  to 
Ohio  in  1817,  settling  on  the  present  site  of 
Barberton.  Here  he  bought  a  tract  of  tim- 
berland  extending  from  Wolf  Creek  to  the 
Tuscarawas   river.  Lake   Anna  being  in   the 


GEORGE  SACKETT 


AND    REPRESENTATn'E    CITIZENS 


375 


center  of  this  property.  He  purchased  this 
land  for  $3.00  per  acre,  and  his  only  neigh- 
bors were  a  half-breed  Indian  and  his  squaw, 
who  lived  at  the  present  site  of  Straw  Board 
and  hunted  for  a  living.  Mr.  Way  began 
to  clear  his  280-acre  tract  and  built  a  log 
cabin  in  the  woods,  deer  at  this  time  being 
so  plentiful  that  they  had  to  be  driven  away 
from  the  wheat  fields.  Mr.  Way's  stock  con- 
.sisted  of  one  horse,  two  oxen,  one  cow  and 
one  hog,  which  they  brought  with  them  from 
Connecticut.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ezra  Way  both 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives  here.  Their 
four  children  were:  Anna,  Levi,  Franklin 
and  .Joseph. 

Joseph  AVay,  who  was  born  in  1801,  came 
to  Ohio  wlien  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  lent 
his  hand  towards  developmg  the  farm  in  the 
new  country,  although  in  his  native  State  he 
had  learned  the  trade  of  carpentering.  The 
family's  nearest  white  neighbor  at  this  time 
came  five  yeai's  later  than  the  Ways,  Sylvester 
A'an  Hinning  settling  about  three  miles  away. 
Joseph  Way  continued  to  make  this  property 
liis  home  all  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  died 
there  in  1873.  At  one  time  Mr.  Way  and 
Abel  Irish  were  the  only  two  to  vote  the  Dem- 
ocratic ticket  in  Norton  township,  which  now 
has  a  large  Democratic  majority. 

Joseph  AVay  was  married  three  times,  first  to 
Miss  Stellman,  by  whom  he  had  four  chil- 
dren :  Abigail,  Henry,  Martha  and  Charles. 
He  had  one  child  by  his  second  marriage, — 
Joseph, —  and  after  the  death  of  his  second 
wife  he  was  married  to  Jane  McCracken,  who 
came  from  Pennsylvania  during  the  early 
days.  Of  this  last  union  there  were  born 
five  children :  Loren ;  Caroline,  the  widow 
of  David  Eby;  Mary,  who  married  Noah  Ea- 
ton ;  Anna  and  John.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years. 

Loren  Way  attended  the  district  schools 
and  lived  on  the  home  farm  until  his  mar- 
riage, the  heirs  selling  about  three  years  be- 
fore 0.  C.  Barber  located  there.  After  his 
marriage  Mr.  Way  built  a  house  on  the  home 
farm  and  lived  there  for  seven  years,  after 
which  he  purchased  forty  and  one  half  acres 
of  land  from  Henrv  Sours,  in  Coventrv  Town- 


ship, where  he  spent  four  years.  This  proper- 
ty, which  is  now  used  as  a  clay  pit,  was  sub- 
sequently sold  by  Mr.  Way,  and  in  1891  he 
bought  his  present  farm  from  the  J.  Kepler 
heirs,  where  he  has  since  carried  on  general 
farming  with  much  success.  His  machinery 
is  modern  and  his  methods  practical,  and  his 
property  as  a  consequence  yields  abundantly 
every  year.  In  politics  Mr.  Way  ls  a  Demo- 
crat, but  he  has  neither  held  nor  cared  to 
hold  public  office. 

In  1879  Mr.  Way  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Ella  Berlien,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John 
Berlien.  Of  this  union  there  is  one  child, 
Marvin  Wilber,  now  an  agriculturist  of  Cov- 
entry Township,  who  married  Bessie  Gerst 
and  has  three  children :  Ralph,  Ethel  and 
Ruth. 

(lEORGE  SACKETT,  for  sixty  years  a 
jirominent  resident  of  Cuyahoga  Falfs,  who 
was  closely  identified  with  its  manufacturing 
industries,  and  many  other  of  its  upbuilding 
agencies,  was  V)orn  at  Warren,  Litchfield 
('ounty,  Connecticut,  January  6,  1821,  and 
died  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Sunnnit  County, 
Ohio,  July  12,  1907.  He  was  a  sou  of  Aaron 
and  Hulda  C.   (Tanner)   Sackett. 

The  Sackett  family  became  established  in 
Sunnnit  County  in  1838,  through  the  settle- 
ment here  of  Aaron  Sackett  and  his  house- 
hold. Both  he  and  his  wife  were  born  in 
Connecticut,  and  the  maternal  grandfather  of 
(loorge  Sackett,  sei-ved  in  the  Revolutionary 
War  as  an  officer  inider  General  Anthony 
Wayne.  In  1836  .Varon  Sackett  moved  to 
Caiiandaigua,  New  York,  that  his  children 
might  enjoy  the  educational  advantages  of 
that  place.  In  1838  the  Sackett  family  re- 
sumed their  western  journey  and  permanently 
settled  on  a  tract  of  land  in  Tallraadge  Town- 
ship, where  Aaron  Sackett  resided  until  his 
retirement  from  active  life  in  1868.  He  died 
at  the  home  of  his  son,  William  Sackett.  in 
Copley  Township,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years.  His  sterling  traits  of  character  were 
reflected  in  his  children,  who  were  ten  in 
number,  George  being  the  third  in  order  of 
birth. 


376 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Mr.  Sackett  •  attended  two  sessions  of  the 
Tallniadge  Academy,  and  then  his  school 
days  were  ended.  Up  to  the  time  he  attained 
his  majority  he  performed  faithfully  the  ar- 
duous part  that  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  eldest 
son  in  a  large  family  living  under  pioneer 
conditions. 

When  twenty-one  years  old  Mr.  Sackett  be- 
gan farming  on  his  own  account.  His  cai)ilal 
was  $100.  He  leased  a  tract  of  land  from 
the  "Chuckery"  Company,  located  in  that  sec- 
tion of  the  city  of  Akron  now  known  as 
North  Hill.  Thanks  to  untiring  industry, 
and  the  exercise  of  his  unfailing  good  .sense, 
these  farming  operations  prospered  greatly. 
Special  attention  was  given  to  the  production 
of  wool  and  wheat  raising.  His  farm  at  one 
time  embraced  the  handsome  total  of  1,400 
acres  of  excellent  land. 

Mr.  Sackett  was  also  interested  in  manufac- 
turing enterprises,  and  was  for  a  number  -of 
years  the  president  of  the  Cuyahoga  Paper 
Company.  He  was  a  man  of  superior  busi- 
ness ability  and  accumulated  an  ample  for- 
tune. He  engaged  in  coal  mining,  railroad 
building,  and  the  general  development  of  the 
country  at  Laredo,  Texas,  in  partnership  with 
GoA'.  A.  C.  Hunt  of  Colorado.  At  one  time 
he  had  large  holdings  of  real  estate  and  min- 
ing properties  in  Colorado. 

Mr.  Sackett  was  from  the  very  formation 
of  the  Republican  Party  its  stanch  and  un- 
deviating  supporter.  He  was  the  president 
of  the  first  Republican  Club  in  Cuyahoga 
Falls.  In  1867  he  was  elected  County  Com- 
missioner by  the  Republican  party  and  served 
three  years.  In  1879  be  was  appointed  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Board  of  Equalization,  rep- 
resenting Summit  and  Portage  Counties,  and 
he  also  sei-ved  in  lesser  offices.  Ilis  superior 
judgment  was  exercised  in  the  performance 
of  public  tasks  with  the  same  fidelity  as  in 
the  pursuance  of  his  private  business.  He 
was  a  man  of  honor  in  all  transactions. 

In  1848  Mr.  Sackett  was  married  to  Helen 
Williams  of  Auburn,  New  York,  who  died  in 
I8/1I.  Mr.  Sackett  was  married  a  second  time, 
February  9.  1854,  at  Tallniadge,  Ohio,  to 
Frances  V.  Grant,  a  daughter  of  William  and 


Esther  (Treat)  Grant,  of  Orange,  New  Haven 
County,  Connecticut,  who,  with  one  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  A.  F.  Smith,  of  Cleveland,  survives 
him. 

In  1847  Mr.  Sackett  purchased  a  valuable 
farm  of  200  acres  on  -which  he  resided  until 
1867,  when  he  purchased  the  property  on 
Second  street,  where  he  lived  until  he  com- 
.  pleted  the  building  of  a  fine  residence  in  1902 
on  Broad  street,  Cuyahoga  Falls.  This  beau- 
tiful home  remains  the  place  of  residence  of 
his  widow.  In  1902  Mr.  Sackett  completed 
the  sale  of  the  city  lots  into  which  he  had 
divided  his  farm,  making  the  Sackett  addi- 
dition  to  Cuyahoga  Falls  now  one  of  the  most 
attractive  parts  of  the  city.  For  many  years 
Mr.  Sackett  was  an  active,  consistent.  Chris- 
tian, a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
to  which  he  gave  generous  support  both  of 
money  and  time.  Until  within  a  year  of  his 
death,  Mr.  Sackett  enjoyed  as  good  health  as 
usually  falls  to  the  lot  of  men  of  his  years, 
while  hi^  mind  remained  clear,  and  his  in- 
terest in  his  family  and  immediate  circle  of 
friends  never  ceased.  He  was  the  last  of  his 
family  save  one,  Mrs.  H.  C.  Grant,  of  this 
city.  George  Sackett's  wa^  a  pre-eminently 
successful  career.  In  it  all  there  was  nothing 
to  conceal.  He  was  from  first  to  last  honest, 
upright,  industrious,  a  good  citizen,  neighbor 
and  friend. 

F.  W.  ROCKWELL,  a  successful  and  rep- 
resentative business  man  of  Akron,  has  been 
a  resident  of  this  city  for  over  thirty-six  years. 
He  was  born  in  1851  in  Kent,  Ohio,  then 
known  as  Franklin  Mills.  In  1859  he  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  the  northwestern 
part  of  Missouri,  where  he  resided  for  five 
years.  They  then  returned  to  Ohio,  taking 
up  their  residence  at  Andover,  where  they 
remained  for  about  a  year.  A  year  was  then 
spent  at  Windfall,  Indiana,  from  which  place 
they  removed  to  Linesville,  Pennsylvania  for 
a  residence  of  five  years.  During  these  early 
years  the  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the 
common  schools,  supplementing  the  education 
therein  obtained  by  a  year's  attendance  at 
Allegheny  College.     In  1871,  at  the  age  of 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


twenty,  he  came  to  Akron,  accepting  a  position 
:i.-5  bookkeeper  with  the  Akron  Sewer  Pipe 
Company,  with  whom  he  remained  thirteen 
years.  Beginning  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder 
he  worked  liis  way  up  until  he  became  sec- 
retary of  the  company. 

Mr.  Rockwell  then  went  into  business  for 
himself  as  a  manufacturer  of  stoneware, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Johnson-Rockwell 
&  Company.  Afterwards  purchasing  Mr. 
Johnson's  interest  he  continued  the  business 
under  the  style  of  F.  W.  Rockwell  &  Co., 
until  1890,  when  he  sold  out  his  interest.? 
to  A.  J.  Weeks.  He  had  previously  made 
arrangements  to  go  to  Huntingdon,  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  establish  a  sewer-pipe  company,  and 
accordingly  he  now  established  with  others 
the  Pennsylvania  Sewer  Pipe  Co.,  Limited. 
His  interests  in  this  concern  he  sold  out  in 
1892,  returning  to  Akron,  where  for  a  j^ear  he 
was  in  the  office  of  the  Columbia  Sew'er  Pipe 
Co.  The  concern  was  then  merged  with  the 
Union  Sewer  Pipe  Comjiany,  Mr.  Rockwell  re- 
maining with  them  until  1896,  when  the  con- 
solidated concern  went  out  of  business.  He 
had  previously — about  1893 — become  inter- 
ested in  a  grocery  business,  and  he  now  gave 
his  personal  attention  to  it  until  1899.  He 
then  became  connected  with  the  Robinson 
Clay  Product  Company,  continuing  to  con- 
duct his  grocery  business,  however,  until  1903, 
when  he  sold  out.  For  four  years  j\Ir.  Rock- 
well had  charge  of  the  sale  department  of 
the  Robinson  Clay  Product  Company,  but 
since  then  has  had  charge  of  real  estate  titles, 
insurance,  and  claims  of  customers. 

Mr.  Rockw-ell  takes  an  active  interest  in 
politics.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Republi- 
can County  Committee  in  1887-1888;  he  also 
served  on  Akron's  school  board  from  1881 
to  1889;  in  1883  he  was  elected  president  of 
the  board ;  in  1887  he  was  elected  its  treasurer, 
and  he  was  again  elected  president  in  1888. 
In  1902  he  was  again  elected,  and  has  served 
continuously  from  that  time  up  to  the  pres- 
ent. He  served  as  president  of  the  board  in 
1905  and  1906.  During  his  service  on  fhe 
board  the  following  buildings  were  con- 
structed:    The  Kent.  Howe.  Henrv.  Fraun- 


felter,  Samuel  Findley,  High  School,  and  the 
Annex  to  the  high  school.  Mr.  Rockwell  be- 
longs to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fal- 
lows, and  to  the  Royal  Arcanum,  being  a 
member  of  the  local  lodges  of  these  societies. 
He  was  married  in  1875  to  Miss  Mary  ^V. 
Johnson,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Johnson,  a 
pioneer  hardware  manufacturer  of  Akron. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rockwell  have  five  children 
living,  namelj':  George  W.,  who  is  in  the 
employ  of  the  Lehigh  Portland  Cement  Co., 
of  Mitchell,  Indiana;  Frank  J.,  an  attorney, 
who  is  a  member  of  the  prominent  law  firm 
of  Rodgers.  Rowley  &  Rockwell,  of  Akron ; 
Thomas,  who  is  assistant  purchasing  agent 
for  the  Robinson  Clay  Product  Co. ;  and  Mary 
and  Ida,  who  reside  at  home  with  their  par- 
ents. 

WILLIAM  CLOYD  JACOBS,  M.  D.,  who 
at  the  time  of  death  was,  in  point  of  service, 
the  oldest  medical  practitioner  at  Akron,  was 
also  one  of  the  most  eminent.  He  was  born 
February  26,  1840,  at  Lima,  Allen  County, 
Ohio,  and  was  a  son  of  Thomas  K.  and  Ann 
(Elder)  Jacobs. 

Dr.  Jacobs  was  of  Welsh  extraction  and  his 
great-grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary War.  William  Jacobs,  his  grand- 
father, was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  lived  until  late  in  life  and  then  joined  his 
son  at  Lima,  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1848. 

Hon.  Thomas  K.  Jacobs,  father  of  the  late 
Dr.  Jacobs,  was  born  January  30,  1812,  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  came  to  Ohio  in  1835.  In 
1836  he  settled  at  Lima,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  of  tailor,  and  took  an  active  interest 
in  politics.  In  1840  he  was  elected  treasurer 
of  Allen  County,  serving  six  terms  in  that 
office,  and  in  1859  was  elected  to  the  State 
Legislature,  serving  three  years.  He  acquired 
a  large  amount  of  real  estate  and  dealt  largely 
in  the  same.  He  died  November  12,  1884. 
He  married  Ann  Elder,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Noah  and  Ann  (Alexander)  Elder,  and 
they  had  nine  children,  four  of  whom  grew^ 
to  maturity,  as  follows :  William  C. ;  Matilda, 
who  married  Henry  A.  Moore;  Clara,  who 
married  John  Brotherton;  and  Thomas  K., 


378 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


of  Lima,  now  retired  from  the  medical  pro- 
fession and  engaged  in  large  real  estate  opera- 
tions. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  the  late  Dr. 
William  C.  Jacobs  obtained  the  coveted  ap- 
pointment of  cadet  in  the  United  States  Naval 
Academy  at  Annapolis,  Maryland,  but  find- 
ing nautical  training  was  not  to  his  taste  he 
resigned  two  years  Utter,  in  1859,  and  re- 
turned home  with  the  intention  of  studying 
medicine,  and  later  entered  the  Ohio  Medical 
College  at  Cincinnati,  where  he  was  grad- 
uated March  3,  1862.  On  April  1,  1862,  he 
was  commissioned  acting  assistant  surgeon 
in  the  United  States  Army  and  was  imme- 
diately sent  South  and  entrusted  with  various 
medical  and  surgical  tasks.  On  account  of  an 
accident  in  the  .succeeding  October,  he  was 
given  a  leave  of  absence  and  during  this  pe- 
riod he  received  his  commission  as  surgeon, 
being  then  under  twenty-three  years  of  age. 
He  joined  the  Eighty-first  Regiment,  Oliio 
Vol.  Inf.,  January  9,  1863,  and  served  with 
it  at  Corinth,  in  the  campaign  against  Atlanta, 
in  the  "March  to  the  Sea,"  and  in  all  the 
operations  of  the  army  from  Savannah,  Geor- 
gia to  Raleigh,  North  Carolina.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  at  Camp  Dennison, 
Ohio,  July  21,  1865,  young  in  years  but  old 
in  medical  and  surgical  experience. 

Dr.  Jacobs  settled  at  Akron  in  October, 
1865,  and  until  his  demise  took  an  active 
interest  in  all  that  concerned  this  city.  In 
politics  he  was  always  an  adherent  of  the 
Republican  party,  but  never  accepted  any 
office  except  membership  on  the  Board  of 
Education,  to  which  he  was  thrice  elected. 

Dr.  Jacobs  was  married  (first)  September 
10,  1863,  to  Huldah  M.  Hill,  of  Piqua,  Ohio. 
Dr.  Jacobs  was  married  (second),  March  0, 
1895,  to  Mrs.  Mary  H.  Wheeler,  a  daughter  of 
Sheldon  and  Harriet  (Speers)  Brown,  of 
Akron.  Mrs.  Jacobs  survives  and  resides  at 
No.  641  East  Buchtel  avenue. 

Dr.  Jacobs  is  also  survived  by  one  son, 
Harold  H.,  born  February  10,  1866,  who  was 
associated  with  his  father  in  medical  practice 
and  is  now  his  .successor.  Dr.  Harold  H. 
Jacobs  graduated  from  Amherst  College  in 


1888  and  from  the  Ohio  Medical  College  in 
1891.  As  a  medical  practitioner  he  holds 
a  high  rank  in  the  profession  in  this  section. 
His  office  is  in  the  Hamilton  Block.  Septem- 
ber 2,  1891,  Dr.  Jacobs  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Elizabeth  Griffin,  daughter  of  H.  G. 
Griffin  (deceased)  of  this  county.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Jacobs  have  three  children:  Hulda  G., 
Harriet  T.  and  Mary  Elizabeth. 

The  late  Dr.  AV.  "C.  Jacobs  was  a  Thirty- 
second  Degree  Mason  and  was  widely  known 
in  the  fraternity.  He  belonged  also  to  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  to  the  Military  Order 
of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States  and 
to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

A.  T.  WOODS,  M.  D.,  one  of  the  expe- 
rienced and  valued  medical  practitioners  re- 
siding at  Loyal  Oak,  where  he  has  been  lo- 
cated for  the  past  twentyeight  years,  Avas 
born  at  Union  town,  Stark  County.  Ohio, 
April  6,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  .John  B.  and 
Susan  (Wiillis)  Woods. 

The  father  of  Dr.  Woods  was  engaged  in 
a  general  mercantile  bu-siness  at  Union trnvn 
until  liLs  son  was  about  5  j'ears  of  age,  when 
he  moved  to  Akron  in  the  fall  of  1860,  where 
he  entered  into  a  banking  business  and  for 
many  years  was  president  of  the  City  Bank. 
Later  he  organized  the  City  National  Bank 
and  was  its  first  president.  Many  sections 
of  the  city  were  ddentified  with  the  Woods 
family,  the  father  of  Dr.  Woods  owning  a 
large  amount  of  real  estate.  He  built  the 
Woods  Block  in  the  year  of  1862  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Market  and  ilain  Street.-:.  The  old 
AVoods  homesitead,  on  the  corner  of  Union 
and  Market  Streets,  is  now  the  Renner  home, 
but  for  many  years  it  was  the  place  where  the 
AA'oods  family  found  privacy,  peace  and  con- 
tentment and  ako  where  their  friends  were 
ho.spitaibly  entertained.  Both  parents  of  Dr. 
AVoods  died  at  Akron.  Father  on  August 
14,  1896;  mother,  .lune  26,  1897. 

Dr.  AVoods  was  reared  from  the  age  of  five 
years  at  Akron  and  enjoyed  the  advantages 
offered  by  the  graded  city  schools  and  later 
the  High  School.  In  preparation  for  his  med- 
ical college  course,  he  read  with  Dr.  H.  M. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


379 


Fitfher  for  tlireo  years  and  then  entered  the 
Western  Reserve  University  at  Clevelajid, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1879.  A  few  days 
later  found  him  established  at  his  present  lo- 
cation, ready  for  Ijusiness,  and  through  all  the 
succeeding  years  ho  has  never  failed  to  an- 
swer a  call  for  medical  help.  Dr.  Woods  is 
held  in  the  liighest  esteem,  both  personally 
and  profe.s,sionally. 

In  ISSl  Dr.  Woods  was  married  to  Ella 
Harrier,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Dain'el  Harrier, 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  Lily  Blanche, 
\\ilio  married  Dr.  Bert  A.  Shriber,  a  dental 
.surgeon  of  Akron. 

Dr.  Woods  has  practically  retired  from 
practice,  but  consents  occasionally  to  serve  in 
consultation  or  to  visit  in  an  old  family, 
whose  physician  and  friend  he  has  been  for 
a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  has  never  identi- 
fied himself  with  secret  organizations,  his  only 
fraternal  connection  being  with  the  bene- 
ficiary order  of  Pathfinders. 

EDWARD  B.  MILLER,  manager  of  the 
People's  Improvement  Company,  at  Akron, 
ha«  been  a  resident  of  this  city  since  child- 
hood, and  has  been  identified  with  many  of 
the  city's  important  industries.  He  was  born 
February  15,  1859,  at  Canton,  Ohio,  and  is 
a  son  of  Lewis  Miller,  who  was  the  originator 
and  founder  of  the  Chautauqua  As.sociation. 

He  was  scarcely  more  than  five  yeai-s  old 
when  his  parents  moved  to  Akron,  where  he 
attended  school.  He  later  entered  the  Ohio 
We.sleyan  Univei"sity,  remaining  three  years. 
In  the  meantime  he  evinced  a  natural  lean- 
ing toward  mechanics,  and  this  led  him  to  en- 
ter Stevens'  School  of  Technology,  at  Ho- 
boken,  New  .Tersey,  where  he  took  a  course 
in  mechanical  engineering.  Mr.  Miller  then 
went  for  a  tour  of  Europe,  and  on  his  return 
he  entered  the  foundry  department  of  his 
father's  concern,  the  Aultman-Miller  Com- 
pany, with  the  determination  of  learning 
every  detail  of  the  business.  This  plan  he 
carried  out  and  became  assistant  superintend- 
ent of  the  .shops,  remaining  for  eight  years 
with  that  company.  Later  he  was  superin- 
tendent of  the  Akron  Iron  Company  for  eight 


years.  During  all  this  period  he  had  been 
quietly  investing  in  land  in  and  around  Ak- 
ron, which  since  then  he  has  been  platting 
and  building  thereon  comfortable  homes  for 
the  public.  His  foresight  has  proven  him  a 
man  of  business  faculty  of  high  degree.  His 
land  is  well  improved,  and,  while  materially 
benefitting  him.self,  he  has  added  much  to  the 
general  attractiveness  of  his  city.  Since 
childhood  he  has  been  united  with  the  Firat 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Akron. 

JOHN  H.  DELLENBERGER,  who.se  bu.si- 
ne.ss  connection  with  the  Akron  Lumber  Com- 
pany, with  plant  located  at  No.  575  South 
Main  Street,  Akron,  dates  froan  1890,  has 
been  a  rasident  of  this  city  for  the  past  forty- 
one  years.  He  was  born  in  Portage  County, 
Ohio,  in  1844,  and  was  reared  on  his  fath- 
er's farm  in  Suffield  Township. 

Mr.  Dellenberger  is  one  of  the  surviving 
veterans  of  the  Civil  War.  When  twenty 
years  of  age  he  enlisted  for  service  in  Com- 
pany H,  184th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  his  period  of  service  covered  about 
nine  Tiionths,  during  which  tiane  he  was  sta- 
tioned mainly  in  Tennessee  and  Alabama. 
He  survived  all  the  dangers  and  disasters  of 
war,  and  returned  safely  to  his  home  in  Por- 
tage County.  He  was  then  engaged  in  car- 
penter work  until  the  fall  of  1866,  when  he 
came  to  Akron  and  began  contracting,  in 
which  occupation  he  continued  until  1870. 
when  he  went  into  the  lumber  business  and 
was  a.ssociated  twelve  yeai's  with  Sianon 
Hankey.  The  Hankey  Lumber  Company  was 
then  organized,  of  which  Mr.  Dellenberger 
was  a  member  for  five  years.  Since  then  he 
has  been  identified  with  the  Akron  Lumber 
Company,  which  handles  all  kinds  of  build- 
ing materials  and  manufactures  sa^h,  door, 
and  Winds  and  deals  in  all  kinds  of  lumber. 

In  1868  Mr.  Dellenberger  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  J.  Acker.  He  has  three  son? :  Al- 
bertus  J.,  Harry  A.  and  John  H.,  Jr.,  all  of 
whom  are  connected  vnth  the  Akron  Lum- 
ber Company.  In  addition,  John  H.,  Jr.,  is  a 
veterinarian,  a  graduate  of  the  Ontario  Veter- 
inarv  College.    Mr.  Dellenberger  is  a  member 


380 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


of  the  Main  Street  Methodist  Episcopal 
Chureh.  lie  belongs  to  Buckley  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  He  has  never  taken 
aiiy  very  active  part  in  politics,  but  is  num- 
bered with  the  quiet,  solid  representative  men 
of  his  city,  ever  ready  to  do  his  part  in  pro- 
moting matters  of  public  welfare,  but  seeking 
no  personal  emolument  therefrom. 

ROBERT  TURNER,  residing  on  his  val- 
uable farm  in  Portage-  Township,  lying  just 
outside  of  the  limits  of  the  city  of  Akron, 
came  to  this  locality  from  the  city  where  he 
was  engaged  for  many  years  in  a  manufac- 
turing business. 

Mr.  Turner  was  born  in  Norfolk,  England. 
January  5,  1833,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Mary  (AValker)  Turner.  He  was  reared  in 
England  and  remained  in  his  native  land  un- 
til 1852.  After  he  left  school  he  began  work 
in  a  flour  mill  and  served  an  apprenticeship 
of  five  ye-ars  to  the  millers'  trade.  AVlien  he 
left  England,  his  objective  point  was  Akron, 
which  city  he  reached  on  July  8,  1852,  and 
on  the  following  day  he  went  to  work  at  the 
old  Center  mill,  operated  by  the  Allen-Per- 
kins Company.  Here  he  remained  for  ten 
years  and  three  months,  for  eight  years  of 
which  time  he  was  head  miller.  On  Jvily  1. 
1862,  Mr.  Turner  bought  a  steam  flour-mill 
of  George  Ayliff,  which  he  operated  until 
1872,  when  he  sold  it  and  Ijnught  the  woolen 
factorj'  on  Cherry  Street.  This  he  converted 
into  ain  oatmeal  mill,  having  from  1864  made 
oatmeal  in  the  steam  mill.  He  continued 
the  manufacture  of  oatmeal  until  1881,  when 
he  sold  out  to  J.  H.  Hower  &  Sons.  Mr. 
Turner  had  been  living  up  to  this  time  in  a 
comfortable  home  on  North  Summit  Street, 
which  he  now  traded  for  a  farm  of  ninety 
acres,  known  as  the  old  Judge  Pitkin  farm. 
This  land,  on  account  of  its  location,  is  each 
year  becoming  more  valuable,  and  Mr.  Tur- 
ner is  selling  town  lots  from  it,  and  the  time 
is  not  far  distant  when  this  will  be  one  of 
the  finest,  residential  parts  of  Akron. 

In  1858  Air.  Turner  was  married  to  -Tane 
Cooper,  who  died  in  February,  1892.  The 
children  of  this  marriage  were:    Robert.,  who 


died  young;  Addie,  residing  in  Akron;  Nel- 
lie M.,  'who  married  George  W.  Carpenter,  re- 
siding in  Akron;  and  Robert,  residing  al-^'O 
iu  Akron.  Mr.  Turner  was  married  (second) 
to  Emma  E.  (jibbons,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Edward  Gibbons.  Mrs.  Turner  was  born  and 
reared  in  England  and  accompanied  her 
l^rother  to  America  when  she  was  twenty-five 
years  of  age.  She  learned  stenography  and 
secured  a  position,  first  with  William  Tay- 
lor Son  &  Company,  and  later  was  with  the 
William  Bingham  Company  and  the  Stand- 
ard Lighting  Company,  where  she  continued 
until  her  marriage  in  1893  to  Mr.  Turner. 

Since  becoming  an  American  citizen,  Mr. 
Turner  has  been  a  loyal  supporter  of  the 
Government,  sei'ving  during  the  Civil  War 
as  a  member  of  the  Sixty-fourth  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  which  was  stationed  for  the 
100-day  term  at  Akron.  He  has  since  served 
acceptably  in  various  offices  of  responsibility, 
to  which  his  fellow  citizens  elected  him.  For 
ten  years  he  was  a  director  of  the  old  Portage 
Township  school  and  for  years  was  a  member 
of  the  Summit  County  Agricultural  Society, 
being  its  treasurer  for  a  part  of  the  time.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  Ma^on,  belonging  to  Akron 
Lodge,' No.  83,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,'and  the  Royal 
Arch  Chapter,  also  of  Akron. 

CHARLES  E.  AKERS,  proprietor  of  the 
large  hardware  busin&ss,  located  at  No.  984 
S.  Main  Street,  Akron,  has  been  a  continuous 
resident  of  this  city  for  the  past  thirty-three 
years.  Mr.  Akers  was  born  in  England  about 
100  miles  distant  from  the  great  city  of  Lon- 
don, and  in  hh  native  land  attended  school 
through  boyhod  and  learned  the  tinner's 
trade. 

Thus,  when  the  young  man  arrived  in  Ak- 
ron, he  WHS  ready  to  go  to  work  and  his  serv- 
ices were  accepted  by  Cramer  &  May,  but 
within  .six  months  he  realized  that  there  was 
a  good  opening  in  his  line  of  biisiness  for  an- 
other first-cla.'ss  establishment,  and,  according- 
ly, in  as.sociation  with  his  brother,  he  formed 
the  firm  of  Akers  Brothers.  This  firm  con- 
tinued for  twelve  years,  doing  a  general  hard- 
ware, roofing  and  tinning  business.     Charles 


JACOB  KOCH 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


383 


E.  Akers  is  now  sole  proprietor  of  the  large 
business,  dealing  in  all  kinds  of  hardware, 
tinning,  roofing  and  spouting,  besides  doing 
general  job  work.  Mr.  Akers  enjoys  a  large 
patronage  and  is  numbered  with  the  leading 
business  men  in  his  line  of  industry  in 
Akron. 

In  1880  Mr.  Akers  was  married  to  Anna 
White,  and  they  have  four  children,  namely; 
Edith,  who  married  Frederick  Stornan,  re- 
siding at  Akron,  and  Eva,  Alfred  and  Ruth. 
Mr.  Akers  and  family  belong  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

Politically  Mr.  Akers  is  a  Republican.  He 
is  a  member  of  several  insurance  societies  and 
has  ser\'ed  on  some  civic  boards,  but  he  is 
in  no  way  a  politician.  Quite  recently  he  has 
enjoyed  a  visit  to  Europe,  spending  six  weeks 
in  viewdng  the  various  placas  of  interest  in 
London,  Livei-pool,  Paris  and  other  famous 
Old  World  cities. 

JACOB  KOCH,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Akron  for  many  years,  but  now  living  re- 
tired from  business  activity,  was  born  at  Baer- 
stadt,  Bavaria,  Germany,  May  29,  1840,  and 
is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  Koch.  His  par- 
ents were  natives  of  Germany  who  emigrated 
to  America  in  1841,  finding  a  home  in  the 
city  of  Philadelphia.  The  father  lost  his  life 
through  the  foundering  at  sea  of  a  sailing 
vessel  on  which  he  was  a  passenger,  in  1845, 
between  Philadelphia  and  Savannah,  Geor- 
gia, and  in  1846  .  Jacob  accompanied  his 
mother  to  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  that  city.  In  1854  he  came 
to  Akron,  where  his  uncle  was  the  senior 
member  of  the  clothing  firm  of  Koch  and 
Levi,  and  secured  a  clerkship  with  them. 
During  the  next  ten  years  he  devoted  him.self 
so  closely  and  thoroughly  to  the  business  that 
in  1864,  when  his  uncle  retired,  he  was  able 
to  take  his  place.  In  1878  Mr.  Levi  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Louis  Loeb,  and  the  firm  name  then 
assumed  was  J.  Koch  and  Company.  The 
basiness  was  removed  to  commodious  quar- 
ters on  South  Howard  Street,  subsequently 
removal  being  made  to  the  corner  of  Mill  and 
Main   Streets.     Mr.   Koch   continued   at  the 


head  of  the  firm  and  in  time  built  up  the 
largest  establishment  in  Akron  dealing  in 
gents'  furnishing  goods  and  boys'  and  men's 
clothing.  In  January,  1907,  he  disposed  of 
his  interest  in  the  business,  and  since  then  has 
been  enjoying  a  quiet  life  of  ease  and  leisure. 
Since  his  retirement  the  business  has  been 
changed  to  a  stock  company,  composed  of 
clerks  who  had  served  under,  and  were 
trained  in  business  methods  by,  Mr.  Koch, 
Louis  Loeb  being  manager. 

On  March  12,  1878,  Mr.  Koch  was  married 
to  Leah  Hexter,  of  New  York,  who  died  in 
that  city  September  3,  1878.  Febiuary  8, 
1893,  Mr.  Koch  married  (second)  Miss  Ella 
Dessauer,  of  Montrose,  Pennsylvania.  Of  this 
imion  there  is  one  child,  Marion  Blanche, 
born  March  15,  1895. 

Mr..  Koch  takes  a  good  citizen's  interest  in 
]niblic  matters,  and  has  frequently  demon- 
.-;trated  his  patriotism  and  public  spirit.  He 
responded  to  the  call  of  Governor  Brough,  in 
1862,  for  troops  for  State  defenders,  and  in 
1864,  as  a  member  of  the  164th  Regiment  of 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  served  100  days  in 
front  of  Washington.  He  has  been  connected 
with  a  number  of  civic  bodies,  and  served 
for  a  time  on  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  De 
Rod  Hospital  fund.  He  has  a  beautiful  home 
at  No.  38  Adolph  Avenue. 

J.  A.  SWINEHART,  pr&sident  and  man- 
ager of  the  Swinehart  Clincher  Tire  and  Rub- 
ber Company,  a  large  business  enterprise  of 
Akron,  has  resdded  in  this  city  for  the  past 
thirty-one  years.  He  was  born  in  1851,  at 
Suffield,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  where  for 
some  itime  he  attended  school,  completing 
his  education  at  Smithville. 

Mr.  Swinehart  was  nineteen  years  of  age 
when  he  came  to  Akron  and  he  spent  seven 
years  teaching  school  in  the  surrounding  dis- 
tricts. He  having  a  natural  tasite  for  wood- 
working, he  finally  left  the  educational  field 
and  learned  the  millwrights'  trade,  subse- 
quently developing  into  a  contractor.  For 
some  sixteen  years  he  engaged  in  contract- 
ing, building  many  of  the  largest  mills,  be- 
sides nvnnerous  other  buildings,  at  .\kron  and 


384 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


throughout  Summit  County.  When  the  Fire- 
stone Rubber  Company  was  organized  he 
became  interested  in  it  as  a  business  enter- 
prise, and  accepted  the  position  of  vice-presi- 
dent, which  he  retained  for  three  years.  He 
then  went  to  Europe,  where  he  was  engaged 
for  a  niimbr  of  years  in  selling  patents  on 
has  side-wire  tire.  Mr.  Swinehart  m«de  six 
trips  abroad  in  the  interests  of  the  above 
named  business,  but  in  the  meanwhile  he  was 
studying  out  other  inventions,  which  resulted 
in  the  production  of  the  clincher  tire,  and,  in 
1904,  of  the  organization  of  the  Swinehart 
Clincher  Tire  and  Rubber  Company.  This 
became  an  inc.oi"porat«J  body.  Its  present 
capital  stock  is  $200,000.00,  with  J.  A.  S^\•ine- 
hart  as  president  and  general  manager;  B.  C. 
Swinehart  as  vice-president;  Fred  A.  Boron,  as 
treasurer,  and  C.  0.  Baughman,  as  secretary. 
The  manufacture  of  the  Swinehart  Clincher 
Tires  is  the  company's  main  industry.  Mr. 
Swimehiart  is  linterested  also  in  other  con- 
cerns and  is  one  of  Akron's  stirring  and  prom- 
inent business  citizens.  From  1(S93  to  1895 
he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Akron  school 
board. 

In  1880  Mr.  Swinehart  was  married  to  Cal- 
lie  C.  Coldren,  of  Springfield  Township,  Sum- 
mit County.  They  have  three  children, 
namely:  B.  C.  Swinehart,  who  is  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Swinehart  Clincher  Tire  Com- 
pany, and  a  resident  of  Akron,  and  Ada  and 
E.?ther,  who  reside  at  home  with  their  parents. 
Mr.  Swinehart-  and  family  belong  to  the  Grace 
Reformed  Church  of  Akron,  which  he  is  serv- 
ing as  a  member  of  the  official  board. 

NATHANIEL  LOMBARD,  .superintend- 
ent and  chief  engineer  of  the  Lombard  & 
Replogle  Engineering  Company,  at  Akron, 
with  quarters  in  the  Hon'er  Building  on  West 
Market  Street,  is  of  New  England  ancestry 
and  was  born  at  Springfield,  Maine,  in  1865. 

Mr.  Lombard  received  hi?  educational 
training  in  his  native  state,  and  when  nine- 
teen years  of  age  lie  went  to  Boston  Massa- 
chusetts, and  found  employment  with  the 
American  Arms  Company  of  that  city,  with 
whom  he  continued  for  four  vears.    Here  he 


had  an  opportunity  of  working  out  some  ideas 
of  his  own  and  his  experiments  resulted  in 
the  invention  of  a  practical  machine  for  cov- 
ering electrical  wires.  Its  value  was  imme- 
diately recognized  and  he  sold  it  without 
difficulty  to  the  Eastern  Electrical-  Cable  Com- 
pany, entering  their  works  to  build  a  few 
of  the  machines.  His  busy  brain  kept  at 
work  and  he  soon  produced  a  lasting  machine 
for  lasting  shoes,  which  he  sold  to  the  Mc- 
Kay Shoe  Machinery  Company,  of  Boston. 
-Vbout  the  same  time  he  sold  his  hydraulic 
car  brake  to  the  city  of  New  York,  where  a 
number  of  cable  cars  Avere  equipped  with  this 
life-saving  appliance.  Other  important  in- 
ventions of  recognized  utility  are  his  water- 
wheel  governors,  the  Lombard  water-wheel 
governor,  which  is  controlled  by  the  Lombard 
AVater  Wheel  Governor  Company,  of  Bo.ston, 
and  his  other  invention,  the  improved  water- 
wheel  governor,  which  is  being  built  by  the 
Holyoke  Machine  Company,  of  Worcester, 
Massachusetts. 

In  1905  Mr.  Lombard  came  to  Akron  and, 
after  inventing  and  perfecting  the  Lombard 
&  Replogle  mechanical  water-wheel  governor, 
he  formed  the  Lombard  &  Replogle  Engineer- 
ing Comjianv,  which  was  incorporated  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $100,000.  The  officers  of 
this  company  are:  M.  Otis  Hower,  president; 
H.  Y.  Hower,  vice-president ;  M.  A.  Replogle, 
secretary,  and  Nathaniel  Lombard,  superin- 
tendent and  chief  engineer.  Mr.  Lombard 
retains  a  one-third  interest  in  the  Improved 
Water-Wheel  Governor  Company,  of  "\Vorces- 
ter,  Massachusetts:  is  a  stockliolder  in  the 
Lombard  Water-Wheel  Governor  Company, 
also  of  that  city,  and  is  interested  in  a  number 
of  smaller  concerns.  He  has  been  eqxiipped 
by  natm'c  with  inventive  gifts,  which  he  ha.s 
developed  to  great  advantage,  and  in  his  spe- 
cial field,  he  ha?  no  superior. 

In  1899  Mr.  Lombard  was  married  to  May- 
etta  Harddy,  of  Boston,  IVIassachusetts,  and 
they  have  one  daughter,  Sybil. 

NORMAN  FREDERICK  R  0  D  E  N- 
BAUGH.  M.  D.,  physician  and  .«urgeon,  at 
Barberton,  stands  very  high  in  his  profession, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


385 


all  through  Sunuiiit  County,  where  his  fam- 
ily is  an  old  and  honored  one.  Dr.  Roden- 
baugh  was  bom  in  Springfield  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  September  15,  1865, 
and  i5  a  son  of  Abraliam  and  Rebecca  (Hart) 
Rodenbaugh.  The  Rodenbaugh  family  is  of 
German  extraction,  l>ut  has  been  American 
for  a  number  of  generations.  The  founder 
of  the  family  in  Ohio  was  John  Roden- 
baugh. the  grandfather  of  Dr.  Rodenbaugh, 
who  came  from  Northumberland  County, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1840.  and  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Springfield  Township,  Summit  County, 
clofie  to  the  line  of  Green  Township. 

Abraham  Rodenbaugh.  father  of  Dr' 
Rodenbaugh,  was  born  in  Northumberland 
County,  Pennsylvania,  December  18,  1818, 
and  accompanied  his  parents  to  Ohio  when 
aboTit  twenty-two  years  of  age;  he  was  a 
soldier  drilled  for  the  Mexican  War,  under 
Colonel  Buckley,  and  was  on  his  way  to  the 
front  when  the  order  was  countermanded. 
He  was  married  to  Rebecca  Hart  in  1846.  She 
was  born  in  Springfield  Town.ship,  and  was 
a  daughter  of  John  Hart,  Jr..  and  a  grand- 
daughter of  the  John  Hart,  formerly  from 
New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  whose  name  is 
signed  to  that  immortal  document,  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence.  The  grandfather, 
to  uphold  his  pledge,  enlisted  and  fought 
seven  years  through  the  Revolutionary'  War, 
under  General  Lafayette.  John  Hart,  Jr., 
was  a  soldier  imder  General  Jackson  in  the 
war  of  1812,  and  w.as  with  Old  Hickory 
against  England  in  the  famous  battle  of  New 
Orleans.  The  children  of  Abraham  and  Re- 
becca (Hart)  Rodenbaugh  were  seven  in 
number,  and  five  of  these  still  survive. 

The  boyhood  days  of  Dr.  Rodenbaugh  yvas 
spent  on  his  father's  farm,  where  his  train- 
ing was  that  of  the  u.«ual  country  boy, 
including  attendance  in  the  local  schools. 
Later  he  entered  the  Union  town  High  School, 
and  attended  Buchtel  College,  and  subsequent- 
Iv  taught  school  for  six  terms,  in  the  mean- 
time doing  considerable  preliminary  medical 
reading,  after  which  he  entered  the  Ohio  Med- 
ical University,  which  is  now  connected  with 
Stariing   Medical   Colleee.      In   1899   ho   ad- 


mitted to  partnership  Dr.  George  A.  Br&wn, 
Senecaville,  Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  for  six 
years,  who  was  superseded  by  his  nephew  in 
1905,  Dr.  Herbert  Rodenbaugh,  both  being 
graduates  of  Ohio  Medical  University  at  Co- 
lumbus. 

In  1897  Dr.  Rodenbaugh  was  married  to 
Minnie  Kepler,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Kepler,  a  highly  re.«pected  resident  of  Akron. 
They  have  two  children,  Josephine  and  Hugo. 

Dr.  Rodenbaugh  has  always  associated  with 
the  Methodi.?t  Episcopal  Church.  His  fra- 
ternal conuections  include  the  Elks,  the  Odd 
Fellows,  the  Foresters,  and  tlie  Maccabees. 

Few  men  were  more  prominent  in  the  early 
development  of  Springfield  Township  than 
Abraham  Rodenbaugh,  father  of  Dr.  Roden- 
baugh. He  was  a  man  of  progressive  ideas. 
In  the  early  days  he,  with  John  R.  Buchtel. 
founder  of  Buchtel  College,  were  boj-s  from 
the  same  neighborhood,  grubbed  and  cleared 
the  timberland  on  several  farms  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Coventrs-  and  Springfield  Trwn- 
ships  and  purchased  and  ran  one  of  the  first 
separators  for  thra.shing  wheat  in  that  part  of 
the  county.  Abraham  Rodenbaugh  survived 
until  1897,  aged  seventj'-nine  years,  his  wife 
having  died  in  June,  1891.  They  were  wide- 
ly known  for  their  many  worthy  character- 
istics and  for  the  generous  hospitality  that 
prevailed  in  their  home. 

A.  WINKLER,  vice-president  of  the  Pettitt 
Brothers  Hardware  Company,  a  leading  house 
in  its  line  of  business  at  Akron,  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  city  almost  all  his  life,  al- 
though his  birth  took  place  in  Germany.  He 
was  three  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came 
to  Akron  in  1876.  His  boyhood  was  passed 
in  attending  to  home  duties.  He  wa*  taught 
to  be  frugal  and  careful,  from  necessity,  and 
he  attended  school  imtil  he  was  old  enough 
to  begin  to  learn  a  trade.  He  chose  to  be  a 
tinner  and  worked  under  William  Ka.sch,  at 
Akron,  for  three  years  and  then  became  a.sso- 
ciated  with  the  firm  of  Mav  &  Fieberger.  with 
whom  he  continued  for  eleven  years,  becom- 
ing well  and  favorably  known,  both  to  the 
trade  and  the  general  public.     Since  1903  he 


386 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


has  been  a  member  of  Pettitt  Brothers  Hard- 
ware Company,  and  one  of  its  leading  officers 
since  its  incorporation. 

In  1897  Mr.  Winkler  was  married  to  Anna 
Trommer,  who  was  born  at  Millersburg,  Ohio, 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  Beatrice.  Mr. 
Winkler'.s  only  fraternal  connection  is  with 
the  order  of  Maccabees.  He  is  a  man  of  prac- 
tical ideas  and  of  thorough  kncnvledge  of  his 
line  ^f  busine.s.s,  and  finds  time,  in  the  course 
of  his  busy  life,  to  lend  his  influence  to  fur- 
ther the  city's  welfare,  and  when  the  repre- 
sentative men  of  Akron  are  mentioned,  bis 
name  is  included  in  the  honorable  list. 

•  JOSEPH  A.  BALDWIN.  The  death  of 
Joseph  A.  Bald^\dn,  w^hioh  took  place  at  his 
home.  No.  805  East  Market  Street,  Akron, 
removed  from  this  section  a  man  who  was 
formerly  one  of  the  most  important  factors 
in  its  business  life.  Mr.  Baldwin  was  born 
at  Goshen,  Connecticut,  December  6,  1820, 
and  was  a  son  of  Erastus  and  Lucretia  (Aus- 
tin) Baldwin,  and  a  grandson  of  Daniel  Bald- 
win. 

Mr.  Baldwin  became  a  resident  of  Copley 
Township,  Summit  County,  when  seventeen 
years  of  age.  Four  years  later  he  secured  em- 
ployment as  a  clerk  with  Kent,  MclNIillen  & 
Company,  merchants,  subsequently  entering 
into  partnership  with  Roswell  Kent,  under  the 
firm  name  of  J.  A.  Baldwin  &  Company,  for 
the  manufacture  of  woolen  machinery.  The 
firm  style  subsequently  became  McMillen, 
Irish  &  Company,  and  later  Kent,  Baldwin 
&  Company.  Mr.  Baldwin  was  a  man  of  keen 
bu-siness  perceptions  and  was  active  in  promot- 
ing and  furthering  many  of  the  city's  most 
important  industries.  In  1872  he  became 
secretarv^  and  general  manager  of  the  Buck- 
eye Sewer  Pipe  Company  and  was  identified 
with  it  until  the  close  of  his  life.  He  was 
also  president  of  the  Summit  Sewer  Pipe 
Company  and  of  the  Permanent  Savings  and 
Loan  Association,  and  a  director  in  the  Cen- 
tral Savings  and  Tni.?t  Company.  He  was 
looked  upon  as  the  pioneer  in  the  clay  indus- 
try in  this  section. 

In  1853  Mr.  Baldwin  was  married  to  Marv 


A.  Kent,  a  daughter  of  Alson  Kent,  who  was 
a  well-known  citizen  of  what  was  fonnerly 
known  as  Middlebury.  Two  children  were 
the  fruit  of  this  marriage:  Alson,  born  in 
1856,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  and 
Eleanor  L.,  born  in  1859.  The  latter,  in  1888, 
married  Harry  H.  Gibbs,  a  prominent  busi- 
ness man  of  Akron,  who  is  treasurer  of  both 
the  Buckeye  and  the  Summit  Sewer  Pipe 
Companies.  Mr.  Baldwin  is  also  sun'ived  by 
a  Ijrother,  Harvey  Baldwin,  of  Akron. 

During  the  Avhole  course  of  his  life,  Mr. 
Baldwin  was  interested  in  public  affairs,  and 
especially  active  in  advancing  the  cause  of 
education.  In  early  yeare  he  ser\'ed  on  the 
Council  of  Middlebury  and  in  later  life  on 
the  Akron  City  Council,  as  a  citizen  ever 
being  true  to  the  r&sponsibilities  he  accepted. 
In  his  political  views  he  was  a  Republican. 
He  was  actively  interested  in  c^hurch  work 
and  for  many  years  he  had  been  a  member 
and  a  trustee  of  the  Firet  Congregational 
Church  at  Akron.  He  was  laiown  in  different 
parts  of  the  country,  it  having  been  his  cus- 
tom for  the  past  twelve  years  to  spend  the 
winter  months  in  the  South.  In  all  places  of 
sojourn  he  impressed  those  who  were  admitted 
to  his  acquaintance  as  a  man  of  business 
ability  and  high  personal  honor. 

CHARLES  BRADLEY,  one  of  Stow 
Township's  highly  esteemed  citizens,  who  is 
now  retired  from  active  pursuits,  was  for 
many  years  engaged  in  farming.  Mr.  Brad- 
ley was  born  April  29,  1838,  at  Streetsboro, 
Portage  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Nancy  Paulina  (Peck)  Bradley. 

Stephen  Bradley,  the  grandfather  of 
Charles,  was  a  native  of  Lee,  IMassachusetts, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  and  his  wife  Lydia  were  the  parents 
of  a  large  family.  George  Bradley,  one  of 
this  family,  was  born  at  Lee,  Massachusetts, 
and  as  a  young  man  came  to  Streetsboro, 
Ohio,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  seventy- 
one  acres.  Lie  was  married  May  17,  1837,  to 
Nancy  Paulina  Peck,  who  was  bom  July  20, 
1809,  in  Connecticut,  and  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Rufus  Peck,  of  Litchfield,  that  state,  who 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


381 


came  to  Ohio  in  1835.  Mrs.  Bradley  died 
June  9,  1874,  and  her  husband  survived  her 
until  1894,  wheu  he  passed  away,  aged 
eighty-five  years.  They  were  the  pai'ents  of 
seven  children,  five  of  whom  grew  to  ma- 
turity, namely:  Emily  (deceased),  Avho  was 
the  wife  of  George  Nighman ;  Charles,  whose 
name  begins  this  sketch;  Clara,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Samuel  Foster,  of  Richland,  Michi- 
gan; William,  a  twin  with  Clara,  and  Susan, 
who  married  James  E.  Oliu,  of  Ravenna, 
Ohio. 

Charles  Bradley  was  reared  in  Streetsboro. 
(^hio,  and  remained  on  the  home  farm  un- 
til attaining  his  maturity.  In  the  fall  of  1863 
he  came  to  Stow  Township  and  purchased  a 
farm  of  forty-one  acres,  which  he  increased 
from  time  to  time  by  purchase,  until  it  ag- 
gregated 100  acres.  Mr.  Bradley  has  always 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  dair}'ing, 
and  his  herd  of  from  twenty-five  to  thirty 
head  of  cattle  include  some  of  the  finest  to 
be  found  in  the  township.  His  milk  finds 
a  readj^  sale  at  Cleveland.  His  farm  build- 
ings are  all  large  and  substantial,  and  include 
a  circular  silo,  14x28^2  feet. 

Mr.  Bradley  married  Henrietta  Le  Moine. 
who  was  a  daughter  of  Noah  Le  Moine,  of 
Stow  Township.  They  had  three  children : 
Ora  D.,  who  is  engaged  in  cultivating  the 
home  farm;  "W.  Earl  and  Clara  M.,  who  re- 
side at  home,  ili-s.  Bradley  died  Septem- 
ber 27,  1899,  in  the  faith  of  the  Bisciplas 
Church.  In  politics  Mr.  Bradley  is  a  Demo- 
crat. He  is  an  active  member  of  the  local 
Grange,  in  which  he  has  held  official  posi- 
tion. 

ARTHUR  J.  WEEKS,  proprietor  of  the 
extensive  chemical  pottery  manufacturing 
plant  situated  at  No.  926  East  ]\Iarket  Street, 
Akron,  iias  been  a  resident  of  this  city  for 
a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  was  born  in  Cop- 
ley Township,  Summit  County.  Ohio,  in  1847, 
and  is  a  son  of  Darius  Weeks,  and  a  grandson 
on  the  paternal  side  of  Leavitt  Weeks,  who 
came  to  Summit  County  \^'ith  his  two  brothers 
as  early  as  181.").  Settling  on  a  farm  in  Copley 
Town.ship.  Darius  Weeks  resided  there  all  his 


life,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  years,  which 
he  spent  in  mercantile  business.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Wilcox,  daughter  of  ilajor  John  R. 
Wilcox,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  who  was 
stationed  at  Fort  Edwards,  Warsaw,  Illinois, 
where  Mrs.  AVceks  was  born.  Her  grand- 
father Pliny  Wilcox  settled  on  the  farm  on 
which  the  Raymond  House  is  now  located, 
just  across  the  road  from  the  old  home  of 
-lohn  Brown  in  Akron.  Darius  Weeks  had 
three  sons  and  two  daughters,  namely:  Ar- 
thur J.,  whose  name  begins  this  sketch :  Vir- 
ginia, wife  of  William  H.  AVhitmore,  of  Ak- 
ron ;  Celestia  A.,  wife  of  0.  E.  Robinson,  of 
St.  Louis,  Mis,souri ;  Frederick  H.,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  and  potterj^  business  in 
Akron,  and  Charles  D.,  also  engaged  in  the 
pottery  business,  and  a  resident  of  Akron. 

Arthur  J.  Weeks  was  reared  mainly  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Copley  Township.  After 
completing  the  disitrict  school  cotirse,  he  spent 
two  years  in  Willoughby  College,  and  then 
became  a  student  at  Bethany  College,  in  West 
Virginia,  where  he  took  a  course  in  civil  en- 
gineering. Here  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Delta  Tau  Delta  Fraternity.  Subsequently  he 
was  connected  with  the  construction  of  the 
Wheeling  &  Lorain  Railroad,  and  of  the  Val- 
ley Railroad,  on  the  latter  of  whieh  he  was 
a  diA^sion  engineer.  He  then  went  to  Evans- 
ville,  Indiana,  where  he  was  engaged  for  seven 
years  in  a  wholesale  business.  Returning  at 
the  end  of  this  period  to  his  native  county,  he 
embarked  in  the  potterv^  business  in  Akron 
in  partnership  with  his  brother,  F.  H.  Weeks, 
aTid  Jo.seph  Cook.  After  three  years  the 
Weeks  brothers  bought  !Mr.  Cook's  interest, 
and  three  years  later  Arthur  J.  Weeks  sold 
his  interest  in  the  concern  to  F.  H.  Weeks 
and  purcha^d  the  F.  W.  Rockwell  plant, 
which  he  has  been  since  engaged  in  operating. 
Here  he  manufactures  all  kinds  of  pottery, 
but  makes  a  specialty  of  chemical  potter^'. 
His  business,  carried  on  along  careful  and 
con.servative  lines,  gives  employment  to  from 
thirty  to  forty  men,  and  is  now  ranked  among 
the  important  industries  of  the  city.  Mr. 
Weeks  has  always  been  actively  interested  in 
the  public  affairs  of  Akron,  and  on  numerous 


388 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


occasion  has  been  elected  to  civic  office,  always 
proving  ihimself  equal  to  the  demands  made 
upon  him  in  sucli  official  capacity.  Ilis  fra- 
ternal connections  include  the  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  beneficiary  order  of  the  Royal  Arca- 
num. 

In  1874  Mr.  Weeks  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Lovina  Humbert,  who  bore  her  husband 
three  children :  Edmund  A.,  Lulu  L.,  and 
Arthur  J.  (deceased).  Edmund  A.  Weeks, 
who  was  a  student  of  Buchtel  College  and  a 
graduate  of  the  Western  Reserve  Medical  Col- 
lege, is  a  physician  residing  in  Akron.  Lulu, 
w-ho  al,so  attended  Buchtel  College,  is  the  wife 
of  M.  A.  Knight,  son  of  Dr.  Knight  of  Buch- 
tel College,  and  also,  like  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  is  engaged  in  the  potterv  bu.Siine.«s. 
Mrs.  Weeks  died  July  31,  1907. 

WILLIAM  .AIcFARLIN  was  one  of  Ak- 
ron's prominent  business  men  for  a  long  pe- 
riod, during  which  he  was  either  at  the  head 
or  officially  connected  with  many  of  the  most 
important  interests  of  this  section.  For  some 
years  prior  to  his  death  he  was  president  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Akron,  and  was 
also  treasurer  of  the  National  Sewer  Pipe  Com- 
pany, of  Barberton,  Ohio. 

Mr.  McFarlin  was  born  January  16,  1843, 
at  Bath,  Ohio,  and  was  one  of  the  family  of 
four  children  of  Moses  and  Elnora  (Wood- 
ruff) McFarlin.  He  was  educated  at  the 
Brooklyn  Normal  School  and  the  Akron 
High  School,  after  w'hich  he  was  en- 
gaged in  teaching  until  April,  1863.  He 
then  entered  the  Union  army  as  chief  clerk 
for  Colonel  Crane,  who  had  charge  of  the 
military  railroads  in  the  Department  of  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland.  He  served  in  this 
capacity  until  October,  1865.  In  the  follow- 
ing spring  he  accepted  the  position  of  teller 
in  D.  P.  Eberman  and  Company's  Bank  at 
Akron.  In  1867  he  became  teller  and  as- 
sistant cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Akron,  being  made  cashier  in  January, 
1878.  From  1871  until  August  1,  1891,  Mr. 
McFarlin  was  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Akron  Gas  Company.  On  the  organization 
of  the  Portage  Strawboard  Company,  in  1882, 


he  became  its  secretary  and  treasurer,  and 
served  as  such  until  its  merger  with  the  Amer- 
ican Strawboard  Company  in  1889.  Other 
large  corporations  in  which  he  was  a  promi- 
nent factor  were:  the  National  Sewer  Pipe 
Company,  at  Barberton ;  the  Creedmoor  Cart- 
ridge Company,  at  Barberton ;  and  the  Akron 
Woolen  and  Felt  Company.  In  all  these 
organizations  he  proved  himself  a  man  of  the 
quickest  business  perceptions,  and  was  cred- 
ited with  sound  judgment  and  broad  views  of 
the  business  field. 

On  December  31,  1872,  Mr.  McFarlin  was 
married  to  Julia  Ford  Henry,  who  was  one 
of  a  family  of  seven  children  born  to  her 
parents,  Milton  W.  and  Abigail  (Weeks) 
Henry,  of  Akron.  Her  father  was  a  native 
of  Massachusetts,  but  subsequently  engaged  in 
a  mercantile  business  in  this  citv,  where  he 
died  March  16,  1886.  Mr.  McFariin  died 
November  8,  1894.  His  widow  survives  and 
resides  at  No.  '61  Fir  street,  Akron.  They 
had  three  daughters— Anna,  Bessie,  wife  of 
E.  H.  Fitch,  manager  of  the  Diamond  Rub- 
ber Company  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
and  Laura. 

J.  GRANT  HYDE,  a  leading  business  citi- 
zen of  Clinton,  Ohio,  who  is  manager  of  the 
Clinton  Milling  Company,  was  born  in  Bris- 
tol Township,  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  Sep- 
tember 6,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  P. 
and  Clara  M.   (Hunter)  Hyde. 

Charles  P.  Hyde  was  also  born  in  Bristol 
township,  and  there  he  has  resided  all  of  his 
life,  being  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  owning  an  excellent  property.  He  was 
married  to  Clara  M.  Hunter,  who  was  born  at 
Niles,  Ohio,  and  to  them  four  children  were 
born:  Joseph  Grant;  John,  of  Trumbull 
County;  Mary  E.,  who  married  S.  T.  McBrier; 
and  Clara  E.,  who  is  single. 

J.  Grant  Hyde  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  after  graduating  from  the  public 
schools  of  Bristol  township  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years,  he  began  teaching  school,  at 
which  occupation  he  continued  for  eleven 
years,  during  which  time  he  attended  Mount 
Union  College,    at   Alliance,   Ohio,   for  four 


MINER  JE8.se  ALLEN 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


391 


years.  Mr.  Hyde  then  engaged  in  the  mill- 
ing business  at  Niles,  having  a  half  interest 
in  the  George  F.  Sager  and  Company  mills 
for  about  one  year  and  one-half.  In  April, 
1903,  with  Mr.  Sager  he  came  to  Clinton^ 
where  they  purcha.^ed  property  and  estab- 
lished the  present  mill.  They  conducted  this 
business  together  until  September,  1905,  when 
it  was  incorporated  into  a  stock  company, 
George  F.  Sager  being  elected  the  first  presi- 
dent and  Mr.  Hyde  manager,  a  position  which 
he  has  held  to  the  present  time.  Thomas 
McBrier  is  the  present  president.  The  capac- 
ity of  tlie  mills  is  100  barrels  of  flour  and 
twenty  tons  of  feed  daily,  and  among  their 
best  known  products  are  the  "Clinton  Best" 
flour  and  the  "Fancy  Blended."  A  branch 
office  is  situated  at  No.  63  West  Market  street, 
which  is  in  charge  of  S.  T.  McBrier. 

In  October,  1905,  Mr.  Hyde  was  married 
to  Maude  H.  Mahan,  who  was  born  at  Bris- 
tol, Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  Mahan,  a  son  of  one  of  Trum- 
bull County's  early  pioneers.  Mr.  Hyde  is 
a  Republican  in  politics,  and.  fraternally  is 
connected  with  Western  Star  Lodge  No.  21, 
of  Youngstown,  and  the  Knights  Templar  of 
Warren.  With  his  family,  he  belongs  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  is  a  direc- 
tor in  the  Clinton  Savings  Bank  and  presi- 
dent and  director  of  the  Clinton  Bell  Tele- 
phone Company. 

MINER  JESSE  ALLEN,  prominently 
identified  with  the  American  Cereal  Com- 
pany, is  one  of  Akron's  substantial  citizens 
whose  large  interests  make  him  a  notable 
factor  in  its  Vmsiness  life.  Mr.  Allen  was 
born  November  11,  1829,  in  Coventry  Town- 
ship, Sunnnit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
Levi  and  Phebe  (Spicer)   Allen. 

Jesse  Allen,  the  paternal  grandfather  of 
Miner  J.,  was  born  in  1770,  in  Litchfield 
County,  Connecticut,  and  came  to  Ohio  in 
1811,  purchasing  a  large  tract  of  wild  land 
in  Coventry  Township,  Summit  County.  He 
reared  a  family  of  ten  children.  The  maternal 
grandfather,  Major  Miner  Spicer,  was  also  a 
native  of  Litchfield  Countv,  Connecticut,  and 


came  on  horseback  to  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
in  1810,  buying  260  acres'  of  land  in  what  is 
now  Portage  To\vnship.,  He  settled  here  with 
his  family  in  1811.  During  the  War  of  1812 
he  served  as  a  major  of  militia.  Major  Spicer 
married  Cynthia  Allyn,  who  traced  her  an- 
cestry back  to  Lieutenant  Governor  Jones, 
who  was  the  first  governor  of  the  New  Haven 
Colony. 

Levi  Allen  was  born  February  10,  1799,  in 
Tompkins  County,  New  York,  and  was  the 
second  child  of  his  parents.  He  was  twelve 
years  of  age  when  he  walked  from  there  to 
Coventry  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
driving  the  cattle  and  sheep  with  which  his 
father  proposed  to  stock  the  new  farm.  He 
assisted  in  clearing  and  developing  the  land 
imtil  his  majority,  when  he  purchased  land 
for  himself  on  which  he  resided  until  1868. 
He  then  retired  to  Akron,  where  he  died  May 
11,  1887.  On  December  10,  1823,  he  was 
married  to  Phebe  Spicer,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Major  Miner  and  Cynthia  (Allyn)  Spicer, 
and  they  had  the  following  children:  Levi, 
Miner  S.,  Albert,  Miner  J.,  Walter  S.  and 
Cynthia.  Mrs.  Levi  Allen  died  January  10, 
1879. 

Miner  J.  Allen,  the  direct  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Coventry 
Township,  where  he  was  reared  and  educated, 
until  1867,  Avhen  he  came  to  Akron  to  as- 
sume the  duties  of  local,  and  also  traveling, 
grain  buyer  for  the  firm  of  Commins  &  Al- 
len. In  1884  he  invested  in  a  one-fifth  inter- 
est in  the  Akron  Milling  Company,  which 
was  merged  two  years  later  into  the  F.  Schu- 
macher Milling  Company.  Later  this  organ- 
ization was  merged  into  the  American  Cereal 
Company,  and  Mr.  Allen  is  still  connected 
with  this  great  corporation,  being  one  of  its 
directors. 

Mr.  Allen  was  married  June  1,  1876,  to 
Frances  C.  De  Wolf,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Margaret  (King)  De  Wolf,  of  Trumbull 
County,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Allen's  grandparent-^ 
were  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Gibbons)  De  Wolf, 
the  former  of  whom  was  a  Revolutionary  sol- 
dier. Mrs.  Allen  can  trace  a  clear  anc&stral 
line  to  early  colonial  days,  members  of  her 


392 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


family  residing  at  Wethersfield,  Connecticut, 
as  early  as  1664.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen  have 
five  children,  namely:  Albert  Mark,  Miner 
W.,  Margaret  P.,  Christine  C,  and  Frances 
De  Wolf.  The  family  home  is  at  No.  30 
Hovvery  Street.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen  are  mem- 
bers of  the  First  Disciples'  Church  at  Akron. 
They  have  always  evinced  a  deep  interest  in 
educational  matters,  and  Mrs.  Allen  was  one 
of  the  first  two  ladies  to  be  elected  a  member 
of  the  Akron  Board  of  Education.  In  earlier 
years  Mr.  Allen  Wcos  interested  in  politics, 
but  since  taking  up  his  residence  at  Akron  he 
has  been  too  closely  engaged  in  business  to 
give  much  time  to  political  affairs.  His  pub- 
lic spirit,  however,  has  often  been  proved  and 
he  stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  his  fel- 
low citizens. 

GEORGE  PHILIP  SCHNABEL,  who  has 
operated  a  fruit  farm  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  since 
1892,  is  a  well  known  citizen  and  belongs 
to  a  highly  respected  old  family  of  this  place. 
He  was  born  at  Liverpool,  Medina  County, 
Ohio,  December  5,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  George  and  Johanna  Christina  (Kurtz) 
Schnabel. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Schnabel  were  both 
born  in  C4ermany,  in  the  town  of  Weims- 
burg,  the  father  on  April  1,  1829,  and  the 
mother  in  1818.  The  former  died  in  Jan- 
uary, 1900 ;  the  mother  sui-vived  her  husband 
six  years,  dying  in  1906.  They  came  to 
America  in  1846,  settling  first  at  Liverpool, 
Ohio,  where  -John  George  Schnabel  followed 
his  trade  of  shoemaking  for  seven  years.  In 
1854  tie  came  to  Cuyahoga  Falls,  where  he 
continued  to  work  as  a  shoemaker  for  the 
rest  of  his  life.  Of  his  eight  children,  the 
following  six  grew  to  maturity:  Katherine, 
who  married  Frederick  Eberly,  residing  at 
Akron;  John,  who  died  in  the  army,  during 
the  Civil  War,  having  served  three  years  in 
the  Sixth  Ohio  Battery;  Eliza,  who  married 
George  Brewster,  residing  at  Findlay,  Ohio; 
Elizabeth,  who  married  Elmer  R.  Brewster 
and  resides  in  Akron ;  Christina,  who  married 
William  A.  Williston,  residing  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls;    and    George    Philip.      John    George 


Schnabel  and  wife  were  quiet,  worthy,  indus- 
trious people,  kind  and  neighborly  in-  their 
relations  with  others,  and  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

George  P.  Schnabel  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Cuyahoga  Falls.  After  he  had  com- 
pleted the  High  School  course,  he  learned 
the  trade  of  shoemaking  under  his  father 
and  Sanuiel  Wills,  and  continuing  with  the 
latter  until  he  went  out  of  business,  after 
which  Mr.  Schnabel  went  into  business  for 
himself  with  his  father.  After  they  retired 
from  this  business,  George  P.  Schnabel  op- 
erated a  store  for  Bowman  &  McNeil  of  Ak- 
ron, for  eighteen  months,  when  he  purchased 
it.  After  conducting  it  for  himself  for  three 
years,  he  sold  out  to  George  Hanson.  In 
1892,  Mr.  Schnabel  started  his  fruit  farm, 
acquiring  five  acres  on  Portage  street,  which 
he  has  put  into  a  fine  state  of  cultivation. 
Under  his  intelligent  care  all  kinds  of  fruit 
adapted  to  the  climate  flourish,  but  he  has 
made  specialties  of  grapes,  strawberries  and 
German  prunes,  devoting  about  one  acre  to 
strawberries.  He  raises  about  eight  tons  of 
grapes  and  disposes  of  all  his  products  at 
Akron,  receiving  the  highest  market  price 
on  account  of  their  superior  quality.  Under 
his  way  of  conducting  it  the  business  has 
proved  very  profitable.  In  1904  he  erected 
his  comfortable  home — an  eight-room,  two- 
story  residence,  conveniently  located  on  the 
farm. 

Mr.  Schnabel  married  Martha  C.  Harris, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  C.  Harris,  of 
Orrville,  Ohio,  and  they  have  four  children, 
namely :  A.  Garfield,  a  practicing  physician, 
residing  at  Tucson,  Arizona;  AA'alter  H.,  a 
stockholder  in  and  secretary  of  the  Nute  Foun- 
dry Company  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio;  and 
Harriet  F.  and  May  B.,  both  residing  at 
home.  The  family  is  a  representative  one  of 
the  city. 

WILLIAM  J.  O'NEIL,  president  of  the 
Akron  Pneumatic  Tire  Company,  which  has 
found  a  productive  business  field  in  this  city, 
is  a  native  of  Akron,  where  he  was  born  Au- 
gust 16,  1862.     He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Owen 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


393 


O'Neil,  who  came  to  Akron  about  1845,  and 
engaged  here  in  the  oil  business  for  a  number 
of  years,  subsequently  selling  out  to  the  Stand- 
ard Oil  Company. 

After  leaving  school,  Mr.  O'Neil  became 
cashier  and  bookkeeper  for  Cyrus  Miller,  a 
grocer,  later  becoming  associated  in  an  official 
position  with  the  Akron  Wholesale  CTrocery 
Company.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of 
the  B.  F.  CTOodrich  Company,  which  he  served 
six  years  as  bookkeeper  and  nine  as  cashier. 
Mr.  O'Neil  then  severed  his  connection  with 
that  company  in  order  to  assist  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Akron  Pneumatic  Tire  Com- 
pany, incorporated  for  $25,000,  which  manu- 
factures pneumatic  tires,  the  Greenwald  Ex- 
tensible Tread  Tire  and  the  Internal  Protector 
Reinforced  Tube-Non-skid  Tread.  It  coiltrols 
also  the  manufacture  of  the  Non-Puncturable 
Tire,  one  of  the  greatest  inventions  known  in 
the  automobile  trade.  Mr.  O'Neil  is  a  mem- 
ber of  St.  Vincent's  Church  at  .\.kron. 

A.  ADAMSON,  who  is  proprietor  of  one 
of  the  largest  machine-shops  and  foundries 
at  Akron,  has  been  prominent  in  this  indus- 
try here  for  the  past  twentj^-one  years.  ITe 
was  born  in  Scotland,  in  November,  1861, 
and  was  brought'  to  America  by  his  father, 
when  he  was  nine  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Adaimson  resided  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age 
and  then  moved  to  Portage  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  employed  as  an  engineer  in 
mines  until  1885.  He  then  came  to  Akron, 
where  he  served  an  apprenticeship  as  a  ma- 
chinist with  the  firm  of  Webster,  Camp  and 
Lane,  remaining  six  years  with  that  com- 
pany. Then,  in  partnership  with  J.  W.  Den- 
mead  he  started  a  machine-shop  of  his  own 
on  the  present  site  of  the  Doyle  Block.  This 
partnership  continued  for  eight  months,  when 
Mr.  Adamson  bought  out  Mr.  Denmead's  in- 
terest, and  continued  the  business  at  the  same 
place  for  five  years.  He  then  built  a  brick 
block  on  West  Exchange  street,  with  dimen- 
sions of  50  by  100  feet,  utilizing  it  exclu- 
sively as  a  machine-shop.  Since  then  he  has 
added  to  the  original  building,  it  being  now 


two  stories  in  height  and  100  feet  square. 
He  has  also  built  a  foundry  plant  with  dimen- 
sions of  60  by  100  feet  and  has  equipped  it 
with  the  best  foundry  machinery  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  State.  The  products  of  these  works 
are  all  kinds  of  rubber  machines  and  molds, 
this  being  the  largest  mold  manufacturing 
plant  in  the  world.  Employment  is  given  to 
eighty  workmen  and  the  distribution  of  wage 
money  is  very  large. 

In  1881  Mr.  Adamson  was  married  to  Flora 

E.  Burnett,  and  they  have  two  children,  C. 

F.  and  Vera  L.  C.  F.  Adamson  is  consult- 
ing engineer,  with  offices  in  the  Hamilton 
Building.  Vera  L.  has  recently  completed 
her  third  year  at  the  University  of  Michigan, 
Ann  Arbor.  Mr.  Adamson  has  been  particu- 
larly blessed  in  his  children,  both  possessing 
talents  of  a  superior  order.  He  is  an  elder 
in  the  First  Disciples  Church  at  Akron. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason. 

GEORGE  HELMSTEDTER,  a  promi- 
nent citizen  and  one  of  the  largest  landowners 
in  Coventry  Township,  resides  on  his  well-im- 
proved farm  of  100  acres,  owning  about  366 
acres  in  all,  with  property  in  Franklin  town- 
ship and  four  residences  in  Barberton.  He 
was  born  June  18,  1849,  in  Hesse-Darmstadt, 
Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Eliza- 
beth  (Baduna)   Helmstedter. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Helmstedter  were  both 
natives  of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  where  there  were 
farming  people.  The  father  died  when  his 
son  George  was  six  months  old.  The  mother 
sur\'ived  until  ;863,  dying  about  six  months 
before  George  rfelmstedter  left  Germany  for 
America.  Her  first  marriage  had  been  to  a 
Mr.  Jones,  who  left  her  with  two  children, 
Adam  and  Elizabeth.  Two  were  born  of  her 
second  marriage,  Catherme  and  George. 

George  Helmstedter  grew  up  on  the  home 
farm  and  attended  school  until  he  was  thir- 
teen Years  of  age.  He  then  apprenticed  him- 
self to  a  blacksmith,  paying  the  sum  of  $45 
as  a  premium,  and  worked  for  two  and  one- 
half  years  learning  the  business,  but  receiv- 
ing nothing  in  return  but  his  board.  Two 
of  his  companions,  Peter  Frederick  and  Peter 


394 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Flariet,  determined  to  emigrate  to  America 
and  join  an  uncle  who  was  then  living  in 
Jackson  Township,  Stark  County,  Ohio,  and 
it  was  easy  to  persuade  the  orphan  boy,  who 
had  just  lost  his  mother,  to  join  them.  George 
was  then  but  sixteen  years  old,  and  his  friends 
were  each  seventeen,  and  together  they  crossed 
the  Atlantic  ocean  and  made  their  way  fo 
Massillon,  Ohio.  Peter  Flariet  was  of  a  more 
adventurous  disposition  than  the  other  boys 
and  he  soon  left  them  and  drifted  west  and 
was  entirely  lost  sight  of.  Peter  Frederick, 
however,  became  a  well-to-do  farmer,  and 
George  Helmstedter  accepted  the  offer  of  the 
uncle  on  the  Stark  County  farm,  who  offered 
him  work  for  six  months  and  wages  of  $6 
a  month.  This  looked  like  affluence  to  him 
and  he  accepted  the  offer,  and  faithfully 
earned  his  money. 

After  completing  his  contract  with  his  em- 
ployer, Mr.  Helmstedter  went  to  Millersburg 
in  Holmes  County,  where  he  worked  during 
the  winter  for  Peter  Myers,  who  paid  him 
$7  per  month.  In  the  spring  he  started 
to  work  at  his  trade  at  Richville,  near  Mas- 
sillon, where  he  remained  for  six  months.  He 
then  entered  the  employ  of  John  Frank,  at 
Berlin,  and  afterwards  worked  for  the  Frank 
Brothers  for  four  years.  He  carefully  saved 
his  money  and  although  he  received  but  a 
comparatively  small  wage  at  any  place,  in 
the  aggregate,  it  amounted  to  a  considerable 
sum.  About  this  time  he  married  and  for 
four  years  he  worked  his  father-in-law's 
farm  on  shares,  a  farm  located  in  Manches- 
ter, which  Mr.  Helmstedter  now  owns.  In 
1876  he  bought  ninety-six  acres  of  his  pres- 
ent farm  and  later  added  the  rest,  buying 
ninety-seven  acres  from  the  Carmenter  estate 
in  Coventry  township.  That  is  a  fine  place 
well  improved,  with  large  house  and  barns 
and  he  obtains  a  good  rental  for  it  as  he  does 
for  the  well-improved  farm  near  Manchester. 
All  his  property  is  well  improved  and  kept  in 
good  repair.  He  has  achieved  a  gratifying 
success  and  has  acquired  all  his  property  hon- 
estly, and  in  a  way  that  is  open  to  any  other 
quiet,  industrious,  saving  young  man. 

On  October  24,  1 872,  Mr.  Helmstedter  was 


married  to  Lavina  Row,  who  is  a  dauglfter  of 
Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Harton)  Row.  They 
have  had  seven  children,  namely :  Rose  Jane, 
who  died  aged  two  and  one-half  years;  Arty 
Arvilla,  who  married  Dustin  Weaver  and  has 
four  children — Homer,  Charlotte,  Nellie  and 
Leo;  Anice,  who  married  George  Painter,  and 
has  three  children — Jennie,  Clarence  and  lea; 
and  Frank,  Wesley,  Levi  and  Lena  Viola. 
Mrs.  Helmstedter  was  born  in  Franklin 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  her 
parents  were  among  the  early  pioneers  of  that 
section.  Her  father  died  in  February,  1892, 
aged  eighty-one  years,  and  her  mother  in 
1898,  aged  eighty-two  years.  They  had  eleven 
children,  namely:  Leah,  Polly,  and  Susan, 
all  deceased;  Sarah,  who  married  Fred  Wey- 
rick;  Jacob;  Elizabeth,  who  married  George 
Carmenter;  Rebecca,  who  married  H.  Clack- 
ner;  Lavina,  Amanda,  Levi,  and  an  infant, 
all  deceased. 

Mr.  Helmstedter  and  his  family  belong  to 
the  Evangelical  Church.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  When  he  landed  on  the  shores 
of  America  his  money  capital  consisted  of 
$15  in  gold,  a  coin  worth  $10  and  five  one 
dollar  gold  pieces.  This  money  he  kept  for 
a  number  of  years,  and  used  the  larger  coin 
at  a  time  when  just  that  amount  was  lacking 
to  pay  on  a  farm  he  was  buying.  He  still 
has  several  of  the  smaller  coins  which  he 
brought  from  Germany.  His  life  has  been 
a  busy  and  interesting  one.  In  spite  of  all 
disadvantages  he  has  acquired  more  than  in- 
dependence, and  has  gained  the  friendship 
and  regard  of  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances. 
He  has  helped  develop  the  resources  of  his 
section  and  lived  to  enjoy  the  results. 

JACOB  ABLER,  president  of  the  Ameri- 
can Scrap  Iron  Company,  the  largest  concern 
of  its  kind  in  this  section  of  the  comitry, 
is  also  the  proprietor  of  the  Akron  Brass  & 
Bronze  Company,  another  important  concern 
in  the  commercial  life  of  Akron,  and  is  also 
interested  in  many  things  which  make  this 
city  a  place  of  note.  Mr.  Adler  was  born  in 
far  off  Russia,  where  he  lived  until  he  was 
nine  years  of  age. 


AARON  TEEPLE 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


391 


From  the  age  of  nine  to  that  of  fourteen, 
he  resided  in  Sharon,  Pennsylvania,  during 
which  time  he  learned  the  English  language. 
In  1891,  when  he  had  reached  his  fourteenth 
year,  he  came  to  Akron,  and  for  two  years 
wa.s  employed  here  in  the  Diamond  match 
factory.  He  then  entered  mto  his  present 
business,  and  finding  it  remunerative,  in  1903 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  American 
Scrap  Iron  Company.  It  was  incorporated 
with  a  capital  .«tock'^of  $50,000,  with  Jacob 
Adler  as  president ;  Max  Holub  as  vice  presi- 
dent and  Robert  Chalmers  as  secretarj'.  The 
business  is  of  more  importance  and  of  greater 
extent  than  the  average  citizen  has  any  con- 
ception of,  and  includes  a  trade  in  second- 
liand  machinery.  Their  yard  is  situated  at 
No.  30  North  State  street,  Akron.  The  Ak- 
ron Brass  it  Bronze  Company,  of  which  Mr. 
Adler  is  at  the  head,  gives  employment  to  a 
goodly  number  of  workers. 

On  January  25,  1898,  Mr.  Adler  was  mar- 
ried at  Akron,  to  Ray  Rosenbloom.  He  and 
his  wife  are  the  parents  of  three  children — 
Bernard,  Sylvia  and  Selma.  Mr.  Adler  takes 
an  interest  in  politics,  to  the  extent  of  being 
concerned  that  good  men  get  into  office.  He 
belongs  to  the  order  of  Maccabees  and  to  the 
Sons  of  Peace,  and  is  liberal  in  the  support 
of  various  religious  organizations.  As  a  citi- 
zen and  business  man  he  enjoys  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  those  with  whom  he  comes  into 
contact  and  is  a  worthy  representative  of  a 
country  which  has  sent  many  good  citizens 
to  America. 

AARON  TEEPLE,  a  well  known  and  high- 
ly respected  Akron  citizen,  who  for  a  number 
of  years  has  been  closely  identified  with  the 
agricultural  and  horticultural  interests  of  the 
county,  and  whose  residence  is  at  No.  24 
South  Portage  Path,  was  born  in  Franklin 
Township,  in  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Dorothy  (Miller)  Teeple.  His  father,  a  native 
of  Newark,  New  Jersey,  came  to  Summit 
County  before  its  organization,  purchasing  a 
tract  of  160  acres  in  the  wilderness,  on  which 
he  built  the  indi.spensable  log  cabin.  After 
long  and  arduous  labor  he  cleared  his  land 


and  developed  it  into  a  good  farm,  on  which 
he  and  his  wife  spent  the  rest  of  their  days. 
He  died  in  September,  1864,  and  was  followed 
to  the  grave  by  his  -nafe  a  year  later.  They 
reared  a  worthy  family  of  six  sons  and  one 
daughter.  Three  of  the  sons,  including  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  fought  for  the  preser\a- 
tion  of  the  Union  in  the  Civil  War,  one  of 
them — Isaac — losing  his  life  in  the  caase,  be- 
ing killed  on  the  skirmish  line  in  the  battle  of 
Champion  Hill,  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg, 
May  16,  1863.  George  Teeple,  the  other 
brother,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Fifty- 
Eighth  Illinois  Regiment,  died  near  Spring- 
field, Missouri,  after  the  war.  The  daugh- 
ter, Catharine,  became  the  wife  of  Henry 
Brunkhart,  who  died  in  Missouri.  She  now 
resides  in  Akron.  Her  daughter  Mary  grad- 
uated from  the  State  Normal  School  at  War- 
rensburg,  Missouri,  and  is  now  a  teacher  in 
the  Akron  Public  Schools.  John  Teeple,  the 
father,  took  a  pride  in  giving  his  children  a 
good  education.  All  of  them,  except  David, 
taught  in  the  public  schools. 

Aaron  Teeple,  with  whose  history  we  are 
more  directly  concerned,  passed  his  boyhood 
and  youth  amid  the  healthful  surroundings 
of  the  farm.  He  was  educated  in  Franklin 
Township  and  at  the  Western  Reserve  Eclec- 
tic College,  at  Hiram,  Ohio,  the  principal  of 
which  was  at  that  time  James  A.  Garfield, 
afterwards  president  of  the  United  States.  On 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  he,  with  a 
number  of  students,  enlisted,  in  September, 
1861,  in  Company  A,  Forty-Second  Regi- 
ment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  of  which 
Principal  Garfield  was  Colonel.  His  military 
record  includes  the  winter  campaign  of  1861 
and  1862  in  the  Big  Sandy  Valley,  in  East- 
ern Kentucky,  in  which  the  rebels  under 
General  Humphrey  Marshall  were  driven 
from  the  valley;  the  taking  of  Cumberland 
Gap  in  the  summer  of  1862,  with  the  frequent 
skirmishing  and  fighting,  and  its  evacuation 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  followed  by  a 
march  of  eighteen  days  among  the  moun- 
tains of  Eastern  Kentucky  without  rations, 
harrassed  by  the  enemy  under  General 
Kirby  Smith  and  John  Morgan  until  they 


898 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


reached  the  Ohio  River  at  Greenupsburg ;  the 
campaign  up  the  Kanawha  Valley  in  West- 
esn  Virginia  and  return  to  Point  Pleasant; 
the  embarkation  on  fleet  of  transports  to 
Memphis  and  Vicksburg;  the  first  attack  on 
Vicksburg  by  way  of  the  Yazoo  at  Chickasaw 
Bluffs;  the  assault  on  Fort  liindman  or  Ar- 
kansas Post,  January  10,  1863,  in  which  his 
regiment  was  in  the  advance  line  of  the 
charge,  resulting  in  the  capture  of  the  entire 
garrison;  the  campaign  against  Vicksburg, 
including  all  the  engagements  in  the  rear  of 
the  city,  the  siege  and  the  surrender  of  Gen- 
eral Pemberton's  entire  army;  the  campaign 
after  General  Joe  Johnston  at  Jackson,  Mis- 
sissippi, and  engagements  incident  thereto; 
the  return  to  ^'icksburg  and  transfer  to  the 
Department  of  the  Gulf;  an  expedition  by 
land  against  Galveston,  Texas,  going  as  far  as 
Opelousas  and  returning  to  the  Mississippi 
River  at  Plaquemine,  where  a  large  fort  Avas 
built;  the  patrolling  of  the  Mississippi  River 
by  transports  and  gunboat  fleet,  and  finally 
by  aiding  and  covering  the  retreat  of  General 
Banks  in  his  Red  River  campaign,  in  May, 
1864.  His  service  covered  a  period  of  over 
three  years,  during  W'hich  his  regiment  trav- 
eled more  than  5,000  miles.  He  took  part 
with  the  regiment  in  all  of  its  engagements, 
excepting  that  at  Black  River,  Mississippi. 
He  remained  behind  on  that  occasion  to  bury 
his  brother,  who  had  been  killed  on  the  bat- 
tle field  on  the  day  previous.  About  three 
weeks  before  his  term  of  service  expired  he 
was  taken  sick,  and  was  sent  to  the  United 
States  Barracks  Hospital  at  New  Orleans, 
where  he  was  lying  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  service.  By  hi.?  comrades  he  was 
brought  to  the  hospital  at  Columbus,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  met  by  his  mother  and  younger 
brother,  who  brought  him  home.  For  two 
years  after  his  return  he  remained  an  invalid. 
After  his  army  service  he  attended  school  for 
a  time  at  Baldwin  University,  Berea,  Cuya- 
hoga County,  Ohio.  Then  it  became  neces- 
sary for  him  to  be  earning  something,  and  he 
bought  a  farm  of  140  acres,  well  timbered, 
near  Akron,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  lumber,   clearini;:  in   lliis  wav  about  fiftv 


acres,  and  paying  for  the  farm  from  the  sales. 
The  land  thus  cleared  he  turned  into  farming 
land.  He  lived  on  this  farm  for  about  six- 
teen years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  bought 
a  few  acres  of  land  near  the  corporation  line 
of  Akron,  and  built  for  himself  and  family  a 
home.  The  extension  of  the  city  limits  now 
includes  his  place. 

A  man  of  refined  and  intellectual  tastes, 
Mr.  Tceple  has  for  many  years  taken  a  great 
interest  in  the  fascinating  science  of  horti- 
culture, on  which  subject  he  is  a  well  recog- 
nized authority.  An  article  on  horticulture 
from  his  pen  may  be  found  in  this  work. 
He  has  also  furnished  many  similar  contribu- 
tions at  different  times  to  agricultural  and 
horticultural  journals,  his  communications 
being  eagerly  sought  and  welcomed  by  all 
lovers  of  fruits  and  those  interested  in  floral 
culture.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  held  various  offices  in  Portage  Township. 
For  thirty  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
Buckley  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Akron,  being  a 
past  commander  of  the  same.  Religiously  he 
is  affiliated  with  the  Christian  or  Disciple 
Church. 

Mr.  Teeple  was  married  in  the  fall  of  1865 
to  Miss  Rachel  Heiser.  This  vmion  has  been 
blessed  with  two  children  :  J.  Frank,  a  former 
student  of  Buchtel  College  and  now  a  busi- 
ness man  of  Akron ;  and  Nellie,  a  graduate  of 
the  public  schools  of  Akron,  who  resides  at 
home  with  her  parents. 
\r 

HON.  AVILLIAM  BUCHTEL,  the  founder 
and  formerly  president  of  the  Akron  Savings 
Bank,  and  largely  interested  in  many  of  Ak- 
ron's most  important  business  enterprises,  for 
years  has  also  been  prominent  in  affairs  of 
public  import  in  county  and  State.  Mr. 
Buchtel  was  born  in  Green  township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  December  23,  1822,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine  (Richards) 
Buchtel,  and  a  grandson  of  that  hardy  old 
pioneer,  Peter  Buchtel. 

Wiliam  Buchtel  obtained  his  education  in 
the  district  schools  and  has  led  a  busy,  useful 
life  since  reaching  the  years  of  discretion.  He 
was  twenty-two  years  of  age   when   he  pur- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


399 


c'ha.secl  his  father's  farm  of  106  acres  which 
lie  continued  to  operate  for  twelve  years,  being 
mainly  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  wheat. 
He  then  became  interested  in  milling,  and 
after  renting  his  farm  removed  to  Springfield 
Township,  where  he  operated  both  grist  and 
saw  mills.  He  was  so  engaged  when  troops 
were  called  for  to  strengthen  the  defences 
around  Washington,  and  he  quickly  re- 
.sponded,  enlisting  in  the  164th  Regiment 
Ohio  National  Guard,  and  remaining  until 
honorablv  discharged  from  the  .service,  in 
1866. 

Upon  his  return  to  Summit  County,  Mr. 
Buchtel  became  interested  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, first  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Jackson, 
Buchtel  and  Company,  which  later  became 
William  Buchtel  and  Sons.  He  estimates  that 
during  his  many  years  of  activity  in  this 
line,  his  firms  had  the  handling  of  more  than 
20,000  acres  of  Government  and  State  pine 
lands.  Mr.  Buchtel  also  turned  his  attention 
to  banking  interests  at  Akron,  organizing,  in 
company  with  W.  B.  Raymond,  the  Citizens' 
Savings  Bank,  of  which  E.  Steinbacher  was 
president,  William  Buchtel,  vice-president, 
and  W.  B.  Raymond,  cashier.  This  later  be- 
came the  Citizens'  National  Bank.  Mr. 
Buchtel  then  became  vice-president  of  the  City 
National  Bank  of  Akron,  a  position  he  re- 
signed in  1888,  when  he  organized  the  Akron 
Savings  Bank,  of  which  he  remained  the  head 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  served  also  as 
president  of  the  Thomas  Lumber  and  Build- 
ing Company,  and  as  treasurer  of  the  Akron 
Building  and  Loan  Association.  Mr.  Buchtel 
was  interested  for  some  years  in  building  op- 
erations. Many  of  the  stately  residences  at 
Akron  are  testimonials  to  his  enterprise  and 
ability,  as  also  are  some  of  the  city's  finest 
business  structures,  among  them  the  Akron 
Savings  Bank  and  the  Buchtel  Hotel,  the  lar- 
ter  being  still  his  property. 

Mr.  Buchtel  was  married  March  7,  1842, 
to  Martha  Hendei-son,  of  Springfield  Town- 
ship, Summit  County.  She  died  December 
17,  1884,  having  been  the  mother  of  four 
children,  namely :    Catherine  Jane,  James  H. 


(deceased),  John  D.  and  William  M.  Mr. 
Buchtel  married  for  his  second  wife,  Decem- 
ber 3,  1885,  Mrs.  Nora  Sackett  Wilcox. 

As  a  citizen,  devoted  to  public  duty,  Mr. 
Buchtel  has  always  shown  his  interest  in  civic 
affairs,  and  frequently  even  when  the  holding 
of  office,  interfered  considerably  with  his  pri- 
vate business,  he  consented  to  serve  when  con- 
vinced that  it  was  for  the  public  welfare. 
Thus  he  served  on  the  board  of  city  commis- 
sioners, several  terms  as  its  chairman ;  was  a 
member  of  the  Decennial  Board  of  Equaliza- 
tion in  1890,  and  held  other  important  posi- 
tions in  which  he  safe-guarded  the  interests 
of  the  public.  In  November,  1901,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Seventy-fifth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  and  during  his  first  term  at 
Columbus,  served  on  the  standing  committees 
on  Geology,  Mines  and  Mining,  Municipal 
Affairs  and  Prisons  and  Prison  Reforms.  In 
1903  Mr.  Buchtel  was  returned  to  the  Legis- 
lature and  during  his  term  in  the  Seventy- 
sixth  General  Assembly,  he  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  Prisons  and  Prison 
Reforms  and  wa^  a  member  of  the  standing 
committees  on  Banks  and  Banking,  Villages 
and  Taxation. 

Mr.  Buchtel  is  a  member  of  the  Elks  and 
of  the  Hoo-hoos,  a  very  extensive  organization 
composed  wholly  of  men  connected  with  the 
lumber  industry.  He  belongs  to  Buckley  Post, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  For  two  years 
after  his  return  from  military  service  in  the 
Civil  War,  he  remained  connected  with  the 
same  batallion  of  National  Guards. 

MAX  HOLUB,  vice  president  of  the 
American  Scrap  Iron  Company,  was  born  in 
Rassia,  in  September,  1857,  and  came  to  this 
country  in  1882.  Settling  immediately  in 
Akron,  he  began  working  for  the  Wilkoff 
Brothers  Scrap  Iron  Company,  at  $1.00  per 
day.  From  this  humble  beginning  he  has 
by  industry  and  intelligence  risen  to  the  posi- 
tion of  vice-president  of  one  of  the  largest 
scrap-iron  firms  in  the  State.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  October,  1889,  to  Mary  Rosenfeld,  and 
has  two  children — Harry  and  Dave — both  of 
whom  are  attending  the  Akron  Public  Schools. 


400 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Mr.  Holub  has  attained  a  gratifying  success 
in  the  business  world,  but  has  sustained  a 
severely  felt  loss  in  the  death  of  his  wife, 
which  occurred  in  July,  1904. 

PETER  BIENZ,  farmer  and  cheese  manu- 
facturer of  Stow  town.ship,  where  he  owns  a 
good  farm  of  fifty-four  acres,  was  born  in 
Switzerland,  in  the  Canton  of  Berne,  Decem- 
ber 31,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  Frederick  and 
Barbara  (Schweetzer)  Bienz. 

The  making  of  Swiss  cheese  has  been  an 
industry  which  the  Bienz  family  has  followed 
for  generations.  Johannes  Bienz,  the  grand- 
father, kept  a  dairy  in  the  Alps,  it  being 
situated  at  the  little  mountain  hamlet  of 
Ammenthal,  where  no  other  industry  could 
be  carried  on  with  profit,  the  seasons  being 
too  short  for  farming.  Even  the  feed  for  the 
cows  had  to  be  brought  from  the  valleys  and 
the  wood  used  for  the  curing  of  the  cheese 
had  to  be  carried  several  miles  up  the  moun- 
tains on  the  backs  of  the  dwellers  on  these 
heights.  Frederick  Bienz,  father  of  Peter, 
also  manufactured  Swiss  cheese,  and  as  he  set- 
tled in  the  village  of  Kirchdoef,  near  Berne, 
he  was  able  to  engage  also  in  farming.  He 
became  a  man  of  prominence  there  and  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Gemeindonath.  He 
married  a  daughter  of  Johannes  Schweetzer 
and  they  had  twelve  children.  Frederick 
Bienz  and  all  of  his  family  except  two  sons, 
remained  in  Switzerland,  where  he  died  in 
1882,  age  sixty-four  years. 

The  first  member  of  the  Bienz  family  to 
come  to  America,  was  Christian  Bienz,  who 
arrived  in  1866  and  settled  in  Nebraska.  He 
was  followed  by  the  younger  brother,  Peter, 
in  the  spring  of  1875.  In  his  own  land,  Peter 
Bienz  went  to  school  and  assisted  his  father 
in  the  farming  and  cheese-making.  Later, 
in  order  to  be  thoroughly  qualified  as  a  cheese- 
maker,  he  worked  in  a  cheese  factory  for  two 
years.  After  coming  to  Ohio  he  worked  in 
Tuscarawas  County  and  spent  one  season  in  a 
cheese  factory  at  New  Berlin,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1878,  he  came  to  Stow  Township.  Here 
he  entered  the  employ  of  Hiram  Reed,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  1888,  when  he  pur- 


chased Mr.  Reed's  factory  and  a  part  of  his 
farm.  He  carries  on  general  farming  on 
thirty  acres  of  his  property,  raising  hay  and 
grain,  and  keeps  nine  head  of  cattle.  His 
dairy  has  proved  a  great  success.  He  makes 
350  pounds  of  American  cheese  a  day,  using 
4,000  pounds  of  milk,  and  this  choice  product 
he  sells  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  He 
also  makes  fine  butter,  averaging  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  tons  annually.  His  dairy  is  modern 
and  first-class  in  every  way,  being  equipped 
with  all  kinds  of  machinery  used  in  butter 
and  cheese-making.  Mr.  Bienz  hires  a  man 
to  operate  the  farm,  while  he,  with  the  as- 
sistance of  his  sons,  carries  on  the  dairy. 

Mr.  Bienz  married  Ellen  H.  Reed  of  Stow 
Township,  and  they  have  two  sons:  Frank 
C,  who  was  born  December  11,  1881 ;  and 
Frederick  Hiram,  who  was  born  October  6, 
1893.  Mrs.  Bienz  is  a  member  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church  at  Hudson. 

Hiram  Reed,  father  of  Mrs.  Bienz,  was 
born  in  Columbiana  Countv,  Ohio,  January 
13,  1825,  and  died  September  21,  1894.  He 
was  one  of  twelve  children  born  to  John  and 
Rebecca  Reed.  John  Reed  was  a  weaver  by 
trade  but  when  Hiram  was  about  six  years  old 
he  moved  to  Portage  County  and  engaged  in 
farming.  Hiram  Reed  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  and  followed  it  for  a  number  of 
years,  for  several  years  after  his  marriage  liv- 
ing with  his  father-in-law.  His  wife  sub- 
sequently received  twenty  acres  of  land  from 
her  father,  which  Mr.  Reed  increased  to 
eighty-three  acres,  in  the  meanwhile  continu- 
ing to  work  at  carpentering.  In  1866  he  sold 
this  property  and  purchased  the  old  Wolcott 
farm  of  127  acres,  near  Munroe  Falls,  to 
which  he  subsequently  added,  selling  it  in 
1871,  when  he  moved  to  Hudson.  He  bought 
a  farm  there  and  resided  on  it  for  two  years, 
and  then  sold  and  bought  300  acres,  one-half 
of  which  was  situated  in  Stow  Township  and 
the  other  half  in  Hudson  Township.  In 
1877  Mr.  Reed  erected  a  factory  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  American  cheese,  which  he  car- 
ried on  until  1878,  when  he  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  manufacturing  Swiss  cheese,  in  which 
he  met  with  great  success.     He  subsequently 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


401 


sold  his  interest  to  his  son-in-hiw,  Peter  Bienz. 
In  1851  Hiram  Reed  married  Phoebe  Sad- 
dler and  they  had  the  following  children: 
Angeline,  Elizabeth  H.,  Ellen,  Harriet,  Ar- 
thur and  one  that  died  in  infancy.  The 
mother  died  February  7,  1871.  Mr.  Reed 
was  married  (second)  March  20,  1873,  to 
Mrs.  Sophia  Galloway,  who  was  the  widow 
of  Henry  Galloway  and  a  daughter  of  Broady 
McKenzie. 

Mr.  Bienz  conducts  his  business  under  the 
trade  name  of  the  Darrowville  Creamery,  man- 
ufacturers of  American  full  cream  cheese, 
cottage  cheese  and  fancy  creamery  butter.  In 
1891  he  erected  his  present  comfortable  eight- 
room  house  on  Payne  Road.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Bienz  has  always  remained  an  independent 
voter.  He  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  Hudson 
Lodge,  No.  510,  F.  &  A.  M. 

JOHN  A.  MOORE,  a  prominent  business 
man  of  Akron,  conducting  a  men's  outfitting 
establishment  at  No.  32(3  South  Main  street, 
was  born  in  1865,  at  Akron,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
son  of  J.  B.  Moore,  one  of  Akron's  honored 
retired  citizens.  Born  in  Pennsylvania  he 
came  to  Summit  County  in  his  boyhood.  He 
was  reared  in  Springfield  township  and  worked 
on  his  father's  farm  until  he  came  to  Akron. 
where  he  assisted  in  building  the  plant  of 
the  Buckeye  Mower  and  Reaper.  He  was 
associated  industrially  with  the  Buckeye 
Mower  and  Reaper  Works  for  twenty-seven 
years,  severing  his  connection  with  the  same 
in  1892.  He  has  now  reached  the  age  of 
seventy-one  years  and  has  been  a  witness  of 
the  city's  wonderful  development. 

J.  A.  Moore  was  reared  and  educated  iii 
Akron,  completing  a  business  course  in  Ham- 
mel's  College,  where  he  was  a  bright  student. 
He  entered  business  life  and  was  one  of  the 
first  to  take  stalls  in  the  old  Market  House  on 
South  Main  street,  where  he  held  stalls  Nos. 
6  and  7,  for  two  years  and  a  half.  After 
selling  out  his  interest  he  traveled  through 
the  "West,  including  the  States  of  Michigan 
and  Indiana.  In  the  winter  of  1888-9  he 
returned  to  Akron  and  in  1890  he  established 
his  present  business.     Like  other  successful 


enterprises  of  this  city,  it  was  started  in  a 
.small  way  and  built  up  into  a  large  busines? 
through  the  energy  and  capacity  of  its  owner. 
Mr.  Moore  started  with  but  $70  in  cash  and 
put  in  a  stock  worth  $800.  In  nine  months 
time  he  w^as  out  of  debt,  and  he  has  steadily 
.  advanced  until  now  his  business  is  one  of  tlic 
leading  ones  of  its  kind  in  the  city.  He 
carries  a  complete  line  of  gent's  furnishing 
goods,  including  hats,  and  as  a  side  line  he 
keeps  on  hand  a  stock  of  cigars  and  high 
grade  tobaccos.  He  has  other  business  inter- 
ests also,  and  is  a  member  of  the  finance  com- 
mittee of  the  Depositor's  Savings  Bank. 

In  1891  Mr.  Moore  was  married  to  Ora 
•Johnson,  who  was  born  at  Kent,  Ohio,  and 
who  died  February  11,  1906.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  three  children — Raymond  C,  Bessie 
L.  and  Eva  L.  Mr.  Moore  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  Grace  Reformed  Church.  His  frater- 
nal connections  include  membership  in  the 
Protected  Home  Circle  and  the  Pathfinders. 

Since  1901  Mr.  Moore  has  done  a  consider- 
able amount  of  building.  In  the. spring  of 
that  year  he  purchased  a  desirable  lot,  where 
his  business  is  now  located,  with  a  twenty-two 
foot  front  and  a  depth  of  165  feet,  on  which 
he  erected  the  fine  two-story  brick  building, 
which  is  one  of  the  finest  store  buildings  in 
the  city.  He  also  erected  his  beautiful  mod- 
ern residence  at  No.  816  West  Cedar  street. 

NELSON  B.  STONE,  who  passed  from  this 
hfe  at  his  home  in  Akron,  November  9,  1893, 
after  a  well  spent  life  of  seventy-seven  years, 
was  born  September  18,  1816,  as  his  parents, 
Milo  and  Sarah  (Beardsley)  Stone,  were  rest- 
ing at  the  hamlet  of  Canfield,  Mahoning 
County,  Ohio,  on  their  way  from  Connecti- 
cut, by  ox-team,  to  Tallmadgc  Township, 
Summit  County. 

When  the  mother  and  babe  could  travel, 
the  father  of  Mr.  Stone  continued  on  his  way 
with  his  family  to  Tallmadge  Township,  set- 
tling in  the  woods  and  subsequently  clearing 
up  a  good  farm  there.  On  this  farm.  Nelson 
B.  Stone  was  reared,  attending  the  district 
school  through  boyhood  and  later  the  Tall- 
madge  Academy,   and  still   later  Allegheny 


402 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


College,  at  Meadville,  Pennsylvania.  He  be- 
gan industrial  life  as  a  clerk,  filling  positions 
successively  at  West  Bloomfield,  iSlew  York, 
and  at  Ravenna  and  Chardon,  Ohio.  In 
December,  1840,  he  came  to  Akron,  which 
place  was  to  be  his  future  home.  Shortly 
after  locating  here  he  was  offered  and  ac- 
cepted a  position  in  the  county  clerk's  office, 
under  Clerk  Lucius  S.  Peck,  and  served  until 
the  fall  of  1851,  when  he  was  elected  clerk 
of  Summit  County,  being  the  first  incumbent 
of  the  office  under  the  new  constitution.  For 
a  short  time  he  served  also  as  deputy  clerk 
in  Cuyahoga  County,  but  still  maintained 
his  residence  at  Akron.  He  was  subsequently 
connected,  for  a  short  tnne,  with  the  firm  of 
Aultman,  Miller  and  Company,  but  in  18135 
he  became  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Weary,  Snyder  and  Wilcox  Manufacturing 
Company,  a  position  he  filled  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  active  life. 

Mr.  Stone  was  married  (first)  to  Mary  H. 
Clarke,  of  Akron,  who  died  April  6,  1853, 
leaving  one  son.  Nelson  C,  who  is  now  presi- 
dent of  the  National  City  Bank,  and  one  of 
Akron's  most  prominent  business  men.  Mr. 
Stone  married  for  his  second  wife,  Elizabeth 
H.  Beardsley,  of  Akron,  and  they  had  two 
sons,  of  whom  the  one  survivor,  Dwight  M., 
resides  in  Akron. 

In  political  sentiment,  Mr.  Stone  was  a 
stanch  Republican,  and  was  sent  as  a  dele- 
gate to  the  first  Republican  State  convention 
held  in  Ohio,  at  which  time  the  late  Hon. 
Salmon  P.  Chase  was  nominated  for  gov- 
ernor. 

During  the  whole  extent  of  his  long  and 
useful  life,  Mr.  Stone  was  actively  interested 
in  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  For 
fifty-two  consecutive  years  he  served  as  secre- 
tary of  the  Sunday-school  of  that  church,  and 
he  preserved  his  interest  in  the  work  until  the 
peaceful  close  of  his  life.  He  was  a  practical 
Christian,  one  who  believed  thoroughly  in 
supplementing  thoughts  and  w'ords  with  ac- 
tion, hence  his  mourners  did  not  come  entirely 
from  the  higher  walks  of  life.  The  poor, 
the  lowly,  the  needy  and  afflicted  had  so  often 


partaken  of  his  kindness  and  practical  sym- 
pathy, that  they  crowded  to  the  bier,  at  his 
funeral,  to  pay  the  only  token  of  affection 
they  could  give.  In  religious,  political,  so- 
cial, benevolent  and  business  circles,  the  esti- 
mate of  his  character  was  the  same,  and  as  his 
remains  were  borne  away  to  be  laid  in  the 
quietude  of  Glendale  cemetery,  each  recog- 
nized that  a  good  man  had  passed  from  their 
midst. 

G.  F.  BURKHARDT,  treasurer  and  mana- 
ger of  the  Burkhardt  Brewery  Company,  at 
Akron,  was  born  in  this  city,  in  1874,  and 
is  a  son  of  William  and  ]\Iargaret  Burkhardt, 
the  latter  of  whom  is  president  of  the  above 
company.     William  Burkhardt  died  in  1882. 

The  business  of  the  Burkhardt  Brewery 
Company  was  established  at  Akron  in  1870, 
and  after  the  old  brewery  burned  in  1879, 
the  family  bought  the  land  and  erected  the 
fine  plant  which  is  located  at  Nos.  513-523 
Grant  street.  It  is  finely  equipped  with  the 
most  modern  appliances  pertaining  to  the  busi- 
ness, and  its  output,  which  finds  ready  sale, 
is  about  40,000  barrels.  On  November  24, 
1902,  the  Burkhardt  Brewery  Company  was 
incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000, 
and  with  the  following  officers:  Margaret 
Burkhardt,  president;  William  F.  Burkhardt, 
vice-president  and  sui^erintendent ;  G.  F. 
liJvirkhardt,  treasurer  and  manager;  and  E. 
C.  Dietz,  secretary. 

G.  F.  Burkhardt  was  reared  and  educated 
at  Akron  and  when  seventeen  years  of  age 
started  to  learn  the  brewing  business,  com- 
mencing at  the  bottom.  In  order  to  perfect 
himself  he  entered  the  American  Brewing 
Academy  of  Chicago,  where  he  was  graduated 
in  1899.  The  benefit  of  his  thorough  knowl- 
edge has  been  given  to  the  business,  and  its 
results  are  apparent.  He  has  also  other  busi- 
ness interests. 

Mr.  Burkhardt  is  connected  with  a  number 
of  fraternal  orders  and  social  organizations, 
among  them,  the  Elks  and  the  Odd  Fellows, 
the  German,  the  Akron  and  the  Turkeyfoot 
Lake  clubs,  and  several  German  societies. 


COL.  JOHN  C.  JiLOO.MFlELD 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


405 


COL.   JOHN   C.   BLOOxAIFlELD,   one   of 

Akron's  leading  citizens,  has  been  identified 
with  many  prominent  local  interests  during 
his  fifteen  years'  residence  in  the  city,  and 
has  taken  an  active  and  useful  part  in  their 
promotion.  He  was  born  March  4,  1842,  in 
New  York  city,  coming  from  an  old  New 
Jersey  family  which  could  boast  of  its  Revo- 
lutionary patriots. 

In  the  great  metropolis  in  which  he  was 
born.  Colonel  Bloomfield  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated, and  early  in  life  displayed  many  of 
the  qualities  which  later  contributed  to  his 
successful  military  career.  In  1859,  when 
but  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  joined  the 
Seventh  New  York  Regiment,  which  was  the 
first  regiment  of  State  troops  to  be  sworn  into 
the  service  of  the  United  States  in  1861. 
Shortly  afterward,  Mr.  Bloomfield  was  made 
captain  of  Company  F,  Sixth  New  York  Regi- 
ment of  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  for  the  next 
two  j-ears  served  under  Generals  Hunter  and 
Butler,  in  the  Department  of  the  Gulf.  He 
was  then  transferred  to  the  Trans-Mississippi 
Department,  and  was  assigned  to  the  haz- 
ardous special  duty  of  looking  after  and 
breaking  up  the  numerous  guerrilla  bands 
that  infested  that  section,  work  that  could  only 
be  performed  by  men  of  the  highest  courage 
and  daring.  In  the  conflicts  incident  to  this 
dangerous  service.  Colonel  Bloomfield  was 
wounded  several  times,  and  even  now,  after 
an  interval  of  over  forty  years,  feels  the  ef- 
fects of  a  wound  received  at  Escambia,  Flori- 
da. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  Colonel  Bloom- 
field located  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he 
was  engaged  for  some  time  in  the  wholesale 
hardware  business  under  the  firm  name  of 
Menzie-Rashcoe  and  Company.  In  1871  he 
became  interested  in  the  insurance  business. 
He  had  not  long  been  a  resident  of  St.  Louis 
before  he  became  connected  with  military 
affairs.  Associating  himself  with  the  Mis- 
souri National  Guards,  he  was  made  lieuten- 
ant colonel  of  the  Seventh  Missouri  Regiment, 
and  was  in  command  of  that  organization 
when  it  took  part  in  the  ceremonies  at  the 
inauguration  of  General  Grant,  in  1873.  Colo- 


nel Bloomfield's  knowledge  and  experience 
of  military  matters,  as  well  as  his  soldierly 
bearing,  have  made  him  a  useful  and  almost 
indispensable  man  at  many  public  functions. 
He  is  a  Knight  Templar  and  Past  Grand  Com- 
mander, and  organized  the  military  parade 
of  the  first  conclave  of  Knight  Templars  of 
America  held  in  St.  Louis,  in  1868,  and 
served  as  chief  of  staff  of  the  grand  com- 
mander. He  has  held  all  the  commanding 
offices  in  all  the  bodies  of  the  Masonic  order 
up  to  the  Knights  Templar  degree.  He  was 
also  commander  of  the  Missouri  National 
Guards. 

On  May  30,  1892,  Colonel  Bloomfield  came 
to  Akron  and  opened  an  insurance  business, 
in  the  Hamilton  building,  in  which  he  has 
since  retained  his  office.  He  represents  such 
reliable  companies  as  the  Penn  Mutual  Life, 
the  Fidelity  and  Casualty  Company  of  New 
York  and  the  Eagle  Fire  Insurance  Company 
of  New  York,  besides  a  number  of  others. 

Colonel  Bloomfield  was  married  June  3, 
1889,  at  Akron,  to  Fannie  C.  (Cobb)  Wager, 
a  daughter  of  Charles  B.  Cobb,  who  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Summit  County. 

PUTTERILL  BROTHERS,  a  successful 
firm  engaged  in  the  double  occupation  of 
farming  in  Stow  Township  and  manufactur- 
ing cement  blocks  at  Akron,  is  made  up  of 
Thomas  and  Edward  Putterill,  brothers,  who 
came  from  England  to  America  in  1872.  The 
parents  of  the  Putterill  Brothers  were  Francis 
and  Annie  (Morris)  Putterill,  natives  of  Lin- 
colnshire, England,  where  the  father  carried 
on  farming.  He  was  the  owner  of  a  piece  of 
landed  property. 

Thomas  Putterill  was  born  in  Lincolnshire, 
England,  October  7,  1839.  He  has  never  mar- 
ried. Edward  Putterill  was  born  in  Lincoln- 
.shire,  England,  May  1,  1848.  He  married 
Tabitha  Corn,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
Corn,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  had  five  chil- 
dren, tlie  three  survivors  being:  Annie  Nina, 
who  married  Henry  Mitchell,  of  Akron; 
George  Fletcher  and  Thomas  Edward. 

Thomas  and  Edward  Putterill  came  to  Ak- 
ron after  landing  in  America,  having  friends 


406 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


already  settled  in  that  city,  and  they  soon 
found  work  in  the  various  industries.  In 
1877  they  pui'chased  an  omnibus  line  which 
they  operated  for  three  years,  and  then  sold 
it  and  bought  their  present  farm,  which  orig- 
inally contained  141  acres.  It  was  known  as 
the  \"ictor  farm,  and  it  was  densely  wooded 
at  that  time,  with  few  improvements.  The 
two  brothers  have  done  an  almost  superhu- 
man work  in  the  improvement  of  this  place, 
in  the  comparatively  short  period  of  time. 
They  have  sold  a  part  of  their  land,  retaining 
ninety  acres,  seventy-five  of  which  they  have 
cleared.  What  is  known  as  Wahoga  Lake, 
a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  was  formerly  a  part 
of  this  farm.  Some  eighteen  years  ago 
the  present  fine  ten-room  residence  was 
built,  which  is  one  of  the  most  comfortable 
in  Stow  township,  and  ten  years  ago  the 
brothers  put  up  the  barn,  the  dimensions 
of  which  are  40  by  42  feet,  with  18-foot 
posts.  For  many  years  the  brothers  en- 
gaged extensively  in  agriculture,  and  they 
now  grow  hay,  corn  and  oats  and  devote 
from  ten  to  fourteen  acres  to  wheat  and 
several  acres  to  celery.  They  ship  their 
milk  to  Cleveland.  In  addition  to  their  farm- 
ing and  dairying  operations,  they  have  a  suc- 
cessful enterprise  in  the  manufacture  of  ce- 
ment building  blocks,  at  Akron,  doing  the 
work  themselves.  In  all  their  enterprises,  the 
brothers  have  been  united,  their  aims  and 
objects  being  identical,  their  lives  presenting 
an  agreeable  picture  of  fraternal  affection,  as 
well  as  practical  business  sense.  They  are 
men  of  high  standing  in  their  community. 
In  politics  they  are  Republicans  and  both 
have  served  as  supervisors  of  Stow  Township. 

JOSEPH  S.  BENNER,  a  well  known  capi- 
talist and  business  man  of  Akron,  who  is  iden- 
tified with  a  number  of  the  city's  most  sub- 
stantial financial  institutions,  was  born  at 
Akron,  January  3,  1872.  He  is  a  son  of 
John  AV.  Benner,  who  came  here  in  1868,  and 
who  still  continues  in  business  in  this  city. 

Graduated  from  the  public  schools  of  Ak- 
ron at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  found   his   first   regular  em- 


ployment in  the  office  of  J.  E.  Seiberling  & 
Company,  where  he  remained  until  1890.  He 
then  became  bookkeei^er  and  assistant  cash- 
ier for  the  newly  organized  People's  Savings 
Bank  Company,  which  position  he  held  until 
1897.  Then  with  J.  R.  Nutt  and  Will  Christy, 
he  organized  the  Central  Savings  Bank  Com- 
pany, taking  the  position  of  cashier  in  this 
concern,  which  he  held  until  1904,  when  the 
Central  Savings  Bank  Company,  mainly 
through  Mr.  Benner's  efforts,  effected  a  con- 
solidation with  the  Akron  Trust  Company, 
after  having  first  taken  over  the  Guardian 
Savings  Bank.  The  result  of  this  merger 
was  the  Central  Savings  and  Trust  Company, 
of  which  institution  Mr.  Benner  has  been 
secretary  ever  since.  Other  successful  busi- 
ness concerns  with  which  Mr.  Benner  is  iden- 
tified are:  The  Firestone  Tire  and  Rubber 
Company;  The  Akron  People's  Telephone 
Company,  of  which  he  is  secretary;  the  Ak- 
ron Coal  Company,  of  which  he  is  treasurer; 
the  Globe  Sign  and  Poster  Company,  of 
which  also  he  is  treasurer;  and  the  Hower 
Building  Company,  of  which  he  is  secretary 
He  is  also  a  director  in  the  Permanent  Sav- 
ings and  Loan  Company,  and  the  Bannock 
Coal  Company,  and  is  treasurer  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association.  His  large  busi- 
ness interests  are  held  with  a  firm  hand,  and 
his  affairs  are  directed  with  the  sound  judg- 
ment and  wise  conservatism  which  ensure 
success. 

Mr.  Benner  was  married  in  1894  to  Nillie 
E.  Stuver,  a  daughter  of  Jonas  F.  Stuver,  of 
Akron.  Of  this  imion  there  is  one  child,  Mary 
Joyce.  Mr.  Benner  takes  considerable  inter- 
est in  civic  matters  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Portage  County  Club.  With  his  wife  he  be- 
longs to  the  Lutheran  Church. 

CORNELIUS  A.  BROUSE,  of  the  firm  of 
Brouse  and  Hollinger,  general  insurance 
agents  and  prominent  dealers  in  real  estate, 
loans,  investments  and  abstracts,  with  offices 
in  the  Doyle  Block,  Akron,  is  also  secretary 
of  the  Permanent  Savings  and  Loan  Com- 
pany, and  stands  as  one  of  the  city's  influ- 
ential business  men.     He  was  born  at  Chip- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


401 


pewa,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  July  3,  1837,  and 
is  a  son  of  -William  and  Rebecca  (Baughman) 
Brouse. 

In  1842,  the  parents  of  Mr.  Brouse  removed 
from  Wayne  County  to  Wadsvvorth,  Medina 
County,  where  he  had  the  advantage  of  ex- 
cellent schools  and  later  he  was  a  student  at 
the  AVestern  Star  Academy  and  at  Berea.  At 
home  he  worked  on  the  farm,  and  beginning 
when  he  was  but  fourteen  years  of  age,  he 
acted  for  five  years  as  engineer  in  his  father's 
sawmill.  In  1859  he  came  to  Akron,  first  in 
the  capacity  of  a  clerk  for  J.  E.  Wesener  & 
Company,  becoming  a  partner  in  this  firm 
four  j'ears  later,  when  the  style  was  changed 
to  Wesener,  Brouse  &  Company.  This  asso- 
ciation continued  for  five  yeai"s,  and  after  the 
dissolution  of  the  firm,  Mr.  Brouse  became 
connected  in  partnership  with  David  L.  Wall, 
and  the  firm  of  Brouse  &  Wall  continued  for 
six  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period,  Mr. 
Brouse  associated  himself  with  his  brother, 
Myron  D.  Brouse,  and  the  new  firm  of  Brouse 
and  Company  became  a  prominent  factor  in 
the  dry-goods  business  in  Akron.  Mr.  Brouse 
was  connected  with  the  dry-goods  business 
in  all  for  forty-two  years. 

The  Permanent  Savings  and  Loan  Com- 
pany, of  Akron,  of  which  Mr.  Brouse  is  secre- 
tary, is  one  of  the  leading  financial  insti- 
tutions of  this  section  of  Ohio.  Its  board  of 
directors  is  made  up  of  men  of  the  highest 
commercial  and  personal  standing  and  its 
officers  represent  a  large  amount  of  wealth 
and  social  influence.  The  officers  are :  Joseph 
A.  Baldwin,  president;  R.  B.  Walker,  first 
vice-president;  Harvey  M.  Hollinger,  second 
vice-president  and  treasurer;  C.  A.  Brouse, 
secretary.  Its  executive  committee  consists  of 
C.  A.  Brouse,  F.  H.  Holton  and  Harvey  M. 
Hollinger.  The  company  is  in  an  excellent 
financial  condition,  its  assets  amounting,  in 
1907.  to  $854,334.86,  with  a  surplus  of 
$25,676.64. 

On  October  14,  1862,  Mr.  Brouse  was  mar- 
ried to  Kate  We.=!ener  of  Akron.  They  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  viz. :  Adelaide  L., 
Cornelia  A.,  Edwin  W.,  and  Miriam  M.  The 
family   belong   to    the    First   Congregational 


Church,  at  Akron,  of  which  Mr.  Brouse  is  one 
of  the  deacons.  In  politics,  he  is  an  ardent 
Republican.  He  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  having  been  a  member  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  of  Company  F,  164th  Regi- 
ment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  has  a 
handsome  residence  at  No.  481  Market  street, 
Akron. 

J.  MARTIN  BECK,  president  and  a  direct- 
or of  the  Home  Building  and  Loan  Company 
of  Akron,  and  one  of  the  founder,*  and  vice- 
president  and  treasurer  of  the  Akron  A'arnish 
Company,  is  identified  with  numerous  other 
successful  enterprises  of  this  section,  and  is 
a  very  important  factor  in  the  city's  com- 
mercial life.  He  was  born  October  14,  1843, 
at  Selb,  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  came  to 
America  in  1862.  He  is  a  son  of  Adani  and 
Christina  ( Hoef er)  Beck^  the  former  of  whom 
died  in  1890. 

Mr.  Beck  was  trained  to  business  in  a 
wholesale  grocery  and  drug  house,  in  his  na- 
tive land,  and  after  an  apprenticeship  of  four 
years,  satisfactorily  passed  a  difficult  examin- 
ation. As  his  half-brother,  John  Wolf,  was 
a  partner  in  the  firm  of  M.  W.  Henry  and 
Company  at  Akron,  Mr.  Beck  came  to  this 
city  and  entered  the  employ  of  that  firm,  with 
which  he  remained  for  six  years,  and  then 
was  with  the  house  of  E.  I.  Baldwin,  of 
Cleveland,  for  one  year.  In  the  spring  of 
1869  he  visited  Europe,  returning  to  Akron 
in  the  fall,  much  improved  in  health.  Soon 
after  he  entered  into  partnership  with  John 
Wolf  and  H.  J.  Church,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Wolf,  Church  and  Beck.  In  1878  Mr. 
Beck  sold  his  interest  in  the  firm  and  formed 
a  partnership  with  E.  G.  Kubler,  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Akron  Varnish  Works,  a  con- 
corn  which  is  the  oldest  of  its  kind  in  Summit 
County  and  one  of  the  largest  in  the  country. 
The  busine.«s  of  the  Akron  Varnish  Company 
is  the  making  of  varnishes  and  japans,  and 
its  plants  are  located  at  254  South  Main  and 
Canal  Streets,  Akron.  Tlie  industry  Ls  a  lead- 
ing one  in  this  city  and  the  products  of  this 
concern  have  a  world-wade  sale.  The  officers 
of  the  company  are:       E.  G.  Kubler.  presi- 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


dent;  J.  M.  Beck,  vice-president  and  treas- 
urer; E.  M.  Beck,  secretary;  F.  M.  Whitner, 
assistant  treasurer,  and  F.  A.  Fauver,  super- 
intendent. 

Mr.  Beck  was  married  January  12,  1871, 
to  Kate  J.  Buchtel,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Buchtel,  of  Akron.  They  have  four 
children,  namely:  William  B.,  Edward  M., 
who  is  secretary  of  the  Akron  Varnish  Com- 
pany, Martha  Louise,  and  Carl  ¥.  Frater- 
nally Mr.  Beck  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  an  Elk. 
The  family  residence  is  at  No.  640  West  Mar- 
ket Street. 

ARTHUR  M.  AELEN,  residing  on  his  fine 
farm  of  235  acres,  situated  in  Stow  Township, 
where  he  carries  on  general  farming  and 
dairying,  is  one  of  the  substantial  and  lead- 
ing citizens  of  this  section.  He  was  born  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  October  18,  1875,  and  is  a 
son  of  Robert  H.  and  Mary  R.  (Cochrane) 
Allen. 

George  Allen,  the  grandfather  of  Arthur 
M.,  was  born  in  County  Antrim,  Ireland.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Harper,  and  with  his  wife 
and  three  children,  came  to  America  and  set- 
tled at  Lee,  Massachusetts,  removing  later  to 
Cuyahoga  Falls.  He  followed  the  trade  of 
paper-making  to  within  a  few  years  of  his 
death,  when  he  moved  on  a  farm  near  the 
Falls,  TV'hich  is  now  largely  built  over.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church. 

Robert  H.  Allen  was  born  at  Lee,  Massa- 
chusetts, December  25,  1832,  and  was  still  an 
infant  when  his 'parents  came  to  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  where  he  was  reared.  During  boyhood 
he  W'Orked  in  the  paper  mills.  He  subse- 
quently learned  the  trade  of  wagon-maker, 
and  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  W.  A.  A. 
Allen,  was  engaged  for  many  years  in  the 
manufacturing  busine.ss  under  the  firm  name 
of  R.  H.  Allen  &  Company.  About  1887,  he 
bought  640  acres  of  land  in  Stow  Township, 
and  settled  on  a  part  of  it,  where  he  engaged 
in  extensive  farming,  cattle-raising  and  dairy- 
ing. He  had  large  business  dealings  with  his 
fellow-citizens,  and  enjoyed  their  confidence 
and  esteem.     Though  he  was  no  politician. 


he  took  an  intelligent  interest  in  good  local 
government.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was 
a  member  of  Star  Lodge,  No.  187,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  Cuyahoga  Falls. 

In  early  manhood  Robert  H.  Allen  married 
Mary  R.  Cochrane,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John 
M.  Cochrane,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls.  She  was 
born  July  18,  1837,  and  still  survives,  resid- 
ing with  her  son,  Arthur  M.  Her  parents 
were  John  M.  and  Jane  (Sample)  Cochrane, 
the  former  of  whom  came  to  Cuyahoga  Falls 
from  Calcutta,  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  and 
conducted  a  blacksmith-  business.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Robert  H.  Allen  had  four  children,  three 
of  whom  survive,  namely:  Andrew  Harper, 
residing  at  Cuyahoga  Falls:  William  A.,  resid- 
ing in  Stow  Township;  and  Arthur  M. 
Robert  II.  Allen  died  May  14,  1902. 

Arthur  M.  Allen  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Cuyahoga  Falls  and  at  Hudson  Academy. 
At  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  he  received 
235  acres,  150  of  which  he  has  under  culti- 
vation. He  continues  the  dairying  interests 
in  which  his  father  was  engaged,  keeping 
about  forty  head  of  cattle,  and  ships  his  milk 
to  Cleveland.  He  raises  his  own  hay  and  feed, 
and  he  is  also  interested  in  threshing  and 
baling  hay,  doing  a  large  amount  of  work 
of  this  kind  throughout  the  county,  keeping 
three  men  constantly  employed.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Springdale  Horse  Company,  the  syndicate 
that  owns  the  $3,000  Belgian  stallion,  Toto. 
Mr.  Allen  is  intimately  concerned  with  all 
agricultural  interests  in  his  locality  and  is 
looked  on  as  a  man  of  business  enterprise  and 
sound  judgment.  Mr.  Allen  was  married  to 
Mertie  Best,  who  was  born  in  Northampton 
Township,  Summit  County,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  Henry  Best.  They  have  one  daughter, 
Mildred  E.  Politically  Mr.  Allen  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

FRANK  C.  REED,  M.  D.,  of  Akron,  was 
born  at  Austinburg,  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio, 
in  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Simon  Reed, 
who  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  and  later 
one  of  the  leading  manufacturers  of  that  sec- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


409 


tioii.  Reared  in  his  native  place,  he  obtained 
his  literary  training  at  Grand  River  Institute, 
and  in  1876  was  graduated  from  the  old 
Wooster  Medical  University  at  Cleveland.  He 
at  once  located  for  practice  at  Akron,  with 
which  city  he  has  been  honorably  identified 
ever  since.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sixth  Dis- 
trict Medical  Society,  of  which  he  was  presi- 
dent in  1906,  and  belongs  also  to  the  Summit 
County,  and  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Societies. 
Aside  from  his  profession  he  has  some  busi- 
ness interests,  being  a  director  of  the  Robin- 
son Clay  Product  Company  and  a  stockholder 
in  the  American  Clay  Product  Company.  For 
six  years  Dr.  Reed  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Akron  Board  of  Education,  and  he  has  ever 
shown  a  laudable  desire  to  further  public 
movements  looking  toward  the  welfare  of  his 
city.  He  has  unselfishly  given  his  profession- 
al services  in  times  of  public  peril. 

In  1881  Dr.  Reed  was  married  to  Ellen  M. 
Robinson,  who  was  a  daughter  of  the  late 
Thomas  Robinson,  one  of  the  early  business 
men  of  this  city.  Mrs.  Reed  died  May  11, 
1907,  leaving  one  daughter,  Josephine  R., 
who  is  a  bright  student  in  her  classes  at  Buch- 
tel  College.  Dr.  Reed  is  an  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

FRED  T.  ELLSWORTH,  proprietor  of 
the  Spnngdale  Stock  Farm,  a  tract  of  200 
acres,  situated  in  Stow  Township,  was  born 
in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  October  8,  1867, 
and  is  a  son  of  Edward  and  Emma  (Thomp- 
son) Ellsworth. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  was  reared  on  his  Grandfath- 
er Thompson's  farm.  The  Thompson  family 
came  to  Ohio  from  Connecticut  in  the  person 
of  Dr.  Moses  Thompson,  Mr.  Ellsworth's 
great-grandfather  on  the  maternal  side,  who 
was  born  at  Goshen.  When  seventeen  years 
of  age,  Moses  Thompson  was  permitted  by 
his  father  to  leave  home  and  he  started  out 
in  the  world  to  seek  his  fortune,  practically 
without  any  assistance.  In  1800  he  turned 
his  course  toward  Ohio,  and  tramped  the  long 
di.stance,  through  unbroken  forests  and  un- 
bridged  streams,  until  he  reached  Hudson.  He 
was  commissioned  to  buv  600  acres  of  land 


for  Connecticut  investors,  and  he  purchased 
160  acres  for  himself.  He  began  to  clear  his 
land  and  subsequently  returned  to  Goshen, 
where  he  married  Elizabeth  Mills,  bringing  his 
bride  to  the  pioneer  home.  He  became  one 
of  the  pioneer  physicians  of  this  section. 

^'irgil  Thompson,  the  maternal  grandfath- 
er of  Mr.  Ellsworth,  was  born  in  Hudson 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  March  14, 
1810,  and,  in  1830,  purchased  the  farm  now 
owned  by  his  grandson,  Mr.'  Ellsworth.  He 
was  one  of  a  family  of  thirteen  children.  In 
1836  he  married  IMaria  Smith,  who  died  two 
years  later,  and  in  May,  1842,  he  married  An- 
toinette Turner.  They  had  three  daughters: 
Celia  M.  (deceased),  who  married  H.  H. 
Chamberlain;  Mary  A.,  who  was  the  second 
wife  of  H.  H.  Chamberlain ;  and  Emma,  who 
married  Edward  Ellsworth.  Mr.  Ellsworth 
has  one  sister,  Mary. 

Fred  T.  Ellsworth,  when  twenty  years 
of  age,  went  to  Cleveland,  and  for  five  years 
was  employed  in  W.  Bingham's  hardware 
store.  He  then  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  was 
in  a  livery  business  for  five  j^ears.  In  1893, 
when  his  grandfather  Thompson  died,  he  re- 
turned to  the  farm  to  take  charge  of  it.  He 
cultivates  100  acres,  raising  thirty  acres  of 
hay,  twenty  of  oats,  and  twenty  of  wheat. 
The  Spnngdale  Stock  Farm  has  an  excellent 
reputation  through  Summit  County.  Mr. 
Ellsworth  deals  more  or  lass  in  horses,  of 
which  he  breeds  some,  and  winters  twenty- 
three  head  for  Akron  parties.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Springdale 
Horse  Company,  which  is  composed  of  twelve 
local  horsemen,  who  imported  the  $3,000 
Belgian  stallion,  Tofo,  for  the  purpose  of  im- 
proving the  breed  of  local  draft  horses.  In 
1901  Mr."  Ellsworth  built  what  is  one  of  the 
finest  barns  in  Summit  CountJ^  Its  dimen- 
sions are  36  by  100  feet,  with  20-foot  posts, 
and  with  the  Shawver  patent  truss  frame. 
There  are  twenty  fine  box  stalls  and  the  horses 
are  carefully  attended  to  and  kept  clean  and 
sanitary  by-  a  competent  employe. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  married  Elizabeth  Harring- 
ton, who  was  born  in  London,  England,  and 
who  came  to  America  in  1889  with  her  moth- 


410 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


er.  The  latter  is  still  living,  and  is  now  fifty- 
eight  yeai's  of*age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellsworth 
have  one  daughter,  Lucy,. born  October  12, 
1898.  Mrs.  Ellsworth  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  In  politics,  Mr.  Ellsworth 
is  a  Republican.  As  a  good  citizen  he  is  ac- 
tive in  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  commu- 
nity, in  which  he  is  very  popular,  but  he  seeks 
no  political  preferment. 

B.  R.  BARDER,  president  of  the  Biggs 
Boiler  Works  Company,  at  Akron,  was  born 
in  Akron,  Ohio,  in  1878.  He  is  a  son  of 
the  late  John  P.  Barder,  whose  death  occurred 
in  1893,  and  who  for  many  years  was  identi- 
fied with  the  business  interests  of  this  city. 

B.  R.  Barder  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Akron,  and  began  industrial  life  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Biggs  Boiler  Company,  in  a  hum- 
ble capacity,  in  order  to  learn  the  business 
thoroughly.  He  continued  with  this  com- 
pany, rising  step  by  step,  and  when  the  busi- 
ness was  incorporated  in  1900,  Mr.  Barder 
was  prepared  both  by  training  and  natural 
ability,  to  take  the  position  of  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Biggs,  Mr. 
Barder  was  made  president  and  treasurer, 
and  continues  at  the  head  of  this  large  indus- 
try, effectively  directing  its  policy  and  enlarg- 
ing its  scope. 

In  1903  Mr.  Barder  was  married  to  Sarah 
I.  Groff,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Louise  E.  As  becomes  a  public-spirited  citi- 
zen, Mr.  Barder  takes  an  interest  in  civic  af- 
fairs and  on  various  occasions  he  has  con- 
sented to  serve  a.?  a  member  of  the  City  Coun- 
cil. His  fraternal  connections  are  with  the 
Masons  and  the  Knights  of  Honor. 

M.  O'NEIL,  president  and  treasiyer  of  The 
M.  O'Neil  &  Co.,  which  operates  the  largest 
mercantile  store  at  Akron,  has  resided  in  this 
city  for  more  than  thirty  years  and  during  a 
large  part  of  that  period  has  been  an  active 
business  man.  He  was  born  in  Ireland,  De- 
cember 12,  1850,  and  in  the  following  year 
was  brought  to  America  by  his  parents,  who 
were  natives  of  that  country. 

His  father,  James  O'Neil,  was  reared  to  ag- 


ricultural pursuits  in  the  "old  country,"  where 
in  early  manhood  he  married  Catherine 
Walsh.  In  1850  he  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  wife  and  family  and  settled  in 
New  York  City,  where  he  found  profitable 
employment. 

The  boyhood  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  spent  in  the  city  of  New  York  where  he 
finished  school  attendance  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen years  and  then  became  a  messenger  in 
a  broker's  office.  In  1868  he  entered  a  large 
wholesale  dry  goods  house  as  bookkeeper,  re- 
maining until  1873,  at  which  time  he  re- 
moved to  Lancaster,  Ohio,  where  he  embarked 
in  a  retail  dry  goods  business.  In  1876  Mr. 
O'Neil  came  to  Akron  and  entered  into  partr 
nership  with  Isaac  J.  Dyas,  under  the  firm 
name  of  O'Neil  &  Dyas,  and  they  began  a 
wholesale  and  retail  dry  goods  business  at 
No.  114  East  Market  Street.  Their  business 
soon  expanding  to  such  an  extent  as  to  neces- 
sitate larger  quarters,  they  erected  a  four- 
story,  stone-front  store  on  South  Main  Street, 
which  they  filled  with  a  complete  stock  of 
goods,  taking  possession  in  February,  1889. 
On  October  28,  1889,  their  building  and  im- 
mense stock  were  destroyed  by  fire.  Their  loss 
was  large  and  was  not  half  covered  by  insur- 
ance. The  firm  then  returned  to  the  former 
place  of  business  on  East  Market  Street, 
where  they  remained  until  they  had  com- 
pleted the  erection  of  the  magnificent  build- 
ing, on  the  burned  site,  now  occupied  by  the 
M.  O'Neil  &  Co.  Isaac  J.  Dyas  died  in  1890. 
Mr.  O'Neil  subsequently  took  in  as  partners 
three  of  his  clerks — John  J.  Feudner,  William 
T.  Tobin  and  F.  B.  Goodman — who  took 
stock  in  the  incorporated  company  and  be- 
came officials,  Mr.  Feudner  becoming  vice- 
president,  Mr.  Tobin,  secretary,  and  Mr.  Good- 
man, manager,  while  Mr.  O'Neil  assumed  the 
positions  of  president  and  treasurer.  The 
members  of  the  company  are  men  of  high 
commercial  standing  and  large  experience. 
The  company's  store  is  the  only  department 
store  in  the  city,  and  is  headquarters  for  dry 
goods,  carpets,  wall  paper,  furniture,  house 
furnishings,  books,  shoes,  cloaks,  furs,  cloth- 
ing and  millinery.     A  large  force  of  clerks, 


JOHN  II.  IIOWEK 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


413 


numbering  about  300,  is  kept  busy  in  attend- 
ing to  the  wants  of  the  store's  many  patrons. 
Mr.  O'Neil  is  interested  in  other  business  en- 
terprises in  .Vkron  and  is  numbered  with  the 
leading  men  of  the  city. 

On  July  16,  1884,  Mr.  O'Neil  was  married 
to  Patience  J.  Mahar,  of  Cleveland.  He  and 
his  wife  have  seven  children:  William  F., 
Augustine,  Patience,  Thomas,  Annette,  Cy- 
ril and  Marj".  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  and  Mr.  O'Neil  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  The 
beautiful  family  home  is  situated  at  No.  370 
West  Market  Street. 

JOHN  H.  HOWER,  until  recent  years  one 
of  Akron's  most  notable  captains  of  industry, 
formerly  president*  of  the  Hower  Oatmeal 
Mills,  owing  to  his  early  and  close  identifi- 
cation with  the  industrial  growth  of  the  city 
has  been  often  called  the  father  of  its  manu- 
facturing interests.  He  was  born  at  New  Ber- 
lin, Stark  County,  Ohio.  February  22,  1822, 
but  was  reared  in  Summit  County.  He  is  one 
of  a  family  of  five  children  born  to  his  par- 
ents, who  were  Jesse  and  Catherine  (Kryder) 
Hower.  Jesse  Hower,  who  was  a  wheelwright 
by  trade,  died  in  1829,  when  this  section  was 
still  a  wilderness.  He  was  a  son  of  Jacob 
Hower,  who  was  of  German  parentage. 

John  H.  Hower  had  comparatively  few 
educational  advantages  in  his  boyhood,  ow- 
ing to  the  poor  schools  existing.  When  he 
was  seven  years  old  his  father  died,  and  he 
subsequently  found  it  necessary  to  become 
self-supporting  at  an  earlier  age  than  is  cus- 
tomary with  more  favored  youths.  Learn- 
ing the  trade  of  painter,  he  followed  it  after 
he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  in  Summit 
County  during  the  summers,  teaching  school, 
both  English  and  German,  during  the  win- 
ters. When  about  thirty  years  old  he  em- 
barked in  a  mercantile  business  at  Doyles- 
lown.  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  where  he  re- 
mained for  some  years.  In  1861,  he  organ- 
ized the  Excelsior  Mower  and  Reaper  Com- 
pany, in  Doylestown,  Ohio,  to  manufacture 
the  invention  of  J.  F.  Seiberling,  the  inventor 
of  the  dropper,  etc.,  on  the  reapers,  for  whom 


Mr.  Hower  procured  the  patents  for  a  good 
remunerative  interest.  The  great  demand  for 
the  machines  soon  outgrew  the  capacity  of 
the  plant.  The  Excelsior  factoi"ies,  established 
here  through  Mr.  Hower's  influence  and  by 
means  of  his  personal  exertions,  formed  a 
sort  of  industrial  nucleus  around  which  gath- 
ered other  new  and  varied  industries.  The 
large  royalties  which  they  received  from  other 
manufacturing  concerns,  both  in  this  and 
other  states,  amounting  to  nearly  $500,000 
were  reinvested  here,  and  helped  largely  to 
give  that  strong  impulse  in  the  direction  of 
manufacturing  activity  which  found  its  logi- 
cal outcome  in  the  widespread  and  substantial 
business  prosperity  which  we  behold  here  at 
the  present  time.  As  Mr.  Hower  was  one  of 
the  first  to  build  a  manufacturing  plant  in 
Akron  of  the  kind  above  mentioned,  the  title 
of  "father  of  the  industry,"  so  frequently  ap- 
plied to  him,  seems  peculiarly  appropriate. 
Some  of  the  largest  works  of  this  kind  in  the 
city  were  built  by  his  influence  and  for  a  long 
period,  during  his  ripest  years  of  business  ac- 
tivity, he  was  closely  associated  with  the  ini- 
tiation and  subsequent  progress  of  many  of 
Akron's  most  successful  industrial  enter- 
prises, and  finest  of  homes.  In  1865  he  as- 
sisted in  the  organization  of  the  J.  F.  Seiber- 
ling Company,  of  Akron,  of  which  he  became 
vice  president. 

In  1879  Mr.  Hower  bought  an  interest  in 
the  Turner  Oatmeal  Mill,  and  in  1881  he  be- 
came the  owner  of  the  plant.  Then,  with  his 
sons,  Harvey  Y.,  M.  Otis,  and  Charles  H.,  he 
organized  the  firm  of  Hower  &  Company, 
which  was  incorporated  in  Januarj'-,  1888,  as 
the  Hower  Company,  this  being  merged  in 
June,  1891,  with  the  American  Cereal  Com- 
pany. On  the  incorporation  of  the  Hower 
Company  the  board  was  made  up  as  follows: 
.Tohn  PI.  Hower.  president;  Harvey  Y.  Hower. 
vice-president;  M.  Otis  Hower.  secretary';  and 
Charles  H.  Hower.  treasurer.  Mr.  Hower  was 
also  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Akron 
Reed  nnd  Rattan  Company,  of  which  he  was 
elected  president. 

In  1852  Mr.  Hower  was  married  (first)  to 
Susan  Youngker,  who  was  born  near  Pitts- 


414 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


burgh,  Pennsylvania,  and  who  died  at  Akron 
in  1895.  Their  family  consisted  of  the  three 
sons  mentioned  above,  who,  besides  being  as- 
sociated with  their  father,  have  been  prom- 
inent in  many  other  lines  of  business  enter- 
prise. 

In  1900  John  H.  Hower  married,  for  his 
second  wife,  Rebecca  Ralston,  a  daughter  of 
William  Ralston,  of  Massillon.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hower  reside  in  a  beautiful  home  at  No.  356 
Buchtel  Avenue.  Mr.  Hower  is  a  charter 
member  of  Trinity  Lutheran  Church,  and 
served  as  a  member  and  trustee  from  its  organ- 
ization in  1870  to  1879.  In  politics  he  was 
in  his  earlier  years  a  Democrat,  but  has  been 
identified  with  the  Republican  party  since  its 
organization. 

Harvey  Y.  Hower,  eldest  son  of  John  H. 
and  Susan  (Youngker)  Hower,  was  born  Oc- 
tober 16,  1855,  at  Doylestown,  Wayne 
County,  Ohio.  He  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Doylestown  and  Akron,  and  at 
Smithville  Normal  Academy,  and  then  en- 
tered the  employ  of  J.  F.  Seiberling  &  Com- 
panj^  first  in  their  shops  and  later  as  a  trav- 
eling representative.  This  was  followed  by 
a  two  years'  bu.siness  connection  with  Ault- 
man.  Miller  &  Company.  In  the  spring  of 
1879  he  became  interested  with  his  father  in 
the  manufacture  of  oatmeal  and  cereals,  and 
became  a  partner  in  1881,  when  the  business 
of  Robert  Turner  &  Company  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  Howers.  He  wa«  connected  with 
his  father  and  brothers  in  the  organization  of 
the  firm  of  Hower  &  Company,  whose  business 
location  was  the  corner  of  Canal  and  Cherry 
Streets,  Akron.  On  November  29,  1877,  Har- 
vey Y.  Hower  was  married  to  Helen  M.  Stone, 
who  was  born  at  Lock  Haven,  Pennsylvania. 
June  25,  1865.  They  have  four  children — 
John  Frederick,  Harvey  Burt,  Lloyd  Ken- 
neth and  Lewis  Stone. 

]M.  Otis  Hower,  second  son  of  Mr.  How- 
er, was  born  in  Doylestown,  Wayne  County, 
Ohio,  on  November  25,  1859.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  Akron  schools  and  at 
Buchtel  College,  after  which  he  joined  his 
father  in  the  cereal  milling  business  until  the 
transfer  to  the  Cereal  Milling  Company.    He 


remained  with  that  company  in  the  different 
capacities  of  general  manager,  director,  etc., 
until  1901,  when  he  embarked  in  various  suc- 
cesful  enterprises. 

Charles  H.  Hower,  third  son  of  John  H. 
and  Susan  (Youngker)  Hower,  one  of  the 
incoqjorators  of  the  Hower  Company,  and 
since  June,  1891,  a  stockholder  in  the  Ameri- 
can Cereal  Company,  is  also  one  of  the  incor- 
porators and  a  stockholder  in  the  Akron  Reed 
and  Rattan  Company.  He  was  born  August 
31,  1866,  at  Akron,  Ohio,  and  completed  his 
education  at  Oberlin  College.  AVhen  seven- 
teen years  of  age  he  became  a  traveling  repre- 
sentative of  the  oatmeal  firm  of  Hower  &  Com- 
pany, and  meeting  with  success,  remained  so 
engaged  until  the  incorporation  of  the  com- 
pany as  above  detailed.  On  September  27, 
1887,  he  married  Nellie  E.  Long,  who  was 
'born  at  Copley,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  De- 
cember 6,  1868.  He  and  his  wife  are  the 
parents  of  one  child — Helen  M. 

JAMES  ALONZO  DOX,  formerly  a  high- 
ly respected  citizen  of  Stow  Township,  was 
born  at  Geneva,  New  York,  August  26,  1832, 
and  died  in  Stow  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  July  18,  1906.  His  parents,  Tunis 
and  Clarissa  (Dimick)  Dox,  were  also  natives 
of  New  York.  For  many  years  his  father  was 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick  at  Ge- 
neva, and  during  boyhood  and  youth,  James 
Alonzo  assisted  in  the  work.  Later  he  began 
railroading,  with  which  work  he  was  con- 
nected for  forty  years,  thirty  of  which  he 
passed  at  Cleveland.  A  few  years  prior  to  his 
death,  he  retired  to  Stow  Township  and  settled 
on  the  old  Martin  Sadler  place,  on  which  Mrs. 
Dox  was  born  and  on  which  she  still  resides. 
Mr.  Dox  was  a  member  of  Bigelow  Lodge,  No. 
243.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Cleveland,  and  of  the 
Commandery  at  Akron. 

On  November  11,  1858,  .James  Alonzo  Dox 
wa':  married  to  Rebecca  Sadler,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Martin  and  Susan  (Steele)  Sad- 
ler. Martin  Sadler  was  born  in  Ireland  and 
came  to  America  when  eighteen  years  of  age, 
accompanying  his  parents  to  Stow  Township, 
where  he  followed  his  trade    of   shoemaker. 


AND    REPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


415 


which  he  had  learned  in  liis  native  land.  He 
lived  with  his  parents  on  the  homestead  farm 
and  assisted  in  clearing  it  and  in  building 
the  first  log  house.  His  wife,  Susan,  was  a 
daughter  of  Adam  Steele,  of  Stow  Township, 
and  six  of  their  seven  children  reached  matur- 
ity; namely:  Jackson,  Thomas,  Adam,  Gib- 
son, Phoebe  Ann  and  Rebecca,  Mrs.  Dox  be- 
ing the  only  survivor.  Her  parents  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Mai-tin  Sadler  died  in  1877. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dox  were  born  seven  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  reached  maturity,  namely : 
Susan  Charlotte,  who  was  married  (first)  to 
George  Shattuck,  of  Cleveland,  and  (second) 
to  Samuel  Frank,  of  Akron ;  Phoebe  Ann, 
who  married  Charles  Ellsworth  Saffell,  of 
Stow  Township;  William,  deceased;  and  Clin- 
ton Andrew. 

Clinton  Andrew  Dox  was  born  November 
27,1865,  in  Whitley  County,  Indiana,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Cleve- 
land. Before  accompanying  his  parents  to 
Stow  township  he  was  engaged  in  railroad 
work,  and  also  kept  a  store.  He  cultivates 
the  home  farm  which  contains  sixty  acres  of 
excellent  land,  and  devotes  considerable  at- 
tention to  dairying,  keeping  twelve  cows  and 
shipping  milk  to  Cleveland.  He  raises  his 
own  feed  and  has  a  silo  12  by  24  feet  in  di- 
mensions. In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
but,  like  his  late  father,  is  no  politician. 

WILLIAM  H.  HAVER,  a  well-known  cit- 
izen of  Coventry  Township,  who  owns  a  val- 
uable tract  of  twenty-five  acres,  which  is  sit- 
uated near  Barberton,  has  been  identified 
more  or  less  with  the  development  of  this 
section  of  Summit  County,  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  was  born  at  Doylestown,  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  January  11,  1856,  and  is  a 
sou  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Frederick) 
Haver. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Haver  died  when  he  was 
a  babe.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel Galehouse,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Wayne  County.  After  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band she  was  married^  to  Stephen  Latham,  a 
well  known  and  old-time  resident  of  Summit 


County.  He  was  accidentally  killed  on  the 
railroad,  December  21,  1906.  Mrs.  Latham 
died  October  16,  1905,  aged  seventy-three 
years.   • 

William  H.  Haver  was  reared  on  his  step- 
father's farm  and  in  young  manhood,  worked 
for  twelve  years  in  the  coal  mines.  Later,  in 
association  with  J.  C.  Russ,  Captain  Morrison 
and  S.  N.  Wilson,  he  acquired  the  ownership 
of  Long  Lake  Park.  A  stock  company  was 
subsequently  formed,  and  Mr.  Haver  sold  his 
interest  to  S.  N.  Wilson,  five  years  later.  He 
removed  from  his  old  home  near  the  park, 
about  this  time,  to  Barberton,  where  he  erected 
several  houses,  and  after  selling  them,  he 
bought  the  Snyder  farm,  which  adjoins  his 
own  property.  Sutisequently  he  sold  that  to 
the  Barberton  Real  Estate  Company,  and  the 
land  is  now  covered  with  dwellings.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1904,  Mr.  Haver  bought  the  old  Daniel 
Harter  home  place,  and  in  1907  he  erected 
a  handsome  new  residence  on  a  desirable  cor- 
ner to  take  the  place  of  the  old  eight-room 
house  still  standing. 

Mr.  Haver  was  married  January  11,  1880, 
to  Elizabeth  Hutchinson,  who  died  in  Janu- 
ary, 1898,  leaving  four  children,  namely: 
Dorothy  Joanna,  who  married  Albert  Heim- 
baugh ;  Lottie  May,  who  married  John  How- 
ard, and  has  two  children,  Helen  and  James; 
Carrie,  who  married  Wallace  Knecht;  and 
William  Julian.  Mr.  Haver  was  married 
(second)  October  30,  1900,  to  Cora  B.  Har- 
ter, who  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary 
Harter. 

Daniel  Hai'ter  was  born  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship, .June  4,  1820,  and  has  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  Summit  County.  He  was 
married,  October  26,  1844,  to  Mary  Grove, 
and  their  family  numbered  eleven  children, 
four  of  whom  are  now  living,  namely:  Eliza 
J.,  residing  in  Copley  Township;  Lavina  A., 
of  Congress  Town.'^hip.  Wayne  County;  Jos- 
eph J.,  of  Akron,  and  Cora  B..  wife  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Mr.  Haver  has  retired  from  farming  and 
leads  a  rather  leisurely  life,  having  the  means 
to  enjoy  himself  along  congenial  lines.  He 
is  fond  of  the  water  and  has  spent  one  delight- 


416 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ful  winter  in  a  house-boat,  mainly  on  the 
Mississippi  River.  Another  trip  of  200  miles 
was  made  on  the  Kusa  River  from  Rome, 
Georgia,  to  Gladstone,  Alabama.  He  has 
spent  twenty  winters  in  fishing  and  trapping, 
in  various  pai'ts  of  the  South.  His  excursions 
have  opened  up  a  wide  field  of  adventiu-e  and 
enjoyment  for  him,  a  recital  of  which  would 
make  an  interesting  volume.  Politically  Mr. 
Haver  is  identified  with  the  Repul)lican  party. 
He  Ls  a  member  of  the  Disciples  Cluu-ch. 

WILLIAM  ROWLEY,  formerly  a  well 
known  business  man  of  Akron,  was  Ixiru  in 
England  in  1838,  and  died  in  Akron,  in  No- 
vember, 1891,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three  years. 
He  was  a  son  of  Enoch  and  Eliza  Rowley, 
who  settled  here  in  1848. 

Enoch  Rowley,  Avho  established  the  first 
pottery  at  Akron,  was.  until  middle  life,  a 
resident  of  Sf«ke-on-Trent,  Staffordshire, 
England.  He  then  came  to  America  and  es- 
tablished him.self  at  Akron.  He  was  a  pot- 
ter by  ivude  and  built  up  a  large  pottery  busi- 
ness, which  he  carried  on  for  many  years, 
partly  with  his  son,  the  late  William  Rowley. 
He  was  one  of  the  sterling  men  of  Akron 
in  has  day.  For  eight  years  he  sen'ed  in  the 
City  Council  from  the  Sixth  Ward.  In  Poli- 
tics he  was  identified  Avith  the  Republican 
party.  He  was  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

William  Rowley  was  one  of  a  family  of 
twelve  children.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Akron  public  schools,  and  as  soon  as  he  was 
old  enough  entered  his  father's  pottery  to 
learn  the  business.  Later  he  entered  into 
partnership  with  his  father,  whose  interest 
in  the  business  he  aftenvards  purchased.  In 
1886  he  retired  from  activity,  but  continued 
to  be  interested  in  the  public  affairs  at  Akron 
as  long  as  he  lived.  He  was  a  zealous  Re- 
publican and  for  six  years  served  on  the 
Board  of  Equalization.  Fraternally  he  was 
an  Odd  Fellow. 

Mr.  Rowley  married  Mary  .1.  Wills,  of 
Cuyalioga  Fails,  and  they  had  four  children, 
namely:  Florence,  who  died  in  infancy;  Ar- 
thur James,  who  is  a  prominent  member  of 


the  Summit  County  bar;  Maude  L.,  wife  of 
George  H.  Stubbs,  of  Akron,  and  Zelle  I., 
wife  of  Jonathan  Taylor,  of  Akron.  Mrs. 
Rowley  lives  at  No.  824  East  Market  Street, 
Akron. 

JOHN  T.  MERTZ,  chief  of  Akron's  fire 
department,  which  responsible  position  he 
assumed  August  1,  1901,  has  been  regularly 
identified  with  this  branch  of  the  city's  pub- 
lic service  for  the  past  twenty-four  years. 
Chief  Mertz  was  born  in  March,  1864,  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  attended  school 
to  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  From  Cleveland 
Mr.  Mertz  went  to  Blyria,  Ohio,  where  he 
worked  in  a  factory  for  two  years  and  then 
came  to  Akron,  and  for  one  year  was  em- 
ployed in  the  grocery  store  of  Cyrus  Miller. 
His  next  position  M^as  in  the  ^Etna  Mills, 
wheire,  after  six  months  of  work,  he  was  made 
assistant  engineer,  and  he  remained  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  mill  company  until  the  plant  was 
destroyed  by  fii-c,  in  December,  1884.  Soon 
after  that  event  he  secured  a  po.sition  as  en- 
gineer for  the  Ohio  Stoneware  Company,  in 
the  'meantiime  taking  a  gread  deal  of  interest 
in  the  work  of  the  fire  department,  and  occa- 
sionally working  on  the  force  as  a  substitute. 
In  the  fall  of  1886,  he  accepted  a  position  as 
driver  for  the  department,  and  eighteen 
months  later  was  promoted  to  the  position 
of  pipeman,  serving  as  .such  until  July  1, 
1897,  when  he  was  still  further  promoted, 
being  made  captain.  Under  the  administra- 
tion of  Hon.  W.  B.  Doyle,  he  was  made  chief 
of  the  department,  in  August,  1901.  Chief 
Mertz  is  well  qualified  in  every  way  to  fill 
the  office  he  holds,  and  it  is  a  satisfaction 
to  the  citizens  of  Akron  to  know  that  their 
homes  and  other  property  are  under  the  pro- 
tection of  so  efficient  a  fire  chief. 

In  January,  1885,  Mr.  Mertz  was  married 
to  Susan  Thiese,  of  Akron,  and  they  have 
two  sons,  namely:  Arthur  B.  and  Raymond 
A.  The  former  is  bookkeeper  for  the  Cleve- 
land Twist  Drill  Company,  of  Cleveland,  and 
was  educated  in  Akron.  The  latter  attends 
the  public  schools. 

Chief  Mertz  was  reared  in  the  German  Lu- 


ALANSOX  WOUK 


AND    EEPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


419 


theran  Church.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to 
the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter  and  Council  of  the 
Masons,  and  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Elks.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Ger- 
man-American Club  and  the  Liebertafel  So- 
ciety, of  Akron.  The  family  home  is  sit- 
uated at  No.  328  Buchtel  Avenue,  Akron. 

ALANSON  WORK,  formerly  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Akron  Rubber  Works,  and  for 
many  years  well  known  in  this  city  as  an  en- 
ergetic and  successful  business  man,  was  born 
at  Quincy,  Illinois,  March  1,  1842.  His  fa- 
ther, Alanson  Work,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, from  which  State  he  moved  to  Illi- 
nois. One  of  the  early  Abolitionists,  he  was 
imprisoned  in  1841  for  helping  slaves  to  es- 
cape, the  sentence  being  for  twelve  years;  he 
was,  however,  pardoned  out  after  three  years. 

When  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  three 
years  old,  his  parents  moved  to  Middletown, 
Connecticut,  and  thence  to  Hartford,  that 
State,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools 
until  he  was  seventeen,  spending  one  year 
also  in  Trinity  College.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen he  entered  the  employ  of  A.  T.  Stewart, 
later  of  the  Metropolitan  Bank  of  New  York, 
and  so  continued  for  seven  years.  In  1869  he 
moved  to  "\'ineland,  New  Jersey,  and  one  year 
later  to  Cincinnati,  and,  as  a  partner  in  the 
firm  of  Chamberlain,  Gibbs  &  Company,  was 
engaged  for  two  years  in  building  railroad 
bridges  and  railroads.  He  then  went  to 
Rhode  Island  and  took  a  contract  to  rebuild 
the  bridges  on  the  Providence  &  Wooster  Rail- 
road, putting  up  fourteen  double  tract  bridges 
in  about  one  year.  He  was  superintendent 
of  the  Allen  Fire  Department  Supply  Com- 
pany at  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  for  five 
years,  and  during  that  time  took  out  several 
patents  on  fire  engine  supplies,  one  now- 
adopted  by  the  United  States,  being  Work's 
Patent  Coupling.  On  January  1,  1875,  Mr. 
Work  moved  to  Akron  as  superintendent  of 
the  Akron  Rubber  Works,  and  in  1880,  when 
the  corporation  was  organized,  he  became  vice- 
president  of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company. 

He  was  married,  in  1865,  to  Miss  Henrietta 
Lane,   of  Brooklyn,   Long  Island.     Of  this 


marriage  there  were  seven  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Alice,  wife  of  Prof.  Walter  Wilcox,  of 
Cornell  University;  Bertram  G.,  president  of 
the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company;  Dorothv  W., 
Effie  A.,  Fred  W.,  and  Gerald  S.,  all  of  whom 
are  residing  at  home;  Clarence,  who  was  ac- 
cidentally drowned  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
years. 

Mr.  Alanson  Work  died  at  his  home  in 
Akron,  October  29,  1881.  His  portrait  may 
be  seen  on  a  neighboring  page  of  this  vol- 
ume. 

THE  BREWSTER  FAMILY.  Prominent 
among  the  families  which  have  been  identi- 
fied with  the  development  and  progress  of 
Summit  County,  from  the  early  days  of  its 
settlement,  is  the  Brewster  family,  which  ha^ 
numerous  worthy  representatives  in  Coventry 
Towmship.  It  is  of  New  England  ancestry 
and'  its  immediate  progenitors  came  from 
Groton,  Connecticut.  Earlier  records,  if  pre- 
served, could  prove  that  this  sturdy,  vigorou.? 
family  was  a  leading  factor  in  events  preced- 
ing the  American  Revolution  by  many  years. 

The  year  1811  marks  the  entrance  of  this 
family  into  Ohio.  Stephen  Brewster  was 
born  at  Groton,  Connecticut,  probably  there 
had  good  educational  advantages,  and  at  any 
rate  he  learned  to  be  a  good  carpenter  and 
capable  millwright.  Following  his  marriage 
at  Groton,  he  removed  to  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  in  1811  came  to  what  is  known 
as  the  Brewster  estate,  situated  in  Coventry 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio.  The  long 
journey  was  made  in  wagons,  through  a 
rough  and  almost  unsettled  region  for  the 
larger  part  of  the  way.  there  being  no  rail- 
roads or  other  means  of  transport-ation  hither 
at^  that  time.  Not  a  single  house  had  yeit.  been 
built  between  Coventry  Township  and  Akron. 

Stephen  Brewster  purchased  160  acres  of 
land  at  a  very  low  price,  from  the  Connecticut 
Land  Company,  and  the  home  was  .started  in 
the  midst  of  the  virgin  fore.~t.  A  log  cabin 
wa5  built  on  a  little  clearing,  in  which  were 
placed  the  possessions  brought  from  tlie  old 
Connecticut  home,  and  here  the  duties  and 
burdens  of  life  were  assumed  as  in  more  civil- 


420 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ized  coniimunities,  but  attended  by  many 
hardships.  The  family  lived  on  the  wild 
game  that  abounded,  until  they  could  raise 
grain,  the  deer  at  that  time  being  so  numer- 
ous that  they  ran  through  the  woods  like  a 
flock  of  sheep.  Stephen  Brewster  and  wife 
never  left  their  pioneer  home  for  any  other, 
and  here  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight 
years,  and  she  survived  to  be  seventj'.  Their 
descendants  tell  of  the  deep  affection  exist- 
ing between  them,  which  continued  through 
childhood,  youth  and  mature  life. 

Stephen  Brewster  married  Lydia  Bellows, 
who  was  born  at  Groton,  of  another  promi- 
nent old  New  England  family.  This  was 
probably  about  1796.  They  had  the  follow- 
ing children :  James  G.,  Lucinda,  who  mar- 
ried a  Mr.  Mus.say;  Hannah,  who  married 
(first)  William  Clark,  (second)  David  Dun- 
bar; Charlotte,  who  married  Martin  Housel ; 
Alexander,  and  Hiram,  who  died  about  1813, 
shortly  after  the  family  came  to  the  farm, 
and  was  buried  in  the  orchard,  where  a  stone 
still  marks  the  spot. 

James  G.  Brewster,  the  eldest  son  of  Ste- 
phen and  Lydia  Brewster,  was  born  at  Gro- 
ton, Connecticut,  in  1797.  When  he  was  a 
boy  the  family  came  to  Ohio,  where,  as  the 
eldest,  he  was  called  on  to  do  almost  a  man's 
work  in  clearing  up  the  w'Hd  farm.  His 
educational  chances  were  few,  there  being  no 
settled  .system  of  schools  at  that  early  day, 
but  his  parents  were  well  informed,  and  his 
own  mind  was  active  enough  to  enable  him 
to  at  first  quickly  absorb  primary  teaching 
and  later  to  apply  common  sense  and  good 
judgment  to  the  actualities  and  demands  of 
life.  He  died  in  June,  1842.  From  his 
fatlier  he  inherited  a  part  of  the  homestead, 
and  to  thi.s  land  he  added  until  he  owned  320 
acres,  lying  on  both  ?ides  of  the  road. 

Jamos  G.  Brewster  was  married  in  Colum- 
biana County,  Ohio,  to  Martha  ITa'^scn,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  was  brought 
to  the  above  county  in  childhood,  where  her 
people  -were  prominent  pioneers.  Her  death 
occurred  in  November,  1881.  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years.  They  had  the  following 
children:     Stephen   (deceased),  who  married 


Charlotte  Meech  (also  deceased) ;  Jonathan 
H.  and  James  G.  (both  deceased),  twins,  the 
latter  of  whom  married  Mary  Davies ;  Hiram, 
a  very  prominent  retired  citizen  of  Coventry 
Township,  and  George,  who  died  May  25, 
1907. 

Probably  there  is  no  better  known  family 
in  Summit  County  than  the  one  now  repre- 
sented as  its  head  by  Hiram  Brewster,  who 
was  born  on  the  family  estate  in  Coventry 
Townshij).  June  8,  1835.  He  was  reared 
here,  and  three  months  has  been  the  longest 
period  that  he  has  ever  been  absent  from  the 
old  place  to  which  he  is  so  closely  attached 
through  long  as.sociation.  His  education  was 
secured  in  the  old  district  school  near  his 
home,  which  building  was  of  frame  construc- 
tion, although  many  in  the  township  were 
built  of  logs.  His  summers  in  boyhood  were 
spent  in  farm  work,  but  during  three  winter 
months,  each  comfortable  old  farm-house  gave 
up  its  quota  of  pupils.  Mr.  Brewster  never 
married  but  remained  with  his  parents  and 
assisted  in  the  building  of  all  the  houses, 
barns  and  other  structure  on  the  estate,  which 
now  aggregates  750  acres,  lying  jointly  in 
Coventry  and  Springfield  township-.  The 
residence  is  one  of  the  large  ones  and  it  con- 
veniently accommodates  Mr.  Brewster  and  his 
nephew,  Hayes  Brewster,  who  is  a  son  of 
the  late  Stephen  Brewster. 

Hiram  Brewster  now  lives  retired  from  ac- 
tive work  of  any  kind,  to  the  extent  of  taking 
no  responsibility,  but  as  long  as  he  lives  he 
will  probably  feel  an  interest  in  all  that  goes 
on  on  the  old  home  place.  His  tastes  never 
led  him  into  politics  to  the  extent  of  accept- 
ing office,  hut  his  influence  has  always  been 
turned  in  the  direction  of  progress  and  im- 
provement. For  many  years  he  has  been  in- 
teresited  in  several  of  Summit  County's  most 
prosperous  business  enterprises,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  controlling  the  Buckeye  Sewer 
Pipe  Company,  and  a  stockholder  in  the  Sum- 
mit Coimty  Sewer  Pipe  Company. 

Hayes  Brewster,  in  the  fourth  generation 
from  the  pioneer  of  the  family  in  Ohio,  is 
a  well-known  and  valued  citizen  of  Coventry 
Township,  where  he  was  born,  June  25,  1876. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


421 


His  parents  were  Stephen  and  Charlotte 
(Meech)  Brewster.  Hy  father  died  in  Jan- 
uary, 1887,  and  his  mother  passed  away  in 
December,  1903.  He  was  the  second  born 
in  bis  parents'  family,  the  others  being: 
Ephraim,  residing  in  the  far  West;  Stephen, 
also  residing  in  tJie  West,  and  -lohn.  In 
1899,  Hayes  Brewster  was  married  to  Susan 
Dodd,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Cath- 
erine (Griffith)  Dodd,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Hiram  and  Charlotte.  Mr.  Brew- 
ster is  interested  in  the  Buckeye  Sewer  Pipe 
Company. 

Other  descendants  of  the  pioneer  Brewster 
settler  are  found  in  the  daughter  and  grand- 
daughter of  the  late  George  Brewster,  who  was 
born  March  21,  1837,  and  died  May  25,  1907. 
He  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Coventry 
Town.ship  and  wa«  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful business  men  in  this  section  of  Summit 
County.  He  was  largely  interested  in  coal 
for  many  years  and,  with  a  brother,  operated 
what  is  known  as  the  Brewster  mill,  for  a 
long  period.  He  shared  in  po-.se.-sion  of  the 
large  Brewster  estate,  which  passed  into  the 
hands  of  his  widow  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  was  identified  with  the  Re]niVjlican  party 
and  with  the  Ma.sonic  fraternity.  On  October 
19.  1876,  he  married  Maria  Kent,  who  was 
born  in  SufFleld  Township,  Portage  County. 
Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brewster  had  four  chil- 
dren :  Georgia,  who  married  Perry  A. 
Kriisher  and  has  one  daughter,  Dorothy ; 
Wallace,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  and  one- 
half  years:  Artlmr,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,    and    Bessie,    who    died    a2;ed    twenty 


DAVID  A.  METZLER,  assistant  .superin- 
tendent of  the  Alkali  Rubber  Company,  Ak- 
ron, is  one  of  this  city's  young  and  enter- 
prL^ing  bu.siness  men.  He  was  born  here  in 
1881.  and  is  a  .son  of  William  Metzler,  who 
is  prominently  connected  with  the  Diamond 
Rubl)er  Comjiany.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Akron  public  schools,  and  at  the  Cathedral 
College.  Trenton,  New  -Jersey.  Upon  his  re- 
turn to  Akron  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Diamond  Rubber  Company,  serving  first   in 


the  laboratory  and  later  becoming  assi-stant 
superintendent.  He  remained  with  the  concern 
for  five  years.  In  1904,  when  the  Alkali 
Rubl)er  Company  was  made  a  di.«tinct  plant, 
Mr.  Metzler  was  selected  for  the  position  of 
assistant  superintendent,  in  which  he  has 
since  served  very  etficiently.  He  has  other 
business  interests,  being  concerned  in  the 
promotion  and  success  of  the  Ohio  Rubber 
Culture  Company,  which  is  operating  planta- 
tions in  Mexico,  where  rubber  trees  are  now 
being  cultivated. 

On  October  25,  1904,  Mr.  :Mctzler  was  mar- 
ried to  Abbie  Lawton,  a  daughter  of  E.  A. 
Lawton,  who  is  .superintendent  of  the  Akron 
Water  Works.  Mr.  Metzler  is  a  member  of 
St.  Vincent's  Catholic  Church.  He  belongs 
to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  to  various 
organizations  of  a  social  nature. 

HON.  JOHN  McNAMARA.  Sometimes 
tnith  reads  as  strangely  as  fiction  and  the 
record  of  the  life  of  John  McNamara,  from 
the  condition  of  an  orphan  bound-boy  tr) 
the  honorable  .station  of  leading  citizen  in  a 
prosperous  community,  in  another  land  than 
that  of  his  birth,  contains  matter  for  serious 
consideration.  He  was  born  in  County 
Clare,  Ireland,  probably  on  February  12. 
1833,  and  certainlj^  was  baptized  by  the  lar- 
ish  priest  on  February  15th.  of  that  year. 
His  parents  were  Martin  and  Mary  (Mcln- 
ery)    McNamara. 

There  can  be  little  provision  made  for  the 
future  by  the  small  tenant  farmer  of  Ireland, 
and  when  John  McNamara's  parents  died, 
the  mother  when  he  was  nine  years  old  and 
the  father  three  years  later,  the  little  lad  of 
eleven  years  found  himself  entirely  depend- 
ent upon  his  own  abilities.  The  kind-hearted 
farmers  in  the  neighborhood  were  all  poor, 
but  they  gave  the  child  a  chance  to  work, 
and  with  a  prudence  that  was  remarkable, 
he  saved  the  pittances  he  earned  until  he  had 
accunnilated  enough  capital  to  take  him  to 
England,  where  he  bound  him.«elf  out  to  learn 
the  pla.sterer's  trade.  His  emplover,  taki"g 
advantage  of  his  youth  and  ignorance,  kept 
him   for  two  vears  at   labor  without   giving 


422 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


him  any  chance  to  learn  the  trade,  and  the 
boy  stood  it  no  longer,  but  ran  away.  He 
then  became  a  coal  miner  and  worked  in  a 
coal  bank  until  1854,  when  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica, landing  at  Philadelphia.  He  first  sought 
farm  work  in  the  agricultural  districts,  and 
was  employed  for  two  years  in  Delaware 
County.  Then  coming  to  Ohio,  he  contin- 
ued to  work  as  a  farmer  in  Geauga  County, 
until  1863,  when  he  came  to  Barberton,  or 
to  New  Portage  as  it  was  then.  He  saw  a 
good  business  opportunity  in  the  opening  of 
a  general  store,  and  in  this  enterprise  met 
with  success,  conducting  a  first-class  mercan- 
tile establishment  here  for  many  years.  He 
was  made  the  first  postma.ster  and  served  in 
that  capacity  for  eighteen  years.  In  the 
meantime,  through  his  industry  and  legiti- 
mate business  methods,  he  had  acquired 
property  and  had  promoted  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  town  in  many  ways.  In 
1900  his  fellow-citizens  honored  him  by  elect- 
ing him  their  mayor,  and  he  served  as  sueh 
until  1903.  During  his  administration  Bar- 
berton took  many  forward  strides.  Mr.  Mc- 
Namara  is  now  largel}'  interested  in  tlie  real 
estate  business. 

In  1864  Mr.  McNamara  was  married  to 
Hannah  Woods,  who  i.s  a  daughter  of  Jertv 
miah  Woods.  They  have  had  seven  chil- 
dren, four  of  w'hom  survive,  namely:  Mary, 
James,  who  has  succeeded  his  father  as  mayflr 
of  Barberton;  Stephen,  and  Myrtle,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Thomas  Davis.  Mr.  McNamara, 
with  his  family,  belongs  to  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church. 

W.  A.  INWOOD,  .superintendent  of  the 
Alkali  Rubber  Company  of  Akron,  came  to 
this  city  in  1899,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  connected  with  some  of  Akron's  largest 
business  enterprises.  Mr.  Linwood  was  born 
in  1877.  in  Connecticut,  and  when  six  years 
of  age  accompanied  his  parents  to  Califor- 
nia, where  he  was  reared  and  educated,  en- 
joying some  unusual  advantages  of  travel  in 
his  youth,  as  he  cro.ssed  the  continent  three 
times  before  he  was  eight  years  old.  Mr. 
Inwood's   first  business  experience  was  with 


the  Hercules  Powder  Works,  of  California, 
with  which  he  remained  connected  for  seven 
years.  Coming  then  to  Akron  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Diamond  Rubber  Company. 
After  serving  four  years  as  foreman,  he  was 
transferred  to  its  branch  establishment,  the 
Alkali  Rubber  Company,  of  which  he  was 
made  superintendent,  this  promotion  being 
due  to  his  superior  knowledge  of  the  busine&s 
and  his  tact  and  ability  in  managing  men. 
On  April  4,  1906,  Mr.  Inwood  was  mar- 
ried to  Genevieve  Williams,  who  was  born  at 
San  Francisco,  California.  Mr.  Inwood  is  a 
Free  Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow,  being  affil- 
iated with  local  lodges  of  these  orders. 

FERDINAND  SCHUMACHER,  formerly 
president  of  the  American  Cereal  Company, 
but  now  retired,  has  long  been  identified  with 
great  manufacturing  enterprises  which  have 
brought  wealth  and  fame  to  the  city  of  Ak- 
ron. Mr.  Schumacher  was  born  March  30, 
1822,  at  Celle,  Hanover,  Germany,  and  is  a 
son  of  F.  C.  and  Louise  Schumacher.  Until 
he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  he  attended  school, 
then  became  clerk  in  a  grocery,  and  later  an 
employ  in  a  sugar  refinery.  In  18.50  he  emi- 
grated to  America,  settling  first  on  a  farm 
near  Cleveland.  His  previous  training,  how- 
ever, had  not  been  in  the  line  of  agriculture, 
so  in  1851  he  is  found  at  Akron  engaged  in 
a  fancy  goods  business.  In  the  year  1856 
he  embarked  in  the  business,  which  through 
his  enterprise  developed  into  one  of  the  great 
world  industries,  and  which  has  brought  him 
the  title  of  "Cereal  King."  Under  his  own 
name  he  continued  in  the  manufacture  of 
oatmeal,  pearl  barley  and  other  cereal  prod- 
ucts, until  later  he  con.solidatcd  with  the  firm 
of  Co-mmins  and  Allen,  under  the  style  of 
The  F.  Schumacher  Milling  Company.  He 
thus  largely  increased  the  capacity  of  the 
mills  and  immediately  repaired  his  great  loss 
in  the  fire  of  1886,  which  destroyed  mills 
and  elevators  at  the  depot.  About  1801  he 
consented  to  a  further  combination  of  in- 
terests under  the  great  corporation  known  as 
the  American  Cereal  Company,  and  was 
elected  as  its  president.     He  continued  with 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITI2JENS 


4^3 


H.  P.  Crowell  and  Robert  Stuart  as  executive 
committee  of  this  great  concern  until  1899, 
when  he  failed  to  'be  re-elected,  and  gladly 
accepted  retirement  from  the  busy  life  he 
had  led  for  so  many  years,  finding  rest  and 
quiet  in  his  beautiful  home  at  No.  258  East 
Market  Street,  Akron.  The  American  Cereal 
Company's  head  office  is  now  located  at  Chi- 
cago, that  city  being  a  great  center,  but  the 
Akron  Mills  are  its  most  important  prop- 
erty. 

On  October  7,  1851,  Mr.  Schumacher  was 
married  at  Cleveland  to  Hermine  Schu- 
macher, who  was  born  at  Bevern,  Brunswick, 
Germany,  and  died  June  1,  1893.  They  had 
seven  cliildren,  two  of  whom  survive,  namely: 
Louis,  a  resident  of  Akron,  who  was  vice 
president  of  the  F.  Schumacher  Milling 
Company,  and  F.  Adolph,  who  was  secretary 
of  the  same  company,  and  is  now  engaged 
in  business  at  Riverside,  Iowa.  Mr.  Schu- 
macher married  for  his  second  wife,  August 
1,  1S99,  Mary  Zipperlen,  wlio  is  a  daughter 
of  Dr.  A.  Zipperlen,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Schumacher  has  always  been  a  valued 
citizen,  not  because  he  lias  busied  himself  in 
regard  to  local  political  affairs,  but  because 
he  ha=  been  a  man  of  broad  views  and  gen- 
erous inclinations,  which  have  resulted  in 
public-.~pirited  enterprises,  and  in  liberal  a-^- 
sistance  given  to  education,  religion  and 
charity.  It  was  mainly  through  his  benefac- 
tions that  a  number  of  the  religious  edifices 
of  the  city  were  completed,  this  notably  be- 
ing the  ca^e  in  regard  to  the  Universalir-t 
Church.  By  example  and  years  of  protest 
against  the  liquor  evil,  Mr  Schumacher  has 
become  known  as  one  of  the  leading  temper- 
ance advocate.^  of  Ohio.  Time  ha«  touched 
him  liglitly.  and  notwithstanding  his  many 
years  of  intense  devotion  t.o  business,  with 
the  care-  tbat  harass  even  tlie  most  success- 
ful, he  has  retained  remarkable  vigor. 

AUGUSTUS     F.     STUHLDREHER,     a 

member  of  the  important  real  e-tatc,  loan 
and  in.surance  firm  of  Stuhldreher  Brothers, 
which  commands  a  large  business  at  Barber- 
ton  and  h.Ts  offices  on  the  Stuhldreher  Block, 


on  the  corner  of  Second  and  Tuscarawas  Ave- 
nue, has  been  located  in  this  city  since  1891. 
He  was  reared  on  his  father's  Stark  County 
farm  and  attended  the  district  schools  in  his 
neighborhood,  completing  his  education  by 
a  course  in  the  Massillon  Business  College. 
He  then  took  a  position  with  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad  as  station  agent  at  Barberton, 
and  served  also  as  agent  for  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  Road,  his  railroad  connection  cov- 
ering ten  years.  He  then  embarked  in  the 
real  estate  business  with  his  brother,  Edward 
J.  Stuhldreher,  who  left  the  railroad  service 
at  the  same  time.  They  control  an  immense 
amount  of  business  in  their  line,  a  large  part 
of  it  being  buying  and  selling  on  commis- 
sion. In  1902  Mr.  Stuhldreher  built  the 
fine  business  block  knowm  as  the  Stuhldreher 
Block,  a  three-story  brick  structure  with  di 
mansions  of  50  by  100  feet,  in  which  is  lo- 
cated the  Barberton  postoffice  and  the  Bar- 
berton Opera  House,  the  latter  seating  SOO 
people.  Another  large  house  having  quar- 
ters here  is  the  Union  Furniture  Company. 
The  upper  floors  are  admirably  fitted  up  for 
offices. 

Mr.  Stuhldreher  takes  a  somewhat  active 
interest  in  politics  and  served  as  city  clerk 
from  1896  to  1900.  He  and  brother  repre- 
.sent  the  most  progressive  and  enterprising 
business  element  in  the  city. 

REV.   T.   F.   MAHAR.   D.   D.,  pastor  of 

St.  Vincent  de  Paul's  Church,  at  Akron,  is 
a  well-'beloved  and  valued  member  of  the 
Catholic  clergy  in  this  city.  PTe  was  born 
September  28,  1851,  at  vScranton,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Ann 
(Hart)  Mahar,  both  of  whom  were  of  Ameri- 
can birth. 

Father  Mahar  entered  St.  Mary's  Collcoe. 
.at  Cleveland.  Ohio,  where  he  devoted  four 
years  to  .study,  prior  to  becoming  a  pupil  at 
St.  Lois  College,  at  Louisville.  Stark  County, 
which  he  entered  in  1866  for  a  term  of  three 
years.  In  1869  he  went  to  Rome,  Italy, 
where,  amid  churchly  .surroundings,  he  pur- 
sued his  ecclesiastical  studies  for  six  veal's, 
under  eminent  iastructors,  subsequently  be- 


424 


HISTORY    OF    SUIVIMIT    COUNTY 


iiig  awarded  the  degrees  of  Doctor  of  Pliilos- 
ophy  and  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

In  1875  Father  Mahar  came  to  Cleveland, 
having  been  ordained  May  30,  1874,  and  wa~ 
made  assistant  pastor  of  St.  John's  Cathe- 
dral. In  this  capacity  he  served  for  five 
years.  On  Angnst  1,  1880,  Bishop  Gilmour 
appointed  him  pa.stor  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul's 
Church  at  Akron,  which  Ls  one  of  the  largest 
and  most  influential  Catholic  churches  in 
the  city,  having  a  inenibership  of  500  fam- 
ilies. His  work  in  connection  with  this 
charge  has  been  eminently  successful. 

A  history  of  churches,  as  of  individuals, 
is  vastly  interesting  and  instmctive,  when  it 
tells  a  story  of  obstacles  bravely  overcome 
and  difficulties  surmounted  in  a  righteous 
Clause,  and  a  short  account  of  the  growth  of 
St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  from  the  early  nucleus 
of  little  pioneer  fire-side  gatherings,  visited 
by  an  over-worked  priest,  when  it  was  pos- 
sible for  him  to  make  his  way  through  the 
then  un.settled  regions,  to  the  stately  struc- 
ture now  standing,  which  fitly  represents  the 
faith,  endurance  and  piety  of  both  priests  and 
people,  must  arrest  general  attention.  The 
fir.st  records  tell  of  Father  Henni,  afterward 
Archbishop  of  Milwaukee,  coming  to  Akron 
in  1835,  riding  on  horse-back  from  Cincin- 
nati, and  holding  services  and  saying  mass 
in  the  cabin  of  the  late  James  McAllister. 
From  1837  to  1842  the  village  was  visited 
by  Rev.  J.  B.  Purcell,  later  Archbishop  of 
Cincinnati;  Rev.  Louis  Goesbriand,  Father 
McLaughlin,  Father  Basil  Shorb  and  others. 
In  1843  a  small  frame  house  was  commenced 
on  Green  Street  by  Father  M.  Howard,  who 
retained  charge  of  the  congregation  until 
1844.  From  1845  to  1848  Father  Cornelius 
Daly  had  charge,  and  during  his  pastorate, 
he  being  the  first  regularly  appointed,  the 
hou.se  on  Green  Street  was  enlarged  and  com- 
pleted. Following  Father  Daly  came  a  long 
list  of  able  and  faithful  priests  as  follows: 
Rev.  Ca.siimir  ^louret,  from  October,  1848,  to 
June,  1850;  Father  Goodwin,  June  to  De- 
cember, 1850;  Rev.  Francis  McGann,  De- 
cember, 1850,  to  August,  1855;  Rev.  L.  Mo- 
lon,  January,  185(3;  Rev.  Thomas  AValsh  and 


Rev.  W.  O'Connor,  to  1859;  Rev.  M.  A. 
Scanlon,  from  July,  1859,  to  November, 
1873;  Rev.  Timothy  Mahoney,  from  Novem- 
l>er,  1873,  to  August  1,  1880,  when  Rev.  T. 
F.  Maliar  assumed  charge. 

The  present  imposing  stone  edifice  on  the 
corner  of  West  Market  and  Maple  Streets, 
was  begun  on  St.  Patrick's  Day,  1864,  and 
continual  imju'ovements  have  been  going  ou 
ever  since.  The  architecture  is  of  the  Roman 
order,  with  twelve  large,  stained-gla.ss,  em- 
blematical windows.  The  tower  contains  a 
fine  bell  and  a  first-class  clock.  An  elegant 
brick  parsonage  has  also  been  erected,  and 
the  church  owns  seven  acres  of  land  fronting 
on  West  Market  Street,  which  is  dedicated 
to  cemetery  purposes.  Father  Mahar  has 
many  ideas  as  to  future  improvements. 

SOLOMON  E.  SHOOK,  who  fills  the  im- 
portant position  of  head  miller  in  the  Walsh 
Milling  Company's  mills  at  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
was  born  in  Jackson  Township,  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  November  22,  1860,  and  is  a  son  of 
Philip  and  Margaret    (Everhard)    Shook. 

The  great-grandfather  of  Solomon  E. 
Shook  was  John  Shook,  who  was  born  in 
Germany  and  came  to  America  in  1752, 
landing  at  what  w-as  then  called  Port  of  York 
but  is  now  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  He  lived 
there  for  a  time  and  then  went  into  the  farm- 
ing regions  of  the  State,  purchasing  400  acres 
of  land  in  Nortlnnnberland  County,  which 
are  still  owned  by  his  descendants.  He  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Ohl,"  and  he  died  in  1799.  His 
son,  David  Shook  was  born  on  the  land  above 
referred  to,  and  died  Octoljer  24,  1868,  aged 
.«eventy-nine  years.  He  Avas  a  carpenter  by 
trade  and  also  a  farmer.  In  1810  he  came 
to  Ohio,  settling  at  New  Berlin,  Stark 
County,  and  from  there  went  out  as  a  soldier 
in  the  War  of  1812,  in  which  he  sensed  as 
captain.  He  married  Sarah  Mark,  who  was 
born  in  Mercer  County,  Pennsylvania,  and 
died  in  Ohio,  in  1861.  Both  grandparents 
of  Solomon  E.  Shook  lie  buried  at  New  Ber- 
lin, in  the  old  Zion  church-yard. 

Philip  Shook  was  born  at  New  Berlin, 
Stark    County,    Ohio,   in    1840,  and   died   at 


FRANK  G.  STIPE 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


427 


"Wadsworth,  Ohio,  aged  sixty -three  years.  He 
comhined  farming  with  carpenter's  work  and 
contracting.  He  reared  a  family  of  twelve 
children,  Solomon  E.  being  the  youngest  son 
and  tenth  child. 

When  Solomon  E.  Shook  was  three  years 
old,  his  parents  moved  to  Wadswotth  Town- 
ship, Medina  County,  where  he  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools.  In  1877  he  went  into 
the  grist  mill  of  his  eldest  brother,  David 
Shook,  where,  during  his  eighteen  months' 
stay,  he  learned  the  elementary  principles  of 
inilling,  and  from  there  he  went  to  Millport 
and  worked  for  James  McLean  as  second  mil- 
ler. He  remained  with  him  for  two  years, 
and  then  went  to  Toledo  as  head  miller  for 
Potter  &  Company,  t\\"0  and  a  half  year.'*  later 
coming  to  Akron  to  become  second  mil- 
ler for  Seiberling  Milling  Company.  For 
four  years  Mr.  Shook  -was  foreman  for  the 
Seiberling  people.  In  1889  he  went  to  New 
Brighton,  .  Pennsylvania,  where  for  threo 
years  lie  was  head  miller  in  the  City  Mills. 
Then  returning  to  Akron  he  took  charge  of 
the  Clinton  Milling  Company's  plant,  which 
was  owned  Ijy  A.  L.  Clause  ifc  C(ini])any.  In 
1895  Mr.  Shook  took  a  pleasure  trip  to  River- 
side, California,  which  covered  two  years. 
After  his  return  to  Akron  he  accepted  his 
present  position.  He  has  two  millers  in  his 
employ  and  turns  out  200  barrels  of  flour 
per  day.  His  equipments  are  ample  for  the 
grinding  of  all  kinds  of  feed.  Mr.  Shook  is 
not  only  an  expert  miller,  but  an  inventor. 
He  is  the  author  of  an  appliance  intended  to 
take  the  place  of  the  usual  babbitt  metal, 
wliich  is  easily  adjusted  and  which  he  ha- 
been  using  in  his  mill  for  the  last  five  years. 
It  has  proved  to  be  of  the  utmost  utility  and 
is  an  invention  that  well  deserves  to  be  pat- 
ented. 

FRANK  G.  STIPE,  president  of  the  Board 
of  Education  of  Akron,  has  been  identified 
with  the  interests  of  this  city  since  1866,  and 
is  well  known  in  business  circles  here  as  a 
general  contractor.  Of  German-Irish  descent, 
he  was  born,  in  1846,  in  Greentown,  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  nephew  of    Colonel 


Robert  Nugen,  who  was  a  member  of  Con- 
gress from  Tuscarawas  County  in  1861-63. 

When  nine  years  old  he  removed  with  his 
parents  to  a  farm  near  Greensburg,  Summit 
County.  He  attended  the  district  schools  and 
Gteensburg  Seminary,  teaching  during  the 
winter  near  his  home  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age.  He  then  enlisted  in  Company 
II,  164th  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
a  part  of  the  National  Guard  belonging  to 
the  Fifty-Fourth  Battalion.  Company  H  was 
sent  from  Fort  Taylor  directly  to  the  forts 
around  Washington,  where  it  took  part  in 
the  defense  of  the  city.  At  the  end  of  115 
(lays'  service  it  was  discharged,  the  soldiers, 
as  Mr.  Stipe  well  remembers,  being  addressed 
Ijy  President  Lincoln. 

In  the  spring  of  1866  Mr.  Stipe  came  to 
Akron  and  worked  six  months  for  Rockwell 
&  Danforth,  in  the  contracting  business.  Sub- 
sequently he  entered  the  painting  department 
(if  Aultman,  Miller  &  Company,  where  he  con- 
tinued for  five  years.  His  health  becoming 
somewhat  impaired,  owing  to  his  close  appli- 
cition  to  his  trade,  in  1871  he  went  to  Spring- 
field Township,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm 
for  three  years,  teaching  during  the  winters. 
Upon  his  return  to  Akron  he  entered  into 
business  for  him.self  as  a  contractor,  executing 
in  a  most  satisfactory  manner  some  of  the 
city's  largest  contracts  for  painting  and  dec- 
orating. Appointed  city  commissioner,  he  as- 
simied  the  (iuties  of  that  office  in  April.  1895, 
and  served  three  years  on  the  board.  He  then 
became  an  organizer  for  the  Pathfinders'  so- 
ciety, being  one  of  the  first  deputies  in  the 
field  in  the  interests  of  this  organization,  with 
which  he  remained  connected  for  about  a 
year.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  resumed 
business  as  a  contractor. 

In  1888  Mr.  Stipe  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Education,  from  the  old 
Fourth  Ward,  by  a  majority  of  forty  votes, 
overcoming  a  normal  Democratic  majority  of 
.300.  In  1890  he  was  appointed  decennial  ap- 
praiser of  the  city,  and  was  re-elected  to  the 
school  board  for  a  term  of  three  years,  being 
made  its  president  on  organization  in  Janu- 
arv,  1907.    This  honor,  which  was  totallv  un- 


428 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


solicited,  reflects  the  opinion  of  his  fellow  citi- 
zens concerning  his  ability,  and  his  fidelity 
to  the  best  interests  of  the  city.  By  virtue  of 
his  office  as  president  of  the  Board,  Mr.  Stipe 
is  also  chairman  of  the  depositary  commis- 
sion of  the  Board's  funds. 

In  18(35  Mr.  Stipe  was  married  to  Soviah 
C.  Koons,  who  was  born  in  Summit  County. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  name- 
ly: Nora  E.,  wife  of  George  Barker,  an  iron 
worker,  of  Cuyahoga  FalL?;  Harry  J.,  who  is 
cashier  at  the  Akron  office  of  the  Electric 
Package  Company;  Mabel  L.,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Arthur  L.  Foster,  a  manufacturer  of  New 
York;  and  Martha  M.,  wife  of  Alonzo  Jack- 
son, a  resident  of  Akron,  who  holds  an  official 
position  in  a  railroad  office. 

Mr.  Stipe  has  other  business  interests  not 
mentioned  above,  and  is  one  of  Akron's  busy, 
callable,  and  public-spirited  citizens.  He  be- 
longs to  Nemo  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  to 
Buckley  Post,  G.  A.  R.  A  member  of  the 
First  ]\Icthodist  Episcopal  Church,  he  is  serv- 
ing that  organization  on  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees. 

ARTHUR  JAMES  SAALFIELD,  pub- 
lisher, was  born  in  Leeds,  England,  in  1863. 
His  father,  Albert  Saalfield,  Esq.,  was  a  man- 
ufacturer of  woolens.  With  the  other  mem- 
bers of  his  family,  a  large  one,  he  came  to 
the  United  States  while  still  a  small  boy. 
Mr.  Saalfield  tells  with  amusement,  of  the 
wonder  and  comment  excited  by  himself  and 
brottiers  when  they  arrived  in  New  Y'ork, 
on  account  of  the  Highland  costumes  they 
wore,  then  the  fashion  for  small  boys  in 
England. 

The  family  lived  for  a  time  in  New  York 
City,  where  the  father  shortly  died.  Here 
young  Arthur  attended  the  public  schools.  In 
1872,  at  the  age  of  nine  years,  his  business 
career  began.  The  Saalfield  family  had  re- 
moved to  Chicago.  Refusing  longer  to  be 
dependent,  the  embryonic  publisher  com- 
menced to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world. 
His  first  engagement  was  with  Messrs.  W.  B. 
Keene,  Cook  &  Company,  then  the  leading 
book-sellers  in  the  West.     With  them  he  re- 


mained for  four  years.  He  then  returned  to 
New  York  and  spent  the  following  year  at 
Steven's  Academy,  Hoboken.  In  1877,  then 
fourteen  years  of  age,  A.  J.  Saalfield  became 
an  employee  of  Charles  T.  Dillingham,  the 
well-known  book  jobber.  Here  he  remained 
for  fifteen  years,  beginning  at  the  bottom, 
and  gradually  working  his  way  to  the  top 
of  the  business.  Long  before  he  left  Dilling- 
ham's he  was  a  salesman  of  exceptional  abil- 
ity, widely  known  and  well  liked  by  the 
trade. 

Mr.  Saalfield  started  a  book  jobbing  and 
publishing  business  of  his  own  in  1892,  and 
continued  in  its  management  until  1898, 
when  he  removed  to  Akron,  Ohio,  to  take 
charge  of  the  book  publishing  department  of 
The  Werner  Company.  He  had  not  been  in 
successful  occupancy  of  this  responsible  po- 
sition very  long  when  the  opportunity  of  buy- 
ing the  business  was  presented.  With  his 
usual  business  acumen,  he  recognized  the  pos- 
sibilities thus  placed  within  his  reach  and  at 
once  concluded  the  purchase.  At  that  time 
The  Saalfield  Publishing  Company,  A.  J. 
Saalfield,  proprietor,  came  into  existence. 
From  the  first,  the  new  concern  prospered. 
Its  growth  and  development  has  been  such 
OS  to  di.scredit  the  opinion,  long  held,  that 
the  natural  and  only  habitat  of  the  success- 
ful publisher  is  the  Enstern  seaboard.  Un- 
der A.  J.  Saalfield's  able  guidance,  hi^  con- 
cern shortly  outgrew  its  original  quarters. 
Thereupon  he  purchased  new  and  larger 
premises,  but  they,  too,  soon  becaine  too 
small  to  accommodate  the  demands  of  has  in- 
creasing business,  as  is  best  evidenced  by  the 
large  additions  that  have  been  constnicted. 
Today  The  Saalfield  Publishing  Company  is 
well  and  favorably  known  wherever  books  in 
the  Engli.sh  'language  are  read.  While  their 
greatest  market  is,  of  course,  at  home,  a  large 
and  growing  demand  is  found  in  Canada, 
England.  Australia,  New  Zealand,  South  Af- 
rica, The  Argentine,  The  Hawaiian  Islands 
and  the  far  Philippines. 

The  books  of  The  Saalfield  Publi'^hing 
Company  are  widely  various,  ranging  from 
monumental   and   expensive  sets  to  tiny  ju- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


429- 


venileg.  The  long  experience  of  the  proprie- 
tor, coupled  with  rare  good  taste  and  a  talent 
for  planning  and  selecting  material  that  the 
public  wants,  amounting  almost  to  a  sixth 
sense,  is  accountable  for  an  almost  unhroken 
series  of  successful  publishing  undertakings, 
and  promises  in  the  not-distant  future  to 
make  his  company  one  of  the  leading  pub- 
lishing houses  of  the  country. 

In  1885  A.  J.  Saalfield  was  married  to 
Adah  Louise  Sutton,  the  accomplished  and 
talented  daughter  of  the  Rev.  George  Sut- 
ton. Mrs.  Saalfield  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  to  the  reading  public  by  her  maiden 
(pen)  name.  She  .shares  with  her  husband 
the  enviable  responsibility  for  the  success  of 
The  Saalfield  Publishing  Company,  for  her 
books,  both  prose  and  verse,  have  been  among 
the  most  lucrative  of  the  Saalfield  enterprises. 
Of  late,  this  gifted  authoress  is  turning  her 
attention  more  particularly  to  writing  ju- 
veniles. 

There  are  five  children  in  the  Saalfield 
family:  Albert  G.,  Arthur  J.  Jr.,  Edith  M., 
Robert  S.  and  Alice  C.  No  expense  is  spared 
in  their  liberal  education.  The  advantages 
of  the  best  schools  and  travel  are  freely 
theirs. 

The  commodious  and  beautiful  home  of 
the  Saalfield  family  is  located  at  24  North 
Prospect  Street,  where  tlie  latch  .string  is  ever 
on  the  outside  for  the  friends  of  every  mem- 
ber of  the  family,  and  where  a  generous  and 
cordial  hospitality  is  always  charmingly  dis- 
pensed. Both  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Saalfield  are 
prominently  identified  with  movements  for 
the  public  welfare,  church  work,  charities  and 
society. 

H.  A.  HINE,  .secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Star  Drilling  Machine  Company,  at  Ak- 
ron, has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  since 
February,  1890,  and  is  identified  officially 
with  a  number  of  other  large  busine-s  en- 
terprises in  this  .section.  Mr.  Hine  wa.s  born 
at  Shalersville,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  in 
1865.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Shalersville.  West  Farmington  and  Au.stin- 
burg.  and  afterwards  spent  four  years  teach- 


ing school.  He  then  entered  the  law  office 
of  R.  W.  Sadler,  but  after  a  few  months  of 
law  study  in  Akron,  he  became  connected 
with  the  Star  Drilling  Company  of  this  city, 
with  which  he  has  been  identified  in  one  ca- 
pacity or  another  for  the  past  seventeen  years. 
He  began  his  services  with  this  organization 
as  bookkeeper,  but  for  the  past  eight  years 
has  been  treasurer  and  secretary  of  the  com- 
pany. He  is  also  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Star  Rubber  Company,  and  occupies  the 
position  of  president  in  a  number  of  smaller 
enterprises. 

November  14.  1905,  Mr.  Hine  married 
Jane  Hall,  who  was  born  in  Akron  and  is  a 
daughter  of  John  Hall,  a  well-known  citi- 
zen. Mr.  Hine  has  a  number  of  fraternal 
connections,  belonging  to  the  various  Ma- 
.sonic  bodies,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the 
Pat.hfindejs. 

JAMES  ALBERT  FISHER,  a  business 
citizen  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  dealing  in  hay 
and  straw,  was  born  in  Franklin  County, 
Penn.sylvania,  May  26,  1863,  and  is  a  son 
of  Cornelius  and  Catherine  (Martin)   Fisher. 

Cornelius  Fisher,  now  living  retired  on  his 
farm  in  Northampton  Township,  Summit 
County,  was  born  July  16,  1840,  in  Hesse- 
Cassel,  Germany,  and  came  to  America  in 
that  year,  in  company  with  a  sister  and  his 
widowed  mother.  For  ten  years  Mrs.  Fisher 
lived  with  her  children  at  Chamber.?burg, 
Penn.sylvania,  and  then  moved  to  Greenca.«tle, 
where  Cornelias  engaged  in  farming.  In 
1869  he  came  to  Summit  County  and  was 
engaged  in  farming  at  different  points  in 
Northampton  Township  until  1903,  when  he 
purchased  a  small  farm  which  be  devotes 
mainly  to  fruit-growing.  He  served  one  vear 
in  the  Civil  War.  enlisting  in  1863  in  Coini- 
pany  D,  158th  Regiment.  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  was  honorably  discharged  in 
1864.  He  has  never  been  an  active  politi- 
cian, but  he  always  exerts  his  right  of  citi- 
zen.«hip  and  casts  his  vote  for  the  candidates 
of  the  Republican  party. 

Cornelius   Fisher   marriid   Catherine   Mar- 


430 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


tin,  a  daughter  of  James  Martin,  all  being 
natives  of  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania. 
They  had  ten  children,  namely:  Ida,  James, 
George  B.,  Elizabeth,  Netta,  Annie  Virginia, 
John,  Gertrude,  Arthur  and  Myrtle.  The 
mother  of  the  above  familv  was  born  April 
5,  1840,  and  died  September  5,  1903.  Slie 
■was  a  valued  member  of  the  Disciples  Church 
at  Cuyahoga  Falls.  Cornelius  Fisher  was 
reared  in  the  faith  of  the  German  Reformed 
Church,  by  has  parents,  George  and  Eliza'beth 
Fisher.  George  Fisher  wa.s  killed  in  a  coal 
mine.  His  wife  later  united  with  the  Meth- 
odi.st  Epi.scopal  Church,  and  died  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls  in  April,  1904,  aged  eighty-eight 
years. 

James  Albert  Fisher  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Northampton  Township 
and  followed  farming  in  that  section  until 
1887,  when  he  emharked  in  his  pres<'iit  busi- 
ness at  Cuyahoga  Falls.  He  handles  hay  and 
straw  and  does  a  very  large  busines-;,  his 
sales  to  the  Robinson  Clay  Product  Com- 
pany at  Akron  alone  amounting  to  more 
than  1,000  tons  yearly.  He  is  a  careful  busi- 
ness man  and  bears  a  very  high  reputation 
as  such  with  the  large  dealers  and  eonsmners 
at  Akron,  among  Vhorn  his  trade  mainlv 
lies. 

Mr.  Fisher  was  married  to  Aiigusta  Weber, 
of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Episcopal  Church.  Politically,  Mr.  Fisher  is 
a  Republican  and  has  held  local  offices. 

JAMES  CHRISTY,  formerly  one  of  the 
most  public-spirited  ajid  successful  bu.«iness 
men  of  Akron,  was  the  head  of  the  firm  of 
James  Christy  &  Sons,  manufacturers  of 
leather,  and  dealers  in  leather,  hides,  furs 
and  findings,  was  born  in  Springfield  Town- 
sihip,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  died  in  Oo 
tober.  1904.  He  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until 
sixteen  years  old.  Then  for  three  years  he 
enjoyed  the  advantages  offered  by  a  privat:' 
school  at  Middlebury.  He  afterwards  taught 
two  terms  of  school,  but  gave  up  teaching  in 
1841  to  enter  into  business  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  James  Sawver,  establishiing  a  tannery 


on  North  Howard  Street,  which  was  operated 
under  the  firm  name  of  Christy  &  Sawyer. 
They  later  added  a  shoe  manufactory  and  a 
store,  and  continued  in  busine.ss  until  1851. 
In  the  following  year  Mr.  Christy  entered  into 
a  partnership  with  his  brother,  .John  H. 
Christy,  which  continued  until  1879,  when 
Mr.  Christy  took  his  two  sons,  James  Jr.  and 
Will,  into  partnership.  The  style  of  the  firm 
then  became  James  ChrLsty  &  Sons.  Their 
specialty  was  the  manufacture  of  harness 
leather. 

In  1850  Mr.  Christy,  like  many  of  his 
neighbors,  made  the  overland  journey  to 
California,  returning  by  way  of  the  Lsthmus 
of  Panama.  Forty  years  later,  when  seventy 
years  of  age,  he  again  visited  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  made  a  leisurely  return  journey 
through  many  of  the  far  western  States,  not- 
ing with  interest  the  wonderful  changes 
which  this  space  of  time  had  brought  about. 
In  politics  he  was  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  but  never  accepted  office  outside 
his  city.  He  .served  for  five  years  as  a  mem- 
]yeT  of  the  Akron  city  council. 

In  October,  1849,  Mr.  Cbri-sty  wa*  mar- 
ried to  Janet  Warner,  of  Akron,  who  died 
in  March,  190:5.  Of  their  si.x  children  the 
following  survive:  Alice,  who  is  the  wife  of 
John  E.  Metlin ;  James  and  Will,  wh  i  are 
prominent  business  men  of  Akron,  and  Net- 
tie, who  re.«iides  at  the  family  home.  No.  160 
Fir  Street. 

James  Christy,  Jr.,  is  proprietor  of  the 
wholesale  and  retail  leather,  saddlery  and 
hardware  companv,  which  is  established  at 
No.  142  South  Howard  Street,  Akron.  Will 
Christy  is  president  of  the  West  Hill  Land 
Company,  the  Akron  People's  Telephone 
Company,  the  Hamilton  Building  Company 
and  the  Central  Savings  and  Tnist  Company, 
the  largest  savins?  bank  in  Akron,  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Northern  Ohio  Traction  and 
Light  Company,  and  the  Firestone  Tire  and 
Rubber  Company. 

PHILIP  R.  SCHNABEL,  a  partner  in  the 
Western  Reserve  Robe  and  Tannins  Com- 
pany, of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  wa.s  born  at  Munroe 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


431 


Falls,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  May  10,  1876, 
son  of  Charles  W.  and  Jennie  E.  (Clayton) 
Schnabel.  His  paternal  grandfather  was 
Philip  Schnabel,  who  was  born  in  Hessen, 
Germany,  in  1825.  Emigrating  to  America 
in  early  manhood  Philip  settled  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  residing  on  the  thoroughfare  now 
known  as  Fourth  Street.  His  wife,  in  mnid- 
enhood  Martha  E.  Lapp,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, May  10,  1820. 

Charles  \V.  Schnabel,  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  and  son  of  the  Philip 
above  mentioned,  attended  school  in  the  Big 
Springs  school  house  at  Cuyahoga  Falls  and 
later  continued  his  studies  at  Munroe  Falls. 
He  remained  on  the  old  homestead  until  his 
marriage,  at  which  time  he  purchased  a  prop- 
erty at  Munroe  Falls,  where  he  lived  for 
eleven  years,  being  employed  there  in  a  paper 
mdll.  He  'married  Jennie  E.  Clayton,  who 
was  a  native  of  Tallmadge,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Richard  Clayton. 
Mr.  Clayton,  who  was  born  in  Wales,  wa«  a 
coal  miner  by  occupation  and  resided  at  Tall- 
madge, where  his  widow  now  lives.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Charles  "\V.  Schnabel  have  been  the  par-" 
ents  of  three  children,  namely:  Philip  R., 
whose  name  begins  this  sketch;  Harrj-  C. 
who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months,  and 
Milo  Clayton,  residing  with  his  parents,  who 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Cuvahoga  Falls  High 
School,  Cla-s.-.  of  1907. 

Philip  R.  Schnabel  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  city,  graduating  from  the 
Cuyahoga.  Falls  high  school  in  1893.  After 
assisting  his  father  on  the  home  farm  for  .sev- 
eral years,  he  was  appointed  mail  carrier,  be- 
ing one  of  the  first_  rural  carriers  in  the  State. 
He  remained  at  this  occupation  for  eighteen 
months,  and  then  became  assistant  postmas- 
ter at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  which  position  he  filled 
up  to  1908,  a  period  of  six  years.  For  sev- 
eral years  suljseauently  he  was  associated 
with  his  father  in  the  live-stock  business, 
breeding  and  selling  cattle.  He  then  entered 
the  employ  of  the  company  in  which  he  i< 
now  a  partner,  as  a  taxidermist.  Possessing 
a  strong  taste  for  this  kind  of  work,  he  had. 
even  in   his  boyhood,   acquired   considerable 


skill  as  a  taxidermist,  and  entered  into  it  be- 
cause it  was  congenial.  He  holds  a  permit 
from  the  State  Fish  and  Game  Commission, 
which  is  dated  1903.  The  Western  Ra=erve 
Robe  &  Tanning  Company  was  astablished  in 
the  fall  of  1904  by  Hon.\j.  C.  Jones  of  To- 
ledo, and  Charles  J.  Appleby,  the  latter  a 
tanner  of  twenty-five  years'  experience.  The 
company's  plant  at  Cuyahoga  Falls  was  es- 
tablished for  the  inanufacture  of  fur  gar- 
ments, including  fur  robes,  coats,  gloves  and 
mittens,  the  company  tanning  their  own  skins 
and  making  a  specialty  of  taxidermy.  Mr. 
Schnabel  purcha.'^ed  Mr.  Jones's  interest  in 
the  firm  on  March  1,  1907.  The  factory  is 
located  in  a  convenient  section  of  the  town — 
on  North  Front  Street — and  each  year  its 
importance  grows. and  its  output  increa.ses. 

Mr.  Schnabel  married  Edna  Whittlesey,  a 
daughter  of  J.  H.  AVhittlesey,  of  Stow.  Mr. 
Schnabel  was  reared  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.     His  wife  is  a  Catholic. 

A.  WESLEY  HAWKINS,  proprietor  of 
the  Akron  Lumber  Company,  who  is  lo- 
cated at  No.  569  South  Main  Street,  Akron, 
is  one  of  the  city's  successful  men  of  affairs. 
He  was  born  in  Portage  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  in  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Nel- 
son C,  and  a  grandson  of  John  Hawkins, 
who  was  one  of  the  very  first  settlers  in  Por- 
tage  Town.ship. 

Nelson  C.  Hawkins  was  born  on  his  father's 
pioneer  farm  in  Portage  township.  Summit 
County,  in  1824,  and  died  iti  1891.  He  as- 
sisted his  father  in  developing  the  land  from 
its  native  wdlderness,  but  did  not  devote  his 
entire  life  to  agricultural  pursuits.  For 
twenty-five  years  prior  to  his  death,  he  was 
employed  by  the  firm  of  Aultman,  Miller  & 
Company.  In  political  .sentiment  he  was  a 
Rqjublican,  and  during  .some  years  he  ser\'ed 
as  a  tnistee  of  Portage  Township. 

A.  Wesley  Hawkins  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Portage  Township,  and  worked  for 
about  one  year  for  the  mercantile  firm  of 
Hall  Brothers,  at  Akron,  following  which  he 
was  in  the  county  recorder's  office  for  a  short 
time.     He  then  took  a  complete  commercial 


432 


•  HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


four^e  ill  0.  S.  ^^'al•nel■'^  Business  College. 
During  the  succeeding  year  he  kept  books 
for  the  firm  of  Oviatt  &  Warner,  dealers  in 
agricultural  implements,  when  Mr.  Oviatt 
organized  a  company  for  the  manufacture  of 
threshing  machines  'and  farm  wagons,  of 
which  Mr.  Hawkins  becaime  secretary,  serv- 
ing eleven  inonths  a^  such  at  Hudson.  He 
then  returned  to  Akron  and  went  to  work  for 
the  firm  of  Aultman,  Miller  &  Company,  for 
a  short  time,  subsequently  serving  two  years 
as  bookkeeper  for  Jahant  &  Grey.  After- 
wards he  became  bookkeeper  for  the  Akron 
Lumber  Company,  which  was  operated  by 
the  Diamond  Match  Company.  After  eight 
years'  connection  with  this  company,  Mr. 
Hawkins,  in  association  with  J.  H.  Dellen- 
berger,  in  1891,  bought  the  plant,  since 
which  time,  the  firm  has  done  a  large  whole- 
sale and  retail  lumber  busine.ss,  operating  a 
planing  mdll  and  manufacturing  sa.«h,  doors 
and  blinds. 

In  1876  Mr.  Hawkins  was  married  to 
Clara  A.  Smetts,  a  daughter  of  the  lute 
George  W.  Smetts,  who  was  a  postal  railway 
clerk,  residing  at  Akron.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hawkins  have  two  sons,  George  W.  and 
Charles  W.,  the  former  of  whom  is  book- 
keeper for  the  firm  of  Rohrbacher  &  Allen,  ai 
Akron,  the  latter  being  employed  in  the  of- 
fice of  the  Akron  Lumber  Company.  Mr. 
Hawkins  and  family  belong  to  the  Congrega- 
tional Church. 

Mr.  Hawkins  is  a  Thirty-second  Degree 
Mason,  belongs  to  all  branches  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  lis  also  a  Knight  of  Pythias. 
While  not  particularly  active  in  politics,  he 
has  always  shown  his  inlerest  in  public  af- 
fairs and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  City 
Council. 

CHARLES  HERBERICH,  secretary  and 
trea.surer  of  the  Depositors'  Savings  Bank 
Company,  at  Akron,  has  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  this  city,  but  is  a  native 
of  Germany.  Early  in  life  he  was  brought 
to  America  and  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Akron. 

After  completing  his  education.  Mr.  Her- 


bericli  entered  the  employ  of  the  American 
Hard  Rubber  Company,  and  was  connected 
with  the  shipping  department  for  seven 
years.  He  then  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  D.  Ilerberich  &  Company,  dealers  in 
general  insurance  and  real  estate,  of  which 
he  is  at  present  the  secretary.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  a  number  of  corporations  and  has 
been  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Deposit- 
ors' Savings  Bank  since  its  organization.  The 
other  officers  of  this  financial  institution  are: 
Carl  Dietz,  president,  and  A.  H.  Mallisfni, 
vice  president.  The  bank  was  open  for  busi- 
ness April  15,  1907,  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$50,000,  and  it  has  been  successful  from  the 
start,. its  officers  inspiring  general  confideiic  ■. 
In  1902  Mr.  Herberich  was  married  to  Ve- 
ronica Storz,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Georgj 
Storz,  now  deceased,  but  formerly  a  substan- 
tial citizen  of  Akron.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Grace  and  Richard.  Mr.  Herberich  is 
a  member  of  the  First  German  Reformed 
Church,  which  he  served  on  the  board  of 
trustees  for  four  years.  He  l)elongs  to  the 
beneficiary  order  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and 
to  the  Liebertafel  Club." 

CLYDE  K.  FOWLER,  local  agent  for  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  Company,  and 
for  the  United  States  Express  Company,  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
place  for  the  past  seven  years,  coming  here 
first  as  a  telegrapher.  He  was  born  at  Char- 
don,  Lawrence  County,  Ohio,  July  23,  1875, 
and  is  a  son  of  Seymour  S.  and  Celia  J. 
(Clark)    Fowler. 

Seymour  S.  Fov\4er,  father  of  Clyde  K., 
was  born  in  Ma.ssachusetts,  and  when  about 
seventeen  years  of  age,  went  to  Michigan, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  a  lumber  business 
for  some  years.  He  then  moved  to  Sheridan, 
Ohio,  where  he  was  occupied  as  an  auctioneer 
and  insurance  agent,  going  thence  to  Ravenna 
and  later  to  Akron,  where  he  was  connected 
with  the  Akron  Machine  Company  for 
eleven  years.  For  the  past  six  years  he  has 
been  in  the  piano  business  at  Mas.'sillon.  Ohio. 
His  wife,  Celia,  died  October  IB.  1902,  aged 
fiftv-six  vears.     She  was  a  consistent  member 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


435 


of  the  Metibodist  Episcopal  Church,  to  which 
religious  body  Mr.  Fowler  also  belongs.  Of 
their  six  children,  four  grew  to  maturity, 
namely:  Clark  B.,  residing  in  Pennsylva- 
nia; Caroline,  who  married  Charle.s  W.  Can- 
field,  and  resides  at  Chardon;  Nellie,  who 
married  Wilbur  F.  Bliss,  residing  at  San 
Diego-,  California,  and  Clyde  K. 

Clyde  K.  Fowler  attended  the  public 
schools  at  Chardon,  and  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years  learned  telegraphy  at  Ravenna, 
where  his  parents  were  then  residing.  He 
has  been  employed  solely  in  railroad  work, 
for  the  first  five  years  being  with  the  C.  &  P. 
Railroad,  and  since  then  with  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  Company.  He  has  been  located  in 
different  sections  of  the  State,  and  because 
of  liis  expert  manipulation  of  the  keys,  'has 
been  many  times  placed  in  responsible  posi- 
tions. 

Mr.  Fowler  was  married  in  1896  to  Eliza- 
beth E.  MacLaughlin,  a  daughter  of  George 
and  Rachael  MacLaughlin,  of  Alliance,  Ohio. 
They  have  two  children,  Ruth  E.  and  Harold 
G.  Mrs.  Fowler  is  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational Oiurch.  Politically,  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  belongs  to  Pavonia  Lodge,  No. 
301,  Knights  of  Pythias.  Mr.  Fowler  has 
recently  purchased  a  comfortable  home,  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls.  Although  he  has  been  phy- 
sically handicapped  since  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  when  the  accidental  discharge  of  a  ,gini 
shattered  his  right  hand,  he  has  overcome 
all  disadvantage  resulting  therefrom,  and  in 
his  line  of  work  has  been  successful. 

MILTON  H.  AA^ARNER,  owner  of  the 
Hillside  Fruit  and  Dairy  Farm,  which  con- 
sists of  sixty-five  acres  of  some  of  the  most  pro- 
ductive land  in  Coventry  Township  and  is 
favorably  located  within  one-half  mile  of  the 
corporation  limits  of  Akron,  is  one  of  the 
prominent  and  substantial  men  of  this  sec- 
tion. Mr.  Warner  was  born  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Coventry  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  August  1,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Solo- 
mon and  Matilda  E.   (Ritter)   Warner. 

Mr.  AVarner's  grandparents  were  Henry 
and  Elizabeth    (Kepler)    AVarner,   who  were 


born  in  Pennsylvania.  In  1835  they  came  to 
Ohio,  settling  first  at  Canton,  but  later  they 
came  to  the  farm  in  Coventry  Township, 
Summit  County,  which  is  now  owned  by  AA'il- 
ham  Ferris.  AVhen  they  came  to  this  neigh- 
Ijorhood  as  pioneers,  the  whole  region  was  a 
wilderness,  and  before  they  could  build  their 
first  log  house,  a  clearing  had  to  be  made  in 
the  forest.  After  Henry  AVarner  had  pro- 
vided a  comfortable  home  in  Ohio,  he  was 
joined  by  his  aged  father,  Adam  AA^irner,  who 
survived  until  almo.st  the  age  of  ninety-nine 
years.  Henry  AA'arner  died  aged  seventj'-six 
years  and  his  widow  when  three  years  older. 
They  reared  a  sturdy  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  still  living.  They  were 
John,  Adam,  Jacob,  AA^illiam,  Samuel,  Abra- 
ham, Solomon  and  Daniel.  Jacob  AVarner, 
of  this  family,  served  as  a  100-day  soldier  in 
the  Civil  AVar,  and  AA^illiam  AA'^arner  served 
three  years,  both  receiving  an  honorable  dis- 
charge at  the  close  of  their  terms  of  service. 

Solomon  Warner,  father  of  Milton  H.,  was 
born  in  Coventry  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  June  22,  1837,  and  still  survives,  re- 
siding with  his  .son,  Milton  H.,  his  only  child. 
He  was  married  May  27,  1858,  to  Matilda  E. 
Ritter,  who  was  born  in  Springfield  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  October  28, 
1837,  and  died  April  24,  1888.  For  many 
years,  Solomon  AA^arner  followed  the  thresh- 
ing business. 

Milton  H.  AA^arner,  their  only  child,  was 
reared  on  the  old  home  place.  He  attended 
the  district  schools  and  later  spent  a  sliort 
time  in  the  Smithville  High  School.  AA'^hen 
about  seventeen  years  of  age  he  began  to  work 
in  the  mill  of  Brewster  Brothers,  at  Pleasant 
A''al]ey,  where  he  remained  for  twelve  years, 
when  he  went  to  East  Akron  and  worked  for 
eighteen  months  in  the  Seiberling  mill,  re- 
taining his  home,  however,  at  Pleasant  A^'alley 
until  1897.  He  then  moved  to  his  present 
farm,  which  he  had  bought  from  the  Austin 
Spicer  heirs,  in  1895.  This  land  has  always 
been  considered  fertile  and  has  been  made  ex- 
ceptionally productive  under  Mr.  AA'arner's 
excellent  methods.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
dairying,  keeping  sixteen  licad  of  cattle  and 


436 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


five  head  of  horses,  and  of  fruit-growing,  es- 
pecially berries.  He  finds  a  ready  market 
for  all  his  produce  at  Akron.  The  improve- 
ments on  the  farm,  including  the  commodi- 
ous fourteen-room  residence,  and  substantial 
barn  and  other  buildings,  have  all  been  made 
by  Mr.  Warner.  Mr.  Warner  is  also  con- 
nected ivith  the  Norton  Mutual  Fire  and  Cy- 
clone Insurance  Company  ajid  has  written 
some  of  the  largest  policies  in  this  locality. 

Mr.  Warner  was  married  December  18, 
1884,  to  Ida  C.  Grotz,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Almira  (Martin)  Grotz.  Tlie  ma- 
ternal grandmother  of  Mrs.  Warner,  Rebecca 
Way,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Suf- 
field  Township,  and  the  family  is  an  old  and 
prominent  one  of  this  section.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Warner  have  two  sons,  Harry  J.,  residing  at 
home,  assisting  his  father,  and  Edgar  S.,  who 
is  connected  with  the  Goodrich  Rubber  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Warner  and  family  belong  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  the  spring 
of  1907,  Mr.  Warner  wa^  elected  a  member 
of  the  Summit  County  Agricultural  Society. 
Fraternally  he  belongs  to  Summit  Lodge,  No. 
50,  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Encampment.  His  portrait 
is  pre-eiited  on  an  adjoining  page. 

ALBERT  H.  MALLISON,  one  of  Akron's 
leading  citizens  now  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness life,  is  a  member  of  a  prominent  pioneer 
family,  and  a  son  of  the  late  Albert  G.  Malli- 
son,  who  came  to  Akron  in  1832. 

Mr.  Mallison's  father  came  to  Summit 
County  in  the  capacity  of  a  civil  engineer, 
and  was  a.ssociated  with  Captain  Howe  in  the 
surveying  and  laying  out  of  about  300  acres 
of  land  which  is  now  in  the  central  part  of 
Akron.  He  did  a  large  amount  of  surveying 
in  this  section,  and  many  of  the  old  recorded 
papers  of  conveyance,  have  his  name  at- 
tached. He  was  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
born  in  1797,  and  he  died  at  Akron,  in  1879. 

In  1843  he  was  married  to  Cornelia  G. 
Washburn,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  died 
in  1875.  Of  their  family  of  three  children 
there  are  two  sur\'ivors — Eveline,  who  mar- 


ried H.  G.  Moon,  a  retired  citizen  of  Akron, 
and  Albert  H. 

Albert  H.  Mallison  attended  school  in  Ak- 
ron when  the  present  busy  city  was  a  village 
and  he  has  seen  all  of  its  wonderful  develop- 
ment. Until  1890  he  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  still  retains  farming  interests.  At 
that  date  he  platted  his  farm,  which  has  been 
largely  sold  in  town  lots,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  desirable  residence  portions  of  the  city. 
Mr.  Mallison  is  identified  with  the  banking 
interests  of  Summit  County.  In  addition  to 
being  vice  president  of  the  Depositors'  Sav- 
ings Bank,  he  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Second 
National  Bank  of  Akron  and  also  in  the 
Cuyahoga  Falls  Bank  of  Cuyahoga  Falls. 
His  beautiful  home,  at  513  Wooster  Avenue, 
is  situated  within  half  a  dozen  rods  of  the 
spot  where  he  was  born. 

On  March  16,  1875,  Mr.  Mallison  was  mar- 
ried to  Alice  M.  Miner,  and  they  have  four 
children,  namely:  Edith  M.,  who  married 
Joseph  H.  James,  a  profea-^or  in  the  Carnegie 
Institute,  at  Pitt.'^burg;  Celia  R.,  wife  of  W. 
E.  Hardy,  who  is  connected  with  the  Dia- 
mond Rubber  Company,  of  .^kron;. Blanche 
J.,  who  was  a  member  of  the  graduating 
cla.ss  at  Buchtel  College  in  1907,  and  Albert 
G.,  who  is  a  third-year  student  at  the  West- 
ern Reserve  University.  Mrs.  Mallison  is  a 
member  of  the  Universalist  Church. 

Mr.  Mallison  has  ever  taken  a  good  citi- 
zen's interest  in  public  matters.  Politically 
a  Republican,  he  has  served  on  numerous 
occasions  in  office,  both  in  the  city  of  Akron 
and  in  the  county.  He  was  a  trustee  for 
three  terms  of  Portage  Township,  assessor  for 
two  terms,  and  for  tiiree  years  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Akron  School  Board.  He  is 
liberal  in  his  donations  to  charity  and  in  his 
support  of  benevolent  institutions. 

FRANK  T.  MOLONEY,  cashier  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Cuyahoga  Falls  Savings  Bank, 
treasurer  of  the  Walsh  Paper  Company  and 
also  of  the  Cuyahoga  Falls  Board  of  Trade, 
occupies  a  prominent  position  in  the  business 
life  of  this  city.  Mr.  Moloney  wa«  born  at 
Chicago,  Illinois,  November  16,  1873,  and  is 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


437 


a  son  of  John  J.  ;ind  Mary  A.  (Smith)  Mo- 
loney. 

John  J.  Moloney  was  born  in  Ireland  and 
after  the  death  of  his  father,  accompanied 
his  mother  to  America,  about  1843.  He  was 
seventeen  years  of  age  when  he  enlisted  for 
sendee  in  the  Civil  War,  entering  the  Nine- 
teenth Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
in  which  he  served  for  three  years,  during 
which  time  he  was  twice  wounded  and  other- 
wise injured.  He  and  wife  have  spent  the 
most  of  their  lives  in  Chicago,  where  he  has 
followed  carpenter  work.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Frank  T.  Moloney  has  been  identified  with 
the  banking  business  ever  since  he  completed 
the  High  School  course  in  his  native  city. 
He  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Commercial 
National  Bank  of  Chicago  for  eleven  years, 
beginning  as  a  messenger  boy,  and  he 
was  gradually  advanced  until  1903,  when  he 
became  connected  with  Euclid  Park  National 
Bank  of  Cleveland,  as  general  bookkeeper. 
He  remained  there  until  1905,  when  he  came 
to  the  Cuyahoga  Falls  Savings  Bank,  He  is 
one  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Cuya- 
hoga Savings  Society. 

Mr.  Moloney  married  May  Belle  Vim 
Hart,  of  Cincinnati,  and  has  one  child,  a 
daughter,  Adella,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moloney 
are  members  of  the  Congregational  Church. 

In  political  sentiment,  Mr.  Moloney  is  a 
Republican.  He  is  prominent  in  Masonic 
circles,  belonging  to  Union  Park  Lodge,  No. 
610,  A.  F.  &  A.'  M,,  of  Chicago;  York  Chap- 
ter, R.  A.  M.,  No.  148,  and  AI  Sirat  Grotto, 
of  Cleveland, 

GEORGE  H.  WORRON.  president  of  the 
Star  Planing  Mill  and  Lumber  Company, 
with  plant  at  No.  55  Cherry  Street,  Akron, 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  for  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  and  has  a  wide  circle  of 
bu.sine,ss  as  well  as  personal  friends.  He  was 
born  in  County  Kent,  England,  in  1854.  In 
1856  the  parents  of  Mr.  Worron  came  to 
America  and  settled  at  Utica,  New  York,  The 
subjec-t  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in  that  sec- 
tion of  the  covmtrv,  and  after  he  had  com- 


pleted his  schooling,  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  In 
1882  he  came  to  Akron  and  entered  the  em- 
,ploy  of  the  D.'  W,  Thomas  Company,  con- 
tractors and  builders,  and  tecoming  foreman, 
remained  with  that  firm  for  about  fifteen 
years.  He  then  organized  The  Star  Plan- 
ing Mill  Company,  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$25,000,  and  a  finely-equipped  plant.  The 
business  is  the  manufacturing  of  sash,  doors, 
blinds  and  general  interior  finishings,  and  in 
connection  the  company  conducts  a  lumber 
yard,  and  also  do  a  general  contracting  bu-i- 
II  ess. 

In  1882  Mr.  AVorron  was  married  to  Alice 
S.  Hunsicker,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Peter 
Hunsicker  of  Johnson's  Corners.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  English  Lutheran  Church. 
His  fraternal  connections  are  with  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Maccabees. 

HARRISON  THEODORE  ROETHIG,  a 

successful  business  man  at  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
proprietor  of  a  meat  market  on  Front  Street, 
was  born  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  September  19,  1869,  and  is  a  son  of 
Ferdinand  Julius  and  Sarah  J,  (Faze)  Roe- 
thig. 

Ferdinand  Julius  Roethig  was  born  at 
Krakow,  Au.strian  Hungary,  February  24, 
1825,  and  when  he  was  five  years  old  his 
father  died  and  his  mother  took  him  to  Ger- 
many. She  pas.sessed  means  and  he  was  edu- 
cated at  Leipsic,  where  he  later  learned  the 
trade  of  tinner  and  copper.-^mith.  He  was 
one  of  the  young  men  who  rallied  under  the 
banner  of  the  Plungarian  patriot,  Louis  Kos- 
suth, whose  fortunes  he  followed  for  three 
years.  After  the  defeat  of  their  .great  leader, 
at  Temesvar,  on  August  9,  1849,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  regiment  to  which  Mr.  Roethig  be- 
longed, including  himself,  escaped  to  the 
United  States,  and  here  he  fell  back  on  his 
trade  as  a  means  of  support.  For  a  year  he 
worked  at  New  Orleans,  and  then  ascended 
the  Mississippi  to  St,  Paul,  From  that  city 
he  went  to  Chicago,  and  worked  there  at  his 
trade  for  one  year,  and  then  coming  to  Cuya- 
hoga Falls.     Here  he  followed  his  trade  for 


438 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT   COUNTY 


many  years,  a  part  of  the  time  for  himself 
and  partly  in  the  shops-  of  L.  W.  Loomis  and 
Parks  &  Gillette.  After  coming  to  Ohio  he 
enlisted  for  service  in"  the  Civil  War,  but  was 
stricken  with  illness  at  Massillon,  which 
caused  his  discharge.  He  died  April  17, 
1886,  eight  years  before  his  old  commnnder. 

On  August  30,  1852,  Ferdinand  Julius 
Roethig  was  married  to' Sarah  J.  Faze,  who 
sun'ives  him  and  resides  at  Cuyahoga  Falls. 
She  was  born  at  Manchester,  Carroll  County, 
Maryland,  February  24,  1832,  and  accom- 
panied her  parents  to  Cuyahoga  Falls,  wJieu 
!?he  was  five  years  of  age.  Her  family  came 
in  M-agons  and  were  three  weeks  making  the 
trip.  Her  father,  Peter  Faze,  was  born  in 
Gennany  and  came  to  America  with  his  par- 
ents when  five  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
paper-.ma.ker  and  was  accidentally  killed  in 
a  paper  mill  in  April,  1852,  when  aged  fifty- 
nine  years.  There  Avere  nine  children  born 
■to  Ferdinand  J.  Roethig  and  wife,  namely: 
Ferdinand  J.,  deceased;  Julia  Sarah,  who 
married  C.  W.  Moon,  both  being  now  de- 
ceased; Oharle.s  B.,  residing  at  Syracuse,  New 
York;  William  Washington,  residing  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  Edward  Loon,  Lillian, 
Alfred  Herman  and  Harrison  T.,  all  resi- 
dents of  Cuyahoga  Falls.  All  of  the  above 
family  was  reared  in  the  German  Lutheran 
faith." 

Harrison  Theodore  Roethig  was  educated 
in  the  common  and  High  Schools  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  and  then  learned  the  butchering 
business  with  Smith  Tifft,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained for  ten  years.  He  then  went  to  work 
for  his  brothers,  "\A^illiam  and  Edward  Roe- 
thig, who  were  doing  business  under  the  firm 
name  of  Roethig  Bros.,  remaining  with  them 
for  another  ten  years.  In  Febniary,  1901, 
he  opened  his  own  market.  He  has  a  clean, 
sanitary  place,  puts  up  his  own  ice  and  does 
a  large  part  of  his  own  butchering.  He  deals 
only  in  first-class  meat,  carrying  all  the  .sta- 
ple delicacies  in  his  line.  Lie  is  essentially 
a  man  of  business,  and  although  he  votes 
with"  the  Republican  partv,  he  takes  no  active 
part  in  political  affairs,  devoting  his  time  ex- 
clusively to  looking  after  his  constantly  in- 


creasing interests.  Mr.  Roethig  married 
Bertha  L.  Holden,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
James  Holden,  of  Kent,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Lowell  H. 

W.  G.  WISE,  secretary  and  manager  o! 
the  Wise  Furnace  Company,  which  operates 
large  works  at  Akron,  was  born  at  Green- 
town,  Stark  County,  Ohio.  He  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools  and  at  Mt.  Union  and 
subsequently  taught  school  for  two  years. 
Coming  to  Akron  in  search  of  a  satisfactory 
business  field,  Mr.  Wise  entered  the  office  of 
J.  F.  Seiberldng,  where  he  remained  for  six 
years.  He  then  went  to  Catskill.  New  York, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  a  brick  industry 
for  two  years,  after  which  he  retu^-ned  to 
Akron.  Here  he  was  associateid  for  a  time  with 
the  Werner  Company,  and  later  mih  the 
Twentieth  Century  Heating  Company,  re- 
maining with  the  latter  house  for  four  years. 

In  January,  1904,  Mr.  Wi.se  organized  the 
Wise  Furnace  Company,  which  Avas  incorpo- 
rated Avith  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000.  Avith 
J.  W.  Myers,  presidemt;  George  Carmichael, 
vice-prasident,  and  AV.  G.  Wise,  secretary  and 
manager.  This  company  manufactures  fur- 
naces of  the  WLse  pattern,  and  the  National 
Gas  Hot  Water  Heaters,  and  their  large  fac- 
torj'  gives  employment  to  seventy-five  men. 
The  business  has  been  a  pro.sperous  one  from 
the  beginning,  and  the  jirogress  of  the  com- 
pany has  ben  the  most  rapid  known  in  the 
furnace  business. 

In  1893  Mr.  AVise  was  married  to  Emma 
Filbey,  of  Shreve,  AVayne  County,  Ohio,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Atlee.  Mr.  aTid  Mrs. 
AVise  belong  to  the  AA^oodland  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  U. 
C.  T. 

GEORGE  J.  RENNER,  president  of  the 
George  J.  Renner  BrewerA'  Company,  of  Ak- 
ron, and  a  resident  of  this  city  for  nineteen 
A^ears,  is  a  native  of  G6rmanA^  where  he  \^as 
ijorn  in  1835. 

In  1849  Mr.  Renner  came  to  America  and 
lived  at  Covington  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  un- 
til   1882.      He    then    removed    to    Wooster, 


ELUE  0.  FRITCH 


AND    PvI']PRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


441 


where  he  was  in  a  brewing  business  for  three 
or  four  years,  and  was  afterwards  in  the  snnie 
business  in  Mansfield  up  to  1888,  when  lie 
came  to  Akron.  Purchasing  an  old  brewery 
plant  here  he  added  to  it  until  he  now  owns 
one  of  the  finest  equipped  breweries  in  the 
country.  He  still  owns  a  brewery  at  Mans- 
field, and  has  also  other  business  interests, 
having  been  concerned  in  oil  production  for 
some  years.  The  Akron  brewery  operates  an 
ice  plant  having  a  capacity  of  fifty  tons  daily. 
The  sales  of  the  brewery  aiuount  to  about 
28,000  barrels  annually,  but  could  be  ad- 
vanced, with  the  present  equijiments,  to  from 
30,000  to  50,000. 

In  1853  Mr.  Renner  married  a  native  of 
(Tcrmany,  and  they  have  a  pleasant  family 
and  a  fine  home  in  Akron,  where  Mr.  Rmi- 
ner  is  numbered  with  the  leading  citizens. 

ELUE  0.  FRITCH,  secretary  and  manager 
of  the  Faultless  Broom  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, of  Akron,  a  prosperous  enterprise  which 
is  capitalized  at  .$25,000,  is  a  native  of  Ohio 
and  was  born  in  Stark  Countv,  June  13, 
1883. 

Mr.  Fritch  was  fifteen  years  of  age  when 
he  came  to  Akron,  and  his  education  had  been 
secured  in  the  schools  of  Stark  County  and  at 
a  commerical  correspondence  school  in 
Rochester,  New  York.  His  first  position  was 
with  the  National  Drill  and  Manufacturing 
Company  at  Barberton,  where  he  had  entire 
charge  of  the  cost  and  time  pay-roll  depart- 
ment. After  three  months  he  took  charge  of 
the  controler  department  of  the  Alden  Rubber 
Company  and  had  charge  of  the  warehouse 
until  the  works  were  closed.  Mr.  Fritch  then 
went  to  Cleveland  and  took  charge  of  the 
books  of  the  University  club  for  one  year  and 
later  was  assistant  manager  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  club,  for  two  years.  He  subse- 
quently returned  to  Akron  and  as.sisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  Faultless  Broom  Manu- 
facturing company,  which  was  incorporated 
March  1,  1907,  with  John  A.  Boughton  as 
president;  E.  0.  Fritch.  as  secretary  and  man- 
ager ;  J.  W.  Harter  as  vice-president  and  T.  F. 
Waters  as  treasurer  and  sales  manager.     This 


industry  has  bright  prospects,  and  judging 
from  the  character  of  the  men  who  have  put 
their  capital  in  the  venture,  there  is  little 
doubt  that  it  will  soon  be  numbered  with  the 
city's  most  important  enterprises.  The  plant 
is  located  at  No.  15  West  Center  Street.  Mr. 
Fritch  is  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church.  He  lielongs  fraternally  to 
the  Royal  Arcanum. 

ERNEST  C.  DEIBEL,  general  manager 
of  the  Renner  Brewing  Company  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Akron  for  the  past  sixteen  years,  was 
born  at  Youngstown  in  1862.  After  com- 
I)leting  has  education  in  his  native  city,  he 
l)ecame  connected  with  the  brewing  interests, 
and  later  took  a  course  in  the  Brewing  Acad- 
emy, at  Chicago.  In  1892  he  came  to  Akron 
and  assumed  the  position  of  general  mana- 
ger of  the  Renner  Brewing  Company.  He  is 
also  the  'manager  of  the  Renner-Deibel  Gas 
Company,  operating  sixty-two  wells  in  Co- 
lumbiana County,  Ohio.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Renner,  who  is  a  daughter  of  George  J. 
Renner,  and  they  have  one  child,  Helen  Dei- 
l)el.  Mr.  Deibel  is  a  member  of  the  Eagle 
and  Elk  fraternities.  He  belongs  to  St.  Ber- 
nard's Catholic  Church  at  Alcron. 

ROBERT  RUSSELL  PEEBLES,  superin- 
tendent of  the  Turner,  Vaughn  and  Taylor 
Company,  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  is  a  practical 
and  experienced  machinist,  having  devoted 
all  of  hds  mature  life  to  this  line  of  work. 
He  was  born  at  IMillersburg,  June  24,  1869, 
and  is  a  son  of  James  W.  and  Isabella  (Pat- 
terson)  Peebles. 

Mr.  Peebles'  parents  came  to  Cuyahoga 
Falls  when  he  was  about  two  years  of  age. 
The  father  was  engaged  in  railroad  work, 
and  was  a  conductor  on  the  C.  A.  &  C.  Rail- 
road for  a  number  of  years.  Later  he  was  a 
liartner  of  the  Falls  Rivet  and  Machine 
Company,  but  is  now  in  the  employ  of  the 
Turner,  Vaughn  and  Taylor  Company.  He 
married  Isabella  Patterson  and  they  have 
two  children,  Robert  Russell  and  Evalena, 
the  latter  of  whom  is  a  teacher  in  the  Cuya- 
hoga   Falls    High    School.      Mr.    James    W. 


442 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Peebles  is  a  -member  of  Star  Lodge,  No.  187, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  Washington  Chapter,  "R. 
A.  M.,  at  Akron,  Ohio. 

Robert  R.  Peebles  married  Clara  Belle  Mc- 
Oracken,  who  is  a  daughter  of  William  Mc- 
Cracken,  of  Natick,  Massachusetts. 

In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Peebles  is  a  Re- 
publican. He  served  two  years  as  a  member 
of  the  board  of  public  affairs,  has  been  on  the 
City  Council,  and  has  been  president,  and 
at  present  is  vice-president  of  the  Cuyahoga 
Falls  Board  of  Trade.  He  is  prominent  in 
Masonry,  having  served  two  vears  as  worship- 
ful master  of  Star  Lodge,  No.  187,  F.  &  A. 
M. ;  he  is  a  'member  also  of  Washington  Chap- 
ter and  of  the  Council  at  Akron. 

JOHN  C.  WEBER,  a  retired  business  citi- 
zen of  Akron,  formerly  president  of  the  Ak- 
ron Foundry  Company,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  a  leading  factor  in  the  city's  commercial 
life,  was  born  August  20,  1S44,  at  Monroe- 
ville,  Huron  County,  Ohio. 

AVhen  he  was  three  months  old  his  parents 
moved  to  Akron.  He  attended  the  public  and 
parochial  schools  connected  with  the  Cath- 
olic Church  until  prepared  for  St.  John's  Col- 
lege at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  spent  two 
yeai-s.  Then  he  was  a  student  in  the  Chris- 
tian Brothers'  College  at  Dayton  for  one  year. 
In  1860  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  general 
store  of  P.  D.  Hall  at  Akron,  where  he  re- 
mained until  October,  1861.  He  then  enlisted 
in  the  Si.xth  Ohio  Independent  Light  Battery, 
which  became  a  part  of  General  Sherman's 
brigade,  and  saw  his  first  active  service  at  the 
battle  of  Shiloh.  His  battery  wa.«  sent  all 
through  Mi.s.sissippi,  Alabama  and  Kentucky 
and  its  next  serious  engagement  was  at  Perry- 
ville  in  the  latter  state.  Mr.  Weber  participat- 
ed in  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing .June  started  with  his  comrades  on  the 
Chattanooga  campaign,  in  which  they  took 
part  in  the  battles  of  Hoover's  Gap,  Chicka- 
mauga  and  Missionary  Ridge.  Thence  they 
went  to  East  Tennessee  to  take  part  in  the  At^ 
lanta  campaign.  The  Sixth  battery  partici- 
pated in  all  the  hard  battles  of  this  mem- 
orable   period,   Rocky  Face    Hill,   Buzzards' 


Roost,  Dalton,  Resaca,  Adamsville,  Calhoun, 
Pumpkinvine  Creek,  New  Hope  Church,  Pick- 
ett's Mills,  Lost  Mountain,  Pine  Top,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Chatahoochee  River,  Vining  Sta- 
tion, Atlanta,  Jonesboro  and  Lovejoy  Station. 
From  Atlanta  his  command  was  attached  to 
the  army  under  General  Thomas  at  Gales- 
ville,  Alabama,  where  Mr.  Weber's  term  of 
enlistment  expired.  During  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign he  had  served  as  an  orderly  for  the 
chief  of  artillery  on  the  staff  of  General  Wood. 

After  a  visit  home,  Mr.  Weber  returned  to 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  where  he  remained  un- 
til the  close  of  the  war.  He  wa«  then  engaged 
for  two  years  in  a  grocery  business  at  Akron, 
after  which  he  went  to  California  by  way  of 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  He  spent  some  three 
years  visiting  the  different  states  of  the  West, 
before  returning  to  Akron.  He  tiaen  became 
iis.sociated  as  traveling  salesman  with  the 
wholesale  drug  house  of  G«orge  Weimer,  with 
which  he  remained  connected  for  three  years. 
In  1875  he  superintended  the  erection  of  the 
Weber  Block  on  Howard  Street,  Akron,  a 
fine  two-story  business  structure  60  by  1 00  feet 
in  dimensions.  In  1876  Mr.  AVeber  went  to 
Cleveland,  where  he  became  associated  with 
the  C.  E.  Gehring  Brewery  Company,  where 
he  continued  in  bu.sine.ss  until  1885,  then  re- 
turning to  Akron.  He  purchased  the  inter- 
est of  William  Gray  in  the  tinware  and  house 
furnishing  goods  firm  of  Jahant  &  Gray,  and 
for  fourteen  years  confined  a  large  part  of  his 
attention  to  this  enterprise.  He  also  built  the 
plant  of  the  Akron  Foundry  Company,  of 
which  he  was  president,  but  disposed  of  his 
interest  in  1899. 

In  1874  Mr.  Weber  was  married  to 
Emeline  Oberholtz,  and  they  liave  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  Eva,  who  is  the  wife  of  E.  W. 
Donahue,  residing  at  Akron:  C.  Irene,  Susie 
M.  and  Bertha  T.,  residing  at  home;  aiid 
Florenz,  who  is  a.ssistant  superintendent  of 
the  Columbia  Gas  and  Electric  Light  Com- 
pany, of  Cincinnati.  Mr.  Weber  and  familv 
belong  to  St.  Bernard's  Catholic  Church.  He 
is  a  Knight  of  St.  -lohn,  a  Knight  of  Colum- 
bus, a  member  of  the  Catholic  Knights  of 
Ohio,  and  of  the  Catholic  Knights  of  America. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


443 


He  belongs  to  Buckley  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Lincoln  Farm  Associa- 
tion. He  is  also  connected  with  the  Commer- 
cial Travelers'  Association,  of  Cleveland. 

Mr.  Weber  has  always  enjoyed  the  recrea- 
tion of  travel  and  has  seen  almost  all  sections 
of  his  native  land.  Several  years  since,  after 
retiring  from  the  environments  of  business,  he 
took  a  tour  through  Europe,  accompanied  by 
his  son.  He  has  never  taken  any  active  part 
in  politics  and  would  never  consider  any  of- 
fice of  a  political  nature,  but  he  accepted  a 
position  on  the  Humane  Association  when 
proffered  him  by  the  Humane  Society  of 
Akron. 

FRANK  A.  SEIBERLING,  president  and 
general  manager  of  the  Goodyear  Tire  and 
Rubber  Company,  at  Akron,  is  a  business 
man  of  this  city  who  has  been  identified  with 
many  of  its  important  enterprises.  He  was 
born  on  Jiis  father's  farm  near  Western  Star, 
Summit  County,  Ohio.  October  6,  1859,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  F.  and  Catherine  L.  (Miller) 
Seil>erling.  In  1861  John  F.  Seiberling  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Doylestown,  and 
in  1865  to  Akron.  Of  his  eleven  children 
nine  are  .still  living. 

Frank  A.  received  his  first  school  training 
in  the  building  then  used  for  school  purposes 
which  stands  adjacent  to  the  Congregational 
Church  on  the  .south.  After  he  had  com- 
pleted the  first  year's  course  in  the  Higli 
School,  he  entered  Heidelberg  College  at  Tif- 
fin. He  remained  there  two  years,  retiring 
at  the  end  of  his  junior  year  in  order  to  be  of 
assistance  to  his  father,  who  had  just  started 
the  manufacture  of  the  Empire  harvester. 
The  young  man's  collegiate  training  proved 
useful  in  the  official  'bu-siness  which  grew  out 
of  this  industrs',  and  in  1884,  when  the  Sei- 
berling Company  was  organized,  Frank  A. 
became  secretary  and  treasurer.  Other  large 
industries,  companies  and  corporations  with 
which  he  has  been  identified,  either  as  stock- 
holder or  as  official,  are  the  Akron  Twine 
and  Cordage  Company,  the  AVerner  Printing 
and  Lithographing  Company,  Superior  Min- 
ing Company,  Canton   Street   Railway  Com- 


pany, Zanesville  Street  Railway  Company, 
Akron  Street  Railway  Company,  Manufactur- 
ers' Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Association,  the 
Thomas  Philips  Company,  and  the  National 
City  Bank.  His  main  attention  is  now  given 
to  the  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rubber  Company, 
of  which  he  is  president  and  general  man- 
ager, the  other  officers  being:  L.  C.  Miles, 
vice-president;  G.  M.  Stadleman.  secretary; 
C.  W.  Seiberling,  treasurer ;  and  P.  W.  Litch- 
field, superintendent.  The  Goodyear  Tire 
and  Rubber  Company,  with  which  Mr.  Seiber- 
ling has  ben  identified  since  1898,  was  or- 
ganized in  that  year.  They  are  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  rubber  goods,  their  spe- 
cialties being  solid  and  pneumatic  carriage 
and  automobile  tires,  bicycle  tires,  rubber 
horse  shoes,  rubber  tiling,  golf  'balls,  moulded 
rubber  and  rubber  specialties.  There  is  no 
portion  of  the  civilized  world  where  the.se 
goods  do  not  find  ready  sale. 

On  October  12.  1887,  Mr.  Seiberling  was 
married  to  Gertrude  F.  Penfield,  of  Willougb- 
by.  Lake  County,  Ohio.  He  and  his  wife  are 
the  parents  of  five  children:  John  Frederick, 
Irene  Henrietta,  Willard  Penfield.  James  Pen- 
field  and  Gertrude  Virginia. 

HARRY  S.  DAVIDSON,  M.  D.,  a  promi- 
nent physician  and  .surgeon  at  Barberton,  and 
coroner  of  Summit  County,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  this  village  since  August,  1899.  He 
was  lx)rn  at  East  Springfield,  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  April  7,  1871,  and  is  a  son  of  C. 
L.  and  Mary  A.  (O'Connell)  David.son. 

Dr.  Davidson  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  his 
paternal  grandparents  having  been  lioni  in 
Scotland,  and  his  maternal  grandparents,  in 
Ireland.  The  families  were  both  agricultuml 
ones.  Young  Davidson  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm  and  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty  years  of  age.  In  the  meantime  he 
attended  the  country  schools  and  improved 
his  oportunities  to  such  an  extent  that,  with- 
out difficulty,  he  passe-d  the  necessary  exami- 
nation for  teachers.  Except  a"!  a  substitute, 
however,  Dr.  David.son  never  taught  school 
He  spent  two  years  in  a  drug  store  at  Mingo 
Junction,  with  his  uncle.  Dr.  W.  J.  O'Con- 


444 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ncll,  a  well-known  physician  and  druggist, 
and  then  entered  the  Scioto  School  of  Phar- 
macy, graduating  therefrom  after  an  attend- 
ance of  two  years.  Immediately  following,  he 
entered  the  Ohio  Medical  University  at  Co- 
lumbus, where  he  was  graduated  in  April, 
1897.  He  practiced  his  profession  for  one 
years  at  Somerdale,  Tuscarawa.s  County,  ai<d 
then  came  to  Barberton,  where  he  has  not 
only  built  up  a  fine  practice,  but  has  become 
one  of  the  leading  citizens. 

In  1898  Dr.  Davidson  was  married  to  Mag- 
gie Johnson,  who  was  born  in  England,  and 
who  came  with  her  parents  to  America  when 
she  was  six  months  old.  She  was  reared  and 
educated  in  "\\'adsworth,  Ohio,  and  after  ma- 
turity went  to  Tuscarawas  with  her  parents, 
teaching  in  Somerdale  for  seven  years.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  David.son  have  been  the  parents 
of  three  children:  Harold  (deceased),  Dor- 
othy and  Jane. 

Politically,  Dr.  Davidson  is  a  Republican 
and  in  November,  1906,  he  was  elected  county 
coroner,  in  which  office  he  ha.s  proved  him- 
self a  careful,  discreet  and  efficient  official. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Barberton  school 
board,  serving  in  his  second  term,  and  prov- 
ing a  valuable  as.sistant  to  the  other  members 
of  the  board.  lie  belongs  to  the  Summit 
Cotmty  and  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Socie- 
ties. Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  a  Knight  of 
Pythias  and  an  Elk.  His  well-equipped  of- 
fices are  located  in  the  Barberton  Savings 
Bank  Building. 

BYRON  P.  WISE,  secretary  of  the  Camp 
Conduit  C-ompany,  at  Akron,  has  been  identi- 
fied with  electrical  Avork  almost  throngho\it 
his  bu.siness  career.  He  was  born  in  Green 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
son  of  William  Wise,  a  native  of  that  town- 
ship. 

The  family  to  which  he  belongs  came  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Ohio  at  an  early  day,  David 
Wise,  the  grandfather  of  Byron  P.,  settling 
in  Green  Town.ship,  Summit  County.  Mr. 
Wise's  ance.stors  in  general  have  been  agricul- 
turists, and  his  ifather  is  a  retired  favmer  liv- 
ing at  Greentown. 


Mr.  Wise  was  educated  primarily  in  the  Un- 
iont(nvn  public  schools,  and  later  took  a  busi- 
ness couree  in  the  Hammel's  Commercial  Col- 
lege at  Akron.  He  then  associated  him.^elf  with 
business  bouses  where  he  could  closely  study 
electricity,  in  which  he  was  deeply  interested. 
For  a  time  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Erie 
Railroad,  then  was  connected  with  the  Camps 
for  six  years,  and  since  the  organization  of 
the  Camp  Conduit  Company,  has  been  the 
secretars'  of  this  concern. 

In  1900  Mr.  Wise  was  married  to  Lela 
Smith,  of  Summit  County,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  D.  J.  Smith.  He  has  two  .sons :  Royale 
C.  and  John  Clarke.  ^Ir.  Wise  and  family 
belong  to  Grace  Reformed  Clnuvh. 

ALFRED  G.  LUSK,  who  is  largely  inter- 
ested in  the  estate  and  insurance  basiness 
throughout  Summit  County,  has  convenient 
offices  in  the  Liisk  Block,  on  Tuscarawas  iV ve- 
nue, Barberton,  in  which  place  he  ranks 
among  the  leading  bu.sin&ss  citizens.  He  was 
born  in  Orange  County,  New  York,  Jan.  9, 
1843,  and  ^is  a  son  of  Cyrus  and  SusJtn  (Wil- 
liams) Lusk.  In  1853,  when  he  was  ten 
years  old,  his  parents  moved  to  Coldwatcr, 
Michigan,  where  the  father  entered  the  real 
estate  business,  taking  over  the  purchase  and 
sale  of  much  property.  It  was  in  that  local- 
ity that  Mr.  Lusk  was  mainly  reared.  When 
fourteen  years  of  age  he  began  railroad  work 
as  a  section  man,  and  by  the  time  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age  he  had  been  mode 
a  section  foreman.  In  the  meanwhile  his  edu- 
cation had  not  been  neglected,  and  on  March 
10,  1866,  he  was  graduated  from  the  East- 
man National  Business  College  at  Chicago.  He 
continued  railroad  work,  fir^t  being  given 
charge  of  a  work  train  and  later  being  made 
trainmaster's  a.ssistant  on  the  Lake  Shore  Rail- 
road. He  spent  twenty  years  as  assistant  to 
roadmaster  .John  Stewart,  one  of  the  stalwart 
old  officials  of  tbe  Lake  Shore.  From  there 
he  went  to  the  AVest  SJiore  Railroad  as  road- 
master,  with  headquarters  at  Cana.'^ota,  New 
York,  where  he  remained  f«r  two  years  and 
then  returned  to  Coldwater,  where  he  contin- 
ued one  year,  and  then,  with  Charles  Pain, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


445 


formerh'  with  the  West  Shore,  came  to  the 
Erie  Raih-oad,  then  the  N.Y.  P.  &  0.  Railroad, 
the  former  in  the  capacity  of  general  man- 
ager and  Mr.  Lusk  as  roadmaster.  Headquar- 
ters were  established  in  1885  at  Akron,  and 
he  remained  with  the  Erie  Railroad  for  fifteen 
years.  In  1900  he  came  to  Barberton  and  em- 
barked in  his  present  business,  subsequently 
building  the  two  adjoining  Lusk  Blocks,  on 
Tuscarawas  Avenue,  the  ground  floor  of  one 
being  occupied  by  M,  C.  Frank,  a  leading  bo: it 
and  shoe  merchant,  and  the  other  by  F.  A. 
Fobes,  who  has  a  fine  stock  of  drj-  goods  and 
millinery. 

ilr.  Lusk  married  Ennna  Hcmrod  and 
they  have  one  child,  Carrie,  who  is  now  the 
wife  of  Dr.  Morehouse  Blackman,  of  Cold- 
water,  Michigan.  For  the  past  forty-two  years 
Mr.  Lu.~k  has  been  a  Mason,  and  in  point  of 
service  i.s.  the  oldest  member  of  the  frater- 
nity at  Barberton. 

G.  CARL  DIETZ,  secretary  of  the  Burk- 
hardt  Brewing  Company,  and  president  of  the 
Depositore'  Savings  Bank,  of  Akron,  was 
born  in  this  city  in  March,  1875,  and  is  a 
son  of  Henry  and  Caroline  (Rupp)  Dietz. 

His  parents  were  both  born  in  Germany 
and  came  to  Akron  almost  a  half  century 
ago.  The  father,  an  iron  worker,  died  when 
G.  Carl  was  still  a  youth,  leaving  his  wife 
with  a  family  of  six  small  children  to  rear. 
Thus  the  subject  of  this  sketch  at  an  unusual- 
ly early  age  was  obliged  to  relieve  his  mother 
of  a  part  of  her  heavy  burden,  and  responsi- 
bilities fell  on  his  shoulders  before  he  was 
hardly  old  enough  to  assume  them.  He  gave 
all  the  assistance  he  could  in  the  rearing  of 
the  family,  and  guided  his  younger  brothers 
and  sisters  to  careers  of  usefulness.  Laboring 
through  the  day  time  and  attending  school 
at  night,  Mr.  Dietz  acquired  a  good  business 
I'ducation,  and  finally  obtained  a  position  in 
the  People's  Savings  Bank,  where  he  remained 
for  ten  years.  He  later  Ijecame  ca.shier  of  the 
Security  Savings  Bank,  having  previously 
been  a  clerk  in  a  clothing  store  for  some 
three  years.  Still  later  Mr.  Dietz  retired  from 
the  Securitv    instilutiDU.    after    serving    five 


years,  and  became  secretary  of  the  M.  Burk- 
hardt  Brewing  Company.  The  banking  busi- 
ness, however,  continuing  to  have  attractions 
for  him,  he  became  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Depositors'  Savings  Bank,  which  was 
opened  for  business  April  15,  1907,  and  of 
which  he  was  made  president.  He  also  fill.- 
the  position  of  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Burkhardt  Realty  Company, 

On  November  17,  1902,  Mr.  Dietz  was  mar- 
ried to  Ida  Burkhardt,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
the  late  W.  Burkhardt.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  German  Reformed  Church. 
He  has  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fel- 
low-citizens, many  of  whom  have  traced  his 
successful  business  career  from  boyhood. 

SYLVESTER  T.  CUNNINGHAM,  fu- 
neral director  and  expert  embalmer,  with  bus- 
iness location  on  the  corner  of  Mill  and 
High  Streets.  Akron,  is  the  senior  member  of 
the  fij-m  of  S.  T.  Cunningham  &  Company. 
Mr.  Cunningham  was  born  at  Detroit,  Michi- 
gan, December  18,  1868. 

When  a  school  boy  of  twelve  years  Sylves- 
ter T.  Cunningham  started  to  learn  the  un- 
dertaking biisiness  in  his  native  city,  and 
.<erved  a  long  and  strict  apprenticeship,  which 
resulted  in  his  thorough  mastery  of  every 
detail  and  his  acquisition  of  the  highest  skill 
in  the  technical  branch  of  the  busine-s.  He 
has  .spent  eighteen  years  in  its  practice  in 
Akron,  and  has  fullv  earned  the  high  repu- 
tation he  enjoys. 

For  seventeen  years  he  was  the  embalnur 
and  funeral  director  for  George  Billow,  un- 
dertaker. In  .June,  1906,  he  established  the 
firm 'of  S.  T.  Cunningham  &  Company,  which 
already  occupies  a  leading  place  among  the 
sub.stantial  business  houses  at  Akron.  His 
undertaking  rooms  are  centrally  located,  and 
his  business  equipments  are  modem  in  char- 
acter, while  his  charges  are  no  higher  than 
are  neces.sary  to  insure  the  best  .service. 

In  1889  Mr.  Cunningham  was  married  to 
•Julia  Kehoe.  of  Detroit,  Michigan,  who  has 
proved  a  very  capable  assistant  to  her  husband 
in  the  bn.«iness.  They  have  one  son.  W.  11 
Cunningham,  who  was  educated  in  the  .\kron 


446 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


schools  and  is  now  connected  with  his  father 
in  the  business. 

WILLIAM  J.  RATTLE,  B.  S.  M.  E.,  resides 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  in  Stow 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  Septem- 
ber 6,  1852.  His  parents  were  William  and 
Elizabeth  Goodwin  (Gaylord)  Rattle.  His 
land  aggregates  350  acres,  the  most  extensive 
farming  tract  in  Stow  Township,  and  is  one 
of  the  best  managed,  finely  improved  and  val- 
uable estates  in  Summit  County. 

The  Rattle  family  is  of  English  ancestry 
and  Quaker  faith.  James  Rattle,  the  jiater- 
nal  grandfather,  canne  to  America  from  Bath, 
England,  accompanied  by  his  children,  who 
were  named  respectively:  Samuel,  AVilliam, 
Henry,  Frank,  Mary  a.nd  Celia.  Until  1880 
he  resided  with  his  family  at  Skaneateles, 
New  York,  and  then  moved  to  Cuyahoga 
Falls.    He  died  in  1870,  aged  ninety  years. 

William  Rattles,  father  of  William  J.,  was 
born  at  Bath,  England,  June  12,  1808,  and 
was  a  mere  boy  when  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  the  United  States.  After  the  d"ath 
of  his  mother,  the  family  removed  from 
Skaneateles,  New  York,  to  Ohio,  but  prior  t') 
this  AVilliam  had  learned  and  followed  the 
trade  of  tanner.  After  reaching  Cuyahoga 
Falls  he  embarked  in  the  shoe  business  and 
soon  became  interested  in  other  lines  of  ac- 
tivity, becoming  owner  of  a  grain  elexator. 
and  for  a  long  period  being  a  large  handler 
of  wheat.  He  built  the  business  block  now  o.'- 
cupied  by  the  Loomis  Hardware  Comjtany 
and  erected  many  other  structures  in  the  citv. 
In  1854  he  niovcd  to  Cleveland,  but  remainrd 
in  that  city  but  a  short  time,  his  attention 
having  been  turned  to  the  lumber  business,  in 
which  he  was  engaged  at  Saginaw.  Michigan, 
until  1858.  He  then  returned  to  Cleveland, 
in  which  citv  he  lived  retired  until  the  close 
of  his  life.  He  was  a  member  of  Star  Lodge, 
No.  187,  F.  &  A.  :M.,  at  Cuyahoga  Falls.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Republican.  Religiously  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Societv  of  Friends.  He 
married  a  daughter  of  the  late  Tliomas  Gay- 
lord,  of  Stow  Town.ship,  of  a  family  of  great 
prominence.     She  was  born  in   June,  1824, 


and  died  i\pril  10,  1905.  She  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 

William  J.  Rattle  was  an  only  child.  He 
began  his  schooling  in  Stow  Town.ship,  con- 
tinued it  in  Cleveland  and  was  graduated  in 
1874,  from  the  Shefiield  Scientific  School  of 
Yale  Univei"sity,  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  Im- 
mediately afterward  he  opened  an  office  at 
Cleveland,  as  a  mining  enginer  and 
analytical  chemist,  and  his  work  in  this  direc- 
tion now  takes  him  to  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. In  1902,  his  son,  William  Rattle,  be- 
came his  partner  and  the  firm  name  is  W.  J. 
Rattle  &  Son. 

The  magnificent  farm  in  Stow  Township  's 
operated  as  a  grain  and  stock  farm.  (>,i  it 
are  raised  about  sixty  acres  of  wheat,  wliich 
Mr.  Rattle  markets,  and  fifty  tons  of  hay  be- 
yond what  is  used  on  the  farm,  and  all  the 
corn  and  oats  for  feeding.  Formerly  Mr. 
Rattle  raised  many  sheep,  but  when  the  price 
declined,  he,  like  other  .slieep-growcrs  in  the 
township,  turned  his  attention  to  otlier  lines 
of  indu.stry.  He  rais&s  many  Berkshire  hogs, 
keeps  thiiij'  head  of  highgrade  catt'e  of 
various  breeds,  has  .six  full-blood  Guernsey 
cows  and  a  Guernsey  bull.  Moon  Arch,  a 
noble  and  valuable  animal.  This  farm  is  con- 
spicuous, not  only  on  account  of  its  size  and 
fertility,  but  becau.se  of  the  care  which  has 
developed  it  into  a  place  so  full  of  beauty  as 
well  as  Titility.  Mr.  Rattle  keeps  six  men 
employed  and  has  provided  every  kind  of  im- 
proved machinery,  and  all  modern  con- 
veniences, so  that  all  his  plan*  can  be  suc- 
cessfully carried  out.  His  beautiful  home  is 
but  one  of  the  fine  buildinp«  which  make  the 
whole  estate  one  of  note.  There  are  two  fine 
residences  on  the  place,  one  of  which  was 
once  the  home  of  his  grandfather,  Thomas 
Gaylord,  who,  with  other  member-  of  the 
family,  owned  large  estates  in  Summit 
County. 

Mr.  Rattle  was  married  in  1877  to  .Julia 
Gary,  who  is  a  daughter  of  .John  E.  Cary,  and 
they  have  tliree  children.  AA^illiam,  Mary  and 
Elizaheth.  AA'illiam  Rattle  was  born  .Tune  27, 
1878,  and  has  grown  up  in  the  business  in 
which  he  is  engaged.     After  completing  the 


SHERMAN  B.  STOTLER 


AND    EEPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


449 


public  school  course,  he  received  scientific 
training  at  the  Case  School  of  Applied  Science 
at  Cleveland,  later  at  Kenyon  College  and 
with  his  father  in  the  latter's  office,  and  is 
thoroughly  qualified  to  further  the  firm's  in- 
terests in  every  way.  In  April,  1907,  he  was 
married  to  Susie  Dewitt,  of  Cleveland.  Mary 
married  Harvey  Mansfield;  they  have  one 
daughter,  Mary,  and  reside  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  Elizabeth  was  born  at  Stow,  Ohio, 
July,  1890.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rattle  belong  to 
St.  John's  Episcopal  Church  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  as  also  do  all  their  children. 

Mr.  Rattle  is  prominent  in  Masonry,  be- 
longing to  Star  Lodge,  No.  187,  F.  &  A.  M., 
at  Cuyalioga  Falls;  Akron  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ; 
Akron  Commandery,  K.  T. ;  Cleveland  Con- 
sistory and  Alkoran  Temple  at  Cleveland. 
In  political  faith  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Summit  County  Horticul- 
tural Society,  and  of  the  American  Institute 
of  Mining  Engineers. 

SHERMAN  B.  STOTLER,  superintendent 
of  the  Summit  County  Infimiary,  holds  a 
very  responsible  position,  the  duties  of  which 
have  been  faithfully  and  efficiently  performed 
since  he  assumed  them.  Mr.  Stotler  was  born 
Decemljer  25,  1856,  in  Doylestown,  Wayne 
County,  Ohio.  His  parents,  Emanual  and 
Eliza  (Franks)  Stotler,  were  well-known 
farming  people  of  Wayne  County,  and  the  fa- 
ther was  also  a  skilled  mechanic.  His  death 
occurred  in  1889.  There  were  seven  children 
in  the  Stotler  familv.  Mrs.  Stotler  died  Julv 
1st,  1901. 

Sherman  B.  Stotler  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  was  educated  in  the  local  schools.  For 
many  years  after  attaining  manhood,  he  was 
employed  by  the  late  J.  F.  Seiberling,  as  an 
expert  machine  man. 

In  1887  Mr.  Stotler  was  appointed  super- 
intendent of  the  Summit  County  Infirmary, 
which  shelters,  at  the  latest  report,  178  in- 
mates. His  duties  include,  besides  the  care 
and  management  of  this  large  number  of  un- 
fortunates, the  cultivation  of  the  infirmary 
farm  of  345  acres.  Only  a  man  possessed  of 
tact,   good  judgment  and  excellent  business 


capacity  could  satisfactorily  fill  so  important 
an  office. 
•      On  December  20,  1882,  Mr.  Stotler  married 
Delia  Shafl'er,  who  is  a  daughter  of  David  and 
Harriet   (Cornelius)   Shafl'er. 

Politically,  Mr.  Stotler  is  a  Republican.  He 
is  connected  fraternally  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Odd  Fellows.  The  publish- 
ers take  pleasure  in  presenting  his  portrait  in 
this  connection. 

WILLIAM  L.  CAMPFIELD,  undertaker- 
and  dealer  in  furniture,  at  Barberton,  is  one  of 
the  leading  citizens  of  the  town,  a  man  of 
progressive  ideas  and  real  public  spirit.  He 
was  born  April  2,  1862,  in  Mercer  County, 
Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  Jack- 
son and  Mary  J.  (Montgomery)  Campfield. 

Mr.  Campfield  lost  his  father  when  he  was 
fourteen  years  of  age,  and  remained  on  the 
home  farm  wath  his  mother,  until  her  death. 
He  then  sold  the  property,  and  in  partnership 
with  H.  Orrison,  embarked  in  an  undertak- 
ing and  furniture  business  at  Martin's  Ferry. 
After  one  year,  ^Ir.  Campfield  bought  out 
his  partner's  interest  and  conducted  the  busi- 
ness alone  until  1902,  when  he  disposed  of 
it  and  one  year  later  came  to  Barberton.  On 
January  1,  1904,  he  arrived  from  Martin's 
Ferry  and  bought  out  the  furniture  store  of 
Frank  Hale,  continuing  the  business  at  the 
same  stand  and  inceasing  its  scope  by  adding 
undertaking.  On  April  18,  1901,  Mr.  Camp- 
field was  graduated  from  the  Pittsburg  School 
of  Anatomy,  and  understands  every  detail  of 
the  undertaking  business.  He  is  well 
cquijiped  for  all  the  business  demands  made 
upon  him  in  this  line,  and  is  also  the  lead- 
ing furniture  dealer  in  Barberton. 

In  the  fall  of  1895  Mr.  Campfield  was 
married  to  Matilda  E.  Shaffer,  and  fhey  have 
a  very  pleasant  home  in  Barberton.  Frater- 
nally, Mr.  Campfield  belongs  to  the  Elks  and 
Knights  of  Pvthias.  With  his  wife,  he  be- 
longs to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Since  locating  here  he  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  promoting  every  movement  for  the 
welfare  of  the  town.  In  the  Business  Men'.s 
Association,  of  which  he  is  a  director,  he  seas 


450 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


a  strong  factor  in  the  ultimate  development 
of  Barbertofl's  business  activities,  as  well  as 
greatly  increased  prosperity  along  all  lines. 

WILLISTON  ALLING,  president  of  the 
Dime  Savings  Bank  at  Akron,  and  formerly 
county  recorder  of  Summit  County,  was  born 
October  26,  1842,  in  Vienna  Township, 
Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
Jonathan  and  Maria  (Clark)  Ailing.  The 
parents  of  Mr.  Ailing  came  to  Trumbull 
County  from  Connecticut,  in  which  state  he 
resided  imtil  he  was  twelve  years  old.  He 
then  became  a  member  of  his  uncle's  family, 
in  Northampton  Town.«hip,  Summit  County. 
After  remaining  with  his  uncle  for  three 
years,  he  secured  farm  work  in  Tallmavge 
Township.  In  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  frcm 
that  township  for  service  in  the  Civil  War  a:id 
for  three  and  a  half  years  thereafter  Avas  a 
member  of  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifteenth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infan- 
try. He  was  honorably  discharged  in  De- 
cember, 1865. 

Mr.  -Ailing  then  returned  to  Tallmadge 
Township  and  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building,  in  wliich  business  he  continued  un- 
til 1897.  Mr.  Ailing  became  president  on  its 
organization  of  the  Dime  Savings  Bank,  at 
Akron,  which  is  now  one  of  the  leading  finan- 
cial institutions  of  the  city.  The  other  offi- 
cers* of  this  bank  are:  Clint  W.  Kline  and 
Charles  Switzer,  vice-presidents,  and  William 
H.  Evans,  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  capi- 
tal stock  of  thds  bank  is  $50,000,  with  a  sur- 
plus of  $2,250.  The  bank  i,s  .^dtuated  in  the 
Ma.sonic  Building  on  the  corner  of  Mill  and 
Howard  Streets. 

Mr.  Ailing  was  married  in  1867  to  Emilie 
A.  Carter,  who  was  born  in  Brimfield,  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Horatio 
Tj.  and  Julia  A.  (Lyon)  Carter,  native';  of 
Ma,'«achusetts.  He  and  his  wife  have  b  en 
the  parents  of  six  children:  Julia  M.,  Wal- 
ter C,  Ruth  W.,  Fannie  M..  Mary  E.  and  Ed- 
win L.,  of  whom  the  last  mentioned  died  in 
December,  1904.  The  family  ha>  a  hi^ih  so- 
cial standing  in  Akron. 

Politically,  Mr.  Ailing  is  a  staunch  Ropulv 


iican,  and  at  various  times  he  has  served  in 
important  offices.  For  twenty-one  years  he 
was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  for  several  years 
county  recorder,  and  for  a  long  period  an 
active  and  useful  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education  of  Tallmadge.  Mr.  Ailing  and 
family  reside  at  No.  39  South  Balch  Street. 
The  Ailing  family  are  members  of  the  West 
Congregational  Church. 

JOSEPH  COOK,  an  old  and  honored  citi- 
zen of  Akron,  now  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness life,  was  born  in  England  in  1847.  His 
parents  came  to  America  when  he  w-as  an 
infant,  settling  first  at  Danville,  later  at 
Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  and  still  later  at 
Eagt  Liverpool,  Ohio. 

He  was  reared  up  to  the  age  of  sixteen 
years  in  East  Liverpool,  obtaining  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  school.*.  He  was  still  a 
schooll)oy  when  he  first  enlisted  for  sei-vice 
in  the  Civil  War,  entering  Company  F. 
Fourth  Regiment,  West  Virginia  Cavalry,  in 
which  he  served,  nevertheless,  with  the  cour- 
age and  efficiency  of  a  man  through  the  eight 
months  for  which  he  had  contracted.  After 
his  discharge  he  re-enlisted,  entering  Co'm- 
pany  A,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-third  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which  he  served  four 
months,  and  being  lionorably  discharged, 
came  to  Akron.  Here  he  enlisted  for  the  thira 
time,  in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fif- 
teenth Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  one 
year,  but  as  this  was  an  old  regiment,  it 
was  soon  mustered  out,  and  Mr.  Cook  wns 
transferred  to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and 
Eighty-eighth  Regiment.  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, in  which  he  remained  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  being  finally  mu.«tered  out  in 
the  fall  of  1865.  He  had  served  imder  Gen- 
eral Butler  in  the  Eastern  army  and  under 
General  Kelley  in  West  Virginia,  his  la-t 
field  service  being  with  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland. 

Mr.  Cook  then  returned  to  Ohio,  his  par- 
ents in  the  meanwhile  having  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Summit  County,  where  he  remained 
until  he  had  recuperated  from  his  long  period 
of  fatigufts  a.nd  exposure  incidental  to  army 


AND    IfKPlJESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


451 


life.  Settling  in  Akron,  he  became  inter- 
ested in  a  pottery  business  with  John  Hich- 
ardson  and  David  Butler,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Richardson,  Cook  &  Butler.  This 
firm  was  afterward  incorporated  as  the  Ak- 
ron Stoneware  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Cook 
was  president  and  general  manager  for  three 
years.  Failing  health  caused  him  to  dis- 
pose of  his  interests  in  the  company,  and 
he  took  a  season  of  rest.  He  subsequently 
retiu'ned  to  the  pottery  busines.s.  however, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Weeks,  Cook  &  Weeks, 
building  a  pottery  plant  and  managing  the 
business  for  four  years.  He  then  sold  out 
to  F.  H.  Weeks,  and  turned  his  attention  to 
improving  his  education,  which'  his  early 
enlistment  had  interrupted,  to  that  end  tak- 
ing a  complete  coui'se  in  Hammel's  Business 
College,  at  Akron. 

Mr.  Cook  then  accepted  a  position  as 
manager  with  the  Wood  Type  and  Novelty 
Company,  and  so  continued  until  the  busi- 
ness Avas  clo.sed  out.  For  .«ome  four  subse- 
quent years  he  was  associated  with  the  Drop 
Hammer  Forge  Company,  filling  the  office 
of  president,  and  later  went  into  business 
with  Charles  S.  Hart,  mider  the  firm  name 
of  Hart  &  Cook,  which  connection  lasted  for 
fifteen  years.  At  the  same  time  Mr.  Cook 
was  president  and  general  manager  of  the 
Akron  China  Company,  but  he  sold  his  in- 
terests therein  and  later  became  connected 
with  the  Cleveland  China  Company  in  the 
decoration  of  china  and  white  ware.  After 
four  years  Mr.  Cook  practically  retired,  in 
1905,  from  active  business  life,  although  he 
owns  a  large  amount  of  land,  to  which  he 
gives  attention,  and  he  is  also  financially  in- 
terested in  the  Aluminum  Flake  Company. 
He  was  for  so  long  an  active  factor  in  the 
city's  bu,«iness  life  that  his  name  is  a  famil- 
iar and  an  honored  one  in  the  local  mart* 
of  trade.  He  has  also  been  active  in  political 
life  to  the  extent  of  working  for  ci\T[c  reform 
and  good  government,  but  has  consented  to 
service  in  no  oflice,  except  on  the  school  board, 
where  he  continued  for  four  years. 

On  October  9,  1873,  Mr.  Cook  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  P.  Norton,  who  is  a  daughter 


of  Thomas  Norton,  and  who  was  born  in  the 
pleasant  old  home  at  No.  1320  East  Market 
Street,  in  which  Mr,  Cook  and  his  family 
now  reside.  Six  children  have  been  born 
into  their  household,  namely:  Eva,  who 
married  Carl  Trulson,  residing  at  Cleveland; 
Thomas  M.,  residing  in  Nevada;  Mary  P., 
who  lives  at  home  with  her  piuents;  Martha, 
who  married  John  Lemmon,  and  resides  in 
Oakland,  California;  George  W.,  residing  in 
Oakland,  but  in  business  at  San  Francisco; 
and  Celia,  who  resides  with  her  parent*.  Mr. 
Cook  is  a  member  of  Akron  Lodge,  F.  &  A. 
M.;  Buckley  Post,  No.  2,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic;  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  of  some 
purely  .social  organizations. 

RICHARD  L.  MOORE,  postmaster  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  one  of  the  representa- 
tive citizens  of  the  place,  was  born  at  Black- 
lick,  Indiana  County,  Pennsylvania,  August 
24.  1880,  and  is  a. son  of  McConnell  and  Eliza- 
beth  (Mildren)  ^loore. 

The  Moore  fainilj-  is  of  Scotch-Irish  extrac- 
tion. William  Moore,  the  great-grandfather 
of  Richard  L.,  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
County,  Pennsylvania,  where  his  life  was 
.spent,  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  His 
son,  Hugh  Moore,  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
County  in  1806,  and  died  in  Sugar  Creek 
Township,  Armstrong  County,  Pennsylvania, 
in  1900.  He  followed  the  trade  of  black- 
smith. His  wife  was  Fannie,  daughter  of 
John  Shryock,  of  Butler  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  they  reared  the  following  children : 
John  and  William,  both  deceased;  James,  re- 
siding at  Johnstown,  Penn.sylvania;  Lavinia, 
deceased;  Thomas  H.,  residing  at  Los  An- 
geles, California;  McConnell,  residing  at  Cuy- 
ahoga Falls;  Sarah  Jane,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Captain  Samuel  J.  Nicker.son,  of  Indiana, 
Pennsylvania:  Margaret  Ann,  widow  of  John 
Adams,  of  Armstrong  County,  Pennsylvania; 
and  George  H.,  of  Rimer.sburg.  Pennsylvania. 
The  mother  of  the  above  family  died  at  the 
age  of  eighty-three  years.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hugh  Moore  were  devout  Presbyterians.  Mr.. 
Moore  being  an  elder  in  the  church. 

McConnell  Moore,   father    of    Richard  L.. 


452 


IIIS'I^OUY    OK    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


was  reared  in  Armstrong  County  and  educated 
in  the  district  schools.  He  was  emploj-ed  as 
clerk  in  a  general  store  at  Brady's  Bend  for 
several  years,  and  then  went  to  Oil  Creek, 
where  he  had  cliarge  of  some  oil  interests 
for  about  a  year.  Then  he  went  to  Pittsburg, 
where  he  worked  at  heating  in  a  rolling  mill 
for  two  and  one-half  years.  He  then  returned 
to  Brady's  Bend  as  an  inspector  of  ore  for 
the  Brady's  Bend  Iron  Company,  in  which 
capacity  he  worked  for  seven  years,  after 
which  he  was  in  the  oil  business  for  himself 
for  one  year.  In  1872  Mr.  Moore  went  to 
Blacklick  Station,  in  Indiana  County,  where 
he  managed  a  firebrick  business  for  his 
brother-in-law,  E.  J.  Mildren,  and  he  contin- 
ued there  until  1885,  when  he  came  to  Cuya- 
hoga Falls.  For  a  time  he  was  engaged  with 
different  firms  in  this  city  in  more  or  less  re- 
sponsible positions,  until  he  en  teamed  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Rivet  and  Machine  Works  as  time- 
keeper, remaining  with  that  great  indu.stry 
until  April  15,  1907,  when  he  retired  from 
business  activity. 

In  1861  Mr.  Connell  ^loore  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  Mildren,  who  was  born  in  Penzance, 
Cornwall,  England,  in  1842,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  L.  Mildren,  formerly  of  Brady's 
Bend.  Of  the  thirteen  children  of  this  mar- 
riage twelve  grew  to  maturity,  namely :  Fan- 
nie Jane,  who  is  the  widow  of  B.  B.  McCon- 
naughey,  of  Homer  City,  Pennsylvania;  A. 
Kate  J.,  deceased;  Edward  J.,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Cleveland;  Mel  da,  who  was  a  victim 
of  the  great  flood  at  Johnstown,  Pennsyl- 
vania, May  31,  1889;  Lavina,  who  married 
F.  J.  Creque,  and  resides  at  Cuyahoga  Falls; 
Charles  M.,  residing  at  home;  Alice,  who  mar- 
ried John  Young,  of  Muskegon.  Michigan; 
Leroy  M.,  a  resident  of  Newark,  New  Jersey; 
Frank  R.,  residing  at  Cuyahoga  Falls;  Ralph 
R.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  jewelry  bvisine-ss 
and  resides  at  Cuyahoga  Falls ;  Richard  L. ; 
and  Dora,  who  married  Rev.  C.  A.  Coakwell, 
a  minister  of  the  Disciples  Church,  located  at 
Lennox,  Iowa. 

Richard  L.  Moore  was  reared  and  educated 
at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  attending  both  the  com- 
mon and  High  School.     Prior  to  his  appoint^- 


ment  as  postmaster,  which  was  made  June  15, 
1906,  he  worked  in  different  factories  in  this 
vicinity,  being  a  .skilled  mechanic,  but  since 
he  assumed  his  present  duties,  on  July  1, 
1906,  he  has  given  the  postoffice  his  main  at- 
tention. His  success  a^s  a  public  ofhcial  has 
been  generally  recognized,  and  he  is  held  in 
high  esteem  by  his  fellow  citizens. 

Mr.  Moore  married  Bessie  Belle  Schnee, 
Avho  ds  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Jennie 
Schnee,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  Mr.  Moore  has  alwaj's  been  in-- 
terested  in  public  matters  and  has  been  an 
active  worker  in  the  Republican  party.  Fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  Howard  Lodge,  No.  62, 
Odd  Fellows,  and  to  the  Foresters. 

JAMES  M.  LAFFER,  vice-president  of  the 
Security  Savings  Bank,  and  vice-president  of 
the  People's  Savings  Bank,  at  Akron,  is  one  of 
the  city's  leading  financiers  and  business  men. 
He  is  a  dealer  in  drugs,  paints  and  oils,  and 
is  largely  interested  in  real  estate.  He  was 
born  in  1848,  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio, 
but  Akron  has  been  his  home  for  over  a  half 
century.  He  is  a  son  of  John  Laffer,  former- 
ly a  farmer  and  miller,  who.se  .father  was 
Henry  Laffer,  an  early  settler  in  Tuscarawas 
County. 

James  M.  Laffer  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  comity,  where  he  remained  until 
1861,  when  he  moved  to  Millersburg,  (_)hio. 
In  1865  he  established  himself  in  Akron. 
During  his  youth  he  ser\'ed  for  four  years  as 
a  clerk  in  a  driig  store,  and  then  went  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  was  engaged  in  a  drug  busi- 
ne.-^  for  about  nine  months,  afterwards  re- 
turning to  Akron.  In  October,  1869.  the  W. 
C.  Byride  &  Company  drug  house  was  estab- 
lished. Mr.  Laffer  being  interested,  which  con- 
tinued until  1873,  when  he  bought  the  inter- 
est of  Mr.  Byride  and  has  continued  alone 
ever  .«ince,  having  an  excellent  business  loca- 
tion on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Exchange 
Streets.  Mr.  Laffer  is  one  of  the  city's  old  and 
experienced  business  men — one  who  has  wit- 
nessed and  assisted  in  the  wonderful  develop- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


453 


nieiit  of  her  ccmimerce  and  the  growth  of  her 
institutions. 

In  1872  Mr.  Laffer  wa.-i  married  to  Minnie 
Collins,  who  is  a  daughter  of  J.  H.  Collins,  of 
Aki-on.  He  and  his  wife  have  one  daughter, 
Josephine,  who  is  the  wife  of  Francis  Seiber- 
ling,  a  well  known  attorney  of  Akron.  Mr. 
Laffer  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  public 
affairs,  and  in  1884  consented  to  serve  on  the 
City  Council,  in  which  he  proved  himself  a 
careful  guardian  of  municipal  interests.  His 
fraternal  connections  include  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Odd  Fellows,  of  Akron. 

W.  W.  McINTOSH,  president  of  the  Mc- 
Intosh-Baum  Company,  at  Akron,  has  been 
a  resident  of  this  city  for  the  past  decade,  but 
is  a  native  of  New  York,  having  been  born  in 
Schoharie  County,  that  state,  in  1863. 

Mr.  Mcintosh  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Sloans^^lle,  and,  after  attending  Claverack 
College,  Claverack,  New  York,  was  prepared 
to  enter  into  busine&s.  and  went  to  Jackson, 
Michigan,  where  he  learned  the  jewelry  trade, 
remaining  in  that  location  for  five  years.  He 
was  then  engaged  in  the  jewelry  business  at 
Clinton,  Illinois,  for  about  ten  years.  His 
health  failing  him,  he  was  compelled  to 
change  his  business,  and,  accordingly,  he  be- 
came interested  in  the  manufacture  of  furni- 
ture, in  which  industry  he  was  engaged  for 
five  years,  at  Constantine,  ilichigan.  Mr. 
Mcintosh  then  came  to  Akron,  and  for  a 
.short  time  was  engaged  in  the  wholesale  man- 
ufacture of  undertaking  goods.  ;\fter  sell- 
ing his  interest  in  that  business  he  became 
vice-president  of  the  Hall  &  Harter  Insurance 
Company,  continuing  as  such  for  a  period  of 
two  years,  after  which  he  organized  the  Mc- 
Intosh-Baum  Company,  which  is  now  incor- 
porated. Mr.  Mcintosh  is  connected  with  a 
iunnh)er  of  other  Akron  enterprises,  being  a 
director  in  the  McNeil  Boiler  Company,  vice- 
president  of  the  S.  &  O.  Engraving  Company, 
director  of  the  Beacon-Journal  Company,  and 
other  succesful  concerns. 

In  1889  Mr.  Mcintosh  was  married  to 
Grace  Bishop,  of  Clinton.  Illinois,  and  they 
have  two  children.  Bishop  and  Margaret.    A 


sister  of  Mrs.  Mcintosh  is  the  wife  of  Hon. 
\'espasian  Warner,  United  States  Commis- 
sioner of  Pensions. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Mcintosh  is  prominent  in 
Masonry,  having  attained  the  thirty-second 
degree.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge, 
Chapter,  Council,  Commandery,  Consistory 
and  Shrme  at  Cleveland.  He  has  taken  an 
active  interest  in  locating  a  nimiber  of  indus- 
tries at  Akron  since  he  has  made  this  city 
his  home,  and  is  a  valued  publicnspirited  citi- 
zen. 

ISAAC  SHELDON  COWEN,  one  of  the 
representative  agriculturists  of  Northfield 
Township,  was  born  on  his  farm  in  this 
township  September  18,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Eliza  (McNiece)  Cowen. 

John  Cowen  was  born  in  November,  1794, 
on  the  Isle  of  Man,  whence  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1827,  and  for  eight  years  worked  on 
the  Ohio  Canal.  Sub-sequently  he  settled  on 
a  farm  of  forty  acres  in  Northfield  Township, 
where  he  engaged  in  sheep  and  cattle  rais- 
ing, and  built  the  home  now  occupied  by 
Isaac  S.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years.  Mr.  Cowen  married  Eliza 
McNiece,  who  was  born  in  County  An- 
trim, Ireland,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
McNiece.  Eight  children  were  bom  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cowen.  of  whom  six  grew  to  ma- 
turity, namely:  Rebecca  Jane,  born  October 
20,  1850,  who  married  William  Henry  Price, 
of  Cleveland,  and  who.  w-ith  her  husband,  is 
now  decea.sed:  Isaac  Sheldon,  .subject  of  this 
sketch  ;3ViiHam  Henry,  who  was  born  March 
LS,  1856;  Minnie  Eliza,  who  married  John  B. 
Ward,  of  Solon,  Ohio;  Elsie  Ann,  who  lives 
on  the  home  farm ;  and  Bertha  Adele.  who 
m-arried  Ernest.  E.  Leslie,  of  Northfield  Town- 
ship. The  mother  of  these  children  was, 
like  her  father,  an  adherent  of  the  Ouaker 
faith,  hut  after  coming  to  Northfield  Town- 
.'hip,  there  being  no  meeting-houses  here  of 
that  denomination,  she  attended  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 

Isaac  Sheldon  Cowen  was  educated  in  tbe 
com^mon  .schools,  and  has  resided  all  of  his 
life  on  his  present  farm,  which  was  purchased 


454 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COU^^rV 


by  his  fatlier  from  the  Connecticut  Laud  Com- 
pany. He  has  tlirec  barn.s,  26x30,  with  14- 
foot  posts;  26x42,  with  14-foot  posts,  and  3Bx 
46,  with  18-foot  posts,  respectively,  and  all 
of  his  buildings  are  kept  in  the  best  condi- 
tion. He  keeps  about  twelve  head  of  cattle, 
his  milk  being  shipped  to  Cleveland,  and  his 
principal  crops  are  potatoes,  grain  and  hay. 
Since  procuring  his  farm  Mr.  Cowen  has 
added  thereto  by  purchase,  and  he  now  owns 
131  acres,  about  thirty-five  of  which  are  under 
cultivation.  An  up-to-date  farmer,  he  uses 
the  most  modern  methods  and  machinery, 
and  is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  townshijis 
prosperous  agriculturists.  Mr.  Cowen  is  a 
Democrat  in  liis  political  views,  but  he  has 
never  cared  for  public  office. 

REV.  IRA  A.  PRIEST,  I).  D.,  who  served 
as  president  of  Buchtel  College,  at  Akron, 
from  1897  until  1901,  is  one  of  the  prominent 
men  of  this  city.  Dr.  Priest  was  born  at  Mt. 
Holly,  Rutland  County,  Vermont,  and  be- 
longs to  an  old  colonial  family  of  that  sec- 
tion. 

After  attending  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  place,  Ira  A.  Priest  entered  a  seminary 
at  Barre,  Vermont,  where  he  prepared  fi>r 
Tufts  College,  at  Medford,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  was  entered  in  1880,  and  was  grad- 
uated four  years  later  with  his  degree  of  Ph.  B. 
In  1884  he  continued  his  studies,  in  the 
theological  department,  and  in  1887  he  was 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.  M.  In  1898 
his  alma  mater  conferred  on  him  the  degree 
of  D.  D. 

Dr.  Priest  was  connected  exclusively  with 
churcih  work  for  many  years  and  served 
nimieroiis  pastorates  prior  to  coming  to  Ak- 
ron. For  two  years  he  had  charge  of  the 
Universalist  Churcli  at  Monson,  ^Iassachu- 
setts,  for  three  years  he  was  at  Adams,  Ma.s- 
sachu.setts,  and  for  five  yeare  at  Newtonville, 
Massachusetts.  In  the  fall  of  1896  he  took 
charge  of  the  Akron  church,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  became  president  of  Bncht^l  Col- 
lege. Although  he  .still  continues  his  pas- 
toral work,  since  the  close  of  his  official  con- 
nection   with    Buchtel   College,   he   has  been 


more  or  less  interested  also  in  business  and 
political  life.  In  1901  he  embarked  in  a 
real  estate,  loan  and  general  insurance  busi- 
ness, which  he  conducted  alone  until  Septem- 
ber, 1906,  when  the  firm  of  Patton  &  Priest 
was  organized.  This  has  since  become  one 
of  the  leading  firms  in  its  line  at  Akron  and 
has  offices  in  the  Everett  building.  Dr.  Priest 
is  a  stockholder  in  a  number  of  the  business 
enterprises  of  the  city,  and  has  attained  rank 
among  her  men  of  capital  and  commercial 
capacity.  On  June  23,  1887,  he  was  married 
to  Eva  Hall,  who  was  born  at  Lacon,  Illinois. 
They  have  one  child,  Ruth  Hall. 

Dr.  Priest  has  always  taken  an  active  and 
intelligent  interest  in  politics,  and  has  done 
his  part  in  promoting  good  local  government. 
On  numerous  occasions  he  has  been  elected  to 
city  offices,  in  1903  becoming  president  of 
the  City  Council,  to  which  office  he  was  re- 
elected in  1905,  and  which  he  .still  holds.  A 
stanch  Republican,  he  has  been  trea.surer  for 
the  past  year  of  the  Summit  County  Central 
Committee,  and  he  is  his  party's  choice  for 
membership  on  the  Board  of  Public  Service. 
Fraternally,  Dr.  Priest  is  a  Knight  Templar 
Mason,  and  he  belongs  also  to  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows. 

WILLIS  E.  PETTITT,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Petfitt  Brothers  Hardware  Com- 
jiany,  of  Akron,  was  born  in  Portage  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  in  November, 
1868,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Williaaii  Pet- 
titt.  His  father  was  a  prominent  farmer  and 
stockraiser  in  Portage  Town.'^hip,  where  lie 
.settled  in  1830,  coming  from  Pennsylvania. 
The  death  of  AVilliam  Pettitt  took  place  in 
1882.  He  married  Lucy  Cook,  who  died  in 
1892.  Of  their  eight  children  seven  survive, 
namely:  Orilla  (married  D.  N.  Spellman,  of 
Akron)  ;  Clara.  Ida,  George,  Miles,  Lewis  M., 
and  AVillis  E.,  all  residents  of  Akron. 

Willis  E.  Pettitt  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Summit  Coimty  until  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  when  he  caune  to  Akron  and  secured  a 
po.sition  a.s  bookkeeper  with  the  firm  of  May 
&  Fiebeger.  which  he  filled  for  sixteen  years. 
Then,    in      1903,    in     partner.ship   -with    his 


FIRST  SCHOOL  HOUSE 


FIRST  HIGH  SCHOOL 


.csMfiieiMfietm^i. 


Y.  W.  C.  A.  BUILDING,  AKRON 


NEW   COURT   HOUSE,   AKRON 


M.  W.  HOYE'S  RESIDENCE,  AKRON 


IN  PERKINS'  PARK 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


457 


lirothcr,  Lewis  M.  Pettitt,  he  established  a 
hardware  business  under  the  name  of  Pet- 
titt Brothers  &  McDo^-ell,  which  continued 
until  the  fall  of  1906.  Mr.  McDowell  then 
retired  and  the  firm  name  became  The  Pet- 
titt Brothers  Hardware  Company.  The  com- 
pany was  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$50^000,  with  L.  M.  Pettitt  as  president;  AVil- 
lis  E.  Pettitt,  secretary  and  treasurer;  Alfred 
Winkler,  vice-president,  and  W.  F.  Ringler. 
general  manager.  The  company  docs  a  whole- 
sale and  retail  hai-dware  and  paint  business, 
carrying  a  full  and  up-to-date  stock,  and  hav- 
ing a  wide  trade  ter^ito^}^ 

Willis  E.  Pettitt  wasmarried  in  1899  to  Ab- 
bie  A.  Mead,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the  late 
William  H.  Mead,  of  Illinois.  They  have  one 
child,  Grace  A'irginia.  Politically,  Mr.  Pet- 
titt is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
West  .Vkron  Congregational  Church  and  is  on 
its  official  board. 

THOMAS  .lEFFERSON  SNYDER,  owner 
of  the  East  Side  Dairy  Farm,  which  com- 
prises 150  acres  of  valuable  land  situated  in 
Coventry  Township,  belongs  to  an  old  pioneer 
family  which  settled  in  this  section  of  Sum- 
nnt  County  eighty-eiglit  years  ago.  Mr. 
Snyder  was  born  in  his  father's  log  cabin, 
not  far  distant  from  his  present  farm,  in  Cov- 
entry Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  Aug- 
ust 16,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  George  M.  and 
Mary  (Rex)  Snyder. 

George  ^I.  Snyder  was  born  in  1814,  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  five  years  old  when  his 
father,  Yost  Snyder,  brought  his  family  and 
possessions  to  Coventry  Township,  making  the 
long  journey  through  the  wilderness  with  an 
ox-team.  When  he  built  his  log  cabin  in  the 
woods,  ^^kron  was  a  hamlet  of  a  half  dozen 
rude  shanties,  and  it  would  have  required  a 
vivid  imagination  to  depict  in  its  place  the 
present  l)usy,  beautiful  city.  The  digging  of 
the  canal  was  a  great  event  and  George  M. 
Snyder  told  his  children  how  the  whole  fam- 
ily "walked  to  Akron  to  see  the  finst  canal  boat 
on  its  waters.  Yost  Snyder  and  wife  lived  to 
old  age  on  this  farm  and  reared  a  large  fam- 
ily of  children,  George  M.  being  among  the 


older  ones.  The  latter  assisted  in  the  clearing 
of  the  farm  and  later  learned  the  mason 
trade,  at  which  he  worked  for  twenty-two 
years,  during  the  summers,  and  during  the 
long,  cold  and  stormy  winters  -he  would  use 
the  old  loom  and  w-eave  cloth.  He  acquired 
land  of  his  own,  and  possessed  the  farm  in 
the  Snyder  allotment,  through  which  Snyder 
Avenue,  Barberton,  now  extends.  He  lived 
to  the  age  of  eighty  years,  and  in  many  ways 
was  a  remarkable  man.  Pie  had  enjoyed  but 
few  advantages  of  any  kind  in  his  youth  and 
had  never  learned  to  either  read  or  writ*  the 
English  language  until  the  Civil  War,  when, 
on  account  of  the  deep  interest  he  felt  in  pub- 
lic affairs,  he  .set  himself  the  task  of  learning 
to  read,  his  children  being  his  teachers,  and 
became  thoroughly  informed  in  this  way,  al- 
though, at  his  age,  it  doubtless  required  great 
perseverance.  He  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  of 
the  old  type. 

George  M.  Snyder  was  married  (first)  to 
Catherine  Harter,  who  bore  him  two  children : 
Henry,  now  residing  at  Barberton.  and 
George,  who  is  deceased.  He  married  (sec- 
ond) Mary  Rex,  whom  he  also  survived,  and 
they  had  fourteen  children,  namely:  Jacob, 
Daniel,  Lewis,  Thomas  J.,  William  F.,  Mary 
(Mrs.  Anderson),  Sarah,  who  married  H. 
Deisen,  residing  in  North  Dakota;  Inez,  who 
married  J.  H.  Horner;  Elvina,  who  married 
H.  Pontius;  Emma,  who  married  William 
Stott;  and  four  children  now  deceased.  George 
M.  Snyder  was  married  (third)  to  Lucinda 
Bachman,  but  they  had  no  family. 

Thomas  J.  Snyder  remained  with  his  fa- 
ther on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  l)orn  until 
1859,  when  the  family  moved  to  w-hat  is  now 
the  Snyder  allotment.  Land  then  could  be 
bought  for  $2.50  an  acre  which  later  has  been 
valued  at  $300.  During  his  boyhood  the 
family  endured  many  hardships,  their  home 
having  few  of  the  comforts  or  conveniences 
of  the  present  day.  Mr.  Snyder  remembers 
when  his  mother  used  to  come  with  her  broom 
and  sweep  away  the  heavy  snow  that  had 
sifted  through  the  wide  cracks  onto  the  floor, 
so  that  her  many  children  could  get  out  of 
bed  without  having  a  chill.    He  attended  the 


458 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


old  district  school  whenever  farm  work  per- 
mitted. In  1887  he  bought  his  present  farm 
in  Coventry  Township,  purchasing  it  from 
George  Fouser,  and  settled  on  it  in  1891.  It 
was  cleared  land  at  the  time,  but  he  has  spent 
a  large  amount  of  money  in  making  the  ex- 
cellent improvements,  which  are  to  be  seen  on 
every  side.  He  practically  rebuilt  the  house, 
making  it  both  attractive  and  comfortable, 
and  erected  commodious  barns  and  other 
buildings  made  necessary  on  account  of  his 
farming  operations  and  dairying.  He  is  as- 
sisted in  the  work  of  the  farm  by  his  sons, 
and  superintends  the  dairy  himself,  keeping 
twenty-four  head  of  cattle,  and  numing  a 
milk  wagon  to  Barberton.  He  has  spent  al- 
most his  whole  life  in  Coventry  Township, 
and  is  interested  in  everything  concerning  its 
welfare.  With  peace  and  plenty  on  every  side, 
congenial  work,  many  friends,  and  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens,  Mr. 
Snyder  perhaps  enjoys  life  to  a  greater  de- 
gree than  many  of  those  who  spend  their 
time  and  substance  moving  in  a  larger  cir- 
cle. 

On  October  5,  1877,  Mr.  Snyder  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  E.  Deiter,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Lorinda  Deiter.  They  have 
had  ten  children,  namely:  George,  who  mar- 
ried Cora  Croser,  and  has  three  children — 
Love,  Celia  and  Blanche;  Lucy,  who  married 
0.  Nicodemus,  and  has  three  children — Hazel, 
Park  A.  and  Ethel;  Carrie,  who  is  the  wife 
of  M.  Hissem,  and  the  mother  of  four  chil- 
dren— Guy,  Helen,  Pauline  and  Clifford;  Lil- 
lian, who  married  W.  Nicodemus,  and  has 
three  children — Chester,  Roy  and  Elnora; 
Thomas  R.,  who  married  Mary  First;  Wil- 
liam. Nora  Belle,  Halley  Maude,  Howard, 
who  died  aged  fifteen  months;  and  Edna 
Fern.  Mr.  Snyder  and  family  belong  to  the 
Reformed  Church.  Politically  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat. 

ADAM  HUDDILSTON,  whose  death  on 
December  28,  1905,  removed  from  North- 
field  Township,  one  of  her  leading  citizens, 
was  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  near  the  city  of 
Belfast,  October  31,  1840.     He  was  a  son  of 


Gilbert  and  Sarah  Elizabeth  (Whighani) 
Huddilston. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Huddilston  was  born 
near  Belfast,  in  1798.  In  Ireland  he  had 
cliarge  of  large  estates  belonging  to  his-  un- 
cle, Adam  Patterson,  w-hose  heir  he  became. 
The  e.st.ate  is  still  in  the  Chancery  Court,  and 
forty  years  must  yet  elapse  before  the  heirs 
can  come  into  possession.  With  his  wife  and 
three  children,  Gilbert  Huddilston  left  Bel- 
fast for  America,  on  the  ship  Wales,  -Tune, 
10,  1841,  and  landed  at  the  port  of  New  York, 
August  12,  1841.  He  settled  first  at  Glen- 
ville,  Ohio,  and  in  1842  bought  a  farm  near 
Solon,  where  he  died  in  1878.  His  wife 
survived  liiin  until  1900. 

Adam  Huddilston  was  reared  on  the  farm 
at  Solon,  which  when,  lie  grew  to  manhood, 
he  conducted,  also  carrying  on  a  flour  and 
.feed  store  and  dealing  in  agricultural  imple- 
ments. For  seventeen  years  prior  to  his  mar- 
riage, he  traveled  over  the  country  selling 
farm  machinery  for  Warder,  Bushnell,  Glas- 
ser  &  Company.  In  1886  he  came  to  North- 
field  and  settled  on  Mrs.  Huddil^ton's  home- 
stead farm,  and  two  years  later  he  bought  the 
Z.  P.  Sorter  place  of  100  acres,  ad.i'oining  the 
other  farm.  Of  his  land  Mr.  Huddilston 
made  a  dairy  and  .grain  farm,  raising  over  900 
Vni.shels  of  oats  annually  and  other  grain  in 
proportion,  cultivating  100  acres.  He  kept 
thirty  head  of  cattle.  Since  his  death,  which 
was  caused  accidentally,  his  horses  becoming 
unmanageable  when  stnick  by  a  car.  Mrs. 
Huddilston  has  kept  up  the  farm  and  dairy. 

In  1884  Mr.  Huddilston  married  Anna 
McNeice,  of  Northfield  Township,  and  they 
had  five  children,  namely:  Leigh,  born 
March  4,  188P>:  Hes.sie  Marian,  born  March 
26,  1888;  Mercedes  (decea.«ed),  born  Juno 
24,  1890;  Gilbert  Leonard,  born  June  11, 
1892 ;  and  Warren  Paul,  born  May  12,  1895. 

Leonard  McNeice,  father  of  ^Irs.  Huddil- 
ston, was  born  in  County  Antrim,  Ireland, 
and  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age  when  ho 
came  to  .\mcrica,  accompanied  by  his  wife. 
For  a  time  he  worked  as  a  molder  at  Cleve- 
land, and  then  came  to  Northfield  Town- 
ship, where  he  bought  the  farm  which  Mrs. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


459 


Huddilston  owns,  and  where  she  was  born 
December  29,  1859.  Mr.  McNeice  mamed 
Anna  Bell,  also  of  Count\'  Antrim,  and  they 
had  six  children,  the  two  who  survived  to  ma- 
turity being:  Jonathan  B.,  residing  at  Solon, 
and  Mi-s.  Huddilston.  Prior  to  her  marriage 
she  built  her  comfortable  residence,  a  coni- 
modius  and  attractive  one,  with  seventeen 
rooms.  The  bank  barn,  36  by  60  feet  in  di- 
mensions, was  built  in  1898.  The  Lake 
Erie  and  Pennsylvania  Railroad  purchased 
ninety  acres  of  her  land  when  they  built  their 
cross  line.  This  farm  is  one  of  considerable 
value  and  has  always  been  well  kept  up.  ^Irs. 
Huddilston  has  a  magnificent  apple,  plum 
and  small  frait  orchard.  She  was  reared  in 
the  faith  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
during  his  residence  at  Solon,  the  late  Mr. 
Huddilston  was  an  elder  in  the  same.  His 
untimely  death  was  a  terrible  blow  to  his 
family,  and  a  shock  to  the  community  in 
which  he  was  so  highly  esteemed. 

P.  H.  SCHNEIDER,  president  of  the 
Schneider  Building  Company,  of  Akron,  lie- 
longs  to  that  cla&s  of  able,  far-seeing  business 
men,  whose  energy  and  enterprise  have  added 
greatly  to  the  reputation  of  this  city  as  an 
important  commercial  and  manufacturing 
center.  He  was  born  December  1,  1866,  in 
Wayne  County,  New  York,  but  was  reared  on 
a  farm  in  Kent  County,  Michigan. 

Being  a  farmer's  boy,  he  attended  the 
country  schools,  and  was  nineteen  years  old 
before  he  found  -an  opportunity  to  attend  tlie 
High  School,  at  Lowell,  Michigan,  where  he 
spent  one  year.  He  then  became  employed 
in  a  grocery  and  dry  goods  store,  first  as  a 
clerk,  and  later  as  manager  of  the  dry  goods 
departments  of  the  different  stores  conducted 
bv  the  -T.  L.  Hudson  Company,  of  Detroit, 
Michigan,  remaining  in  their  employ  for  ten 
years.  In  1897  he  came  to  Akron  in  the 
capacity  of  manager  for  the  dry  goods  store 
of  William  Taylor,  Son  &  Company,  at  155 
and  157  South  Howard  Street,  a  position  'e 
filled  for  eighteen  months.  He  organized  t'e 
P.  H.  Schneider  Company,  purcha'iing  the 
Taylor  .store.    Of  this  company  Mr.  Schneidi-r 


was  president,  treasurer  and  general  manager, 
and  he  contmued  to  operate  the  store  for 
seven  years,  in  the  meantime  doing  an  exten- 
sive dry  goods  business.  Disposing  in  Au- 
gust, 1905,  of  his  mercantile  interests  to  the 
M.  O'Neil  Compiiny,  he  decided  to  enjoy  a 
period  of  rest  from  the  demands  of  busiiie-is 
life.  In  March,  1903,  the  Schneider  Build- 
ing Company  was  organized,  of  which  Mr. 
Schneider  is  president  and  treasurer.  Subse- 
quently, Mr.  Schneider  bought  the  buildings 
between  the  Central  Savings  and  Trust  Com- 
pany and  the  Odd  Fellows'  Temple,  on  South 
Main  Street,  one  of  them  being  a  six-story, 
and  the  other  a  five-story  building,  both  val- 
uable and  paying  properties.  Mr.  Schneider 
is  a  director,  and  member  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  Central  Savings  and  Trust 
Company,  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
consolidation  of  the  Central  Savings  Bank 
and  the  Akron  Trust  Company, 'at  which  time 
he  was  director  of  the  Akron  Trust  Company. 
He  is  interested  in  other  succes.sful  enterprises 
in  this  vicinity. 

In  1880  Mr.  Schneider  was  married  to  Jen- 
nie Winegar,  who  was  born  in  Michigan.  He 
and  his  wife  reside  in  a  beautiful  home  at  120 
Adoiph  Avenue. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Schneider  is  a  Thirty-sec- 
ond Degree  Mason,  and  belongs  to  the  Blue 
Lodge.  Chapter,  Council  and  Commandery  at 
Akron  and  to  Lake  Erie  Consistorv  at  Cleve- 
land. 

GEORCtE  T.  RANKIN,  JR..  M.  D.,  one  of 

tlie  leading  practitioners  of  medicine  and  sur- 
gery at  Akron,  was  born  in  this  city,  Septem- 
ber 6,  1875,  and  is  a  "Son  of  George  T.  and 
Mary  C.  (Shumaker)  Rankin. 

The  father  of  Dr.  Rankin  was  born  at  Hud- 
son, New  York,  where  he  learned  building 
and  contractine.  In  1872  he  came  to  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio;  he  followed  contracting 
at  Akron  and  became  superintendent  of  the 
improvements  made  in  the  public  school 
buildings. 

George  T.  Rankin  was  reared  at  .Vkron, 
and,  after  completing  the  public  school  course, 
attended  Buehtel  College.     He  then  began  to 


460 


PIISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


read  medicine.  His  medical  education  was 
completed  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
at  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
June,  1899,  following  which  he  sen'ed  six 
months  as  an  interne  in  the  Allegheny  Hos- 
pital, and  two  year.-;  in  the  Kings  County 
Hospital  at  Brooklyn,  New  York/  In  1901 
Dr.  Rankin  returned  to  hLs  native  city  and 
opened  an  office.  He  is  surgeon  of  the  Akron 
City  Hospital,  and  also  of  the  Mary  Day 
Ho.S'pital.  He  occupies  well-appointed  offices 
in  the  Hamilton  Block,  being  well  equipped 
to  handle  any  case  of  modern  surgery  in- 
volving the  most  complicated  treatment.  Dr. 
Rankin  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association  and  of  the  Ohio  State,  and 
Summit  County  Medical  Societies.  Politic- 
ally, he  is  identified  with  the  Reiniblican 
party.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  Thirty-second 
Degree  Mason,  and  belongs  also  to  the  Elks. 

MILTON  A.  YA^  HORN,  clerk  of  North- 
field  Township,  which  position  he  has  ably 
filled  since  the  spring  of  1904,  was  bom  in 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  March  27,  1843,  and 
is  a  son  of  Robert,  and  Catherine  (Kuhn) 
Van  Horn,  and  a  graiidson  of  Edward  Van 
Horn. 

Edward  Van  Horn,  the  grandfather,  was 
born  in  Mifflin  County.  Pennsylvania,  in 
1778,  and  died  in  Ohio  in  18.")4.  He  came 
to  Ha.rri.son  County,Ohio,  in  all  probability, 
immediately  after  hLs  marriage  to  Margaret 
Hamilton,  who  was  a  woman  of  rare  gifts 
and  noble  character.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the 
War  of  1812,  being  stationed  near  Toledo, 
where  either  wounds  or  sickness  prostrated 
him,  and  word  was  pent  to  his  wife  far 
away  in  her  little  log  cabin,  that  her  husband 
was  dving.  The  coairageous  woman  stopped 
only  long  enough  to  wrap  her  infant  son 
w-armly,  and,  with  him  in  her  arms,  in  the 
dead  of  winter,  .she  rode  alone  through  the 
dee))  virgin  forasts  until  she  reached  the 
military  camp.  There  she  found  prepara- 
tions were  being  made  to  bury  one  whom 
his  comrades  believed  to  be  past  help,  but 
the  sight  of  his  brave  wife  and  babe  created 
a  reajction,  and  he  recovered  and  lived  many 


years  afterward  to  show  his  devotion  to  so 
faithful  a  wife.  He  was  one  of  tlie  first  men 
to  banish  liquor  from  the  harvest  field,  going 
against  a  popular  custom  of  the  day. 

Robert  Van  Horn  was  born  at  New  Athens, 
Harrison  County,  Ohio,  January  10,  1812, 
and  died  in  November  24,  1905.  He  wa<  a 
man  of  excellent  parts,  well  educated  for  his 
day,  having  spent  a  year  at  Franklin  Col- 
lege. In  1837  he  came  to  Northfield  and 
taught  school,  and  he  siibsequently  jiurcha-ied 
a  farm  of  eighty-six  acres  north\\est  of  North- 
field  Center,  on  which  he  raised  cattle  and 
slieep.  He  was  an  on  t-sj token  Free-Soil  man 
and  attended  many  of  the  early  conventions 
as  a  delegate  and  subsequently  became  a  zeal- 
ous Republican.  He  served  in  many  local 
offices  and  was  a  truly  representative  citizen. 
He  married  a  daughter  of  Archibald  Kuhn, 
a  prominent  man  in  his  dav,  who  represented 
Allegheny  County  in  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Legislature.  To  this  marriage  three  children 
were  born :  Archibald,  who  died  in  1889, 
aged  fifty-eight  years;  Jennie  A.,  who  mar- 
ried Joseph  Boyd,  residing  at  Northfield ;  and 
Milton  A.  The  mother  of  this  family  was 
born  in  Pennsvlvania  in  1809  and  died  in 
Northfield  in  ]\iarch,  1889. 

Milton  Van  Horn  attended  school  in  North- 
field  Township  and  continued  to  a■^«i-t  on  the 
home  farm  imtil  his  marriage.  He  owns  a 
farm  of  fifty  acres  on  which  ho  resided  until 
1903,  condiicting  it  mainly  as  a  dairy  farm, 
making  a  choice  grade  of  butter  and  cheese. 
He  erected  a  comfortable  and  attractive  home 
residence  at  Northfield  Center,  where  he  has 
resided  since  retiring  from  the  farm  in  1903. 
For  nearly  thirtv  years  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board,  being  elected  by  the 
Republican  partv  in  1878.  He  is  a  progres- 
sive, public-spirited  citizen  and  has  contin- 
ually shown  a  commendable  interest  in  pub- 
lic affairs. 

Mr.  Van  Horn  was  married  (first)  in  1804 
to  Harriet  Thompson,  who  died  in  1872. 
aged  twenty-nine  years.  She  left  two  chil- 
dren, namely:  Rev.  Francis  J.,  D.  D.,  who 
is  a  minister  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
stationed   at  Seattle,   Washington ;   and   Jen- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


461 


nie,  who  married  Bird  Waite,  a  farmer  in 
Northfield  Township.  Mr.  Van  Horn  was 
married  (second)  to  Mary  Rinear,  who  died 
in  1889,  leaving  no  issue.  Mr.  Van  Horn 
was  married  (third)  in  1890  to  Cynthia 
Honey,  who  died  October  16,  1906.  Mr. 
Van  Horn  is  an  active  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  is  clerk. 
For  a  period  of  forty  years  he  was  choir  mas- 
ter of  this  church  nnd  is  now  Sunday-school 
superintendent. 

JOSEPH  COl'RTNEY,  a  general  farmer 
and  extensive  dairyman,  owns  190  acres  of 
valuable  land  in  Sunnnit  County,  159  acres 
lying  in  Portage  Township,  and  31  acres  in 
Northampton  Township,  the  township  line 
jiassing  through  his  land.  Mr.  Courtney  was 
born  in  Boston  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  July  13,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  James 
and  Julia  (Bergin)  Courtney.  His  parents 
were  born  in  Ireland.  James  Courtney  came 
to  America  in  early  manhood,  settling  in  Bos- 
ton Township.  His  .second  wife,  Julia, 
mother  of  Joseph  Courtney,  was  mar- 
ried first  in  Ireland  to  John  Hogan,  and 
with  him  came  to  America.  Mr.  Hogan  died 
in  New  York  and  his  widow,  with  her  chil- 
dren, came  to  Summit  County.  Three  of  the 
latter  still  survive,  namely :  Stephen  ;  Nora, 
who  married  Francis  Courtney,  a  son  of  James 
Courtnej'  by  his  iirst  marriage;  and  Mary, 
who  married  James  McGuire,  of  Peninsula. 
By  his  fir.st  marriage  .lames  Courtney  had 
three"  children— Francis,  who  married  Nora 
Hogan ;  James,  who  was  killed  in  the  Civil 
War;  and  Ellen  (Mrs.  Tosier),  who  is  now 
deceased.  Two  children  were  born  of  the 
second  marriage  of  James  and  Julia  Court- 
ney— .loseph  and  Julia,  the  latter  of  whom 
married  Charles  Martin,  of  Akron.  James 
Courtney  acquired  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  in 
Boston  Township,  which  he  sold  in  1864,  at 
which  time  he  bought  ninety-six  acres  of  the 
present  home  farm,  later  adding  ninety-one 
acres,  his  son  Joseph  also  adding  five  acres. 
When  James  Courtney  came  to  America  he 
was  a  poor  boy,  entirely  dependent  upon  his 
own  efforts,  but  he  was  industrious  and  pru- 


dent and  when  he  died  in  February,  1878, 
he  possessed  what  was  for  him  an  ample  for- 
tune. He  was  survived  by  his  widow  until 
December,  1903.  At  her  death  she  was  al- 
most eighty-three  years  old.  Both  were  ear- 
nest Christian  people. 

Joseph  Courtney  was  reared  on  the  farm  he 
now  owns,  and  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
years,  when  he  lived  at  Akron,  he  has  been 
continuously  engaged  in  farming.  In  1893 
he  entered  into  the  dairy  business,  and  now 
keeps  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  head  of  cows. 
In  April,  1894,  Mr.  Courtney  was  married  to 
Maud  Cassidy,  who  is  a  daughter  of  William 
Cassidy,  and  they  have  seven  children: 
James,  William,  Julia,  Joseph,  George,  Mary 
and  Margaret.  Mr.  Courtney,  with  his  fam- 
ily, belongs  to  the  Catholic  Church  at  Akron. 
He  is  one  of  the  leading  agriculturist  men  of 
this  section  and  is  held  in  esteem  by  all  who 
know  him. 

WILLIAM  H.  STONER,  secretary  and 
general  manager  of  the  Baker-McMillen  Com- 
pany, at  Akron,  -was  born  in  this  city,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1870,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  D.  and 
Lucinda  E.  (Shirk)  Stoner,  the  former  of 
whom  is  deceased. 

William  H.  Stoner  completed  his  education 
in  his  native  city,  and  when  sixteen  years  of 
age,  entered  the  employ  of  the  Baker-McMil- 
len  Company,  with  which  he  is  .still  identified, 
having  risen  step  by  step  from  the  humblest 
position  to  that  of  general  manager,  which  he 
has  ably  filled  for  the  pa.st  four  and  one-half 
years. 

In  1895  Mr.  Stoner  was  married  to  .Julia 
A .  Pardee,  who  is  a  sister  of  Judge  Pardee,  of 
the  Summit  County  Probate  Court,  and  a 
daughter  of  the  late  George  K.  Pardee,  who 
wa-^  for  many  years  one  of  Akron's  promi- 
nent attorneys. 

Mr.  Stoner  has  long  been  considered  a  rep- 
rasentative  citizen  of  Akron,  and  has  taken 
nart  in  public  movements  of  various  kinds, 
For  four  years  he  served  on  the  Board  of  Jury 
Commi.ssioners,  of  which  he  was  .secretary. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Disciples  Church 
of  Akron. 


462 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ANDREW  HALE,  who  bore  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  first  white  child  born  in 
Bath  Township,  died  in  the  same  township, 
July  29,  1884,  aged  seventy-three  years.  He 
was  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Mercy  S.  (Piper) 
Hale. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Hale  was  the  first  perma- 
nent settler  in  Bath  Tcnvnship,  Summit 
County,  to  which  he  had  come  from  Gla-ton- 
bury,  Connecticut,  in  1810.  Andrew  at- 
tended the  subscription  schools  and  spent  his 
life  engaged  in  clearing  and  improving  the 
lands  belonging  to  himself  and  father.  He 
was  a  man  of  sterling  character,  and  is  men- 
tioned as  a  faithful  friend  and  good  neighbor. 
Like  his  father,  he  possessed  the  qualities 
wihich  marked  the  representative  settlers  of 
those  times — men  to  whom  we  like  to  point 
as  'Our  ancestors  of  unpretentious  honesty, 
dauntless  courage  and  untiring  perseverance. 
Mr.  Hale  was  married  April"  12,  1838,  to 
Jane  Mather.  Of  this  union  there  were  six 
children :  Pamela  L.  Oviatt,  Sophronia  J. 
Ritchie,  Clara  Ashmun,  Charles  0.  Halo, 
Alida  Humphrey  and  John  P.  Hale.  Mr. 
Hale,  with  his  family,  belonged  to  the  Con- 
gregational Church. 

GEORGE  A.  McCONNELL,  dairy  farmer 
of  Northfield  Township,  was  born  in  Coshoc- 
ton County,  Ohio.  April  8,  1856,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  and  Jane  L.   (Shannon)  McConnell. 

John  McConnell  was  born  in  Comity  Done- 
gal, Ireland,  and  was  brought  to  America  by 
his  parents  when  he  was  eight  years  of  age. 
He  died  March  6,  1905,  aged  within  a  few 
days  of  hLs  eightieth  birthday.  He  lived  on 
the  home  farm  in  Coshocton  County,  where 
his  parents  had  settled,  until  18B4.  Prior 
to  his  marriage,  with  his  brother  Alexander, 
he  operated  the  home  farm  of  480  acres.  After 
coming  to  Northfield  Township  he  l)ought  one 
tract  of  land  after  another  until  he  owned 
367  acres,  on  which  he  wintered  from  sixty 
to  seventy  head  of  cattle,  and  raised  many 
horses  and  hogs  and  some  200  sheep.  Later 
he  turned  his  attention  to  raising  wheat,  at 
which  he  was  very  successful,  and  he  also  en- 
gaged in  dairying.    He  took  an  intelligent  in- 


terest in  public,  matters,  but  he  was  never 
a  politician.  In  Coshocton  County  he  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Is9,ac  Shannon.  She  died 
March  30,  1896,  aged  sixty-five  years.  They 
had  nine  children,  namely:  John,  who  is 
deceased;  Isaac,  of  Northfield  Township; 
George  A.,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Hervey  A., 
jusitice  of  the  peace  in  Northfield  Township; 
LaGrande,  a  physician,  now  deceased;  James 
and  Albert,  deceased;  Sarah,  who  married  H. 
R.  Boyden,  of  Northfield;  and  Charles,  of 
Magnolia,  Colorado. 

George  A.  McCoiniell  attended  school  in 
Northfield  Township  until  he  was  sixteen 
years  of  age,  in  the  meanwhile  assisting  on 
the  home  farm,  as  did  also  his  brothers,  all 
working  for  the  common  benefit.  He  then 
learned  cheese-making,  an  industry  that  he 
followed  for  six  years,  and  with  the  excep- 
tion of  that  period,  has  ever  since  been  a 
farmer.  He  keeps  from  thirty  to  thirty-five 
head  of  cattle  and  ships  milk  to  Cleveland. 
He  raises  nearly  all  his  own  cows  and  is  mak- 
ing plans  to  keep  only  the  Ayreshire  stock, 
having  purchased  a  thorough-bred  Ayreshire 
bull.  He  has  had  a  valuable  silo  constructed 
with  dimensions  of  16  by  18  feet,  27  feet 
high.  In  1892  he  built  his  present  com- 
fortable residence. 

Mr.  McConnell  married  Jane  A.  AVillcy,  of 
Northfield  Township,  and  they  have  a  family 
of  five  promising  children:  Albert  A.,  Carl 
W.,  Ella  L.,  Clark  and  Lucy.  Mrs.  McCon- 
nell is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Mr.  McConnell  is  affiliated  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  has  never  served  in  any  of- 
fice except  one  connected  with  educational  af- 
fairs, including  a  number  of  terms  on  the 
school  board,  and  for  a  few  years  as  towii.ship 
trustee.  He  is  giving  his  children  every  edu- 
cational and  socifl  advantage  in  his  power. 

FR.VNK  S.  PRIOR,  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Akron  Plumbing  and  ITeatinu-  Com- 
pany, at  Akron,  was  born  in  ISSO,  in  Sum- 
mit County,  Oliio,  and  belontrs  to  a  family 
which  was  numbered  among  the  first  .settlers 
in  the  county.  His  grandfather,  Samuel  S. 
Prior,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  his 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


463 


father,  Frederick  S.  Prior,  was  born  in  Sum- 
mit County,  in  January,  1848.  He  resides 
at  Akron,  where  he  follows  the  profession  of 
stationary  engineer.  He  is  active  in  Repub- 
lican political  circles. 

Before  becoming  identified  with  the  Akron 
Plumbing  and  Heating  Company  Frank  S. 
Prior  was  mainly  engaged  in  securing  a  good 
education,  attending  the  schools  of  Cuyahoga 
Falls  and  Hammel's  Business  College.  He 
was  connected  with  his  present  business  house 
before  it  was  incorporated  in  March,  1907,  at 
which  time  he  became  its  secretary  and  treas- 
urer. He  is  one.  of  the  younger  set  of  busi- 
ness men  at  Akron,  who  are  injecting  much 
vigor  into  the  city's  commercial  and  indus- 
trial life.  In  1905  Mr.  Prior  was  married 
to  Leota  J.  Zink,  who  was  born  at  Akron  and 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Z.  E.  Zink,  foreman  at 
the  plant  of  the  American  Cereal  Company. 
Mr.  Prior  is  a  member  of  the  Disciples  Church 
at  Cuyahoga  Falls.  He  belongs  to  the  bene- 
ficiary order  of  the  Protected  Home  Circle. 

JOHN  P.  HALE,  one  of  Akron's  promi- 
nent business  men,  proprietor  of  a  large 
jewelry  establishment,  belongs  to  one  of  the 
earliest  pioneer  families  in  Summit  County, 
his  father  having  been  the  first  white  child 
born  in  Bath  Township.  He  was  born  in 
Bath  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  in 
1862,  son  of  Andrew  and  Jane  (Mather) 
Hale.  He  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and 
was  mainly  educated  in  the  schools  of  Tall- 
niadge.  spending  one  year  in  the  Ohio  State 
University  at  Columbus.  After  completing 
his  college  cour.*e,  he  spent  three  years  on 
the  farm,  and  then,  in  1887,  came  to  Akron 
and  embarked  in  a  jewelry  business  with  a 
Mr.  George  Jackson,  with  whom  he  remained 
as.-*ociated  for  two  years.  Since  then  he  has 
been  establi.shed  alone,  doing  a  large  retail 
business  at  his  convenient  location.  No.  54 
South  !Main  Street.  He  has  made  an  exten- 
sive study  of  optics  and  lens-fitting,  and,  like 
his  forefathers,  is  used  to  hard  work.  He 
is  engaged  in  'both  the  manufacturing  and 
repairing  of  jewelry-,  and  can-ies  a  large  and 


well-assorted  stock.     He  is  interested  also  in 
other  enterprises. 

In  1891  Mr.  Hale  was  married  to  Zedella 
Frank,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Copley 
Township,  and  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  David 
Frank.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hale  have  one  son, 
Andrew.  They  are  members  of  the  West 
Congregational  Church,  of  Akron,  Mr.  Hale 
being  a  member  of  its  present  board  of  trus- 
tees. 

CHARLES  H.  JAITE,  president  of  the 
Jaite  Company,  manufacturers  of  paper  and 
paper  bags,  with  a  plant  in  Northfield  Town- 
ship. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Jaite  settled  at  Cleve- 
land in  1860,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools  ^intil  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age. 
He  then  went  to  work  in  a  paper  mill.  Be- 
ing suited  with  this  employment,  he  set  out 
to  master  every  detail  of  the  business,  and  in 
time  became  a  thorough  expert.  He  later 
became  president  of  the  Standard  Bag  and 
Paper  Company  and  vice-president  of  the 
Cleveland  Paper  Company.  In  1902.  when 
the  two  companies  were  consolidated  with  the 
Akron  Paper  Company,  the  new  style  of 
The  Cleveland-Akron  Paper  Company  was  as- 
sumed. Mr.  Jaite  had  charge  of  the  manu- 
factiu'ing  part  of  the  business,  and  located  the 
plant  in  Bo.ston  Township,  Summit  Countv. 
He  continued  to  be  thus  occupied  until  July, 
1905,  when  he  resigned  as  director  and  man- 
ager, at  the  same  time  disposing  of  his  stock. 
He  had,  however,  no  idea  of  going  out  of  the 
paper  basiness,  bvit  merely  desired  an  estab- 
lishment organized  according  to  his  own 
plans,  and  on  September  18,  1905,  he  founded 
the  .Jaite  Company.  The  officers  of  this  new 
company  are:  Charles  H.  Jaite,  president; 
Robert  H.  Jaite,  vice-president ;  Emil  W. 
Jaite,  .secretary;  and  Julius  Kreckel,  treasurer. 
The  business  was  incorporated  September  18. 
1905,  and  was  followed  immediateh'  after- 
ward by  the  erection  of  their  plant  in  North- 
field  Township,  which  they  placed  on  the 
Cuyahoga  River.  They  now  own  one  of  the 
most  substantial  manufacturing  buildings  in 
Summit  Countv.     The  machine  room  of  the 


464 


HLSIORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


plant  is  50  by  200  feet  in  dimensions  and 
over  this,  in  the  second  story,  is  located  tlie 
bag  factory.  The  boiler  room  for  heating 
is  60  by  157  feet  in  dimensions;  the  boiler 
room  for  the  580  horse-power  steam  engine 
and  engine  room  is  61  by  74  feet;  the 
bleach  room  is  37  by  60  feet,  and  the  of- 
fice is  16  by  20  feet.  The  building  is  two 
stories  in  height,  with  a  warehouse  60  by  164 
feet.  The  plant  is  equipped  wdth  a  capacity 
of  eight  tons  of  manufactured  paper  a  day, 
which  is  made  into  paper  bags,  the  product 
being  sold  direct  to  manufacturers  of  flour 
and  cement.  The  company  has  drilled 
five  productive  gas  wells,  each  900  feet  deep, 
and  thus  they  get  abundant  heat,  their  power 
being  obtained  by  a  gas  and  a  steam  engine. 

The  quality  and  purity  of  the  water  used  is 
a  factor  of  importance  in  the  manufacture  of 
paper  and  this  company  has  an  artesian  well, 
390  feet  in  depth,  which  flows  400,000  gal- 
lons of  water  a  day.  It  ls  of  such  purity  that 
the  paper  manufactured  with  its  use  is  many 
points  stronger  than  paper  made  heretofore 
by  the  same  formula,  wdth  ordinary  water. 
The  company  has  built  five  two-flat  buildings 
just  across  the  line,  in  Brecksville  Township, 
for  the  housing  of  their  employes.  This  is 
one  of  the  most  important  business  enterprises 
of  this  section,  and  its  success  must  be  attrib- 
uted to  the  quiet,  resourceful  man  who  has 
studied  the  manufacture  of  paper  in  a  prac- 
tical way  from  boyhood. 

Mr.  Jaite  married  a  daughter  of  E.  L. 
Peebles,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  they  have  had 
six  children,  namely:  Grace  May,  Rov  W., 
Giles,  Edna  E.,  Nettie  and  Fern  J.  "Giles 
died  at  the  age  of  three  years.  Mr.  Jaite 
built  a  beautiful  home  in  Boston  Township 
in  1904,  in  which  he  has  resided  since  the 
spring  of  1905.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  at  Cleveland,  the 
Royal  Arcanum  in  Cleveland,  and  of  Cri- 
terian  Lodge,  K.  of  P.  He  belongs  to  the 
Methodist   Episcopal    Church. 

JOSEPH  C.  HILL,  formerly  county  com- 
missioner of  Summit  County,  and  a  leading 
citizen  of  Akron,  carries  On  a  large  contract- 


ing business  liere,  and  has  been  a  resident 
of  the  city  since  1882.  He  is  a  prominent 
member  of  Buckley  Post,  Grand  Army  of  tlie 
Republic,  having  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
Union  army  during  the  entire  period  of  the 
Civil  War.  He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
March  9,  1844.  When  a  youth  of  but  seven- 
teen years,  in  June,  1861,  he  voluntarily  as- 
siuned  the  dangers  and  hardships  that  fell  to 
the  lot  of  those  who  took  active  part  as  sol- 
diers in  the  great  Civil  War,  which  he  faced 
with  courage  and  endurance  that  would  have 
been  creditable  in  one  much  older  and  more 
seasoned. 

As  a  member  of  Company  E,  Seventy- 
.seventh  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry, 
Colonel  F.  H.  Stambaugh,  and  under  com- 
mand of  General  Negley,  he  left  Pittsburg  on 
October  26,  1861,  going  directly  to  Ken- 
tucky. He  served  under  some  of  the  greatest 
commanders  of  the  war — Generals  Grant, 
Sherman,  Rosecrans  and  Buell — and  par- 
ticipated in  some  of  the  most  memorable  en- 
gagements, including  those  of  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing, Corinth,  Perryville,  Chickamauga,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  the  campaign  from  Chatta- 
nooga to  Atlanta.,  Jonesboro,  Sherman's 
March  to  the  Sea,  through  the  Carolina.*,  and 
in  the  last'  struggle  at  Bentonville.  He  was 
honorably  discharged  and  was  mustered  out 
of  the  service  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1865.  During  all  this  period  of  al- 
most constant  exposure  to  danger,  Mr.  Hill 
was  wounded  but  once,  and  then  slightly.  He 
was  captured  once,  at  Chickamauga,  but  for- 
tunately made  his  ftscape  on  the  same  day. 

After  the  close  of  his  very  creditable  mili- 
tary serve,  Mr.  Hill  returned  to-Pennsylvania, 
and  in  1867  went  West. ,  There  he  soon  found 
profitable  employment  in  building,  and  his 
work  was  so  approved  that  he  became  con- 
cerned in  the  building  of  all  the  bridges  for 
the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston  Rail- 
road, from  Chetopn,  Kansas,  to  Fort  Gibson. 
He  subsequently  built  the  Plaza  hotel  at 
Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico;  the  Palace  hotel  at 
Las  Vegas,  New  Mexico;  the  Adelia  Silver 
Mill,  for  the  Adelia  Mining  Company,  at  Sil- 
ver Cliff,  Colorado.    After  completing  the  last 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


46c 


mentioned  contract,  in  January,  1882,  he  re- 
turned east  to  "Ohio  and  located  permanently 
at  Akron.  Here  Mr.  Hill  has  had  a  good 
share  of  the  general  building  and  contract- 
ing work  of  the  city,  and  has  erected  some  of 
the  finest  residences  here,  including  those  of 
M.  11.  Crumrine,  Charles  Berry,  on  Portage 
Path ;  H.  H.  Bender,  on  Batch  Street,  and 
that  of  Dr.  Rose,  on  Rhodes  Avenue.  He  is 
a  stockholder  in  the  Dos-De-Atril  Mining 
Company,  of  Chico,  New  Mexico. 

In  1870  Mr.  Hill  was  married  at  Clinton, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  to  Belle  Whittlesey, 
of  that  place.  He  and  his  wife  have  four  sons 
and  two  daughters,  namely:  Clarence  M.,  who 
is  a  conductor  on  the  A.  B.  &  C.  Railroad; 
Charles  R.,  who  is  connected  with  the  firm 
of  Yeager  Company,  as  windoiw  dresser;  Wil- 
liam W.,  residing  at  home  with  his  parents; 
Kathrj'n,  who  married  Charles  Ellet,  resid- 
ing at  Akron;  and  Mabel,  who  is  a  graduate 
nurse,  connected  with  the  Akron  City  Hos- 
pital ;  and  Frank,  who  is  a  stenographer  in 
the   offices  of  the    Goodrich    Rubber    Com- 

Formerly  Mr.  Hill  was  quite  active  in  poli- 
tics, and  served  very  efficien'tly  as  a  commis- 
sioner of  Summit  County,  but  latterly  has 
given  the  larger  part  of  his  attention  to  busi- 
ness affairs. 

A.  POLSKY,  one  of  .Vkron',-;  entei-prising 
men  and  successful  merchants,  dealing  in  dry 
goods,  cloaks  and  milliners',  and  carrying  tlie 
largest  and  most  exclusive  stock  of  its  kind 
in  this  city,  occupies  a  three-story  and  base- 
ment building,  at  Nft«.  51-53  South  Howard 
Street,  where  he  ha^  a  floor  space  of  40  bv  90 
feet. 

Mr.  Polsky  was  born  in  1848  in  Polish 
Russia,  where  he  remained  until  twenty  years 
of  age,  >when  he  emigrated  to  America.  After 
landing  in  the  United  States  be  remained  for 
six  months  in  New  York  and  then  wpnt  on 
a  tour  through  Iowa,  Minnesota  and  -other 
states  in  search  of  a  d&sirable  location,  finally, 
irt  1877,  coming  to  Ohio  and  engaging  in  a 
general  mercantile  business  at  Orwell,  Ash- 
t'abula  County.     He  entered  into  partnenship 


with  Samuel  Myers,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Myere  &  PoLsky,  and  they  continued  there  for 
eight  years.  In  1885  they  came  to  Akron  and 
contirmed  the  business  until  1893,  when  Mr. 
Polsky  became  sole  proprietor,  and  has  since 
continued  the  business  alone.  Mr.  Polsky  has 
demonstrated  his  fine  business  qualities,  and 
in  the  face  of  much  competition,  has  attaim  d 
a  place  in  the  front  rank  of  local  merchant-. 
Good  judgment  in  buying,  honest  methods  in 
selling  and  courteous  treatment  to  all  have 
been  the  leading  factors  in  his  success. 

In  his  native  land  Mr.  Polsky  was  married 
to  Molly  Bloch,  who  died  in  1803,  leaving 
children  as  follows:  Anna,  who  married  C. 
R.  Finn,  a  wholesale  grocer  of  Cleveland; 
Eva,  who  married  I.  Sands,  who  is  in  the  con- 
fectionery business  at  Cleveland;  Rose,  wife 
of  Dr.  Morgenrath,  of  Akron ;  Harry,  who  is 
manager  of  the  cloak  department  of  A.  Pol- 
.sky;  and  Bertram,  who  is  also  an  a-ssistant  in 
his  father's  bu.siness.  Mr.  Polsky  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Akron  Hebrew  Congregation.  Fra- 
ternally, he  Ls  connected  with  Adoniram  Ma- 
sonic Lodge  and  Akron  Lodge  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. 

JAMES  B.  SENTER,  one  of  the  prominent 
citizens  of  Northfield  Township,  who  is  serv- 
ing his  second  term  as  township  trustee,  was 
born  November  14,  1850,  in  Northfield  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
.lohn  and  Jane  (Boyle)  Sentcr. 

John  Senter,  who  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
came  to  America  as  a  young  man,  and  set- 
tled at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  was  offered 
two  acres  of  land,  on  which  the  Case  Block 
now  stands,  for  one  year's  work.  After  a 
short  time  in  Cleveland,  Mr.  Senter  caime  to 
Northfield  Township,  where  he  purcha-ed  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres,  to  which  he  later  added 
from  time  to  time.  Here  he  .spent  the  re-t 
of  his  life  in  dairy  farming,  his  death  o-^- 
curring  in  his  seventy-.sixth  year.  He  wa« 
married  in  Stow  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  to  .lane  Boyle,  who  was  also  a  native  of 
Trelatid.  They  had  ten  children,  of  whom 
seven  grew  to  maturity,  namelv:  Sarah  Jane, 
whrr'    married' ■SiiTip.*oii    IIibl)ard :    William. 


466 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


who  resides  in  Bedford  Township;  Edward, 
Jiuiies  B.,  Ellen,  Robert,  Delia,  who  married 
Frank  Southwick,  of  Twinsburg  Township; 
Caroline,  who  married  Chai'les  Belong,  and 
resides  on  Ihe  home  farm;  and  three  others, 
who  died  in  infancy.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Church. 

James  B.  Senter  was  educated  in  Northfield 
Township,  where  for  two  years  he  carried  on 
agricultural  pursuits  with  his  brother,  Ed- 
ward. In  1880,  however,  he  sold  his  inter- 
ests to  his  brother,  and  purchased  his  present 
farm  of  100  acreis  on  the  road  between  Center 
and  Macedonia,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in 
dairy  and  general  farming  to  the  present 
time.  He  raises  hay,  corn,  wheat  and  oats, 
using  everything  for  feed,  except  wheat,  and 
keeps  about  forty  head  of  thoroughbred  Hol- 
stein  cattle.  He  has  shipped  milk  to  Cleve- 
land for  thirty  years.  Mr.  Senter  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Northfield  Grange  until  the  dis- 
bandment  of  that  organization,  and  he  is  now 
connected  with  Bedford  Lodge,  Knights  of 
Pythias.  In  politics  Mr.  Senter  is  an  inde- 
pendent Democrat,  and  he  is  now  serving  his 
second  term  as  town.¥hip  trustee.  For  about 
eight  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Children's  Home. 
Mr.  Senter  was  married  to  Adda  L.  Sheppard, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Simeon  Sheppard,  of 
Solon,  Ohio,  and  five  children  have  been  bo:n 
to  this  union,  of  whom  three  survive,  name- 
ly: May,  who  is  the  wife  of  Clarence  Jones, 
of  Macedonia;  Clyde,  who  resides  in  Bedford, 
and  who  married  Dortha  Barn^;  in  S?])t?mber, 
1907;  and  Opal. 

FRED  S.  VIALL,  president  of  tlie  Akron 
Plumbing  &  Heating  Company,  of  Akron, 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  for  the  past 
.seventeen  years.  He  was  born  in  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  in  1873,  and  is  a  son  of  Syl- 
vester Viall.  The  father  of  Mr.  Viall  was 
also  born  in  Summit  Coimty.  in  1844,  and  is 
a  son  of  Sullivan  Yiall,  who  settled  early  in 
Summit  County.  Sylvester  Viall  re=ides  on 
his  farm  in  Boston  Township  and  is  one  of 
the  prominent  citizens  of  the  coimtv. 

Fred  S.   A''iall   wa.=!  reared   on  his   father's 


farm  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  coun- 
try schools.  He  came  to  Akron  when  he  was 
.■seventeen  years  old,  and,  deciding  to  learn 
the  plumbing  business,  entered  the  employ  of 
Kraus  &  Oberlin,  with  which  firm  he  re- 
mained three  years.  For  one  year  afterward 
he  traveled  through  Vermont  and  Massachu- 
setts, working  at  his  trade,  and  then  return- 
ing to  Akron,  and  was  connected  with  the 
firm  of  Kraus  &  Kirn  for  four  years.  About 
this  time,  in  association  with  other  practical 
men,  he  formed  the  Akron  Plumbing  &  Heat- 
ing Company,  which  was  incorporated  in  the 
spring  of  1907,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $15.- 
000.  The  officers  are:  Fred  S.  Viall,  pre-i- 
dent ;  R.  H.  A^iall,  vice-president  and  man- 
agei';  and  F.  S.  Pryor,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer. The  business  of  the  company  is'  gen- 
eral contracting  and  plumbing  of  the  most 
approved  style. 

In  1897  Mr.  Viall  was  married  to  Kate  M. 
Watson,  a  daughter  of  Frank  Watson,  who 
came  originally  from  Scotland.  They  have 
four  children :  Irene,  Blanche,  Mary  Frances 
and  Carl  Sylvester.  Mr.  Viall  has  a  fine  lai-- 
iness  record  and  is  numbered  with  tlie  i)rn- 
gressive  bu.sine.ss  men  of  this  city. 

C.  P.  FRAIN,  of  the  firm  of  Frain  & 
Manbeck,  leading  dealers  at  Akron  in  fine 
groceries,  fruit  "and  meats,  with  extensive 
quarters  at  Nos.  422-424  East  Market  Street, 
is  a  prominent  man  in  the  city's  commercial 
life  and  a  citizen  of  most  reliable  character. 
He  was  born  at  Middleburg,  Snyder  County, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1853,  and  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  place,  where  he  lived 
to  the  age  of  twenty-one  vears.  He  then 
went  to  Lewistown,  Pennsvlvania,  where  for 
five  years  he  was  engaged  in  a  clerical  capac- 
ity in  a  dry  goods  .store.  In  1879  he  came 
to  Akron,  and  for  the  five  following  years 
was  with  the  firm  of  O'Neil  &  Dyas.  Then, 
in  partnership  with  Frank  J.  Mell,  he  estab- 
lished his  present  business  at  the  same  loca- 
tion. The  firm  name  of  Mell  &  Frain  was 
continued  until  the  .spring  of  1885.  Mr. 
Mell  then  sold  his  interest  to  Harry  J.  Shref- 
fler,  and  the  business  was  conducted  for  two 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


469 


years  under  the  name  of  Shreffler  &  Frain, 
when  Mr.  Shreffler  sold  out  his  interest  to 
C.  D.  Manbeck.  The  business  has  been  con- 
ducted under  the  present  style  since  1887. 
Mr.  Frain  has  remained  continuously  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  and  the  business  is  one  of  the 
oldest  in  the  city  in  its  line. 

In  1878  Mr.  Frain  was  man-ied  to  Mar- 
garet C.  Brenneman.  In  1892  Mr.  Frain 
erected  his  handsome  residence  at  92  Forge 
Street,  on  which  street  he  has  resided  since 
coming  to  Akron. 

AVILLIAM  COOPER,  for  many  ycar.s  con- 
nected with  the  industrial  interests  of  Akron 
a.^  a  manufacturer  of  brick,  but  now  retired, 
was  born  in  Staffordshire,  England.  March 
19,  1845. 

His  knowledge  of  brick-making  \va.s  ac- 
(juired  in  his  native  land,  where  he  served  an 
early  and  thorough  apprenticeship  to  the 
trade.  Coming  to  this  country  in  1865,  at 
tlie  age  of  twenty,  Mr.  Cooper  found  employ- 
ment in  Akron  in  Brewster's  coal  mines,  in 
which  he  worked  for  six  years,  gaining  the 
reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most  skillful 
coal  miners  in  this  section. 

He  then  returned  to  England,  where  for 
the  next  seven  years  he  was  employed  in  the 
mines.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  came 
again  to  the  United  States  and  took  up  his 
permanent  residence  in  Akron,  where  he  was 
employed  by  Dr.  .Jewett,  on  contract,  to  man- 
ufacture brick.  In  this  line  of  industry  he 
proved  himself  an  expert,  and  probably  no 
better  brick  was  ever  made  here  than  that 
turned  out  by  him. 

About  the  same  time  two  of  Mr.  Cooper's 
brothers,  Samuel  and  Joseph,  botli  practical 
Itrick-makers,  were  working  at  Akron,  and 
the.  three  brothers  decided  to  embark  in  the 
manufacturing  business  for  themselves. 
Though  posessing  but  a  small  amount  of  cap- 
ital, the  most  of  which  was  absorbed  in  leas- 
ing their  plant  and  buying  a  horse,  they  all 
had  the  requisite  knowledge,  industry  and 
perseverance  to  make  the  business  a  success, 
and  they  were  rewarded  by  early  and  long 
continued  prosperity.  Under  the  style  of  the 


Cooper  Brick  Company  they  carried  on  the 
business  for  sixteen  or  seventeen  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  Mr.  William  Cooper  bought 
out  his  brothers'  interests,  afterwards  conduct- 
ing the  business  alone  until  1905.  He  then 
sold  the  plant  to  George  W.  Crouse,  Jr.,  and 
retired.  He  is  now  living  in  the  enjoyment 
of  the  ease  earned  by  his  long  years  of  honest 
labor,  which  is  sanctified  by  the  blessings 
which  accrue  to  those  who  lead  a  sincere 
Christian  life. 

Mr.  Cooper  was  married  in  1864,  near 
Portsmouth,  England,  to  Elizabeth  A.  Bag- 
gott.  He  and  his  wife  have  been  the  parents 
of  eleven  children,  of  whom  seven  still  sur- 
vive, namely:  Hattie,  Emily  J.,  Rose,  Ed- 
win T.,  Amanda,  Charles  Ford,  and  Eva 
(Irace.  Hattie,  who  Ls  the  wife  o/  William 
Leoder,  of  Akron,  has  one  child  by  a  former 
marriage — Grace  Mattocks.  Emily  J.,  wife 
of  Charles  Tewksberry,  of  Akron,  by  her  finst 
marriage  to  Charles  Spellman,  had  four  chil- 
dren— Clarissa,  William,  Eva,  and  Pearl — of 
whom  Clarissa  and  William  are  deceased. 
Ro-e,  who  married  Jesse  Schofield,  of  Akron, 
has  had  five  children,  namely:  Edith,  Ellen, 
Ethel,  Mabel,  and  Park,  of  whom  Edith  and 
Ethel  are  now  deceased.  Amanda,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Eugene  Spellman,  of  Altoona, 
Pennsylvania,  has  two 'children — Ruth  and 
William.  Edwin  T.,  who  is  an  engineer  at 
the  Weeks  Pottery,  Akron,  is  married  and  has 
one  child — William.  Charles  Ford,  an  engi- 
neer, residing  in  Akron,  has  two  children — 
Viola  and  Edwin.  Eva  Grace  is  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Johnson,  of  Akron,  and  has  one  child 
—Elizabeth. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Cooper,  whose  por- 
traits appear  in  this  connection,  are  memljers 
of  the  United  Brethren  Church.  Mr.  Cooper 
has  been  a  member  of  the  order  of  Sons  of 
St.  George  for  a  number  of  years.  He  is  a 
strong  advocate  of  the  temperance  cau.se,  and 
casts  his  vote  in  support  of  the  Prohibition 
party. 

GEORGE  STARR,  one  of  Copley  Town- 
ship's most  highly  respected  residents,  who 
owns  245  acres  of  well-improved  land  at  Cop- 


470 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ley  Center,  was  bom  on  the  faxm  and  in  the 
house  which  continues  to  be  his  liouu', 
November  1,  18-lG.  His  parents  were  Simon 
iind  Parnell  (Orcutt)  StaiT. 

Simon  Starr  was  born  in  Connecticut,  in 
August,  1800,  and  wa^  twenty-six  years  of 
age  when  be  came  to  Ohio.  He  remamed  for 
two  years  in  Medina  County  and  then  pa?hed 
on  into  Summit  County,  where  he  bought  Mr. 
Starr's  present  farm  from  the  Perkins  fam- 
ily. It  was  mainly  covered  with  a  timber 
growth  at  that  time,  imd  only  a  portion  of 
the  present  residence  had  been  built.  Short- 
ly after  coming  to  this  section  Simon  was 
married  to  Parnell  Orcutt,  who  was  born  in 
New  York,  and  had  accompanied  her  father, 
Chester  Orcutt,  to  Ohio.  This  remained  the 
family  home  and  liere  the  father  died  in  1800 
and  the  mother  in  Febiiiary,  1880.  They  h;  d 
eight  children,  namely:  Mary,  who  married 
Samuel  Moore;  Lucius,  who  is  deceased; 
Sarah,  who  is  the  widow  of  Henry  Ingham; 
Simon,  deceased;  George,  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Martha,  deceased,  who  married  0.  B. 
Hardy;  Eddie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two 
years;  and  Charles. 

George  Starr  obtained  his  education  in  the 
district  schools.  His  home  has  ever  been  in 
Copley  Township,  and  he  has  been  mainly 
interested  in  farming,  but  as  a  matter  of  rec- 
reation, he  htis  visited  many  parts  of  the 
country,  including  the  states  of  Indiana,  Illi- 
nois, Iowa,  Missouri  and  California.  While 
interested  in  the  products  and  resources  of 
those  sections,  he  remains  satisfied  with  Ohio 
and  hi.?  own  fine  ftirm  in  Copley  Township. 
He  can  recall  how  this  land  looked  before  it 
■was  improved  by  his  father  and  himself,  and 
knows  the  fertility  of  its  soil.  He  is  an  en- 
terprising agriculturist,  as  was  his  father,  the 
latter  having  purchased  the  first  reaper  ever 
used  in  Copley  Township.  It  was  but  the 
forerunner  of  other  improved  machinery. 

Mr.  Starr  was  married  to  Martha  Searle;-, 
and  they  have  two  children,  namely:  Clark, 
engaged  in  farming  near  his  father,  who 
married  Fannie  Bender,  and  has  onesm, 
George  Eber;  and  Maude,  who  married  Guy 
AVeeks,  has   one  son.   George   Harrison,   and 


also  lives  in  Copley  Township.  Mr.  Starr  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  served 
on  the  Township  School  Board. 

A.  C.  ROIIRBACHER,  senior  member  of 
the  leading  hardware  firm  of  Rohrbacher  & 
Allen,  has  been  identified  with  this  line  of 
trade  foi'  a  quarter  of  a  century,  making  him 
one  of  the  oldest  hardware  men  at  Akron,  in 
point  of  years  of  service.  He  was  born  in 
1856,  in  Mississippi,  but  was  reared  at  Pitts- 
burg, Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Rohrbacher  was  educated  at  the  West- 
ern University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  prior  to 
coming  to  Akron,  had  been  engaged  in  the 
drug  business  in  Pittsburg.  In  1882  he 
bought  a  one-third  interest  in  the  hardware 
business  at  Akron,  of  Williams  &  Rohrbacher, 
he  being  the  junior  partner,  and  this  firm  con- 
tinued for  fourteen  years,  at  its  termination, 
Mr.  Rohrbacher  purchased  Mr.  Williams' 
interest.  .  Subsequently,  Mr.  Rohrbacher 
took  in  I.  F.  Allen  and  the  present 
firm  style  has  since  continued.  The 
firm  deals  both  by  wholesale  and  retail.  Their 
building  at  No.  66  South  Howard  Street  is 
five  stories  high,  with  dimensions  of  22  by  108 
feet,  and  with  a  warehouse  in  the  rear  of  75 
by  27  feet,  and  two  stories  high.  The  busi- 
ness is  a  leading  one  of  the  city  and  keeps  two 
salesmen  on  the  road,  who  cover  a  larg> 
amount  of  territory.  Mr.  Rohrbacher  has 
other  business  interests  and  is  concerned  in 
the  Jaihant  Heating  Company.  He  is  an  en- 
terprising citizen  and  ever  ready  to  further 
public-spirited  movements,  but  he  cares  httl  ■ 
for  political  preferment.  After  serving  one 
term  in  the  City  Council  he  declined  to  ser\'e 
longer. 

In  1877  Mr.  Rohrbacher  was  married  to 
Marv  E.  Lyon,  of  Courtland,  Ohio,  who  died 
July  28,  1905.  She  left  one  son,  Paul  F., 
who  creditably  completed  the  Akron  High 
School  course  and  then  entered  Buehtel  Col- 
lege. Mr.  Rohrbacher  is  one  of  .Akron's  most 
prominent  Masons.  He  belongs  to  the  Blue 
Tjodge,  of  whicli  he  was  treasurer  for  a  nuin- 
)>er  of  years.  Cliapter,  Coinicil  and  Command- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


474 


ery  at  Akron,  Lake  Erie  Consistory  and  Al- 
koran  Shrine,  at  Cleveland,  and  to  the  Ma- 
sonic club.  He  aLjo  belongs  to  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  treasurer 
of  the  organization  known  U5  the  Builders' 
Exchange. 

ASHER  F.  SIPPY,  M.  D.,  physician  and 
surgeon  at  Akron,  who  is  a  valued  member  of 
the  Sixth  Councilor  District,  the  Summit 
County,  the  Ohio  State  and  the  American 
Medical  Associations,  came  to  this  city  in 
May,  1894,  a  graduate  of-  the  Rush  Medical 
College  of  Chicago. 

Dr.  Sippy  was  born  in  Richland  County, 
Wisconsin,  in  1861,  where  he  secured  his  lit- 
erary training  and  grew  to  sturdy  manhood 
on  the  homestead  farm.  His  inclinations, 
however,  were  in  another  direction  and  from 
farming  and  dairying,  he  turned  to  profes- 
sional work,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
years  entered  the  medical  institution  above 
named.  There  he  was  graduated  in  1892,  re- 
ceiving the  Benjamin  Rush  gold  medal  for 
the  highest  standing  in  examinations  for  the 
three  years'  course  in  his  class  of  163  mem- 
bers. For  nineteen  months  following  he  had 
the  advantage  of  ser\'ing  as  an  interne  in  the 
Cook  County  Haspital,  at  Chicago,  where 
probably  everj^  disease  that  afflicts  the  human 
body,  and  many  of  the  most  serious  accidental 
injuries,  came  under  his  care  and  were  ob- 
jects of  study.  From  there  Dr.  Sippy  came 
to  Akron,  where  he  has  built  up  a  large  and 
satisfying  practice. 

In  1884  Dr.  Sippy  was  married  to  Nona 
Jaquish,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  and 
they  have  two  .sons:  Burne  0.  and  H.  Ivan. 
Dr.  Sippy  retains  member.«hip  in  his  college 
society,  the  Alpha-Omega-Alpha  fraternity. 
He  belongs  also  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Maccabees,  the  Sunnnit  County  Medical  club 
and  the  Celsus  club. 

0.  D.  LEVY,  junior  member  of  the  whole- 
sale and  retail  clothing  house  of  Federman  it 
Levy,  at  Akron,  is  one  of  the  city's  represent- 
ative business  men.  Fie  was  born  in  1868, 
in   the   citv   of   London,    Fniiland,    and    wa- 


thirteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica. Mr.  Levy's  first  year  in  the  United  States 
was  passed  in  Philadelphia,  removal  then  be- 
ing made  to  New  York  City,  where  he  was 
practically  educated.  During  his  eighteen 
years'  residence  there  he  sei'ved  a  two-year 
apprenticeship  to  the  jeweler's  trade,  and  then 
traveled  for  three  years  for  a  New  York  con- 
fectionery company.  He  was  afterward  in 
the  wholesale  stationery  and  confectionery 
line  for  himself  for  eight  years.  He  then  lo- 
cated at  McKee-sport,  Pennsylvania,  and 
opened  a  branch  store  at  Youngstown,  and 
later  at  Akron  and  at  Lorain,  in  1899 
establishing  the  firm  of  Federman  &  Levy, 
The  firm  has  disposed  of  its  stores  at  Y^oungs- 
town  and  McKeesport,  but  still  retains  the 
Lorain  trade.  Mr.  Levy  has  made  his  home 
at  Akron  for  the  past  seven  years.  The  firm 
here  has  a  very  large  store  and  does  a  wholesale 
and  retail  furnishings  business,  a  retail  cloth- 
ing business,  and  make  a  specialty  of  hosiery 
and  underwear,  wholesale.  During  his  period 
of  residence  in  New  Y^ork,  Mr.  Levy  took 
considerable  interest  in  public  affairs,  but 
since  coming  to  Ohio  has  not  been  active  in 
politics.  He  is  recognized  as  a  fine  business 
man  and  stands  very  high  commercially. 

In  1884,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  Mr.  Levy 
was  married  to  Sadie  Federman,  and  they 
have  a  family  consisting  of  seven  cliildren, 
namely:  Bertha,  who  maiTied  Morris  Gross- 
man, a  prominent  business  man  of  Akron ; 
Rebecca;  Sadie,  who  married  Arthur  Brown- 
stein,  of  Newburg,  New  Jersey;  Harry,  who 
is  associated  with  his  father;  Hannah,  Hilda 
and  Edgar.  Mr.  Levy  is  a  member  of  the 
Akron  Hebrew  Congregation. 

SYLVESTER  G.  VIALL,  who  is  cultivat- 
ing a  finely  imijroved  farm  of  forty-three  acres 
in  Boston  Township,  was  born  ilareh  13, 
1844,  in  Northampton  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Sullivan  and 
]\Iary  Ann  (Freeby)Viall.  He  attended  his 
first  term  of  school  in  the  old  log  schoolhouse 
with  split  log  floors  and  '^eats,  and  after  his 
father's  death  removed  with  his  mother  to 
Richfield   Townsliip,    where    Mr~.    YxaW   pur- 


472 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


chased  a  small  farm.  In  1864  Mrs.  Viall  sold 
this  place  and  Sylvester  G.  started  out  in  life 
for  himself,  his  mother  marrying  Stephen 
Dales  of  Copley  Township,  where  .she  died. 
In  1864  Mr,  Viall  worked  in  Bath  Township, 
but  soon  thereafter  married,  and  started  house- 
keeping at  Peninsula,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  teaming  for  two  years.  He  then  removed 
to  Copley  Township  and  began  farming  a 
rented  property,  but  in  1883  located  on  his 
present  tract,  which  he  had  purchased  some 
time  previously.  In  this  year  he  built  his 
house,  and  in  the  following  spring  his  barn. 
He  now  has  growing  fruits  of  all  .staple  vari- 
eties and  in  addition  raises  wheat,  corn  and 
potatoes.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  breeding 
thoroughbred  Poland  China  hogs. 

Mr.  Viall  was  married  October  15,  1864, 
to  Mary  E.  Ozmun,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Hec- 
tor Ozmun  of  Boston  Township.  He  and  hi- 
wife  have  been  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
namely:  Florence,  wife  of  F.  C.  Lee,  a  resi- 
dent of  Brunswick  Township,  Medina  County, 
Ohio;  Theda,  who  is  the  wife  of  David  C. 
Ilarpham,  of  East  Akron,  Ohio;  Ward,  who 
died  when  twenty-two  years  of  age;  Fred,  of 
The  Akron  Plumbing  &  Heating  Company  of 
Akron ;  Rutherford  H.,  also  a  member  of  the 
same  firm;  Maud,  the  wife  of  James  Crum, 
of  Brunswick  Township,  Medina  County, 
Ohio;  and  Mabel,  a  .stenographer,  who  lives 
at  home  with  her  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Viall  are  identified  with  the 
Congregational  Church,  of  which  the  former 
has  been  a  deacon  for  the  pa.st  sixteen  or 
seventeen  years.  They  are  also  members  of 
the  Richfield  Grange,  No.  1260,  of  which  Mr. 
Viall  has  been  master,  and  he  has  also  been 
overseer  of  Summit  County  Pomona  Grange 
for  six  consecutive  years.  In  political  mat- 
ters he  is  a  Republican,  and  he  was  personal 
property  appraiser  for  three  years  and  real 
estate  appraiser  during  the  last  appraisement, 
which  occurred  in  1900. 

Nathaniel  Viall,  grandfather  of  Sylvester 
G.,  was  born  March  28,  1782.  After  his  death 
his  widow  Betsey,  who  was  born  December 
14.  1768,  in  Vermont,  came  to  Northampton 


Township  with  her  son  Sullivan,  with  whom 
she  made  her  home  until  her  death. 

Sullivan  Viall  was  born  in  \'ermont  March 
3,  1811,  and  received  hi^  education  in  the 
conmion  schools.  He  came  to  Middlebury, 
Ohio,  which  is  now  a  part  of  Akron,  and 
thence  he  went  by  team  to  Pittsburg,  hauling 
tlour  there  and  returning  with  dry  goods.  In 
this  business  he  was  engaged  for  many  years 
and  accunmlated  in  it  about  $4,000,  which 
he  lost  through  the  failure  of  a  private  bank. 
He  then  decided  to  engage  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  accordingly  purchased  a  farm, 
on  which  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  spent. 
He  met  with  a  sudden  and  accidental  death, 
being  gored  to  death  by  a  savage  bull  in 
1851.  He  was  one  of  the  first  Whigs  in  this 
county,  and  served  as  township  trustee,  and 
for  nearly  the  full  period  of  his  residence  in 
Northampton  Township  was  a  member  of  ihe 
School  Board.  Sullivan  Viall  was  married 
August  28,  1836,  to  Mary  Ann  Freeby,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  .^lugust  28,  1813. 
Her  father,  George  Freeby,  was  a  shoemaker 
and  farmer  who  came  to  America  from  Ger- 
many and  died  in  Indiana  about  1855.  Mrs 
Viall  died  March  21,  1890,  having  been  the 
mother  of  three  children,  namely:  Henrietta, 
Avho  is  the  widow  of  Isaac  Smith,  of  Portage 
Township;  Sylvester  G.,  who.se  name  stands 
at  the  head  of  this  article ;  and  Damaris,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Dr.  F.  N.  Chamberlin,  of  Stow 
Township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Viall  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

FRANK  J.  CONVERSE,  whose  valuable 
farm  of  eighty  acres  is  situated  in  one  of  the 
best  portions  of  Copley  Township,  was  born 
on  the  old  Converse  homestead  in  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  November  23,  1863,  and  is  the 
youngest  child  born  to  Chauncey  and  Eliza- 
beth (Stewart)  Converse. 

Chauncey  Converse,  the  father,  was  born 
in  New  York  and  was  brought  to  Ohio  by  his 
parents  when  ho  was  a  child  five  years  old. 
The  Converse  family  settled  in  Franklin 
Township,  Portage  County,  the  Franklin 
mills  there  giving  the  name  to  the  place, 
which  was  later  called  Kent.     Chauncey  Con- 


AND    REPRESENTATI\'K    CITIZENS 


473 


verse  assisted  hi;  fatlier  to  clear  and  culti- 
vate the  farm,  and  grew  to  manhood  in  the 
log  cabin  first  erected  on  it.  In  early  man- 
hood he  married  Elizabeth  Stewart,  who  was 
born  in  Portage  County  and  spent  the  whole 
of  her  life  there.  Chauncey  Converge  owned 
a  farm  of  14-t  acres  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  took  place  in  1878,  when  he  was 
seventy-three  ye^irs  of  age.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  some  years.  They  had  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  William  J.,  residing  in  Sha- 
ron Township,  Medina  County;  Emma  A., 
deceased;  Tillinghast.  re^-iding  on  the  old 
home  place;  Edward  S..  deceased;  and  Frank 
Jefferson,  residing  in  Copley  Township. 

It  was  upon  the  above  mentioned  farm 
that  Frank  J.  Converse  spent  his  boyhood  and 
early  manhood,  attending  the  schools  of  Kent 
and  assisting  on  the  farm.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  lived  for  a  year  and  a  half  longer 
in  Portage  County.  In  1885  he  moved  to 
Summit  County,  renting  a  farm  near  Mont 
Rose,  in  which  vicinity  he  remained  for  seven 
years.  In  1892  he  came  to  his  present  farm, 
which  he  purchased  a  few  months  later  from 
the  .Joseph  Decovy  estate.  Here.  Mr.  Converse 
carries  on  general  farming  and  dairying,  and 
for  eight  years  he  ran  a  wagon  to  Akron.  He 
is  interested  also  in  the  Logan  Clay  Product 
Company,  located  at  Logan,  Ohio,  where  all 
kinds  of  clay  products  are  manufactured. 

Mr.  Converse  married  Ella  Moore,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  0.  C.  and  Mariuiu  Moore,  who 
came  to  this  .section  as  pioneers.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Converse  have  had  five  children,  namely: 
Vera,  who  married  F.  C.  Thompson,  a  resi- 
dent of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ruth,  Bina,  Pauline 
and  Marcia.  Mr.  Converse  is  a  member  of 
the  Church  of  Christ.  He  takes  an  interest 
in  the  public  affairs  of  the  township,  and 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation. 

CHARLES  R.  MORGAN,  pn^^ident  of  the 
Pouchot-Hunsicker  Company,  prominent 
wholesale  and  retail  gen<»ral  hardwai'e  house 
of  long  standing  in  this  city,  was  born  at 
London,  England,  in  185R.  He  was  reared 
in  England,  and  was  in  France  at  the  time 


Napoleon  III.  became  a  prisoner  of  war.  He 
accompanied  his  parents  to  America  when 
se\-enteen  years  of  age.  He  had  been  well 
educated  in  schools  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Atlantic,  and  after  his  parents  located  at  .Vsh- 
land,  Ohio,  he  attended  an  American  school 
for  one  term  and  was  then  apprenticed  to  the 
Ashland  Machine  Company.  He  learned  the 
pattern-maker's  tx'ade  very  thoroughly  and 
remained  with  that  firm  for  ten  years.  In 
1880  he  came  to  Akron  and  for  ten  years 
was  connected  with  the  Buckeye  Mower  and 
Reaper  Company,  working  in  the  winters, 
and  through  the  summers  working  with  the 
Webster,  Camp  and  Lane  Company.  Later 
lie  became  connected  with  the  firm  of  Jahant 
and  Weber,  which  was  the  oldest  stove  house 
of  Akron.  On  March  24,  1893,  Mr.  Morgan 
embarked  in-  his  present  business  on  South 
Howard  Street,  under  the  style  of  Morgan  & 
Pouchot,  the  partnership  lasting  three  years, 
when  Mr.  Morgan  sold  his  interest  and  went 
to  Chicago  as  representative  of  Kernan  Fur- 
nace Company,  of  Utica,  New  York,  where 
he  remained  for  two  years,  when  he  returned 
to  Akron,  buying  back  his  interest  in  the 
firm,  which  then  became  Pouchot-Hunsicker 
&  Company.  In  1903  thev  bought  the  brick 
building  at  Nos.  200-202  South  Main,  its  di- 
mensions being  44  by  90,  five  stories  high  in 
the  rear  and  three  in  front,  where  they  are 
.-till  situated.  The  company  is  an  incorpo- 
rated one,  its  capital  stock"  being  $30,000, 
and  the  present  officers  are:  Charles  R.  Mor- 
gan, president;  H.  D.  Holland,  vice-president; 
Horace  Hunsicker,  treasurer,  and  Irvin  Barth, 
secretary.  All  are  active  members  of  the 
firm  and  are  practical  business  men  in  this 
line.  They  occupy  five  floors  of  their  build- 
ing, do  both  wholesaling  and  retailing  in 
stoves  and  general  hardware,  and  also  oper- 
ate a  tin  shop,  making  a  specialty  of  factory 
repair  work.  Mr.  Morgan  js  interested  also 
in  Akron  real  estate. 

In  1879.  Mr.  Morgan  was  married  to  Kate 
Stahlheber,  of  Ashland,  Ohio.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Trinity  Lutheran  Church  and  belongs 
to  the  church  council.  Fraternally  Mr.  Mor- 
gan is  a  Master  ^lason,  a  Knight  of  Pythias, 


474 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  an  Odd  Felluw,  belonging  to  the  En- 
campment. He  id  connected  also  witii  tlie 
beneticiary  order  of  I'rotected  Home  Circle. 

E.  tf.  UNDEKWOOi),  M  D.,  a  representa- 
tive member  of  liLs  proiessioHj  who  nad  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  sur- 
gery at  Akron,  for  the  past  sixteen  years,  was 
born  in  Akron,  Ohio,  m  ISijy,  and  is  a  son 
of  Dr.  Warren  J.  Underwood,  formerly  a 
well  known  physician  of  Summit  County. 

After  completing  the  public  school  course 
at  Akron,  Edward  S.  Underwood,  subject  of 
this  notice,  entered  Buchlel  College,  going 
thence  to  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at 
Delaware,  and  afterwards  to  Jefferson  Aledi- 
cal  College,  at  Philadelphia,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1891.  He  innnediately  located 
in  his  native  city,  where  he  has  been  in  active 
and  successful  practice  since.  He  has  served 
as  health  officer  of  Akron  for  four  years,  his 
intelligent  inauguration  and  supervision  of 
various  sanitary  reforms  in  this  connection 
resulting  in  a  greatly  lessened  death  rate.  Dr. 
Underwood  is  a  man  of  public  spirit,  and  dur- 
ing two  terms  when  he  served  in  the  city 
council,  he  advocated  many  public  improve- 
ments. He  is  visiting  physician  to  the  Ak- 
ron City  Hospital  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Summit  County,  the  Ohio  State,  and  the 
Northeastern  Ohio  Medical  Societies.  He  is 
also  surgeon  for  the  Akron  fire  department. 
In  1899,  Dr.  Underwood  was  married  to 
Sarah  J.  Kile,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Salem 
Kile.  The  doctor  belongs  to  the  Elks  and 
also  to  the  Elks  Club. 

WILLI.VM  H.  BOWER,  farmer  and  dairy- 
man, residing  on  his  valuable  farm  of  ninety- 
four  acres,  which  is  situated  in  Green  Town- 
ship, wa.s  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Stark 
County.  Ohio,  October  12,  1840,  and  is  a  son 
of  David  and  Mary  (Bullinger)  Bower. 

The  grandparents  of  Mr.  Bovver  came  to 
Ohio  when  their  son  David  wa.s  not  more 
than  eighteen  months  old  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Stark  County,  where  they  were  pio- 
neer.". There  David  wa«  reared  and  assisted 
his  father  to  clear  the  land.     The  latter,  had 


secured  it  from  the  Government,  and  it  was 
still  in  its  wild  state  when  the  Bowers  located 
in  Nimishilleii  Township.  David  Bovvers 
was  a  man  of  an  adventurous  spirit  and  was 
so  fond  of  traveling  that  lie  frequently  made 
long  journeys.  He  was  a  good  tanner  and 
had  a  business  w'hich  kept  a  number  of  men 
employed,  but  when  he  felt  the  desire  to 
travel  he  left  everything  and  started  out.  He 
was  a  man  of  pletisant,  genial  manner  and 
could  always  interest  people  telling  them  of 
his  experiences.  He  spent  nineteen  years  in 
California,  in  early  days,  during  which  period 
he  was  his  own  housekeeper.  When  he 
was  about  fifty-four  years  of  age,  he  moved 
with  his  wife  and  family  to  Kansas,  where  his 
wife  died.  She  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  had  accompanied  her  parents  to  Stark 
County  when  about  fourteen  years  old. 
David  Bower  died  while  traveling  in  Oregon. 
Of  their  fourteen  children,  but  four  survive, 
these  being:  William  Henry,  subject  of  this 
article;  James,  residing  in  Michigan;  Ade- 
line, now  Mrs.  Studebaker;  and  David,  who 
is  a  resident  of  Kansas.  While  living  in 
Stark  County,  David  Bower  owned  and  oper- 
ated a  fai'm  together  with  his  tannery. 

William  lienry  Bower  remained  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Stark  County  until  1861, 
when  he  enlisted  a.s  a  private  to  serve  three 
months,  in  Company  A,  19th  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  which  regiment  formed 
a  part  of  the  force  that  drove  the  Confeder- 
ates out  of  their  strongholds  in  West  Virgin- 
ia and  saved  that  State  to  the  Union.  After 
the  close  of  his  first  ser\-ice,  he  returned  to 
his  home,  thinking,  like  many  others,  tliat 
tlie  war  was  practically  over,  but  when  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  issued  his  call  for  600,000  men, 
he  re-enlL>ted,  entering  Company  II,  107th 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with 
the  rank  of  third  sergeant,  and  during  his 
faithful  subsequent  service  of  thirty-five 
months,  he  rose  step  by  step  until  the  close 
of  the  war  found  him  wearing  a  lieutenant's 
uniform.  He  participated  in  many  of  the 
most  telling  battles  of  the  war.  notably  those 
of  Fredericksburg,  December  13,  1862,  Chan- 
cellorville,   Mav   1-4,   18fiR,   and   Gettysbiirg, 


F.   WIJJ.IAM  FUCILS 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


477 


July  1-3,  1863.  On  the  tiret  day  at  Gettys- 
burg, he  was  struck  in  the  breast  by  a  bullet, 
l>ut  his  life  was  saved  by  a  buckle  on  hi.s  uni- 
form. 

In  1865  Mr.  Bower  came  to  Summit 
County  and  found  employment  with  John 
Chisnell,  grindino-  potters'  clay,  at  which  work 
he  continued  for  three  years.  He  wa.s  faith- 
ful and  industriou.s,  and  proved  that  he  could 
do  his  duty  in  peace  as  well  as  war.  On 
March  5,  1868,  he  was  married  to  Lydia 
Winkleman,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Christian 
and  Susan  (Witmyer)  Winkleman.  The 
Winklemans  came  from  Pennsylvania,  where 
Mrs.  Bower  was  born,  and  settled  on  the  pres- 
ent farm,  which  was  then  wild  land.  For 
two  years  after  marriage,  Mr.  Bower  farmed 
for  hLs  father-in-law,  and  then  rented  a  farm 
in  Northampton  Township  for  three  years.  It 
contained  229  acres  and  belonged  to  George 
McMillen.  After  the  expiration  of  his  con- 
tract there,  he  rented  his  present  farm  for 
one  year,  and  then  removed  to  the  old  Goug- 
ler  farm  in  Green  Township,  which  he  oper- 
ated for  two  years.  Afterwards  he  farmed  the 
Aaron  Swartz  farm  for  three  years.  In  1878 
he  purchased  the  present  farm,  the  old  Win- 
kleman property,  from  the  heirs,  moving 
here  in  1879.  He  has  put  this  property  into 
fine  condition,  expending  a  large  amount  in 
repairs  and  improvements.  He  carries  on 
general  farming  and  makes  a  specialty  of 
dairying,  his  products  finding  a  good  market 
in  Akron. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bower  have  had  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  Cora,  who  married  William 
A.  Sutton,  residing  near  Barberton,  and  has 
four  children — Clarence,  Lillian,  Anna  and 
Nellie;  Mary  Ellen,  who  died  aged  eighteen 
years;  Anna,  wife  of  D.  Buckmaster,  who 
farms  for  Mr.  Bower, .  has  two  sons — Isaac 
and  Charles  William:  two  other  children  died 
in  infancy. 

F.  WILLIAM  FUCHS,  secretary  and  man- 
ager of  the  Akron  Brewery  Company,  who 
is  interested  also  in  other  important  business 
enterprises  in  this  city,  was  born  in  Akron,  in 
18.'')8.     He  is  a  son  of  Nicholas  Fuchs,  a  na- 


tive of  Germany,  who  came  to  Akron  in  1849, 
and  embarked  here  in  a  grocery  business, 
later  keeping  a  hotel.  He  continued  in  active 
business  life  here  for  many  years.  His  death 
took  place  in  1890. 

F.  William  Fuchs,  after  leaving  school, 
worked  five  years  for  a  railroad  company,  af- 
terwards operating  a  summer  resort  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls.  In  January,  1886,  he  engaged 
in  a  wholesale  beer  business,  and,  since  1903, 
he  has  been  largely  interested  in  the  Akron 
Brewery  Company,  which  concern  was  organ- 
ized in  that  year  and  incorporated  with  a  cap- 
ital stock  of  $150,000.  The  company  has 
erected  a  fine  plant  at  No.  851  South  High 
Street,  which  has  an  annual  capacity  of  60,- 
000  barrels.  Mr.  Fuchs  has  been  manager 
and  secretary  since  the  enterprise  was 
launched.  He  is  also  proprietor  of  the  Buck- 
eye Supply  House,  located  at  66  North  How- 
ard Street,  wholasale  dealers  in  glassware, 
hotel  and  bar  supplies  of  all  kinds.  He  is  one 
of  the  directors  of  the  Dime  Savings  Bank 
and  Ls  connected  with  other  successful  busi- 
ness houses. 

In  1886  Mr.  Fuchs  was  married  to  Anna 
AVilhelm,  and  they  have  two  children — Mina 
and  Frederick  W.  The  former  is  a  student 
at  Oberlin  College,  and  the  latter  a  recent 
graduate  of  the  Akron  public  schools.  Mr. 
Fuchs  is  a  man  of  genial  disposition,  and  is 
a  popular  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  Elks,  and  the  German  Club. 

WARREN  J.  UNDERWOOD,  M.  D.    For 

twenty-three  years  the  late  Dr.  Warren  J.  Un- 
derwood was  a  jirominent  physician  and  lead- 
ing citizen  of  Akron.  He  was  a  Pennsylva;nian, 
born  in  York  County,  March  20,  1840,  and 
belonging  to  one  of  the  old  representative 
families  of  that  section.  He  died  at  Akron. 
Ohio,  June  9,  1890. 

Dr.  Underwood  obtained  his  education  in 
the  district  schools,  where  he  prepared  him- 
self for  the  profession  of  teaching,  which  he 
followed  thereafter  until  1860.  He  then  be- 
gan the  study  of  medicine,  and  in  1864  was 
graduated  at  Jefferson  Medical  College,  of 
Philadeli)hia.    In  the  meantime  he  had  .served 


478 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


as  assistant  surgeon,  attached  to  the  Nine- 
teenth Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteer 
Infantry,  later  becoming  surgeon  of  the  151st 
Regiment.  In  the  spring  of  1864,  after  re- 
ceiving his  degree,  he  came  to  Ohio,  finding 
a  useful  field  of  practice  at  Canal  Fulton, 
where  he  remained  for  three  years.  He  came 
to  Akron  in  August,  1867,  and  this  city  re- 
mained the  scene  of  his  professional  labors  for 
the  remainder  of  his  useful  life.  He  identified 
himself  with  the  various  medical  organiza- 
tions of  the  State  and  belonged  to  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  ^^sociation,  in  all  of  which  his 
high  professional  ability  was  recognized.  In 
1873  he  was  appointed  examining  pension 
surgeon,  and  continued  as  such  until  the  or- 
ganization of  the  board  in  1889,  of  which  he 
was  unanimously  elected  president.  He  was  a 
man  of  enlightened  views  and  public  spirit 
and  was  a  valuable  member  of  the  City  Coun- 
cil for  several  years. 

Dr.  Underwood  was  first  married  in  1864, 
to  Harriet  Shoemaker,  who  died  December  9, 
1873.  One  of  their  three  children  survives — 
Dr.  Edward  S.  Underwood,  of  Akron.  Dr. 
Underwood  married,  second,  Mrs.  Frances  C. 
Pizzala,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York. 

JOHN  H.  WEBER,  M.  D.,  a  specialist  in 
surgery,  to  which  he  limits  his  practice,  is  one 
of  the  skilled  jtrofessional  men  of  Akron, 
whose  ability  is  recognized  and  whose  services 
are  in  demand  all  over  and  even  beyond  Sum- 
mit County.  He  was  born  at  Miamisburg, 
Ohio,  in  1877,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Chis- 
tian  Weber. 

He  acquired  his  elementary  education  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  i)lace,  and  then  en- 
tered Adelbert,  College,  where  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1899,  with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  He 
immediately  entered  the  medical  department 
of  the  same  institution,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  his  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1902. 
Having  a  strong  predilection  for  surgery,  Dr. 
Weber  decided  to  make  that  branch  his  spe- 
cialty, and  has  directed  the  larger  part  of  his 
study  to  that  end.  He  spent  two  and  a  half 
years  in  the  Charity  Hospital,  at  Cleveland. 
where  he  had  an  opportunity  to  study  almi)-t 


every  kind  of  surgical  case,  after  which  he 
spent  six  months  in  St.  Ann's  Maternity  Hos- 
pital in  the  same  city.  Before  settling  in  Ak- 
ron he  still  further  increased  his  knowledge 
by  visiting  as  a  student,  the  clinics  of  Phila- 
delphia and  Baltimore,  witnessing  and  taking 
part  in  some  wonderful  surgical  operations. 
He  is  surgeon  of  the  Summit  County  iledical 
Society,  and  he  belongs  to  the  Summit  County 
Sixth  Councilor  District,  the  Ohio  State  Medi- 
cal Society  and  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion. On  January  3,  1906,  Dr.  Weber  was 
married  to  Norma  Smith,  of  Willoughbv, 
Ohio. 

WARREN  MILLER,  who  is  well  known 
throughout  Summit  County  as  a  former  suc- 
cessful buj-er  and  seller  of  stock,  to  which  busi- 
ness he  devoted  many  years,  now  carries  on 
general  farming  on  his  valuable  tract  of  sixty- 
four  acres,  situated  in  Copley  Township,  ten 
miles  west  of  Akron,  on  the  township  road  of 
Bath  and  Copley,  and  the  county  road  of 
Summit  and  Medina  Counties.  He  was  born 
in  Bath  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
August  18,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Electa   (Crosby)   Miller. 

William  Miller,  his  father,  was  born  in 
1817,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  a  son  of 
Morris  and  Hettie  (Lucas)  Miller,  who  came 
to  Ohio  in  1818.  For  a  short  time  they  lived 
with  the  Turner  family  on  the  very  farm 
that  Warren  Miller  now  owns,  and  then  moved 
to  Bath  Township,  locating  west  of  Ghent, 
where  Morris  Miller  cleared  up  a  farm.  He 
died  in  Bath  Township,  after  which  his  widow 
returned  to  Copley  Township  and  died  at  the 
home  of  a  daughter.  They  had  the  follow- 
ing children:  John,  William,  Aaron  and 
Morris,  all  deceased;  Harriet,  now  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  N.  Hubbard;  Charlotte, 
who  is  the  widow  of  B.  Lee;  and  Laura,  who 
married  George  McMillan,  and.  with  her  hus- 
band, is  now  deceased. 

William  Miller  attended  school  for  a  short 
time  at  Lamb's  Corners,  not  far  from  his  son's 
present  farm,  but  the  greater  part  of  his  boy- 
liood  was  passed  in  Bath  Township.  He  mar- 
ried  Electa  '  Crosby,   whose   parents   came   to 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


479 


Summit  County  at  an  early  day,  from  New- 
York,  settling  in  Granger  Township.  After- 
ward, he  and  wife  lived  for  a  short  time  on 
Liberty  Hill,  Granger  Township,  and  then 
settled  in  Bath  Township,  remaining  there 
until  1858,  when  they  moved  to  Copley  Town- 
ship, living  here  for  a  number  of  years. 
Later,  AVilliam  Miller  bought  the  Harris  mill 
in  Bath  Township,  but  subsequently  returned 
to  Copley  Township.  Afterwards  he  built  a 
fine  residence  at  Akron,  where  he  died  in 
1893.  His  widow  married  a  Mr.  Findlay, 
who  died  in  1904,  .she  surviving  him  up  to 
the  present  time.  There  were  two  children 
born  to  William  Miller  and  wife :  Ralsamond 
and  Warren,  the  former  being  now  decea.sed. 

Warren  Miller  spent  his  boyhood  on  the 
farm,  and  obtained  his  education  in  the 
schools  at  Stony  Hill  and  Sharon  Center. 
For  a  number  of  years  and  until  quite  re- 
cently, he  devoted  the  larger  part  of  his 
time  to  dealing  in  stock.  In  1870  he  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  from  the  Turner 
heir.s — Mrs.  Turner  and  Mrs.  Sackett.  The 
present  residence  was  then  standing,  Init  he 
built  the  substantial  barn  in  1880. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  (fir.st)  in  Novem- 
ber, 1863,  to  Eliza  Hawkins,  who  died  in 
1870,  leaving  one  son,  Forrest  C.  The  latter 
married  Effie  Hoeglan,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Florence.  Forrest  C.  Miller  is  engaged 
in  farming  in  Coj)ley  township.  Mr.  Miller 
was  married  (second)  in  June,  1877,  to  Emi- 
ly Huntley,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Seymour 
and  Eveline  (Miller)  Huntley.  One  son, 
William  H.,  has  been  born  of  this  union.  Mr. 
Miller  is  one  of  the  solid,  substantial  men 
of  his  community  and  has  the  esteem  of  hi.s 
fellow-citizens. 

0.  (i.  LYON,  proprietor  of  the  Lynn  Rub- 
ber Co.,  Akron,  came  to  xVkron  in  1893.  He 
was  born  at  Mt.  Rose,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
in  1859,  .son  of  Morris  Lyon.  His  father, 
a  native  of  Connecticut  and  one  of  the  early 
settlers  in  the  county,  died  in  188'o.  The 
present  Mr.  Lyon  resided  in  Mt.  Rose  until 
reacliing  the  age  of  twenty-four,  completing 
his    literary    education    in    the    Cojiloy    high 


school.  He  then  went  to  Medina  County, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1893. 
In  that  year  he  came  to  Akron  and  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  business,  with  which  he 
was  connected  for  .some  six  years.  His  con- 
nection with  the  rubber  manufacturing  in- 
dustry dates  from  1899,  in  which  year  he 
became  connected  with  the  Faultless  Rubber 
Co.,  in  whose  employ  he  remained  for  two 
years.  He  then  establLshed  the  Lyon  Rub- 
ber Co.,  of  which  he  is  still  the  proprietor 
and  which  is  doing  a  successful  business  in 
the  manufacture  of  rubber  cements  and  other 
similar  products.  In  e.stablishing  this  indus- 
try Mr.  Lyon  has  placed  himself  in  line  with 
the  many  other  enterprising  business  men 
who  have  helped  to  spread  the  fame  and 
build  up  the  fortunes  of  this  wide-awake,  l)us- 
tling  city. 

Mr.  Lyon  was  married  in  1882  to  Miss 
Miranda  F.  Adams  of  Munroe  Falls,  Ohio. 
He  has  one  son,  who  is  a.ssociated  with  him 
in  business.  Religiously  Mr.  Lyon  and  his 
family  are  affiliated  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church. 

M.  D.  KUHLKE,  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Jones  and  Kuhlke,  machinists,  with 
l)lant  located  at  No.  14  East  E.xchange  street, 
Akron,  was  born  in  1872,  at  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  son  of  Diedrich  Kuhl- 
ke, who  is  connected  with  the  American 
Cereal  Company  of  this  city.  He  "was  four 
years  old  when  his  parents  came  to  Akron, 
and  he  has  been  identified  with  the  interests 
of  this  place  ever  since,  gaining  his  educa- 
tion here  and  his  training  as  a  machinist. 
He  worked  for  the  first  three  years  of  his 
industrial  life  in  a  pottery  plant  and  then 
went  into  the  shops  of  Webster,  Camp  & 
Lane,  where  he  learned  his  trade,  and  where 
he  continued  for  seven  years,  after  which  he 
worked  in  various  shops  throughout  the  city 
up  to  1900,  when  he  went  into  business  for 
himself.  In  partnership  with  B.  E.  Jones, 
he  established  the  Jones  it  Kuhlke  Machine 
shops,  the  firm  fitting  uji  their  plant  with 
all  kinds  of  improved  machinery,  and  mak- 
ing   it   the   best   equipped    in    the   city.      On 


480 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


account  of  ill  lioalth,  Mr.  Jones  lias  been 
forced  to  lake  up  his  residence  in  Arizona, 
which  causes  Mr.  Kuhlkc  to  have  sole  charge 
of  the  shops.  AVork  is  furnished  for  eleven 
skilled  employes  and  the  capacity  of  the  ]ilant 
is  taxed  to  its  fullest  extent. 

In  1897  Mr.  Kuhlke  was  married  to 
Augusta  Zintel,  who  was  born  at  Akron  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Casjier  Zintel,  of  thi-  city. 
They  have  one  child,  Barbara  Eleanor.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kuhlke  are  mcmliers  of  the  (Jcr- 
man  Reformed  Church.  The  former  l)i'loug- 
to  Granite  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows. 

MARK  A.  REPLOGLE,  secretary  of  the 
Lombard  and  Replogle  Engineering  Com- 
pany, of  Akron,  an  hydraulic  engineer  of 
wide  reputation,  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
city  since  1895.  He  was  born  in  Martin.s- 
hurg,  Pennsylvania,  September  8,  1861. 
When  a  child  he  accompanied  his  parent.s 
to  MifRin  Countj',  that  state,  where  he  was 
reared,  attending  the  district  schools  mitil 
nineteen  years  of  age.  He  then  went  to 
Franklin  County,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  one 
year  on  a  farm.  The.  following  year  wa.s 
spent  in  an  agricultural  machine  .shop,  after 
which  he  made  a  short  sojourn  in  Hardin 
County,  Iowa,  in  a  .second  country  shop.  His 
next  move  was  to  Fayette  County,  where  he 
found  employment  in  running  a  saw-mill 
and  was  also  otherwise  occupied.  Then  re- 
turning to  Franklin,  he  devoted  another  year 
to  agriculture.  Although  married  and  with 
a  family  to  support,  he  resolved  to  complete 
his  education  and  accordingly  went  to  Cedar 
Falls,  Iowa,  where  he  became  a  student  at 
the  Iowa  State  Normal  School,  taking  a  spe- 
cial Normal  course  of  three  years.  During 
summer  vacations  he  worked  in  the  harvest 
field  for  Aultman,  Miller  &  Co.  While  at 
this  place  he  became  interested  in  electrical 
water-wheel  governors,  built  by  H.  E.  01- 
brich  and  H.  H.  Clay.  After  completing  his 
college  course  he  taught  school  for  two  term.s 
at  Mt.  Pleasant  and  Mattawana,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Then  returning  to  Cedar  Falls,  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  Of  water- 
wheel  governors,  and  was  so  occupied  until 


1895,  when  the  manufacturing  rights  were 
bought  by  the  Selle  Gear  Company  of  Ak-  ' 
ron,  with  whom  Mr.  Replogle  then  became 
associated.  He  continued  with  them  until 
1899,  when  he  became  hydraulic  engineer 
for  the  Webster,  Camp  &  Lane  Company,  and 
was  with  them  for  nearly  four  years.  He 
then  turned  his  attention  once  more  to  the 
water-wheel  governor  manufacture,  organiz- 
ing the  Lombard  and  R^eplogle  Engineer- 
ing Company,  under  which  style  he  has  since 
continued  in  the  manufacture  of  water-wheel 
governors  and  automobile  transmissions. 
While  he  was  with  the  AA'ebster,  Camp  &  Lane 
Company,  they  constructed  the  equipment 
for  the  largest  water-] )Ower  plant  (in  the  mun- 
bcr  of  turbines  used)  ever  erected  in  .Vmer- 
ica — at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Michigan,  the  work 
being  under  his  .supei-vision.  He  also  has 
the  credit  of  inventing  a  method  and  govern- 
ing the  first  water-power  plant  driving  an 
electrical  railway  by  water  i>ower  that  was 
automatically  governed,  in  America.  He  also 
turned  on  the  water  and  started  the  first 
turbines  in  the  plant  of  the  Niagara  Falls 
Paper  Company,  and  furnished  the  gov- 
ernors. These  were  the  first  turbines  to  de- 
velop power  from  the  great  tunnel  tail  race. 
The  United  States  Patent  Office  and  foreign 
office  records  show  that  Mr.  Replogle  has 
been  active  as  an  inventor,  not  only  in  his 
chosen  line  of  turbine  governors,  but  in  kin- 
dred lines.  He  is  inventor  of  many  devices 
in  other  fields  that  have  been  found  useful 
in  this  Electric  Age.  As  an  author  it  can 
be  said  that  the  first  book  ever  publi.shed 
treating  on  "Electricity  and  Water-Power," 
liears  his  name.  Also,  at  the  request  of  the 
Franklin  Institute  of  Philadelphia,  he  pre- 
jjared  a.  paper  on  "Speed  Regulation  in 
Water-Power  Plants,"  that  has  been  the  foim- 
dation  of  American  literature  on  that  subject. 
A  number  of  mechanical  essays  and  engineer- 
ing papers  have  appeared  from  time  to  time 
in  our  own  country  as  well  as  articles  for 
European   and  Japanese  publications. 

Mr.  Replogle  is  a  member  of  the  ^^meri- 
can  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers  of  New 
Y'^ork.     He  also  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Or- 


JOHN  MOT/ 


AND    REPKESENTATI\'E    CITIZENS 


483 


der,  being  a  member  of  the  local  Blue  Lodge 
and  Chapter,  to  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  in  Iowa,  and  to  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America.  He  belongs  to  the  German 
Baptist  church,  with  which  he  became  af- 
filiated when  a  young  man. 

JOHN  MOTZ,  an  esteemed  citizen  of  Ak- 
ron, who  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  for 
the  past  thirty-nine  years,  was  bom  in  1846, 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  state. 

Coming  to  Akron  in  1868,  Mr.  Motz  con- 
ducted a  restaurant  here  for  some  years,  and 
then  embarked  in  a  real  estate  and  insurance 
business  under  the  firm  name  of  Motz  & 
Brother,  which  in  1883  became  Motz  it 
Myers.  This  firm  is  one  of  the  oldest  real 
estate  and  insurance  firms  in  the  city.  It 
represents  such  companies  as  the  following: 
the  Phoenix,  of  England ;  Pennsylvania  Fire, 
of  Philadelphia;  Union,  of  Philadelphia; 
Richland  Mutual;  Western  Mutual,  Ohio  Mu- 
tual, and  Lloyds'  Plate  Glass.  Mr.  Motz  has 
numerous  other  business  interests,  being  a 
stockholder  in  the  Indiana  Rubber  Company ; 
vice-president  of  the  Akron  Provision  Com- 
pany; and  a  director  in  the  Peoples'  Savings 
Bank,  and  in  the  Masonic  Temple  Company. 
He  is  a  man  of  forceful  business  qualities, 
but,  while  careful  of  his  own  interests,  scrup- 
ulously upright  in  his  dealings  with  others. 
He  is  interested  in  the  general  development 
of  the  city,  and  has  done  his  full  share  in 
promoting  it  through  his  business  enterprise 
and  public  spirit. 

Politically  a  Democrat,  he  was  his  party's 
candidate  for  city  treasurer  in  the  fall  of  1907, 
and  was  elected  by  a  handsome  majority. 
For  three  years  he  was  assessor  for  the  Third 
Ward,  and  for  one  term  was  councilman  for 
the  First  Ward:  and  in  all  the  conventions 
of  his  party  he  is  a  prominent  factor,  usually 
attending  a?  a  delegate. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Motz  is  a  Mason,  belong- 
ing to  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter,  Council  and 
Commandery.  at  Akron,  and  to  Alkoran 
Shrine  at  Cleveland.  For  twelve  years  he 
ha=  been  treasurer  of  the  Akron  Commandery, 


and  has  frequently  ser\ed  as  an  official  in  the 
lower  divisions  of  the  order.  For  the  past 
twenty-nine  years  Mr.  Motz  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  deacons  and  treasurer  of 
Trinity  Lutheran  Church,  and  for  twelve 
years  he  has  been  treasurer  of  the  East  Ohio 
Synod.  At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Synod 
of  the  Lutheran  Church  of  the  United  States, 
held  at  Sunbury,  Pennsylvania,  to  which  he 
was  a  delegate,  a  movement  of  the  lay  mem- 
bers to  raise  the  synodical  funds  by  lay  in- 
stead of  ministerial  effort,  was  started,  and  a 
committee  of  five  was  appointed,  of  which 
Mr.  Motz  was  a  member,  to  lay  out  a  feasible 
plan  for  this  purpose.  The  members  of  this 
committee  are:  .J.  L.  Clark,  of  Ashland,  Ohio, 
chairman;  Hon.  J.  L.  Zimmerman,  of 
Springfield,  Ohio ;  attorney,  George  E.  Neff, 
of  York,  Pennsylvania;  Mr.  Jesse  Schwartz, 
of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri;  and  Mr.  John  Motz. 
In  1868  Mr.  Motz  was  married  to  Martha 
Dotts,  who  died  in  1885.  There  are  three 
surviving  children  of  this  union,  namely: 
-John  A.,  who  resides  in  Akron;  Harley  J., 
who  is  connected  with  the  Diamond  Rubber 
Company,  of  Akron ;  and  Ruth,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Harry  Kirwin,  of  Akron.  Mr.  Motz 
wa^  married,  second,  in  1886,  to  Emma  K. 
Hilbish,  who  died  in  1899,  having  borne  her 
husband  three  children:  Guy  W.,  a  law 
student  in  the  Western  Reserve  University; 
Paul,  who  is  a  student  in  the  Akron  High 
School,  and  Helen  Leotta,  who  is  attending 
school  in  Akron. 

HOMER  G.  LONG,  M.  D.,  the  only  rep- 
resentative of  the  medical  profession  at  Cop- 
ley Center,  Copley  Township,  is  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  this  township,  having  served 
as  clerk  since  1901  and  having  been  promi- 
nent in  almost  all  public  matters.  Dr.  Long 
was  born  November  29,  1871,  in  Wayne 
Township,  Noble  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  T.  and  Amanda  E.  (Stoneburner) 
Long.  He  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm  in 
Noble  County,  where  he  attended  the  district 
schools  until  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  then 
entered  the  High  School  at  Quaker  City, 
from  which  he  was  subsequently  graduated. 


484 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


He  afterwards  taught  school  for  two  years  in 
Noble  County,  and  in  1893  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1897  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  He 
immediately  settled  for  practice  in  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  one 
winter.  He  then  came  to  Copley,  remaining 
here  for  over  a  year,  and  subsequently  re- 
moving to  Piedmont,  Harrison  County,  Ohio. 
In  1901  he  returned  to  Copley  Center,  where 
he  has  since  been  located.  His  present  resi- 
dence was  purchased  in  1899  from  Dr.  George 
Huntly. 

On  August  31,  1899,  Dr.  Long  was  mar- 
ried to  Bessie  Hammond,  w'ho  is  a  daughter 
of  James  and  Celia  (Heustis)  Hammond,  of 
Summit  County,  Ohio.  Of  this  union  there 
have  been  born  two  children — Lucille  and 
Stanley.  Dr.  Long  is  a  member  of  the  Na- 
tional Protective  Legion. 

CHARLES  T.  INMAN,  business  man  and 
capitalist  of  Akron,  has  been  a  resident  of 
this  city  since  1870,  coming  here  at  the  age 
of  eleven  years.  Born  in  Trumbull  County, 
Ohio,  he  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
of  Cuyahoga  County,  subsequently  entering 
the  Akron  High  School,  where  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1877.  Deciding  to  make  the  drug 
business  his  main  sphere  of  activity,  he  en- 
tered the  Cleveland  College  of  Phaarmacy, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1880.  His 
experience  as  a  druggist  covered  a  period  of 
thirty  five  years.  He  did  not  confine  him- 
self entirely  to  this  line  of  trade,  however, 
as  his  store  included  four  departments — drugs, 
groceries,  hardware  and  pottei'y  supplies,  being 
located  in  fine  business  blocks  on  East  Mar- 
ket Street,  which  he  had  erected.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  was  counted  among  the  lead- 
ing men  of  Akron  engaged  in  active  business 
life.  About  three  years  ago,  however,  Mr. 
Inman,  feeling  the  need  of  rest,  retired  from 
the  active  conduct  of  his  business,  closing 
out  his  large  interests  in  the  store,  though 
retaining  his  ownership  of  the  building.  Mr. 
Inman  is  president  of  the  Harmony  Coal 
Company,  of  Harmony,  Utah;  director  of 
the  Lake  Erie  Terminal  and  Southern  Rail- 


way, and  a  stockholder  in  many  other  con- 
cerns, both  in  Akron  and  elsewhere.  He 
also  owns  a  large  amount  of  Akron  and  Sum- 
mit County  real  estate.  He  was  formerly 
president  for  a  number  of  years  of  the  Ak- 
ron school  board.  He  is  a  member  of  Akron 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  also  of  the  Masonic  Club 
and  the  German  Club.  Mr.  Inman  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  church,  and  was  for  many 
years  a  member  of  the  official  board  of  the 
Disciples'  church  in  Akron. 

Mr.  Inman  was  married  in  1881  to  Miss 
Lillian  Jewett,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Dr. 
Jewett,  who  was  one  of  Akron's  most  promi- 
nent physicians.  Into  their  houshold  were 
born  four  children,  namely:  Hilda,  who  is 
now  the  wife  of  Dr.  J.  H.  Hulse,  a  leading 
medical  man  of  Akron ;  Hesper,  who  has  been 
a  student  at  Lake  Erie  College :  Eleanor,  who 
is  attending  the  public  schools,  and  Richard 
Mendal,  who  is  the  youngest  member  of  the 
-family. 

URIAH  A.  MILLER,  a  prosperous  agri- 
culturist of  Copley  Township,  where  "he  is 
cultivating  a  fine  farm  of  fifty-two  acres,  was 
born  on  his  grandfather's  farm  in  Norton 
Town.ship,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
son  of  Jonas  Franklin  and  Marietta  (Slaugh- 
back)  Miller. 

John  Miller,  his  grandfather,  was  the  first 
of  the  family  to  come  to  Ohio,  making  the 
trip  from  Pennsylvania  in  wagons,  with 
about  sixty  other  pioneers,  and  settling  on 
the  partly  cleared  lands  of  Norton  Township. 
His  honie  was  one  of  the  first  frame  houses 
in  that  section,  and  he  became  the  owner  of 
two  farms,  of  eighty  and  175  acre,s  respect- 
ively, which  are  still  in  the  family  name. 
He  died  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
J.  F.  Seiberling.  John  Miller  and  his  wife 
had  a  family  of  eleven  children,  eight  daugh- 
ters and  three  sons,  of  whom  three  survive: 
Catherine,  who  married  J.  F.  Seiberling; 
Pollie,  who  is  the  widow  of  John  Lahr;  and 
S.  H.  Miller,  of  Doylestown. 

Jonas  Franklin  Miller  was  a  boy  of  eight 
or  ten  years  when  he  made  the  trip  from 
Pennsylvania  with  his  parents,  and  he  was 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


485 


reared  on  his  father's  farm,  experiencing  all 
the  hardships  of  pioneer  life.  Thronghout 
his  entire  active  period,  Mr.  Miller  was  a  hard- 
working, industrious  citizen,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death  had  accumulated  a  fortune  esti- 
mated at  $20,000,  most  of  which  was  in- 
vested in  land  in  Norton  Township,  Barber- 
ton  and  Loyal  Oak.  His  death  occurred  at 
Loyal  Oak,  Ohio,  Febiiiary  1,  1907.  Mr. 
Miller  married  Marietta  Slaughbaek,  who  was 
born  at  Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania, 
and  who  still  survives,  her  Iiome  being  at 
Loyal  Oak.  Nine  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Miller,  namely:  Uriah  Augustus; 
Alice,  who  became  the  wife  of  H.  F.  Myres; 
Milton  H. ;  Ida,  who  is  decea.sed;  Harry  E. ; 
John  G. ;  Ella,  who  married  James  Harter ; 
Ellsworth,  deceased;  and  Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried Charles  Gable. 

Uriah  Augustus  Miller,  the  direct  subject  of 
this  sketch,  lived  on  his  grandfather's  farm 
in  Norton  Township  until  he  wa.s  eight  years 
old,  at  which  time  the  family  removed  to  his 
grandfather's  170-acre  property  in  the  same 
township,  where  he  resided  until  attaining 
his  majority.  He  then  spent  seventeen  years 
and  a  half  on  his  father's  property.  On 
February  14,  1894,  he  purchased  his  present 
farm  from  Frank  Seiberling  and  Frank  Wil- 
cox of  Akron,  it  being  known  as  the  Cali- 
fornia property,  Mr.  California  having  been 
the  original  owner.  The  farm  has  been  im- 
proved to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and 
under  Mr.  Miller's  able  management  yields 
large  crops. 

In  June,  1877,  Mr.  Miller  was  married  to 
Adaline  Amelia  Koplin,  who  was  born  in 
AVadsworth  Township,  Medina  County,  Ohio, 
a  daughter  of  David  and  Mary  A.  (Moser) 
Koplin.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Sum- 
mit County,  to  which  Mrs.  Miller's  grand- 
father, Christian  Koplin,  came  from  Hunt- 
ingdon County,  Pennsylvania.  He  died  in 
Wadsworth  Township  when  his  son  David 
was  a  child  of  four  years.  Jlrs.  Miller  died 
April  23,  1891,  aged  thirty-three  years,  hav- 
ing been  the  mother  of  four  children,  namely : 
Morris  E.,  who  died  in  infancy;;  Inez,  who 
lives  in  Akron;  Nellie,  who  resides  at  home; 


and  Raymond,  who  is  an  employe  of  the 
Barberton  Rubber  Company,  at  Barberton, 
Ohio. 

On  Febiniary  22,  1899,  Mr.  Miller  mar- 
ried for  a  second  wife,  Sarah  Jane  Stocker, 
who  was  born  in  Norton  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Phillip 
and  Mary  (Acre)  Stocker,  both  of  whom  are 
living.  Phillip  Stocker  came  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  was  married  to  Mary  Ann  Acre, 
who  had  come  to  Summit  County  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  years  with  her  parents,  who  were 
pioneers  of  Summit  and  Medina  Counties. 

Mr.  Miller  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  to 
which  party  his  father  also  belonged,  his 
grandfather  having  been  a  stanch  Whig.  He 
served  his  township  as  ditch  commissioner 
the  only  year  that  the  office  was  in  existence. 
With  his  wife  he  attends  the  Lutheran  Church 
of  Loyal  Oak. 

STACY  G.  CARKHUFF,  secretary  of  the 
Firestone  Tire  and  Rubber  Company,  of  Ak- 
ron, has  been  identified  with  lai-ge  and  success- 
ful houses  in  different  cities  ever  since  he  com- 
pleted his  education.  He  was  born  January 
12,  1872,  on  a  farm  east  of  Jerseyville,  Jer- 
sey County,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Carkhuff  was  ten  years  old  when  his 
parents  left  the  farm  and  moved  to  Rood- 
house,  Greene  County,  Illinois,  where  he  at- 
tended school  until  he  completed  the  course. 
He  then  went  to  Chicago  for  the  completion 
of  his  education,  after  which  he  entered  the 
publishing  house  of  Rand,  McNally  Com- 
pany, from  which  he  went  to  the  Washburn, 
Crosby  Company,  where  he  remained  for 
eight  years,  a  part  of  the  time  having  charge 
of  their  branch  agency  at  Peoria,  Illinois. 
May  1st,  1901,  Mr.  Carkhuff  came  to  Akron 
ancl  a&sociated  himself  with  the  Firestone  Tire 
&  Rubber  Company,  less  than  one  year  after 
its  organization,  when  the  industry  was  still 
in  its  infancy;  he  has  contributed  of  his  en- 
ergy and  ability,  with  others,  until  this  con- 
cern has  become  the  largest  exclusive  tire, 
manufacturing  one  in  the  United  States, 
while  its  goods  are  sold  all  over  the  civilized 
world. 


486 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


December  16,  1896,  Mr.  Carkhuff  was  mar- 
ried to  Jessie  L.  Johnson,  of  New  Castle, 
Indiana.  Their  one  child,  a  daughter,  is 
deceased.  Mr.  CarkhnfF  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  Church,  and  his  social  con- 
nection is  with  the  Portage  Country  Club. 

W.  WALLACE  WARNER  is  the  sixth 
son  and  eighth  child  of  John  Warner,  who 
was  born  in  Middletown,  Connecticut,  in 
1798,  and  of  Marietta  (Woodard)  Warner, 
born  in  Glenmore,  New  York,  in  1805.  His 
parents  moved  to  the  "New  Connecticut"  in 
1834. 

Mr.  Warner  was  born  in  Springfield  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  February  28, 
1848.  When  he  was  four  years  old  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Cuyahoga  Falls,  where  he  re- 
ceived the  most  of  his  schooling,  finishing  at 
the  Quaker  City  Business  College  of  Phila- 
delphia in  1866.  He  was  married  in  Phila- 
delphia to  Annie  E.  Yeamans,  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Mary  (Greer)  Yeamans  in  1869. 
By  this  union  two  children  were  born,  Jan- 
uary 14,  1870.  Arthur  Lee,  who  died  in 
1881,  and  Harry  Albert,  who  married  Miss 
Josie  James.  His  wife  died  in  1871.  He  was 
again  married  to  Miss  Alice  Grace,  daughter 
of  George  and  Susanna  (Dodson)  Littleton, 
October  25,  1877.  By  this  union  three  chil- 
dren were  born — George  Littleton  Warner, 
now  married  to  Miss  Martha  Burton  of  Okla- 
homa; Wallace  Vincent,  who  died  April  23, 
1907;  and  Mabel  Marietta.  There  are  two 
grandsons,  Irvin  Shelley,  aged  nine,  son  of 
Harry  A.  and  Josie;  and  George  Burton,  one 
year  old,  son  of  George  L.  and  Martha. 

Mr.  Warner's  business  life  has  been  mostly 
spent  in  Akron,  in  the  real  estate  business. 
He  is  known  as  the  pioneer  abstract  man. 
Commencing  in  1870,  when  abstracts  were 
comparatively  unknown  in  business  transac- 
tions, he  compiled  the  first  abstract  books 
of  the  county,  and  established  the  business 
now  conducted  by  The  Bruner  Goodhue  Cooke 
Company,  with  whom  he  is  now  associated. 
He  has  made  several  maps  of  the  city,  county 
and  other  places.  His  most  notable  work  in 
this  connection  is  an  atlas,  known  as  "Illus- 


trated Summit  County,  Ohio,"  published  in 
1891-2,  and,  which,  though  out  of  date,  is  a 
standard  authority  in  its  line.  His  business  life 
of  forty  years  has  been  an  active  one;  inter- 
spersed with  its  pleasures,  anxieties  and  dis- 
appointments. He  is  hale  and  hearty  and  at 
sixty  is  actively  engaged  in  abstract  work. 

He  became  deputy  recorder  in  1868,  and 
does  not  believe  that  anj^one  then  a  county 
officer  is  now  living,  and  but  four  attorneys, 
only  one  of  whom  is  practicing.  He  does 
not  recall  a  business  house  or  factory  now  do- 
ing business  in  the  same  name.  Two  hundred 
thousand  real  estate  papers  have  been  re- 
corded. Barberton,  South  Akron  and  nearly 
all  the  present  industries  have  come  into  ac- 
tivity since  that  time. 

ERNEST  A.  PFLUEGER,  president  of 
The  E.  A.  Pflueger  Company,  manufacturers 
of  all  kinds  of  fishing  tackle,  is  one  of  Ak- 
ron's busy  men  and  prominent  citizens.  He 
was  born  in  1866  at  Erie.  Pennsylvania,  but 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  since  he  was 
four  years  old. 

Mr.  Pflueger  was  reared  and  educated  at 
Akron  and  started  to  work  in  boyhood  in  the 
factory  of  his  father,  E.  F.  Pflueger,  who 
founded  the  Enterprise  Works,  for  the  manu- 
facture of  fishing  tackle.  After  learning  the 
necessary  details  of  this  business,  Mr.  Pflueger 
became  secretary  and  treasurer  of  The  Enter- 
prise Company,  with  which  he  continued  for 
almost  twenty-five  yeare,  resigning  this  posi- 
tion in  September,  1906,  and  establishing 
The  E.  A.  Pflueger  Company.  This  com- 
pany carries  on  the  manufacture  of  every 
kind  of  fishing  appliance  and  also  manxi- 
factures  a  large  line  of  saddlery  specialties. 
The  company  is  incorporated  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $100,000,  with  E.  A.  Pflueger  as 
president;  George  D.  Bates  as  vice-president; 
C.  I.  Bruner  as  treasurer  and  L.  W.  Griiflths 
as  secretary.  Mr.  Pflueger  retains  his  interest 
in  the  Enterprise  Manufacturing  Company, 
which  was  incorporated  in  1886,  and  is  also 
a  stockholder  in  other  concerns  of  this  sec- 
tion. 

In  1896  Mr.  Pflueger  was  married  to  Ruth 


AND    REPRESEXTATR'E    CITIZENS 


487 


Seiberling,  who  is  the  youngest  daughter  of 
J.  F.  Seiberling,  and  they  have  four  children ; 
John  S.,  Theodore  S.,  WilHam  S.  and  Eohert 
S.  Mr.  Pflueger  and  family  belong  to  the 
Lutheran  Church.  Only  as  a  good  citizen, 
anxious  to  promote  the  general  welfare,  is 
Mr.  Pflueger  interested  in  politics.  He  is 
prominent  in  Masonry,  having  attained  the 
Thirty-second  Degree,  and  belongs  to  the  Blue 
Lodge,  Chapter,  Council  and  Commandery 
of  Akron,  and  Alkoran  Shrine  and  Lake  Erie 
Consistory,  of  Cleveland. 

PHILIP  STOCKER,  who  is  one  of  the 
best-known  and  most  highly  esteemed  among 
the  older  residents  of  Norton  Township,  re- 
sides on  his  valuable  farm,  five  acres  of  which 
lies  in  Copley  Township  and  seventy-three 
and  one-half  acres  in  Norton  Township.  This 
property  is  beautifully  situated  on  what  is 
known  as  the  East  and  West  road,  about  eight 
and  one-half  miles  west  of  Akron.  Mr.  Stocker 
was  born  in  Northampton  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, August  29,  1829,  and  is  a  son  of  Jona- 
than and  Christina  (Stecker)  Stocker.  His 
father  worked  as  a  carpenter  in  early  man- 
hood but  later  became  a  farmer. 

Philip  Stocker  assisted  his  father  on  the 
home  place  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age, 
when  he  came  to  Summit  County,  and  worked 
for  Peter  Lerch  for  one  year.  He  then  went 
with  his  brother  Eli  Stocker,  who  rented  a 
farm  for  three  years.  The  brother  then 
bought  a  farm  in  Norton  Township  and  he 
remained  with  him  for  one  year  and  after- 
wards worked  for  other  farmers.  In  1864 
he  bought  his  present  farm,  settling  on  it  in 
March  of  that  year,  and  he  has  made  all 
the  improvements,  which  consist  of  a  fine 
residence  and  substantial  barns  and  other 
buildings.  It  is  not  too  much  to  assert  that 
Mr.  Stocker  has  one  of  the  best  improved 
farms  in  Norton  Township,  and  its  condition 
has  been  brought  about  by  his  own  industry 
and  good  management.  He  no  longer  under- 
takes the  active  operation  of  the  farm,  dele- 
gating this  work  to  a  son-in-law,  who  is  a 
practical  and  successful  farmer. 

On  October  21,  1855,  Mr.  Stocker  was  mar- 


ried to  Mary  Acker,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Sarah  (Hartman)  Acker.  Mrs. 
Stocker  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  her  father 
being  a  weaver  in  Union  County,  from  which 
place  he  moved  to  Sharon,  Medina  County, 
Ohio,  when  she  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stocker  have  had  four  children, 
the  three  now  living  being,  AVilliam,  resid- 
ing at  Akron,  who  has  two  children,  Harry 
and  Grace;  Sarah  Jane,  who  married  U.  Mil- 
ler, and  resides  in  Copley  Township;  and 
Viola,  who  married  F.  0.  Moser,  who  farms 
for  Mr.  Stocker  and  who  has  one  child — 
Hilda  Belle. 

For  fifty-one  years  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stocker 
have  been  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran Church  at  Loyal  Oak — the  oldest 
members  in  continued  attendance.  Mr. 
Stocker  is  a  trustee  of  this  church  and  he 
and  his  estimable  wife  have  been  active  in 
promoting  its  good  influence  for  a  half  cen- 
tury. Their  lives  have  been  quiet,  temperate 
and  useful  and  they  have  journeyed  through 
life  and  reached  old  age  together,  surrounded 
by  comforts  of  their  own  securing.  They  take 
great  pleasure  in  their  three  bright  grand- 
children. 

CHARLES  W.  SEIBERLING,  treasurer 
of  the  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rubber  Company, 
at  Akron,  and  a  business  man  who  is  largely 
interested  in  many  successful  manufacturing 
enterprises  of  this  city  and  vicinity,  was  born 
in  Norton  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
not  far  from  Western  Star,  January  26,  1861, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  F.  and  Catherine  L. 
(Miller)   Seiberling. 

John  F.  Seiberling  was  born  at  Norton, 
Ohio,  March  10,  1834.  In  the  spring  of 
1861  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Doyles- 
town  and  thence  in  1865  to  Akron,  with  the 
business  interests  of  which  city  he  was  promi- 
nently identified  until  the  close  of  his  long 
and  fruitful  life.  From  operating  a  sawmill 
at  Norton,  where  he  pursued  the  studies  and 
experiments  which  resulted  in  the  invention 
of  the  agricultural  machinery  with  which  his 
name  is  still  connected,  he  removed  to  Doyles- 
town,  where  better  conditions  prevailed  for 


488 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


the  erection  of  works  and  manufacture  of 
the  inventions  which  had  sprung  from  liis  fer- 
tile brain.  Later  for  Hke  business  reasons,  he 
came  to  Akron,  soon  after  calling  his  eldest 
son,  Frank  A.,  who  is  now  president  and  gen- 
eral manager  of  the  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rub- 
ber Company,  from  college  to  assist  in  fur- 
ther developing  his  plans.  In  1871  he  or- 
ganized the  Akron  Strawboard  Company,  in 
1883  he  founded  the  Seiberling  Milling  Com- 
pany and  in  1889  he  gained  a  controlling 
interest  in  the  Akron  Electric  Street  Railway. 
His  death  took  place  at  Akron,  September  3, 
1903. 

In  1878  Charles  W.  Seiberling,  the  second 
son  of  the  late  John  F.  Seiberling,  completed 
the  public  school  course  at  Akron,  and  then 
entered  Oberlin  College.  At  that  institution 
he  pursued  a  two-year  eclectic  course,  and 
then  returned  to  Akron  in  order  to  assume 
the  duties  of  foreman  of  his  father's  extensive 
works  where  the  Empire  Reaper  and  Mowers 
were  manufactured.  On  the  incorporation  of 
the  J.  F.  Seiberling  Company,  in  1884, 
Charles  W.  was  elected  a  director  and  subse- 
quently became  superintendent  of  the  works. 
In  1896,  in  association  with  his  father,  Mr. 
Seiberling  became  interested  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  India  Rubber  Company,  of 
which  his  father  was  elected  president,  and 
he  became  its  secretary.  He  continued  with 
this  company  for  two  years  in  this  capacity, 
and  then  resigned  in  order  to  accept  a  similar 
position  wdth  the  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rubber 
Company.  This  company,  with  which  Mr. 
Seiberling  has  been  identified  since  1898,  was 
organized  in  that  year.  It  is  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  rubber  goods,  especially  solid 
and  pneumatic  carriage  and  automobile  tires, 
bicycle  tires,  rubber  horseshoes,  rubber  tiling, 
golf  balls,  moulded  rubber  and  rubber  spe- 
cialties. The  officers  of  the  company  are  as 
follows:  F.  A.  Seiberling,  president  and 
general  manager;  L.  C.  Miles,  vice-president; 
G.  M.  Stadleman,  secretary;  C.  W.  Seiber- 
ling, treasurer;  and  P.  W.  Litchfield,  super- 
intendent. The  goods  of  this  company  find 
a  market  all  over  the  world.  Mr.  Seiberling 
has  not  confined  his  attentions  to  the  enter- 


prise mention,  but  has  also  invested  in  and 
promoted  other  prosperous  concerns. 

In  1895  Mr.  Seiberling  was  married  to 
Blanche  C.  Carnahan,  and  they  have  four 
children :  Charles  W.,  Jr.,  T.  Carnahan, 
Lucius  Miles  and  Catherine.  They  reside  at 
No.  76  Fay  street,  Akron. 

J.  Y.  SWARTZ,  who  is  engaged  in  a  whole- 
sale confectioner  J'  business  at  Akron  and  is 
located  at  No.  69  East  Mill  street,  was  born 
in  Coventry  townshiiD,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
in  1870.  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Alfred 
Swartz. 

When  a  hamlet,  village  or  town  bears  the 
name  of  a  family  it  is  pretty  good  evidence 
that  this  family  is  one  held  in  general  esteem 
and  the  Swartz  family  in  Coventry  town- 
ship, gave  its  name  to  Swartz  Corners,  a  pleas- 
ant little  place  of  residence  and  quite  an 
active  business  center.  John  Swartz,  the 
grandfather  of  J.  V.  Swartz,  came  to  Summit 
County  as  an  early  settler  and  became  a 
prominent  man  in  the  organization  of  the 
various  civilizing  agencies.  His  son,  the  late 
Alfred  Swartz,  was  born  in  Coventry  Town- 
ship, in  1844,  and  died  at  Akron,  in  1899. 

J.  V.  Swartz  was  reared  in  Coventry  Town- 
ship and  there  attended  school  through  the 
primary  grades.  He  then  passed  through  the 
Akron  schools  into  Buchtel  College.  His  first 
business  experience  was  as  traveling  salesman 
for  S.  B.  Lafferty,  confectioner  at  Akron,  and 
he  continued  in  this  capacity  for  nine  years, 
when  he  embarked  in  the  wholesale  con- 
fectionery business  for  himself.  In  1905  he 
built  a  three-story  brick  building  at  No.  69 
East  Mill  street,  with  dimensions  of  20  by 
80  feet,  occupying  the  basement,  and  the  first 
and  third  floors,  in  his  business,  and  having 
the  second  floor  comfortably  arranged  as  a 
residence.  Mr.  Swartz  takes  a  practical  part  in 
his  business  himself  and  has  two  other  travel- 
ing representatives,  covering  a  radius  of 
twenty-five  miles  around  Akron.  His  trade 
name  is  a  guarantee  of  the  excellence  and 
purity  of  the  goods. 

In  1902  Mr.  Swartz  was  married  to  Caro- 
line Kolp,  a  daughter  of  John  Kolp;  she  was 


M.  W.  IIOYK 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


491 


born  and  reared  at  Akron.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Swartz  have  one  son,  Forest  Swartz.  Frater- 
nally, Mr.  Swartz  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order  and  belongs  also  to  the  United  Com- 
mercial  Travelers'  Association. 

MICHAEL  W.  HOYE,  one  of  Akron's 
best  known  citizens,  who  is  interested  in  a 
number  of  her  business  enterprises,  has  been 
one  of  the  city's  faithful  and  efficient  public 
servants  since  1887,  when  he  was  appointed 
sanitary  policeman,  with  quarters  at  the  City 
Hall.  He  is  also  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War. 
Mr.  Hoye  was  born  at  Castle  Dermott,  County 
Kildare,  Ireland,  April  22,  1844,  and  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  America  in  1847,  when 
they  settled  at  Akron. 

Mr.  Hoye  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Akron,  and  made  himself  useful  to  his  father 
until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  then 
enlisted,  August  28,  1861,  in  Company  K, 
Nineteenth  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infant- 
ry. He  served  three  years,  when  the  regi- 
ment veteranized,  and  Mr.  Hoye  re-enlisted 
in  the  same  company.  His  command  was  at- 
tached to  the  Army  of  the  Ohio  and  Cumber- 
land, taking  part  in  every  battle  that  the 
army  engaged  in:  It  was  finally  mustered 
out  at  San  Antonio,  Texas,  October,  24,  1865. 
Mr.  Hoye  reached  Akron  November  28,  1865, 
making  a  period  of  sei"\-ice  of  four  yeai"s  and 
three  months. 

He  shortly  afterward  entered  the  employ 
of  Abbey  &  Johnson,  manufacturers  of  stone- 
ware, with  whom  he  remained  for  six  years. 
On  April  1,  1872,  he  accepted  the  foreman- 
ship  of  the  extensive  coopering  establishment 
of  C.  B.  Maurer.  and  continued  at  the  head 
of  these  shops  until  January  1,  1885.  He  then 
became  traveling  salesman  for  the  Franklin 
Milling  Company,  but  returned  to  Akron 
in  the  following  year  to  accept  the  ap- 
pointment of  sanitarj'  policeman  and  milk 
inspector  of  the  city.  In  this  position  ilr. 
Hoye  has  since  rendered  efficient  service  to 
the  decided  benefit  of  the  public  and  satis- 
faction of  the  citizens  generally.  He  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  political  campaigns  on 
various  occasions,  and  has  been  one  of  the 


local  leaders  of  his  party.  He  is  interested 
in  the  National  City  Bank,  and  is  treasurer 
of  the  Akron  Times-Democrat  Company. 

On  October  3,  1867,  Mr.  Hoye  was  mar- 
ried to  Isabella  Mulligan,  who  died  May  16, 
1872,  leaving  two  children — William  J.  and 
A.  P.  On  October  14,  1872,  he  married  for 
his  second  wife,  Mary  Cummins,  who  has 
borne  him  five  children^ — Mary,  Isabella,  Rob- 
ert, Grace  and  Julia.  Since  Mr.  Hoye's  sec- 
ond marriage  he  and  his  wife  have  adopted 
twelve  children,  making  nineteen  in  all, 
whom  they  have  reared  and  educated. 

J.  T.  ENRIGHT,  of  the  firm  of  Enright 
&  Hummel,  funeral  directors  and  embalm- 
ers,  at  Akron,  came  to  this  city  in  1894,  where 
he'  has  resided  up  to  the  present  time.  He 
was  born  at  Urbana,  Ohio,  December  4,  1868, 
and  was  there  reared  and  educated. 

After  leaving  school,  Mr.  Enright  went  to 
Chicago  and  became  connected  with  the  un- 
dertaking firm  of  Lawrence  Foley  &  Sons. 
He  remaining  with  that  concern  for  three 
years,  learning  all  the  details  of  the  business. 
The  holding  of  the  World's  Fair  offered  many 
business  opportunities  to  young  men  in  Chi- 
cago, and  during  the  period  of  its  existence, 
Mr.  Enright  filled  a  lucrative  position  in  the 
Custom  House  department.  In  1894  he  canae 
to  Akron  and  went  into  the  undertaking  busi- 
ness for  himself,  continuing  alone  until  Jan- 
uary 1,  1907,  when  J.  B.  Hummel  became  his 
partner,  and  since  then  the  firm  style  has  been 
Enright  &  Humniel.  Mr.  Hummel  was  born 
in  Akron,  October  15,  1878,  and  is  a  son  of 
Valentine  Hummel.  The  latter  was  born  in 
Bavaria,  Germany,  and  has  been  a  resident 
of  Akron  for  over  forty  years.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  German  teachers  in  this  city.  For 
the  past  thirty-eight  years  he  has  been  organ- 
ist at  St.  Bernard's  Catholic  Church.  In  1902 
Mr.  Hummel  married  Barbara  Willenbacher, 
and  they  have  two  children:  John  H.  and 
Laurence  V. 

On  May  8,  1899,  Mr.  Enright  wa^  married 
to  Catherine  H.  Doran,  who  was  born  in  Ak- 
ron, Ohio.  They  have  three  Children — 
James,  Francis  and  Mary.    Mr.  Enright  is  a 


492 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


member  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul's  Church.  He 
belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the 
Catholic  Mutual  Benevolent  Association,  the 
Catholic  Knights  of  Ohio,  the  Ancient  Order 
of  Hibernians  and  the  Modern  Woodmen. 
Mr.  Hummel  is  a  member  of  St.  Bernard's 
Church  organization.  He  belongs  to  Com- 
mandery  No.  6,  Knights  of  St.  John,  and  to 
the  Bavarian  Society  of  Akron.  Mr.  Enright 
and  Mr.  Hummel  have  well  arranged  and 
convenient  quarters  at  No.  159  South  High 
street.  They  are  equipped  to  handle  funerals 
in  every  detail. 

LUTE  li.  MILLER,  gardener  and  dairy- 
man, residing  on  his  well-cultivated  farm  of 
eighty-six  acres,  situated  in  Copley  Township, 
was  born  on  this  farm,  March  1,  1871,  and  is 
a  son  of  Charles  C.  and  Mary  Ann  (Phil- 
brick)    Miller. 

Charles  C.  Miller,  father  of  Lute  H.,  was 
born  at  Akron,  December  11,  1832.  His 
father,  Ansel  Miller,  came  from  Vermont  to 
Ohio,  in  1819,  locating  at  Akron,  which  was 
then  a  settlement  consisting  of  a  few  houses. 
The  outlook  apparently  did  not  please  Ansel 
Miller,  as  he  went  back  to  the  East,  and  did 
not  return  until  he  could  find  work  in  the 
building  of  the  canal,  during  which  period 
he  bought  the  farm  in  Copley  Township.  In 
November,  1860,  after  the  marriage  of  his 
son,  Charles  C,  he  came  to  live  on  the  farm, 
where  he  died  in  1879,  aged  eighty  years. 
He  was  married  at  Akron  to  Lucy  Hawkins, 
who  came  to  Ohio  with  her  parents,  from 
Vermont.  She  died  in  1838,  leaving  two 
sons:  Charles  Carroll  and  James  Nelson,  the 
latter  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 

Charles  Carroll  Miller  grew  up  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Akron,  and  attended  the  sessions  of 
school  held  in  the  old  stone  building  known 
to  all  the  older  residents  of  the  city.  Llis 
literary  education  was  completed  in  Cleve- 
land. He  then  became  bookkeeper  in  a  store 
in  Akron,  on  the  canal,  but  being  of  an  enter- 
prising nature  and  wishing  to  see  something 
of  the  world,  he  shipped,  in  1848,  on  a  whal- 
ing vessel,  with  the  expectation  of  going 
around  Cape  Horn  to  California  and  visiting 


the  gold  fields;  but  after  two  years  of  sea- 
faring life  he  gave  up  the  idea  and  returned 
to  Akron,  bringing  with  him  some  souvenirs, 
such  as  whale's  teeth,  which  his  son  still  pre- 
serves. He  then  went  to  Michigan  to  assist 
his  uncle  in  clearing  a  farm.  While  there 
he  was  married  and  at  once  came  back  to 
Summit  County,  and  settled  on  the  farm  his 
father  had  purchased,  where  he  died  in  Sep- 
tember, 1897. 

On  August  7,  1860,  Charles  C.  Miller  mar- 
ried Mary  Ann  Philbrick,  who  was  born  in 
the  State  of  New  York  and  who,  when  nine 
years  of  age,  accompanied  her  parents  to 
Ionia  County,  Michigan.  The  long  joui'ney 
was  made  by  wagon  to  Buffalo,  by  water  to 
Detroit,  and  by  ox-team  to  the  pioneer  farm 
on  which  settlement  was  made.  There,  on 
that  farm,  the  parents,  Daniel  and  Mary 
(Gould)  Philbrick  died.  Mrs.  Miller  still 
survives.  Charles  C.  Miller  and  wife  had  the 
following  children:  Frank  E.,  who  died  in 
infancy;  Lottie  A.,  who  married  M.  Weager; 
Ansel  P.,  Lute  H.  and  Carl  E. 

Lute  H.  Miller  was  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Copley  Township,  and  the 
High  School  at  Copley  Center,  and  later 
taught  school  for  two  years  in  Northampton 
Township.  In  1892,  with  his  brother  Ansel, 
he  began  operating  the  home  farm,  and  they 
continued  together  until  1901,  when  Mr. 
Miller  purchased  his  farm  from  the  other 
heirs.  He  lauis  a  dairy  with  fourteen  cows, 
but  his  main  industry  is  gardening,  his  suc- 
cess which  is  shown  by  the  long  list  of  pre- 
miums that  he  has  received  for  some  years 
past  for  his  choice  vegetables,  which  he  raises 
under  glass.  He  has  recently  built  a  brick 
and  cement-lined  silo — the  first  of  its  kind  in 
this  section.  His  early  lettuce  and  rhubarb, 
grown  under  glass,  sell  at  fancy  prices.  He 
also  luakes  a  specialty  of  raising  poultry.  He 
began  to  exhibit  the  products  of  his  farm  in 
1899,  when  he  was  awarded  four  premiums 
at  the  county  fair,  and  he  has  exhibited  each 
year  since  that  time,  and  his  premiums  have 
amounted  to  a  considerable  sum.  In  1900,  he 
received  twenty-seven  premiums,  amounting 
to  $14.55;  in  1901,  180  premiums,  amount- 


AND    REPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


4'.)3 


ing  to  $64.00 ;  in  1902,  forty-eight  premiums, 
amounting  to  $38.00;  in  1903,  sixty-two  pre- 
miums, amounting  to  $47.40 ;  in  1904,  sev- 
enty-seven premiums,  amounting  to  $59.90; 
in  1905,  eighty-six  premiums,  amounting  to 
$59.05;  and  in  1908,  seventy-seven  pre- 
miums, amounting  to  $61.40. 

On  August  11,  1897,  Mr.  Miller  was  mar- 
ried to  Amy  B.  Arnold,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Charles  F.  and  Rosina  (Burr)  Arnold, 
and  they  have  had  three  children,  namely: 
an  infant,  now  deceased,  Ross  0.  and  Gay] 
R.  Politically  Mr.  Miller  is  a  Republican 
and  he  has  served  as  township  trustee,  being 
elected  on  that  ticket.  He  belongs  to  the 
National  Protective  Legion.  Mr.  Miller  is 
one  of  the  progressive  men  of  his  community. 
He  has  made  a  scientific  study  of  everything 
relating  to  the  industries  in  which  he  is  en- 
gaged, and  he  keeps  well  informed  in  regard 
to  modern  methods  and  new  discoveries.  In 
large  part  this  explains  his  remarkable  suc- 
cess. 

JOSEPH  YEAGER,  vice-president  and 
treasurer  of  the  C.  H.  Yeager  Company,  at 
Akron,  one  of  the  leading  dry  goods  enter- 
prises of  this  city,  the  phenomenal  growth  of 
which  has  been  a  noted  commercial  achieve- 
ment here,  is  an  old  "and  experienced  mer- 
chant who  has  associated  his  sons  with  him 
for  some  years.  Mr.  Yeager  was  born  at 
Newton  Falls,  Trumbull  (Jountv.  Ohio,  in 
1847. 

Mr.  Yeager  was  reared  in  his  native  place, 
and  was  engaged  in  a  mercantile  business 
there  for  a  number  of  years.  He  then  re- 
moved to  Conneaut,  Ohio,  where  he  did  an 
extensive  business  and  operated  a  department 
store  for  seven  years.  Seeking  a  wider  field, 
as  his  sons  had  reached  maturity,  Mr.  Yeager 
selected  Akron,  coming  to  this  city  July  1, 
1906.  Here  he  bought  out  the  old  firm  of 
Dague  Brothers,  which  was  one  of  the 
oldest  in  Akron.  The  Yeagers  have  made 
the  acquisition  one  of  the  largest,  neatest, 
best  stocked  and  most  modern  stores  of 
this  section.  They  are  centrally  located  at 
No.  82  Main  Street,  where  they  occupy  over 


50,000  square  feet  of  floor  space.  The  public 
has  been  quick  to  recognize  the  opportunities 
they  offer,  and  the  success  of  this  venture  has 
been  already  assured. 

On  April  25,  1872,  Mr.  Yeager  was  married 
to  Eliza  Jane  Goldner,  of  North  Jackson,  Ma- 
honing County.  He  and  his  wife  are  the 
parents  of  three  children,  namely:  R.  G., 
who  is  manager  of  the  C.  H.  Yeager  Company 
at  Akron ;  John  L.,  who  is  manager  of  the 
suit  deijartment  of  the  C.  H.  Yeager  Com- 
pany ;  and  Chloe  Estelle,  who  resides  with  her 
parents.  C.  H.  Yeager  is  president  of  the  C. 
H.  Yeager  Company  and  he  has  a  department 
store  at  Sharon,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Joseph 
Yeager  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
.of  the  Eastern  Star,  the  Elks  and  the  Macca- 
bees. He  belongs  to  the  Congregational 
Church.  Both  sons  belong  also  to  the  EUis, 
and  R.  G.  Y''eager  is  also  a  Mason. 

JAY  HORACE  HAWKINS,  one  of  Cop- 
ley Township's  substantial  citizens,  residing 
on  his  well-improved  farm  of  sixty-two  acres, 
is  a  leading  farmer  of  this  section,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Summit  County  Agricultural  So- 
ciety. He  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in 
Portage  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
November  29,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Nelson 
and  Esther   (Sherbondy)    Hawkins. 

The  Hawkins  family  is  of  Vermont  stock, 
Mr.  Hawkins'  grandfather,  John  Hawkins, 
coming  to  Ohio  from  that  state  and  settling  in 
Summit  County  when  it  was  still  a  wilder- 
ness. His  family  consisted  of  six  daughters 
and  three  sons.  Nelson  being  the  youngest 
son.  Nelson  Hawkins'  life  was  passed  near 
his  birthplace,  in  Portage  Township,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  carpenter  work  and  con- 
tracting, and  also  in  farn.ing.  He  married 
Esther  Sherbondy,  whose  father,  Peter  Sher- 
bondy, was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Sum- 
mit County.  Mr.  Hawkins  died  on  his  farm 
in  Portage  Township  at  the  age  of  sixty-six 
years.  His  widow  survived  to  the  age  of 
seventy-six.  They  had  four  children :  A. 
Wesley,  who  is  engaged  in  a  lumber  business 
at  Akron;  Walter  N. ;  Ella  B.,  who  married 
M.  B.  Shoemaker;  and  Jav  Horace. 


494 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Jay  Horace  Hawkins  Ls  known  a.s  one  of 
Copley  Township's  progressive  and  successful 
farmers.  He  had  good  educational  advan- 
tages in  his  youth,  attending  first  the  country 
schools,  then  the  public  schools  of  Akron,  and 
later  a  business  college  in  that  city.  For  eight 
years  he  was  clerk  in  a  clothing  and  shoe 
store.  After  his  marriage,  in  1891,  he  spent 
one  more  year  at  Akron  and  then  moved  to 
the  old  home  place,  which  he  farmed  until 
1904,  when  he  purchased  his  present  farm 
from  his  father-in-law,  John  Moore.  He  owns 
a  portable  sawmill  and  for  the  past  ten  years 
has  given  a  large  part  of  his  attention  to  the 
lumber  business,  employing  twelve  men. 

On  December  9,  1891,  Mr.  Hawkins  was 
married  to  Jennie  G.  Moore,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Nellie  (Chamberlain)  Moore. 
He  has  two  children — Howard  Paul  and  May 
Gracia. 

Politically  Mr.  Hawkins  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  a  man  of  sterling  qualities,  and  is  recog- 
nized by  his  neighbors  as  a  representative 
citizen.  In  1907  he  was  appointed  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Fair  Board  of  the  County  Agricul- 
tural Society  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
death  of  John  Moore. 

HENRY  B.  SPERRY,  manager  of  the  fire 
brick  department  of  the  Robinson  Clay  Prod- 
uct Company,  of  Akron,  Ohio,  having  also 
a  leading  interest  in  several  other  prominent 
business  entei-prises  of  this  city,  was  born  at 
Tallmadge,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  Novem- 
ber 1,  1863.  His  parents  were  Ira  P.  and 
Clarissa  (Carlton)  Sperry.  The  father,  the 
Hon.  Ira  P.  Sperry,  was  born  in  Watertown, 
Conn.,  November  24,  1817,  and  came  to  Tall- 
madge with  hi?  parents  when  an  infant  one 
year  old,  they  being  among  the  first  settlers 
of  that  place.  He  received  a  common  school 
education,  and  from  the  age  of  fourteen  to 
that  of  seventeen  was  employed  as  a  black- 
smith's apprentice.  From  seventeen  to  twenty 
he  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  earriage- 
ironer's  trade.  He  then  spent  a  year  in  school 
at  Cuyahoga  Falls.  He  then  worked  two 
years  for  William  C.  Oviatt  as  carriage  ironer, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  purchased  an  in- 


terest in  the  concern,  which,  under  different 
partnership  relations,  he  successfully  carried 
on  for  nearly  a  third  of  a  century.  In  1870, 
with  his  brother.  Dr.  Willis  Sperry  and  Mr. 
Samuel  J.  Richie,  he  established  extensive 
sewer-pipe  works,  which,  in  connection  with 
his  son,  George  P.  Sperry,  he  successfully  con- 
ducted for  a  number  of  years.  An  early  anti- 
slavery  man,  Mr.  Sperry,  in  1858,  was  elected 
on  the  Republican  ticket  as  Summit  County's 
representative  to  the  State  Legislature,  ably 
serving  two  years.  On  September  27,  1841, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Clarissa  Carlton,  of 
Portage  County.  Of  this  union  were  born 
six  children — Willis  *C.,  Charles  O.,  Mary  A., 
George  P.,  Francis  L.,  and  Henry  B. 

Henry  B.  Sperry  acc^uired  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Tallmadge,  including  the  high 
school,  and  at  the  Western  Reserve  Academy 
at  Hudson,  Ohio.  When  a  young  man  he 
became  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
sewer-pipe  business,  in  1884  being  sent  to 
Chicago  as  assistant  to  William  M.  Dee,  the 
manufacturing  agent  of  the  company  in  that 
city.  He  then  spent  two  years  traveling  in 
the  interest  of  the  Union  Sewer  Pipe  Com- 
pany, after  which  he  spent  five  years  in  the 
sewer-pipe  business  at  Huntingdon,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Mr.  Sperry  then  purchased  the  silica 
brick  plant  of  J.  Park  Alexander,  which  he 
operated  for  about  thirteen  years  thereafter, 
or  until  1904.  In  that  year  he  formed  his 
present  connection  as  manager  of  the  tire 
brick  department  of  the  Robinson  Clay  Prod- 
Tict  Company.  The  silica  plant  of  The  Rob- 
inson Clay  Product  Company  was  designed 
and  constructed  under  the  supervision  of  Mr. 
Sperry,  who  is  also  the  inventor  of  a  machine 
for  stripping  the  mold  from  the  silica  brick. 
Mr.  Sperry's  other  business  interests  include 
the  presidency  of  the  Baker  McMillan  Com- 
pany, of  Akron,  enamelers  and  wood-turners, 
and  proprietors  of  the  Akron  Spirit  Level 
Works.  Mr.  Sperry  is  a  32d  degree  Mason, 
belonging  to  the  Blue  Lodge  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  the  Chapter  and  Commandery  at  Ak- 
ron, and  Lake  Erie  Consistory  of  Cleveland; 
also  to  the  Masonic  Club. 

He  was  married  in  1800  to  Miss  Helen  B. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


495 


Alexander,  a  daughter  of  J.  Pari  Alexander, 
oue  of  Akron's  prominent  citizens.  Of  this 
union  there  were  four  children — George  Alex- 
ander, John  Alexander,  Robert  Alexander, 
and  Helen  .Vlexander. 

ALFRED  AKERS,  president  of  "The  Ak- 
ron Brick  &  Tile  Company"  and  of  "The  Ak- 
ron Vitrified  Clay  Manufacturing  Company,"' 
besides  holding  a  large  interest  in  the  firms 
of  "Akron  Supjsly  Company"  and  "Akers  & 
liai-pham,"  has  been  a  prominent  representa- 
tive of  business  interestcj  in  this  city  for  many 
years. 

Alfred  Akers  was  born  in  England  in  1849, 
and  at  an  early  age  served  his  apprenticeship 
to  the  tinsmith's  trade  in  that  country,  and  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  years  came  to  ^Vmerica 
and  settled  in  Akron  in  1869. 

Mr.  Akers  was  married  at  Tallmadge,  Ohio, 
to  Lottie  Cowley,  and  they  have  five  children 
— Addle  May,  Walter  Thomas,  Alice,  Charles 
B.,  and  Grace — all  of  w'hom  are  living,  and 
now  married,  with  the  exception  of  the  lat- 
ter, who  resides  at  home. 

After  following  his  trade  for  two  years,  em- 
ployed by  "Jahant  Brothers"  and  "Cramer 
&  May,"  he  started  into  business  for  himself, 
which  he  conducted  alone  until  1881.  The 
partnership  of  "Akers  &  Haipham"  was  then 
formed,  and  is  continued  to-day,  having  been 
developed  into  the  city's  largest  and  oldest 
sheet  metal  and  roofing  establishment. 

In  1890  Mr.  Akers  bought  the  controlling 
interests  of  the  "Akron  Brick  &  Tile  Com- 
pany." which  he  still  retains,  and  which  is 
one  of  the  leading  shale  brick  factories  of  Ak- 
ron. In  1892  he  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  "Akron  Supply  Company,"  which  has 
built  up  a  large  business  in  the  wholesale  and 
retail  trade  in  builders'  supplies.  In  1901  he 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  "The  Akron  Vit- 
rified Clay  Manufacturing  Company,"  which 
has  a  large  clay  plant  at  Tallmadge,  Ohio,  for 
the  manufacture  of  sewer  pipe  and  drain  tile 
and  fireproofing,  the  product  of  w-hich  plant 
is  handled  by  representatives  in  the  large 
eastern  cities,  i.  e.,  Pittsburg,  Philadelphia, 
New  York,  Boston,  etc. 


Mr.  Akers  is  still  actively  engaged  in  busi- 
ness and  with  his  sons,  Walter  T.  and  Charles 
B.,  and  F.  M.  Ilarpham,  son  of  his  deceased 
partner,  is  joint  owner  of  the  above  com- 
panies, the  busine.-s  of  which  they  conduct 
together. 

COL.  ARTHUR  LATHAM  CONGER, 

formerly  president  of  the  Whitman  and 
Barnes  Manufacturing  Company;  president 
of  the  Akron  Steam  Forge  Company,  of  Ak- 
ron ;  and  also  president  of  the  Diamond  Plate 
Glass  Company,  of  Kokomo  and  Elwood, 
Indiana;  president  of  the  Hartford  City,  In- 
diana, Glass  Company;  and  for  years  closely 
identified  with  the  American  Tin  Plate  Com- 
pany, of  Elwood,  Indiana,  w-as  one  of  the 
shrewdest  financiers  and  remarkably  success- 
ful business  men  that  ever  engaged  in  great 
industrial  enterprises,  in  this  part  of  Ohio. 
He  was  much  more  than  a  business  man,  how- 
ever, having  distinguished  himself  in  the 
Civil  War,  and  having  been  a  leading  factoi 
in  the  political  life  of  his  state. 

Arthur  Latham  Conger  was  born  at  Boston, 
Ohio,  February,  19.  1838,  and  up  to  date  of 
his  enlistment  in  the  Union  Army,  in  1862, 
he  had  remained  a  resident  of  Summit 
County,  working  on  his  father's  farm  and  in 
his  brick-yard,  then  turning  his  attention  to 
boating  on  the  canal,  and  just  as  easily,  two 
years  later,  becoming  a  school  teacher.  In 
whatever  direction  he  turned  his  attention  he 
met  with  corresponding  success.  In  July, 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  115th  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  of  which  he  w^as  elected 
second  lieutenant,  and  before  the  expiration 
of  his  three  years  of  service  he  had  been  suc- 
cessively promoted  to  the  ranks  of  first  lieu- 
tenant, captain  and  then  assistant  adjutant 
general  and  provost-marshal,  at  Covington, 
Kentucky,  a  member  of  court  martial,  assist- 
ant inspector  of  railroad  defenses,  and  w-as 
recommended  by  General  Thomas  as  captain 
and  commissary'  of  .subsistence. 

After  the  war  had  closed  and  there  "was  no 
longer  need  for  his  services  in  defense  of  his 
country.  Colonel  Conger  returned  to  Summit 
County  and  resumed  farming.     In  the  mean- 


496 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


while  he  became  interested  in  politics,  and  in 
1866  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  Summit 
County,  and  served  in  that  office  for  four 
years,  officiating  also  as  treasurer  of  Portage 
Township  and  of  the  city  of  Akron.  He  sub- 
sequently served  as  a  member  of  the  County, 
State  and  National  Executive  Committees  of 
his  party,  was  twice  chairman  of  the  Repub- 
lican State  Central  Committee  and  once  chair- 
man of  the  Republican  State  Executive  Com- 
mittee, and  for  eight  years  was  an  active  and 
able  member  of  the  Republican  National  Com- 
mittee. In  1870  he  first  became  connected 
with  the  Whitman  and  Miles  Manufacturing 
Company,  as  a  stockholder  and  director,  and 
six  years  later  became  president  of  that  com- 
pany. Identification  with  other  important 
industries  followed,  and  he  crowned  his  busi- 
nes  career  by  becoming  the  president  of  the 
American  Tin  Plate  Company,  which  was  or- 
ganized at  Elwood,  Indiana,  in  1891,  with 
a  capital  of  $300,000. 

On  November  1,  1864,  Colonel  Conger  was 
married  to  Emily  Bronson,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  the  late  Hiram  Volney  and  Ruth  L,  (Ran- 
ney)  Bronson,  Mrs.  Conger  survives  her  dis- 
tinguished husband  and  resides  at  Irving 
Lawn.  They  had  four  children,  namely: 
Kenyon  Bronson,  Arthur  Latham,  Latham 
Hubbard  and  Erastus  Irving.  Colonel  Con- 
ger died  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  February  25, 
1899. 

Colonel  Conger  always  took  a  deep  interest 
in  the  Grand  Army  work  and  in  military  af- 
fairs; in  1884  he  was  made  commander  of  the 
Akron  Post,  and  from  July,  1881 ,  until  July, 

1888.  he  served  as  colonel  of  the  Eighth  Reg- 
iment, Ohio  National  Guard.  He  also  served 
on  the  staff  of  Gen.  Asa  S.  Bv:shnell  of  Ohio. 
He  was  a  man  who  won  admiration  for  his 
business  genius  and  personal  affection  for  the 
loA'al,  generous,  considerate  way  in  which  he 
treated  both  friend  and  foe. 

In  Boston  Township  stands  a  beautiful 
monument  which  was  uncovered  on  July  4, 

1889,  which  will  ever  serve  to  keep  green  the 
memorv  of  Colonel  Conner  and  that  of  his 
beloved  wife.  It  i-  of  Westerly  granite,  the 
base  stone  weiohinj};  over  five  ton?,  which  is 


surmounted  by  two  small  base  stones,  on  the 
upper  end  of  which  stands  the  three-foot 
square  pedestal.  On  the  front  is  this  inscrip- 
tion: "Presented  to  Boston  Township,  by 
Artlmr  Latham  and  Emily  Bronson  Conger, 
to  commemorate  the  bravery  and  patriotism 
of  the  soldiers  who  served  in  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion— 1861-65,  erected  July  4,  1889." 
The  names  of  the  141  soldiers  of  Boston 
Township  who  served  are  then  inscribed,  and 
four  of  the  greatest  battles  in  which  they  par- 
ticipated ai'e  given,  namely:  Nashville,  Five 
Forks,  Cedar  Creek  and  Appomattox.  On  the 
sur-base  stands  a  tapering  square  shaft  of 
nearly  26  feet,  surmounted  by  a  beautifully 
carved  capital,  with  a  Grand  Army  badge  ex- 
ecuted on  the  side,  the  whole  being  sur- 
mounted by  the  finely-proportioned  figure  of 
a  soldier,  six  feet  and  six  inches  in  height,  in 
fatigue  uniform,  standing  at  parade  rest.  The 
entire  structure  is  a  work  of  art  and  it  reflects 
not  only  the  taste  but  the  patriotism  and  lib- 
erality of  its  donors  and  is  above  money  value 
to  the  citizens  of  Boston  Township.  Its  cost 
was  more  than  $3,000.  The  presentation 
speech  was  made  by  Kenyon  B.  Conger,  the 
unveiling  by  the  second  son,  Arthur  L.,  while 
the  third  son,  in  the  uniform  of  the  Grand 
-Vrmy  of  the  Republic,  acted  as  orderly  of 
the  dedication  procession. 

Colonel  Conger,  wife  and  sons  were  all 
members  of  St.  Paul's  Pi'otestant  Church  at 
Akron,  Ohio. 

DANIEL  TAYLOR,  a  representative  citi- 
zen and  agriculturist  of  Copley  Township, 
where  he  owns  125  acres  of  valuable  farming 
land,  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Cop- 
ley Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  Decem- 
ber 4.  1831,  and  is  a  son  of  Theodore  and 
Matilda  (Hoyt)   Taylor. 

Theodore  Taylor  was  born  in  Connecticut 
in  1801,  and  in  1818  accompanied  his  parents,* 
AVade  and  Diana  Taylor  to  Ohio,  after  which 
they  lived  for  two  years  in  a  log  cabin  in 
Norton  Township,  near  the  Copley  line,  on 
the  Chauncy  Beckwith  farm.  Then  Theo- 
dore and  his  brother.  David,  took  up  160 
ncres  of  land,  on  which  the  fatlier  and  mother 


FRKl)  -M.   1I.\1;PITAA[ 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


499 


both  died,  the  father's  burial  being  the  first 
to  take  place  in  the  early  graveyard  of  the 
township. 

For  some  ten  years  the  Taylor  Ijrolhers 
lived  together  on  the  farm,  and  then  Theo- 
dore acquired  eighty  acres  for  himself,  paying 
for  it  $2.50  per  acre.  To  this  he  later  added 
thirty-five  acres  which  cost  him  $5.00  an 
acre,  and  for  which  he  made  part  payment 
with  one  yoke  of  oxen  and  three  head  of 
cows.  His  wife,  Matilda,  whose  family  name 
was  Hoyt,  was  born  in  New  York,  and  was 
ten  years  old  when  her  parents  brought  her  to 
New  Portage,  where  Barberton  now  stands, 
the  long  journey  being  made  with  ox  teams. 
For  eight  j-ear.s  after  their  marriage,  Theo- 
dore Taylor  and  his  wife  lived  on  the  Charles 
Hemple  farm,  and  then  moved  to  the  farm 
on  which  Daniel  Taylor  was  subsequently 
born.  There  both  parents  died,  the  father 
aged  sixty-one  years  and  the  mother  at  the 
age  of  seventy-one.  Of  their  thirteen  children 
all  died  young  except  five,  namely :  Orson, 
now  deceased;  Daniel;  Charles;  Correl.  who 
died  while  in  service  in  the  Civil  War;  and 
Orphelia.  who  married  F.  Arnold. 

Daniel  Taylor  assisted  his  father  to  clear 
the  homestead  farm  and  was  reared  to  habits 
of  industry  and  honesty.  On  November  4, 
1858,  he  married  Louisa  Foster,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Alanson  and  Elvira  (Harvey) 
Foster.  After  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tay- 
lor conducted  the  tavern  at  Copley  for  four 
year?.  He  then  sold  it  and  bought  his  pres- 
ent farm  from  the  Bruno  Brothers.  Two 
years  later  the  husband  and  wife  started  a 
dairy,  and  for  seventeen  years  they  made 
cheese  which  found  a  ready  sale  at  Akron, 
their  son  in  the  meanwhile  operating  a  milk 
route.  For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Taylor 
raised  fine  cattle,  in  addition  to  farming.  He 
has  made  many  improvements  on  his  place 
and  has  built  his  present  house  and  a  new 
barn,  the  old  one  having  been  destroyed  by 
lightning. 

Mr.  and  ]\trs.  Taylor  have  five  children, 
namely:  Harrison,  who  married  Martha 
Bramley;  Martha,  who  married  Charles  Crum, 
and  has  two  children — Pearl  and  Arlis,  the 


former  of  whom  married  W.  Smith;  Carl, 
Avho  married  Ida  Edgar,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren— Ethel,  Glen  and  Earl;  Bert,  who  mar- 
ried Amanda  Squires,  and  has  two  children 
— Lewis  and  Gladys ;  and  Frederick,  who  mar- 
ried Etta  Riley,  and  has  one  child — Frances. 
Politically  Mr,  Taylor  is  a  Republican  and 
served  four  years  as  township  constable.  He 
voted  twice  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  has 
seen  this  section  of  country  develop  from  a 
■wild  region  to  its  present  cultivated  state  and 
he  can  remember  when  his  father  caught  deer 
and  bear  on  this  farm  and  sold  their  skins 
at  Canton. 

FRED  M.  HARPHA]\I,  one  of  Akron's  en- 
terprising young  business  men,  junior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Akers  &  Harpham,  the  lead- 
ing roofing  and  cornice  manufacturing  house 
of  this  city,  was  born  at  Akron  in  1S75,  and 
is  a  son  of  the  late  William  Harpham. 

William  Harpham  was  born  in  England 
and  in  1870  came  to  Akron,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  roofing  and  cornice  .  business,  brick 
manufacturing  and  dealing  in  buildei's'  sup- 
plies. He  was  one  of  the  representative  busi- 
ness men  of  the  city  and  was  honored  and  es- 
teemed by  his  fellow  citizens.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  president  .of  the  City  Council. 

Following  his  graduation  from  the  Akron 
High  School,  Fred  M.  Harpham  was  em- 
ployed for  a  time  in  the  Akron  Savings  Bank, 
but  on  the  death  of  his  father  he  assumed  the 
latter's  interest  in  the  finn  of  Akers  &  Harp- 
ham. He  is  also  a  stockholder  and  a  director 
in  the  Akron  Brick  &  Tile  Company,  and  is 
a  director  and  treasurer  of  the  Akron  ^''itri- 
fied  Clay  Manufacturing  Company. 

In  1904  Mr.  Harpham  was  married  to  Cecil 

A.  Johnson,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Judge  A. 

B.  Johnson,  of  Kenton,  Ohio.  They  have  one 
child,  Louise  Murcott.  Mr.  ■  Harpham  for 
some  time  represented  the  Sixth  Ward  on  the 
Board  of  Education,  and  during  this  period 
he  started  a  new  era  of  school  building.  It 
was  while  he  was  the  chairman  of  the  build- 
ing committee  that  the  Miller  school  building 
was  built,  which  was  considered  by  experts 
one  of  the  model    school    buildings  of    the 


500 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


country.  Thi^  type  of  building  was  imme- 
diately followed  by  the  construction  of  the 
Lane,  Fraunfelter,  Findley  and  Portage  Path 
SchoolSj  which  are  of  a  similar  type, 

JOSEPH  A.  P.  WHITNEY,  who  has  been 
connected  with  the  Diamond  Rubber  Com- 
pany, at  Akron,  since  1897,  id  a  well-known 
and  respected  citizen,  and  is  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  War.  Mr.  Whitney  belongs  to  a  prom- 
inent old  New  England  family,  and  he  was 
born  in  1842,  at  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
city,  and  was  in  his  eighteenth  year  when  he 
entered  Company  D,  8th  Regiment,  Massachu- 
setts Militia,  as  a  private,  which  regiment 
responded  to  the  first  call  of  President  Lincoln 
for  troops.  It  became  famed  for  its  practi- 
cal work,  being  called  the  "Working  Eighth," 
an  honorable  appellation  which  it  deserved, 
being  made  up  of  expert  mechanics.  Mr. 
Whitney  was  its  youngest  member,  but  he  did 
his  part  in  the  building  of  bridges  and  the 
construction  of  roads  in  the  vicinity  of  Annap- 
olis and  Washington  City.  This  regiment 
formed  part  of  the  command  under  General 
B.  F.  Butler,  and  having  served  out  its  first 
enlistment  of  three  montlis,  immediately  re- 
enlisted  for  nine  months,  and  again  for  100 
days,  the  last  service  being  mainly  in  Vir- 
ginia. At  the  end  of  his  period  of  service, 
Mr.  Whitney  was  honorably  discharged,  with 
the  rank  of  sergeant,  and  returned  to  his 
home  in  Bo.ston.  He  has  been  an  interested 
and  honored  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  ever  since  its  organization. 

Mr.  Whitney  went  into  the  rubber  business 
in  1859.  and  prior  to  starting  out  as  a  com- 
mercial traveler  in  this  line,  was  taught  how 
to  sell  rubber  goods  by  Robert  D.  Evans,  -who 
started  in  the  rubber  busine-?s  at  $3.00  per 
week  and  rose  to  be  president  of  the  Ameri- 
can Rubber  Trust  Company.  He  continued 
to  sell  rubber  goods  for  some  years  and  then 
embarked  in  the  hardware  business,  which 
he  conducted  for  twenty-five  years.  In  1897 
he  cnme  to  Akron,  and  has  since  been  asso- 
ciated with  this  city's  largest  rubber  industry. 

:\t  Roxburv.  ^Lassachusetts,  which  is  now  a 


part  of  the  city  of  Boston,  Mr.  Whitney  was 
married,  in  1862,  to  Emma  D.  Bills,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  Mark  Bills,  who  founded  the 
omnibus  line  that  was  formerly  i-un  between 
Cambridge  and  Boston.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whit- 
ney have  two  children :  Florence  Bills,  who 
married  A.  H.  Marks,  superintendent  of  the 
Diamond  Rubber  Company  at  Akron;  and 
Lynwood  Gore,  who  is  engaged  in  business  in 
New  York  City. 

Mr.  Whitney  has  been  a  Republican  since 
casting  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln.  He  is  identified  with  the  leading 
fraternities,  having  been  a  Mason  for  thirty- 
five  years,  an  Odd  Fellow  for  thirty  years,  a 
Knight  of  Pythias  for  the  same  length  of 
time,  and  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum 
since  it  was  organized.  He  belongs  to  the 
Episcopal  Church. 

WILLIAM  F.  BRUNSWICK,  junior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Dietrich  &  Brunswick,  pro- 
prietors of  the  pattern  works  operated  under 
the  above  name,  is  one  of  Akron's  progres- 
sive young  business  men.  He  was  born  in 
Germany  in  1878  and  is  a  son  of  John  Bruns- 
wick who  brought  his  family  to  Akron  and 
established  a  home  on  Arlington  Street,  where 
he  still  resides. 

William  F.  Brunswick,  after  accjuiring  his 
education  in  this  city,  went  to  work  for  the 
American  Cereal  Company,  and  was  later 
with  the  Buckeye  Mower  &  Reaper  Company, 
where  he  remained  six  years.  He  then  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Akron  Pattern  Works; 
and  still  later,  for  over  four  years,  was  con- 
nected with  tlic  Taplin-Rice  pattern  shops. 
Subsequently,  in  partnership  with  A.  J.  Diet- 
rich, he  established  the  Dietrich  &  Brunswick 
Pattern  Works,  which  is  now  a  thriving  in- 
dustry. 

On  June  8,  1898,  Mr.  Brunswick  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  Spanish-American  War,  en- 
tering the  Third  U.  S.  Artillery,  which  he 
accompanied  to  Tampa,  Florida..  He  was  sent 
several  weeks  later  to  Santiago,  and  subse- 
quently was  detailed  with  his  comrades  to 
participate  in  the  expedition  to  Porto  Rico, 
under  General  Allies.     Mr.  Brunswick  was  in 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


501 


the  West  India  Islands  for  six  months,  and 
after  his  return  was  mustered  out  at  Fort 
Riley,  Kansas,  February  23,  1899. 

In  1900,  Mr.  Brunswick  was  married  to 
Hattie  Cutting,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Kansas,  but  who  later  resided  in  Akron. 
They  have  two  sons:  Wilbur  F.  and  Dewitt 
John,  sturdy  little  Americans,  but  showing  a 
trace  of  their  German  ancestry.  Mr.  Bruns- 
wick belongs  to  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of 
Honor,  and  to  other  beneficial  societies. 

ANDREW  T.  BROOKS,  general  merchant 
at  Macedonia  and  manager  of  the  Brooks 
Creamery  Company  at  this  point,  was  born 
at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  July  2,  1859,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  H.  and  Catherine  (Plunkett^ 
Brooks. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Brooks  was  born  in  Hol- 
land, in  1831,  and  was  brought  to  America 
when  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  shoemaking  at  Cleve- 
land, where  he  followed  it  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  in  1866  moved  to  Brecksville, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  business  for  him- 
self until  1894,  when  he  retired.  He  served 
during  the  last  three  months  of  the  Civil  War. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows 
at  Brecksville. 

Andrew  T.  Brooks  attended  school  at 
Brecksville  through  boyhood  up  to  the  age  of 
fifteen  years.  He  learned  cheese-making  and 
followed  this  industry  until  1890.  during  the 
last  seven  years  being  in  partnership  with  J. 
E.  Wyatt.  under  the  firm  name  of  Wyatt  & 
Brooks.  After  selling  his  interests  in  the 
cheese  business  to  his  partner,  Mr.  Brooks  be- 
came associated  with  Jesse  J.  Barnes,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Barnes  &  Brooks,  and  to- 
gether they  purchased  the  general  mercantile 
bu.^iness  of  T.  T.  Richie  &  Co.,  at  Macedonia. 
Mr.  Brooks  continued  to  increa.=e  his  business 
interests  and  in  1900,  when  the  Macedonia 
Implement  Company  was  organized,  he  be- 
came its  president,  with  J.  L.  Ranney  as  man- 
ager. The  company  handles  agricultural  im- 
plements and  make  a  specialty  of  manufactur- 
ing a  can  wa.sher,  for  the  use  of  dairymen.  In 
1896  the  Brooks  Creamery  Company  was  in- 


corporated, Mr.  Brooks  being  manager  and 
main  stockholder,  and  he  is  also  president  of 
the  Northern  Ohio  Dairy  Company  of  Cleve- 
land. 

By  marriage,  Mr.  Brooks  is  connected  with 
a  well-known  family  of  Macedonia,  his  wife 
being  a  daughter  of  Abram  C.  Munn.  They 
have  two  children — Norma  L.  and  Neva  L. 
Politically  Mr.  Brooks  is  strongly  Republican 
in  his  sentiments.  He  was  appointed  post- 
master by  the  late  President  McKinley.  He 
served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  six  months, 
resigning  the  office,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Macedonia  village  council.  His  fraternal 
relations  are  with  Summit  Lodge,  No.  213, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Twinsburg;  the  Odd  Fellows 
of  Brecksville,  and  the  Maccabees,  of  Mace- 
donia. 

0.  AV.  BAUM,  of  the  firm  of  Mcintosh  & 
Baum,  leaders  in  the  insurance  line  at  Ak- 
ron, dealing  extensively  also  in  loans,  invest- 
ments and  real  estate,  occupies  a  prominent 
position  in  the  business  circles  of  this  city 
and  is  identified  with  numerous  important 
concerns.  He  was  born  at  New  Berlin,  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  in  1862,  and  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Akron  for  fifteen  years. 

Mr.  Banm  completed  his  education  in  the 
High  School  at  Canal  Fulton,  and  then  taught 
school  for  about  three  years  in  Stark  County. 
He  then  became  connected  with  the  retail  de- 
partment of  the  George  Worthington  Com- 
pany, of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  with  which  he  re- 
mained associated  for  three  years.  For  the 
following  three  years  Mr.  Baum  was  interested 
in  a  hardware  business  at  Greenstown,  Ohio, 
and  later  became  traveling  salesman  for  the 
Standard  Hardware  Company,  of  Akron,  rep- 
rasenting  it  for  four  or  five  years.  He  then 
turned  his  attention  to  fire  insurance,  and 
with  a  Mr.  Graham,  bought  out  the  insur- 
ance business  of  App  &  Carr,  later  purchasing 
Mr.  Graham's  interest.  In  1900  he  was 
elected  secretary  of  the  Summit  County  Build- 
ing &  Savings  Company,  which,  in  1903,  was 
consolidated  with  the  German-American 
Building  it  Loan  Association,  a.s.suming  the 
name  of  the  latter,  of  which  Mr.  Baum  has 


502 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


been  secretary  ever  since.  In  1905  Mr.  Mc- 
intosh purchased  an  interest  in  the  business 
and  the  firm  of  Mcintosh  and  Baum  was  es- 
tablished. This  firm  does  an  immense  busi- 
ness and  stands  deservedly  high  among  simi- 
lar concerns  in  Summit  County.  Mr.  Baum 
is  also  secretary  of  the  Summit  Real  Estate 
Company,  and  is  a  stockholder  and  director 
in  the  Dollar  Savings  Bank  Company. 

In  1887,  Mr.  Baum  was  married  to  Jennie 
C.  Spangler,  of  Manchester,  Summit  County, 
Ohio.  Their  only  child,  Lucile,  is  now  de- 
ceased. Mr.  Baum  is  identified  with  a  num- 
ber of  fraternal  organizations.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Nemo  Lodge,  of  Odd  Fellows;  Akron 
Tent,  No.  126,  Maccabees,  and  of  the  Uniform 
Rank  of  that  order;  the  Protected  Home  Cir- 
cle; the  Independent  Order  of  Heptasophs; 
and  the  Junior  Order  of  American  United 
Mechanics.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association.  He  belongs  to  Grace  Reformed 
Church. 

HIRAM  W.  LIMBERT,  vice-president 
and  manager  of  the  Limbert-Smith  Plumb- 
ing Company,  is  one  of  Akron's  representa- 
tive business  men.  He  was  born  in  Tall- 
madge  Township,  Summit  Coimty,  Ohio,  in 
1875,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  John  Limbert. 

The  Limbert  family  was  established  in 
Summit  County  by  the  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  in  pioneer  days.  John 
Limbert  was  born  in  Summit  County  and  dur- 
ing his  active  life  took  a  deep  interest  in 
everything  concerning  the  welfare  of  this  sec- 
tion. He  was  for  .some  time  engaged  in  the 
pottery  business  in  Tallmadge  Township. 

H.  W.  Limbert  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Tallmadge  Township.  When  sixteen  years 
old  he  came  to  Akron  and  went  to  work  for 
the  Baker-McMillen  Company.  Later  he  was 
connected  with  other  shops  in  the  plumbing 
business,  was  with  J.  A.  Smith  for  two  and 
one-half  years,  then  was  with  Whyler  &  Smith 
for  two  years,  with  Englehart  &  Eckert  one 
year,  with  the  Akron  Plumbing  &  Heating 
Company  for  two  years,  and  in  1903  he  be- 
came connected  with  the    firm    of    Slater  & 


Smith,  the  firm  name  thru  becoming  Slater, 
Limbert  &  Smith  Company.  The  business 
was  incorporated  in  1904  as  the  Limbert- 
Smith  Plumbing  Company,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $10,000,  its  officers  being:  J.  D. 
Slater,  president;  H.  W.  Limbert,  vice-presi- 
dent and  manager;  and  B.  G.  Smith,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer.  All  these  oflicers  are  men 
of  practical  experience  and  their  business  con- 
cern is  a  leading  one  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Limbei't  was  married  May  29,  1895,  to 
Nellie  Hall,  who  is  a  daughter  of  J.  L.  Hall, 
of  Akron.  They  have  three  sons:  Donald 
Arthur,  Garland  Ardell,  and  Wayne.  Mr. 
Limbert  is  afilliated  fraternally  with  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Modern  Woodmen. 

ALEXANDER  NESBIT,  general  farmer 
and  a  well  and  favorably  known  citizen,  of 
Northfield  Township,  was  born  on  the  farm 
on  which  he  now  lives,  on  March  10,  1843, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Lucinda  (Hun- 
gerford)  Nesbit.  William  Nesbit  was  born 
in  Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania,  and 
came  to  Northfield  Township  as  an  early 
settler.  He  cleared  a  farm  and  acquired  100 
acres  of  valuable  land.  He  was  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam N&sbit,  who  was  born  in  Scotland,  who 
settled  first  in  Westmoreland  County  and 
came  to  Northfield  Township  in  1834,  where 
he  died.  William  and  Lucinda  Nesbit  had 
four  children,  namely:  David  G.,  of  Cleve- 
land; Emily  Lucinda,  who  married  Samuel 
Gallic,  of  Northfield;  Caroline  Esther,  who 
married  William  Deisman,  of  Bedford,  Ohio; 
and  Alexander,  of  Northfield. 

Alexander  Nesbit  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm,  which  he  now  owns,  a  valuable  tract 
of  land,  consisting  of  sixty-two  and  one-half 
acres,  of  which  he  has  fifty  under  cultivation. 
He  raises  corn,  oats,  wheat  and  hay.  keeps 
four  head  of  cows,  and  raises  calves  for  the 
market. 

Mr.  Nesbit  married  .Tosephine  Fillius,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Philip  Fillius,  of  Hudson, 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  Grace  E.,  who 
is  residinc;  at  home  with  her  parents.  Mr. 
Nesbit  and  his  family  belong  to  the  United 
Presbyterian   Church.     During  its  existence, 


MR.   AND  MRS.  A.  PETERSEN 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


305 


he  belonged  to  the  old  Northfield  Grange. 
Although  his  father  was  a  Jacksonian  Dem- 
ocrai,  Mr.  Nesbit  is  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican Party. 

A.  Pi:TERSON,  proprieiur  of  the  A.  Peter- 
son Company,  located  at  No.  -482  kSouth  High 
Street,  Akron,  Ls  one  of  the  city'.s  enterprising 
and  successful  business  men.  Mr.  Peterson 
was  born  in  Denmark,  in  1859,  where  also 
he  was  reared  and  educated.  Denmark  has 
contributed  a  large  number  of  valued  citizens 
to  the  United  States,  many  of  them  having 
come  as  emigrants,  and  others,  like  Mr.  Peter- 
son, with  lives  of  useful  effort  and  a  measure 
of  social  prestige  back  of  them.  Mr.  Peterson 
owes  to  his  interast  in  public  movements  his 
present  establishment  in  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  cities  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  He 
was  sent  from  Europe  to  the  World's  Fair  at 
Chicago,  in  1893,  as  a  representative  of  the  So- 
cial Democrat  Press,  and  came  with  the  expec- 
tation of  returning  to  Denmark.  Finding  bet- 
ter opportunities  for  business  in  New  York 
than  he  had  anticipated,  he  entered  Wrigley's 
box  factory,  in  that  city,  and  learned  the  busi- 
ness, remaining  there  until  1901,  when  ho 
came  to  Akron.  By  thLs  time  Mr.  Peterson 
wa-;  prejKired  to  embark  in  business  for  him- 
.self.  and  although  confronted  with  competi- 
tion, he  started  a  factory  with  eight  employes. 
He  has  since  achieved  a  remarkable  .success. 
Where  at  first  his  few  men  scarcely  had 
enough  to  keep  them  busy, -he  now  finds  fifty- 
four  none  too  many.  His  plant  is  fitted  with 
all  kinds  of  modern  box-making  machinery, 
and  its  finished  product  is  sold  all  over  the 
country.  In  1893  Mr.  Peterson  was  married 
to  Dagmar  Heuriette  .lenson,  who  was  born  in 
Denmark,  and  they  have  two  children:  Mag- 
da  Marie  and  Reinholdt.  The  A.  Peterson 
Company  is  made  up  of  Mr.  Peterson  and  his 
wife,  the  latter  being  a  capable  business  wom- 
an. 

M.  M.  NEUMAN,  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Stein  Double  Cushion  Tire  Company, 
of  Akron,  was  born  in  Hungary  in  1859,  and 
was  there  reared  and  edueated.     At  the  age 


of  twenty-one  he  came  to  America  and  first 
found  employment  for  about  three  months  as 
a  traveling  agent.  This  was  followed  by  two 
years'  othce  work  as  bookkeeper,  after  which 
Mr.  Neuman  was  engaged  for  three  years  in 
the  grocery  business  in  Zanesville,  Ohio.  In 
1885  he  went  to  Cleveland  and  entered  into 
the  cigar  business,  in  which  he  was  engaged 
until  1902.  In  September,  1902,  the  Stein 
Double  Cushion  Tire  Company  was  organized 
and  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  $100,- 
000,  with  Mr.  C.  K.  Sunslian  of  Cleveland, 
president;  J.  Neuman  of  Cleveland,  vice-presi- 
dent; and  M.  M.  Neuman,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer. In  the  following  year  the  firm  began 
business  as  manufacturers  of  a  double  cushion 
tire,  in  which  they  have  been  very  succesful, 
they  having  now  about  sixty  employees. 

Mr.  Neuman  was  married  in  1888  to  Mi.ss 
Hattie  Stein,  of  Mcadville,  Pennsylvania.  He 
and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  two  children 
— -Miriam  J.  Neuman  and  Beatrice  S.  Neu- 
man. Mr.  Neuman  is  a  member  of  the  He- 
brew congregation  of  Akron.  He  is  one  of 
the  substantial  business  men  of  the  city. 

A.  C.  BACHTEL,  manager  of  the  Bachtel 
Paper  Company,  at  Akron,  has  been  prom- 
inently identified  with  important  business  in- 
terests in  this  city  for  many  years.  He  was 
born  May  4,  1855,  near  Huntington,  Indiana, 
from  which  point  his  parents  moved  to  Can- 
ton, Ohio,  in  his  childhood,  and  there  he  was 
reared  and  educated.  One  of  his  favorite 
teachers  was  Miss  Anna  McKinley,  a  sister  of 
the  late  President  William  McKinley. 

Early  in  his  business  career,  Mr.  Bachtel 
came  to  Akron  and  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  brooms,  under  the  firm  name  of  Bach- 
tel &  Pontious.  The  firm  became  one  of  con- 
sequence, and  continued  in  business  for  near- 
ly a  quarter  of  a  century,  their  trade  relations 
extending  over  Ohio  and  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania. They  continued  a  jobbing  business 
until  1898,  when  the  Bachtel  Paper  Company 
succeeded  the  firm  of  Bachtel  &  Pontious. 
This  firm  does  a  jobbing  business  in  all  kinds 
of  wrapping  paper,  paper  bags,  stationery  and 


506 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


wrapping  twine,  giving  employment  to  a 
large  force  and  keeping  one  man  on  the  road. 

In  1873,  Mr.  Bachtel  was  married  to 
Amelia  T.  Pontius,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Nicholas  Pontius,  of  a  prominent  Ohio  fam- 
ily. They  have  two  children,  Edwin  S.  and 
Ella,  the  latter  residing  at  home.  Edwin  S. 
Bachtel  i^  connected  with  the  Carter  Rice 
Paper  Company,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
with  headquarters  at  Denver,  Colorado. 

Mr.  Bachtel  is  one  of  the  leading  Odd  Fel- 
lows of  Ohio,  belonging  to  all  divisions  of  the 
order  and  having  been  a  delegate  to  the  Grand 
Lodge  on  two  occasions.  He  was  responsible 
for  the  motion  that  started  the  agitation  which 
resulted  in  the  building  of  the  beautiful  fra- 
ternity temple,  at  Akron,  and  served  several 
years  as  its  president.  In  political  sentiment, 
Mr.  Bachtel  is  a  stanch  Democrat  and  has 
served  his  party  and  city  in  a  number  of  im- 
portant positions.  During  his  term  of  five 
years  as  park  commissioner,  Mr.  Bachtel  de- 
voted himself  so  closely  to  the  extension  and 
improvement  of  the  park  system  of  the  city 
and  with  such  great  results,  that  he  justly 
considers  it  a  satisfactory  and  productive 
period  of  his  public  life,  one  that  shows  him 
possessed  of  enterprise,  sound  judgment  and 
civic  pride. 

DAVID  ITANKEY,  a  representative  agri- 
culturist of  Copley  Township,  as  well  as  one 
of  its  best-known  citizens,  having  served  as  a 
justice  of  the  peace  and  in  other  offices,  resides 
on  his  farm  of  sixty  acres  of  valuable  land. 
He  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  this  town- 
ship, October  8,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Sam- 
uel and  Maria  (Witmer)  Hankey.  T^ewis 
Hankey,  his  grandfather,  came  to  America 
from  Germany.  In  earlier  years  he  followed 
the  trade  of  shoemaker,  but  in  later  life  was 
a  farmer  and  also  a  preacher.  He  died  in 
Copley  Township,  aged  eighty-eight  years. 
His  children  were:  Lewis.  John,  Jacob,  Snm- 
uel,  Sarah,  Catherine  and  Susan,  all  of  whom 
have  passed  away. 

Samuel  Hankey,  father  of  David,  was  a 
young  man  when  he  came  to  Wavne  County, 
Ohio,  where  ho  married  IMaria  Witmer,  a  na- 


tive of  Pennsylvania.  He  then  bought  a  farm 
near  the  reservoir,  in  Copley  Township,  from 
which  he  subsequently  moved,  purchasing 
land  where  South  Akron  now  stands,  which 
13lace  he  farmed  for  five  years.  After  that 
he  moved  to  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son 
David,  on  which  he  lived  many  years,  moving 
thence  to  a  farm  where  White  Elephant  has 
been  built,  and  there  both  he  and  wife  died. 
They  had  five  children:  David,  whose  name 
begins  this  sketch;  Mary  Ellen,  who  married 
P.  S.  Prentiss;  Catherine  (deceased), who  mar- 
ried Charles  Travor;  John  Frederick,  who 
owns  a  farm  in  Copley  Township;  and  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  J.  D.  Arnold. 

David  Hankey  attended  the  district  schools 
of  the  localities  in  which  his  parents  lived, 
but  as  he  was  the  eldest  of  the  family,  more 
responsibility  fell  upon  him  than  upon  the 
others.  He  has  been  accustomed  to  farm 
work  almost  from  childhood,  and  has  made 
farming  his  main  occupation  in  life.  He 
purchased  his  present  farm  from  his  father, 
clearing  a  part  of  the  land  and  putting  up 
substantial  buildings. 

Mr.  Hankey  was  married  (first)  in  Novem- 
ber, 1872.  to  Amy  First,  who  left  at  death 
one  child — Forest,  who  lived  but  three  years. 
Mr.  Hankey  married  (second),  in  June,  1881, 
Agnes  Delong,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  De- 
long.  Of  this  vmion  there  is  a  daughter, 
Maude  Ethel,  who  is  now  an  educated  and  ac- 
complished young  lady,  a  graduate  of  the 
Copley  High  School.  It  was  a  pleasant  inci- 
dent that  at  the  time  of  her  graduation  her 
father  was  president  of  the  School  Board  and 
had  the  agreeable  duty  of  presenting  her  with 
her  diploma.  She  subsequently  married  Wal- 
lace Gingery,  and  they  reside  in  Akron. 
Politically,  Mr.  Hankey  is  a  Republican. 
With  his  wife  he  belongs  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  being  a  member  also  of  the 
official  board. 

C.  L  BRUNER,  vice-president  of  the  Sec- 
ond National  Bank  at  Akron,  president  of  the 
Akron  Building  and  Loan  Association  and 
president  of  the  Bruner-Goodhue-Cook  Com- 
pany,  all   of  Akron,   is  also   identified   with 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


507 


other  large  business  interests  here,  either  as 
prim-ipal,  director  or  stockholder.  Mr.  Brun- 
er  \v;ui  born  in  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  in 
185(5.  When  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  his 
parents  removed  from  Ohio  to  Wabash,  In- 
diana, where  he  was  educated,  and  where  dur- 
ing his  earUer  business  years,  he  wiis  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  a  grain  and  later 
in  a  hardware  business.  Subsequently  he  es- 
tablished himself  in  the  hardware  business  at 
Kokomo,  Indiana,  afterwards  taking  charge 
of  a  wood-working  plant  there.  Seven  years 
later  this  manufacturing  plant  was  consoli- 
dated with  a  similar  one  at  Ludington,  Mich- 
igan, and  a  central  agency  was  established  at 
Akron,  of  which  Mr.  Bruner  had  charge  for 
three  years.  After  disposing  of  his  interest 
in  that  concern,  he  went  into  the  real  estate 
business  and  was  engaged  in  it  to  a  large  ex- 
tent for  some  years.  He  then  became  cashier 
of  the  Citizens'  National  Bank,  and  in  1903, 
at  the  time  of  its  consolidation  with  the  Sec- 
ond National  Bank,  he  became  its  vice-presi- 
dent. He  is  a  director  in  the  AVhitman-Barnes 
Manufacturing  Company,  treasurer  of  the 
Werner  Company,  treasurer  of  the  E.  A. 
Pflueger  Company,  a  director  in  the  Peo- 
y)le's  Savings  Bank,  and  for  four  years  has 
been  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
city  sinking  fund.  The  quiet  efficiency  with 
which  he  discharges  the  duties  of  all  these 
responsible  offices,  marks  him  as  a  man  pos- 
sessed of  great  natural  ability,  sound  judg- 
ment, and  a  clear  business  foresight  that  re- 
sults in  successfiil  achievement. 

In  1883,  Mr.  Brimer  was  married  to  Nel- 
lie Pettit.  of  Waliash.  Indiana,  and  they  have 
two  daughters,  viz.:  Marion,  who  is  a  grad- 
uate of  Welleslcv  College:  and  Julia.  Mr. 
Bmner  and  family  belong  to  the  First  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  at  Akron,  which  he  is 
serving;  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  sociallv  with  the  Portage  Countrv 
Club. 

LEWIS  A.  MILLER,  one  of  Akron's  capi- 
talists and  men  of  lars;e  business  interests, 
whose  investments  and  dealings  in  real  estate 


in  city  and  vicinity  include  the  handling  of 
some  of  the  most  valuable  property  in  this 
section,  is  also  interested  in  the  manufacture 
of  electric  automobiles,  and  he  is  vice-president 
and  a  director  of  the  Byrider  Auto  Company 
of  Cleveland. 

Mr.  Miller  was  born  at  Canton,  Ohio,  in 
October,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  Lewis  Miller. 
His  parents  moved  from  Canton  to  Akron 
when  he  was  six  months  old.  Lewis  Miller, 
the  father,  was  the  inventor  of  the  Buckeye 
mower,  reaper  and  binder,  and  he  was  also 
the  founder  of  the  great  Chautauqua  move- 
ment, in  1874. 

Lewis  A.  Miller  was  reared  at  Akron,  where 
he  attended  the  public  schools  and  for  a  time 
was  a  student  at  Mt.  Union  College.  He  then 
made  a  tour  of  Europe,  afterwards  returning 
to  Akron,  For  the  fifteen  years  following, 
Mr.  Miller  was  connected  with  the  firm  of 
Aultman  and  Miller,  as  a  department  man- 
ager and  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  direct- 
ors. He  also  acted  as  assistant  .secretary  to 
his  brother.  For  the  past  si.x  years  he  has 
given  his  main  attention  to  investments  of  a 
realty  character,  as  mentioned  above.  Mr. 
Miller  is  a  member  of  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  at  Akron,  and  belongs  to 
its  official  board.  He  still  retains  his  member- 
ship and  interest  in  his  Greek  fraternity  at 
Mt.  Union  College. 

LORAN  LUMAN  OVIATT,  formerly  one 
of  the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  North- 
field  Township,  who  was  largely  interested  in 
the  cattle  business  for  many  years  and  was 
identified  with  many  schemes  of  public  im- 
jiroveineiU  in  his  immediate  community, 
was  born  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Twins- 
liurg  township.  Summit  County,  Ohio,  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1844.  His  parents  were  Luman  and 
Lucinda  (Cregg)  Oviatt.  He  was  reared  on 
his  father's  farm,  and  early  became  interested 
in  the  cattle  business,  which  was  his  father's 
principal  occupation.  He  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools,  but  gained  rather' through  prac- 
tical experience  the  knowledge  which  made 
him  one  of  the  best-informed  men  of  his  sec- ' 
tion.     He  carried  on  general  farming  on  his 


508 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


farm  of  238  acres,  eight\'-four  acres  of  which 
had  been  originally  purchased  by  his  father, 
and  the  balance  was  added  by  himself,  ('ul- 
tivating  about  sixty-live  acres,  he  used  all  his 
produce  for  feed,  except  his  wheat.  Urom 
the  beginning  of  his  business  career  he  dealt 
largely  in  cattle,  and  he  probably  was  one  of 
the  best  judges  of  cattle  in  the  county.  For 
one  year  he  owned  a  meat  market  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  butchering  his  own  cattle  and  sup- 
plying the  Macedonia  market  with  dressed 
meat.  This  business  he  sold  to  Roethig 
Brothers.  Buying  cattle  took  him  all  over 
the  country,  and  wherever  he  did  business  he 
made  friends.  He  was  honest  in  business  and 
a  man  of  .strong  family  affection — wdthout, 
it  is  said,  an  enemy  in  the  world.  For  two 
years  he  was  township  trustee,  and  for  twenty- 
one  years  was  a^  member  of  the  School  Board, 
spending  a  considerable  part  of  that  time  in 
supervising  the  erection  of  school  buildings. 
His  death,  which  took  place  June  6,  1907,  re- 
moved from  the  community  one  of  its  most 
useful  members. 

Loran  L.  Oviatt  was  married,  first,  March 
17,  1864,  to  Lura,  daughter  of  Elisha  Temple- 
ton.  She  died  March  18,  1878,  leaving  two 
children — Edward  Lunian,  now  a  resident  of 
New  York ;  and  Frank  Loran,  who  resides  on 
his  farm  adjoining  the  homestead  farm  at 
Little  Fork.  Mr.  Oviatt  was  married,  second, 
to  Elva  Adell  Eggleston,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Milton  Eggleston.  Three  children  were 
born  of  this  marriage,  namely:  Yinna  P., 
Hazel  L.,  and  Lynn  E.,  all  of  whom  are  re- 
siding with  their  mother. 

Captain  Joseph  Eggleston.  the  grandfather 
of  Mrs.  Oviatt,  was  born  July  6,  1779.  In 
1807  he  carhe  from  Massachusetts  and  settled 
at  Aurora,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  a  pioneer,  erecting  his  log  cabin  among 
the  first  in  the  place.  Tie  married  Parlia 
Leonard,  and  by  her  reared  six  children.  She 
was  born  in  Mas.sachusetts  and  died  in  1842. 
He  married  for  his  second  wife,  Anna  Mack, 
a  daughter  of  Colonel  Mack.  Of  this  latter 
union  there  were  no  children.  Milton  Eggles- 
ton, father  of  Mrs.  Oviatt,  wa-<  horn  .Tune  29, 
1814,  and  died  November  9,  1898.     He  en- 


gaged in  farming  and  cattle-raising,  and  be- 
came a  man  of  considerable  substance.  He 
married  Eraeranca  Loveland,  who  was  born 
at  Aurora,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  and  who 
died  August  17,  18(30.  The  two  children  born 
to  Milton  Eggleston  and  wife  were:  I'^rances, 
now  deceased,  who  married  C-iustavus  G.  Cass, 
W'ho  is  also  deceased;  and  Elva  A.  (Mrs. 
Oviatt),  who  was  born  at  Aurora,  January  22, 
1855.  The  members  of  Mrs.  Oviatt's  family 
were  all  Congregationalists,  and  during  her 
residence  at  Aurora,  she  was  identified  with 
that  church.  She  takes  an  active  interest  in 
promoting  various  charitable  projects. 

FRANK  NOLTE,  vice-president  of  the  Ak- 
ron Foundry  Company,  has  been  a  resident 
of  this  city  since  he  was  seven  years  of  age, 
but  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  August 
14,  1865.  In  1867,  his  father,  the  late  John 
Nolle,  brought  hLs  family  to  America  and 
settled  in  Akron.  After  leaving  school, 
Frank  Nolte  entered  the  employ  of  May 
&  Fiebeger,  with  which  -firm  he  continued 
for  twelve  years.  In  1900  lie  entered  the 
shops  of  the  Akron  Foundry  Company,  of 
which  lie  is  now  the  vice-jiresident.  Step  by 
step  he  advanced  through  the  different  depart- 
ments to  his  j)resent  responsible  position, 
which  he  gained  through  his  own  energy,  en- 
terprise and  industry.  Tie  has  also  other  bu.s- 
iness  interests  and  is  secretary  of  the  Pruden- 
tial Heating  Company.  On  June  21,  1893, 
Mr.  Nolte  was  married  to  Margaret  Kauth, 
who  wa.s  born  at  Akron,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Florence  I.  Mr.  Nolte  is  a  member  of 
the  order  of  Maccabees. 

FRED  \V.  TWEED,  who  is  superintendent 
of  Factory  No.  2,  of  The  Robinson  Clay  Prod- 
uct Company,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city 
for  the  past  thirty-nine  years.  He  was  born 
in  1862,  in  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  where 
•his  parents,  George  "William  and  Ann  (Clark) 
Tweed  then  resided.  His  father  died  when  he 
was  six  year>  old  and  his  widowed  mother 
came  with  her  children  to  Summit  County, 
where  she  rounded  out  her  useful  existence, 
dying  in  1902. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


509 


Fred  W.  Tweed  attended  tlie  public  schools 
of  Summit  County  until  old  enough  to  enter 
the  employ  of  the  Diamond  Match  Company, 
where  he  remained  for  three  years.  He  then 
became  employed  in  the  pottery  of  Richard- 
son, Cook  &  Butler,  and  later  went  to  the  Ak- 
ron Sewer  Pipe  Company.  He  next  worked 
for  the  firm  of  L'obk  &  ^\'eeks,  and  afterwards 
for  the  Robinson  Clay  Product  Company, 
which  was  then  known  as  the  E.  H.  Merrill 
Company.  A  period  of  twenty-four  years  lias 
passed  since  then  and  Mr.  Tweed  has  never 
severed  his  connection,  gradually  winning 
promotion,  and  for  the  past  seven  years  he  has 
been  superintendent  of  Factory  No.  2,  an  of- 
fice which  requires  many  special  qualifica- 
tions. 

On  July  19,  1882,  Mr.  Tweed  was  married 
to  Louisa  Remmy,  who  was  born  at  Akron 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  Remmy.  They 
have  two  sons — Charles  W.,  who  is  a  draughts- 
man for  the  Diamond  Match  Company,  and 
Frederick  G.,  who  is  a  student  at  Akron.  Mr. 
Tweed  is  connected  fraternally  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

HOUSTON  KEPLER,  residing  on  East 
Robii>son  Avenue,  just  outside  of  the  corpo- 
ration lines  of  the  village  of  Barberton,  form- 
erly owned  the  300  acres  adjoining  the  plant 
of  the  Diamond  Match  Company,  as  well  as 
other  valuable  farming  land.  Mr.  Kepler 
was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  lives,  Au- 
gust 25,  1839,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Susan 
(Marsh)   Kepler. 

Mr.  Kepler  comes  from  German  and  Eng- 
lish ancestry.  His  father.  Jacob  Kepler,  was 
born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  a  son  of  John  Kepler,  who  came  to  Sum- 
mit County  from  Pennsylvania,  settling  in 
Green  Township,  when  Jacob  was  a  boy  of 
eight  years.  Both  grandparents  died  on  their 
farm  in  Green  Township.  Jacob  Kepler  was 
reared  and  married  in  that  township.  The 
mother  of  Houston  Kepler  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  came  with  her  parents  to  Frank- 
lin Township.  Summit  County,  when  she  was 
10  years  of  age.  She  was  a  daiighter  of  Adam 
Marsh,  who  purchased   a   farm,      .\fter  mar- 


riage, Jacob  Kepler  and  wife  came  to  the  farm 
on  which  Houston  Kepler  hios  lived  all  his 
life.  Jacob  Kepler  first  purchased  128  acres 
of  land  which  he  subsequently  increased  to 
882  acres,  all  but  329  acres  of  which  were 
situated  in  Coventry  Township,  the  latter  be- 
ing in  Franklin  Township.  There  were  thir- 
teen children  born  to  Jacob  Kepler  and  wife, 
seven  of  whom  reached  maturity.  UnJil  re- 
cently five  were  living,  namely :  Mrs.  Lavma 
Reninger,  who  was  the  widow  of  Solomon 
Reninger  and  resided  in  Akron,  died  October 
30,  1907;  Samuel,  residing  in  Akron;  Hous- 
ton, whose  name  begins  this  sketch;  Eliza- 
beth, who  LS  the  widow  of  Henry  Wise, 
residing  in  Barberton ;  and  Amanda,  who  mar- 
ried Andrew  Oberlin,  and  resides  at  Doyles- 
lown,  Wayne  County,  Ohio.  Both  ]iarents 
died  in  this  township. 

Houston  Kepler  attended  the  district  schools 
of  Coventry  Township.  He  has  always  de- 
voted himself  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
1863  he  was  married  to  Catherine  Foust,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  is  a  daughter 
of  Abraham  Foust.  She  was  reared  in  Green 
Township,  Summit  County,  her  parents  hav- 
ing come  here  in  her  childhood.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kepler  have  four  children,  namely:  Clara 
A.,  married  Andrew  Kreighbaum,  and  has 
three  children — Houston,  Marjorie  and  Flor- 
ence; Laura  J.,  who  married  W.  D.  Foust, 
has  one  son.  Forest ;  Maggie  E.,  married  Wil- 
liam G.  Steadman,  and  resides  in  Cleveland, 
where  her  husband  is  engaged  in  the  drug 
biisiness;  and  Nelson  E.,  who  lives  at  home 
with  his  parents. 

At  one  time  Mr.  Kepler  owned  a  large 
amount  of  land,  but  has  disposed  of  a  great 
deal  of  it.  After  .selling  the  300  acres  to  0. 
C.  Barber,  for  manufacturing  purposes,  he 
bought  127  acres  in  Copley  Township.  He 
owns  also  a  store  building  and  a  brick  build- 
ing in  Barberton,  which  is  utilized  as  a  livery 
stable.  Mr.  Kepler  is  one  of  the  capitalists 
of  Coventry  Township.  He  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Dime  Savings  Bank,  and  in  the  Bar- 
berton Savings  Bank  Company,  and  is  a 
director  in  the  former.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Reformed  Church. 


510 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


In  polilifs  Mr.  Kepler  is  a  Democrat  and 
lias  been  honored  by  being  elected  as  justice 
of  the  peace,  which  office  he  held  for  twenty- 
four  jears.  He  was  township  clerk  seven  yeai's 
and  was  to.wnship  treasurer  one  year,  and 
coroner  of  the  county  two  years. 

HON.  JAMES  McNAMARA,  mayor  of 
Barberton,  is  one  of  Ihe  best  known  and  most 
popular  citizens  of  Summit  County.  He  was 
born  at  New  Portage,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
December  4,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Mc- 
Namara,  also  a  well  known  smd  popular  citi- 
zen. 

Mayor  McNamara  spent  his  boyhood  days 
at  New  Portage,  which  is  now  a  part  of  Bar- 
berton, and,  with  the  exception  of  two  or 
three  years'  residence  in  Akron,  has  spent  his 
life  in  this  town.  During  his  youth,  while 
attending  school,  he  assisted  his  father  in 
the  latter's  store,  at  New  Portage,  and  later 
was  connected  with  the  Barberton  Sewer  Pipe 
Company.  He  served  under  Mayor  E.  M. 
Buel  for  two  years  as  clerk,  and  was  assistant 
postmaster  during  the  nineteen  years  that  his 
father  held  the  government  office,  from  July, 
]893,  until  February,  1898.  Later  he  was  as- 
sociated witli  his  father  in  the  real  estate 
business,  the  firm  being  large  dealers  in  real- 
ty in  this  vicinity  for  many  years.  When  his 
father  was  made  mayor,  in  1900,  the  present 
mayor  served  as  his  clerk,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1905  he  was  elected  to  the  same  high  office 
on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  was  re-elected 
in  the  fall  of  1907,  which  is  the  first  time  in 
the  liistory  of  Barberton  that  any  mayor  has 
succeeded  him.self.  His  whole  life  ha*  been 
passed,  more  or  less,  in  the  public  eye,  and 
whatever  important  position  he  has  filled,  his 
integrity  has  never  heen  questioned.  He  pos- 
sesses in  large  degree  those  qualities  which 
arouse  ■warm  friendship,  and  enjoys  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens,  irre- 
.spective  of  party  lines. 

Mayor  McNamara  was  married  ffirst)  to 
Minnie  McMullin,  who  died  August  2,  1901, 
leaving  one  child,  Velva.  He  was  married 
fsecond)  January  9,  1907,  to  Mary  Mc- 
Mahon.     In  church  relationship    Mayor  ^Tc- 


Namara  is  member,  councilman  and  secretary 
of  St.  ^Vugustine  Roman  Catholic  Church  at 
Barberton.  He  belongs  to  the  Elks  and  holds 
membership  with  Lodge  No.  982,  Barber- 
ton. 

HORACE  B.  CAMP,  one  of  Akron's  most 
stirring  and  successful  business  men,  came  to 
Middlebury,  now  East  Akron,  in  1854.  He 
was  born  in  Ohio,  November  9,  1838.  When 
he  was  a  child  his  parents  settled  in  Cleveland, 
where  he  resided  until  he  was  fifteen  years 
of  age.  During  the  family's  sojourn  there 
he  attended  the  public  schools,  his  literary 
education,  however,  being  completed  at  East 
Akron.  After  leaving  school  he  engaged  in 
farming  in  Northampton  Township,  and  was 
so  occupied  until  1865,  in  which  year  he  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  sewer  pipe  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls  in  the  firm  of  Lewis  &  Camp. 
In  this  business  he  continued  until  1893,  at 
which  time  the  style  of  the  firm  was  Camp  & 
Thompson,  they  having  plants  also  at  Green- 
town.  In  1893  there  was  a  division  of  the 
firm  and  Mr.  Camp  took  the  plaTits  at  Green- 
town,  which  he  operated  subsequenth'  until 
1901,  wlien  he  sold  out  to  the  National  Fire- 
proofing  Company.  Mr.  Camp  has  various 
other  important, business  interests,  being  presi- 
dent of  the  Faultless  Rubber  Company  of 
Ashland,  Ohio;  president  of  the  Camp  Con- 
duit Co.;  president  of  the  Akron  Clutch  Com- 
pany; president  of  the  Colonial  Sign  and  In- 
sulator Company ;  president  of  the  Indiana 
Run  Mining  Company;  president  of  the  Ak- 
ron Fireproof  Construction  Company;  a  di- 
rector in  the  Hamilton  Building  Company. 
and  is  also  president,  or  a  leading  oflicial.  in 
several  other  companies.  He  is  fraternally 
affiliated  with  the  Free  Masons. 

Mr.  Camp  was  married,  in  1874,  to  Amelia 
M.  Babb.  Their  household  has  been  graced 
by  four  children,  as  follows:  Grace  E..  who 
is  now  the  wife  of  R.  E.  Armstrong;  Henry 
H.,  now  a  prominent  voung  business  man  of 
this  county;  Louis,  who  is  residing  at  home 
with  his  parents:  and  Laura  M.,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Professor  Willi.nm  E.  Mosier,  of  Ober- 
lin  Collece. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


513 


CHARLES  HENRY,  architect,  of  the  well 
known  firm  of  Charles  Henry  &  Son,  of  Ak- 
ron, has  been  a  resident  of  thid  city  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  is  one  of 
the  experienced  men  in  his  profession.  Mr. 
Henry  was  born  in  Vernon,  Trumbull  County, 
Ohio,  on  May  24,  1847,  and  belongs  to  one 
of  the  old  families  of  that  section. 

He  received  his  first  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  near  his  home,  afterwards  attend- 
ing the  High  School  at  Palmyra  in  Portage 
County,  and  later  taking  a  scientific  .course 
in  Hillsdale  College  at  Hillsdale,  Michigan. 
This  was  followed  some  years  later  by  a  full 
business  course  in  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  Col- 
lege at  Meadville,  Pa. 

Mr.  Henry  commenced  the  study  of  archi- 
tecture early  in  life,  and  for  ten  years  (1870- 
1880)  was  engaged  in  contracting  and  build- 
ing in  northwestern  Wisconsin.  He  first 
came  to  Akron  in  1881  and  engaged  with  Mr. 
Jacob  Snyder  as  a  draughtsman  in  his  office, 
remaining  in  his  employ  until  Mr.  Snyder's 
death,  when  he  became  his  successor.  In 
1896  Mr.  Henry  admitted  his  son,  Leroy  W. 
Henrj',  into  partnership,  adopting  the  firm 
name  of  Charles  Henry  &  Son,  architects, 
which  has  not  since  been  changed. 

The  younger  member  of  the  firm  received 
his  primary  education  in  Wisconsin,  after- 
ward finishing  in  the  High  School  at  Akron. 
Since  completing  his  education  he  has  de- 
voted all  of  his  time  to  the  study  and  practice 
of  architecture. 

The  firm  of  Charles  Henry  &  Son  do  a  gen- 
eral architectural  business,  including  nearly 
all  classes  of  buildings,  but  make  a  specialty 
of  church  architecture,  and  more  than  two 
hundred  beautiful  church  edifices,  scattered 
through  eighteen  different  states,  have  been 
erected  from  drawings  made  by  them.  Their 
work  is  of  a  high  class  character,  and  in  walk- 
the  streets  of  Akron  their  many  buildings  may 
almo.st  be  recognized  for  the  qualities  which 
mark  their  work.  Akron  has  been  very  ap- 
preciative and  thus  has  added  greatly  to  her 
reputation  as  a  city  of  beautiful  structures, 
graceful  in  outlines,  substantial  in  construc- 
tion and  entirely  adequate  for  the  purpose  for 


which  they  were  built.  This  firm  has  a  well 
grounded  reputation. 

In  1869  Mr.  Henry,  Sr.,  was  married  to 
Charlotte  Anna  Bartlett,  of  Ravenna,  Ohio, 
and  they  have  two  children,  viz.;  Leroy  W., 
who  was  married  in  1895  to  Myrtle  Royer, 
of  Uniontown,  this  county,  and  has  one  child ; 
and  Julia  A.,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  E.  Mc- 
Canna,  of  Akron. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  are  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church  of  Akron,  and  he  is 
one  of  the  deacons.  For  many  years  he  has 
been  an  active  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  in 
all  of  its  branches.  In  the  Masonic  bodies 
he  is  a  member  of  Akron  Lodge,  No.  83,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M. ;  Washington  Chapter,  No.  25 ;  Akron 
Commandery,  No.  25;  Akron  Council,  No. 
80,  and  Lake  Erie  Consistory,  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  32d  degree.  He  belongs  also  to  the 
Protected  Home  Circle  of  Akron.  Mr.  Henry's 
portrait,  also  that  of  his  son  Leroy,  may  be 
found  on  an  adjoining  page. 

_  WILLIAM  WAGGONER,  a  representative 
citizen  and  leading  agriculturist  of  Copley 
Township,  resides  upon  his  well-improved 
farm  of  ninety-six  acre,?,  and  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Ohio  since  his  childhood.  lie  was 
born  on  his  father's  farm  in  the  state  of  New 
York,  November  13,  1829,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Catherine  (Spohr)  Waggoner. 
The  coming  of  the  Waggoner  family  to 
Summit  County  from  the  old  home  in  New- 
York  was  a  wonderful  event  for  many  of  its 
members,  and  was  probably  full  of  interest 
to  little  William.  The  long  journey  was  made 
in  a  prairie  schooner  and  reached  Copley 
Township  in  the  fall  of  the  year.  The  country 
was  unsettled  and  no  house  was  to  be  secured, 
but  the  Waggoners  were  people  full  of  re- 
sources, and  before  long  some  timber  was  se- 
cured from  an  old  sawmill,  and  what  wa.s 
known  as  an  "Irish  shanty,"  in  those  parts, 
was  erected.  The  present  young  generation 
of  the  family  would  consider  it  impossible  to 
pass  a  long  and  stormy  winter,  in  a  strange 
neighborhood,  in  such  a  structure,  but  their 
sturdy  ancestors  made  light  of  hardship.  In 
the  spring,  removal  was  made  to  a  log  hoiise 


514 


JILSTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


near  William  Waggoner'ji  present  farm,  in 
which  the  family  lived  until  the  younger  Wil- 
liam was  twelve  years  old.  HLs  father  bought 
forty  acres  in  the  heart  of  the  woods  and  was 
occupied  through  all  his  active  life  in  im- 
proving this  farm,  on  which  he  died.  His 
widow  died  at  the  home  of  her  son  William. 

William  Waggoner,  direct  subject  of  this 
sketch,  had  scarcely  any  educational  advan- 
tages. There  was  always  plenty  of  work  to 
do  in  clearing  and  cultivating  the  farm  and 
while  he  gained  little  book  learning  in  his 
boyhood,  he  was  trained  to  be  obedient,  in- 
dustrious, and  self-reliant.  In  1850  he  went 
to  Akron,  where  he  learned  the  brick-laying 
trade,  which  he  followed  until  1857.  lie  then 
married  and  with  his  wife  removed  to  Iowa, 
where  he  remained  six  years. 

In  the  fall  of  1863  he  returned  to  Copley 
Township  and  here  liis  wife  died.  She  was, 
in  maidenhood,  Betsey  A.  Stearns,  and  was 
born  in  Copley,  a  daughter  of  John  0.  and 
Orpha  A.  (Clark)  Stearns.  Mr.  Stearns  was 
living  at  that  time  on  Mr.  Waggoner's  farm. 
Mrs.  Waggoner  left  no  children.  After  the 
death  of  his  wife,  Mr.  Waggoner  enlisted  in 
the  Union  army,  in  the  fall  of  1863,  enter- 
ing the  Sixth  Ohio  Independent  Battery,  and 
remaining  i;i  the  service  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  particii)ated  in  the  Atlanta  cani- 
]>aign  and  was  with  the  force  that  jiursued 
General  Hood. 

When  the  war  closed  Mr.  Waggoner  re- 
turned to  Akron  and  worked  at  his  trade  for 
four  years.  In  1869  he  returned  to  Copley 
Township,  in  the  spring  of  that  year  being 
married  to  his  second  wife,  Lydia  Ann  Ran- 
doljih,  a  daughter  of  Bayliss  Randoljih.  She 
'died  April  7,  1896.  After  his  second  mar- 
riage, Mr.  Waggoner  bought  his  present  farm 
from  Samuel  Long,  and  has  been  engaged  in 
a  general  line  of  agriculture  for  many  years. 
He  has  now,  however,  given  over  the  manage- 
ment to  his  nephew,  Harry  Weeks,  who  makt^^ 
his  home  with  his  uncle.  Mr.  Weeks  married 
Nellie  Prentice,  and  they  have  three  children  : 
Arthur,  Myron  and  an  infant. 

Although,  in  boyhood,  ;is  mentioned,  Mr. 
Waggoner  was  deprived  of  school  advantages. 


that  did  not  prevent  him  studying  on  his  own 
account.  He  thus  prepared  for  teaching,  and 
when  he  wiis  twenty  years  old  began  to  teach 
the  winter  schools  in  an  adjoining  district, 
and  so  acceptably,  that  he  taught  in  various 
districts  through  nine  winters.  There  are 
many  residents  of  Copley  Township  who  re- 
member him  as  a  schoolmaster.  Politically, 
he  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  has  frequently 
served  in  offices  of  responsibility.  For  two 
and  one-half  terms  he  was  township  trustee, 
for  two  terms  was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
for  ten  years  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education.  For  the  pa.st  thirty  years  he  has 
belonged  to  the  Grange,  and  he  is  proud  to 
belong  also  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public. 

SOLOMON  M.  GOLDSMITH,  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  J.  Koch  Company,  Ak- 
ron's largest  clothing  .store,  was  born  in  1873, 
at  Rochester,  New  York,  where  he  was  reared 
and  educated. 

Mr.  Goldsmith  has  been  associated  with  the 
clothing  business  throughout  his  whole  busi- 
ne.'^s  career.  He  began  in  boyhood  in  a  hum- 
l)lc  capacity  in  the  line  of  work  he  had  chosen 
and  learned  its  details  from  the  bottom  up, 
gradually  rising  until  he  became  a  member  of 
tlie  clothing  manufacturing  firm  of  Goldsmith 
&  Son.  When  the  firm  of  J.  Koch  Company 
was  incorporated  in  February,  1907,  he  came 
to  Akron  and  accepted  his  present  position 
with  this  house,  his  thorough  training  and 
long  experience  making  him  a  most  desirable 
acquisition  to  the  house. 

In  1904  Mr.  Goldsmith  was  married  to  Ce- 
lia  Moss,  who  is  a  daughter  of  H.  W.  Moss, 
one  of  Akron's  pioneer  merchants  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  old  firm  of  Koch  &  Moss,  for  years 
Akron's  leading  clothiers.  Mr.  Goldsmith  is 
a  Free  !NLason.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ak- 
ron Hebrew  Congregation.  He  is  a  young 
man  of  pleasant  address  and  undoubted  busi- 
ness capacity. 

W.  T.  TOBTN,  secretary  of  The  M.  O'Neil  & 
Company,  Akron's  leading  department  store, 
bus  been    identified  with   this  husines':  since 


AND    REPKESKNTATIVE    CITIZENS 


515 


he  wa.s  a  youth  of  fifteen  years,  and  has  grown 
up  with  tlie  house  as  it  were.  He  was  horn 
at  Akron  in  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  the  hite 
Martin  Tobin,  formerly  a  well  known  citizen. 
Martin  Tobin  was  born  in  Ireland  and  set- 
tled in  Akron  in  1863,  where  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  Hills  Sewer  Pipe  Company, 
the  Akron  Iron  Company  and  the  Wliitman- 
Barnes  Company.  He  married  Honora 
Brazell,  who  was  also  born  in  Ireland. 

W.  T.  Tobin  was  reared  in  his  native  city 
and  up  to  the  age  of  twelve. years  attended 
the  parochial  schools  attached  to  the  Catholic 
Church  in  the  parish  of  St.  Vincent.  Until 
he  was  fifteen  years  old  he  worked  in  the 
shops  of  the  Diamond  Matcli  Company  and 
the  McNeil  Boiler  Company,  and  then  en- 
.tered  the  store  of  O'Neil  &  Dyas  as  cash  boy. 
His  indu.«try  and  capacity  brought  him  quick- 
ly to  the  attention  of  his  employers  and  he 
rapidly  rose  to  be  cashier,  and  later  book- 
keeper. 

The  mannnoth  enterprise  with  which  Mr. 
Tobin  has  been  connected  so  long,  wa«  started 
in  1877  and  was  incorporated  in  1892,  when 
Mr.  Tobin  became  secretary  of  the  company, 
the  other  officers  being:  M.  O'Neil,  president 
and  general  manager;  J.  J.  Feudner,  vice- 
president;  F.  B.  Goodman,  assistant  man- 
tiger.  The  company  has  a  capital  of  $200,- 
nOO  and  a  surplus  of  $275,000.  Its  location 
is  at  38-48  South  Main  Street  and  41-49  South 
Howard  Street.  It  occupies  five  floors  and  a 
basement,  and  300  persons  are  given  employ- 
ment. In  addition  to  performing  the  duties 
of  .secretary,  Mr.  Tobin  is  buyer  and  manager 
of  the  Leader  Ready-to-Wear  Garments  and 
Millinery  and  Manufacturing  departments. 

He  served  for  twelve  years  as  a  tni.stee  of 
the  Akron  Public  Library,  and  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sinking  Fund  Commission.  He  is 
also  a  director  in.  and  actively  connected 
with,  the  Akron  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany. 

In  September,  1892,  Mr.  Tobin  was  mar- 
ried to  Anna  G.  Walsh,  of  Cleveland,  and 
they  have  had  eight  children,  those  now  living 
being  Dorothy,  Honora,  Mar\',  Catherine, 
Paul  and  Richard.     The  family  belong  to  St. 


N'incent  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Tobin  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John,  and  has 
filled  the  office  of  district  deputy  of  the  or- 
ganization. 

CALVIN  GOUGLEK,  a  highly  esteemed 
citizen  and  substantial  agriculturist,  who  oper- 
ates a  well-improved  tract  of  land  consisting 
of  eighty-seven  acres  in  the  north  central  part 
of  Green  Township,  was  born  in  this  town- 
ship August  20,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel 
and  Phoebe  (Arnold)   Gougler. 

Daniel  Gougler  was  born  in  Snyder  County, 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  son  of  Tilton  Goug- 
ler. a  life-long  agricidturist  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  War.  In  his 
youiiger  days  Daniel  was  a  blacksmith,  but 
subsequently  engaged  in  farming,  and  in  1870 
with  his  family  came  to  Ctreen  Town.ship, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  settled  on  a 
rented  farm  near  the  Inland  cemetery,  where 
he  resided  for  one  year.  He  then  removed 
to  the  present  farm  of  Ami  Gougler,  on  the 
Akron  Road,  in  Green  Town.ship,  but  in  the 
following  year  located  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  Calvin  CTOugler,  which  Mr.  Gougler  pur- 
e-based from  the  Chisenell  heirs  in  association 
with  his  uncle,  John  Gougler.  This  tract 
originally  consisted  of  153  acres,  but  on  its 
division  Daniel  secured  the  south  part  of  the 
property.  Here  Mr.  Gougler  died  in  1887, 
aged  fifty-nine  years,  four  months.  He  was 
married  in  Pennsylvania  to  Pho'be  Arnold, 
who  was  also  born  in  Snyder  County,  and 
who  still  survives  and  makes  her  home  with 
her  son,  Calvin.  Seven  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gougler,  namely:  Savoris, 
who  lives  in  Coventry  Township ;  Irving,  who 
died,  aged  two  years ;  Louisa,  who  married 
Frank  Miller,  of  Green  Town.«hip :  .lacob, 
who  lives  in  Springfield  Township;  .Tackson. 
who  resides  at  Kent,  Ohio;  Maria,  who  is  the 
wife  of  J.  Gearhart,  of  Tallmadge  Township; 
and  Calvin. 

Calvin  Gougler  attended  the  old  di.strict 
school  hou.se  in  Green  Township,  and  has  re- 
sided in  this  section  all  of  his  life.  He  bought 
an  undivided  interest  in  his  present  farm 
from  his  father's  heirs,  and  has  l)ro\ight  the 


516 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


property  to  a  high  state  of  eviltivation,  using 
the  latest  methods  and  most  improved  ma- 
chinery. On  March  16,  1902,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Alice  Hershey,  who  was 
born  at  New  Berlin,  Stark  County,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Ada  (Hule) 
Hershey.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hershey,  the  former  of 
whom  died  in  Stark  County,  had  four  chil- 
dren :  Alice,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Gougler ;  Maude, 
w:ho  married  C.  White;  and  Anna-  and 
George,  who  are  single.  Mrs.  Hershey  was 
married  a  second  time  to  Samuel  Stover  and 
resides  in  Stark  County.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gougler  have  been  born  two  children — Ray 
A.  and  Opal.  Mr. Gougler  is  a  stanch  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  served  as  township  supcr\isor 
for  two  years.  He  belongs  to  the  Grnnge. 
With  his  family  he  attends  the  United  Evan- 
gelical CShurch. 

ALEXANDER  H.  COMJNHNS,  formerly 
the  senior  member  of  the  prominent  business 
firm  of  Commins  &  Allen,  at  Akron,  was  born 
June  1,  1815,  at  Lima,  Livingston  County, 
Ne^v  York,  and  died  at  Akron,  .\ugust  17, 
1880,  aged  sixty-five  years.  He  was  the  eld- 
est son  of  Dr.  Jedediah  D.  Commins.  His 
parents  located  at  Akron  in  1832.  After  a 
short  period  spent  as  clerk  in  his  father's 
drug  store,  Mr.  Commins  became  interested 
with  a  number  of  Akron  capitalists  in  the 
manufacture  of  woolen  cloth,  satinets,  etc.,  be- 
coming a  member  of  the  Perkins  Company. 
The  business  was  carried  on  in  the  old  brick 
building  on  Canal  Street,  which  is  now  known 
as  the  Allen  mill.  Tn  1867  Mr.  Commins, 
with  Albert  Allen,  purchased  the  old  stone 
mill  and  the  firm  of  Commins  and  Allen  con- 
tinued to  do  a  very  large  and  .successful  busi- 
ness for  many  years.  This  business  was  sub- 
sequently merged  into  The  American  Cereal 
Company,  now  The  Quaker  Oats  Company. 

Mr.  Commins  was  married  October  8,  I860, 
to  Addie  H.  Starks,  who  was  born  at  Buf- 
falo, New  York.  They  had  nine  children, 
six  of  whom  still  sun'ive,  Cora,  Katherine  B., 
Adelaide  H.,  Daisy,  Alexander  PL  and  Au- 
gustus J.  Alexander  H.  Commins,  of  this 
family,  is  an  attorney  and  director  in  the  Cen- 


tral Savings  and  Trust  Company,  with  othce 
at  No.  12  East  Market  Street,  and  residence  at 
No.  135  Fir  Street.  The  death  of  Mr.  Com- 
mins was  a  distinct  loss  to  Akron,  where  as 
business  man  and  citizen  he  had  so  long  been 
held  in  esteem.  His  widow  survived  him  le.ss 
than  four  yeans,  dying  June  29,  1884. 

J.  J.  FEUDNER,  who  has  been  identified 
with  the  bu-siness  interests  of  Akron  ever 
since  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  is 
now  vice-president  of  The  M.  O'Neil  &  Com- 
pany, the  largest  dry  goods  store  of  this  whole 
section,  is  a  man  whose  capacity  is  universal- 
ly recognized,  and  whose  good  citizenship 
makes  him  a  representative  man  in  the  broad- 
est application  of  the  term. 

Mr.  Feudner  was  born  in  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  in  1857,  and  he  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  the  vicinity  of  his  birthplace.  In 
1878  he  came  to  Akron  and  was  employed  by 
the  old  dry  goods  firm  of  Hall  Brothers,  for 
eighteen  months,  later  working  for  Brouse  & 
Wall  on  Howard  Street.  In  1881  he  entered 
the  employ  of  O'Neil  &  Dyas,  and  continued 
with  that  firm  until  The  M.  O'Neil  &  Com- 
pany was  organized  and  incorporated,  when 
he  became  vice-president  and  has  since  de- 
voted his  exclusive  attention  to  that  concern. 

In  1882  Mr.  Feudner  was  married  to  Kath- 
eryn  Brumbaugh,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Con- 
rad Brumbaugh,  of  Stark  County,  and  they 
have  three  children :  Grace,  Harry  and  Lloyd. 
Ever  since  coming  to  Akron  Mr.  Feudner  has 
been  connected  with  Trinity  Lutheran 
Church,  and  he  is  now  a  member  of  its  offi- 
cial board.  For  fully  thirty  years  he  has  been 
affiliated  wnh  the  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he 
is  a  Pa.st  Grand, 

GEORGE  A.  SWIG  ART,  a  representative 
citizen  of  Copley  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  who  is  carrying  on  agricultural  opera- 
tions on  his  fine  farm  of  sixty-eight  and  one- 
half  acres,  was  bom  July  7,  1842,  in  Frank- 
lin Township,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and 
Elizabeth   (Daily)  Swigart. 

George  Swigart,  grandfather  of  George  A., 
was  a  native  of  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


51' 


from  whence  he  eauie  to  Oliio  iu  a  prairie 
schooner  and  located  in  a  cabin  in  the 
Wilderness  of  Stai'k  County.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Peifer,  who  survived  him  many 
yearSj  and  they  had  the  following  children: 
John,  George,  Joseph,  Jacob,  Peggy,  who 
married  Joseph  Rex;  Catherine,  who  mar- 
ried H.  Sours;  and  Caroline,  who  married  a 
Mr.  ^Vsper. 

George  Swigart,  father  of  George  A.,  was 
also  born  in  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  just  a  lad  when  he  made  the  journey 
to  Ohio  with  his  parents.  After  his  marriage 
he  purchased  a  farm  in  Franklin  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  there  he  spent  the 
rest  of  his  life.  Mr.  Swigart  married  (first) 
Mary  Daily,  who  died  without  i.ssue  some 
years  later,  and  he  married  (second)  her  sis- 
ter, Elizabeth  Daily,  by  whom  he  had  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Margaret,  who  married  D. 
Waggoner;  John;  Susan,  who  married  Sam- 
uel Kepler;  Joseph;  Mary  Ann,  who  married 
J.  Yocht;  Sarali :  Jacob;  Catherine,  who  mar- 
ried Daniel  Grill ;  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Pliillip  Serfa.ss;  Caroline,  who  married  J. 
Cormany;  Henry;  David;  George  Adam; 
Dajiiel;  and  Hiram. 

George  Adam  Swigart  was  reared  on  the 
home  farm,  and,  after  obtaining  a  good  com- 
mon school  education,  began  teaching  school, 
an  occupation  which  he  continued  to  follow 
until  his  marriage,  after  which  he  rented  a 
farm  in  Norton  Township  for  three  years  and 
then  purchased  his  present  farm,  on  which 
he  built  all  of  the  buildings.  Mr.  Swigart 
is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  has  .served  on 
the  school  board.  With  his  wife  he  attends 
the  Reformed  Church. 

On  September  28.  1871,  Mr.  Swigart  was 
married  to  Eliza  J.  Harter,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  Harter,  who  now  lives  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Swigart  and  Ls  eighty-eight  years 
old.  One  child  has  been  born  to  this  union: 
Homer  A. 

Homer  Alden  Swigart  w,ts  bom  Augu.st  9, 
1875,  on  his  father's  farm  in  Copley  Tow-n- 
ship,  attended  school  at  Montrose,  the  Copley 
High  School,  the  Ohio  University  at  Ada  and 
the    Mount  Union   College    at   Alliance.    In 


1892  he  began  teaching  school  and  continued 
in  that  profession  for  thirteen  years  in  Cop- 
ley and  Coventry  Townships.  After  giving 
up  teaching  he  engaged  in  a  creamery  busi- 
ness at  Cleveland  for  five  months,  but  re- 
turned to  Copley  Township  and  engaged  in 
business  with  his  father-in-law,  Eugene  A. 
Hawkins,  with  whom  he  is  still  in  partner- 
ship. They  are  dealers  in  coal,  fertilizer, 
lime,  cement,  plaster,  farm  implements,  bug- 
gies, wagons,  etc.,  and  do  a  large  business 
throughout  the  surrounding  countrj-.  He  is 
also  considering  a  proposition  to  become  ticket 
freight  agent  for  the  N.  0.  Railroad.  Mr. 
Swigart  purchased  his  present  large  dwelling 
in  1904.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
has  been  active  in  the  ranks  of  his  party  in 
Copley  Township,  serving  for  four  years  in 
the  capacity  of  township  clerk,  to  the  satis- 
faction of  all  concerned. 

During  the  year  of  the  Buffalo  Exposition 
Mr.  Swigart  was  married  to  Mabelle  A.  Haw- 
kins, who  is  a  daughter  of  Eugene  A.  and 
Laura  (Colson)  Hawkins,  and  two  children 
have  been  born  to  this  union:  Alverda  M. 
and  Alice  V. 

JOHN  LIMRIC,  now  living  retired  at 
Akron,  enjoying  the  comforts  of  a  beautiful 
home  at  No.  556  Ea.st.  Buchtel  .\venue,  was 
one  of  the  leading  busine.«s  men  of  this  city 
for  many  years,  and  he  is  also  an  honored 
veteran  of  the  Civil  War.  Mr.  Limric  was 
bom  in  Germany.  May  14,  18.36,  and  was  a 
babe  in  his  mother's  arms,  when  his  parents — 
Baltis  and  Ursilla  Limric — came  to  America. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Limric  settled  first  at 
Liverpool.  Ohio,  but  came  to  Akron  in  1839, 
and  in  this  city  he  was  reared  and  educated. 
In  boyhood  he  ser\'ed  three  years  as  a  clerk  in 
a  grocery  store  and  when  seventeen  years  of 
age  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  On  Oc- 
tober 9,  1861,  he  entered  the  Ihiion  army,  en- 
listing in  the  Sixth  Ohio  Independent  Light 
Battery.  He  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Shiloh,  the  siege  of  Corinth  and  the  battles 
of  Stephenson  and  luka,  and  accompanied  his 
command  to  Na.<hville,  and  aferwards  to 
Louisville,  where  he  was  confined  in   a  hos- 


518 


HISTORY    OF    Sl'M-MIT    COUNTY 


pital  for  tliree  \veek;>,  suffering  from  the  ef- 
fects of  a  wound  received  at  Shiloh.  He  was 
later  sent  to  a  hospital  at  Gamp  Dennison, 
where  he  remained  three  months,  receiving 
his  honorable  discharge  December  20,  1862, 
on  account  of  this  disability.  During  his 
service  of  fifteen  months,  until  incapacitated, 
he  performed  eveiy  duty  of  a  true  jiatriot 
and  faithful  soldier. 

Within  three  weeks  after  returning  home 
and  receiving  the  care  and  attention  he 
needed,  he  went  to  work  at  his  trade  with  the 
late  George  Thomas,  a  large  contractor  and 
builder  of  that  day,  and  after  his  death  he 
continued  with  his  son  and  successor,  D.  W. 
Thomas,  remaining  with  father  and  son  for 
a  period  altogether  of  forty  years.  He  was 
made  superintendent  of  many  of  their  larg- 
est contracts  and  worked  at  Cleveland,  Bal- 
timore and  in  other  cities,  including  Akron. 

February  21,  1858,  Mr.  Limric  was  mar- 
ried to  Anna  L.  Williams,  who  was  born  at 
Harpersfield,  As:htabula  County,  Ohio,  in 
1841.  Hei;  parents  were  Lemuel  and  Lucinda 
Highby  Williams,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Vermont  and  the  latter  in  Connecti- 
cut. They  were  early  settlers  at  Akron  and 
Mrs.  Limric  easily  recalls  the  little  log  cabin 
home,  to  the  door  of  which  Indians  would 
frequently  come.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Limric  have 
four  children,  namely:  Arthur  Eugene,  wlio 
was  one  of  the  first  mail  carriers  in  Akron, 
which  position  he  still  holds;  Rev.  Harry 
George,  who  is  rector  of  an  Episcopal  Clnirch 
at  Abilene,  Texas;  Lulu  May,  wife  of  .7.  C. 
Leohner,  of  New  Castle,  Pennsylvania:  and 
Curtis  Clifton,  who  is  employed  in  tlu^  olfico 
of  the  Diamond  Rubber  Works  at  Akron. 

Mr.  Limric  is  a  member  of  Bucklev  Post, 
No.  12,  G.  A.  R.  Since  1864  he  has  been 
identified  with  the  Odd  Fellows  as  a  member 
of  Lodge  No.  50  and  of  Encampment  No. 
18.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Limric  are  both  members 
of  Colfax  Lodge,  No.  23,  Daughters  of  Re- 
bekah,  Mrs.  Limric  being  one  of  the  charter 
members. 

H.  PL  CAMP,  whose  business  interests  at 
Akron  cover  many  of  the  leading  enterprise? 


of  the  city  and  neighborhood,  is  treasurer  and 
manager  of  the  Camp  Conduit  Company.  He 
was  born  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  in  October,  1876, 
and  is  a  son  of  the  venerable  IL  B.  Camp, 
who  was  prominently  identified  for  many 
years  with  the  nianufacture  of  clay  prod- 
ucts. 

Mr.  Camp  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  Hudson  and  Akron,  and  first 
entered  into  bu.S'iness  as  assistant  to  his  father. 
Later  he  went  to  New  York  city  to  take  charge 
of  a  large  contract  his  father  was  filling.  He 
remained  there  three  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  returned  to  his  father's  office 
and  continued  with  him  until  the  Cami)  fac- 
tory was  bought  by  The  National  Tinproof- 
ing  Company.  He  remained  with  that  cor- 
l>oration  as  manager  for  three  years,  when 
the  organization  of  The  Camp  Conduit  Com- 
pany called  him  to  accept  official  position  with 
tliis  organization.  The  plant  of  this  company 
is  situated  at  Independence,  in  Cuyahoga 
County.  Other  enterprises  in  which  Mr. 
Can>p  is  interested  are  the  Central  Savings 
and  Tru.st  Company,  of  which  he  is  a  di- 
rector and  stockholder;  the  Akron  Fireproof 
Construction  Company,  of  Akron,  Ohio,  and 
the  Akron  Coal  Company,  in  both  of  which  lie 
is  also  stockholder  and  director.  Other  less 
important  concerns  also  claim  his  attention. 
On  September  10,  1902,  Mr.  Camp  was  mar- 
ried to  Anna  Christy  Metlin,  who  was  born 
and  reared  at  Akron.  Mr.  Camp  is  a  member 
of  the  Akron  club. 

.T.  IT.  ANDREWS,  superintendent  of  the 
Quaker  Oats  Company's  Akron  mills,  is  an 
experienced  man  in  his  line,  having  been 
identified  with  the  grain  business  almost  all 
his  mature  life,  and  since  1881  has  been  par- 
ticularly occupied  in  milling.  He  was  born 
in  1856,  at  Cincinnati,  and  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  city,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged for  three  years  in  a  wholesale  grocery 
business.  In  1881  he  embarked  in  a  milling 
business  at  Ravenna,  in  connection  with 
which  he  operated  an  elevator.  He  contin- 
ued there  until  1891,  when  he  came  to  Akron, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  .superintendent 


REV.  JOHN  B.  BROUN,  D.  D. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


521 


of  the  millg  of  the  Quaker  Oat«  Company,  one 
of  Akron's  most  impoi'tant  indastrie.*,  where 
from  700  to  1,000  people  find  employment. 
In  1887  Mr.  Andrew.s  wa.s  married  to  Laura 
L.  Day,  of  Kent,  Ohio,  and  they  have  three 
children :  Laura,  Llelen  and  Edward.  With 
hi.s  family,  Mr.  Andrews  belongs  to  St.  Paul's 
Episcopal  Chiirch.  Fraternally,  Mr.  An- 
drews is  a  Ma.-on  and  has  long  been  promi- 
nent in  the  Portage  Coimtry  cluV).  of  which 
he  is  vice-president,  and  is  at  present  acting 
president. 

REV.  JOHN  B.  BROUN,  D.  D.,  pastor  of 
St.  Bernard's  Church  at  Akron,  and  the  oldest 
Catholic  priest  in  the  city,  was  born  at  Ren- 
ing,  France,  March  2,  1834,  and  accompanied 
his  parents  to  America  and  to  Monroe,  Michi- 
gan, in  1847.  In  his  boyhood  he  attended 
the  parochial  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  20 
years  became  a  pupil  in  A.ssumption  College, 
at  Sandwich,  Ontario,  Dominion  of  Canada, 
where  he  remained  three  years.  He  then  en- 
tered St.  Thoma-s's  College,  near  Beardstown, 
Kentucky,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1860, 
and  after  one  year  in  St.  Mary's  College, 
Cleveland,  returned  to  Assumption  College, 
where  he  studied  theology  for  three  years.  In 
1863  he  wa.*  ordained  a  priest  by  Bishop  Bar- 
raga,  of  Michigan,  and  located  at  Eagle  Har- 
bor, in  that  stat.e.  The  three  years  which 
Father  Broun  spent  in  this  mission  were 
memoraljle  ones.  His  territory  covered  fifty- 
five  miles  in  extent,  and  pastoral  visits  to  some 
of  the  1,000  families  included  under  his 
charge  could  be  made  only  on  foot,  often 
through  dense  forests.  Nevertheless,  twice 
each  month,  the  faithful  priest  was  on  hand 
at  churches  or  missions  scattered  far  apart,  to 
greet  his  people  and  comfort  them  liy  his 
ministrations.  Since  18G6  Father  Broun  has 
been  identified  with  pastoral  work  at  Akron, 
his  only  respite  from  continuous  duty  having 
been  obtained  during  two  brief  visits  to  Eu- 
rope. 

St.  Bernard's  Church,  of  which  Father 
Broun  has  been  pastor  for  forty-one  years, 
has  an  interesting  history.  Originally  all  the 
people  of  various  nationalities  subscribing  to 


the  Roman  Catlaolic  faith,  at  Akron,  were 
identified  with  the  parish  of  St.  Vincent  de 
Paul.  As  the  German  element  increased,  an 
amicable  separation  was  effected  in  1861, 
twenty-three  German  families  of  the  latter 
nationality  forming  a  new  society  which  was 
named  for  St.  Bernard.  In  1862  a  church 
edifice  was  connnenced  and  when  Rev.  Mr. 
Broun  took  charge,  as  the  third  regular  pas- 
tor, St.  Bernard's  had  become  the  church 
home  of  the  German  Catholic  element  in  Ak- 
ron. Father  Broun's  work  has  not  only  been 
directed  for  the  .spiritual  welfare  of  his  con- 
stantly increasing  congregation,  but  he  has 
worked  alrnost  as  persistently  and  successfully 
for  their  material  benefit.  Through  many 
changes  St.  Bernard's  has  become  one  of  the 
most  substantial  congregations  in  the  city, 
and  the  church,  which  was  completed  in  1905, 
is  one  of  the  finest  religious  edifices  in  Akron. 
The  corner  stone  of  the  new  church  was  laid 
with  impre.ssive  ceremonies,  June  23,  1902, 
and  was  dedicated  October  14.  1905.  Father 
Broun  is  one  of  the  most  beloved  among  the 
Catholic  clergy,  and  is  held  in  the  high  es- 
teem also,  both  in  his  own  and  other  churches, 
for  his  business  ability,  his  scholarly  attain- 
ments, and  his  other  admirable  personal  qual- 
ities. 

ALFRED  CAPRON,  who  has  been  a  life- 
long resident  of  Copley  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  was  born  in  the  log  cabin 
erected  by  his  father  on  the  pioneer  family 
farm.  May  8,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of  Ara  and 
Eliza   (Sweet)   Capron. 

The  Caprons  and  the  Sweets  both  belonged 
to  Pennsylvania.  Orren  Capron,  the  grand- 
father of  Alfred,  was  the  leader  of  the  fam- 
ily party  that  came  to  Ohio.  He  took  up  160 
acres  of  land  on  the  Smith  road  on  the  Bath- 
Copley  Township  line,  in  Summit  County, 
and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
dying  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  He 
had  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  and  he 
as.si.sted  all  of  his  children  to  procure  farms. 
Ara  Capron,  the  youngest  son,  had  accompa- 
nied his  father  wdth  his  newly-made  wife, 
and  he  took  up  land   in   Copley  Town.«hip, 


522 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


which  he  subsequently  cleared,  and  built  the 
log  house  in  which  his  children  were  born. 
There  were  five  of  these,  as  follows:  Laban, 
who  died  in  1907,  aged  eighty-three  years; 
Elias,  who  died,  aged  fifty-three  years; 
Adeline,  who  married  Abel  Allen,  deceased; 
Albert,  deceased;  and  Alfred,  residing  in 
Copley  Township. 

When  Alfred  Capron  was  two  years  old  he 
lost  his  father  by  death,  and,  although  he  re- 
mained on  the  old  farm  with  his  mother,  he 
was  obliged  to  look  after  himself  from  the 
age  of  ten  years.  He  attended  the  district 
school  for  a  short  time,  but  his  educational 
advantages  were'  few.  Different  farmers  in 
the  neighborhood  employed  him  at  a  .salary 
of  three  dollars  a  month,  which  was  increased 
as  he  grew  older,  and  he  continued  to  work  by 
the  month  until  he  was  thirty  years  of  age. 
On  April  10,  1862,  he  was  married  to  Emily 
Moore,  who  is  a  daughter  of  "William  and 
Mary  (Baer)  Moore,  who  came  from  Frank- 
lin County,  Pennsylvania,  to  Summit  County 
and  settled  on  this  farm  in  1833.  Mr.s.  Cap- 
ron was  born  near  this  place.  Her  father 
died  at  the  age  of  forty -five  years  and  her 
mother,  in  1872,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years. 
There  were  six  children  in  the  Moore  fam- 
ily, namely:  Oliver  and  John  R.,  both  de- 
ceased; Perry,  Emily  and  Amanda  and  Mc- 
Curdy,  both  deceased.  All  of  Mrs.  Capron's 
brothers,  except  the  youngest,  served  in  the 
Civil  War,  and  all  the  brothers  of  Mr.  Cap- 
ron also  were  soldiers,  these  families  being 
very  patriotic.  Mr.  Capron  preserves  the 
splintered  gun  which  his  brother-in-law,  John 
R.  Moore,  carried.  Elias  Capron  served  in  the 
Mexican  War  and  later  participated  in  the  In- 
dian troubles  in  the  West.  Albert  Capron  also 
served  in  the  Civil  War.  enlisting  in  18(i2  in 
the  Second  Ohio  Volunteer  Cavalr\',  and  was 
a  courageous  soldier,  who  faced  the  dangers 
of  war  for  four  years,  but  fortunately  escaped 
injury. 

Shortly  after  his  marriage.  .Mfred  Capron 
enlisted,  in  August,  1862.  and  served  six 
months  as  a  teamster.  In  February,  1864,  he 
re-enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  I,  188th 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,    under 


Captain  Smith  and  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  When  Mr.  Capron  ret\u-ned  from 
his  military  service  he  began  farming  for 
himself,  buying  from  E.  Randall  one-half  of 
his  present  farm,  to  which  he  moved,  and 
•  here  he  has  continued  ever  since.  He  has  143 
acres  of  valuable  land,  which  he  devot&5  to 
general  farming.  Mr.  Capron  made  the 
greater  number  of  the  improvements  on  the 
place,  erecting  the  substantial  buildings,  set- 
ting out  the  hedge  fence,  which  is  very  orna- 
mental, and  has  made  a  comfortable  and  at- 
tractive home,  both  without  and  within. 
Among  the  interesting  articles  of  furniture 
that  he  di.splays  with  pardonable  pride,  is  his 
grandfather's  old  clock,  which  is  made  of 
wood  and  stands  eight  feet  high.  Its  pendu- 
lum still  swings  true,  although  it  must  have 
marked  the  flight  of  time  for  the  past  hundred 
years.  In  addition  to  looking  after  his  farm, 
Mr.  Capron  is  interested  as  a  stockholder  in 
the  Logan  Clav  Product  Companv.  at  Looan, 
Ohio. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Capron  have  two  children, 
Ara  and  Bessie.  The  former  married  Flor- 
ence Vallen  and  they  live  on  a  part  of  Mr. 
Capron's  farm.  Politically,  Mr.  Canron  is  a 
Republican,  and  he  belongs  to  the  local  post 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Both 
he  and  wife  are  valued  members  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church.  His  life  of  seventy-five 
years  has  covered  an  important  part  of  his 
country's  history,  and  he  has  been  a  witness 
of  many  beneficial  changes  in  his  own  com- 
munity. 

WILL  CHRISTY,  one  of  Akron's  mo-^t 
prominent  busines';  men  and  influential  citi- 
zens, who  is  president  of  the  Central  Savings 
and  Trust  Company,  vice-president  of  the 
Northern  Ohio  Traction  and  Light  Company, 
president  of  the  Akron  People's  Telephone 
Company  and  president  of  the  Hamilton 
Building  Company,  has  also  other  extensive 
interests  in  Akron  and  the  vicinity.  He  was 
born  in  Akron,  in  1859,  was  reared  in  this 
city  and  was  educated  in  its  public  schools. 

In  early  manhood,  Mr.  Christy  became  in- 
terested in  the  tannine;  and  leather  business. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


with  his  father,  and  remained  connected  with 
that  industry  for  ten  years,  after  which  his  at- 
tention was  attracted  to  the  promotion  and 
construction  of  electric  railways.  It  was  Mr. 
Christy  who  organized  the  Cleveland  Con- 
struction Company,  which  has  built  many 
thousands  of  miles  of  electric  railroads 
through  Ohio  and  in  Canada,  at  present  hav- 
ing 170  miles  of  road  in  course  of  construc- 
tion. His  business  interests  have  gradually 
broadened  until  he  has  become  associated, 
either  as  the  head  or  a.s  a  director  or  stock- 
bolder,  in  a  large  number  of  the  leading 
bu.siness  concerns  of  this  section.  In  the  prime 
of  life,  he  has  hardly  yet  reached  the  full 
measure  of  his  usefulness. 

In  1890  Mr.  Christy  was  married  to  Rose 
Day,  who  is  a  daughter  of  E.  S.  Day,  vice- 
president  of  the  National  City  Bank,  of  Ak- 
ron. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christy  belong  to  St. 
Paul's  Episcopal  Church.  He  is  identified 
wath  a  number  of  social  organizations,  in- 
cluding the  Portage  Country  club  and  the 
Union.  Euclid  and  Country  clubs,  of  Cleve- 
land. 

DR.  ARTHUR  M.  COLE,  banker  and 
manufacturer,  and  one  of  the  busiest  men  in 
.\kron,  is  a  native  of  Summit  County,  hav- 
ing been  born  near  Everett.  His  education, 
begun  in  the  district  schools  of  Boston  Town- 
ship, was  continued  later  in  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
He  then  spent  several  years  as  clerk  in  his 
father's  store  at  Peninsula,  Ohio.  Toward 
the  end  of  this  period  he  had  leanings  to- 
ward a  professional  career,  and  so  we  find  him 
beginning  the  study  of  medicine,  which  he 
pursued  first  in  New  York  city,  graduating 
from  the  New  York  Medical  College,  and  aft- 
erwards in  the  Cleveland  (Ohio)  Medical  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the 
cla.ss  of  1876.  For  two  or  three  years  subse- 
quently he  practiced  his  profession  in  Cleve- 
land. Then,  returning  to  hi?  native  county, 
he  practiced  for  about  a  year  at  Peninsula. 

The  death  of  his  father,  which  occurred 
about  this  time,  changed  the  whole  current 
of  his  life,  and  directed  it  into  those  chan- 
nels of  trade   and   finance   in    which   it   has 


since  flowed  with  such  momentous  volume. 
He  purchased  his  father's  business  and  con- 
ducted it  very  successfully  until  his  election  in 
1883  as  treasurer  of  Summit  County.  His 
election  to  this  responsible  office  shows  that 
he  had  by  this  time  become  generally  recog- 
nized throughout  the  county  as  a  man  of 
financial  ability  and  trustworthy  character, 
and  the  record  he  made  while  in  the  office 
justified  the  people's  confidence,  and  resulted 
in  his  re-election  for  a  second  term,  the  period 
of  his  incumbency  thus  covering  four  con- 
■secutive  years.  During  the  same  period  he 
served  as  city  treasurer  of  Akron.  He  had 
now  entered  fully  into  the  business  life  of 
the  city;  his  ability  was  recognized  and  his 
opinion  sought  in  regard  to  matters  of  trade 
and  finance  by  the  leading  business  men  here, 
and  led  naturally  to  his  connection  with  some 
of  Akron's  representative  concerns.  He  was 
for  some  time  president  of  the  City  National 
Bank;  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Akron 
Twine  and  Cordage  Works,  and  was  its  secre- 
tary, treasurer  and  manager  until  its  merger 
with  the  National  Cordage  Company  in  Tan- 
uary,  1891 ;  he  was  president  also  of  the  J.  C. 
McNeil  Boiler  Company.  He  has  since  con- 
tinued his  successful  business  career,  being, 
or  having  been,  president  of  a  number  of 
other  flourishing  enterprises  in  Akron  and 
in  other  cities.  He  organized  the  Western 
linoleum  Company  and  was  its  president  for 
years;  it  is  now  the  Standard  Oil  Cloth  Com- 
pany, in  which  he  is  largely  interested,  and 
of  which  industry  he  may  be  called  the 
pioneer  in  the  West.  He  has  also  been  and 
is  still  closely  connected  with  the  match  man- 
ufacturing industry,  is  president  of  the  Re- 
liable Match  Company  at  Ashland,  Ohio,  and 
is  also  concerned  in  the  manufacture  of  drill- 
ing machines,  for  ten  years  having  been 
president  of  the  Star  Drilling  Machine  Com- 
pany. He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Plome  Building  &  Loan  Company,  and  was 
its  vice-p resident  until  his  resignation.  He  is 
also  an  active  and  influential  member  of  the 
Akron  Board  of  Trade,  of  which  he  wa«  one 
of  the  organizers,  and  president  for  some 
time.    He  is  also  at  the  head  of  the  firm  of  A. 


524 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


M.  Cole  &  Company,  bankers.  In  short,  Dr. 
Cole  may  be  described  as  a  man  of  wide  and 
useful  activities,  in  close  touch  with  every- 
thing connected  with  the  growth  and  ma- 
terial advancement  of  the  thriving  city  in 
which  he  has  made  his  home. 

In  his  fraternal  and  religious  affiliations 
also  he  is  not  lacking.  In  the  Masonic  Or- 
der he  has  advanced  as  far  as  the  Connnand- 
ery,  and  both  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  claim 
him  as  a  brother.  An  Episcopalian  in  re- 
ligion, he  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Our 
Saviour  at  Akron,  which  he  consistently 
helps  to  support,  his  benefactions  (lowing 
also  at  times,  as  he  sees  cause,  in  additional 
channels. 

Dr.  Cole  was  married,  January  20,  187B, 
to  Mrs.  Lucy  J.  Tru.scott,  of  Cleveland,  who, 
besides  the  two  children  she  brought  to  him^ 
Harry  and  Jessie  Truscott,  has  borne  him 
two  sons — Samuel  Jackson,  born  May  30, 
1879;  and  Edmund  Herbert,  born  November 
25,  1882.  Of  the  two  latter,  Samuel  J.  Cole 
is  now  cashier  for  the  United  States  Express 
Company,  while  Ednnmd  H.  Cole  is  his  fath- 
er's as.sociate  in  business.  Mrs.  Cole  is  a  sis- 
ter of  the  Hon.  A.  L.  Conger.  The  family 
home  is  at  No.  18  Bowery  Street. 

PERRY  GIBSON  EWART  wa.<  born 
August  28,  1847,  in  Springfield  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  "(Harris)   Ewart. 

The  Ewart>  family  is  of  Scotch-Irish  extrac- 
tion, the  groat-grandfather,  in  company  with 
several  of  his  brothers,  coming  to  America  at 
a  very  early  day  and  settling  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  died.  His  son  Joseph  Ewart,  the 
grandfather  of  Perry  G.,  in  company  with 
his  family  and  James  Caruthers  and  family, 
came  to  Ohio,  in  1811,  and  both  settled  at 
Tallmadge,  where  the  Carutlior.-;  family  re- 
mained, but  Grandfather  Ewart  pushed  far- 
ther into  the  country  and  in  1812  settled  in 
Springfield  Township,  on  the  farm  now  occu- 
pied by  C.  C.  Ewart.  He  lived  on  that  farm 
until  his  death  in  1852,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
eight  years.    This  land  he  purchased  for  eight 


dollars  an  acre.  It  liad  formerly  been  ten- 
anted and  an  old  blacksmith  shop  stood  on 
the  place.  His  wife  died  aged  eighty-seven 
years.  They  were  perfect  types  of  the  early 
j)ioneers  and  faced  the  certain  dangers  and 
hardships  with  cheerful  hearts  and  brave  de- 
meanor. Their  children  were:  James,  Josiah, 
Campbell,  John,  Robert  Lee,  Polly  and  Mar- 
tha. 

John  Ewart,  father  of  Perry  G.  Ewart,  was 
born  in  Butler  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1809, 
and  came  to  Ohio  in  the  arms  of  his  mother, 
in  1811,  who  rode  on  horseback  the  whole  dis- 
tance. He  was  educated  in  the  early  district 
schools  and  followed  farming  all  his  life.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Harris,  who  was  left  an 
orphan  when  young.  They  had  the  following 
children :  Joseph,  who  died  when  five  years 
old ;  Perry  G. ;  Charles  Calvin ;  Belle,  who 
married  John  L.  Sheppard,  residing  in  Lake 
County,  Ohio;  and  Ada,  who  married  Hubert 
J.  Wright,  residing  in  Lake  County.  John 
Ewart  died  in  1901,  aged  ninety  years,  hav- 
ing lived  on  the  same  farm  continuously  for 
eighty-eight  years. 

Perry  G.  Ewart  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  township  and  later  be- 
came a  student  in  the  Akron  High  Scliool, 
when  Professor  Hole  was  superintendent,  and 
subsequently  was  graduated  from  a  military 
academy  at  Cleveland,  in  1867.  He  then  took 
a  business  course  in  the  Bryant  and  Stratton 
Commercial  College,  following  which  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  bookkeeper  in  Cleveland. 
After  he  returned  to  Sunnnit  County,  he  took 
charge  of  the  books  for  the  Brewster  Brothers 
Coal  Company,  at  Akron,  and  for  six  years 
was  bookkeeper  with  the  Thomas  Phillips 
Co.'s  Paper  Mill.  For  the  past  twenty-five 
years  he  has  been  residing  on  his  present 
farm. 

Mr.  Ewart  was  married  to  Jennie  Shaft'er, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Sannicl  and  Katherine 
(Kepler)  Shaffer.  The  remote  ancestors  of 
Mrs.  Ewart  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  but 
her  parents  came  to  Summit  from  Stark  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  about  1824,  and  both  are  deceased. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ewart  have  had  two  .*ons  and 
two    daughters,   three    of   whom    are    living: 


SAMUEL  COOPER 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


52^ 


Haxry,  who  operates  the  home  farm,  married 
Laura  Brumbaugh  and  they  have  one  son, 
Donald  Brumbaugh ;  Jessie,  who  married  Dr. 
Floyd  J.  Metzger,  residing  in  New  York,  have 
one  daughter,  Elizabeth ;  and  Claude,  who  was 
born  in  1886,  graduated  from  the  Akron 
High  School  and  has  taken  two  years  of  the 
four-year  course  at  Buchtel  College.  One 
daughter,  Mabel,  died  in  November,  1895, 
aged  eighteen  years. 

Politically  Mr.  Ewart  is  a  Democratic  leader 
in  this  section.  For  twelve  years  he  served 
as  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  has  been  elected 
to  various  township  offices,  and  in  1893,  he 
was  chosen  by  his  i>arty  as  their  candidate 
for  the  Legislature.  Although  conditions  were 
such  that  no  Democrat  could  have  been 
elected,  he  cut  the  majority  very  materially. 
Later  he  was  selected  as  candidate  for  auditor 
of  Summit  County.  He  has  been  identified 
with  insurance  affair.*  for  many  years  and 
ha?  been  a  director  in  the  Farmers'  Lake 
Township  Mutual  Company  for  twenty-four 
years.  In  1907  Mr.  Ewart  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  local  Grange,  having  always 
taken  an  interest  in  this  movement. 

SAMUEL  COOPER,  brick  manufacturer, 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Cooper  Brothers, 
came  to  Akron  May  15,  1883,  from  Stafford- 
shire, England,  where  he  was  born  July  27, 
1853.  In  his  native  land,  Mr.  Cooper  learned 
the  brick  business,  to  which  he  has  devoted 
his  attention  almost  all  of  his  busines.s  life. 
For  a  .short  time  after  reaching  Akron,  he 
worked  in  the  brick  manufacturing  plant  of 
Byron  Allison,  and  later  for  eighteen  months 
was  in  a  brick  business  with  John  Dehaven 
and  Dr.  Jewett.  Subsequently  he  went  into 
partnership  with  his  brothers,  Joseph  and 
William  Cooper,  in  a  brick  manufacturing 
business  which  has  been  continued  with  great 
success  until  the  present  time.  The  firm  of 
Cooper  Brothers  manufacture  at  their  plant 
at  No.  573  Spicer  Street,  all  kinds  of  build- 
ing and  sewer  brick,  and  their  product  has 
entered  into  the  construction  of  many  of  the 
substantial  buildings  of  Akron. 


November  18,  1872,  Mr.  Cooper  married 
Ann  Edge  and  of  this  vuiion  have  been  born 
four  children,  namely:  Ann  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Timothy  Emery,  a  missionary,  resid- 
ing at  Liverpool,  England;  Samuel,  Jr.,  and 
John  William,  both  of  whom  are  connected 
with  the  firm  of  Cooper  Brothers;  and  Sarah 
Jane,  who  married  William  Johnson,  a  stu- 
dent at  the  Bible  School  at  Alliance,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Cooper  is  identified  politically  with  the 
Republican  party.  He  belongs  to  the  order 
of  Foresters  and  to  the  Sons  of  St.  George. 
He  is  one  of  the  attendants  of  the  Gospel  Mis- 
sion Church  on  East  South  Street,  Akron,  of 
which  his  family  are  members. 

CHARLES  A.  HARING,  who  owns  sev- 
enty-nine acres  of  fine  land,  was  born  on  his 
present  farm  in  Franklin  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  April  3,  1869,  and  is  a  son 
of  Daniel  and  Mary  E.  (Ludwick)  Haring. 

Charles  Haring,  the  grandfather  of  Charles 
A.,  was  born  in  Green  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  to  which  place  his  parents  had 
come  in  early  days.  After  his  marriage  he 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Franklin  Township,  and 
here  he  and  wife  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  Charles  Haring  was  married  to 
a  Miss  Willtrout,  who  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  came  to  Franklin  Township  when 
quite  young.  They  had  a  family  of  eight 
children:  Joel,  Daniel,  Allen,  Hiram,  Mrs. 
Whitmire,  Mrs.  Dailey,  Mrs.  Swigart  and 
Mrs.  Marsh,  all  of  whom  are  deceased  with 
the  exception  of  Mrs.  Swigart.  Allen  Haring 
was  a  school  teacher  and  was  credited  with 
teaching  more  terms  than  any  other  native 
teacher  of  the  township. 

Daniel  Haring,  father  of  Charles  A.,  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship, which  he  helped  to  clear,  and  after  his 
marriage  he  removed  to  the  present  farm  of 
Charles  A.  Haring,  which  he  purchased  from 
a  Mr.  Kaler.  There  the  rest  of  his  life  was 
spent,  his  death  taking  place  in  1886,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-six  years.  He  married  Mary  E. 
Ludwick,  who  died  in  1891,  aged  fifty-three 
years.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Lud- 
wick.   Three  children  were  born  to  thL^  union : 


528 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT   COUNTY 


Elmina,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years; 
Charles  Alvin;  and  Delia  M.,  the  latter  of 
whom  died  aged  eighteen  years. 

Charles  A.  Haring  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  and  was  reared  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  For  two  years  he  was  in  partner- 
ship with  E.  0.  Cox  and  Warren  Miller  in 
a  threshing  business,  but  for  the  past  five 
years  he  has  carried  on  this  line  of  work  by 
himself,  owning-  a  complete  thrashing  outfit 
and  portable  saw  mill. 

On  September  5,  1895,  Mrs.  Haring  was 
married  to  Carrie  M.  Young,  and  to  this 
union  there  have  been  born  two  children: 
Russell  and  Ophir.  With  his  family  he  at- 
tends the  Reformed  Church  at  Barberton, 
Ohio.    He  is  a  Democrat. 

FREDERICK  G.  SHERBONDY,  secretary 
of  the  Biggs  Boiler  Works  Company,  of  Ak- 
ron, was  born  in  this  city,  in  1884,  and  is  a 
son  of  Joseph  P.  Sherbondy,  a  business  man 
residing  on  Sherbondy  Hill,  at  Akron. 
The  grandfather,  Levi  Sherbondy,  came  to 
Ohio  in  1814,  traveling  by  wagon  from  Penn- 
sylvania. He  was  an  extensive  farmer  and 
large  land-owner  and  a  prominent  man  in 
Summit  County  for  many  years.  He  died  at 
Akron  in  1898,  aged  eighty-six  years. 

Frederick  G.  Sherbondy  was  reared  and 
educated  at  Akron,  and  immediately  after 
leaving  school,  entered  the  Biggs  Boiler 
Works  Company's  employ  as  book- 
keeper. In  February,  1907,  he  became 
secretary  of  the  company.  He  is  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  capable  and  pro- 
gressive young  business  men  of  Akron  who 
hold  the  future  prospcritv  of  the  citv  in  their 
hands.  On  November  22,  1906,  Mr.  Sher- 
bondy was  married  to  Pearl  M.  Winkler,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Frank  B.  Winkler,  of  Akron. 
Mr.  Sherbondy  is  a  member  of  the  Disciples 
Church. 

JACOB  FINLEY  JAMES  RICHEY,  who, 
for  the  past  seven  years  has  been  a  trustee  of 
Northfield  Township,  is  one  of  the  progressive 
and  successful  general  farmers  of  this  section, 
and  resides  on  the  homestead  farm  of  231 


acres,  of  which  he  owns  116,  his  mother  re- 
taining the  balance.  He  was  born  September 
20,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  K.  and 
Elizabeth  (Bain)  Richey. 

Thomas  Richey,  the  paternal  grandfather, 
came  to  America  when  twenty-one  years  of 
age  and  first  worked  in  fisheries  near  Phila- 
delphia. During  the  War  of  1812  he  was 
employed  in  the  Du  Pont  Powder  Works  at 
Wilmington,  Delaware,  and  then  came  to 
Ohio,  pre-empting  land  in  Chippewa  Town- 
ship, Wayne  County.  He  continued  to  work 
in  the  powder  works  until  he  had  made  two 
payments  on  his  land,  and  after  making  his 
third  payment  he  settled  on  it,  and  lived  there 
until  1852,  when  he  sold  that  property  and 
bought  211  acres  in  Northfield  Township.  He 
carried  on  large  agricultural  operations,  en- 
gaging in  farming  and  dairying  in  the  old 
way,  when  butter  and  cheesemaking  were  im- 
portant household  industries.  On  April  3, 
1826,  Thomas  Richey  was  married  to  Mar- 
garet Koplin,  who  came  from  Pennsylvania 
to  Wayne  County.  She  died  June  22,  1879, 
having  passed  her  eightieth  birthday.  Thom- 
as Richey  died  August  27,  1867,  seventy- 
seven  years.  All  of  their  children  are  now 
deceased,  namely:  Andrew  K.,  Matthias, 
Jane,  Margaret,  George,  Catherine,  Thomas, 
and  Mary  Ann. 

Andrew  K.  Richey  was  born  in  Chippewa 
Township,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  January  31, 
1828.  He  obtained  his  education  in  the  old 
Tallmadge  school,  which,  like  others  of  that 
period,  made  the  study  of  the  classics  a  lead- 
ing feature  of  the  curriculum.  He  was  a  fine 
Latin  student  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
began  to  teach  school,  and  he  taught  one  year 
also  after  his  marriage.  He  subsequently 
purchased  the  present  homestead  farm,  start- 
ing with  114  acres  and  adding  to  it  grad- 
ually until  he  owned  231  acres.  He  erected 
buildings  here  and  made  improvements  which 
have  been  still  further  added  to  by  his  son, 
one  of  these  being  the  enlarging  of  the  barn 
until  now  it  is  a  handsome,  substantial  struc- 
ture with  dimen.'^ions  of  105  by  40  feet,  with 
basement  and  24-foot  post^.  During  the  Civil 
War,  Andrew  K.  Richey  ser\'ed  as  a  lieuten- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


529 


ant  in  the  militia.  He  was  a  man  every  one 
trusted,  one  who  met  every  obligation,  treated 
all  men  fairly  and  displayed  in  full  the  manly 
qualities  which  brought  him  universal  esteem. 
He  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  as 
township  assessor  and  township  trustee. 

On  November  6,  1856,  he  married  Eliza- 
beth Bain,  a  daughter  of  .Jacob  Bain,  who 
was  born  in  Washington  County,  New  York, 
April  30,  1807,  and  who  died  May  5,  1877. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richey  had  six  children, 
namely:  Margaret  Zephina,  who  married 
John  L.  Ritchie;  J.  F.  J.,  of  Northfield  Town- 
ship ;  Thomas  Tell,  residing  at  Cleveland ; 
Andrew  Fenn,  residing  at  Northfield ;  Emmer 
Ross,  now  deceased;  and  Elizabeth  Catherine, 
residing  with  her  mother.  Mrs.  Richey  was 
born  September  19,  1836.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  old  Associated  Presbyterian  Church  in 
which  Mr.  Richev  was  a  deacon  and  trustee. 
He  died  July  7,  1900. 

The  paternal  great-grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Richey  was  James  Bain,  who  was  born  at 
Argyle,  New  York,  where  he  married,  and 
where  his  nine  children  were  born.  Jacob 
Bain  came  to  Ohio  in  1855,  and  reaching 
Macedonia  in  July,  and  in  the  following  De- 
cember he  settled  on  the  farm  on  which  he 
subsequently  resided  until  his  death.  He  was 
a  carpenter  and  joiner  by  trade  and  assisted 
to  build  the  first  museum  ever  erected  in  the 
city  of  Albany,  New  York.  In  1832  he  mar- 
ried Catherine  McNaughton,  a  former  neigh- 
bor of  his,  who  was  born  April  14,  1806. 
They  had  five  children:  Finley,  deceased; 
Mrs.  Richey;  Mary  Etta,  who  married  Joseph 
C.  Finney,  residing  near  Mansfield,  Ohio ; 
Catherine  M.,  who  married  Dickson  T.  Har- 
bison, residing  at  Robinson,  Illinois;  and 
James  M.,  residing  at  New  York  city.  The 
Bain  family  was  affiliated  with  the  As.sociated 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Jacob  Finley  James  Richey  has  spent  his 
Ufe  on  the  homestead  farm.  He  tills  about 
160  acres,  his  main  crops  being  corn,  oats, 
wheat,  hay  and  potatoes.  He  raises  horses 
and  keeps  thirty  head  of  young  cattle.  Mr. 
Richey  believes  in  scientific  farming  to  a  large 
degree,  and  makes  use  of  modern  machinery. 


following  the  latest  improved  methods.  The 
fine  condition  of  his  farm  testifies  both  to 
his  industry  and  to  his  thorough  knowledge 
of  his  chosen  calling. 

Mr.  Richey  was  married  to  Mary  Alice 
Martin,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  Martin, 
of  Northfield  Township,  and  they  have  four 
children — Clarence  La  Mar,  Laura  Alice,  Wil- 
lis Paul  and  Ada  Blanche. 

WILLIAM  H.  WAGONER,  the  owner  of 
seventy-six  acres  of  excellent  farm  land  which 
is  situated  in  Coventry  Township,  about  five 
miles  south  of  Akron,  is  a  well-known  citizen. 
He  was  born  in  Coventry  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  not  far  from  his  present  farm, 
March  4,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  David  and 
Margaret  (Swigart)   Wagoner. 

The  grandfather  of  Mr.  Wagoner  was 
George  Wagoner,  who  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  after  coming  to  Summit  County, 
located  on  land  near  Manchester,  which  he 
cleared  and  developed  into  a  good  farm.  He 
was  married  (first)  to  a  Miss  Roades  and 
(second)  to  Catherine  Souei-s.  Both  grand- 
parents died  on  that  farm,  when  about  eighty- 
three  years  old,  the  second  wife  surviving  her 
husband  for  thirteen  years.  There  were  four 
children  born  to  the  first  marriage  and  ten 
to  the  second,  six  of  the  children  still  sur- 
viving, as  follows:  Philip,  who  is  an  ex- 
county  commissioner  of  Summit  County; 
Henry;  John;  Aaron;  Harriet,  who  Ls  the 
widow  of  John  Harpster;  and  Mrs.  Amanda 
Spangler,  who  is  also  a  widow. 

David  Wagoner,  father  of  William  H.,  had 
a  twin  brother,  who  died  in  childhood.  They 
were  born  near  Manchester  and  were  children 
of  the  first  marriage.  David  became  a  farmer 
and  also  a  carpenter  working  at  his  trade  to 
.some  extent  all  his  life.  He  bought  twenty- 
six  acres  of  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son, 
from  Emanuel  Sholley,  and  resided  on  it 
until  his  death  in  his  fifty-seventh  year.  He 
married  Margaret  Swigart,  who  survived  him 
for  nine  years.  She  was  born  on  an  adjoin- 
ing farm,' near  Manchester,  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  Swigart,  who  came  to  Ohio  from 
Pennsvlvania.     He  had  fifteen  children  and 


530 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


the  mother  of  William  H.  Wagoner  wa-s 
one  of  the  first  to  die.  David  Wagoner  and 
wife  had  six  children,  namely:  Oliver,  who 
was  a  soldier  in  (he  Civil  War,  a  member  of 
Company  H,  104th  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  died  while  at  home  on  a  fur- 
lough; Mary,  who  died  aged  three  years;  Al- 
berta, who  died  aged  one  year;  John,  who  is 
deceased;  William  Henry;  and  Sarah,  who 
is  the  widow  of  Adam  Carmany. 

William  Henry  Wagoner  was  nine  years 
of  age  W'hen  his  parents  moved  on  the  present 
farm  and  he  has  lived  here  ever  since.  From 
boyhood  he  has  been  accustomed  to  farm 
work  and  from  the  age  of  twenty  years,  when 
his  father  died,  he  has  had  charge  of  this 
property.  The  original  farm  of  twenty-six 
acres  was  divided  among  three  children,  each 
one  receiving  a  small  amount  after  the  debts 
of  the  estate  were  paid.  Mr.  Wagoner  cleared 
off  the  above  claims,  and  by  hard  and  honest 
effort  acquired  land  for  himself,  adding  until 
he  became  possessed  of  his  present  farm.  He 
owns  also  a  one-half  interest  in  thirty-one 
acres  of  timber  land  in  Green  township.  He 
greatly  improved  his  property  by  building  a 
comfortable  home  in  1889,  having  erected  the 
barn  in  1883. 

On  November  26,  1886,  Mr.  Wagoner  was 
married  to  Clara  E.  Shook,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  A.  and  Elizabeth  (Mutchler) 
Shook.  They  were  born  near  New  Berlin, 
Stark  County,  Ohio,  where  they  lived  until 
1881,  when  they  bought  and  moved  on  the 
farm  adjoining  that  of  Mr.  Wagoner,  where 
they  now  reside.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shook  had 
four  children,  namely:  Clara;  Henry;  Ir- 
win and  Anna,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born 
in  Summit  County,  and  married  Edward 
Eippert.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wagoner  have  had 
four  children,  namely:  Edward  Samuel, 
Elsie  May,  Floyd  H.  and  William  Ray.  Ed- 
ward Samuel  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Wagoner  is  a  Republican  and  he  has 
been  elected  by  that  party  to  a  number  of 
important  offices.  For  nine  years  he  served 
as  township  trustee  and  then  resigned  in  order 
to  assume  the  duties  of  infirmary  director,  to 
which  office  he  had  been  elected,  in  a  normal 


Democratic  town.-hip,  by  an  overwhelming 
majority.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has 
served  as  school  director  and  at  the  present 
time  is  a  valued  member  of  the  School  Board. 
With  his  family  he  belongs  to  the  Lutheran 
Church  at  Akron,  having  a.ssisted  to  build 
this  church  edifice.  He  was  one  of  the  build- 
ing committee  and  a  trustee  and  gave  his 
time  and  services  as  well  as  financial  assist- 
ance. Mr.  Wagoner  has  given  his  children 
excellent  educational  advantages  and  Elsie 
May  and  Floyd  H.,  both  graduated  from  the 
Kenmore  High  School  in  1907,  receiving  di- 
plomas and  teacher's  certificates.  Prior  to  her 
marriage,  Mrs.  Wagoner  was  a  teacher  as  were 
her  brothers  and  sisters. 

CHARLES  S.  JOHNSON,  who  stands  de- 
servedly high  as  a  business  citizen  at  Barber- 
ton,  where  he  is  the  leading  dealer  in  hard- 
ware, is  president  of  the  Ohio  Hardware  j\s- 
sociation  and  is  known  all  over  the  State  as 
a  man  of  thorough  knowledge  along  hardware 
lines.  He  was  born  at  Allegheny,  Pennsyl- 
vania, March  7,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
R.  and  Florence  Estella  Johnson. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Johnson  was  an  oil  well 
engineer  and  was  also  employed  in  the  oil 
fields  as  a  well  shooter.  For  about  ten  years 
he  followed  farming,  but  during  his  later 
years  he  was  in  business  with  his  son  Charles 
S.,  at  Barberton.  As  his  business  demanded, 
he  moved  to  different  sections  of  the  country, 
in  1873,  to  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  where  he 
remained  for  three  years,  in  the  fall  of  1876, 
to  Philadelphia,  and  from  there  to  a  farm 
near  ^^'est  Liberty,  low'a.  For  several  years 
he  was  also  engaged  in  a  hotel  business. 

It  was  during  the  residence  of  the  family  in 
Iowa,  that  Charles  S.  Johnson  took  a  com- 
mercial course  at  Drake  LTniversity,  at  Des 
Moines,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the 
highest  honors  in  a  class  of  twenty-two  stu- 
dents, and  carried  off  the  coveted  prize  of 
being  chosen  valedictorian.  Mr.  Johnson  then 
went  to  Pittsburg,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
he  was  employed  there  in  the  auditor's  office, 
but,  desiring  a  more  active  life,  he  accepted 
a   position    at    Salem,    Ohio,    with    Bakewell 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZENS 


531 


&  MuUins.  About  one  year  later,  he  took 
charge  of  a  general  store  at  Burkettstown, 
Pennsylvania,  for  six  months,  and  then  re- 
turned to  Salem,  where,  in  1886,  he  became 
bookkeeper  and  collector  for  the  firm  of  Mc- 
Lern  &  Crumrine,  hardware  merchants.  In 
1891  Mr.  Johnson  retired  from  this  connec- 
tion and  embarked  in  business  for  himself 
at  Barberton,  locating  first  in  a  frame  build- 
ing situated  just  across  the  street  from  his  pres- 
ent spacious  quarters.  In  1892  he  purchased 
this  property  and  in  the  following  year  he 
added  a  second  story  in  order  to  facilitate  in- 
creasing demands  of  business,  and  in  1902  he 
was  obliged  to  still  further  add  to  his  prem- 
ises by  building  a  third  story.  His  line  of  goods 
comprises  everything  denominated  hard- 
ware and  his  trade  covers  a  large  territory.  Mr. 
Johnson's  thorough  knowledge  of  this  line 
of  goods,  as  well  as  his  well  established  reputa- 
tion for  business  ability  and  commercial  in- 
tegrity, caused  his  election  to  the  office  of  vice- 
president  of  the  Ohio  Hardware  Association 
for  two  successive  terms  and  later  to  the  presi- 
dency of  the  organization.  He  is  connected 
with  other  successful  business  interests  of 
Barberton,  and  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Barberton  Savings  Bank  and 
also  of  the  Deming  Manufacturing  Company. 

Mr.  Johnson  owns  real  estate  of  consider- 
able value  in  this  city,  including  a  pleasant 
home.  He  married  Laura  Hartong.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Johnson  is  connected  with 
the  Masons,  the  Elks  and  the  Maccabees. 

PETER  LEPPER,  whose  farm  of  255  acres 
is  situated  in  Springfield  Township,  is  a  promi- 
nent and  substantial  citizen  of  this  section. 
He  was  born  October  7,  1826,  at  Milton,  Ma- 
honing County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  John  A. 
and  Magdalena  (Stine)  Lepper. 

The  Lepper  family  belonged  originally  to 
Hesse  Darmstadt,  Germany.  There  the 
grandfather  of  Peter  Lepper,  John  A.  Lep- 
per, followed  his  trade  of  milling  and  lived 
and  died.  He  had  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren and  three  of  his  sons,  Johan  A.,  Anthony 
and  John  A.,  serv^ed  in  the  Germany  army, 


all  members  of  the  same  regiment.  John  A., 
father  of  Peter,  served  ten  years  and  survived 
all  dangers,  but  his  two  brothers  were  killed 
on  the  field  of  battle.  The  Stine  family  also 
belonged  to  Hesse  Darmstadt  and  Grand- 
father Henry  Stine  was  reputed  a  prominent 
and  wealthy  man  at  one  time.  He  married 
Louisa  Ritthousen  and  they  had  four  chil- 
dren, Mrs.  John  A.  Lepper  being  the  eldest. 
John  A.  Lepper  was  born  in  June,  1779,  and 
in  1803  he  was  married  in  Germany  to  Mag- 
dalena Stine.  She  was  born  in  April,  1780, 
and  died  December  11,  1871,  surviving  her 
husband  exactly  three  years.  They  both  were 
faithful  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
and  through  a  long  life  which  brought  them 
many  undeserved  misfortunes,  they  preserved 
their  old  faith  intact. 

To  John  A.  Lepper  and  wife  were  born  the 
following  children:  Elizabeth;  an  infant 
that  died  on  the  ocean  while  the  family  was 
coming  to  America;  Adam,  who  died  at  New 
Lisbon,  Columbiana  County,  Ohio;  Philip, 
who  was  killed  in  1864,  while  serving  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Civl  War,  was  born  in  Germany 
in  1813,  owned  a  farm  in  Missouri;  Gerhardt, 
who  died  January  11,  1865,  aged  fifty-two 
years,  ten  months  and  twenty-one  days ;  Cath- 
erine, deceased,  who  married  Joseph  Crase; 
Louisa,  who  never  came  to  America,  died  in 
Germany,  in  1893,  and  was  the  wife  of  Philip 
Hommel ;  and  Peter,  who  is  the  only  survivor 
and  the  only  one  of  the  family  who  was  born 
in  America. 

Early  in  the  year  1819,  John  A.  Lepper  be- 
gan to  make  preparations  to  emigrate  with 
his  family  to  America,  and  finallj-  reached 
the  docks  at  Bremen  ready  to  take  passage  in 
one  of  the  old  sailing  vessels  of  that  time. 
It  was  a  great  undertaking  for  these  quiet, 
home-loving  people  to  break  all  old  ties  and 
start  for  a  strange  new  country,  but  possessed 
of  such  courage  and  determination  were  the 
early  pioneers  whose  efforts  have  made  the 
LTnited  States  the  great  grand  land  that  it  is. 
It  was  no  easy  matter  to  accumulate  at  one 
time  the  required  passage  money,  a  sum  of 
some  $510,  but  it  was  finally  obtained,  the 
amount  was  paid  and   the   eager  emigrants 


532 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT   COUNTY 


were  gathered  awaiting  the  last  arrangements 
before  they  went  on  the  ship  which  they  con- 
fidently believed  was  to  take  them  to  a  land 
flowing  with  the  proverbial  milk  and  honey. 
Just  then  happened  one  of  those  unforeseen 
accidents,  brought  about  innocently  but  of 
vast  importance  to  the  Lepper  family.  One 
of  the  waiting  emigrants  picked  up  a  bullet, 
about  the  size  of  a  small  nut,  and  instead  of 
throwing  it  away,  unfortunately  gave  it  to 
one  of  the  restless  Lepper  lads,  who,  boy-like, 
immediately  saw  in  it  a  plaything  with  which 
to  while  away  the  weary  hours  of  waiting. 
He  attached  it  to  a  string  and  found  amuse- 
ment in  swinging  it  in  a  circle,  until  suddenly 
the  string  broke  and  the  piece  of  lead  flew 
off  at  a  tangent,  crashing  into  the  front  of 
a  business  house  on  the  street  and  breaking 
a  show  window  valued  by  the  irate  proprietor 
at  $400.  The  passage  money  of  the  Lepper 
family  was  immediately  attached,  and  for  a 
time  it  seemed  as  if  they  would  have  to  re- 
turn to  their  old  home  instead  of  sailing  across 
the  Atlantic.  The  glass  broken  was  a  fine 
one  and  among  the  passengers  the  broken  bits 
were  purchased  to  take  with  them  to  their 
new  homes  as  relics,  and  to  assist  the  unfor- 
tunate family,  but  although  they  paid  good 
prices,  there  still  remained  $200  to  be  paid. 
In  this  serious  dilemma,  the  captain  of  the 
vessel  came  to  the  aid  of  the  Leppers  with  the 
suggestion  of  a  custom  then  in  force,  that  of 
giving  free  passage  to  the  port  of  Baltimore 
to  those  members  of  the  family  who  could 
not  pay,  if  such  members  would  consent  to 
be  auctioned  off  as  servants,  to  work  until 
the  amount  was  settled,  or,  if  children,  until 
the  age  of  majority.  This  was  a  hard  propo- 
sition for  the  honest  old  German  father,  but 
he  saw  no  other  way  and  finally  signed  the 
necessary  papers. 

After  ninety-one  days  on  the  water,  during 
forty-one  of  which  the  passengers  never  saw 
daylight  on  account  of  the  tempestuous  seas, 
the  little  vessel  reported  at  the  Baltimore  docks 
and  the  news  was  spread  through  the  city 
streets  that  a  family  would  be  sold  to  pay  pas- 
sage money.  It  was  not  quite  so  dreadful  a 
thing  then  as  it  would  be  now,  for  it  was  the 


custom,  and  in  that  way  many  large  land- 
owners in  the  vicinity  secured  their  necessary 
help.  It  was  decided  that  little  Catherine, 
then  a  maid  of  fourteen  years,  should  be  the 
one  offered  to  float  the  family  out  of  its  diffi- 
culties, and  she  was  sold  for  enough  to  cover 
the  shortage,  and  went  with  the  strange  fam- 
ily who  had  bought  her,  to  remain  until  she 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  However,  her 
.sturdy  father  had  no  intention  of  permitting 
her  to  remain  and  fill  out  the  conditions. 
With  the  rest  of  the  family  he  went  on  as 
far  as  Northumberland  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  soon  secured  employment  at 
his  trade,  that  of  miller,  and  as  soon  as  the 
kind-hearted  people  among  whom  he  had  set- 
tled learned  of  little  Catherine's  fate,  they 
raised  by  subscription  enough  money  to  re- 
lease her,  and  a  messenger  was  sent  to  Balti- 
more for  this  purpose.  He  proved  unreliable 
and  never  returned.  A  second  subscription 
was  then  taken  up  and  a  reputable  citizen  took 
the  matter  in  hand  and  went  to  Baltimore  and 
returned  the  daughter  to  her  afflicted  family. 
This  incident  is  presented  as  recalling  a  his- 
toric custom  and  also  as  a  bit  of  family  his- 
tory. 

The  family  had  landed  at  Baltimore  in 
June,  1819,  and  Mr.  Lepper  continued  to 
work  at  milling  in  Northumberland  County, 
for  three  years  and  then  they  moved  to  Ohio, 
where  he  followed  milling  at  New  Lisbon  for 
three  years  at  Milton,  Mahoning  County,  for 
one  year,  and  at  Tompkins  Creek,  for  one 
year,  and  in  the  following  year  removed  to 
Akron,  which  was  then  known  as  Middle- 
bury.  After  working  for  two  years  at  a  mill 
in  East  Akron,  he  came  to  Springfield  Town- 
ship, and  after  working  one  year  at  his  trade 
at  Millheim,  he  bought  twenty-six  acres  of 
land  and  took  charge,  at  the  same  time,  of 
the  Randolph  flouring  mill,  this  being  in 
Randolph  Township.  This  land  subsequently 
passed  into  the  hands  of  his  son  Peter,  who 
took  it  upon  himself  to  pay  all  incumbrances 
on  it  and  to  take  care  of  his  parents  as  long 
as  they  lived. 

Peter  Lepper  was  three  years  old  when  his 
parents  moved  to  the  farm  in  Suffield  Town- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


533 


ship,  Portage  County,  which  was  then  all 
dense  forest.  When  twelve  years  of  age  he 
began  to  make  his  way  independently,  find- 
ing plenty  of  employment  in  his  own  neigh- 
borhood, assisting  in  clearing  up  the  wild 
farms  and  chopping  wood.  He  worked  for 
three  seasons  as  a  driver  on  the  canal,  and  in 

1840,  made  a  trip  as  cabin  boy  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi River.  In  the  fall  following  the  above 
trip,  he  attended  school  for  three  months, 
in  Suffield  Township,  and  in  the  spring  of 

1841,  resumed  work  on  the  canal,  as  bows- 
man,  under  Captain  Woodward,  working  sat- 
isfactorily all  through  that  summer,  although 
only  a  boy  in  years.  He  at  last  accumulated 
enough  capital  to  enable  him  to  buy  an  ax 
and  saw,  with  which  implements  he  made  a 
good  living  for  the  next  two  years,  going  from 
house  to  house  at  Akron,  chopping  and  saw- 
ing wood.  Thus  he  earned  enough  to  buy 
a  two-horse  wagon  and  team  and  for  the  next 
two  years  he  did  general  hauling.  In  1845 
he  sold  his  team,  and  during  the  next  two 
years  he  was  employed  peddling  groceries  and 
cigars.  About  this  time,  his  older  sister,  who 
also  possessed  an  independent  spirit  and  good 
business  capacity,  started  a  little  grocery  store 
in  Suffield  Township  and  induced  her  brother 
Peter  to  enter  into  partnership  with  her,  he 
to  do  the  purchasing  in  connection  with  his 
peddling,  while  she  managed  the  business  at 
home.  They  were  entirely  successful  in  car- 
rying out  their  plans. 

In  1847  Mr.  Lepper  bought  forty-seven 
acres  in  Suffield  Township,  lying  adjacent  to 
the  twenty-six  acres  owned  by  his  parents, 
and  then  followed  the  agreement  formerly 
noted,  and  as  long  as  the  aged  parents  lived 
they  had  a  comfortable  and  happy  home  with 
this  devoted  son.  Mr.  Lepper  followed  farm- 
ing and  stockraising  in  Suftield  Township  un- 
til 1853,  and  also,  for  fourteen  years  operated 
a  threshing  machine  and  for  thirty  years  was 
more  or  less  engaged  in  selling  farm  machin- 
ery and  agricultural  implements.  After  a  resi- 
dence of  nearly  forty  years  in  Suffield  Town- 
ship, Mr.  Lepper  moved  to  Springfield  Town- 
ship and  purchased  his  present  valuable  farm 
of  255  acres.    It  is  situated  convenientlv  near 


to  Akron  and  was  formerly  known  as  the 
Philip  Kramer  farm.  It  is  acknowledged  to 
be  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  Summit  County 
and  Mr.  Lepper  still  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing and  sheep  raising,  formerly  being  one  of 
the  largest  shippers  in  the  county.  He  has 
made  many  improvements  on  his  property, 
erecting  his  fine  home  in  1878  and  subse- 
quently his  substantial  barns  and  other  build- 
ings. There  is  an  air  of  solidity  about  this 
farm  and  its  surroundings  that  give  on  a  fair 
indication  of  the  character  of  its  owner. 

On  May  20,  1848,  Mr.  Lepper  was  married, 
at  Hartsville,  Stark  County,  to  Cather- 
rine  Sausaman.  This  estimable  lady  was 
born  September  25,  1818,  and  died  on  this 
farm  July  9,  1896.  Her  death  was  a  great 
affliction  to  her  sorrowing  family,  for  she 
had  been  a  loving,  faithful  wife  and  kind 
mother.  Her  parents  were  Isaac  and  Cather- 
ine ( Jarrett)  Sausaman.  Her  father  was  born 
in  Union  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1842 
moved  to  Stark  County,  Ohio,  where  he  fol- 
lowed his  trade  of  saddler  for  many  years 
and  then  bought  twelve  acres  of  land  in  Suf- 
field Township,  Portage  County.  He  had 
nine  children,  two  of  whom  survive. 

Peter  Lepper  and  wife  had  seven  children 
born  to  them,  as  follows:  John  H.,  residing 
at  Brittain,  Summit  County,  where  he  con- 
ducts a  large  grocery,  married  Anna  Kling, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  George  Kling  and  they 
have  these  children :  George,  Winnifred  Mar- 
garet, Benjamin  Franklin,  Kittie  Lillie  and 
Daisey  Ruth;  Louisa,  who  is  her  father's 
housekeeper  and  devoted  attendant;  Benjamin 
Franklin  residing  on  his  large  sheep  ranch  in 
Montana,  has  made  a  great  success  of  sheep- 
i-aising  and  has  resided  in  the  West  for  twenty- 
five  years;  Margaret  A.,  residing  on  a  farm 
in  Portage  County,  married  Henry  Swartz 
and  they  have  had  six  children:  Lillian,  de- 
ceased, Sylvia,  Lois,  Ruth,  Louise  and  Frank ; 
Mary  Elizabeth  and  Jefferson,  twins,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  married  (first)  to  Ottie  Smith., 
daughter  of  Orrin  Smith,  who  died  January 
1,  1890,  leaving  one  son,  Howard,  and  (sec- 
ond) to  Maria  Adams,  daughter  of  Horace 
Adams.    They  have  one  daughter,  Edith,  and 


534 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


they  reside  near  New  Springfield ;  and  Cather- 
ine, who  married  Frederick  Hawk,  residing 
in  Portage  County,  and  they  have  seven 
children:  Frederick,  Helen  P.,  John,  Earl 
P.,  Clair,  Irene,  and  Eva. 

During  fourteen  years  in  Springfield  Town- 
ship, Mr.  Lepper  wiis  a  valued  member  of  the 
Summit  County  Agricultural  Society,  of 
which  he  was  president  for  two  years,  vice- 
president  for  two  years  and  for  eight  years 
was  superintendent  of  the  horse  department. 
During  the  time  he  was  president  he  spent  the 
available  funds  in  such  a  way  as  to  meet  with 
the  approbation  of  all  concerned.  With  K.  J. 
Ellet,  he  set  out  the  fine  poplar  trees  which 
give  such  needed  shades  on  the  fair  ground, 
without  any  compensation.  For  several  years 
he  took  a  great  interest  m  Fountain  Park  and 
has  always  been  willing  to  contribute  liberally 
to  various  public  improvements.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Democrat  and  has  been  elected  to  al- 
most all  the  local  offices,  although  never  seek- 
ing them,  and  has  served  as  township  trus- 
tee and  assessor.  In  1890  he  was  elected  ap- 
praiser of  real  estate  in  Springfield  Town- 
ship and  served  as  township  trustee,  super- 
visor and  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board 
for  many  years,  in  fact  until  he  refused  to 
serve  longer.  On  one  occasion  he  was  select- 
ed as  his  party's  candidate  for  Representa- 
tive to  the  General  Assembly  and  although  he 
was  not  elected,  his  personal  popularity  re- 
duced the  normal  Republican  majority  from 
1,500  to  380  votes.  He  has  been  prominent 
in  political  life  for  a  long  period  and  his 
judgment  is  often  consulted  by  the  party 
leaders  in  his  locality. 

Mr.  Lepper  is  a  member  of  xVkron  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  83,  and  of  Akron  Comman- 
dery,  K.  T.,  No.  25.  He  is  one  of  the  old- 
est members  of  that  lodge,  having  entered  the 
fraternity  at  Kent,  Ohio,  in  1861.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  both  the  Pomona  and  the 
Tallmadge  Grange.  In  his  religious  life  Mr. 
Lepper  belongs  to  the  Reformed  Church  and 
formerly  was  a  deacon  in  that  body.  He 
is  a  man  of  kind  heart  and  generous  impluses 
and  in  his  treatment  of  others,  on  his  journey 
through    life,   has   never   forgotten   the   time 


when  he  was  a  poor  boy  with  no  future  to 
look  forward  to  except  one  made  by  himself. 
His  generosity  and  sympathy  have  cost  him 
many  thousands  of  dollars,  but  he  still  has 
faith  in  human  nature  and  still  plays  the  part 
of  a  philanthropist  on  many  occasions.  Few 
residents  of  Springfield  Townhip  are  more 
generally  esteemed. 

WILLIAM  P.  BARKER,  senoir  member 
of  the  firm  of  W.  P.  Barker  and  Son,  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  engaged  in  heavy  blacksmith 
work  for  the  big  machine  shops,  and  sub- 
contracting work  for  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment, came  to  this  city  in  1845,  and  it  has 
been  his  real  home  ever  since.  Mr.  Barker 
has  been  a  great  traveler  through  the  United 
States,  but  in  all  his  wanderings  has  not 
found  a  section  more  to  his  liking  than  the 
one  to  which  he  was  brought  by  his  English 
father,  sixty-two  years  ago.  Mr.  Barker  was 
born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  on  August  3, 
1841,  and  is  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Mary  Bar- 
ker. 

Mr;  Barker's  mother  died  when  he  was  a 
child,  he  being  the  youngest  of  her  sixteen 
children.  The  father,  a  weaver  by  trade,  de- 
cided to  come  to  America  to  better  his  busi- 
ness prospects,  and  brought  with  him  his  sur- 
viving children,  namely:  Elizabeth,  who 
died  unmarried;  Anna,  deceased,  who  mar- 
ried George  Irvington ;  Sarah,  who  married 
J.  C.  Daly,  residing  at  Medina;  and  William 
P.  Jonathan  Barker  worked  for  a  time  in 
the  fork  factory  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  after 
which  he  bought  a  horse  and  wagon  and  for 
many  years  traveled  through  the  country  as 
a  tin  peddler,  retiring  several  year  prior  to 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1877,  when  he 
was  aged  seventy-seven  years. 

Under  the  above  circumstances  it  can  be 
seen  that  William  P.  Barker  had  fewer  oppor- 
tunities of  obtaining  an  education  than  is  the 
Ciise  with  children  of  the  present  day;  in 
fact,  he  went  to  school  regularly  for  but  one 
year.  When  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age 
he  went  to  Windsor,  Ontario,  Dominion  of 
Canada,  where  he  was  apprenticed  to  his 
brother-in-law,  George  Irvington,  and  learned 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


r)37 


the  horseshoer's  trade.  He  continued  to  work 
there  for  two  years,  when  he  came  back  to 
Cuyahoga  Falls  and  worked  for  one  year  at 
blaeksmithing  for  John  and  Robert  Allen. 
In  1863  he  accompanied  John  Allen  to  Red- 
wood, California,  where  Mr.  Allen  opened  a 
blacksmith  shop.  After  working  in  this  shop 
for  about  a  year,  Mr.  Barker  joined  a  party 
of  three  and  went  with  them  to  Arizona,  and 
thence  to  Montana.  He  walked  1,800  miles 
that  winter,  going  from  Montana  to  Los  An- 
geles, back  to  Arizona,  around  by  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  then  back  to  Montana.  Mr.  Bar- 
ker worked  at  his  trade  during  favorable  sea- 
sons and  prospected  during  the  rest  of  the 
time.  He  reached  Cuyahoga  Falls  about  two 
years  after  the  close  of  the  war,  and  then  em- 
barked in  his  present  business,  in  partnership 
with  his  brother-in-law,  J.  C.  Daly.  A  few 
months  later  he  bought  Mr.  Daly's  interest 
and  continued  to  work  alone  for  about  a  year, 
when  he  was  again  seized  with  a  desire  to 
travel. 

On  this  occasion,  Mr.  Barker  went  to  Min- 
nesota, where  he  remained  for  a  year  engaged 
in  lumbering  and  trapping.  Then  returning 
to  his  old  home,  he  reopened  his  shop  and 
continued  in  business  until  1896.  He  then 
took  a  gold  prospecting  trip  to  Alaska,  but 
was  forced  to  return  home  on  account  of  ill- 
ness, after  an  absence  of  sixteen  months,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  experienced  hardships 
which  almost  terminated  his  life.  He  soon 
recuperated,  however,  under  home' care,  and 
resumed  business  at  his  present  place,  which 
he  had  built  before  .starting  for  the  far  North- 
west. His  shop  is  a  one-story  brick  building 
107  feet  long  and  50  feet  wide  in  the  north 
end  and  36  feet  in  the  south  end.  For  the 
past  twenty-five  years  he  has  been  engaged  as 
above  indicated,  and  fully  one-half  of  the 
work  of  the  plant  goes  to  Alliance.  Since 
1895  his  son,  William  H.  has  been  his  part- 
ner. 

Mr.  Barker  was  married  to  Charlotte  Lyons, 
who  was  born  probably  in  New  Jersey,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  John  Lyons.  They  have  had 
ten  children,  all  of  whom  are  still  living  as 
follows:     Mary,  Amelia,  Sarah,  William  H., 


George,  John,  Samuel     and     Susan,     twins, 
Harry  and  Fred. 

Mr.  Barker  is  a  good  citizen  in  all  that 
pertains  to  keeping  the  laws  and  exerting  an 
influence  in  the  direction  of  morality  and 
business  integrity,  but  he  has  united  with 
neither  of  the  great  political  parties,  casting 
his  vote  independently. 

GEORGE  STROBEL  AND  WILLIAM 
STROBEL,  owners  of  125  acres  of  valuable 
farming  land,  which  is  favorably  situated  in 
the  southwest  corner  of  Coventry  Township, 
are  the  sons  of  William  and  Lovina  (Cor- 
many)  Strobel. 

Their  grandfather,  Lorenzo  Strobel,  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  from  which  country  he 
came  to  America  in  about  1840,  in  a  sailing 
vessel,  the  journey  consuming  six  weeks. 
Continuing  his  journey  to  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  he  settled  on  Sherbondy  Hill,  near  Ak- 
ron, which  was  at  that  time  a  mere  village. 
For  a  few  years  he  lived  in  the  woods,  follow- 
ing weaving,  an  occupation  which  he  had 
learned  in  Germany,  and  then  removed  to  a 
farm  in  Coventry  Township,  that  is  now- 
owned  by  his  grandsons.  There  he  died  in 
1900,  aged  eighty-eight  years,  his  wife  hav- 
ing passed  away  when  75  years  old.  To 
Lorenzo  Strobel  and  his  wife  Margaret  there 
were  born  six  children,  namely:  Elizabeth, 
who  married  George  Miller;  William;  Sophia, 
who  married  John  Filler;  John;  Hannah, 
who  married  George  Haas;  and  Lawrence, 
who  died  in  childhood. 

William  Strobel  grew  up  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  experienced  all  the  hardships  of 
pioneer  life.  When  a  young  man  he  learned 
the  shoemaker's  trade  with  a  Mr.  Hoskins, 
but  did  not  follow  it  to  any  great  extent,  giv- 
ing more  of  his  attention  to  farming.  About 
1867  he  purchased  the  farm  of  his  father, 
which  Tvas  mostly  cleared  by  this  time,  and 
here  he  met  his  death,  being  killed  by  a  run- 
away team  December  23,  1874.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Lovina  Cormany,  a  daughter  of  George 
Cormany,  who  came  to  Manchester,  Ohio, 
from  Pennsylvania,  and  hero  became  a  prom- 
inent    agriculturist     and     large     landowner. 


538 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wil- 
liam Strobel,  namely:  George,  the  subject, 
with  his  brother,  William,  of  this  article; 
John,  who  married  Nellie  Hardin,  and  resides 
at  Akron ;  Anna,  wife  of  Ellsworth  Hall,  and 
a  resident  of  Norton  Township;  William, 
mentioned  above;  and  Elizabeth,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  eight  years. 

George  and  William  Strobel  are  now  en- 
gaged in  general  farming,  although  for  two 
years  they  carried  on  poultry  raising,  and  for 
a  like  period  George  and  his  brother  John 
conducted  a  confectionery  store  at  Barberton. 
They  reside  on  the  old  homestead,  where 
George  was  born  August  25,  1866,  and  Wil- 
liam April  23,  1871.  Both  are  good,  practi- 
cal agriculturists,  public-spirited  citizens,  and 
stanch  Democrats  in  politics,  William  hav- 
ing served  on  the  school  board,  and  as  town- 
ship supervisor  in  1904-5-6.  For  some  time 
both  brothers  were  connected  with  the  Good- 
rich Rubber  Company  at  Akron,  and  William 
spent  one  year  on  the  Akron  street  car  lines, 
while  George  was  for  a  year  with  the  Webster, 
Camp  and  Lane  Machine  Company.  They 
were  reared  in  the  Lutheran  and  Reformed 
faiths.  William  Strobel  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  o^  Foresters,  No.  356, 
Court  Pride,  in  whien  he  has  passed  the 
chairs,  and  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Akron 
Lodge,  No.  603. 

HARVEY  E.  STEIN,  a  representative 
farmer  of  Bath  Township,  who  owns  155  acres 
of  excellent  land,  was  born  May  23,  1863,  in 
Lehigh  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  son 
of  Joseph  and  Catherine   (Leiby)    Stein. 

Harvey  E.  Stein  remained  at  home  until 
fourteen  years  old,  assisting  his  father  in  his 
general  store,  and  then  went  to  Guilford 
Township,  Medina  County,  Ohio,  where  he 
worked  for  about  two  years  as  a  farm  hand. 
He  then  spent  one  year  in  the  coal  mines  of 
Norton  Township,  Summit  County,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  farm  work  in  Granger 
Township,  Medina  County,  for  one  and  one- 
half  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time  Mr.  Stein 
came  to  Bath  Township,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed by  C.  P.  Heller  for  five  and  one-half 


years  and  by  Edward  Jones  for  two  years. 
After  his  marriage  he  settled  on  a  rented  farm 
for  several  years,  and  in  1900  purchased  his 
present  property  from  the  heirs  of  Edward 
Heller.  Here  he  has  since  been  engaged  very 
sucessfully  in  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  has  made  a  specialty  of  breeding 
imported  horses. 

In  1888  Mr.  Stein  was  married  (first)  to 
Dora  Heller,  and  (second)  to  Amanda  Hel- 
ler, who  were  born  in  Copley  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  daughters  of  Edward  and 
Julia  (Dutt)  Heller. 

JAMES  ALBERT  SMITH,  who  owns  104 
acres  of  some  of  the  best  land  in  Bath  Town- 
ship, which  is  situated  in  School  District  No. 
12,  one-half  mile  north  of  the  Smith  or 
Medina  road,  has  owned  and  resided  on  this 
property  since  1896.  He  was  born  in 
Springfield  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
March  22,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Housel  and 
Susan  (Moore)  Smith. 

When  James  Albert  Smith  was  an  infant, 
his  father  moved  first  to  Bath  Township,  pur- 
chasing a  farm  of  ninety-four  acres,  in  its 
eastern  part,  on  which  the  family  lived  for  a 
short  time  and  then  went  back  to  Springfield 
Township.  James  Albert  was  twelve  years 
old  when  his  father  returned  to  Bath  Town- 
ship and  settled  on  the  farm  he  now  owns, 
which  he  subsequently  purchased  from  the 
other  heirs.  Both  parents  died  on  this  farm, 
the  mother  surviving  until  April  17,  1907. 
They  had  eight  children,  two  daughters  and 
six  sons,  as  follows:  Emanuel  C.  and  John 
Newton,  both  residing  at  Akron ;  James  Al- 
bert of  Bath  Township;  Robert,  residing  at 
Montrose;  Sarah  L.,  who  married  James  Ed- 
gar; Charles  Henry,  residing  at  Peninsula; 
George,  residing  in  Coshocton  County;  and 
Maggie  L.,  who  married  Cyrus  Fields,  of  De- 
troit, Michigan. 

Until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  James 
Albert  Smith  resided  at  home  and  then 
learned  the  stone-mason  trade,  at  which  he 
worked  for  seventeen  years,  during  thirteen 
of  this  period,  living  at  Copley.  For  the  past 
eleven  years  he  has  engaged  in  general  farm- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


539 


ing  and  is  numbered  with  the  successful  men 
of  this  section. 

On  December  28,  1882,  Mr.  Smith  was 
married  to  Elta  Barber,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Solomon  and  Harriet  (Wright)  Bajber. 
Solomon  Barber  was  born  in  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  and  accompanied  his  father  in  boyhood 
to  the  farm  in  Bath  Township,  on  which 
Newton  Hackett  lives.  The  mother  of  Mrs. 
Smith  was  born  at  Lima,  New  York,  and  in 
her  widowhood,  lives  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Smith.  Her  parents  were  Richmond  and 
Betsey  (Egbert)  Wright.  They  came  to 
Akron  when  Mrs.  Barber  was  a  babe  and  be- 
came well-known  residents.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Barber  were  married  at  Independence,  Cuya- 
hoga County,  Ohio,  and  they  had  twelve  chil- 
dren, eight  of  whom  survive:  William,  re- 
siding at  Minneapolis;  Leonard,  residing  in 
Oregon ;  Sylvenes,  deceased  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years;  Elta;  Belmont,  who  is  de- 
ceased; Belle,  residing  at  Youngstown,  is  the 
wife  of  DeForest  Richards;  Theron,  residing 
at  Brown  Valley,  Minnesota;  Minnie,  de- 
ceased, married  Peter  Hanson;  James,  resid- 
ing at  Youngstown ;  Emily,  deceased,  mar- 
ried Louis  Molton,  residing  at  Warner, 
South  Dakota;  Thomas,  residing  at  Roches- 
ter, Minnesota,  and  Paul,  residing  in  South 
Dakota.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Smith  died  Au- 
gust 29,  1901. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  four  children: 
Pearl,  who  married  Harry  Robinson,  has 
three  children,  Albert,  Victor  and  Jessie; 
Bessie,  who  married  Ervin  Snyder,  has  one 
child,  Celesta;  and  Ethel  and  Ruth. 

Mr.  Smith  belongs  to  the  beneficiary  or- 
ganization known  as  the  Knights  of  the  Pro- 
tective Legion.  ■ 

CHARLES  HATCH,  superintendent  of 
the  Ohio  Canal  between  Cleveland  and  Na- 
varre, Ohio,  who  has  been  identified  with  this 
waterway  during  all  his  business  life,  was 
born  at  Peninsula,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  in 
1855.  His  father,  Asa  D.  Platch,  who  was 
a  native  of  Vermont,  removed  from  that  State 
to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  operated  a  saw- 
mill for  about  twenty  years.     He  served  over 


three  years  in  the  Civil  War  as  a  member  of 
Company  D,  Battery  F,  Second  Regiment 
Ohio  Volunteers,  and  survived  the  war  thir- 
teen years,  dying  in  1878. 

Shortly  after  the  death  of  his  father, 
Charles  Hatch  bought  a  boat  which  he  oper- 
ated on  the  Ohio  Canal  until  1884.  He  then 
entered  the  employ  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  as 
foreman  of  a  State  boat  on  the  canal,  which 
position  he  continued  to  fill  until  1902,  when 
he  became  superintendent  of  the  Ohio  Canal 
from  Cleveland  to  Navarre,  with  his  office  at 
Lock  No.  1.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in 
politics  and  for  years  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Summit  County  Republican  Executive 
Committee.  In  1878,  Mr.  Hatch  was  mar- 
ried to  Fannie  Hardy,  who  was  born  in  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  and  they  are  the  parents 
of  three  children:  Stella  E.,  who  married  D. 
E.  J.  Williams;  Asa  D.,  and  Harold  H.,  all 
residents  of  Akron.  Mr.  Hatch  is  a  Mason, 
an  Elk,  and  a  Maccabee  and  belongs  also  to 
the  Sons  of  Veterans.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

NORMAN  WARE,  highly  esteemed  retired 
citizen  of  Norton  Township,  residing  on  his 
valuable  farm  of  sixty-three  acres,  situated  at 
Johnson's  Corners,  was  born  on  the  old  Ware 
home  place,  near  Hometown,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  February  24,  1840,  and  is  a 
son  of  Israel  and  Mary  (Lautzenheiser) 
Ware. 

Israel  Ware  came  to  Ohio  from  Pennsyl- 
vania and  settled  in  Norton  Township  at  a 
very  earlj'  day,  marrying  into  a  Norton 
Township  family,  and  purchasing  the  farm 
that  is  now  occupied  by  Forrest  Swain.  On 
that  farm  his  eight  children  were  born,  four 
of  whom  are  deceased,  one  of  whom  was  killed 
in  the  battle  of  Jackson,  Mississippi,  July 
12,  1863,  and  there  both  he  and  his  wife 
died. 

Norman  Ware  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  assisted  in  its  care  and  development. 
He  attended  the  country  schools  and  re- 
mained working  on  the  homestead  until  1884, 
when  he  purchased  his  present  farm,  on 
which  he  carried  on  a  general  line  of  agri- 


540 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


culture  until  he  retired  from  hard  work. 
His  second  son  then  assumed  his  responsi- 
bilities in  the  management  of  the  property. 

In  1864,  Mr.  Ware  married  Louisa  Waltz, 
who  was  born  in  Chippewa  Township,  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  but  was  reared  in  Norton 
Township,  Summit  County.  Her  parents 
were  David  and  Lydia  (Baughman)  Waltz, 
old  settlers.  Her  father  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  came  to  Medina  County  when 
a  young  man,  and  after  marriage  moved  to 
Summit  County.  Mrs.  Ware  is  one  of  a 
family  of  thirteen  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ware  have  two  children :  Roy  D.  and  Loman, 
the  latter  of  whom  is  the  home  farmer.  Roy 
D.  Ware  resides  at  Johnson's  Corners  and  is 
employed  in  the  Sterling  Boiler  Works,  at 
Barberton.  He  married  Nellie  Sharp  and 
they  have  two  children :     Earl  and  Lloyd. 

Politically,  Mr.  Ware  is  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party.  He  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  School  Board  of  Norton  Town- 
ship and  also  as  township  treasurer.  He  is 
one  of  the  reliable,  representative  men  of  his 
section  and  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church. 

GEORGE  P.  IIEINTZ,  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Bath  Township,  a  member  of  the 
School  Board  and  a  leading  farmer,  resides 
on  his  well-improved  farm  of  eighty-seven 
acres,  which  lies  in  School  District  No.  10, 
on  the  Croten  House  road,  running  north 
from  the  old  Smith  or  Medina  road.  Mr. 
Heintz  wtis  born  on  the  corner  of  Brown  and 
Exchange  Streets,  Akron,  where  the  family 
then  resided,  October  24,  1845,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  and  Sophia  (Keck)  Heintz. 

John  Heintz,  the  father,  was  born,  reared 
and  married  in  Germany  and  came  to 
America  in  1834,  living  for  six  months  at 
Cleveland,  then  coming  to  Akron.  At  Cleve- 
land, he  engaged  in  butchering  and  after 
reaching  Akron  he  worked  both  as  a  butcher 
and  a.s  a  cooper,  having  learned  the  latter  busi- 
ness in  his  native  land.  Later  he  owned  a 
small  slaughter  house  and  marketed  his  meat 
through  Akron.  Subsequently  he  moved  to 
Summit  Hill,  Coventry  Town.ship,  where  he 


first  bought  sixty  acres,  to  which  he  later  add- 
ed fourteen  acres  of  the  old  Witner  farm.  He 
died  in  Coventry  Township  in  1903,  aged 
ninety-one  years.  His  first  wife,  the  mother  of 
George  P.  Heintz,  died  when  the  latter  was 
five  years  of  age,  and  John  Heintz  married 
Mrs.  Margaret  Bolick  for  his  second  wife. 
She  died  in  1900. 

George  P.  Heintz  was  six  years  old  when  his 
father  moved  to  Coventry  Township,  and 
there  he  obtained  all  his  schooling.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  1864,  when  he  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  Civil  War,  during  his  first 
term  being  a  member  of  the  Sixth  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Cavalry,  connected  with  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  for  one  year  and  seven 
months.  During  the  great  war  he  partici- 
pated in  a  number  of  battles,  including: 
Boynton  Plank  Road,  October  27,  1864; 
Stony  Creek  Station,  December  2,  1864; 
Hatcher's  Run,  December  9-10,  1864 ;  ^Monk's 
Neck  Bridge,  February  5,  1865;  Hatcher's 
Run,  (2),  February  6,  1865;  Dinwiddle  Court 
House,  March  31,  1865;  Fettersville,  April 
4,  1865 ;  Famer  Cross  Roads,  April  5,  1865 ; 
Farm,sville,  April  6,  1865;  Harper's  Farm, 
April  7,  1865 ;  and  Appomattox  Court  House, 
the  memorable  spot  where  General  Lee  sur- 
rendered to  General  Grant,  April  9,  1865. 
Mr.  Heintz  was  in  the  brigade  that  opened  the 
fight  in  that  closing  action  of  the  war.  On 
his  discharge  papers  may  be  read  the  follow- 
ing, under  the  signature  of  Lieutenant  Smith, 
of  his  company:  "In  all  eleven  engagements 
in  which  he  was  commendable  for  his  bravery 
and  coolness."  Those  simple  words  tell  the 
story  of  how  Mr.  Heintz  served  while  in  the 
uniform  of  his  country.  He  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  corporal,  from  being  a  private. 
His  enlistment  was  for  the  whole  of  the  war, 
the  termination  of  the  struggle  happily  end- 
ing it.  He  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Petersburg,  Virginia,  August  7,  1865,  hav- 
ing entered  the  army  when  a  little  past  seven- 
teen, and  wiis  not  quite  nineteen  when  he  was 
discharged. 

After  a  short  season  at  Akron  he  went  to 
Louisville,  Rentucky,  where  he  enlisted  a 
second  time,  on  May  5,  1866,  entering  Com- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


541 


pany  G,  Second  United  States  Infantry,  and 
served  for  three  years  with  the  Regulars.  On 
April  1,  1867,  he  was  made  a  corporal,  and 
July  15,  1868,  was  promoted  to  be  a  sergeant. 
He  was  discharged  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  on 
May  5,  1869.  About  one-third  of  his  second 
term  of  service  was  spent  in  Kentucky,  his 
regiment  being  stationed  at  Louisville,  at 
Danville,  at  Stamford  and  Paducah.  For  a 
short  time  it  was  at  Union,  West  Virginia, 
but  returned  for  several  weeks  to  Louisville, 
then  was  sent  to  Atlanta,  where  it  was  dis- 
charged some  four  months  later.  During  all 
this  long  season,  when  each  day  was  filled 
with  danger,  Mr.  Heintz  escaped  every  death- 
1}"  missile,  and  at  no  time  was  seriously  hurt 
except  on  one  occasion  when  his  horse  fell  on 
him.  Three  days  after  he  returned  to  Akron, 
in  1869,  Mr.  Heintz  with  his  widowed  sister, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Pelott,  moved  to  his  present  farm 
which  his  father  had  previously  purchased. 
Here  he  has  continued  ever  since,  engaging 
successfully  in  farming  and  stockraising. 

On  November  25,  1869,  Mr.  Heintz  was 
married  to  Sarah  J.  Harris,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Eliza  (Peach)  Harris.  She 
was  born  and  reared  in  Bath  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  but  her  father  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  her  mother  of  West  Vir- 
ginia. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heintz  have  no  children 
of  their  ow^n,  but  they  adopted  a  little  girl 
named  Edith,  who  subsequently  married 
Clyde  Miller.  Mr.  Miller  assists  in  carrying 
on  the  farm  work  with  Mr.  Heintz.  The 
Millers  have  had  four  children,  namely: 
Iva  Marie,  Nona  Grace,  Homer  Guy,  and  Lee 
Harold,  the  latter  of  whom  died  aged  four 
years.  Since  November,  1906,  Mr  and  Mrs. 
Heintz  have  been  enjoying  the  handsome  resi- 
dence which  was  completed  at  that  time. 
Both  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Church, 
of  Bath  Township.  Since  1905  he  has  served 
on  the  School  Board.  He  is  a  member  of 
Buckley  Post,  No.  12,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic. 

GEORGE  W.  M'COY,  residing  on  his  well- 
improved  and  valuable  farm  of  eighty-six 
acres,  which  is  situated  in  Norton  Township, 


here  carries  on  a  general  line  of  farming.  He 
was  born  at  Wadsworth,  Medina  County, 
Ohio,  March  4,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert 
and  Lucinda  (Bartlett)  McCoy. 

Robert  McCoy  was  born  in  Tallmadge 
Town.ship,  Summit  County,  and  was  a  son  of 
Samuel  McCoy,  who  was  born  in  Ireland. 
Samuel  McCoy  came  to  America  in  young 
manhood  and  was  an  early  settler  in  Tall- 
madge Township,  moving  from  there  to 
Wadsworth  Township,  in  Medina  County, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm.  On  that  farm 
Robert  McCoy  was  reared  from  boyhood,  and 
in  Medina  County  he  was  married  to  Lucinda 
Bartlett.  Of  their  nine  children,  the  four  sur- 
vivors are:  Mrs.  Olive  Dickerson,  residing 
at  Akron ;  George  W. ;  States,  residing  in 
Copley  Township;  and  Mrs.  Ella  Britton,  re- 
siding at  Sharon,  Medina  County.  About 
1859,  Robert  McCoy  moved  to  Summit 
County  and  invested  in  225  acres  of  land  at 
what  is  known  as  McCoy's  Cro.ssing.  It  was 
all  farming  and  pasture  land  at  that  time, 
but  the  city  of  Akron  has  long  since  invaded 
the  fields  which  Mr.  McCoy  used  to  follow 
over  with  his  plow.  South  Main  street,  a 
busy  thoroughfare  of  Akron,  now  spreads  out 
over  this  land.  Robert  McCoy  also  owned 
the  land  upon  which  Lakeside  Park  now 
stands.  All  this  land  each  year  grows  more 
and  more  valuable.  Robert  McCoy  was  a 
contractor  and  he  met  his  death  while  en- 
gaged in  grading  on  North  Hill,  the  accident 
occurring  while  he  was  superintending  the 
work.  His  wife  had  died  when  the  children 
were  small. 

George  W.  McCoy  attended  school  at  Wads- 
worth and  later  in  Coventry  Township. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  left  home 
and  spent  three  years  on  a  farm  in  California 
and  then  moved  to  Nevada,  where  he  went 
into  contracting,  cutting  and  hauling  wood 
to  the  quartz  mills.  He  owned  a  number  of 
teams  and  employed  a  large  force  of  men. 
Mr.  McCoy  remained  in  the  West  for  ten 
years  and  then  returned  to  Akron  for  about 
two  years,  but  went  back  to  Nevada  and  re- 
sumed contracting.  Several  years  later  he 
again  visited  Akron  for  a  short  period  and 


542 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


returned  to  Nevada  for  the  third  time,  ac- 
companied by  his  wife,  and  remained  six 
years.  In  October,  1881,  Mr.  McCoy  re- 
turned permanently  to  Summit  County  and 
purchased  the  farm  he  resides  on.  This  was 
first  tlie  property  of  his  brother,  the  late 
Samuel  McCoy,  who  sold  it  to  another  broth- 
er, States  McCoy,  who,  in  turn  sold  it  to 
George  W.  It  thus  has  not  been  out  of  the 
McCoy  family  for  a  number  of  years. 

In  1876,  Mr.  McCoy  was  married  to  Amelia 
J.  Falor,  who  is  a  daughter  of  .John  Falor,  of 
Akron.  Her  grandfather,  Abraham  Falor, 
was  an  early  settler  in  this  section,  and  when 
Mrs.  McCoy  drives  through  South  Main 
Street,  Akron,  it  is  over  land  which  was  once 
her  father's  farm,  on  which  she  was  reared. 
They  have  four  children,  namely:  Elsie, 
who  married  Norman  Miller,  of  Barberton; 
George,  unmarried,  residing  at  Baiberton ; 
Ernest,  residing  at  home';  and  Myrtle,  who 
married  Henry  Zeisick,  residing  at  Barberton. 
The  beautiful  family  home  was  built  by  Mr. 
McCoy  in  1883.  It  is  one  of  the  fine,  modern 
re.sidenoes  of  thLs  section. 

JOHN  D.  ARNOLD,  proprietor  of  a  valu- 
able farm  which  contains  102  acres  and  is 
situated  on  the  old  Smith  road,  about  one  and 
one-half  miles  west  of  Montrose,  was  born 
on  a  farm  one  mile  west  of  Copley  Center, 
August  1,  1855.  His  parents  were  Daniel 
and  Sophia  (Porter)  Arnold. 

The  iVrnolds  came  to  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  from  Maryland.  The  father  of  Mr.  Ar- 
nold owned  and  disposed  of  a  half  dozen 
farms  in  course  of  his  life,  but  John  D. 
grew  up  on  the  farm  near  Copley.  He  was 
reared  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  has  been 
able  to  trace  a  straight  furrow  with  his  plow, 
ever  since  he  was  eight  years  of  age.  AVjout 
two  years  after  his  marriage,  he  moved  to 
the  pr&sent  farm,  eighty-two  acres  of  which  he 
purchased  at  that  time,  subsequently  adding 
twenty  adjoining  acres.  This  makes  a  fine, 
easily  cultivated  farm  and  here  Mr.  Arnold 
carries  on  a  general  line  of  agriculture. 

Mr.  Arnold  married  Lizzie  Hankey,  De- 
cember 25,   1876,   who   wa*  born   in  Copley 


Township,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Maria  (Whitmer)  Hankey.  Samuel  Han- 
key was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  at  Akron 
and  from  there  he  moved  to  Copley  Town- 
ship. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arnold  have  three  children 
of  their  own  and  another  child.  Hazel  Brad- 
ley, whom  they  have  reared  from'  the  age  of 
two  years  to  seventeen.  Their  three  children 
are :  William,  who  is  employed  by  the  Akron 
Telephone  Company,  married  Mary  Wiley, 
and  they  have  two  children,  Eva  and  Ray; 
Lilly,  who  married  Albert  Boltz,  has  two 
children.  Earl  and  Glen;  and  Frank,  who  as- 
sists his  father. 

Mr.  Arnold's  farm  and  surroundings  show 
good  management  and  thrifty  methods.  All 
of  the  substantial  fai'm  structures,  except  the 
house,  he  has  placed  here,  and  he  has  done 
much  additional  improving. 

AARON  A.  SWIGART,  who  is  engaged  in 
agricultural  operations  on  an  excellent  tract 
of  200  acres,  is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens 
of  Franklin  Township,  and  was  born  August 
6,  1857,  on  his  present  farm  in  FrankliJi 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah   (Hai'ing)   Swigart. 

George  Swigart,  grandfather  of  Aaron  A., 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  whei"e  he  mar- 
ried. On  coming  to  Ohio  he  had  to  clear  most 
of  his  farm  from  the  woods,  and  here  his 
first  wife  died.  He  was  married  the  .second 
time  to  a  Miss  Daily,  a  native  of  Summit 
County,  and  here  the  remainder  of  their  lives 
were  spent,  his  death  occurring  in  his  85th 
year,  his  second  wife  having  preceded  him  to 
the  grave.  They  had  a  large  family,  about 
fourteen  children,  and  of  these  Joseph  was 
next  to  the  eldest. 

Joseph  Swigart  was  born  on  his  father's 
farm,  which  was  located  south  of  the  present 
Swigart  farm,  and  was  reared  to  manhood 
here,  helping  to  clear  the  farm  from  the  wil- 
derness. Prior  to  his  nuirriage  he  purchased 
a  part  of  the  present  Swigart  farm,  and  to  this 
he  kept  adding  from  time  to  time,  making  im- 
provements, including  a  large  house  and  barn, 
and  converting  his  property  into  one  of  the 
finest  farms  in  Franklin  Township.    Here  he 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


543 


died  in  1895,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  Mr. 
Swigart  was  married  to  Sarah  Haring,  who 
was  born  in  Franklin  Township,  and  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Charles  Haring.  Mrs. 
Swigart  survives  her  husband  and  resides  on 
the  home  farm  with  her  son  Aaron  A.  Two 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swigart: 
Aaron  A.,  above  mentioned,  and  Charles,  who 
married  Hattie  Diehl,  a  daughter  of  William 
Diehl,  and  has  two  children — Gladys  and 
Hallie. 

Aaron  A.  Swigart  attended  the  district 
schools  and  afterward  engaged  in  agricultur- 
al pursuits,  in  which  he  has  been  occupied 
all  of  his  active  period.  With  his  mother  and 
brother  he  owns  the  excellent  homestead  of 
200  acres,  on  which  is  situated  a  large  and 
comfortable  residence.  The  row  of  beautiful 
shade  trees  on  each  side  of  the  driveway  lead- 
ing to  the  house  were  planted  by  Mr.  Swigart 
and  others  twenty-five  years  ago,  and  add 
much  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  property. 

On  September  16,  1901,  Mr.  Swigart  was 
married  to  Mary  Scholl,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Peter  and  Ann  Scholl,  and  to  this  union 
one  child  has  been  born:  Joseph  Herman. 
Mr.  Swigart  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church  at  Manchester. 

L.  K.  FORCE,  president  of  the  Summit 
China  Company,  has  been  a  resident  of  Akron 
for  the  past  fifty-eight  years.  Born  in  New- 
York,  in  1848,  he  came  to  this  city  with  his 
parents,  in  the  following  year,  and  thus  may 
almost  be  called  a  native  of  Akron,  where  he 
was  reared  and  educated. 

In  1863,  when  only  a  school-V)oy  of  fifteen 
years,  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  War 
entering  the  Sixth  Ohio  Volunteer  Inde- 
pendent Light  Artillery.  His  battery  was 
sent  immediately  to  become  a  part  of  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  thus  he  par- 
ticipated in  all  the  battles  and  marches  of 
the  Atlanta  campaign.  After  returning  to 
Tennessee,  this  battery  took  part  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Franklin  and  Nashville,  after  which 
it  went  into  winter  quarters  at  Pulaski.  In 
the  spring  of  1865  it  returned  to  Nashville, 
where  it  took  boat  to  New  Orleans.     In  the 


succeeding  August  it  returned  to  Columbus, 
where  it  was  honorably  discharged  September 
1,  1865. 

After  all  this  long  and  hazardous  army  ex- 
perience, Mr.  Force  returned  to  Akron,  where 
he  set  about  learning  a  peaceful  trade,  having 
no  more  desire  for  military  life.  He  entered 
a  factory  where  he  learned  the  pottery  trade, 
becoming  so  expert  a  worker,  that  in  1879. 
when  the  Akron  Stoneware  Company  was 
organized,  he  was  made  superintendent  and 
also  president,  and  served  as  such  until 
March,  1900.  At  this  time,  in  association 
with  R.  H.  Kent,  he  organized  the  Summit 
China  Company,  which  is  incorporated  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $100,000,  Mr.  Force  being 
president  and  superintendent  and  R.  H. 
Kent,  secretary  and  treasurer.  This  com- 
pany employs  150  men  and  does  an  annual 
export  business  of  $175,000. 

In  1870,  Mr.  Force  was  married  to  Alice 
L.  Washburn,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  B.  Wash- 
burn, who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Summit 
County.  Mrs.  Force  died  March  14,  1893, 
leaving  six  children,  namely:  Mildred,  who 
married  E.  L.  Demming;  Orlando,  residing  in 
Akron ;  Jessie  B.,  residing  at  home;  Daniel  B., 
working  with  the  Summit  China  Company; 
Ferdman  F.,  assistant  superintendent  of  the 
Summit  China  Company;  and  Benjamin  F., 
who  is  a  student  at  the  Ohio  State  University. 
Mr.  Force  was  married  (second)  in  June, 
1897,  to  Mi's.  Yeomans,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  John  Wilson,  of  Brimfield,  Ohio. 

Although  he  has  never  sought  public  office, 
Mr.  Force  has  long  taken  an  active  interest  in 
politics,  and  on  many  occasions  has  demon- 
strated his  public  spirit  and  civic  pride..  Fra- 
ternally, he  is  an  Odd  Fellow.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Buckley  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, and  also  of  the  German  Rifle  club. 
He  ranks  well  up  among  Akron's  prominent 
citizens. 

WILLIAM  A.  MORTON,  notary  public  at 
Barberton,  has  been  established  in  the  in- 
surance and  real  estate  business  here  since 
1903,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Summit 
Countv  .since  1873.     He  wa«  born  in     Law- 


544 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


pence  County,  Pennsylvania,  June  6,  1864, 
and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Scott) 
Morton. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Morton  were  born  in 
England  and  were  married  there  prior  to  com- 
ing to  vVmerica  in  1862.  Thomas  Morton 
was  a  coal  miner  and  he  engaged  in  this  work 
first  in  Pennsylvania  and  after  1873,  in 
Summit  County,  Ohio.  For  two  years  he 
lived  at  Tomotown,  east  of  Akron,  but  in 
1875  he  moved  to  Norton  Township  and  lo- 
cated at  a  point  then  known  as  Dennison  and 
now  as  Sherman.  At  this  place  he  became  a 
mine  boss  and  was  known  as  a  very  reliable, 
capable  man.  His  wife  died  in  1881  and  his 
death  followed  in  1884. 

Prior  to  coming  to  Summit  County,  Wil- 
liam A.  Morton  had  attended  school  for  a 
short  time  but  had  in  no  way  gained  a  suf- 
ficient amount  of  education  to  satisfy  him, 
even  in  boyhood.  For  three  years  he  worked 
in  the  mines  in  Summit  County  and  then 
started  again  to  school,  attending  first  the 
Copley  and  Norton  Center  High  School  and 
later  the  Normal  Schools  at  Wadsworth  and 
Lebanon.  He  then  taught  school  for  some 
time,  after  which  he  took  a  commercial  course 
in  the  Iron  City  Business  College  at  Pittsburg, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1884.  Upon  his 
return  to  Summit  County  he  engaged  in 
teaching  for  ten  years  and  for  four  years 
of  this  period  he  was  principal  of  the  Western 
Star  Academy.  He  became  widely  known 
as  an  excellent  educator,  and  he  was  made 
treasurer  of  the  Summit  County  Teachers' 
Institute  and  latel-  its  president,  serving  one 
year  in  each  position.  In  1900,  Mr.  Morton 
came  to  Barberton  and  became  a  member  of 
the  office  force  of  the  Sterling  Company, 
later  of  the  Pure  Gum  Specialty  Company, 
and  later  bookkeeper  for  the  American  Clay 
Company,  of  Akron.  In  1903,  he  established 
a  fire  insurance  office  and  began  also  to  deal 
in  real  estate,  and  in  company  with  Godfrey 
Werner  he  entered  also  into  the  coal  business 
and  developed  the  mines  at  Manchester,  in 
Summit  County.  His  business  interests  are 
large  and  important. 

On  September  8,  1887,  Mr.     Morton     was 


married  to  Sadie  A.  Boden,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Boden,  and  they  have  three 
children,  namely:  Raymond  E.,  Bessie  and 
Mary. 

Mr.  Morton  has  been  in  public  office  for  a 
number  of  years.  Since  1889  he  has  been  a 
notary  public  and  for  nine  yeaiv  he  served 
as  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Norton  Township, 
where  he  also  was  trustee  for  two  terms,  and 
township  clerk  for  four  years.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Summit  County  Court  House  Com- 
mission, appointed  by  Judge  J.  A.  Kohler, 
has  served  two  terms  as  Deputy  State  Super- 
visor of  Elections,  and  has  been  a  member  of 
the  city  council  of  Barberton. 

Mr.  Morton  is  a  popular  and  respected 
citizen.  He  is  fraternally  connected  with  the 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  Elks  and  is  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  latter  organization. 

GEORGE  DREISBACH,  whose  farm  of 
125  acres  of  valuable  land,  all  in  one  body,  is 
situated  in  Norton  Township,  is  a  representa- 
tive citizen  of  this  section  and  one  of  its  best 
farmers.  He  was  born  in  Northampton 
County,  Pennsylvania,  December  19,  1843, 
and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Sarah  (Konkle) 
Drei.sbach. 

About  1865,  Charles  Dreisbach  became  a 
resident  and  landowner  in  Summit  County 
and  continued  to  invest  in  property  until  he 
acquired  a  very  considerable  amount.  His 
first  purchase  was  of  144  acres,  to  which  he 
added  sixty-five  acres,  and  later  bought  sixty- 
seven  acres  where  Barberton  now  stands,  a 
part  of  which,  on  which  Lake  Anna  is 
situated,  he  sold  to  John  J.  Warner,  and  also 
owned  fifteen  acres  in  Coventry  Township,  the 
total  reaching  300  acres,  the  result  of  careful 
foresight  and  wise  investing.  He  died  on  the 
farm  where  his  son  lives,  in  1885.  He  was 
married  three  times,  Sarah  Konkle.  his  second 
wife,  being  the  mother  of  George.  He  had 
fourteen  children,  ten  of  whom  still  survive. 

George  Dreisbach  was  born  near  a  place 
called  Big  Grass  Pond,  from  which  his  father 
moved  in  his  boyhood,  to  near  Wilkesbarre, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  bought  a  farm.  In 
1865,  George  accompanied  his  father  to  Sum- 


AND    REPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


545 


mit  County,  where  he  was  subsequently  mar- 
ried and  one  year  later  he  moved  to  Michigan. 
He  learned  the  joiner's  trade  in  youth,  work- 
ing with  E.  A.  Barber  of  Akron,  and  worked 
also  at  this  trade  in  Michigan.  He  also  made 
a  great  deal  of  money  by  handling  farming 
lands,  buying,  improving  and  selling,  fre- 
quently owning  and  disposing  of  two  farms 
in  a  year.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father,  he 
returned  to  Ohio  and  bought  out  the  other 
heirs,  and  has  resided  in  Norton  Township 
ever  since.  For  a  short  time  he  owned  the 
old  Surfass  farm,  but  this  he  sold  to  George 
Cowling. 

Mr.  Dreisbach  was  given  but  few  education- 
al chances  in  his  youth.  He  was  only  thirteen 
years  of  age  when  he  was  sent  into  the  harvest 
field,  and  was  proud  to  be  able  to  do  the 
work  of  a  half  hand.  He  has  always  enjoyed 
the  hard,  hearty  work  incident  to  safely  get- 
ting in  the  crops,  and  for  a  period  covering 
fifty-two  years  he  has  never  failed  to  take  part 
in  this  labor,  even  when  working  as  a  joiner. 

Mr.  Dreisbach  married  Martha  A.  Raber, 
who  was  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  L.  B-.  Raber,  and  she  came  to 
Summit  County  in  girlhood.  They  have  two 
children :  Lewis  B.  and  Charles  C.  A.  The 
elder  son  married  Anna  Blocher,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Martin  Blocher,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Leroy.  He  resides  on  the  home 
farm.  Charles  C.  A.,  who  owns  forty  acres 
in  Coventry  Township,  married  Mamie 
Strawhacker,  and  they  have  one  child,  Mer- 
land. 

B.  .T.  GIFFORD,  city  superintendent  of 
the  Mohican  Oil  and  Gas  Company,  whose 
portrait  appears  in  this  connection,  has  been 
identified  with  the  gas  business  all  his  life. 
He  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York,  in 
1872.  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  Penn- 
sylvania. 

After  finishing  his  schooling,  Mr.  Gifford 
went  to  work  for  the  Standard  Oil  Company, 
at  Titusville,  and  eighteen  months  later  went 
to  Fremont.  Ohio,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
the  gas  business  for  six  months.  Thence  he 
went  to  Toledo,  where  he  was  employed  for 


two  years.  Later  he  worked  all  through  the 
Indiana  gas  belt,  subsequently  returning  to 
Pennsylvania.  AVhen  the  Mohican  Oil  and 
Gas  Company  was  organized,  in  May,  1905, 
Mr.  Gifford  became  associated  with  it  at  Bar- 
berton  and  later,  when  it  became  the  lessee 
of  the  Akron  Gas  Company,  and  the  offices 
were  transferred  to  Akron,  he  became  the  su- 
perintendent at  this  point.  His  steady  con- 
tinuance in  one  line  of  effort  has  given  him 
the  experience  needful  for  an  office  of  the  im- 
portance of  the  one  who  fills.  In  1898  Mr. 
Gifford  was  married  to  Bernice  Giles,  who  was 
born  at  Dennison.  Ohio,  and  they  have  two 
attractive  children :  ^Margaret  Grace  and 
Bernice  June. 

WILLIAM  H.  JIcCHESNEY.  a  descendant 
of  one  of  Springfield's  oldest  and  most  hon- 
ored families,  and  a  man  of  prominence  and 
influence  in  his  community,  was  born  on  the 
farm  on  w-hich  he  now  resides,  in  Springfield 
Township,  Summit  County  Ohio,  December 
3,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Louise 
(Gressard)  McChesney. 

John  McChesney,  the  grandfather  of  Will- 
iam H.,  was  a  farmer  and  distiller,  and  he 
erected  the  residence  which  stands,  well  pre- 
.-^en'ed,  on  his  grandson's  farm.  The  name  of 
his  wife  was  Martha  and  they  had  the  follow- 
ing children:  Andrew,  who  married  Betsy 
Cables,  died  in  Kansas;  Margaret,  who  mar- 
ried Eli  Flickingcr,  died  in  Iowa;  Mary,  who 
is  the  widow  of  Jacob  Merton,  resides  in  Ne- 
braska; Leslie,  deceased,  married  Harriet 
Chote,  who  resides  in  Kansas;  and  William. 

William  McChesney  was  born  March  3, 
1817,  in  Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  wa.s  eight  years  of  age  when  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Ohio.  He  followed 
farming  all  his  life  and  died  in  1905,  in  his 
eighty-ninth  year.  Enterprising  and  public- 
spirited,  William  McChesney  did  much  to- 
ward building  up  the  community  in  which 
he  lived.  He  was  one  of  the  heartiest  sup- 
porters of  the  Valley  Railroad,  to  which  he 
donated  the  right  of  way  through  his  farm. 
He  was  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.       Politically,  he  was  a  Republican 


546 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


but  hi.s  desires  never  lay  in  the  direction  of 
political  preferment. 

William  McChesney  married  Louise  Gres- 
sard,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Frederick  Gres- 
sard  and  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  French 
army  before  coming  to  America.  He  landed 
at  Philadelphia  but  subsequently  came  to 
Coventry-  Township,  Summit  County,  where 
he  reared  a  family  of  six  children.  Both  he 
and  wife  died  in  Coventry  Township.  To 
William  and  Louise  McChesney  were  born  the 
following  children :  Charles  Lewis,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Edward  Austin,  a  contractor  and 
farmer,  residing  in  Springfield  Township, 
married  Sarah  Wise,  of  East  Liberty ;  Philora, 
who  married  George  L.  Sypher,  residing  at 
Akron ;  Herman  G.,  residing  at  Akron,  owns 
a  farm  near  Krumroy ;  Frederick,  residing  on 
his  farm  in  Springfield  Township,  who  mar- 
ried Nettie  Yerrick,  and  William  H. 

William  H.  McChesney  was  reared  in  his 
native  section  and  was  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  For  many  years  he  carried  on 
agricultural  pursuits  on  the  home  farm.  It 
is  a  tract  of  almost  sixty  acres  and  Mr.  Mc- 
Chesney's  careful  cultivation  resulted  in 
abundant  returns.  When  he  tired  of  farm- 
ing he  became  associated  with  his  brother, 
Edward  Austin,  in  building  and  contracting, 
renting  his  farm  to  a  tenant.  He  is  well 
known  all  through  this  section  and.  enjoys  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens. 

By  his  marriage  to  Lucy  Thompson,  Mr. 
McChesney  became  connected  with  another 
prominent  old  family  of  Summit  County. 
Mrs.  McChesney  is  a  native  of  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Elizabeth  (Henderson)  Thompson,  and 
a  granddaughter  of  Jame.s  and  Margaret 
(Sunderland)  Thompson.  Robert  Thomp- 
son was  born  in  1809,  and  came  to  Summit 
County,  in  1832,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years.  The  children  of  Robert 
Thompson  and  wife  were :  Margaret  J. ; 
Mary  F.,  who  married  Oscar  Collins,  re.sid- 
ing  at  Cleveland;  Nancy  J.,  who  died  in  1900, 
was  the  wife  of  William  L.  Ewart;  James  A., 
who  died  in   1906.  resided  in   Indiana;   one 


son  died  in  1864;  and  Lucy,  the  youngest, 
who  married  William  H.  McChesney. 

xVlthough  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McChesney  have 
no  children  of  their  own,  they  have  an 
adopted  son  who  is  very  dear  to  them,  who 
bears  the  name  of  Walter  McChesney.  He  is 
a  bright,  intelligent  youth  of  twelve  years. 

Mr.  McChesney  is  a  stanch  Republican. 
He  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  which 
has  been  the  faith  of  the  family  for  genera- 
tions. His  beautiful  modern  home  he  erected 
in  1906,  and  there  he  and  wife  enjoy  oft'ering 
hospitality   to   their   many    friends. 

ROBERT  A.  McCLELLAN,  who  was,  for 
almost  seventy-two  years  a  prominent  citizen 
and  successful  farmer  of  Springfield  Town- 
ship, was  born  April  9,  1835,  on  the  farm  on 
which  his  son,  William  J.  McClellan,  now  re- 
sides in  Summit  County,  Ohio.  He  was  a 
son  of  William  and  Jane  (Fite)  McClellan. 

The  parents  of  the  late  Robert  A.  McClel- 
lan came  to  Sunnnit  County  in  pioneer  days 
and  the  family  has  been  one  of  prominence 
in  this  section  ever  since  its  founding.  Of 
the  children  of  William  and  Jane  McClellan 
the  following  reached  maturity:  William  A., 
residing  at  Akron,  married  Alice  Russell; 
Elizabeth,  who  married  Urias  Cramer,  resid- 
ing at  Wichita,  Kansas;  and  Robert  A. 

Robert  A.  McClellan  passed  his  boyhood 
attending  the  district  schools,  and  working 
on  the  farm,  of  which  he  later  became  man- 
ager and  subsequently  owner.  He  married 
Amanda  Hoff,  a  member  of  another  family 
that  has  been  identified  with  Summit  County 
from  its  earliest  days.  Her  parents  were 
James  and  Wilhelmina  Hoff,  who  died  in 
Springfield  Township,  where  they  had  spent 
long  and  useful  lives.  They  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  McClellan  still  survives 
and  is  an  esteemed  resident  of  Mogadore. 
She  was  born  February  9,  1847,  and  is  one  of 
a  family  of  eight  children,  namely:  Lucinda, 
who  married  James  Stall,  residing  at  Delta, 
Ohio;  Miles,  residing  at  Akron,  who  mar- 
ried Mattie  Swain ;  Emma,  residing  in  Spring- 
field Township,  who  married  Thomas  Hale; 
Zadia,  residing  at  Cuyahoga,  Falls,  who  mar- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


547 


ried  L.  Cranier;  Albert,  re.<idiii<i- at  Tallniadge, 
Ohio,  wlio  married  Hattie  Treat ;  Frank,  re- 
siding at  Mogadore,  who  married  Mary  Hale; 
Amanda,  who  is  the  widow  of  Robert  A.  Mc- 
Clellan,  who  died  April  29,  1907 ;  and  James. 

To  Robert  A.  McClellan  and  wife  were  born 
five  children,  as  follows:  Cora,  William 
James,  Charles,  Robert  A.,  and  Fred.  Cora, 
who  married  Robert  Gates,  April  27,  1891, 
residing  at  Mogadore,  has  three  children, 
Harry,  born  November  22,  1892,  Eunice 
Mary,  born  May  16,  1894,  and  Ernest,  born 
April  17,  1908.  Mr.  Gates  is  a  prominent 
Rej)ul)lican  of  Springfield  Township,  serving 
at  present  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  he  is 
a  charter  member  of  Mogadore  Lodge,  No. 
482.  Knights  of  Pythias;  William  James, 
born  November  18,  1874,  was  educated  in  the 
local  schools  and  the  Mogadore  High  School, 
married  Lillian  Selzer,  daughter  of  Michael 
and  .\manda  Selzer  of  Springfield  Township, 
and  they  have  two  children.  Pearl,  born  De- 
cember 8,  1904,  and  Edna  May,  born  May  18, 
190(J.  Mr.  McClellan  is  a  very  successful 
farmer,  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  belongs  to 
the  order  of  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Mogadore. 
Charles,  who  has  been  in  partnei-ship  with 
his  brother  in  conducting  a  meat  market,  at 
Mogadore,  since  September,  1900,  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics  and  fraternally  a  Knight  of 
Pythia's.  He  married  Elsie  L.  Denny,  June 
21,  1905,  a  daughter  of  Henry  A.  and  Barbara 
Deiniy,  of  Sufiield  Township,  Portage  County. 
Robert  A.,  who  is  in  business  at  Mogadore,  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  fraternally  a 
Knight  of  Pythias.  Pie  married  Lizzie  Bow- 
man, a  daughter  of  Jefferson  and  Jemima 
(Boyer)  Bowman,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren, Earl  and  a  babe.  Fred  resides  with 
his  mother  at  Mogadore. 

About  four  years  preceding  his  death  the 
late  Robert  McClellan  moved  from  his  farm 
to  Mogadore,  where  he  had  erected  a  com- 
fortable home.  He  was  a  successful  farmer, 
and  was  an  honorable  man.  Politically,  he 
was  a  Democrat.  With  his  sons,  he  was  as- 
sociated with  Lodge  No.  482,  Knights  of 
Pvthia«. 


CHARLES  N.  MILLER,  a  representative 
citizen  of  Mogadore,  and  manager,  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Colonial  Pressed  Brick 
Company,  an  important  industry  of  this  sec- 
tion, was  born  in  Plain  Township,  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  February  27,  1880,  and  is  a 
■son  of  N.  S.  and  Ellen  (Wise)  Miller. 

The  Millers  came  originally  from  Pennsyl- 
vania to  Ohio,  Abraham  Miller,  the  grand- 
father, bringing  his  family  to  Stark  County, 
where  the  father  of  Charles  N.  Miller  was 
born  and  where  he  still  resides,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-eight  years.  His  occupation  since  he 
reached  mature  years  has  been  farming.  He 
married  Ellen  Wise,  who  also  survives,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  four 
daughters,  namely :  Roy  C,  residing  at  Can- 
ton; Joseph  A.,  residing  at  New  Berlin;  Net- 
tie, who  married  Harry  Stover,  residing  at 
Canal  Fulton ;  Minnie,  who  married  Arthur 
Wear-stler;  Lydia,  who  married  Thomas 
Weaver,  residing  at  Canton;  Ellen,  residing 
with  her  parents ;  and  Charles  N. 

Charles  N.  Miller  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  New  Berlin  and  after  graduating 
from  the  High  School,  took  a  couree  in  the 
Spencerian  Business  College,  at  Cleveland, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1902,  after  which 
he  accepted  a  position  as  cashier  for  the  Fed- 
eral Manufacturing  Company,  manufactur- 
ers of  automobiles  and  parts,  at  Cleveland. 
He  remained  with  this  organization  until 
1905,  when  he  entered  into  his  present  busi- 
ness, which  was  then  located  at  Akron.  He 
became  bookkeeper  for  the  Pressed  Brick 
Company,  and  after  its  removal  to  Mogadore 
he  became  manager,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  Colonial  Pressed  Brick  Company  is 
an  Ohio  corporation,  and  in  1904,  the  late 
Ira  A.  Miller,  of  Greentown,  was  its  presi- 
dent. J.  A.  Sheets  was  elected  vice-president 
and  C.  N.  Miller  secretary,  treasurer  and  gen- 
eral manager.  The  other  capitalists  con- 
nected with  the  company  are:  J.  W.  Hisey, 
Henry  Sweitzer,  Levi  Stoner,  E.  C.  Sheets 
and  W.  E.  Butler.  They  are  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  face  or  stiff  mud  brick.  The 
kiln  has  a  capacity  of  12,000  brick  per  day, 
machine  capacity,  40,000,  and  they  employ 


548 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


25  men  and  market  their  product  over  a  large 
area  of  country,  finding  ready  sale  on  account 
of  its  superior  quality.  The  plant  is  most 
conveniently  located  where  there  i--  an  abun- 
dance of  clay,  with  water  supplied  by  the  Little 
Cuyahoga  River.  Its  equipments  are  entirely 
modern.  When  Mr.  Miller  took  charge  it 
needed  a  man  of  his  business  capacity  to  ad- 
just what  was  wrong  and  to  put  the  business 
on  a  full  paying  basis.  This  he  has  done  and 
it  is  numbered  with  the  prospering  industries 
of  this  part  of  Summit  County. 

In  1904  Mr.  Miller  married  Rhuie  Sum- 
mers, who  is  a  daughter  of  Rev.  H.  B.  and 
Elizabeth  Summers,  who  was  born  at  Balti- 
more, Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  and  they  have 
one  son.  Homer  Summers.  The  father  of 
Mrs.  Miller  is  a  well-known  minister  of  the 
Evangelical  Church.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mil- 
ler belong  to  the  United  Evangelical  Church. 
They  have  been  residents  of  Mogadore  for 
the  past  two  years. 

ROBERT  C.  GATES,  a  leading  citizen  of 
Mogadore,  where  he  is  engaged  in  a  grocery 
business,  was  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  July 
18,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Eunice 
(Cornwell)  Gates. 

The  founder  of  the  Gates  family  in  this 
State  was  the  paternal  grandfather,  Halsey 
Gates,  who  came  with  his  wife  Lucy  and  set- 
tled at  what  has  been  known  ever  since  as 
Gates  Mills,  as  early  as  1816.  He  was  the 
founder  of  that  village  and  there  lived  out 
a  long  and  useful  life.  His  children  were: 
Washington,  who  is  deceased;  Edwin,  who  is 
deceased;  Alexander,  w'ho  has  never  been 
heard  of  by  his  family,  since  he  moved  to 
Mexico,  in  1884;  Maria,  deceased,  who  mar- 
ried Selig  Knapp;  Eliza,  who  married  Gordon 
Shipman;  Hattie,  who  married  D.  B.  Spear; 
William,  who  resides  at  Toledo,  Ohio;  and 
Henry.  The  grandparents  were  natives  of 
New  York. 

Henry  Gates,  father  of  Robert  C,  was  born 
at  Gates  Mills,  Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio,  in 
March,  1831.  Soon  after  his  marriage  he 
left  Gates  Mills  and  settled  at  Cleveland, 
where  he  had  charge  of  a  mill,  having  been 


trained  in  this  industry.  He  moved  from 
there  to  Elmore,  in  Ottawa  County,  and  from 
there  to  Port  Clinton,  in  1887  locating  at 
Mogadore,  where  he  has  been  engaged  ever 
since  in  operating  a  mill  of  his  own.  Al- 
though many  men  of  his  age  have  retired 
from  business,  Mr.  Gates  has  preserved  his 
strength,  vitality  and  ambition  to  a  remark- 
able degree,  and  is  just  as  capable  of  conduct- 
ing large  business  deals  as  in  his  earlier  years. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  united  with 
the  Masons,  at  Chagrin  Falls,  and  received 
his  demit  when  he  left  Port  Clinton.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Disciples  Church.  Mr.  Gates 
has  been  a  life-long  Republican,  this  being 
the  political  complexion  of  the  whole  kindred, 
with  the  single  exception  of  Mr.  Gosline,  who 
is  the  editor  of  the  Oak  Harbor,  Ottawa  Coun- 
ty, Press,  and  a  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Gates. 

Henry  Gates  was  married  (first)  to  Eunice 
Cornwell,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Sanders  Cornwell. 
There  were  five  children  born  to  that  mar- 
riage, namely :  Walter,  who  died  in  infancy ; 
Lucy,  who  married  J.  W.  Sylvester,  residing 
at  Cleveland;  Cora,  who  married  George  Gos- 
line, residing  at  Oak  Harbor;  George,  resid- 
ing at  Mogadore,  who  married  Grace  Hicker- 
man ;  and  Robert  C. 

Robert  C.  Gates  attended  school  up  to  the 
age  of  seventeen  years,  both  at  Elmore  and 
Port  Clinton,  after  which  he  worked  for  a 
time  in  a  printing  office,  and  later  worked  at 
railroading.  In  1887  he  came  to  Mogadore 
with  hLs  father,  and  shortly  afterward  em- 
barked in  his  present  business,  in  which  he 
has  met  with  success,  being  now  one  of  the 
leading  men  in  his  line  in  the  place. 

Mr.  Gates  was  married  (first)  to  Sylvia 
Atchison,  who  died  in  the  following  year.  He 
was  married  (second)  to  Cora  McClellan,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  prominent  old 
county  families,  Robert  and  Amanda  (Hoff) 
McClellan.  They  have  three  children :  Hen- 
ry Robert,  Eunice  and  Ernest.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gates  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

In  politics  Mr.  Gates  is  a  stanch  Republican 
and  on  numerous  occasions  since  locating  at 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


549 


Mogadore,  has  been  called  to  public  office. 
He  served  six  years  as  a  member  of  the  School 
Board,  for  three  years  was  treasurer  of  the 
corporation,  and  in  the  fall  of  1904,  without 
his  knowledge,  he  was  nominated  for  justice 
of  the  peace  and  subsequently  elected,  his 
personal  popularity  being  great  enough  to 
overcome  a  normal  Democratic  majority  of 
some  eighty  votes.  He  has  taken  an. active 
interest  in  everything  likely  to  advance  the 
welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  town  and  coun- 
ty. He  is  a  charter  member  of  Lodge  No. 
482,  Knights  of  Pythias,  at  Mogadore.  Like 
every  other  member  of  his  family,  he  is  a 
musician  and  has  been  the  leader  of  the 
Mogadore  band  since  it  was  organized  in  1902. 
His  father,  in  his  youth,  was  a  member  of  the 
old  Gates  Mills  band  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Elmore  band  when  living  there. 

BRADFORD  W.  SKINNER,  a  representa- 
tive citizen  of  Tallmadge  Township,  of  which 
he  has  been  a  trustee  for  the  past  five  years, 
resides  one-half  mile  northeast  of  Tallmadge 
Center,  where  he  owns  fifty  acres  of  excellent 
land.  He  was  born  in  Bath  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  April  7,  1833  and  is  a  son 
of  Col.  Salmon  and  Caroline  (Waldo)  Skin- 
ner. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Skinner  was  born  at 
Milford,  Connecticut.  In  his  eighteenth  year 
he  entered  the  service  of  his  country,  in  the 
War  of  1812,  after  which  he  settled  in  Sum- 
mit County.  He  lived  to  the  unusual  age  of 
ninety- two  years,  dying  in  1892.  He  mar- 
ried Catherine  Waldo,  who  accompanied  her 
father,  General  Waldo,  to  Suffield  Town- 
.ship,  Portage  County.  He  later  moved  to  the 
far  West,  where  he  died.  Mrs.  Skinner  died 
at  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  The  children 
of  Salmon  and  Catherine  Skinner  were  the 
following:  Daniel,  residing  in  Nebraska;  De- 
catur, who  died  in  California;  Uriah,  deceased; 
Bradford  W.,  of  Bath  Township ;  Oliver,  who 
died  in  Geauga  County,  Ohio ;  Edwin,  resid- 
ing at  Tallmadge,  married  (first)  to  Caroline 
Wurst,  and  (second)  a  lady  in  Bath  Town- 
ship, and  he  served  in  the  Civil  War  as  a 
member  of  the  29th  Regiment,  Ohio  Volun- 


teer Infantry;  and  Joseph-,  who  died  in  a 
New  York  hospital,  having  served  in  the 
Civil  War  under  General  Sherman. 

Bradford  W.  Skinner  was  eleven  years  of 
age  when  his  mother  died.  He  lived 'in  Bath 
and  Northampton  Townships  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age,  in  the  meantime  having 
but  meager  school  advantages.  When  he 
came  to  Bath  Township  he  hired  out  to  run 
a  sawmill,  and  he  remained  in  the  employ 
of  one  man  for  fifteen  years.  He  then  rented 
land  of  F.  D.  Ailing  for  five  years,  subse- 
quently purchasing  thirty-three  acres  of  the 
land,  which  he  has  added  to  and  continued 
to  cultivate.  For  many  years  he  followed 
teaming,  this  being  very  profitable  to  him, 
resulting  in  his  becoming  a  man  of  independ- 
ent means. 

On  April  18,  1855,  Mr.  Skinner  was  mar- 
ried to  Laura  Dickerson,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Martha  Dickerson,  farmers 
of  Northampton  Township.  Five  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Skinner,  namely: 
Etta  L.,  Carlton  B.,  OUie,  Lucy  A.  and  Min- 
nie. Etta  L.  was  married  (first)  to  Arthur 
Hart  and  (second)  to  John  Newton,  ra«ides 
at  Hudson  and  has  four  children.  Carlton  B. 
married  (first)  Julia,  a  daughter  of  0.  S. 
Treat,  and  (second)  Fannie  Bierce,  daughter 
of  Luciu.'i  V.  and  Hattie  Bierce,  and  they  have 
one  daughter.  Ollie  married  Frank  Root,  who 
is  a  mail  carrier  residing  at  Six  Corners. 
They  have  four  children.  Miss  Lucy  A.  is 
head  nurse  at  the  Battle  Creek  Sanitarium, 
Battle  Creek,  Michigan.  She  studied  three 
years  at  Ann  Arbor  and  holds  the  record  of 
being  the  only  girl  who  ever  passed  out  of 
that  institution  from  the  school  room  directly 
to  a  high  and  responsible  position,  one  which 
she  has  capably  filled  for  the  past  three  years. 
Minnie  married  Edwin  Upson,  who  is  engaged 
in  farming  in  Tallmadge  Township. 

Politically  Mr.  Skinner  has  been  a  stanch 
Republican  ever  since  he  acquired  his  right 
to  full  citizenship  and  he  has  been  a  supporter 
of  the  Government  both  in  peace  and  war. 
On  May  2,  1864,  as  a  member  of  Company  D, 
164th  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
he  accompanied   his   comrades   to   Cleveland 


550 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  from  there  to  Arlington  Heights,  Wash- 
ington, and  when  the  military  necessity  was 
over,  returned  to  Cleveland  and  was  mus- 
tered out.  As  one  of  the  township's  intelli- 
gent, reliable  citizens,  Mr.  Skinner  has  fre- 
quently been  called  upon  to  accept  local  of- 
fices and  on  all  occasions  he  has  performed 
his  duties  faithfully  and  efficiently.  For  the 
past  five  years  he  has  been  a  township  trustee 
and  his  caution  and  good  judgment  have 
made  him  a  valuable  member  of  the  board. 
He  belongs  to  Buckley  Post,  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  at  Akron,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  local  Grange.  He  is  a  liberal  man  in 
the  support  of  charities  and  has  never  turned 
a  deaf  ear  to  distress. 

HOWARD  A.  BAUER,  a  well-known  citi- 
zen of  Norton  Township,  who  .since  1895  has 
been  operating  the  Weygandt  farm,  which  is 
a  valuable  tract  of  seventy-three  acres,  was 
born  June  14,  1873,  in  Norton  Town.ship, 
Sununit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Susanna  (Hoch)  Bauer,  who  were  natives 
of  Pennsylvania. 

Howard  A.  Bauer  was  reared,  in  Norton 
Township,  where  he  has  resided  all  his  life 
with  the  exception  of  two  years  spent  at  Bar- 
berton.  On  January  1,  1895,  Mr.  Bauer  was 
married  to  Augusta  Weygandt,  who  was  born 
on  the  old  Weygandt  farm  across  the  road 
from  the  present  home,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Elias  and  Mary  (Miller)  Weygandt,  the  lat- 
ter of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  Peter  Miller. 
Elias  Weygandt  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  came  early  in  manhood  to  Norton  Town- 
ship. He  owned  the  farm  on  which  Mrs. 
Bauer  was  born,  his  wife  being  the  owner 
of  the  present  Bauer  home,  Mrs.  Bauer  owns 
the  present  farm,  which  Mr.  Bauer  cultivates 
very  successfully.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bauer  have 
one  child,  Thelma  May.  They  attend  the 
Lutheran  Church  at  Doylestown,  Ohio. 

EDWIN  H.  CARTER,  general  farmer  and 
representative  citizen  of  Northfield  Township, 
was  born  in  Boston  Township,  Summit  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  August  14,  1858,  and  when  fourteen 


years  of  age,  his  parents  moved  to  Everett, 
and  his  education  was  secured  there  and  at 
Peninsula. 

Mr.  Carter  worked  on  his  father's  canal  boat 
and  later  assisted  the  latter  on  his  farm,  until 
he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  pur- 
chased the  canal  boat  named  Tempest,  and 
later  owned  the  Tidal  Wave.  He  continued 
on  the  water  for  about  two  years,  after  which 
he  engaged  in  farming  for  a  time,  still  later 
entering  a  wholesale  house  at  Akron,  where 
he  continued  for  five  years.  He  had  pre- 
viously learned  the  blacksmith  business  and 
spent  a  season  in  the  Michigan  woods  working 
as  a  blacksmith  for  the  Cleveland  Sawmill 
Company,  Prior  to  going  to  Akron,  he  con- 
ducted a  blacksmith  shop  at  Everett,  for  five 
years.  Before  his  marriage  in  1904,  he  rented 
a  farm  at  Everett  for  two  years,  and  after- 
ward came  to  the  Chaffee  farm,  which  he  has 
operated  very  successfully  ever  since.  He 
raises  truck  and  produce  of  all  kinds  for  the 
Cleveland  market,  keeps  twenty  cows  and  has 
butter  made  on  the  farm  for  special  cus- 
tomers, has  some  twenty  calves  and  twenty 
head  of  hogs.  He  raises  good  crops  also  of 
corn,  oats,  wheat  and  hay.  The  apple  orchard 
is  a  fine  producer  and  many  barrels  are 
shipped  a  season. 

On  May  2,  1904,  Mr.  Carter  was  married 
to  Gertrude  Wisneski,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Peter  Wisneski.  She  was  born  at  Inde- 
pendence, Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio,  December 
2,  1867,  but  for  the  past  twenty-five  years  has 
lived  with  the  Chaft'ee  family,  by  whom  she 
is  looked  on  in  the  light  of  a  daughter.  Her 
father  was  born  in  Poland  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica with  his  parent.s.  They  settled  first  in 
Cleveland,  moving  later  to  Independence, 
where  Mr.  Wisneski  followed  the  trade  of 
stonecutter  until  within  five  years  of  his  death, 
when  he  bought  a  farm  in  Northfield  Town- 
ship, on  which  he  raised  truck  for  the  Cleve- 
land market. 

Mr.  Carter  takes  no  active  interest  in  poli- 
tics, voting  as  his  judgment  directs.  He  is 
known  to  his  fellow-citizens  as  a  fine  farmer, 
a  reliable  man  and  an  accommodating  and 
helpful  neighbor. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


551 


CHARLES  W.  WICKLINE,  general  su- 
perintendent of  the  Akron  China  Company, 
and  one  of  the  stockholders  and  a  director  in 
the  concern,  was  born  in  1869,  at  Pitt;>burg, 
Pennsj'lvania,  where  he  attended  school  in 
early  boyhood. 

Mr.  Wickline  is  a  self-made  man,  begin- 
ning at  a  very  early  age  to  provide  for  his 
own  maintenance.  He  began  to  work  as  a 
feeder  in  a  nail  factory  and  so  careful,  ac- 
curate and  industrious  did  he  prove  himself 
that  by  the  time  he  was  eighteen  years  old 
he  was  given  charge  of  four  machines,  which 
he  operated  for  about  seven  years.  Desiring 
to  see  something  of  the  country  and  to  en- 
gaged in  a  more  congenial  business,  Mr.  Wick- 
line then  went  to  East  Liverpool,  where  he 
learned  the  pottery  trade,  his  natural  deft- 
ness and  ready  understanding  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  this  industry  soon  bringing  him  into 
notice  with  china  manufacturers  and  dealers. 
Coming  to  Akron  he  was  here  given  charge 
of  one  department  of  the  Akron  China  Com- 
pany, in  which  he  owned  stock.  His  manifest 
ability  resulted  in  his  rapid  promotion,  and 
for  the  past  six  years  he  has  occupied  his 
I)resent  responsible  position.  The  Akron 
China  Company  commands  an  extensive  trade, 
as  at  their  Chicago  office  they  do  a  half  mil- 
lion dollars'  worth  of  business  yearly  in  im- 
]>orted  goods  alone.  They  have  225  employes 
in  their  Akron  plant.  In  addition  to  his  in- 
terest in  this  important  enterprise,  Mr.  Wick- 
line is  a  director  in  the  Akron  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Company.  He  has  always  taken 
some  interest  in  local  political  affairs. 

In  1892  Mr.  Wickline  was  married  to  Mary 
Frances  Hawkins,  who  was  born  at  Steuben- 
ville,  Ohio.  Her  grandfather  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  in  Jefferson  County.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wickline  have  one  son,  Frank  Hawkins. 
Mr.  Wickline,  with  his  family,  is  affiliated 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
is  quite  prominent  in  Masonry,  having  been 
identified  with  the  fraternity  for  many  years. 
He  is  past  worshipful  master  of  Akron  Lodge, 
N.  83,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  past  high  priest  of  Wash- 
ington Chapter  No.  25 ;  past  thrice  illustrious 
master  of  Akron  Council,  No.  80 ;  and  belongs 


to  the  Akron  Connnandery  and  Lake  Erie 
Consistory. 

COMFORT   JACKSON   CHAFFEE,   who 

has  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  resident 
of  Northfield  Township,  was  born  in  what  is 
now  Hampden,  Ma.ssachusetts,  April  14,  1817, 
and  is  a  son  of  Comfort  and  Persis  (Skinner) 
Chaffee. 

The  family  can  be  traced  back  to  France, 
from  Avhich  country  it  early  went  to  Wales 
and  in  colonial  days  came  to  Massachusetts. 
The  original  settler  was  named  Samuel  and 
he  had  a  son,  John,  who  settled  at  Pomfret, 
Connecticut,  and  he  had  a  son,  Asa.  Asa 
Chaffee,  the  great-grandfather,  was  born  in 
Connecticut,  and  was  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers at  Wilbraham,  Massachusetts.  He  had 
sixteen  sons,  many  of  whom  were  killed  in 
the  French  and  Indian  and  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  The  youngest  of  these.  Com- 
fort Chaffee,  was  born  at  Wilbraham,  Mas- 
sachusetts. He  participated  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  and  proved  a  bold  and  resolute 
man.  He  was  a  strict  Sabbatarian  and  per- 
mitted no  household  or  farm  work  to  be 
done  on  Sunday. 

Comfort  Chaffee  (2),  the  second  child  and 
eldest  son  of  his  parents  was  born  at  Wil- 
braham, Massachusetts,  where  his  life  was 
spent.  He  was  a  farmer  and  stockdealer  and 
was  a  man  of  considerable  substance.  He  as- 
sisted in  suppressing  Shay's  Rebellion.  He  took 
a  leading  part  in  the  town's  government  and 
held  many  of  the  offices.  He  married  Persis 
Skinner,  who  was  born  in  Woodstock,  Con- 
necticut, and  they  have  six  sons  and  three 
daughters.  Their  children  were  reared  in 
great  strictness. 

Comfort  Jackson  Chaffee  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools  in  his  youth  and  received  excel- 
lent training  in  the  rudiments.  On  the  last 
day  of  December,  1837,  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  firm  of  Waters  &  Flagg,  armorers, 
at  Millbury,  Massachusetts,  and  remained  a 
year,  afterward  worked  at  the  Chicopee  Falls 
Arms  Company,  and  later  cut  a  large  amount 
of  cord  wood,  taking  his  pay  of  thirty-seven 
and  one-half   cents   a   cord,   in   sole  leather. 


552 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Later  he  worked  at  manufacturing  monkey 
wrenches.  About  1839,  Mr.  Chaffee  received 
a  letter  from  his  brother  Jonathan,  who  was 
then  at  Brecksville,  Summit  County,  asking 
him  to  join  him  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
On  April  1,  1840,  he  left  Massachusetts,  trav- 
eling by  rail  to  Rochester,  New  York,  which 
was  then  the  terminus  of  the  line,  and  there 
took  a  stage  to  Dunkirk,  at  that  point  tak- 
ing passage  on  the  steamer  General  Scott, 
then  making  her  maiden  trip  to  Cleveland. 

Having  safely  reached  Northfield  Town- 
ship, Mr.  Chaffee  bought  seventy  acres  of 
land,  which  is  included  in  his  present  farm 
and  to  the  original  purchase  he  continued  to 
add  until  he  owned  300  acres.  He  cleared 
the  timber  from  his  land,  making  his  home 
for  two  years  with  his  brother  and  also  work- 
ing in  a  machine  shop  at  Brecksville.  In  the 
second  year  he  built  a  barn.  When  not  em- 
ployed on  his  land  he  worked  at  Brecksville, 
in  the  iron  works  when  they  were  running, 
and  also,  in  the  machine  shops  at  odd  times. 
He  afterwards  assisted  in  establishing  a  plant 
for  the  manufacture  of  rifles  at  Brecksville. 
He  began  to  stock  his  farm  with  cattle  and 
sheep,  as  soon  as  practicable,  and  in  1848,  he 
began  dairying,  starting  with  two  cows,  and 
later  increased  to  eighty-seven  cows.  At  the 
same  time  he  had  400  sale  cows  on  the  place. 
Later  Mr.  Chaffee  became  a  drover,  a  very 
successful  one,  and  in  this  capacity  he  was  on 
the  road  until  he  was  eighty-eight  years  of 
age,  selling  at  Brooklyn,  Ohio,  and  South 
Cleveland,  when  not  holding  sales  on  his  own 
place.  Mr.  Chaffee  is  well  known  all  over  this 
section  of  the  State,  and  for  many  years  was 
regarded  as  an  authority  on  cattle  and  stock. 
His  operations  sometimes  were  on  a  large 
scale  and  through  his  excellent  business  judg- 
ment, he  accumlated  an  ample  fortune. 

Mr.  Chaffee  married  Asenath  W.  Ferry, 
who  died  May  30,  1904,  aged  eighty-six  years. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Noah  Ferry  and  was 
born  at  Wales,  Ma.ssachusetts.  There  were 
two  children  born  to  this  marriage:  Mozart, 
deceased :  and  Anna  Maria,  who  is  the  widow 
of  Dr.  Franklin  Coats,  of  Berea,  Ohio. 

In  his  early  political  life,  Mr.  Chaffee  was 


a  Whig,  later  became  a  Free  Trade  Repub- 
lican, but  at  present  is  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party.  The  only  ofhce  he  would 
ever  consent  to  hold  was  that  of  school  direct- 
or. His  life  has  covered  a  notable  period  of 
history  and  has  been  more  or  less  filled  with 
interesting  incidents.  Mr.  Chaffee  is  remark- 
ably preserved  and  enjoys  social  intercourse 
and  takes  the  interest  of  a  much  younger 
man  in  the  affairs  of  his  community  and  of 
the  world  at  large. 

J.  M.  WILLS,  president  and  superintend- 
ent of  the  United  States  Stoneware  Company, 
at  Akron,  is  one  of  the  city's  prominent  and 
substantial  citizens.  He  was  born  in  1841,  in 
England  and  was  eight  years  of  age  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  America. 

Mr.  Wills  was  reared  and  educated  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls.  After  graduating  from  the 
High  School  of  that  city,  he  looked  about  for 
employment,  and  was  engaged  for  some  two 
years  in  making  plows.  He  embarked  then 
in  a  mercantile  business  in  which  he  con- 
tinued for  twenty-six  years,  during  sixteen 
of  which  he  officiated  as  postmaster  at  Mid- 
dlebury.  In  1889,  Mr.  Wills  became  super- 
intendent of  the  United  States  Stoneware 
plant  at  Akron,  and  this  city  has  since  been 
his  place  of  residence.  On  the  death  of  George 
W.  Brewster,  Mr.  Wills  succeeded  him  as  pres- 
ident of  the  company.  This  concern  was 
organized  for  the  manufacture  of  all  kinds 
of  stonewai'e  and  enjoys  a  heavy  trade,  the 
plant  giving  employment  to  fifty  workers. 
Mr.  Wills  is  himself  master  of  every  part  of 
the  business,  and  keeps  closely  in  touch  with 
commercial  and  manufacturing  interests  all 
over  the  country.  Under  his  guidance  the 
business  is  enjoying  continued  prosperity.  In 
1863  Mr.  Wills  was  married  to  Martha  E. 
Willis,  of  Middlebury  (East  Akron),  and  they 
have  five  children:  Rena;  Nellie  J.,  who 
married  A.  H.  Coles,  of  Cleveland;  Bessie, 
who  married  J.  J.  Chamberlain,  of  Akron; 
Frank  S.,  of  Lima,  traveling  freight  agent 
for  the  Lake  Erie  &  Western  Railroad;  and 
Grant  M.,  residing  at  Cleveland,  who  is  stock 
clerk  for  the  Ferro  Machine  &  Foundry  Com- 


AND    EEPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


553 


pany.  Mr.  Wills  has  taken  an  active  interest 
in  city  politics  and  for  four  years  served  as 
a  member  of  the  City  Council.  He  belongs  to 
the  beneficiaiy  order  of  the  Protected  Home 
Circle. 

WALTER  A.  FRANKLIN,  of  the  firm  of 
Franklin  Brothers,  also  a  general  contractor, 
at  Akron,  has  been  for  the  past  twenty-eight 
years  a  resident  of  this  city,  which  has  been 
the  scene  of  his  greatest  business  activity.  He 
was  born  a  Baltimore,  Maryland,  in  1868,  and 
is  a  son  of  Charles  Franklin,  who  is  a  retired 
citizen  of  Akron. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Franklin  came  to  Ohio 
when  he  was  about  two  years  of  age,  and  he 
attended  school  in  this  city.  His  entrance 
into  business  was  as  a  clerk  in  a  tea  store  for 
two  years,  commencing  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
years.  Afterward  he  worked  in  a  brick  yard  for 
one  year  and  then  engaged  in  lathing.  He  also 
learned  the  plasterer's  trade  and  subsequently 
served  two  years  at  the  cooper's  trade.  Prior 
to  his  twenty-first  birthday  he  had  accom- 
plished all  this  and  was  theii  prepared  to  en- 
gage in  contract  plastering,  which  he  did  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one.  This  easily  led  to 
mason  work  and  general  contracting.  In 
1898  the  firm  of  Franklin  Brothers  was  estab- 
lished for  the  purpose  of  dealing  in  all  kinds 
of  sand  and  gravel  and  other  commodities 
and  doing  all  kinds  of  excavating  and  heavy 
teaming,  an  extensive  business  being  car- 
ried on  along  all  these  lines.  C.  F.  Frank- 
lin manages  this  business  W.  A.  Franklin, 
independent  of  the  Franklin  Brothers  does 
a  large  amount  of  contract  work,  private 
residences  especially,  in  connection  with 
city  building.  He  has  built  the  follow- 
ing fine  residences:  S.  J.  Rickie,  B.  G. 
Work's  addition  to  residence,  George  G. 
Allen's,  John  Gross's.  George  Warner's.  M. 
O'Neil's;  I.  R.  Manton's,  also  Frederick  Mil- 
ler's, of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  the  addition  to 
the  palatial  home  of  C  B.  Raymond,  besides 
many  others. 

In  1889,  Mr.  Franklin  was  married  to  Jes- 
sie E.  Salmons,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  four 
children:     William    Charles,     Harriet    Ann, 


James  A.  and  Robert  D.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Franklin  is  a  Mason  and  he  belongs  to  the 
Blue  Lodge,  Chapter,  and  Council  at  Akron. 
His  business  location  is  at  No.  327  Cuyahoga 
Street.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  city's 
most  capable  business  men,  and  is  also  an 
interested  and  a.ctive  worker  in  advancing  the 
welfare  of  Akron  in  every  way.  His  portrait 
on  the  neighboring  page  will  be  regarded 
as  an  appropriate  supplement  to  this  article. 

C.  F.  FRANKLIN,  of  Franklin  Brothers, 
the  leading  general  contracting  firm  of  Akron, 
is  one  of  the  city's  successful,  self-made  men. 
He  was  born  in  1873,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  but 
wiis  reared  and  educated  in  Akron,  attending 
the  North  Hill  School. 

In  boj'hood  he  started  out  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world,  and  he  was  the  first  lad  to 
carry  the  Cleveland  Press  north  of  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  Railroad,  which  work  he  per- 
formed for  three  years,  and  under  conditions 
which  would  have  discouraged,  many  less  per- 
severing youths.  At  that  time  the  newspa- 
per, which  was  greatly  in  demand,  did  not 
reach  Akron  until  five  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, causing  the  brave  little  carrier  to  make 
a  somewhat  risky  trip  over  the  North  hills 
at  night.  This  determination  of  character 
has  been  a  winning  attribute  in  later  life. 
From  being  a  newsboy  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Akron  Building  and  Cabinet  Company, 
and  reonained  with  this  concern  during  seven 
busy  years.  He  then  took  charge  of  L.  D. 
Ewing's  planing  mill  for  two  years.  During 
the  next  two  years  he  worked  for  the  Akron 
Spirit  Level  Company,  then  for  thirteen 
months  w^as  with  the  Summit  Lumber  Com- 
pany, following  which  came  his  partmership 
with  his  brother,  Walter  A,  Franklin,  under 
the  style  of  Franklin  Brothers. 

This  firm  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  in 
the  city.  The  Franklin  Brothers  were  the 
first  to  make  a  business  of  delivering  screened 
sand  to  their  customers,  and  they  own  the 
only  steam  shovel.  They  are  engaged  in  all 
kinds  of  heavy  teaming,  having  thirty-eight 
teams  in  operation  to  assist  in  excavating  and 
other  contract  work.     A   large  contract  now 


554. 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


bfing  filkni  is  the  building  of  the  new  State 
Mill  Reservoir,  which  is  progre.*sing  satisfac- 
torily. 

The  Franklin  Brothei-s  are  the  owners  of 
the  North  Hill  sand  banks,  situated  at  the 
corner  of  North  Howard  StTeet  and  Glenwood 
Avenue,  whieh  contains  fifteen  acres  of  sand 
and  to  an  average  of  forty  feet  high. 

On  November  15,  1893,  Mr.  Franklin  was 
married  to  Ada  M.  Gillett,  of  Akron,  and  they 
have  five  children,  namely:  Charles  E., 
Howard  L.,  Walter  A.,  Ada  May  and  Francis 
Gillett.  Mr.  Franklin  is  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Modern  Woodmen  and  of  the  Build- 
ei-s'  Exchange. 

McAllister  brothers,  the  name  in- 
cluding Isadore  and  Alexander  McAllister, 
own  the  old  Alexander  McAllister  farm  of 
eighty-eight  and  one-quarter  acres,  which  is 
.situated  in  Bath  Township.  It  formerly  con- 
tained eighty-nine  acres  but  the  McAllister 
school  building,  in  School  District  No.  10, 
takes  off  three-fourths  of  an  acre.  This  farm 
was  purchased  from  an  early  settler,  Dr.  Cros- 
by, June  30,  1840,  and  has  never  been  out 
of  the  family. 

The  parents  of  the  McAllister  Brothers  were 
born  and  reared  in  Ireland  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1836,  following  their  marriage.  They 
settled  first  in  Coventry  Township,  Summit 
County,  and  Alexander  McAllister,  the  father, 
was  a  contractor  on  the  Pennsylvania  &  Ohio 
Canal.  Later  he  moved  to  Monroe  Falls, 
where  he  took  a  second  contract.  His  first 
contract  was  the  building  of  the  canal  be- 
tween Akron  and  Middlebury,  now  East  Ak- 
ron. From  Monroe  Falls  he  moved  on  the 
present  farm  of  his  sons,  in  Bath  Township, 
finding  no  buildings  but  an  old  log  house. 
Many  of  the  trees  had  been  girdled  and  were 
dead,  and  old  stumps  made  a  lonesome  ap- 
pearing landscape,  but  he  was  a  man  of  great 
energy  and  industry  and  completed  the  clear- 
ing of  the  whole  farm.  This  was  a  large 
undertaking,  as  in  those  days,  the  use  of  pres- 
ent explosives  and  machinery  for  this  purpose 
was  unknown,  and  all  the  heavy  work  had  to 
be   done   practically   by  sheer  strength.     In 


1843  he  replaced  the  log  house  with  the  frame 
one  in  which  his  sons  reside.  He  had  seven 
children  and  Isadore  and  Alexander  are  the 
only  survivors.  The  others  were:  John,  who 
died  in  infancy  in  Coventry;  Alexander  (1), 
who  died  an  infant,  in  Coventry ;  an  unnamed 
infant;  Mary,  who  died  June  20,  1854,  aged 
three  years;  and  James,  who  died  in  Bath 
Town.ship,  September  6,  1873,  aged  twenty- 
one  years.  The  father  died  April  22,  1854, 
and  the  mother,  February  6,  1891. 

Isadore  McAllister  was  seven  year's  of  age 
when  hL«  father  died,  leaving  a  family  of 
small  children  for  the  mother  to  rear.  Her 
children  being  too  young  to  give  much  as- 
sistance, she  let  the  farm  out  on  shares  until 
her  sons  were  old  enough  to  take  charge, 
which  they  did  when  young.  They  have 
proven  themselves  good  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers  and  excellent  business  men  as  well. 
They  operate  a  fine  dairy  with  twelve  cows. 

Isadore,  the  elder  of  the  McAllister  Broth- 
ers, was  born  April  4,  1847.  He  married 
Miranda  Vallen,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Vallen,  and  they  have  two  children : 
Lloyd,  aged  twenty-one  years,  and  Alma,  aged 
seventeen  years.  Mrs.  McAllister  died  April 
12,  1902. 

Both  brothers  work  together  in  harmony 
and  present  a  picture  of  brotherly  affection 
and  devotion  to  each  other's  welfare  that  it  is 
jileasant  to  contemplate.  They  are  both  consist- 
ent members  of  St.  Vincent's  Catholic  Church. 
For  four  years,  Alexander  McAllister  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board.' 

CALVIN  SPADE,  foreman  of  the  Robin- 
son Clay  Company  factory  No.  3,  at  East  Ak- 
ron, a  responsible  position  he  has  filled  for  the 
j)ast  five  years,  was  born  in  Springfield  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  September  6, 
1851,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Heckman)  Spade. 

John  Spade,  the  grandfather  of  Calvin 
Spade,  came  to  LTniontown,  Springfield  Town- 
ship, in  1812,  from  Snyder  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  died  when  advanced  in  years.  Of 
his  fourteen  children,  all  reached  maturity 
except  two,  and  the  survivors  reached  a  good 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


555 


old  age,  the  majority  leaving  descendants. 
The  eldest  child,  George,  was  born  in  Snyder 
County,  in  1811,  was  brought  by  his  parents 
to  Springfield  Township,  where  he  married 
Rebecca  Weaver;  Jacob  married  Miss  Myers, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years; 
Samuel  also  married  a  Myers,  and  died  aged 
sixty-seven  years;  Catherine  also  married  into 
the  Myers  family,  and  died  aged  seventy-three 
years;  William  married  a  Miss  Weaver,  and 
died  aged  seventy  years;  Henry  married  a 
member  of  the  Myers  family,  and  lived  to 
be  sixty-eight  years  of  age;  Noah  married  a 
Miss  Starr,  and  died  aged  seventy-eight  years ; 
Thomas  married  a  Miss  Weaver,  and  died 
aged  seventy  years;  Sarah  married  a  Kreich- 
baum,  and  died  aged  thirty-five  years;  Eve 
never  married,  and  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty- 
one  years;  John,  father  of  Calvin,  lived  to  the 
age  of  seventy-seven  years;  and  Michael  mar- 
ried a  member  of  the  Weaver  family.  The 
grandparents  died  aged  sixty-six  and  eighty- 
one  years,  respectively. 

Both  parents  of  Calvin  Spade  were  born  in 
Springfield  Township,  where  their  lives  were 
passed.  They  had  the  following  children : 
Samuel,  who  died  aged  two  years;  Catherine, 
who  married  Joseph  Bollinger ;  Eve,  who  mar- 
ried Moses  Israel ;  Calvin ;  Michael,  who  mar- 
ried Barbara  Jane  Swinehart;  William,  who 
married  Barbara  Keller;  John,  who  married 
Minerva  Schriner;  Sarah,  who  remains  un- 
married; Elizabeth,  who  is  unmarried. 

Calvin  Spade  had  few  educational  advan- 
tages in  his  youth.  His  life  had  been  one 
of  constant  industry  and  has  been  mainly 
confined  to  the  pottery  industry.  He  learned 
his  trade  at  the  pottery  of  his  uncle,  George 
Spade,  and  for  the  past  thirty-three  years  he 
has  been  engaged  at  Factory  No.  3,  this  plant 
having  been  established  for  a  half  century. 
Mr.  Spade,  from  his  long  experience,  has  the 
work  here  well  in  hand,  and  since  he  has  been 
superintendent,  the  product  has  not  only  been 
increased  in  quantity  but  has  still  more  surely 
confirmed  its  reputation  as  to  quality.  Mr. 
Spade  has  thirtj'-six  workmen  under  his  con- 
trol and  the  most  cordial  feelings  exist  between 
the  foreman  and  his  employes. 


In  1873  Mr.  Spade  was  married,  and  nine 
of  his  family  of  children  still  survive,  namely: 
William  Edward,  residing  in  New  Mexico,  is 
a  locomotive  engineer,  married  Pearl  Metzger 
and  they  have  one  child;  Robert,  residing  at 
Atlanta,  is  a  pitcher  in  the  Southern  Base  Ball 
League,  married  Carrie  Boiling  and  they  have 
two  children,  Glynn  and  Vera;  Grace,  who 
married  William  Ritzman,  a  farmer  of  Spring- 
field Town.ship,  has  one  child,  Hazel;  Stella, 
who  'married  John  Ritzman,  a  farmer  of 
Springfield  Township,  has  one  child,  John; 
Louisa,  who  married  George  Ody,  resides  in 
the  Hunt  Allotment  of  Akron ;  Ira,  who  is 
engaged  with  his  father  at  the  pottery;  and 
Huldah,  Lillie  and  Carrie  L.,  all  residing  at 
home.  The  family  belong  to  the  East  Mar- 
ket street  Reformed  Church.  For  thirty 
years  Mr.  Spade  has  been  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Knights  of  Pythias,  belonging  to 
Aetolia  Lodge,  No.  24,  Akron. 

GEORGE  A.  SHAW,  organizer,  president 
and  general  manager  of  the  Buckeye  Match 
Company,  of  North  Baltimore,  Ohio,  has  been 
a  prominent  resident  of  Barberton  and  New 
Portage,  for  the  past  thirty-four  years,  serving 
with  credit  in  public  offices,  successfully  di- 
recting business  affaii-s  and  taking  an  active 
part  in  political  life.  Mr.  Shaw  was  born 
about  one-half  mile  north  of  Johnson's  Cor- 
ners, in  Norton  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  September  1,  1853,  and  is  a  son  of 
Merwin  and  Emily  E.   (Betz)   Shaw. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Shaw  was  born  at  Medina, 
Ohio,  and  spent  the  larger  part  of  his  life 
in  Norton  Township,  Summit  County,  where 
he  engaged  in  fanning  and  also  operated  a 
grist  mill. 

Attending  the  district  schools  in  the  winter 
seasons  and  working  on  the  home  farm  during 
the  summers,  made  up  the  larger  part  of 
Mr.  Shaw's  boyhood  life.  Later  he  attended 
the  High  School  at  Doylestown  and  subse- 
quently attended  the  Mennonitc  College  at 
Wadsworth,  Ohio.  The  failure  of  his  father's 
health,  about  this  time,  threw  the  responsibil- 
ity of  managing  the  home  farm  on  his  shoul- 
ders.    Several  years  later  he  went  to  South 


556 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Dakota,  where  he  took  up  a  Government  cluini 
of  160  acres,  but  made  his  home  at  Mitchell. 
While  there  he  entered  into  the  employ  of  a 
railroad  company,  first  as  night  yardniiister 
and  later  as  manager  of  the  day  yards.  After 
residing  there  for  some  two  years  and  con- 
tinuing his  railroad  work,  he  was  so  seriously 
injured  while  making  a  coupling,  that  all 
further  railroad  work  was  abandoned  and  he 
returned  to  Summit  County,  on  a  pass  gladly 
offered  by  the  company. 

Mr.  Shaw  located  at  New  Portage,  where 
he  opened  a  general  stone,  and  for  eight 
years  he  served  as  postmaster  there,  when, 
on  being  elected  mayor  of  Barberton,  he 
moved  to  his  prsent  home.  He  served  four 
years  also  as  postmaster  of  this  city  and-  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  Public 
Affairs,  of  Barberton.  Mr.  Shaw  is  concerned 
in  various  business  enterprises  and  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Barberton  Wire  Lock  Fence  Com- 
pany, which  plant  employs  about  twenty-five 
men.  He  has  recently  organized  an  indus- 
try which  promises  to  be  one  of  great  im- 
portance, the  Buckeye  Match  Company,  which 
has  been  incorporated  for  $100,000.  The 
works  are  to  be  established  at  North  Balti- 
more, Ohio.  Mr.  Shaw  owns  a  majority  of 
the  stock  and  is  president  and  general  mana- 
ger of  the  company.  He  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  able  and  enterprismg  business  men  of 
Summit  County. 

In  1898  Mr.  Shaw  was  married  to  Harriet 
L.  Marshall. 

Politically  he  has  always  been  identified  with 
the  Republican  party  and  has  been  an  im- 
portant factor  of  the  same  in  Summit  Coun- 
ty. He  organized  the  first  McKinley  club  in 
the  county  and  has  been  liberal  in  contribut- 
ing to  its  work.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to 
the  Junior  Order  of  American  Mechanics  and 
to  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

C.  CHARLES  CONAGHAN,  a  leading  bus- 
iness citizen  of  Tallmadge,  belongs  to  one 
of  the  old  pioneer  families  of  Ohio  that  crossed 
the  mountains  from  Pennsylvania  and  en- 
tered the  Western  Reserve  about  1800.  C. 
Charles  Conaghan  was  born  October  16,  1842, 


in  Wyandot  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
Charles  C.  and  Mary  L.  Conaghan. 

The  Conaghan  family  is  of  Irish  extraction, 
the  grandfather,  DennLs  Conaghan,  having 
been  born  in  Ireland  and  left  his  native  land 
in  youth.  He  settled  in  Adams  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, married  and  subsequently  came  to 
Ohio,  where  he  reared  a  large  family,  and 
died  in  old  age  in  Wyandot  County. 

Charles  C.  Conaghan,  father  of  C.  Charles, 
carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  on  what  was 
known  as  the  old  Logsdon  farm,  in  Wyandot 
County.  He  married  Mary  A.  Bardoon,  who 
was  born  in  Perry  County,  Ohio,  in  June, 
1822,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Anthony  and 
Magdalene  Bardoon,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  native  of  France  and  the  latter,  of  Ger- 
many. There  were  two  children  born  to 
Charles  C.  and  Mary  (Bardoon)  Conaghan: 
C.  Charles  and  A.  Frank.  Charles  C.  Conag- 
han, died  aged  thirty-two  years.  His  widow 
married  (second)  William  Best,  and  .she  be- 
came the  mother  of  four  more  children, 
namely:  Mary  E.,  Agatha,  Louisa  and  Ma- 
tilda.    Mrs.  Best  died  November  9,  1891. 

C.  Charles  Conaghan,  bearing  his  father's 
name  along  with  inheriting  his  sterling  traits 
of  character,  was  reared  on  the  old  farm  in 
Wyandot  County,  which  his  father  and  grand- 
father had  redeemed  from  the  forest.  He 
attended  the  district  schools  in  boyhood  and 
had  already  become  very  useful  on  the  home 
farm  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out  and  its 
i<<ue.~  absorbed  the  thoughts  of  young  and  old 
almost  to  the  exclusion  of  every  private  in- 
terest. On  August  12,  1861,  Mr.  Conaghan 
enlisted  in  the  Federal  army,  at  Tiffin,  Ohio, 
entering  Company  B,  49th  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  contracting  for  three 
years  or  during  the  war.  He  was  honorably 
discharged  at  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  Sep- 
tember 5,  1864,  having  participated  in  num- 
berless engagements,  many  very  serious  bat- 
tles, and  suffered  both  from  wound  and  im- 
prisonment. He  took  part  in  the  battles  of 
Shiloh,  Liberty  Gap  and  Chickamauga,  being 
wounded  at  the  latter  place,  on  September  19, 
1863,  but  he  recovered  in  time  to  participate 
in  the  Atlanta  Campaign  and  also  in  the  hat- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


557 


ties  of  Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca,  Adamsville, 
Cassville,  Pickett's  Mills,  Pine  Mountain, 
Kenesaw  ^Mountain,  Peach  Tree  Creek  and 
the  siege  and  capture  of  Atlanta.  The  mere 
recital  of  these  hLstoric  names  brings  the 
blood  to  the  cheek  and  the  fire  to  the  eye  of 
every  noble  old  veteran,  but  a  tear  also  falls, 
for  in  the  National  Cemetery,  at  Marietta, 
Georgia,  with,  thousands  of  their  gallant  com- 
rades, sleep  113  brave  soldiers  who  once  were 
members  of  the  49th  Ohio. 

Although  Mr.  Conaghan  seemed  to  bear  a 
charmed  life  through  the  furious  JDattles  which 
he  never  evaded,  he  was  captured  by  a  party 
of  Gen.  Kirby  Smith's  soldiers  at  Lawrence- 
burg,  Kentucky,  October  8,  1862.  Fortu- 
nately for  him  his  captors  could  not  conven- 
iently take  their  prisoners  with  them  at  that 
time  and  he  was  immediately  paroled.  This 
kept  him  out  of  active  service  for  a  time,  as 
did  his  wound  for  several  months,  otherwise 
he  served  with  his  regiment  whenever  it  was 
in  the  field.  Mr.  Conaghan  believes  that  he 
knows  the  States  of  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see better  than  many  of  their  native  sons,  hav- 
ing marched  three  times  across  the  former 
and  five  times  across  the  latter,  and  under 
conditions  which  will  never  permit  him  to  for- 
get the  landscape  or  the  people.  Mr.  Cona- 
ghan was  but  nineteen  years  of  age  when  he 
entered  the  army  and  his  only  brother  was 
but  seventeen,  the  latter  offering  up  his  young 
life  on  the  altar  of  his  country,  at  the  battle 
of  Kenasaw  Mountain.  Mr.  Conaghan  is  a 
prominent  and  interested  member  of  Buckley 
Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Ak- 
ron, and  has  represented  his  post  at  the  De- 
partment Encampment. 

After  the  end  of  his  military  service,  he 
returned  to  Carey,  Wyandot  County,  where 
he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1865,  when 
he  entered  a  commercial  college  at  Cleveland 
and  subsequently,  for  a  few  months,  was  book- 
keeper in  a  business  house  of  that  city.  In 
February,  1866,  he  came  to  Akron,  where 
he  was  engaged  for  one  year  in  a  coal  busi- 
ness, later  removing  to  New  Portage,  where 
he  was  in  a  grocery  line  for  eighteen  months. 
In  1870  he  came  to  Tallmadge  and  engaged 


in  clerking  until  1885,  and  in  the  following 
year  went  into  a  partnership  in  a  mercantile 
business,  with  the  late  Frank  E.  Hine.  Mr. 
Hine  died  in  1892,  since  which  time  he  has 
continued  alone,  doing  the  most  satisfactory 
business  in  his  line,  in  the  place. 

Mr.  Conaghan  w-as  married  (first)  al  Ak- 
ron, to  Olive  R.  Ellis,  who  died  October  27, 
1885.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  D.  and 
Mary  A.  (Brown)  Ellis,,  and  left  two  chil- 
dren, Nellie  L.  and  Mary.  Mr.  Conaghan  was 
married  (second)  March  25,  1897,  to  Mrs. 
Margaret  E.  (Hall)  Hine,  who  was  the  widow 
of  his  former  partner,  Frank  E.  Hine.  Mr. 
Conaghan  is  one  of  the  town's  public-spirited, 
enterprising  and  useful  men.  He  commands 
the  respect  of  his  fellow-citizens  and  enjoys 
the  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  The 
political  offices  he  has  held  have  been  re- 
garded by  him  in  the  light  of  public  trusts, 
and  their  duties  as  faithfully  performed  as 
were  those  of  the  young  soldier  in  1861-2-3. 

W.  J.  WILDES,  president  of  the  Board  of 
Public  Ser\'ice  of  Akron,  has  held  this  honor- 
able position  since  the  organization  of  the 
board.  He  was  born  in  this  city  in  1872,  and 
is  a  son  of  James  Wildes,  a  native  of  Sum- 
mit County,  who  settled  in  Akron,  a  half 
century  ago. 

W.  J.  Wildes  was  reared  in  Akron  and 
educated  in  her  institutions,  graduating  from 
the  High  School  in  1889.  In  the  following 
year  he  went  to  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  en- 
tering Eastman's  Commercial  College  of  that 
city,  where  he  completed  the  course.  He  then 
returned  to  Akron  and  entered  into  general 
contracting  with  his  father.  They  have  since 
executed  a  large  amount  of  work,  including 
the  building  of  roads,  streets  and  sewers,  both 
in  Akron  and  at  other  points,  a  number  of 
important  contracts  having  been  filled  in 
Northwestern  Ohio.  In  recent  years  Mr. 
Wildes  has  taken  quite  an  active  interest  in 
politics.  In  1902  he  was  appointed  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  City  Commissioners,  by 
Mayor  Doyle,  and  served  one  year,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  in  service  on  the  pres- 


558 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ent  board,  a  body  which  enjoys  in  large  meas- 
ure the  confidence  of  the  people. 

In  1902  Mr.  Wildes  was  married  to  Flor- 
ence McCue,  who  is  a  daughter  of  T.  W.  Mc- 
Cue,  of  Akron.  Fraternally  Mr.  Wildes  be- 
longs to  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the 
Knights  of  St.  John,  and  to  the  Elks.  He  is 
a  member  of  St.  Vincent  Catholic  Church. 

HON.  CHARLES  A.  DAVIS,  mayor  of 
Cuyahoga  Fallis,  and  proprietor  of  the  largest 
grocery  house  in  the  city,  was  born  at  Can- 
astota,  Madison  County,  New  York,  January 
19,  1856,  son  of  George  M.  and  Sarah  J. 
(Hale)  Davis. 

His  paternal  grandfather  was  Samuel 
Davis,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  but  of  Welsh 
parentage,  who  came  to  this  county  at  an 
early  day.  This  Samuel  Davis  died  in  Len- 
nox Township,  Madison  County,  in  1850,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two  years,  having 
moved  from  New  Jersey  to  Lewis  County,  New 
York,  in  1828.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion. 

Samuel's  son,  Aaron,  grandfather  of  Mayor 
Davis,  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  sixteen  miles 
from  Brunswick,  about  1808.  Previous  to  his 
marriage  he  moved  to  Lewis  County,  New 
York.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade,  which  he  followed  until 
the  death  of  his  wife,  when  he  went  West, 
to  Des  Arc,  Prairie  County,  Arkansas,  where 
he  became  the  owner  of  1,200  acres  of  land. 
In  1850  he  wrote  saying  that  he  would  return 
home  in  the  spring,  if  nothing  happened  to 
prevent  him,  but  that  was  the  last  news  re- 
ceived from  him.  He  married,  in  Auburn, 
New  York,  August  25,  1825,  Rachel  Merritt! 
They  had  four  children,  of  whom  three  grew 
to  maturity,  namely:  Mary,  who  is  now  de- 
deased;  Samuel,  and  George  M. 

George  M.  Davis  was  born  in  Lewis  County, 
New  York,  and  came  to  Cuyahoga  Falls  in  the 
spring  of  1866,  being  for  some  years  after 
coming  here  in  the  employ  of  L.  W.  Loomis. 
In  January,  1875,  he  returned  to  New  York 
with  his  family,  afterwards  returning  to  the 
Falls,  where  he  and  his  wife  now  live  re- 
tired.    Tbev  have  two  children,  Charles  A., 


whose  name  begins  this  sketch,  and  Frank  J., 
who  is  a  resident  of  Earned,  Kansas.  Politi- 
cally George  M.  Davis  is  a  Democrat.  His 
wife  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

Charles  A.  Davis  completed  his  literary  edu- 
cation in  the  High  School  at  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
and  then  worked  for  several  years  on  a  farm, 
which  he  left  to  enter  the  printing  office  of 
the  Cuyahoga  Falls  Reporter.  In  1875,  when 
his  parents  returned  to  New  York,  he  accom- 
panied them  and  remained  there  for  three 
years,  later  returning  to  Cuyahoga  Falls.  Sub- 
sequently he  worked  as  a  printer  on  the  Ak- 
ron Daily  Tribune  for  a  year,  or  until  its 
suspension.  He  continued  in  journalism  a 
while  longer,  accepting  a  position  with  the 
Oil  City  Derrick,  at  Oil  City.  In  the  latter 
part  of  1879  he  returned  once  more  to  Cuya- 
hoga Falls  and  entered  the  Jones  Bros.' 
grocery'  store  as  a  clerk.  Two  years  later, 
on  the  firm's  going  out  of  business,  Mr.  Davis 
opened  a  store  of  his  own  and  conducted  it 
for  eighteen  months,  after  which  he  resumed 
clerking.  He  had  long  been  an  active  worker 
in  the  ranks  of  the  Democratic  party,  and 
when  President  Cleveland  entered  upon  his 
second  administration,  Mr.  Davis  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  postmaster.  At  the  close  of 
his  term  in  that  office  he  purchased  the 
Cuyahoga  Falls  Reporter,  which  journal  he 
conducted  with  marked  ability  for  six  years. 

In  November,  1903,  Mr.  Davis  sold  the 
newspaper  and  bought  his  present  grocery 
store,  from  H.  E.  Wells.  He  now  conducts 
the  largest  grocery  trade  in  the  town,  besides 
which  he  has  other  important  business  inter- 
ests, being  a  director  in  the  Cuyahoga  Falls 
Savings  Bank,  also  in  the  Falls  Savings  and 
Loan  Association  and  in  the  Elgin  Butter  and 
Ice  Cream  Company,  and  a  member  of  the 
Finance  Committee  of  the  Cuyahoga  Savings 
Society.  He  has  been  a  strong  political  factor 
for  many  years,  and  was  elected  Mayor  of 
Cuyahoga  Falls  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  as- 
suming the  duties  of  the  office  January  1, 
1906. 

Mr.  Davis  was  married  to  June  E.  Laug- 
head.  a  dauuhter  of  Carlisle  B.  Laughead  of 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


559 


Middleport,  Oliio.  Mrs.  Davis  died  in  1903, 
leaving  two  children,  Leslie  L.  and  Frank  A. 
Mr.  Davis  is  a  member  of  Star  Lodge,  No.  187, 
F.  and  A.  M.  A  patriotic  and  enterprising 
citizen,  he  keeps  the  p\iblic  welfare  ever  in 
view,  and  his  official  acts  have  been  fraught 
with  beneficial  results  to  the  community. 

HIRAM  STUMP,  the  owner  of  175  acres  of 
excellent  farm  land  in  Franklin  Township, 
was  born  on  his  present  farm,  in  an  old  log 
house,  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  September 
18,  1842,  and  has  made  his  home  on  this 
property  all  of  his  life.  He  is  a  son  of  John 
A.  and  Mary   (Grove)  Stump. 

Michael  and  Mary  (Ashway)  Stump,  the 
grandparents  of  Hiram,  came  to  Ohio  from 
Pennsylvania  in  wagons,  with  their  five  chil- 
dren, crassing  the  river  at  Pittsburg,  by  way 
of  the  ferry.  They  settled  in  Tuscarawas 
Township,  Stark  County,  Ohio,  in  the  dense 
woods,  and  here  two  more  children  were  born. 
Nine  years  later,  while  assisting  a  neighbor 
to  raise  his  house,  Michael  Stump  was  acci- 
dentally killed  by  a  log  falling  on  him.  His 
widow,  who  was  left  in  straitened  circum- 
stances, reared  her  children  as  best  she  could. 
She  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two 
years. 

AVhen  he  reached  manhood  John  A.  Stump 
returned  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  learned 
the  cabinet-making  and  carpenter  trade  with 
hi.-i  uncle,  John  Stump,  with  whom  he  worked 
three  years,  during  which  time,  in  1832,  he 
was  married.  One  month  after  his  marriage 
he  took  his  young  wife  back  to  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  to  his  mother's  home.  In  1833  they 
came  to  Fi'anklin  Township,  Summit  County, 
and  located  on  the  present  farm  of  Hiram 
Stump,  he  purchasing  eighty  acres  of  section 
I'o,  school  land,  from  the  Government.  On 
this  farm,  which  had  been  partly  improved, 
had  been  erected  a  log  house  and  barn,  but  in 
1845,  Mr.  Stump  erected  a  brick  residence, 
and  a  substantial  barn  was  built  by  him  in 
1851.  Here  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stump  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives,  his  death  occurring 
at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years,  and  hers  in 
her  sixty-sixth  year.    In  political  matters  Mr. 


Stump  was  a  Democrat,  and  he  served  his 
town,ship  for  some  terms  as  trustee.  The 
name  of  the  lady  Mr.  Stump  married  was 
Mary  Grove,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
five  children:  Alpheus,  who  died  January  2, 
1907,  aged  sixty-nine  years;  Eliza,  deceased, 
who  was  the  widow  of  Eli  Stout,  who  died 
in  the  army;  Hiram;  Mary  Margaret,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  four  years;  and  Lucinda, 
who  died  in  infancy. 

Hiram  Stump  was  reared  to  manhood  on 
the  home  farm,  from  which  the  longest  period 
he  has  ever  been  absent  was  a  six-weelvs'  visit, 
in  Pennsylvania. 

While  attending  the  district  school,  where 
he  had  good  teachers,  he  helped  to  clear  the 
home  farm  from  stones  and  brush,  and  when 
he  began  farming  it  was  with  the  scythe,  the 
cradle  and  other  crude  implements,  before 
the  introduction  of  modern  farm  machinery. 
Although  Mr.  Stump  has  retired  from  active 
work  on  his  farm  he  still  oversees  general 
operations.  Like  his  father,  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  for  nine  years  in  succe.ssion  served  as 
township  trustee.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church  at  Manchester. 

On  April  13,  1876,  Mr.  Stump  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Emma  Swigart,  who  was 
born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Swigart,  and  to  this  union  one 
child  was  born,  Loma  Belle,  who  married 
Rolla  A.  Stump,  son  of  Nathaniel  Stump. 

Mrs.  Stump's  father,  Samuel  Swigart,  and 
mother,  Anna  Grubb,  were  the  second  couple 
to  procure  a  marriage  license  after  the  forma- 
tion of  Summit  Countv,  the  date  being  June, 
1840. 

ISAAC  NERHOOD,  a  representative  farm- 
er and  dairyman  of  Coventry  Township,  and 
the  owner  of  ninety-eight  acres  of  fine  farming 
land,  located  about  five  miles  south  of  Akron, 
was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Snyder 
County,  Pennsylvania,  November  18,  1854, 
and  is  a  son  of  Amos  and  Barbara  Ellen  (Lan- 
dls)  Nerhood. 

Jacob  Nerhood,  the  grandfather  of  Isaac, 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  soldier 
from  Snyder  County  in  the  War  of  1812-14. 


560 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


His  death  occurred  in  middle  life  on  his  farm 
in  Snyder  County.  Jacob  Nerhood  married 
Hannah  Eigel,  who  died  in  1877,  aged  eighty- 
five  years.  They  had  seven  children :  John ; 
Daniel;  Amos;  Sarah,  who  married  Isaac 
Musser;  Sophia,  who  married  Fred  Haynes; 
Eliza,  who  married  Jacob  Snook;  and  Leah, 
who  was  the  first  wife  of  Isaac  Musser. 

Amos  Nerhood,  father  of  Isaac,  was  born 
on  his  father's  farm  in  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  grew  to  manhood,  lived  the  life  of  a  farmer 
and  died  in  August,  1883,  aged  sixty-six 
years.  He  married  Barbara  Ellen  Landis, 
who  was  born  in  Juanita  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  her  father  had  been  a  pioneer. 
She  died  in  1902,  aged  eighty-four  years.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Nerhood  had  nine  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Elizabeth,  who  was  the  wife  of  Edward 
Yetter;  John  Jacob,  who  resides  in  Pennsyl- 
vania; Lucy  Ann,  who  was  the  wife  of  A. 
Roniig ;  Melinda,  who  married  Emanuel  Page, 
resides  in  Snyder  County,  Pennsylvania; 
Daniel,  who  lives  in  Pennsylvania;  William 
Howard,  who  lives  in  Montgomery  County, 
Pennsylvania;  Isaac;  Joseph,  who  lives  in 
Coventry  Township;  and  Hannah  Louisa, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  three  months. 

Isaac  Nerhood  attended  the  district  schools 
of  his  native  locality,  when  opportunity  of- 
fered but  the  greater  part  of  his  youth  was 
spent  on  the  home  farm,  at  hard  work.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  went  to  Bell- 
vue,  Sandusky  County,  Ohio,  where  he  worked 
on  various  farms  for  about  four  years,  and 
then  located  in  Summit  County,  where  he 
worked  in  J.  P.  Kepler's  saw  mill  and  at 
farming  for  a  period  of  fourteen  years,  also 
during  that  time  doing  some  carpenter 
work.  Having  accumulated  enough  capital 
he  purchased  a  small  piece  of  property  in 
Springfield  Township,  a  tract  of  thirty-eight 
acres,  which  he  secured  from  Mr.  Austin 
Spicer,  but  after  three  years  he  sold  this  place 
and  bought  his  present  property,  from  Edward 
Kepler,  his  brother-in-law.  This  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  farms  in  this  section  of 
the  township,  and  here  Mr.  Nerhood  carries 
on  general  farming  and  dairying,  keeping  for 
the  latter  purpose  a  herd  of  about  fourteen 


cattle.  The  large,  nine-room  frame  house 
was  built  by  J.  P.  Kepler,  Avhile  the  barn  was 
erected  by  John  Stroman,  an  early  owner. 
Coal  has  been  found  on  the  land  in  large  de- 
posits and  much  has  been  already  mined. 

On  March  29,  1892,  Mr.  Nerhood  waa 
united  in  marriage  with  Clara  Melinda  Kep- 
ler, who  is  a  daughter  of  J.  P.  Kepler  and 
granddaughter  of  John  Kepler,  a  well  known 
pioneer  of  East  Liberty.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ner- 
hood have  one  child,  Harvey  Elmer,  who  was 
born  on  Decoration  Day,  1899. 

In  political  matters  Mr.  Nerhood  is  a  Re- 
publican, but  he  has  never  cared  for,  nor 
sought  public  office.  With  his  wife  he  attends 
the  Reformed  Church,  to  which  faith  the 
family  has  always  adhered.  Mr.  Nerhood  is 
one  of  Summit  County's  self-made  men,  hav- 
ing worked  his  way  from  a  boyhood  of  hum- 
ble circumstances  to  be  a  man  of  substance, 
solely  through  his  own  efforts. 

JOHN  WILLIAM  KING,  the  owner  and 
operator  of  an  excellent  farm  of  eighty  acres, 
situated  in  Green  Township,  was  born  on  his 
present  property  in  Green  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  March  15,  1878,  and  is  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Gougler)  King. 

William  King,  the  grandfather  of  John  W., 
was  born  in  AVittenberg,  Germany,  and  as  a 
boy  of  sixteen  years  came  to  America  and  set- 
tled in  Pennsylvania.  He  was  married  in 
Pennsylvania  to  Magdalena  Stroub,  who  was 
born  in  Germany.  When  a  child  of  thirteen 
years  she  came  to  America,  penniless,  and  was 
hired  out  to  work  for  strangers  for  three  years 
and  was  married  young.  They  became  the 
parent.s  of  ten  children.  After  marriage  Wil- 
liam King  removed  to  the  northern  part  of 
Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  where  he  became  a 
substantial  farmer  and  good  citizen. 

Jacob  King,  father  of  John  W.,  was  born 
on  his  father's  farm  in  Coshocton  County, 
Ohio,  January  20,  1837,  and  went  to  the  old 
Millcreek  Township  log  school-house  for  about 
three  months  each  year  in  boyhood,  then  the 
Greenburg  Seminary,  and  the  Spring  Moun- 
tain College,  the  latter  a  Methodist  institution, 
thus  obtaining  an  excellent  education.     For 


OTIS  K.  VI ALL 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


563 


about  one  year  he  taught  school  in  Whitley 
County,  Indiana,  and  the  next  six  years  were 
spent  as  an  Evangelical  preacher,  being  on 
the  Stark  County  circuit.  Two  years  of  this 
time  were  passed  at  West  Austintown,  Mahon- 
ing County,  Ohio,  two  years  in  Stark  County, 
and  the  last  two  years  at  Fairview,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  preached  in  German.  When 
only  seventeen  years  of  age  Mr.  King  had  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  at  Warsaw, 
Ohio,  but  gave  this  up  in  order  to  attend 
school.  Later  he  spent  many  years  in  farm- 
ing, having  acquired  458  acres  of  land,  which 
he  divided  among  his  children.  He  is  now 
one  of  the  highly  esteemed  retired  citizens  of 
Greensburg. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  Mr.  King 
was  married  to  Elizabeth  Gougler,  and  to  this 
union  there  were  born  four  children,  all  of 
whom  live  in  Green  Township,  namely: 
Mary,  who  married  Henry  Oberlin ;  Saman- 
tha;  Emma,  who  married  Jacob  Boettler;  and 
John   William. 

John  William  King  attended  the  district 
schools,  and  was  reared  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  secui'ed  his  property  from  his 
father,  and  its  present  fine  condition  proves  liLs 
ability  as  a  farmer.  Mr.  King  erected  his 
large  house,  barn,  and  other  buildings  after 
taking  possession. 

On  January  14,  1900,  Mr.  King  was  mar- 
ried to  Minnie  B.  Shaffer,  who  was  born  in 
Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Louise  (Good)  Shaffer,  residents 
of  Summit  County.  Three  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King:  Harvey, 
Maude  and  Clyde.  In  political  matters  Mr. 
King  is  a  Republican,  while  fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Grange  and  the  Junior 
Order  of  United  American  Mechanics. 

OTIS  K.  VIALL,  funeral  director,  whose 
business  is  located  at  No.  919  East  Market 
Street,  Akron,  was  born  at  Akron,  in  1874, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  F.  and  Cornelia  C. 
(Wheeler)  Viall. 

John  F.  Viall    was  born    in    Chautauqua 


County,  New  York,  April  30,  1825,  and  was 
brought  to  Ohio  by  his  parents,  Bennett  and 
Wealthy  (Arnold)  Viall,  when  five  years  of 
age.  They  settled  in  Springfield  Township, 
Summit  County,  among  the  pioneers.  John 
F.  Viall  learned  the  cabinet-maker's  trade, 
which  he  followed  until  1866,  at  which  time 
he  engaged  in  undertaking.  Later  he  was  in 
partnership  wdth  his  son,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Viall  &  Son.  He  married  Cornelia  C. 
AVheeler,  and  their  surviving  children  are: 
Frances,  who  married  William  Orendorf,  re- 
siding at  Akron ;  Laura,  who  married  C.  B. 
Macey,  residing  at  Noblesville,  Indiana;  Ed- 
ward W.,  a  r&sident  at  Noblesville;  and  Otis 
K.,  of  Akron.  Both  John  F.  Viall  and  his 
wife  have  passed  away.  He  was  a  man  of 
business  honesty  and  enterprise,  and  he  made 
the  first  coffins  kept  in  stock  in  the  city  of 
Akron,  an  innovation  at  that  time.  He  was 
a  stanch  Republican  politically  but  was  never 
disposed  to  be  a  politician.  A  number  of  the 
minor  offices  of  the  township  he  held  because 
he  was  elected  to  them,  but  he  sought  no  polit- 
ical honors.  For  many  years  he  was  secre- 
tary of  the  Middlebury  Cemetery  Association. 

OtLs  K.  Viall,  upon  completing  his  school 
education,  became  associated  with  his  father 
in  the  undertaking  business,  and  since  the 
latter's  death  has  had  sole  charge  of  it.  He 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Champion  College  of  Em- 
balming at  Springfield,  Ohio,  and  also  of  the 
Boston  College  of  Embalming,  of  Boston, 
Massachusetts.  His  firm  style  is  Otis  K. 
Viall,  funeral  director  and  embalmer.  He 
keeps  in  readiness  all  the  paraphernalia  inci- 
dent to  his  business,  and  has  an  establishment 
which  is  modern  in  every  particular.  He  is 
superintendent  of  the  East  Akron  Cemetery 
Association. 

In  1895  Mr.  Viall  was  married  to  Daisy 
Shoemaker,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Cy- 
rus Shoemaker,  one  of  the  old  families  of 
Northampton  Township.  They  have  one  son, 
Earl  Victor,  who  is  a  student  of  promise  in 
the  public  schools.  Mr.  Viall  and  his  wife 
belong  to  the  Disciples  Church.  Fraternally 
he  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias. 


564 


HISTORY   OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


CHARLES  BIRGE  WETMORE,  whose 
finely  improved  farm  of  100  acres  is  situated 
in  Stow  Township,  is  one  of  the  representa- 
tive men  of  this  section.  He  was  born  on 
his  present  farm  in  Stow  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  September  14,  1848,  and  is  a 
son  of  Silas  and  Mary  (Birge)  Wetmore. 

The  Wetmore  family  was  founded  in 
America  some  time  during  the  Sixteenth  cen- 
tury, by  three  brothers,  Seth,  Chauncey,  and 
one  whose  name  has  been  forgotten,  who  came 
from  Wales.  Seth  Wetmore  settled  in  Con- 
necticut, and  from  him  the  Wetmores  of  Stow 
Township  have  descended.  He  had  two  sons: 
William  and  Titus.  William  Wetmore  was 
elected  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  of  Stow 
Township,  when  it  was  yet  a  part  of  Portage 
County.  In  August,  1804,  he  was  appointed 
clerk  of  the  court,  and  removed  to  Ravenna, 
but  not  being  satisfied  with  the  empty  honor 
of  hLs  position  he  resigned  and  came  hack  to 
Stow  Town.ship,  settling  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Charles  B.  Wetmore.  The  first 
township  election  was  held  at  his  home.  He 
built  the  house  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of 
Orison  M.  Moore,  cultivated  200  acres  of  land, 
and  in  every  way  was  one  of  the  leading  tnen 
of  his  section.  In  his  latter  years- he  served  as 
judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas.  -Judge 
Wetmore  was  married  to  Anne  Ogden,  and  to 
them  were  born  four  children:  William,  Ed- 
win, Clarissa  and  Henry. 

Edwin  Wetmore,  grandfather  of  Charles  B., 
received  a  part  of  his  father's  farm  at  the  time 
of  the  latter's  death,  and  for  many  years  wa.s 
engaged  in  busine.«s  with  his  son  Silas,  whose 
death  preceded  his  own  by  one  year.  For  a 
long  period  he  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  in 
Stow  Township,  having  an  office  on  his  farm. 
In  politics  he  was  an  ardent  Whig  in  early 
life,  later  becoming  a  Republican.  Mr.  Wet- 
more died  December  25,  1872,  aged  over 
seventy-four  years.  His  finst  wife  was  Polly 
Wetmore,  a  cousin,  who  died  August  11, 
1843. 

Silas  Wetmore,  father  of  Charles  B.,  grew 
to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm,  and  through- 
out his  mature  life  wa=:  connected  in  business 
with  his  father,   the  partnership  being  dis- 


solved by  his  death  in  1871.  He  was  a  Whig 
and  Republican,  and  during  the  Civil  War 
was  very  active  in  securing  men  and  means 
for  the  cause.  He  was  a  trustee  of  Stow  Town- 
ship, for  a  number  of  years.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  Edwin  Wetmore,  who  was  a  Methodist 
in  his  early  years,  the  Wetmores  have  always 
been  identified  with  the  Christian  Church,  in 
which  Silas  Wetmore  was  deacon.  He  was 
married  to  Mary  Birge,  who  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut and  came  to  Ohio  with  her  father.  Dr. 
Simeon  Birge,  when  ten  years  old.  Two 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wetmore : 
Charles  Birge,  and  Edwin  S.,  both  of  whom 
reside  in  Stow  Township. 

Charles  B.  Wetmore  was  reared  on  the  home 
place,  and  his  education  was  secured  in  the 
district  schools  and  the  High  School  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls.  After  a  visit  of  one  year's  dura- 
tion, in  the  West,  he  returned,  in  order  to 
take  charge  of  the  farm,  when  his  father  be- 
came ill,  and  here  he  has  resided  ever  since. 
Mr.  Wetmore  has  demonstrated  his  ability  as 
a  capable  farmer,  and  raises  large  crops  of 
wheat,  potatoes  and  corn,  and  has  a  silo  14x30 
feet.  He  keeps  on  an  average,  twenty  cattle, 
and  ships  his  milk  to  the  Co-operative  Cream- 
ery of  Stow  Township,  of  which  he  is  one  of 
the  large  stock-holders,  and  which  he  was 
instrumental  in  founding. 

Mr.  Wetmore  was  married  to  Adeline  Kelly, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  -John  Kelly,  a  resident 
of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  to  this  union  there 
have  been  born  four  children :  Arthur  S., 
who  resides  in  Stow  Township;  Ida,  who 
married  Rev.  D.  W.  Besaw,  pastor  of  the  Stow 
Corners  Disciples  Church;  Jennie,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Boyd  Winch,  of  Akron ;  and  Henry, 
who  lives  at  home. 

Mr.  Wetmore  is  an  independent  Republican 
in  politics.  He  has  served  as  township  trus- 
tee for  twenty  years  and  also  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  School  Board.  He  and 
family  belong  to  the  Disciples  Church  at  Stow 
Corners,  in  which  he  is  an  elder. 

JiVMES  A.  STETLER,  a  well  known  agri- 
culturist, formerly  of  Springfield  Township, 
but  now  residing  in  Uniontown,  was  born  in 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


565 


Union  County,  Pennsylvania,  May  5,  1840, 
.son  of  William  and  Salome  (Reichley)  Stet- 
ler.  He  is  a  descendant-  of  John  Stetler,  who 
came  to  this  country  at  an  early  date  from 
Germany,  settling  near  what  is  now  New  York 
City.  _  • 

The  next  in  ancestral  line,  Conrad  Stet- 
ler, son  of  John,  resided  for  a  time  in  New 
Jersey,  where  he  married.  He  afterward  re- 
moved to  Union  County,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  became  a  wealthy  farmer,  .owning  1,000 
acres  of  fertile  land  in  the  heart  of  Dry  Val- 
ley. Among  his  children  was  John  (II), 
born  in  1792,  who  married  Elizabeth  Rough- 
ert,  daughter  of  Anthony  Roughert,  a  native 
of  Bucks  County.  This  John  Stetler,  who  was 
the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  a  Whig  in  politics,  taking  an  active  in- 
terest in  public  affairs,  and  a  deacon  in  the 
Albright  church.  He  died  September  9, 
1868 ;  his  wife  in  October,  1876.  They  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children :  William, 
Daniel,  Mary  (married  Thomas  Pursel), 
John,  Isaac,  Charles,  Thomas,  Andrew  and 
Elizabeth. 

William  Stetler,  son  of  John  and  father  of 
James  A.  Stetler,  was  born  in  Union  County, 
Pennsylvania,  October  10,  1816.  He  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  remained 
on  the  farm  until  reaching  the  age  of  fifteen 
years.  After  working  for  some  three  years 
in  a  brick  yard,  he  obtained  employment  on 
the  construction  of  the  public  dams  on  the 
Susquehanna,  at  which  he  continued  for  five 
years,  during  the  winters  being  occupied  in 
shoemaking.  He  also  ran  a  boat  from 
Northumberland  to  Philadelphia.  In  1846 
he  became  superintendent  of  wood-work  on 
the  dams,  which  position  he  filled  until  1848. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  removed  to  Summit 
County,  making  the  journey  in  a  covered 
wagon  over  the  mountains,  and  by  way  of 
Pittsburg.  Settling  in  Green  Township  on 
a  farm  now  owned  by  his  son  James,  he  lived 
there  until  about  1891,  when  he  moved  to 
Stark  County.  He  returned,  however,  and  is 
now  making  his  home  with  his  son,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  seketch.  Formerly  a  Whig  in 
politics,  he  became  a  Democrat  in  1844.     Mr. 


Stetler  is  now  ninety-one  years  old,  but  is  well 
preserved  for  a  man  of  his  great  age.  He 
has  always  been  a  man  of  much  personal  force, 
and  has  held  at  different  times  various  town- 
ship offices.  He  is  a  member  and  strong  sup- 
porter of  the  Methodist  Church,  giving  to  it 
ifreely  of  his  ample  means,  acquired  by  a  long 
life  of  industry.  His  marriage  to  Salome 
Reichley  took  place  November  2,  1838.  She 
was  born  in  Union  County,  Pennsylvania^ 
February  10,  1815,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Mary  (Sausaman)  Reichley,  lifelong  resident 
of  that  county.  Her  father  was  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  1812,  and  was  at  Cleveland,  within 
hearing  distance  of  the  battle,  when  Perry 
obtained  his  great  naval  victory  over  the 
British  flotilla  under  Commodore  Barclay. 
Mrs.  William  Settler  died  in  February,  1904, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-nine  years  and 
one  week. 

James  A.  Stetler  was  the  only  child  of  his 
parents,  and  was  eight  years  old  when  they 
settled  in  Summit  County.  In  his  youth  he 
attended  the  old  log  school-house,  with  its 
slab  benches,  and  was  later  sent  to  a  good 
select  school,  where  he  improved  his  oppor- 
tunities for  gaining  further  knowledge.  In 
the  meanwhile  his  industrial  education  was 
not  neglected,  as  he  was  early  initiated,  on 
his  father's  farm  into  the  various  methods  and 
operations  pertaining  to  agricultural  life. 

On  September  2,  1860,  he  was  married  to 
Lovina  Koons,  who  was  born  in  Bloomsburg, 
Columbia  Coimty,  Pennsylvania,  November 
29,  1841.  Her  parents — Henry  and  Esther 
(Rough)  Koon.s — were  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  for  many  years  farmers  in  Norton 
Township,  Summit  County.  Mrs.  Stetler  was 
about  ten  years  old  when  she  accompanied  lier 
parents  to  this  State.  She  has  borne  her  hus- 
band four  children:  William  H.,  Charles  E., 
Marvin  T.,  and  Clarence  0. ;  all  of  whom  have 
been  given  a  sound  practical  education.  Wil- 
liam H.  Stetler,  after  attending  the  common 
schools,  completed  his  literary  studies  in  the 
Academy  at  Uniontown,  Stark  County,  Ohio. 
He  followed  farming  in  Green  Township  for 
a  number  of  years,  l)ut  now  resides  in  Akron. 
He  married  Rose  Belle  Haggerty,     and     has 


566 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


three  children :  Roscoe,  who  married  Mary 
Weise;  Harry,  and  Lucille.  Charles  E.  Stet- 
ler,  after  passing  through  the  common  schools 
and  graduating  from  Mogadore  High  school, 
became  a  student  at  Buchtel  college.  He  be- 
came a  practical  telegrapher,  and  afterwards 
a  commercial  traveler,  in  which  business  he  is 
now  engaged.  He  married  Ada  Rhodes,  and 
now  resides  in  Dayton,  Ohio.  Marvin  T. 
Stetler  was  educated  in  the  Mogadore  High 
School  and  at  Uniontown  Academy.  He  is 
now  a  resident  of  Kansas  City,  Mii5,souri.  He 
married  Maud  Morton,  and  has  two  childien 
— Warren  and  Russel.  Clarence  0.  Stetler 
graduated  from  the  Academy  at  Uniontown, 
and  later  as  an  accountant  and  bookkeeper 
from  the  Business  College  at  Akron.  He  re- 
sides in  Delaware,  Ohio.  He  married  Minnie 
Harmon. 

James  A.  Stetler  is  now  the  owner  of  303 
acres  of  farm  land  in  Summit  County — 147 
acres  in  Green  Township  and  156  acres  in 
Springfield.  He  moved  to  the  latter  township 
after  a  residence  of  thirty  years  in  Green.  He 
lived  in  Springfield  twenty-five  years.  Fifteen 
acres  of  his  farm  there  consisted  of  a  valuable 
deposit  of  vitrified  clay,  which  for  a  number 
of  years  he  was  engaged  in  excavating,  with 
the  result  of  developing  it  into  a  valuable  and 
important  industry.  In  1904  he  left  his 
Springfield  farm  and  came  to  Uniontown  to 
assume  the  care  of  his  aged  father. 

Mr.  Stetler  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  has 
served  in  the  offices  of  tiiistee,  justice  of  the 
peace,  treasurer,  assessor,  and  township  clerk. 
His  first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for  Gen. 
George  B.  McClellan.  He  and  his  wife  are 
earnest  and  active  workers  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  which  he  has  serv'ed  as 
trustee.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  belonging  to 
Apollo  Lodge,  No.  61,  of  Akron,  also  to  the 
Encampment  No.  18,  also  of  Akron;  and  to 
the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  being  past  State 
deputy  ma.ster  of  that  order,  and  a  leading 
member  of  Lodge  No.  1323. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stetler  have  always  been 
numbered  among  the  respected  and  honored 
residents  of  the  county,  and  it  Ls  the  universal 
■wish  that  their  days  may  be  still  further  pro- 


longed in  the  land  in  which  Providence  has 
cast  their  lot. 

WILLIAM  E.  ETLING,  owner  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Etling  Coal  and  Ice  Company, 
of  Barberton,  has  been  interested  in  this  line 
of  business  since  1903,  and  has  been  a  resident 
of  this  city  since  1896.  Mr.  Etling  was  born 
in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  July  21,  1876,  and  is 
a  son  of  Abraham  and  Ada  (Mclntire)  Et- 
ling.^ 

William  E.  Etling  was  reared  on  the  old 
home  farm  in  Wayne  County,  on  which  his 
parents  still  re.side.  Until  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age  he  alternated  working  on  the 
farm  and  going  to  school,  and  then  learned 
the  carpenter  trade,  coming  to  Barberton  for 
that  purpose  and  entering  the  employ  of 
Charles  Lutz.  After  four  years  of  instruc- 
tion and  practice  with  Mr.  Lutz,  Mr.  Etling 
started  into  contracting  for  himself,-  for  the 
first  three  years  doing  contracting  only,  then 
for  two  years  engaged  in  contracting  and  deal- 
ing in  coal,  and  since  the  spring  of  1905, 
when  he  bought  out  the  Barberton  Ice  Com- 
pany, has  added  ice  to  his  business  interests. 
He  also  handles  cement  and  lime  and  with 
his  three  teams  does  a  large  amount  of  team- 
ing, giving  employment  to  from  three  to 
twelve  men  according  to  the  season.  Mr.  Et- 
ling owns  his  own  buildings  and  bought  the 
land  on  which  the  are  standing  when  it  was 
vacant  property. 

Mr.  Etling  married  Jennie  G.  Santrock, 
who  was  reared  in  Wayne  County,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  John  A.  Santrock,  and  they  have 
had  four  children,  namely :  Edna,  who  died 
aged  eleven  months  and  fifteen  days;  Mabel; 
Elmer  W.  and  Esther  Lucile.  Mr.  Etling  is 
a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows. 

C.  H.  MORTON,  president  of  the  Ohio  and 
Penn.sylvania  Base  Ball  League,  with  offices 
in  the  Central  office  building,  at  Akron,  was 
born  in  Asthabula  County,  Ohio,  October  12, 
1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  A.  D.  Morton. 

C.  H.  Morton  inherits  a  name  which  has 
been  a  very  prominent  one  in  this  Nation's 
history.     The  name  of  his  great-grandfather, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


567 


John  T.  Morton  is  appended  to  that  immortal 
document,  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
His  father  is  a  son  of  John  Morton  who  was 
a  member  of  the  same  branch  of  the  family 
which  produced  those  statesman,  the  late  Hon. 
Oliver  P.  Morton,  formerly  governor  of  In- 
diana, and  Hon.  Levi  P.  Morton,  who  was 
vice-president  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Mor- 
ton's father.  Rev.  A.  D.  Morton,  at  one  time 
was  presiding  elder  of  the  Akron  District  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  re- 
ligious body  he  was  long  a  distinguished  min- 
ister. 

C.  H.  Morton's  early  life  was  passed  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Erie  and  in  Cleveland,  and 
after  completing  his  education  he  entered  into 
the  grocery  business  in  which  he  continued 
until  failing  health  warned  him  that  he  would 
be  obliged  to  seek  more  of  an  out-door  exist- 
ence. He  had  been  interested  in  base  ball 
prior  to  this  and  had  been  a  player  of  some 
merit  before  entering  into  the  sport  in  a  busi- 
ness way.  For  the  past  sixteen  years  he  has 
been  the  manager  of  different  ball  teams,  and 
is  now  serving  in  his  third  year  as  president  of 
the  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  League  of  profes- 
sional players,  a  body  which  has  won  many 
triumph  on  the  Diamond.  Their  success  in 
no  small  degree  has  resulted  from  the  excel- 
lent management  of  Mr.  Morton. 

In  1883,  Mr.  Morton  was  married  to  Mar- 
garet Laber,  who  was  born  near  Heidelberg, 
Germany.  They  have  two  children,  Edna 
Ruth  and  Frederick  William,  the  latter  of 
whom  is  a  bright  student  in  the  Akron  High 
School. 

DAVID  A.  McCOLGAN,  who  for  twelve 
successive  years  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  and  for  six  years  one  of 
the  trustees  of  Springfield  Township,  resides 
on  his  farm  of  132  acres,  which  he  has  placed 
under  fine  cultivation.  He  was  born  in  Sum- 
mit County.  Ohio,  June  6,  1854.  and  is  a  son 
of  James  and  Nancy    (Moore)   McColgan. 

The  father  of  Mr.  McColgan  was  born  in 
Ireland  and  came  to  America  in  1885  at  the 
age  of  twenty-five  years,  subsequently  coming 
to  Springfield  Town.?hip,     Summit     County, 


Ohio.  He  was  married  at  Trenton,  New 
Jersey,  to  Nancy  Moore,  who  was  also  born  in 
Ireland,  where  her  parents  died.  She  died  in 
1857.  The  grandparents  of  Mr.  McColgan, 
Michael  and  Martha  McColgan,  followed  their 
son  Janics  to  America  some  five  years  after  he 
had  emigrated,  and  they  both  died  in  Spring- 
field Township,  and  were  buried  at  Springfield 
Center.  James  McColgan  died  in  1870,  hav- 
ing survived  his  first  wife  for  thirteen  years. 
There  were  four  sons  born  to  his  first  mar- 
riage, namely :  William  John,  deceased,  who 
married  in  Michigan,  left  two  children ;  James 
Shannon,  resides  in  Northampton  Township, 
engaged  in  farming,  married  Susan  Adams 
and  they  have  three  children ;  Charles  Henry, 
who  is  deceased,  and  David  A.  There  were 
three  children  born  to  a  second  marriage,  all 
of  whom  survive. 

David  A.  McColgan  obtained  his  education 
in  the  district  schools  and  was  reared  on  a 
farm  near  Pleasant  Valley,  where  his  father 
first  settled.  For  six  years  he  resided  in 
Portage  County,  but  in  1884  he  settled  on  his 
present  farm,  since  which  time  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  growing  grain  and  stock.  His  land 
is  fertile  and  under  his  excellent  management, 
is  very  productive. 

In  1878  Mr.  McColgan  was  married  to  Jen- 
nie Grotz,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Elmira  (Martin)  Grotz.  The  grandmother 
of  Mrs.  McColgan  was  the  first  white  child 
born  in  Suffield  Township,  Portage  County, 
and  her  mother  can  remember  the  time  when 
Indians  would  frequently  be  seen  in  the 
neighborhood  of  her  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McColgan  have  had  two  children,  namely: 
Bertie,  who  died  aged  nine  months;  and 
Claude,  who  was  born  July  12,  1882.  and  re- 
sides on  the  home  farm.  He  married  Elma 
Spade,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Louisa  Spade,  and  they  have  a  little  two- 
year-old  daughter,  Mabel. 

Mr.  McColgan  was  reared  a  Republican, 
but  for  the  past  fifteen  years  he  has  been 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party.  He 
has  ser\'ed  for  six  years  as  township  trustee 
and  for  twelve  years  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education,    having    a    remarkable 


568 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


recoid  in  connection  with  both  offices,  that  of 
never  having  missed  a  single  official  meet- 
ing in  the  whole  period.  He  has  been  par- 
ticularly active  in  politics  since  1890,  and  has 
been  sent  as  a  delegate  to  two  State  conven- 
tions. Both  he  and  wife  are  active  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
stands  as  one  of  Springfield  Township's  rep- 
resentative citizens. 

CLARK  E.  WOOLF,  residing  on  his  finely 
developed  farm  of  fifty-nine  acres,  situated  in 
Springfield  Township,  is  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  this  section.  He  was  born  at  At- 
water.  Portage  County,  Ohio,  October  2,  1856, 
and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Baum) 
Woolf. 

Mr.  Woolf  comes  of  old  pioneer  families 
of  Ohio,  on  both  sides,  his  ancestors  having 
come  to  their  respective  settlements,  from  east- 
ern homes,  in  the  days  when  Indians  still 
roamed  through  the  trackless  forests  and  Na- 
ture had  been  practically  undisturbed. 
Family  records  do  not  tell  how  early  the  pa- 
ternal grandparents  settled  in  Columbiana 
County,  but  there  they  reared  a  family  and 
both  died  M'hen  George  AVoolf,  father  of  Clark 
E.,  was  small.  Of  the  twelve  other  children 
this  biography  does  not  treat,  but  all  through 
this  part  of  the  State,  their  representatives 
may  be  found,  usually  among  the  respected 
and  useful  citizens.  The  maternal  grand- 
parents, the  Baums,  were  equally  early  set- 
tlers in  Trumbull  County,  where  the  mother 
of  Clark  E.  Woolf  was  born.  It  is  related  of 
Grandmother  Bauni,  as  indicative  of  her  en- 
ergy and  courage,  that  she  made  a  trip  on 
horseback  from  Salem  to  Ravenna,  through 
the  forests,  following  only  blazed  paths,  car- 
rying with  her  the  products  of  her  own  dairy 
for  the  purchase  of  warp  for  the  weaving, 
which  her  busy  hands  carried  on  in  the  long 
winter  evenings.  She  was  the  first  white  woman 
who  ever  faced  the  dangers  of  such  a  journey 
over  that  ground,  and  she  accomplished  it 
in  one  day.  She  was  the  mother  of  a  numer- 
ous and  sturdy  family.  Left  a  widow,  she  re- 
mained on  her  farm  near  North  Benton,  Ma- 
honing County,  a  number  of  years  and  then 


moved  to  the  home  of  her  son-in-law,  George 
Woolf,  at  Atwater,  where  she  died. 

After  George  Woolf  left  Columbiana 
County,  he  settled  for  a  few  years  at  Ellsworth, 
Mahoning  County,  and  then  moved  to  At- 
water, Portage  County,  removing  from  there 
to  the  farm  of  Grandmother  Baum,  on  which 
he  remained  for  some  years,  subsequently  re- 
turning to  Atwater.  He  died  in  the  fall  of 
1904,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Baum,  who  died  December 
2,  1880,  aged  fifty-nine  years.  They  had  six 
children,  namely:  Elizabeth,  who  died  aged 
six  years,  and  Preston  G.,  Homer  H.,  Morris 
0.,  Clark  E.,  Wilson  W.  Preston  G.  Woolf, 
residing  at  Atwater,  Ohio,  owns  and  operates 
a  large  flour  and  chop  mill.  He  married 
Amelia  Luke,  of  Edinburg,  Portage  County, 
and  thej^  have  had  two  children,  a  daughter, 
deceased,  and  a  .son,  Merritt.  The  latter  is  an 
expert  electrician  and  is  foreman  of  a  shop  in 
one  of  the  largest  manufacturing  centers  of 
Indiana.  Homer  H.  Woolf,  residing  at  At- 
water, where  he  conducts  the  largest  hardware 
business  in  Portage  County,  having  been  in 
busin&ss  there  for  thirty-four  years,  occupies 
one  of  the  largest  store  rooms  in  the  city,  hav- 
ing a  space  of  seventy  feet  square.  He  mar- 
ried Carrie  Crumrine,  of  Goshen  Township, 
Mahoning  County,  and  they  have  two  daugh- 
ters and  one  son :  Edith,  Elsie  and  Leslie,  the 
latter  of  whom  is  a  physician  at  Ravenna. 
The  elder  daughter  is  bookkeeper  in  her  fath- 
er's store,  and  the  younger  is  a  teacher  in  the 
public  schools  of  Hudson.  Morris  0.  Woolf 
resides  near  Rootstown,  Portage  County, 
where  he  owns  a  small  farm,  and  a  lake  where 
he  has  made  a  summer  resort,  which  is  liber- 
ally patronized.  He  married  Rhoda  Harding, 
who  was  born  on  that  farm,  and  they  have 
had  two  children  a  daughter  and  son,  the 
latter  of  whom  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years.  The  daughter  married  Carl  Brown.  Wil- 
son W.  Woolf,  a  mechanic  by  trade,  resides  ai 
Atwater  and  has  been  in  the  employ  of  a  rail- 
road company  for  sixteen  years.  He  married 
Anna  Baith,  who  was  born  at  Atwater,  and 
they  have  one  son  and  three  daughters :  Her- 
bert, Rena,  Leta  and  Ethel.     The  son  fills  a 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


569 


responsible  position  in  one  of  the  banks  of 
Alliance,  having  been  appointed  to  the  place 
on  acount  of  the  recommendations  presented 
to  the  president  of  the  bank,  by  the  principal 
of  the  school  in  which  the  young  man  was 
educated. 

Clark  E.  Woolf  was  the  fourth  member  of 
the  above  family.  He  was  reared  on  the 
homestead  at  Atwater  where  he  remained  un- 
til twenty-eight  years  of  age,  and  was  educated 
in  the  local  schools.  In  1885,  he  moved  to 
Springfield  Township,  Summit  County,  set- 
tling first  in  the  southeastern  part,  where  he 
lived  for  ten  years,  since  when  he  has  resided 
on  his  present  farm,  which  he  purchased  in 
1896.  It  had  been  improved  to  a  considerable 
degree  and  under  Mr.  Woolf's  management 
has  continued  to  increase  in  value.  He  car- 
ries on  general  farming  and  keeps  a  few  cows, 
but  makes  no  special  effort  at  dairying. 

On  October  9,  1879,  Mr.  Woolf  was  married 
to  Alice  Hart,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
and  Mary  (Meacham)  Hart.  The  mother 
of  Mrs.Woolf  was  born  in  Springfield  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio.  Her  parents 
died  when  she  was  young  and  she  was  reared 
by  a  family  named  Kent.  J&ssie  Hart,  the 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Woolf,  came  to  Summit 
County,  in  1812,  making  the  journey  from 
Connecticut  in  an  ox-cart,  and  living  to  see 
the  time  when  he  could  have  purchased  many 
of  the  fertile  acres  which  were  wild  and  un- 
cultivated when  he  first  saw  them.  He  lived 
to  the  unusual  age  of  ninety-four  years.  Mrs. 
Woolf  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  Grand- 
father Hart  settled,  as  had  been  her  father. 
The  early  log  house  gave  way  to  a  fine  brick 
dwelling,  the  bricks  for  its  construction  hav- 
ing been  burned  on  the  farm.  The  family  re- 
tained this  property  until  within  recent  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woolf  have  had  three  chil- 
dren, one  son  and  two  daughters,  namely: 
Mary,  Mahlon  and  Bessie.  Mary  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Suffield,  and  Bessie 
is  a  student  in  the  schools  of  Springfield  Town- 
ship. The  son,  Mahlon  Woolf,  has  made  a 
brilliant  record  at  school.  From  the  public 
schools  of  Springfield  Township,  he  entered 
the   High   School   at  Akron,   where   he   was 


creditably  graduated  in  the  class  of  1904, 
after  which  he  took  a  commercial  course  in 
an  Akron  Business  College.  For  the  past  two 
years  he  has  been  a  student  at  Wooster  Uni- 
versity, and  after  completing  a  very  thorough 
literary  education,  he  proposes  to  study  theol- 
ogy and  subsequently  enter  the  ministry  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Mr.  Woolf  has  always  been  noted  for  good 
citizenship,  attending  carefully  to  the  duties 
pertaining  thereto.  He  is  not  closely  identi- 
fied with  either  great  political  party,  prefer- 
ring to  keep  free  to  vote  more  for  the  man 
of  high  principles  than  to  support  blindly  any 
organization.  He  is  a  strict  temperance  man 
and  naturallj-  favors  legislation  along  that 
line.  In  1906,  his  fellow-citizens  elected  him 
to  the  office  of  township  treasurer.  On  Novem- 
ber 5,  1907,  he  was  elected  for  another  term, 
an  honor  he  never  sought,  but  a  position  he 
had  filled  with  fidelity  to  the  public's  interest. 
With  his  wife  and  children,  Mr.  Woolf  be- 
longs to  the  Prasbyterian  Church  and  is  a 
liberal  supporter  of  its  various  benevolent 
projects. 

REV.  A.  B.  CHURCH,  D.  D.  LL.  D.,  the 

scholarly  president  of  Buchtel  College,  came  to 
this  noted  institution  of  learning  from  a  suc- 
cessful ministerial  career,  and  has  been  iden- 
tified with  it  since  September  1,  1897.  This 
decade  has  been  one  of  remarkable  growth 
for  the  college,  and  to  Dr.  Church's  scholar- 
ship, devotion  and  executive  ability  much  of 
this  progress  must  be  attributed. 

Dr.  Church  was  born  January  11,  1858,  at 
North  Norwich,  New  York,  and  is  a  son  of  the 
late  A.  William  Church.  The  latter  resided 
during  the  whole  of  his  life  on  the  same 
farm  and  was  so  talented  a  musician  that  he 
adopted  music  as  a  profession.  On  the  pa- 
ternal farm.  Dr.  Church  was  reared  and  re- 
mained until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
In  the  district  school  he  developed  an  unusual 
boyish  love  of  his  books  and  he  entered  the 
Union  schools  at  Sherburne.  From  there  he 
went  to  the  Clinton  Liberal  Institute,  at  Fort 
Plain,  New  York,  and  in  1882,  he  entered  St. 
Lawrence  University,  at  Canton,  New  York, 


570 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


where  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  A. 
B.  in  1886.  He  took  the  theological  course 
in  the  same  institution  and  was  there  gradu- 
ated in  1888,  immediately  entering  the  active 
work  of  the  ministry.  His  first  charge  was 
the  church  at  South  Berwick,  Maine,  where  he 
served  from  July,  1888,  to  September,  1890, 
when  he  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  North 
Adams,  Massachusetts,  church  where  he  con- 
tinued until  1897.  In  that  year  he  was  of- 
fered and  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  First 
Universalist  Church  of  Akron,  in  which  he 
labored  until  his  appointment  as  president  of 
Buchtel  College,  in  1901.  Prior  to  this  he 
had  been  identified  with  the  faculty  of  the  col- 
lege, teaching  mental  and  moral  philosophy, 
and  entered  upon  his  still  more  responsible 
duties  with  full  comprehension  of  what  they 
included.  As  a  student,  scholar  and  theo- 
logian. Dr.  Church  has  been  recognized' hon- 
orably by  many  institutions  of  learning.  In 
1892  the  degree  of  D.  D.  was  conferred  on  him 
by  his  alma  mater,  in  1899  Buchtel  College 
conferred  the  A.  M.  degree,  and  in  1904,  Tufts 
College,  of  Boston,  conferred  the  LL.  D.  de- 
gree. 

On  September  10,  1899,  Dr.  Church  was 
married  to  Anne  Attwood,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Rev.  Dr.  I.  M.  Attwood,  then  president  of 
the  Theological  School  of  St.  Lawrence  Uni- 
versity. Dr.  and  Mrs.  Church  have  four 
children :  Evelyn,  John  Attwood,  Harold  and 
Dorothy. 

FRANK  J.  SHAW,  who  is  serving  in  his 
second  term  as  treasurer  of  Norton  Township, 
in  which  he  is  a  leading  citizen  and  successful 
farmer,  was  born  in  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
June  7,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Merwin  and 
Emily    (Betz)    Shaw. 

Merwin  Shaw,  father  of  Frank  J.,  was  born 
ill  Wadsworth  Township,  Medina  County, 
Ohio,  and  was  a  son  of  Joshua  F.  Shaw,  who 
came  to  Ohio  from  New  York  at  a  very  early 
date,  and  settled  first  in  Wadsworth  Township 
but  later  removed  to  Norton  Township,  and 
was  the  first  owner  of  the  farm  which  is  now 
the  property  of  his  grandson,  Frank  J.  Shaw. 
Ill'  (lied  at  Johnson's  Corners.     Merwin  Shaw 


followed  agricultural  pursuits  through  life. 
He  married  Emily  Betz,  who  still  survives  at 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years  and  resides  in 
California.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Abraham 
Betz,  who  was  a  pioneer  from  Pennsylvania, 
to  Medina  County.  Merwin  Shaw  died  on  the 
present  farm  of  his  son,  in  1903,  in  the  old 
home  built  by  his  father.  The  four  children 
of  the  family  all  survive,  namely :  Frank  J., 
George  A.,  Ella  and  Hattie,  the  older  daugh- 
ter being  the  wife  of  William  Yoder  of  Wads- 
worth, and  the  younger,  the  wife  of  William 
Shafer,  of  Akron. 

Frank  J.  Shaw  has  always  lived  on  the 
homestead  farm  and  in  addition  to  following 
agricultural  pursuits  here,  he  has  operated  a 
portable  sawmill  for  about  thirty  years,  and 
for  the  same  length  of  time  engaged  in  thresh- 
ing, owning  an  outfit.  He  still  continues  to 
run  his  mill,  it  being  the  only  one  in  the  vi- 
cinity nearer  than  Wadsworth.  His  farm  in- 
cludes a  little  over  100  acres  of  excellent  land. 
For  several  years  after  his  marriage  he  lived 
on  the  part  of  the  farm  which  contained  the 
old  home,  and  then  moved  to  another  part  on 
which  he  had  built  a  house  and  barn  and 
made  many  improvements.  Still  later  as  his 
children  grew  up  and  married,  he  built  houses 
and  barns  for  his  sons,  and  also  purchased  a 
small  property  with  comfortable  residence, 
for  his  son-in-law.  Ward  Ware.  Mr.  Shaw 
has  thus  shown  his  regard  for  the  happinesss 
and  welfare  of  his  family  and  enjoys  seeing 
their  prosperity.  He  is  a  well-educated  man 
himself,  being  a  graduate  of  the  High  School 
of  Seville,  Medina  County,  and  has  given  his 
two  sons  and  two  daughters  many  advan- 
tages. 

On  December  25,  1879,  Mr.  Shaw  was  mar- 
ried to  Ruth  Wilder,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Wells  Wilder,  of  Medina  County,  Ohio,  and 
they  have  the  following  descendants :  Frank 
M.,  residing  on  a  part  of  the  home  farm,  is 
employed  at  the  Stirling  Works  at  Barberton, 
as  a  patternmaker,  married  Delia  Fending- 
ham  and  they  have  three  children:  Ruth, 
Gladys  and  Paul;  Daisy  A.,  who  married 
Ward  Ware,  who  follows  the  carpenter  trade 
in   Norton   Township,  has     three     children: 


MR.  AND  MRS.  HARVEY  A.  WISE 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


573 


Ruisell,  Ilai'uld  aud  Delight;  Dora,  who  mar- 
ried \\  illiam  Weaver,  who  io  a  retail  milk 
dealer  at  Barberton,  has  one  child,  Clara;  and 
Eruest  W.,  recsiding  ou  a  part  of  the  home 
farm,  married  Dora  tipecht. 

Mr.  Shaw  has  never  desired  political  office 
but  has  consented  to  serve  when  his  fellow 
citizens  liave  honored  him.  He  was  elected 
township  treasurer  in  1903,  the  only  member 
of  the  Republican  party  to  receive  the  elective 
vote  in  Norton  Township,  for  many  years, 
aud  approval  of  his  service  was  shown  by  his 
re-electiou  for  a  second  term.  He  has  also 
beeu  a  member  of  the  township  School  Board. 
He  is  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the 
Wesleyan  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Eor 
a  long  period  he  served  as  class  leader  and  in 
all  the  offices  of  the  Sunday-school  in  the  old 
church  at  Johnson's  Corners. 

HARVEY  A.  WISE,  a  highly  esteemed 
citizen  and  practical  fai'mer  of  Franklin 
Township,  residing  on  his  excellent  farm  of 
160  acres,  was  born  June  6,  1871,  in  Franklin 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  on  the 
same  farm  and  in  the  same  house  in  which 
he  now  resides.  He  is  a  son  of  Henry  and 
Elizabeth   (Kepler)   Wi^e. 

Henry  Wise  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
where  in  his  younger  days  he  was  engaged  in 
oil  drilling  and  farming.  As  a  young  man 
he  came  to  Ohio,  and  after  his  marriage  set- 
tled on  the  present  farm  of  his  son  Harvey, 
in  Franklin  Township,  from  which  they  sub- 
sequently removed  to  near  Kenmore.  Here 
Henry  Wise  died  in  November,  1905,  aged 
62  years,  his  wife  still  surviving  him.  Henry 
Wise  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Kepler,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Jacolj  Kepler,  and  to  this 
union  there  were  born  four  children :  Charles ; 
Harvey  Allen ;  Ida,  who  married  Martin 
Ling;  and  Ollie,  who  died  young. 

Harvey  A.  Wise  received  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  district,  and  he  has 
always  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
in  Franklin  Township,  with  the  exception  of 
three  years  when  he  carried  on  a  livery  busi- 
nes.s  at  Barberton,  and  two  years  spent  on  his 
father's  farm  near  Kenmore.     He  inherited 


his  present  property  from  his  father — a  fertile 
tract  of  1(30  acres  on  which  stands  a  large 
brick  residence,  one  of  the  first  in  the  locality. 
In  December,  1901,  Mr.  Wise  was  married 
to  Mattie  Snyder,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
Snyder.  Four  children  have  been  born  to 
this  union :  Jesse,  Lloyd,  Grace  and  Howard. 
Mr.  Wise,  with  his  family,  belongs  to  the  Re- 
formed Church.  Plis  portrait  may  be  seen 
on  an  adjacent  page. 

FRANK  PFEIFFER,  a  prominent  and 
substantial  citizen  of  Springfield  Township,  re- 
siding on  his  well-improved  farm  of  145  acres, 
was  born  November  3,  1860,  in  Portage  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  the  only 
child  of  Irederick  and  Catherine  (Grohe) 
Pfeiffer. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  Mr.  Pfeiffer 
were  George  and  Catherine  (Bank)  Pfeiffer, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Bank,  and  a  sister  to  two  ministers  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  John,  who  had  a  charge  at 
Buffalo,  New  York,  and  Charles,  who  was 
pastor  of  a  large  church  at  New  Brunswick, 
New  Jersey.  The  children  of  George  and 
Catherine  Pfeiffer  were:  Frederick;  George, 
who  died  in  California,  after  residing  there 
many  years;  Catherine,  deceased,  who  mar- 
ried Rev.  George  Rettig,  resided  at  Monticel- 
lo,  Iowa;  Jacob,  who  resides  at  Akron;  Louisa, 
who  died  in  1902,  in  Medina  County,  married 
Mr.  Monsmith ;  and  Charles,  residing  at 
Akron,  married  Catherine  Brown. 

Frederick  Pfeiffer,  father  of  Frank,  was 
born  January  17,  1829,  in  Oldenburg,  Ger- 
many, and  came  to  America  in  1848.  Prior 
to  reaching  Akron,  in  the  same  year,  he  had 
resided  for  short  seasons,  in  Pennsylvania  and 
New  York.  He  was  variously  engaged  in 
his  earlier  years,  at  Akron,  working  in  the 
Christy  leather  store  and  also  in  the  flour 
mills.  In  1856,  he  settled  on  the  George 
Miller  farm,  of  Western  Star,  from  which  he 
moved  to  a  farm  near  Clinton,  which  he 
operated  for  one  year,  and  then  purchased  a 
farm  of  sixty-one  acres  in  Sharon  Township, 
Medina  County,  which  he  sold  after  living 
there  for  eiglit  vears.  From  there  he  moved  to 


574 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Akron  and  bought  ti  house  and  lot,  but  after 
six-  months  of  town  life,  he  decided  to  return 
to  farming  and  bought  eighty-five  acres  of 
land  north  of  Akron,  on  which  he  lived  for 
fourteen  years.  After  selling  that  property 
he  bought  180  acres  at  Uniontown,  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  on  which  he  has  resided  since 
the  fall  of  1887.  Frederick  Pfeififer  married 
Catherine  Grohe,  who  was  born  in  Germany, 
April  23,  1829,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Adam 
and  Catherine  Grohe,  both  of  whom  died  in 
the  old  home  in  Hemsbach,  Baden,  Germany. 
Mrs.  Pfeiffer  came  to  America  in  1852,  locat- 
ing at  Randolph,  Portage  County  Ohio. 
Both  Frederick  Pfeiffer  and  wife  have 
reached  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years,  enjoy- 
ing excellent  health  and  possessing  all  their 
faculties.  They  are  valued  members  of  the 
"First  Reformed  German  Church  at  Akron. 
Mr.  Pfeiffer  is  a  Democrat. 

Frank  Pfeift'er  remained  with  his  parents 
until  after  his  own  marriage.  After  com- 
pleting the  public  school  course,  he  en- 
tered Buchtel  College,  where  he  spent  two 
years.  About  1881,  he  became  the  operator 
of  his  father's  farm,  north  of  Akron,  and 
later  conducted  the  home  farm  in  Stark 
County,  for  eighteen  years.  He  has  always 
taken  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  agricultural 
pursuits  and  entertains  justifiable  pride  in  his 
present  fine,  well-ordered  farm,  which  he  pur- 
chased in  1898,  of  the  King  Ellet  heirs.  He 
has  made  many  fine  improvement*  here,  not 
the  least  of  which  is  his  elegant  home,  re- 
centl}^  completed.  It  contains  eight  rooms,  is  of 
modern  architecture,  and  is  beautifully  fin- 
ished inside  in  red  and  white  oak,  while  its 
furnLshings  and  surroundings  are  all  that  good 
ta.st€  demands. 

Mr.  Pfeiffer  was  married  October  8,  1885, 
to  Lydia  Hawk,  who  Ls  a  daughter  of  Michael 
and  Albertina  Hawk,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  Germany,  and  a  granddaughter  of 
Philip  and  Margaret  Hawk,  who  came  to 
Portage  County,  Ohio,  in  1849,  and  lived  on 
their  farm  there  until  death.  Philip  Hawk 
died  in  1862,  and  his  widow  in  1874.  They 
had  five  children,  Michael  being  the  young- 
est. 


Michael  Hawk  Wiis  born  in  Germany,  Sep- 
tember 27,  1835,  and  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Portage  County.  He  entered  manhood  with- 
out financial  resources,  but  his  industry  and 
perseverance  brought  their  own  reward,  and 
by  1870  he  was  able  to  purchase  a  farm  of 
his  own.  He  is  now  seventy-three  yeai-s  of 
age  and  owns  an  excellent  farm  of  144  acres, 
in  Tallmadge  Township,  Sunnnit  Count}'.  Ho 
married  Albertina  Bletzer,  a  daughter  of 
Michael  Bletzer,  of  Randolph,  Portage  County, 
where  stie  was  bom  in  1840.  She  died  in 
1893,  aged  fifty-two  years.  They  had  two 
children,  namely:  Lydia  and  Albert,  the  lat- 
ter of  whom  resides  in  the  West.  Michael 
Hawk  is  a  member  of  Grace  Reformed 
Church,  at  Akron,  to  which  his  first  wife  also 
Itelonged.  Mr.  Hawk  contracted  a  second 
marriage. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pfeift'er  have  three  children: 
George  Frederick,  Raymond  Arthur  and  Clara 
May.  The  daughter  was  born  November  30, 
1892,  and  is  a  student  in  the  public  schools. 
The  older  son,  George  Frederick,  was  born 
August  28,  188'6.  He  took  a  scientific  course 
at  Buchtel  College  and  a  course  in  the  Scran- 
ton  School  of  Civil  Engineering,  and  is  a  civil 
engineer  with  the  N.  0.  T.  Company.  The 
second  son,  Raymond  Arthur,  was  born  Au- 
gust 28,  1890,  and  is  a  bright  student  at 
Buchtel  College.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pfeiffer  are 
members  of  the  Reformed  Church  on  East 
Market  Street,  Akron,  in  which  he  is  an 
elder  and  secretarj'  of  the  church  Consistory. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Pfeiffer  is  a  Democrat  and 
tor  a  number  of  years  has  been  active  in  poli- 
tics. While  never  pressing  his  claim  to  po- 
litical honors,  he  has  frequently  been  chosen 
by  his  party  for  responsible  offices.  He  served 
several  terms  as  treasurer  of  Lake  Township, 
Stark  County,  and  also  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  was  appointed  a  notary  public  first  by  Gov- 
ernor Bushnell,  and  has  commissions  which 
were  subsequently  issued  by  Gov.  George  K. 
Nash  and  also  by  Governor  Herrick.  For  a 
number  of  ja^ars  he  served  as  central  commit- 
teeman in  Lake  Township,  and  frequently  has 
attended  the  important  Democratic  conven- 
tions a.s  a  delegate. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


515 


JOHN  G.  OLIN  for  many  years  was  one 
of  the  sterling  men  of  Stow  Township,  a  man 
whose  integrity  was  never  questioned,  whose 
influence  was  felt  in  the  practical  development 
of  his  neighborhood  and  whose  advice  and 
judgment  were  sought  by  his  fellow-citizens. 
He  was  born  at  Streetsboro,  Portage  County, 
Ohio,  October  17,  1851,  and  died  on  the  prop- 
erty which  he  had  acquired  through  indus- 
try and  frugality,  on  April  1,  1900.  The  par- 
ents of  John  G.  Olin  were  Alonzo  and  Elmira 
B.  (Squires)  Olin,  and  his  grandparents  were 
Samuel  and  Betsey  (Green)  Olin. 

Samuel  Olin,  the  grandfather,  was  the 
pioneer  of  the  family  to  Ohio.  He  was  born 
July,  1793,  at  Shaftsbury,  Vermont,  and  there 
and  at  St.  Albans,  his  early  life  w-as  spent, 
helping  his  father  until  he  was  of  legal  age. 
He  then  went  to  Whitestown,  Oneida  County, 
New  York,  and  assisted  his  uncle,  Silas  Raw- 
son,  who  ke^Dt  a  public  inn  at  that  place,  and 
while  there,  in  December,  1815,  he  married 
his  cousin,  Betsey  Green.  She  was  born  in 
April  1797.  In  1818,  Samuel  Olin  and  wife 
moved  to  Perry,  New  York,  w'here  two  of  his 
brothers  had  previously  settled,  and  all  farmed 
in  partnership  until  the  spring  of  1822,  when 
Samuel  returned  to  Whitestown  and  remained 
two  years  with  his  uncle,  who  needed  his  as- 
sistance, after  which  he  returned  to  his  farm. 
Later  he  bought  another  farm  on  which  he 
lived  until  February  28,  1839,  when  he  left 
there  for  Ohio.  His  household  goods  were 
packed  in  three  great  wagons,  for  he  was  a 
man  of  at  least  $10,000  of  capital  and  prop- 
erty, and  tlie  first  season  after  reaching  Streets- 
boro, he  built  a  fine  brick  house  for  hotel  pur- 
poses, which  was  long  known  as  Olin's  Inn. 
He  carried  on  his  hotel  for  eleven  years  with 
profit,  having  had  the  necessary  training  with 
his  uncle  to  make  the  business  part  of  hotel- 
keeping  a  succe.5.«,  while  his  genial  nature  and 
hearty  good  fellowship  made  his  companion- 
ship agreeable  to  travelers.  The  building  of 
the  Cleveland  &  Pittsburg  Railroad  deflect- 
ed trade  and  thiis  practically  ruined  his  busi- 
ness. He  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  en- 
gaged in  farming.     At  the  time  of  his  death. 


ni  1874,  his  property  was  estimated  to  be 
worthy  $60,000. 

Alonzo  h.  Oliu,  father  of  the  late  John  G. 
Olin,  was  born  May  18,  1820,  at  Perry,  Wy- 
oming County,  New  York,  and  died  Novem- 
ber 14,  1885.  He  had  but  meager  educational 
advantages  in  his  youth,  partly  because  of 
the  few  schoolhouses  in  his  vicinity,  in 
boyhood,  and  partly  because  his  services 
as  a  sturdy,  robust  youth,  were  demanded 
to  assist  in  the  pressing  work  on  the 
farm.  He  accompanied  his  father  to  Ohio 
and  remained  with  him  until  his  marriage, 
on  October  12,  1842,  to  Elmira  B.  Squires, 
who  was  born  also  at  Perry,  New  Y'ork,  July 
17,  1824.  She  still  resides  on  the  home  farm 
in  Portage  County.  After  marriage,  Alonzo 
B.  Olin  rented  land  of  his  father  for  a  few 
years,  but  soon  purchased  land  for  himself 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  by  the  exerci.se 
of  the  thrift  taught  him  by  his  parents  and 
natural  to  one  who  felt  the  responsibility  of  a 
growing  family,  he  owned  224  acres  of  valu- 
able land.  He  passed  away  after  a  busy  and 
useful  life,  leaving  behind  the  record  which 
a  family  preserves  as  one  of  its  best  treasures. 

Of  such  honorable  ancestry  came  the  late 
John  G.  Olin.  He  remained  at  home  until 
he  w.as  twenty-three  years  old.  His  attendance 
in  the  district  schools  was  followed  by  two 
terms  in  the  High  School  and  one  term  at 
Mt.  Union  College.  He  worked  for  his  father 
and  was  justly  remunerated  as  long  as  he  re- 
mained. In  the  spring  following  his  marriage 
Mr.  Olin  settled  on  his  brother  Arthur's 
farm,  in  Franklin  Township,  Portage  County, 
where  he  lived  for  five  years,  and  then  re- 
turned to  Streetsboro  and  worked  a  rented 
farm  for  two  years.  In  the  meanwhile,  he 
had  been  looking  for  a  suitable  investment 
and  finally  decided  to  come  to  Summit  County 
and  on  March  10, 1882,  purchased  the  farm  of 
eighty  acres,  on  which  his  widow  still  resides. 
He  engaged  in  mixed  farming,  and  his  esti- 
mable wife  capably  managed  the  home  dairy, 
and  for  twenty-two  years  made  butter  to  sup- 
ply customers  who  were  particularly  choice 
about  this  table  necessity.  Among  the  mod- 
ern changes  which  have  contributed  largely 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


to  ease  the  heavy  duties  falling  on  the  fann- 
ers' wives,  has  been  the  establishing  of  cream- 
eries, and  Mr.  Oliu  was  one  of  the  first  in  his 
neighborhood  to  recognize  the  value  of  such 
an  enterprise.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Co-operative  Creamery,  now  a  very  suc- 
cessful industry  at  Stow. 

On  November  4,  1874,  Mr.  Olin  was  mar- 
ried to  the  esteemed  lady  who  still  survives 
him,  dearly  cherishing  his  memory.  She 
was  Julia  Ellsworth,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Rufus  G.  and  Wealthy  (Wilcox)  Ellsworth, 
of  Streetsboro.  For  six  years  prior  to  her 
marriage  she  resided  in  the  family  of  Samuel 
Olin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Olin  had  one  daughter, 
Hattie  E.,  who  was  born  January  29,  1879. 
She  was  given  many  advantages  and  grew  to 
attractive  voung  womanhood.  She  was  mar- 
ried March  26,  1902,  to  George  Miller.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Miller  have  had  two  children,  twins. 
One  of  these,  Helen,  who  was  born  April  10, 
1907,  survives.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  reside 
on  the  homestead,  Mrs.  Olin  having  retained 
but  twenty  acres  of  the  same  for  her  own  use, 
hiring  a  tenant  to  operate  it  for  her.  Mrs. 
Olin  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Disciples 
Church. 

The  sudden  death  of  John  G.  Olin  was  a 
shock  not  only  to  his  family  but  to  the  whole 
community  where  lie  was  so  highly  esteemed. 
He  was  a  man  of  genial  presence,  and  the 
hearty  good  will  he  entertained  for  all  who 
came  within  the  paths  of  his  daily  life,  was 
warmly  reciprocated,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  he 
had  a  real  enemy  in  the  world.  No  man  en- 
joyed the  ordinary  pleasures  of  life  more  than 
he,  and  in  every  circle  in  which  he  moved 
his  presence  was  welcome.  In  his  political 
choice  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  many  offices 
of  local  importance  were  pressed  on  him.  his 
upright  character  and  evident  fitness  making 
him  popular  with  the  majority  of  his  fellow- 
citizens,  irrespective  of  differing  political 
faiths.  For  a  number  of  years  he  filled  the 
office  of  township  trustee  and  supervisor,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death  was  officiating  in  the 
former  capacity.  In  all  the  different  agencies 
established  to  improve  his  section,  he  was  al- 
ways consulted  as  to  their  utility,  and  he  lent 


his  influence  uniformly  to  all  movements 
which  he  believed  would  add  to  the  general 
welfare  and  to  the  continued  prosperity  of 
Stow  Township. 

FREDERICK  WUNDERLICH,  whose 
fine  farm  of  sixty  acres  in  Norton  Township 
is  one  on  which  he  has  lived  almost  contin- 
uously since  1857,  is  one  of  the  best  known 
and  most  highly  respected  citizens  of  this  sec- 
tion. Mr.  W'Underlich  was  born  in  Prussia- 
Germany,  November  19,  183T,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  and  Margaret  (Kisfert)  Wunderlich. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Wunderlich  was  a  silk 
weaver  in  liis  own  land,  but  wages  were  small 
even  for  this  difficult  kind  of  work,  and  when 
Frederick  was  two  and  one-half  years  of  age, 
he  decided  to  try  farming  in  the  great  coun- 
try across  the  sea.  Hence,  the  year  1839 
found  the  German  family  safely  established 
in  Ohio.  After  a  short  residence  at  Cleve- 
land, John  Wunderlich  moved  his  wife  and 
children  to  a  farm  he  had  rented  in  Summit 
County,  where  he  set  up  his  weaving  looms 
and  also  cultivated  the  land.  The  Wunder- 
lichs  lived  for  six  years  on  Summit  Hill, 
Coventry  Township,  and  then  moved  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Johnson's  Comers,  Norton 
Township,  where  he  purchased  forty  acres  of 
land.  Here  he  resided  until  his  death,  never 
giving  up  his  work  at  his  trade. 

Frederick  Wunderlich  went  to  school  at 
Johnson's  Corners  and  worked  for  four  years 
with  his  father  at  the  weaving  trade  and  then 
went  to  farming,  which  has  been  his  main  oc- 
cupation ever  .since.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  also  ran  a  cider  press.  When  he  married 
he  came  to  his  present  farm,  which  is  lo- 
cated about  one-half  mile  south  of  .Johnson's 
Corners.  With  the  exception  of  two  years 
.spent  in  Indiana,  Mr.  Wunderlich  has  re- 
mained on  this  farm  ever  since,  a  period  of 
almost  fifty  years.  In  1878  he  erected  the 
present  large,  comfort.able  residence.  He  lost 
his  barn  from,  a  stroke  of  lightning,  but  re- 
built in  a  more  suKstantial  way  in  1890. 

On  July  27,  1857,  Mr.  Wunderlich  was 
married  to  Lavina  Huvler,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Elizabeth  Huvler,  who  were 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


577 


born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  where  Mrs.  Wunderlich  was 
born.  When  she  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  her 
father  bouglit  the  farm  on  which  slie  lias  lived 
ever  since,  with  the  exception  of  two  years. 
It  is  a  fine  old  place  and  is  endeared  to  her 
with  nieanories  of  her  girlhood  and  almost  all 
of  her  married  life.  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Wunder- 
lich have  two  sons,  John  H.  and  Arthur. 
John  H.  has  been  married  twice  and  has  two 
children,  born  to  his  first  union,  Frederick 
and  Henry.  Arthur  also  married  and  has 
one  daughter,  Inez.  Both  sons  are  pattern- 
makers. Mr.  and  Mrs.  AVunderlich  are 
among  the  oldest  and  most  esteemed  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  this  section. 

J.  F.  BETZLER,  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Betzler  and  Wilson,  manufacturers  of 
fountain  pens,  at  Akron,  has  been  a  resident 
of  Summit  County,  Ohio,  for  twenty-nine 
yeai-s.  Mr.  Betzler  was  born  in  Germany,  in 
1868,  and  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  he 
came  to  America. 

The  young  German  boy  came  directly  to 
Summit  County,  and  at  Akron  he  found  em- 
ployment with  the  Summit  Hard  Rubber 
Company,  which  was  then  a  branch  of  the  B. 
F.  Goodrich  Company,  and  his  worth  and 
efficiency  were  pi'oved  bv  his  being  retained 
by  them  for  six  years.  He  then  became  con- 
nected with  the  fountain  pen  manufacturing 
industry,  working  both  in  Chicago  and  Cin- 
cinnati, and  subsequently  returning  to  Akron, 
where,  in  1892,  in  association  with  W.  E. 
Wilson,  he  embarked  in  the  business  of  man- 
ufacturing fountain  pens.  The  firm  of  Betz- 
ler and  Wilson  have  since  put  upon  the  mar- 
ket a  pen  bearing  their  name,  which  has  stood 
the  most  thorough  tests,  and  is  handled  all 
over  the  country,  four  men  being  required  to 
visit  the  trade  in  the  United  States.  Employ- 
ment is  given  fifteen  men  in  the  factory. 

Mr.  Betzler  is  the  inventor  and  patentee  of 
the  Betzler  and  AVilson  self-filled  pen,  which  is 
the  firm's  leader  of  their  100  different  styles 
of  manufacture.  The  business  has  made  a 
rapid  and  wonderful  growth,  and  each  season 
sees  it  still  further  expanded.     In  addition  to 


his  interest  in  this  business,  Mr.  Betzler  is  a 
director  in  the  Dollar  Savings  Bank. 

In  1896,  Mr.  Betzler  was  married  to  Eliza- 
beth Kipp,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Alma.  Mr.  Betzler  is  a  32nd  degree 
Mason,  belonging  to  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter, 
Council  and  Commandery  at  Akron,  and  to 
the  Shrine  and  Lake  Erie  Consistory  at  Cleve- 
land. He  is  a  past  grand  in  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  A  man  of  recognized 
business  enterprise,  he  enjoys  a  high  commer- 
cial rating  in  the  city  which  has  witnessed  the 
successful  development  of  this  business. 

J.  M.  DAVIDSON,  one  of  Akron's  leading 
citizens,  who  has  been  identified  with  her  im- 
portant enterprises  for  the  past  twenty-eight 
years,  is  one  of  the  best  known  general  con- 
tractors here  and  has  had  much  to  do  in  build- 
ing up  and  improving  the  city.  Mr.  David- 
son was  born  in  1858,  in  Scotland,  where  he 
remained  until  twenty  years  of  age. 

In  1878  Mr.  Davidson  came  to  America, 
having  completed  his  apprenticeship  to  the 
machinist  trade  prior  to  thi.«,  and  in  1879  he 
reached  Akron,  where  he  entered  the  .shops  of 
the  Taplin-Rice  Company.  He  remained 
with  the  above  firm  for  one  and  one-half 
years  and  then  went  to  the  Akron  Iron  Com- 
pany, where  he  continued  for  some  fifteen 
years.  Mr.  Davidson  then  entered  into  busi- 
ness for  himself  as  a  general  contractor  and 
coal  dealer,  doing  all  kinds  of  paving  and 
sewer  building,  and  having  an  extensive  trade 
in  coal,  both  wholesale  and  retail.  Mr. 
Davidson  has  been  awarded  a  number  of  very 
heavy  contracts  and  has  just  completed  over 
a  mile  of  paving  and  sewer  building  at  Ash- 
land, Ohio.  He  has  his  large  force  of  men 
at  work  at  present  on  a  contract  that  calls  for 
the  building  of  2,300  feet  of  rock  sewer.  Mr. 
Davidson  is  a  good  business  man  and  has 
made  a  number  of  judicious  investments  since 
locating  at  Akron  and  he  owns  considerable 
stock  in  a  number  of  the  city's  most  prosper- 
ous enterprises. 

In  November,  1890,  Mr.  Davidson  was 
married  to  Emma  Beck,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  William  Beck,  and  thev  have  two  children 


578 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


living:  William  James  and  Ethel  Ruth.  One 
daughter,  Rhoda,  was  killed  during  the  riot  of 
1900.  With  his  family,  Mr.  Davidson  be- 
longs to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Davidson  has  never  been  very  active 
politically  and  has  never  consented  to  be  a 
candidate  for  office.  He  belongs  to  the  or- 
der of  Modern  ^Voodmen.  He  is  known  to  his 
fellow.-citizens  as  a  man  of  biLsiness  capac- 
ity and  integrity,  one  who  in  every  way  de- 
sen'es  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  held. 

WILLIAM  N.  PALMER,  a.ssistant  gen- 
eral .superintendent  of  the  Diamond  Match 
Company,  at  Barberton,  was  born  at  Middle- 
bury,  now  Akron,  Ohio,  December  9,  1855, 
and  is  a  son  of  Albert  and  Ann  Elizabeth 
(Haughey)    Palmer. 

Albert  Palmer,  father  of  William  N.,  was 
born  at  Lyons,  New  York,  in  182.S,  and  is  a 
son  of  Stephen  Palmer,  who  brought  his  fam- 
ily to  Akron  in  1837.  The  latter  was  a  man- 
ufacturer of  fanning  mills  and  when  his 
father  died,  Albert  Palmer  continued  the  bus- 
iness. Albert  Palmer  and  his  wife  both  sur- 
vive, after  a  happy  married  life  of  fifty-eight 
years,  he  having  reached  his  eighty-fourth 
birthday,  while  .she  is  seventy-seven  years  of 
age.  They  had  seven  children,  as  follows: 
C.  IT.,  who  is  vice-president  of  the  Diamond 
Match  Company;  Kate,  who  is  the  wife  of 
M.  C.  Lytle,  residing  at  Wadsworth,  Ohio; 
William  N.,  whose  name  begins  this  sketch : 
Stephen ;  Frances,  a  school  teacher,  residing 
at  Akron;  Nettie,  who  is  the  wife  of  Adolph 
Bonstead ;  and  .Je.«.sie. 

William  N.  Palmer  has  been  more  or  less 
identified  with  the  match  indiLstry  since  boy- 
hood, beginning  to  work  for  0.  C.  Barber,  the 
pioneer  match  manufacturer,  when  but  twelve 
years  of  age,  the  plant  then  being  located  at 
Middlebury,  which  is  now  a  part  of  Akron. 
He  attended  school  during  the  winter  sessions 
for  some  years  and  also  took  a  course  in 
Wilder's  Business  College,  but  all  .spare  time, 
holidays,  Saturdays  and  even  many  even- 
ings, were  given  to  work  for  Mr.  Barber. 
Gradually,  from  the  humblest  position,  Mr. 
Palmer  has  advanced  until  he  is  now  the  as- 


sistant superintendent  of  this  immense  plant. 
Ilis  knowledge  is  of  a  thoroughly  practical 
nature,  he  having  worked  through  the  differ- 
ent departments  in  the  factories.  Mr.  Pal- 
mer married  Emma  Tweed  and  they  have  one 
daught«r,  Mabel. 

GEORGE  S.  DAVIS,  an  extensive  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  of  Bath  Township,  and  one 
of  the  most  influential  and  widely  respected 
citizens  of  Summit  County,  was  born  in  New 
York  state,  November  21,  1845.  son  of  A\'il- 
liam  and  Ann  (Sewell)  Davis.  Williixm 
Davis  was  born  in  Burns,  Lincolnshire, 
England,  April  14,  1809,  and  on  May  16, 
1833,  was  married  to  Ann  Sewell,  who  was 
born  at  the  same  place  about  1814.  They 
came  to  this  country  in  July,  1845,  locating 
in  New  York  state.  They  were  the  parents 
of  a  large  family,  of  whom  the  following 
children  were  born  to  them  in  England: 
Jane,  April  10,  1843,  wife  of  I.  S.  King; 
Marv,  February  16,  1836,  who  married  S.  E. 
Tavior;  John,  January  21,  1838;  William, 
October  27,  1839;  Thomas,  December  2, 
1841 ;  Ann,  November  15,  1843,  widow  of  I. 
H.  Miller,  and  now  widow  of  L.  V.  AVychoff. 
The  American-born  children  are:  George  S., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Sarah  D.,  Decem- 
ber 13.  1847,  wife  of  George  Bisl^ee;  Eliza- 
beth, December  25,  1849,  wife  of  Abraham 
Spencer;  Emma  E.,  September  6,  1852,  wife 
of  Sylvester  Vallen ;  Alpha,  December  3, 
1854,' wife  of  Frank  Pierson;  Clara  B.,  Jan- 
uary 6,  1857,  wife  of  Charies  Dietz.  Of  the 
above-mentioned  family,  Thomas  was  killed 
in  the  service  of  his  country  at  the  battle 
Pine  Knob,  Gcoruia.  June  15.  1864,  aftc 
having  served  faithfully  under  Sherman  in 
all  his  battles  up  to  that  time. 

A  year  aft-er  their  arrival  in  this  country 
the  family  came  to  Summit  County  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Bath  Town.ship,  which  was 
partly  cleared.  On  this  Mr.  Davis  erected  a 
new  house  and  barn  and  made  a  comfortable 
home  for  his  family.  In  politics  he  affiliated 
with  the  Republican  party.  He  was  a  inem- 
ber  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  both  in  England  and 
America,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  earnest 


AND    EEPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


579 


members  of  the  Disciples'  Church.  Mr. 
Davis  died  August  14,  1888,  his  wife  hav- 
ing preceded  him  to  the  grave  nearly  twenty 
years,  dying  March  12,  1867.  They  were 
most  worthy  people,  active  in  advancing  the 
social  and  moral  welfare  of  the  community, 
and  their  memories  will  live  long  after  them. 

George  S.  Davis  was  reared  on  the  farm, 
and  acquired  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  As  a  yoimg  man  he  worked  at  the 
carpenter's  trade,  in  which  occupation  he  con- 
tinued for  six  years.  After  his  marriage  he 
abandoned  it  and  began  farming,  which  has 
since  been  his  occupation.  He  now  owns 
one  of  the  best  farn^s  in  the  county,  compris- 
ing 300  acres,  and  improved  in  the  most 
thorough  and  up-to-date  manner.  He  gives  a 
large  share  of  his  attention  to  the  breeding 
of  fine  cattle  and  sheep,  the  excellence  of 
which  have  become  widely  recognized.  To 
facilitate  this  industry  he  has  on  his  farm 
five  large  barns,  arranged  with  every  con- 
venience for  the  care  and  proper  raising  of 
stock.  He  has  also  for  some  years  past  been 
engaged  in  raising  horses,  and  now  has  some 
very  fine  Morgan  and  English  coach  horses. 
It  may  be  still  said  of  him  today,  as  it  was 
some  years  ago,  that  he  probably  owns  more 
fine  stock  than  any  man  in  Bath  Township. 

Mr.  Davis  was  married  Febmary  12,  1873, 
to  Miss  IMars'  Barker,  who  was  born  Septem- 
ber 10,  1S48,  daughter  of  Jared  and  Eleanor 
(Munson)  Barker,  well  known  residents  of 
Bath  Township.  He  and  his  wife  have  been 
the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Eleanor 
Belle,  born  Januarv  30,  1874,  died  October 
30,  1883;  .lav.  December  31,  1879;  Tared. 
April  21,  1882;  Mar>%  February  27,  1884: 
Oreorge,  September  15,  1885 ;  Anna,  August 
10,  1887 ;  Paul,  May  2,  1889. 

Mr.  Davis  is  a  strong  Republican  and  cast 
his  first  presidential  vote  for  General  Grant. 
Of  a  retiring  disposition,  however,  he  takes 
but  little  part  in  politics,  though  in  response 
to  the  desires  of  his  fellow  citizens  he  has 
served  the  town  as  a  member  of  the  Board 
nf  Education.  He  and  his  wife  are  both 
members  of  the  Congregational  Church  at 
Bath. 


FREDERICK  J.  BAUER,  M.  D.,  a  lead- 
ing physician  at  Mogadore,  who  has  been  lo- 
cated here  for  the  past  twenty-seven  years,  is, 
with  one  exception,  the  oldest  continuous 
medical  practitioner  in  the  place.  Dr.  Bauer 
was  born  in  Sufiield  Township,  Portage  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  March  5,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Christiana  (Holzworth)  Bauer. 

The  parents  of  Dr.  Bauer  were  born  in 
Wurtemberg,  Germany,  and  they  came  to 
America  in  1839,  settling  on  a  farm  of  100 
acres,  which  then  was  located  about  a  mile 
from  the  village  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  but 
is  now  included  in  the  corporate  limits  of 
that  city.  At  that  time  the  land  could  have 
been  purchased  for  thirty  dollars  an  acre,  but 
.Jacob  Bauer  could  not  command  that  much 
capital  at  the  time  and  the  opportunity  was 
lost  for  the  making  of  an  indepejident  for- 
tune. He  removed  from  Pennsylvania  and 
settled  in  Suffield  Township,  Portage  County, 
Ohio,  between  1840  and  1845,  on  a  farm  two 
miles  southeast  of  Suffield.  He  died  about 
1887,  aged  eighty-one  years.  He  married 
Christiana  Holzworth,  who  died  in  1882,  at 
the  age  of  sixty  years.  They  were  the  parents 
of  nine  children,  namely:  Rudolph,  George, 
Sophia.  Mary,  Odelia,  Frederick  J.,  Lena, 
Lucinda  and  .Jacob.  Rudolph  Bauer  died  in 
1905,  and  George  died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 
Sophia,  who  died  in  1859,  was  the  wife  of 
William  Wilson,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Union  army  during  the  Civil  War.  They  left 
one  son,  Charles  Wilson,  who  is  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Lamar,  Missouri,  of  which  village 
he  has  been  mayor,  and  is  now  serving  as 
night  telegraph  agent  for  the  Missouri  &  Pa- 
cific Railroad.  Mary,  who  is  the  widow  of 
George  Price,  resides,  with  her  eight  chil- 
dren, on  her  farm  adjoining  the  old  home- 
stead. Odelia,  who  is  the  widow  of  Newi.on 
StaufFer,  resides  with  her  daughter  and 
granddaughter  northea.«t  of  Tallmadge.  Lena, 
who  married  .John  Peterson,  resides  in  Jas- 
per County,  Missouri.  Lucinda  married  John 
May  and  they  reside  with  their  children  on 
the  old  Bauer  homestead.  Jacob  W.,  the 
yoimgest  member  of  this  family,  has  charge 
of  the  United  States  Weather  Bureau  at  Co- 


580 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


lumbia,  South  Carolina,  where  he  has  been 
located  gmce  1893,  having  served  at  various 
points  since  1881.  He  was  educated  at  Mt. 
Union  College.  He  married  Esther  Wash- 
burn, of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  they  have 
one  son  and  several  daughters. 

The  boyhood  of  Dr.  Bauer  was  spent  on  his 
father's  farm  and  his  early  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  district  schools.  He  secured 
better  educational  advantages  after  he  had 
earned  the  money  by  teaching,  to  pay  for 
them,  and  he  spent  three  years  at  Mt.  Union 
College.  In  1876  he  left  school  and  in  the 
following  year  began  to  read  medicine  with 
Dr.  Ferguson,  of  Mogadore,  and  later  entered 
the  Ohio  Medical  College,  at  Cincinnati,  for 
one  year,  going  from  there  to  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  Wooster  University,  which 
is  now  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons, of  Cleveland,  where  he  was  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1880. 

Dr.  Bauer  returned  to  Mogadore  and  en- 
tered into  partnership  with  his  old  preceptor, 
Dr.  Ferguson,  and  this  association  continued 
until  the  death  of  the  latter  in  January,  1886, 
since  which  time  Dr.  Bauer  has  been  alone. 
During  his  twenty-seven  years  of  professional 
work  in  this  place.  Dr.  Bauer  has  so  demon- 
strated his  ability  that  he  has  gained  the  con- 
fidence of  the  public  and  the  respect  of  his 
associates  in  the  practice  of  medicine.  He 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  public  affairs,  par- 
ticularly in  those  concerning  his  own  state, 
coimty  and  city,  and  has  shown  his  sincerity 
by  lending  his  influence  to  many  public-spirit- 
ed movement*.  He  owns  considerable  real  es- 
tate at  Mogadore  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
Colonial  Brick  Company. 

In  1885  Dr.  Bauer  was  married  to  Cath- 
erine S.  Rubbins,  who  was  born  in  the  state 
of  New  York,  and  is  a  daughter  of  .John 
and  Lydia  M.  (01d«)  Rubbins,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  England,  and  the  latter 
in  New  York,  where  .she  was  one  of  a  family 
of  twelve  children.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Bauer  have 
two  sons,  Fred  Otis  and  Carl  Hnltzworth,  the 
former  of  whom  i=  a  student  at  Mt.  Union 
College,  and  the  latter  of  whom  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1907,  from  the  Mogadore  High 


School.  Both  fine  types  of  young  American 
youths.  The  residence  in  which  Dr.  Bauer 
and  family  reside  and  which  he  owns,  was 
built  by  the  Kents,  very  early  settlers  here. 
It  has  a  historic  interest  from  the  fact  that 
when  it  was  completed,  one  of  the  workmen 
broke  over  its  roof  a  bottle  of  liquor  and 
christened  the  village  of  Mogadore,  from  the 
town  of  that  name  in  Africa,  where  he  had 
once  been  a  prisoner. 

Dr.  Bauer  is  one  of  the  leading  Democrats 
of  this  section,  and  on  one  occasion  was 
chosen  by  his  party  as  its  candidate  for  coun- 
ty auditor.  He  has  served  a  number  of  times 
as  a  delegate  to  the  state  conventions  and  for 
many  years  has  been  a  regular  delegate  to 
the  county  conventions.  Since  1885,  Dr. 
Bauer  has  been  a  Mason,  and  in  1891  he  be- 
came a  charter  member  of  Lodge  No.  482, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  at  Mogadore. 

JOHN  A.  WHITMAN,  who  resides  on  a 
well-improved  farm  of  three  and  one-half 
acres  in  Chippewa  Township,  Wayne  County, 
Ohio,  owns  also  eighty-seven  acres  in  Norton 
Township,  Summit  County,  and  eight  acres 
in  Wadsworth  Township,  Medina  County, 
this  property  being  all  in  one  body.  Mr. 
Whitman  was  born  June  24,  1857,  in  Chip- 
pewa Township,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  son  of  .John  and  Jane  (Allerding)  Whit- 
man. 

Andrew  Whitman,  the  grandfather  of  John 
A.,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  at  an 
early  day  came  to  Chippewa  Township,  where 
he  was  married  to  Margaret  IMarshall,  who 
was  a  native  of  Knox  County,  Ohio.  He  pur- 
chased the  farms  on  which  both  his  son  John 
and  his  grandson.  .John  A.,  were  born.  He 
acquired  considerable  property,  and,  in  addi- 
tion to  farming,  he  operated  a  cider  mill  and 
also  engaged  in  threshing. 

John  Whitman  was  born  on  a  farm  located 
south  of  Doylestown  in  Chippewa  Township, 
Wayne  County,  and  subsequently  purchased 
the  present  farm  of  John  A.  AVhitmnn,  from 
his  father.  He  became  thresher,  miller  and 
eeneral  farmer.  He  was  married  in  Knox 
County.  Ohio,  to  Jane  Allerding.  who  came 


JOSEPH  CO()P]i;R 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


583 


from  France  when  aged  sixteen  years.  To 
them  were  born  eight  children,  as  follows: 
Caroline,  who  is  the  widow  of  Frank  Stotler, 
John  A. ;  Ella,  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of 
Bartley  Lynch;  Mary,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  thirteen  years;  Lawrence  and  Josephine, 
both  of  whom  died  of  diphtheria,  the  last 
three  named  children  dying  within  six 
weeks;  Clara,  who  is  a  graduate  nurse,  re- 
siding at  Cleveland,  Ohio;  and  Matilda,  who 
resides  at  Doylestown.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  September  30,  1904.  The 
father  died  in  1876. 

John  A.  Whitman  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm,  and  attended  the  country  school.  When 
aged  nineteen  years  liLs  father's  death  oc- 
curred and  the  main  duties  of  the  farm  thus 
fell  upon  his  shoulders.  He  has  always  car- 
ried on  general  farming,  and,  in  addition,  is 
now  making  a  specialty  of  raising  Durham 
cattle.  A  rather  unusual  circumstance  is  that 
his  excellent  farm  lies  in  three  counties,  his 
residence  being  on  the  Wayne  County  por- 
tion, while  his  barn  is  situated  in  Summit 
County. 

Mr.  Whitman  was  married  in  1885  to  Jo- 
hanna Schmitz,  whose  death  occurred  April 
16,  1902,  and  to  them  there  were  born  eight 
children,  namely:  Lawrence,  Mary,  Clara, 
John,  Lucy,  Herman,  Leo  and  Cecelia. 

Mr.  Whitman  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Mutual  Benefit  Association.  With  his  fam- 
ily he  attends  the  Doylestown  Catholic 
Church. 

JOSEPH  COOPER,  of  the  brick  manufac- 
turing firm  of  Cooper  Brothers,  at  Akron,  has 
been  a  resident  of  this  city  and  identified  with 
its  business  interests  for  the  ]iast  forty  years. 
Mr.  Cooper  was  born  in  Staffordshire,  Eng- 
land, in  1847,  and  was  reared,  and  educated, 
and  learned  his  trade  in  his  native  land. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  years,  Mr.  Cooper 
came  to  America,  settling  in  Akron,  and  work- 
ing the  first  year  for  the  firm  of  Kent  &  Bald- 
win in  their  machine  shops.  He  subsequently 
entered  the  employ  of  Byron  Allison,  in  the 
brick  business,  with  whom  he  remained  for 
about  ten  years.     Then,  in  partner.-ihip  with 


his  brother,  Sanuiel  Cooper,  he  leased  the  old 
Briggs  brick  plant,  and" the  firm,  under  the 
name  of  Cooper  Brothers,  have  been  engaged 
since  in  manufacturing  and  deliverng  all 
kinds  of  building  brick.  Their  plant  is  lo- 
cated at  No.  573  Spicer  Street.  They  give 
employment  to  a  number  of  skilled  workers, 
and  the  industry  is  one  of  the  substantial  ones 
of  the  city. 

In  1869,  Joseph  Cooper  was  nuirried  (first) 
to  Agnes  Lang,  who  died  soon  after  marriage. 
He  married  (second)  Mary  Palmer,  of  which 
union  there  is  one  daughter,  Emily,  who  mar- 
ried Samuel  Crisp,  and  resides  at  home,  with 
her  parents.  Mr.  Cooper  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  belongs  to 
the  English  Society,  known  as  the  Sons  of 
St.  George.     In  politics  he  is  a  republican. 

HIRAM  F.  SNYDER,  who  owns  an  excel- 
lent farm  of  104  acres  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship, was  born  on  the  old  Snyder  homestead, 
in  Franklin  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  August  10,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Mich- 
ael and  Nancy  (Marsh)  Snyder. 

Michael  Snyder,  father  of  Hiram  F.,  was 
born  in  Alsace,  France,  and  accompanied  his 
parents,  Michael  and  Barbara  (Weimer) 
Snyder  to  America.  They  came  to  Spring- 
field Township,  Summit  County,  by  way  of 
the  canal,  and  when  they  passed  through  Ak- 
ron, in  1838,  there  was  but  one  .store  in  the 
village.  Mr.  Snyder  was  looking  for  land  on 
which  to  establish  a  home  and  he  was  offered 
100  acres  on  the  site  of  Akron  for  the  sum 
of  $600.  He  con.?idered  the  soil  there  too 
light  for  deep  cultivation  and  purchased  a 
farm  in  Springfield  Township,  from  which 
he  moved,  eight  years  later,  to  another  near 
that  on  which  his  grandson,  Pliram  F.,  re- 
sid&s.  He  died  in  1897,  aged  ninety-two 
years,  his  wife  having  pa.ssed  away  in  1876, 
aged  seventy  years.  In  France  he  engaged 
in  milling,  but  confined  himself  to  farming 
after  coming  to  Ohio.  Michael  and  Barbara 
Snyder,  or  Schneider  as  the  name  was  spelled 
in  their  day,  had  the  following  children: 
George;  Michael;  Frederick,  residing  at  Bar- 
berton;  Eve,  who  married  John  Dailey;  and 


584 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Julia,  who  married  David  Steel.  Frederick 
Snyder  is  the  only  survivor  of  this  family. 

Michael  Snyder,  father  of  Hiram  F.,  was 
six  years  old  when  his  parents  emigrated, 
and  as  he  grew  to  youth  and  manhood,  found 
much  hard  work  in  assisting  in  the  clearing 
up  of  his  father's  property.  He  accumu- 
lated land  of  his  own  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  in  1893,  he  owned  246  acres.  He  mar- 
ried Nancy  Marsh,  who  was  born  in  Franklin 
Township,  and  they  had  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Those 
who  reached  mature  age  were:  Milton,  re- 
siding at  Barberton ;  Hiram  F. ;  Samuel ; 
Louisa,  who  married  James  Henry;  Amanda, 
who  married  C.  Blough;  William  E.,  resid- 
ing at  Akron,  where  he  is  a  well-lcnown  attor- 
ney; Elliott;  and  Ida,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years. 

Hiram  F.  Snyder  was  fourteen  years  old 
when  the  family  moved  to  a  place  near  the 
one  he  owns,  and  he  remained  at  home  until 
his  twenty-third  year,  when  he  secured  his 
present  farm  from  the  family  estate.  In  ISliG 
coal  was  found  on  this  farm  and  rich  veins 
have  been  opened,  many  tons  having  been 
excavated  by  the  Franklin  Coal  Company 
and  the  C.  F.  Wagoner  Company.  Mr.  Sny- 
der was  employed  by  the  coal  company  for 
eighteen  months,  but  with  this  exception,  has 
devoted  himself  entirely  to  farming.  He  ha.'? 
served  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board  for 
several  terms. 

On  December  12,  1882,  Mr.  Snyder  wa< 
married  (first)  to  Elizabeth  Keller,  wlio  died 
in  the  spring  of  1894,  leaving  three  children: 
Eva,  Frank  and  Howard.  In  189(5  he  was 
married  (second)  to  Mary  Limbaugh,  and 
they  have  four  children:  Henry,  Martha,  and 
Paul  and  Ruth,  the  latter  twins.  Mr.  Snyder 
and  family  belong  to  the  Reformed  Church. 

G.  LEE  BRTGGS,  one  of  Akron's  enter- 
prising young  b\asine.s.s  men,  engaged  in  gen- 
eral contracting,  was  born  in  Medina  County, 
Ohio,  in  1871,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  G. 
Briggs,  a  prominent  farmer,  and  a  grandson 
of  Daniel  G.  Briggs.  who  settled  in  Medina 
County  in  1852. 


C.  Lee  Briggs  was  reared  in  Medina  County 
and,  after  completing  the  common  school 
course,  entered  Buchtel  College.  After  leav- 
ing college  he  made  his  home  for  some  five 
years  at  Springfield,  Missouri,  where  he  was 
first  employed  in  the  office  of  a  street  railway 
and  later  in  the  Bank  of  Springfield.  Since 
1898  he  has  been  engaged  in  a  general  con- 
tracting business,  but  for  eighteen  months 
previously  he  had  served  as  secretary  of  the 
Builders'  Exchange.  In  1905  he  erected  a 
fine  home  at  Akron  and  this  city  has  been 
his  place  of  residence  up  to  the  present  time. 
In  1895  Mr.  Briggs  was  married  to  Mary 
Brown,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Clifton.  Mr.  Briggs  is  interested  in  a  num- 
ber of  organizations  at  Akron,  is  a  director 
in  the  Dollar  Savings  Bank,  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  club  and  the  Portage  Country 
club,  and  of  the  Builders'  Exchange  of  Cleve- 
land. 

IRVIN  H.  SPANGLER,  residing  on  his 
farm  of  forty-seven  acres,  which  is  situated 
in  Franklin  Township  and  is  a  part  of  the 
old  Spangler  homestead,  was  born  on  this 
farm  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  August  4, 
•  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Adaline 
(Hoy)   Spangler. 

Joseph  Spangler  was  born  in  Franklin 
Tmvnship,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
son  of  David  Spangler,  who  settled  here  at  an 
early  day.  Joseph  Spangler  was  married 
(fir.st)  to  Caroline  Smith,  who  also  was  reared 
in  Franklin  Township,  and  the  four  chil- 
dren born  to  that  marriage  were:  Adam, 
John,  Charles  and  Jennie,  the  latter  of  whom 
married  0.  W.  Baum.  Mr.  Spangler  was 
married  (.second)  to  Adaline  Hoy,  who  died 
.July  4,  1904.  She  was  a  daughter  of  David 
Hoy,  of  Hocking  County,  Ohio.  Three  chil- 
dren were  born  to  the  second  union,  as  fol- 
lows: David  E.,  Irvin  H.  and  Joseph.  The 
father  still  survives,  having  reached  the  age 
of  eighty-seven  years,  and  is  a  resident  of 
Akron. 

Irvin  H.  Spangler  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  and  attended  the  local  schools.  With 
the  exception  of  six  years  spent  at  Manches- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


585 


ter,  in  boyhood,  he  has  lived  continuously  on 
the  present  farm,  having  purchased  forty- 
seven  acres  from  his  father.  He  cultivates 
both  his  own  fann  and  the  one  his  father 
retains,  which  is  also  situated  in  Franklin 
Township. 

On  December  18,  1890,  Mr.  Spangler  was 
married  to  Laura  Bender,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Hai'vey  F.  Bender,  and  they  have  had  six 
children,  namely:  Florence,  Robert,  Lydia, 
Burdette,  Irene  and  Ira,  all  of  whom  ai'e  liv- 
ing, with  the  exception  of  Lydia,  who  died 
aged  four  months.  Mr.  Spangler  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  order  of  Maccabees. 

HARVEY  A.  MYERS,  a  well  known 
farmer  and  stock  dealer  of  Norton  Town- 
ship, was  born  on  the  excellent  farm  of 
eighty  acres  on  which  he  now  resides,  De- 
cember 29,  1853,  son  of  Alpheus  and  Salome 
(Myers)  Myers. 

Alpheus  Myers  was  born  in  Bucks  County, 
Pennsylvania,  July  10,  1818,  and  in  boy- 
hood accompanied  his  father,  Henry  Myers, 
to  a  farm  near  Wooster,  Ohio.  Tjater,  TIenr\- 
Myers,  with  all  his  family  except  Alpheus, 
removed  to  Indiana,  where  he  died.  Alpheus 
Myers  came  to  Sunnnit  County  April,  1846, 
where  he  purcha.sed  the  80-acre  farm  now 
owned  and  operated  by  his  son,  Harvey.  He 
later  bought  the  Sherman  farm  of  140  acres, 
.and  during  the  Civil  War  he  further  increased 
the  extent  of  his  property  by  purchasing  a 
farm  of  100  acres  situated  across  the  road 
from  where  he  lived  and  which  was  called 
the  Mazier  farm.  In  addition  to  these  farms 
he  owned  one  of  140  acres  in  Missouri.  He 
also  drilled  and  found  coal  and  opened  the 
mine,  known  as  the  Myers  mine  in  Wad.s- 
worth  Township,  Medina  County.  He  was 
a  man  of  excellent  business  qualifications, 
and  during  the  Civil  war  made  a  large  amoinit 
of  money  in  buying  and  shipping  horses  for 
the  government.  He  was  a  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Norton  Township  and  died  March 
1,  1878.  His  death  was  the  result  of  an  ac- 
cident. He  was  about  to  make  a  bu.sines3 
trip  to  the  west  and  also  visit  his  aged  mother. 
While  waiting  at  the  Wadsworth  station,  en- 


gaged in  cofiversation  with  a  friend,  he  ac- 
cidentally stepped  in  front  of  a  moving  train 
and  was  instantly  killed. 

Alpheus  Myers  married  Salome  Myers,  who 
sun'ived  him  many  years,  dying  in  October, 
1900.  They  had  six  children,  the  young- 
et^t  of  whom,  Owen,  died  October  7,  1905.  The 
others  were  as  follows:  William  H.,  resid- 
ing in  Akron;  Mary,  wife  of  Isaac  Tinsman, 
and  a  resident  of  Akron;  Lavina,  who  mar- 
ried Solomon  Kraver,  and  resides  in  Medina 
County ;  Josepha,  residing  in  Medina  County, 
who  married  (fir.st)  Septimius  Siberling,  and 
moved  to  Iowa,  where  he  died,  and  (.second) 
Jacob  Slamker,  whom  she  survives;  and  Har- 
vey A.,  of  Norton  Township. 

Har\'ey  A.  Myers  was  reared  in  his  native 
place  and  has  always  resided  on  this  fine,  old 
farm,  where  he  successfully  carries  on  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-dealing,  making  n, 
specialty  of  cows.  He  attended  the  district 
schools  during  his  boyhood,  and  is  a  nian  of 
Tnuch  general  information,  keeping  himself 
abreast  of  the  times,  as  the  modern  farmer 
has  to  do  to  enjoy  a  full  measure  of  pros- 
perity. 

Mr.  Myers  married  Alice  B.  Miller,  a 
daughter  of  Frank  Miller,  of  Norton  Town- 
ship, and  they  have  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren, namely:  Frank,  married  and  re.siding 
in  Akron;  Fred,  who  married  Emma  Weaver 
and  resides  at  home  with  his  parents;  Sadie, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Messner,  and  ha? 
one  child,  Florence;  Mattie,  who  married 
William  Helmick,  and  has  one  child,  Floy; 
Hattie.  who  married  Elmer  Hall  and  has  one 
child,  Harold;  and  Elsie,  Vernie  and  Chloe. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Myers  have  their  children  set- 
fled  around  them,  or  still  remaining  under 
the  home  roof,  and  have  never  yet  been 
called  on  to  part  with  any  of  them.  The 
family  is  one  well  known  all  through  Norton 
Township. 

'C.  W.  MOORE,  president  of  the  Union 
Printing  Ink  Company,  one  of  Akron's  u.se- 
ful  indu.stries,  with  a  plant  located  at  1031 
South  High  Street.,  has  been  a  resident  of 
this  city  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and 


5S() 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


from  boj'hood  has  been  identified  with  niiuiy 
of  its  various  interests.  Mr.  Moore  was  born 
April  10,  1866,  at  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and 
when  fifteen  yeai's  old  came  to  Akron,  where 
he  attended  school  for  a  time.  He  then  went 
to  work  for  the  Thomas  Phillips  Paper  Com- 
pany, with  which  he  remained  for  nine  years, 
being  for  six  years  afterwards  with  the  Akron 
Chemical  Company.  He  then  became  one  of 
tho  organizers  of  the  Union  Printing  Ink 
Companj',  wliich  enterprise  was  incorporated 
April  27,  1901,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $10,- 
000.  Mr.  Moore  has  been  president  of  the 
company  since  its  incorporation.  The  com- 
pany manufactures  all  kinds  of  ink,  and  its 
field  of  trade  is  constantly  widening.  Mr. 
Moore  has  that  practical  knowledge  of  the 
business,  combined  with  executive  ability, 
which  enables  him  to  direct  its  course  suc- 
cessfully in  the  face  of  competition. 

On  June  30,  1896,  Mr.  Moore  was  mar- 
ried to  Louise  E.  Meir,  who  was  born  in  Ak- 
ron. He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  Grace 
Reformed  Church,  and  he  belongs  to  the 
Board  of  Deacons.  His  fraternal  connections 
include  membership  in  Nemo  Lodge,  and  the 
Encampment,  I.  0.  0.  F. 

WEBSTER  FRANKLIN  CARMANY, 
an  enterprising  and  progressive  agriculturist 
of  Stow  Town.ship,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
cultivation  of  a  farm  of  108  acres,  was  born 
on  his  present  farm  July  18,  1878,  son  of 
Isaac  and  Ellen   (Durstein)  Carmany. 

Isaac  Carmany  was  born  in  Manchester, 
Franklin  Township,  Summit  County,  where 
he  now  carries  on  extensive  farming  opera- 
tions. His  wife,  Ellen,  wlio  was  the  daughter 
of  Jacob  Durstein,  died  in  July,  1903,  aged 
forty-eight  years.  She  professed  the  faith  of 
the  Evangelical  Church  of  the  local  organiza- 
tion, of  which  Mr.  Carmany  is  treasurer.  An 
earnest  Christian  woman,  she  wa''  active  in 
church  and  charitable  work.  Three  children 
were  born  to  I\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Carmany — Coi-a 
Elnora,  who  is  deceased ;  Webster  Franklin ; 
and  Rus.sell  Glennard,  who  lives  at  home. 

Webster  Franklin  Carmany  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  at  the    age    of 


eighteen  years  received  a  teacher's  certificate 
in  Manchester,  to  which  place  he  had  come 
in  1887.  He  never  engaged  in  'teaching, 
however,  but  learned  the  trade  of  drafting 
and  patternmaking  in  Franz  Body's  shop  in 
Akron,  which  he  followed  for  ten  or  twelve 
years  at  different  places.  In  1904,  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health,  he  was  forced  to  give  up 
this  occupation,  and  purchased  his  present 
farm  from  his  father,  it  having  been  former- 
ly the  property  of  his  mother.  Mr.  Carmany 
cultivates  seventy-five  acres  of  this  tract,  rais- 
ing oats,  wheat,  corn  and  potatoes,  and  his 
farm  is  one  of  the  most  highly  cultivated  in 
this  section  of  the  township.  In  the  win- 
ter months  he  keeps  seven  or  eight  head  of 
cattle  and  disposes  of  his  milk  to  the  Co- 
operative Creamery  at  Stow  Corners. 

Mr.  Carmany  was  married  to  Amelia  Shu- 
maeher,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  Shu- 
macher  of  Akron,  and  four  children  have 
been  born  to  them :  Florence  Blanche, 
Helen  May,  Mabel  Celia  and  Charles  Isaac. 
Mr.  Carmany  is  a  member  of  the  Macca- 
bees at  Elkhart,  and  in  politics  Ls  independ- 
ent. With  his  family  he  attends  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church.  Mrs.  Carmany's 
father  was  born  in  Germany,  coming  to 
America  at  twenty-one  years  of  age,  in  1865. 
He  married  Celia  Ilerbruck,  of  Stark  Coun- 
ty, Ohio.     Both  parents  are  now  living. 

GEORGE  H.  COWLING,  residing  on  a 
very  valuable  farm  of  eighty-four  acres, 
which  was  formerly  known  as  the  old  Lin- 
ford  Surfass  farm,  in  Norton  Township,  was 
bom  in  what  is  now  known  as  Barberton,  on 
the  farm  of  his  nncle,  Abraham  Betz,  March 
27,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Cath- 
erine  (Betz)  Cowling. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Cowling  was  born  in 
Lycoming  County,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  weaving  woolen  blank- 
ets, at  which  he  worked  until  about  thirty 
years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  farming. 
When  he  came  first  to  Summit  County  he 
.settled  at  Middlebury  and  operated  a  weaving 
factory  for  a  time  and  then  moved  to  the 
present  site  of  Barberton,  from  which  point, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


587 


in  1865,  he  moved  to  the  Jacob  Wise  farm, 
we.st  of  Norton  Center.  After  living  there  for 
six  yeare  he  moved  to  the  J.  F.  Seiberhng 
farm,  which  he  rented  for  twenty-one  years. 
Mr.  Cowling  then  moved  to  Nebraska,  ac- 
companied by  all  of  his  family  except  George 
H.,  Avhere  he  bought  a  farm  of  300  acres.  He 
lived  there  for  seven  years,  but  sold  on  ac- 
count of  the  climate  not  agreeing  with  his 
wife,  and  returned  to  Ohio  in  the  hope  of 
restoring  her  to  health.  He  settled  in  Me- 
dina County  in  1893,  where  she  died  in 
1894.  Mr.  Cowling  still  survives,  aged  eighty 
years,  residing  on  his  farm  in  Wadsworth 
Township. 

George  H.  Cowling  wa«  reared  in  Norton 
Township  and  has  made  farming  his  main 
business  in  life.  In  1884  he  was  married 
to  Mary  Baughman,  who  died  April  20,  1905. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  James  Baughman,  a 
tanner  by  trade,  who  formerly  lived  at  West- 
ern Star.  Two  children  were  born  to  this 
marriage,  Be-ssie  and  William. 

For  sixteen  years  Mr.  Cowling  and  family 
lived  in  Wadsworth  Township,  moving  from 
there  to  Sharon  Town.sihip  for  four  years,  and 
then  came  to  Norton  Township.  Summit 
County.  He  purchased  the  present  farm  of 
George  Dreisbach,  January  6,  1903,  and 
moved  to  it  on  March  7,  1904.  He  sold  the 
property  on  May  28,  1907.  to  0.  C.  Barber. 
Mr.  Cowling  is  a  well  known  and  highly  re- 
.•^pect'Cd  citizen. 

FRANK  SPRIGGLE,  the  owner  and  op- 
erator of  the  old  Chamberlin  mill,  a  land- 
mark in  Summit  County,  which  is  situated 
in  Springfield  Town.?hip,  as  is  also  Mr.  Sprig- 
gle's  truck  farm  of  seventeen  acres,  is  a  well- 
known  and  re.=pected  citizen  of  this  section, 
where  he  has  spent  the  whole  of  his  life.  He 
wa*  born  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  May  18, 
1856.  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Christina 
(Pontius)    Spriggle. 

The  first  of  the  Spriggle  family  to  locate 
in  Summit  County  was  Emanuel  Spriggle, 
who  caame  from  Lancaster  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  settled  on  the  Rudy  farm,  one 
mile  ea.=;t  of  Uniontown,  but  a  few  acres  of 


which  had  yet  been  cleared,  the  rest  of  the 
land  being  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of 
timber.  Emanuel  Spriggle  lived  into  his 
ninety -ninth  year,  and  never  moved  beyond 
the  radius  of  twenty  miles  from  the  place  on 
which  he  fir.st  settled.  Jacob  Spriggle,  father 
of  Frank,  was  born  in  Lancaster  County, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1827,  and  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Summit  County  in  1833.  He  often 
told  his  children,  in  later  days,  of  the  wild 
conditions  that  prevailed  in  his  boyhood, 
where  thej^  only  saw  cultivated  land  and  a 
comfortable  home.  There  were  many  deer 
in  this  .section  and  it  was  no  unusual  event 
to  find  them  hiding  in  various  places  al)out 
the  farm,  sometimes  in  a  hollow  tree  and  at 
other'  times  under  a  shock  of  grain.  They 
had  not  yet  learned  their  later  fear  of  hu- 
man beings  and  at  that  time  were  not  diffi- 
cult of  capture.  Jacob  Spriggle  learned  the 
blacksmith  trade  at  Uniontown,  which  he 
followed  more  or  less  for  forty-five  years  in 
Coventry  Township.  He  retired  from  work 
by  order  of  his  physician,  who  had  discov- 
ered heart,  trouble,  and  he  now  resides  at 
Monroe  Falls.  During  his  active  years  he 
built  hundreds  of  coal  cars  for  Brewster 
Brothers  and  the  Steese  Coal  Banks.  He 
was  married  (first)  to  Elizabeth  Pontius,  a 
native  of  Ohio  and  a  member  of  a  prominent 
old  family.  She  died  in  1865,  the  mother 
of  two  .sons  and  two  daughters,  namely: 
Monia,  w-ho  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years : 
Frank ;  Amanda,  who  married  Cyrus  Kepler, 
and  Malinda,  who  married  Philip  Danner, 
now  deceased.  The  second  marriage  of  Jacob 
Spriggle  was  to  Elizabeth  Spitler,  and  they 
had  the  following  children:  Allen,  residing 
between  Monroe  and  Cuyahoga  Falls,  married 
Emma  Myers;  Jacob,  residing  on  the  old 
home  with  his  father  and  sister,  operates  the 
farm  and  also  works  in  the  adjacent  paper 
mill;  Jeremiah,  residing  at  Cuyahoga  Falk, 
engaged  in  a  grocery  business,  married  Ad- 
die  Huron ;  Jacob,  residing  a  few  miles  west 
of  Winnipeg,  Canada;  Barbara,  re5iding  near 
Monroe  Falls,  is  the  widow  of  Frank  Donald- 
.son,  who  died  in  1904:  PTenry,  who  lives  at 
home;  Sarah,  who  married  William  Ritzman. 


588 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


residing  between  Tallmadge  and  Monroe 
Falls,  and  Mary,  who  married  Isah  Beclitel, 
residing  in  Monroe  Falls. 

Frank  Spriggle  was  reared  a  farmer  and 
all  his  mature  life  has  been  devoted  to  tilling 
the  soil  and  milling.  He  owns  seventeen 
acres  of  very  valuable,  productive  land,  and 
this  tract  he  devotes  to  truck  purposes,  mak- 
ing it  very  profitable  through  his  excellent 
methods.  He  divides  his  time  between  his 
farm  and  the  mill,  having  acquired  the  latter 
property  in  1896.  He  makes  here  only  Gra- 
ham and  rye  flour  and  chops  and  has  a  steady 
run  of  custom.  This  mill  was  built  sixty-five 
years  ago  by  James  Chamberlin,  who  oper- 
ated it  for  a  number  of  years.  Later  it  was 
the  property  of  AVilliam  Buchtel  and  still 
later  of  John  Hosier,  who  made  the  last  flour 
produced  here.  After  his  death  the  property 
was  disposed  of  at  the  administrator's  sale, 
and  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Spriggle. 

In  1881  Mr.  Spriggle  wa.s  married  to  Sa- 
villa  Grable,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Jonathan 
Grahle,  a  substantial  farmer  of  Green  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  and  they  have  had  two 
sons  and  two  daughters  born  to  them, 
namely:  Delia,  who  married  William  Bri- 
ner,  residing  in  Copley  Town.ship,  has  two 
children,  Frank  and  Margaret ;  Susie,  who 
married  Frank  Gougler,  residing  in  Spring- 
field Township,  has  three  children,  Park, 
Pearl  and  Dayton ;  NcAvton,  residing  at  home 
and  working  in  the  mill,  and  Earl,  residing 
at  home  and  working  on  a  railroad. 

In  political  sentiment,  Mr.  Spriggle  is 
nominally  a  Democrat,  but  he  reserves  the 
right  to  cast  his  vote  independently.  Re- 
ligiously, he  is  a  member  of  the  Reorganized 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Saints  and  the 
Last  Days.  There  are  many  lessons  to  be 
learned  in  considering  the  life  of  Mr.  Sprig- 
gle. He  left  home  in  boyhood  after  the 
death  of  his  mother,  and  without  the  slight- 
est assistance  in  the  way  of  counsel  or  finan- 
cial help,  has  acquired  valuable  property  and 
has  gained  a  place  in  the  commimity  where 
he  commands  the  respect  and  enjoys  the  es- 
teem of  his  fellow-citizens.  His  success  is 
the  direct  result  of  his  own  unassisted  efforts. 


ABRAHAM  SNYDER,  a  leading  citizen 
of  Springfield  Township,  who  is  engaged  in 
threshing  and  operating  both  a  grain  and 
sawmill,  was  born  May  7,  1833,  on  a  farm 
but  one  and  a  quarter  miles  distant  from 
the  one  on  which  he  lives,  in  Springfield 
Townsliip,  Summit  County,  Ohio.  His  par- 
ents were  Jost  A.  and  Salome  (Baughman)  . 
Snyder. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Snvder  was  born  August 
25,  1791,-  in  Low  Hill  Township,  Lehigh 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to  Green 
Township,  Summit  County,  which  was  then  a 
part  of  Stark  County,  after  his  marriage.  He 
served  under  General  Jackson  in  the  War 
of  1812,  and  participated  in  the  battle  of 
New  Orleans.  When  he  settled  in  Summit 
County  he  had  a  wagon  and  two  horses,  by 
means  of  which  he  had  tran.^ported  his  family 
and  possessions  over  the  500  miles  between 
the  old  home  and  the  new,  and  a  money 
capital  of  $105,  all  but  five  dollars  of  which 
he  paid  for  twenty  acres  of  land.  To  this 
first  purchase  he  made  seven  additions  of 
adjoining  land,  and  at  his  death  owned  sixty- 
three  acres.  He  built  first  a  cabin  of  logs. 
10  by  15  feet  in  dimensions,  which  was  sup- 
planted by  a  larger  cabin  having  a  board 
roof,  and  this  in  turn  was  followed  Ijy  a 
hewed-log  house,  two  and  one-half  stories  in 
height,  its  dimensions  being  30  by  20  feet, 
and  his  fourth  house  and  the  last  one  which 
he  erected  was  also  of  logs,  framed  about. 
24  by  16  feet  in  dimensions,  with  a  kitchen 
attached  -which  was  10  by  12  feet. 

Mr.  Snyder  was  a  man  of  pioneer  robust- 
ness and  was  reasonably  proud  of  his  prowess 
in  hunting  bear,  and  frequently  shot  wolves 
and  deer  on  the  very  land  on  which  Akron 
now  .stands.  He  never  forgot  the  friends  of 
his  youth,  and  during  his  subsequent  resi- 
dence in  Ohio,  walked  the  distance  of  500 
miles  back  to  Pennsylvania  to  visit  those  left 
behind,  on  three  occa.sions.  He  was  welcome 
wherever  he  went,  being  a  man  of  kindly  na- 
ture, jovial  spirit  and  great  native  intelli- 
gence. He  married  Salome  Baughman  and 
they  had  fifteen  children,  namely:  Jo.shua, 
Elizabeth,    George,   Joel,   Isaiah,   Jacob,    So- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


589 


pihia,  Daiiiel,  Paul,  Ezra,  Jonas,  Abraham, 
Nathan  and  Peter,  all  surviving  to  a  good 
age  except  two,  one  of  these  being  an  \xa- 
named  infant  born  next  to  the  youngest.  They 
grew  up  resembling  their  father,  large,  fine 
appearing  men  and  women.  The  survivors 
are:  Nathan,  residing  in  Brimfield  Town- 
ship, Portage  County;  Paul,  residing  in 
West  Township,  Marshall  County,  Indiana, 
and  Abraham,  of  Springfield  Township. 

Abraham  Snyder  had  few  educational  ad- 
vantages in  his  youth,  his  real  school  attend- 
ance being  covered  by  two  months,  but  he  has 
always  made  the  most  of  his  opportunities 
and  is  able  to  write  intelligently  in  both  the 
English  and  German  languages,  something 
very  many  of  the  younger  generation  cannot 
accomplish .  He  thinks  he  is  probably  one 
of  the  oldest  threshers  in  all  this  section,  as 
he  w'as  not  more  than  ten  years  of  age  when 
he  began  feeding  a  threshing  machine.  Dur- 
ing his  boyhood  he  worked  in  the  mill  in 
his  neighborhood,  during  a  large  part  of  the 
time  when  not  threshing,  and  during  the 
winter  seasons  helped  operate  the  old  loom 
in  the  kitchen,  where  all  the  cloth  for  (he 
big  family  was  woven.  He  grew  to  manhood 
with  ingrained  habits  of  industry  and  thrift. 

AVhen  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  Mr.  Snyder 
commenced  to  consider  the  subject  of  enlist- 
ing, but  like  many  others,  private  duties  and' 
responsibilities  stood  in  the  way.  He  had 
been  reared  a  Democrat  by  a  stanch  Demo- 
cratic father,  but  both  were  men  of  loyal 
sentiment  and,  in  1863,  Abraham  Snyder 
proved  that  his  patriotism  was  more  than 
mere  talk  by  ofi'ering  his  services  and  enlist- 
ing in  Company  F,  Third  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  .served  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  with  the  rank  of  first  lieu- 
tenant. He  participated  in  many  important 
battles  and  traveled  thousands  of  miles  on 
long  and  weary  marches. 

After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Sny- 
der returned  to  his  home  and  engaged  in 
farming  and  his  previous  occupations  until 
1888,  when  he  moved  on  his  present  farm, 
where  he  is  still  engaged  in  milling  and  also 
in  threshing.     Snyder's  mill  at  Millheim  is 


a  historic  landmark.  The  dam  was  built 
in  1817  and  the  mill  constructed  shortly 
afterward,  and  it  is  the  oldest  mill  in  Sum- 
mit County.  In  1828  it  was  rebuilt  by  Mi- 
chael Myers  and  is  situated  on  a  part  of  lot 
7,  tract  6,  on  the  banks  of  Tuscarawas  Creek. 
Mr.  Snyder  purchased  the  mill  from  H.  J. 
Kreighbaum  in  1899,  he  being  the  assignee 
of  its  former  owner,  William  C.  Shook.  The 
stanch  old  frame  work  is  of  hewed  timber. 
A  sawmill  formerly  stood  near,  but  the  grain 
mill  was  built  soon  after  the  first  settlement. 
It  is  a  paying  property  under  Mr.  Snyder's 
excellent  management.  He  grinds  chop  and 
feed  and  has  all  he  can  do,  keeping  the  mill 
running  both  day  and  night. 

On  June  19,  1858,  Mr.  Snyder  was  mar- 
ried to  Catherine  Cranoble,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Cranoble.  She 
was  born  in  Grote  Township,  Center  County, 
Pennsylvania,  January  8,  1831,  and  accom- 
]>anied  her  parents  to  Suffield  Townshi]),  Por- 
tage County,  where  they  settled  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Jacob  Mishler. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder  have  had  born  to 
them  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  the  sur- 
vivors being:  William,  Stephen  Douglas, 
Sarali  and  George  Pendleton.  William 
Snyder,  residing  at  Millheim,  married  Mary 
Rodenbaugh,  who  is  now  deceased.  She  left 
two  sons  and  one  daughter,  Curtis,  Oscar  W. 
and  Sadie.  Stephen  Douglas  Snyder  married 
Marj'  Ellen  Tritt,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph Tritt,  and  they  reside  in  the  brick  house 
near  Tritt  mill.  They  have  six  children, 
namely:  Agnes,  Frank,  George,  Stanley, 
Harry  and  Anna.  Sarah  Snyder  married 
William  Tritt,  who  has  a  farm  and  owns  a 
home  at  Middlebury.  He  is  engaged  in  the 
rural  mail  delivery  ser\'ice.  Their  children 
are:  Norman,  Hugh,  Elton,  Wilbur  and  Net- 
tie, George,  the  youngest  of  Mr.  Synder's  fam- 
ily, is  unmarried,  and  resides  at  home  assist- 
ing his  father.  Both  Mr.  Snyder  and  his  wife 
remain  hale  and  hearty,  and  they  both  con- 
tinue their  usual  avocations  and  enjoy  the 
pleasant  social  life  of  the  neighborhood  with 
as  much  ease  and  zest  as  they  did  many 
years  ago.     They  are  people  who  stand  very 


590 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


high  in  the  esteem  of  the  community  and 
iire  known  from  one  end  of  the  township  to 
the  other. 

All  his  mature  life,  Mr.  Snyder  has  taken 
an  interest  in  seeing  his  neighborhood  ad- 
vance with  the  rest  of  the  world  and  he  has 
willingly  done  his  share  in  develoi>ing  it. 
He  has  been  liberal  in  his  contributions  to 
schools,  churches  and  public-spirited  enter- 
prises of  various  kinds,  while  he  is  noted  for 
his  many  acts  of  benevolence  which  he  never 
discusses.  For  the  past  fifteen  years  he  has 
served  as  township  assessor,  and  in  keeping 
his  records  he  has  preserved  the  ages  of  all 
the  taxpayers  in  the  township,  finding  it  to 
sum  up  at  present  to  18,671  years.  He  is  a 
faithful   and   efficient  official. 

THE  COLUMBIA  CHEMICAL  COM- 
PANY, manufacturers  of  soda  ash,  caustic 
soda  and  sulphate  of  ammonia,  with  exten- 
sive works  located  at  Barberton,  is  one  of  the 
most  important  industries  of  Summit  County. 
The  plant  of  this  great  company  covers  more 
than  fifteen  acras,  and  the  factories  are  en- 
tirely of  modern  construction  and  equip- 
ment. The  location  of  the  plant  is  on  the 
old  Baughman  farm,  which  was  devoted  to 
agriculture  for  many  years.  The  company 
owns  also  some  300  acres  of  land,  from 
which  source  are  obtained  a  large  part  of 
the  material  consumed  in  the  manufacture  of 
their  products.  The  trade  field  is  not  confined 
to  the  Pittsburg  Plate  Glass  Company,  al- 
though that  mighty  corporation  uses  the  bulk 
of  their  goods.  Employment  is  given  to 
from  400  to  500  men  and  boys,  many  of  the 
former  being  expert  chemists. 

The  Columbia  Chemical  Company  was  or- 
ganized and  incorporated  in  Pennsylvania  in 
1899,  beginning  operations  in  1900.  Its  capi- 
tal stock  was  placed  at  $1,500,000.  The 
works  of  this  company  were  built  at  Barber- 
ton,  but  the  main  offices  of  the  company  have 
always  remained  at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania. 
The  officers  of  the  Columbia  Chemical  Com- 
pany are  all  men  of  experience,  enterprise 
and  large  capital.  They  are:  W.  L.  Clause, 
president;  William   D.   Hartupee,  vice  presi- 


dent; Charles  W.  Brown,  secretary;  Edward 
Pitcairn,  treasurer,  and  H.  A.  Gait,  general 
manager,  the  officers  making  up  the  Board 
of  Directors. 

EPHRAIM  STUMP,  a  highly  respected  re- 
tired resident  of  Franklin  Township,  residing 
on  his  farm  of  nineteen  acres  near  Jlanches- 
ter,  which  is  particularly  valuable  on  account 
of  several  fine  veins  of  coal  having  been 
opened  on  it,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead 
north  of  Manchester,  Franklin  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  May  28,  1842,  and  is 
a  son  of  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Sorrick) 
Stump. 

John  Stump,  the  grandfather  of  Ephraim, 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  from  whence  he 
came  to  Ohio,  settling  west  of  Manchester,  in 
Franklin  Township,  Summit  County,  locat- 
ing on  a  farm  which  was  but  partly  cleared. 
In  1841  he  replaced  the  original  log  cabin 
with  a  stone  house,  which  is  still  standing, 
it  being  about  the  only  one  left  of  the  many 
stone  houses  of  the  '40's.  Wild  game  was 
jjlentiful  in  those .  days,  and  Mr.  Stump  has 
in  his  possession  some  turkey  feet,  the  birds 
having  been  .shot  in  1850,  by  his  grand- 
father. The  Indians  had  not  yet  left  this 
locality,  and  Mr.  Stump  recalls  numerous  in- 
teresting experiences  with  them.  Here  John 
Stump  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  (Grove) 
Stump,  lived  for  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
They  had  eight  children,  four  sons,  namely: 
Jacob,  David,  John  and  Levi;  and  four 
daughters,  namely:  Catherine,  who  married 
William  Kauffman;  Eliza,  who  married 
Samuel  Grove ;  Mary,  who  married  P.  Myers, 
and  Sarah,  who  married  J.  W.  Swigart. 

Jacob  Stump  was  about  ten  years  old  when 
the  family  journeyed  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Ohio.  In  his  youth,  when  not  engaged  in 
farming,  he  frequently  filled  the  family 
larder  with  game.  After  his  marriage  he 
settled  on  a  farm  near  which  the  Brewster 
mines  were  later  opened,  although  this  did 
not  take  place  vmtil  after  his  death.  He 
married  Catherine  Sorrick,  who  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Adam  and  Elizabeth  (Raber)  Sorrick, 
who  came  to  Ohio  from  Pennsvlvania.     Five 


GEORGE  W.  HART 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


593 


children  were  born  to  this  marriage,  as  fol- 
lows: Ephraim,  Matilda,  who  married 
George  Donnenwith;  Nathaniel,  William, 
who  is  deceased,  and  Amos,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. Jacob  Stump  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven  years  and  the  death  of  his  widow  fol- 
lowed a  few  years  later. 

Ephraim  Stump  had  but  limited  educa- 
tional opportunities,  as  his  services  were  re- 
required  on  the  home  farm,  where  he  chopped 
wood,  picked  stones  and  threshed  rye.  From 
his  sixteenth  year  until  he  was  married  he 
worked  his  father's  farm,  and  thereafter 
operated  rented  farms  until  1873,  when  he 
purchased  his  present  farm  in  Manchester,  a 
tract  of  nineteen  acres,  from  the  Hamm 
heirs.  He  located  on  this  place  in  1884,  and 
until  1903  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. In  that  year  coal  was  discovered  on 
his  property,  which  has  since  been  mined 
by  the  Beachwood  Company  of  Cleveland, 
the  output  of  the  mines  being  from  300  to 
400  tons  daily.  Mr.  Stump  is  now  living 
in  quiet  retirement.  In  his  political  views  he 
is  a  Democrat  and  supports  that  party's  can- 
didates on  every  occasion,  but  he  has  never 
cared  for  public  life  nor  held  oflfice.  His 
fraternal  connection  is  with  the  Knights  of 
Maccabees. 

On  November  29,  1870,  Mr.  Stump  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Louisa  Smith,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Eliza  (Diehl) 
Smith,  and  to  this  union  there  were,  bom 
three  children,  namely:  Bertie,  Clarence  and 
Frederick.  Bertie  married  William  Sissler, 
and  they  have  three  children :  Gerrold,  Don- 
ovan and  John.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stump  are 
consi.«tent  members  and  liberal  supporters  of 
the  Reformed  Church. 

GEORGE  W.  HART,  who,  for  twenty 
years  was  a  highly  respected  resident  of 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  formerly  a  succes.sful 
agriculturi.st  of  Stow  Townsihip,  was  born  at 
Middleburg,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  July  12, 
1832.  and  died  at  Cnvahoga  Falls,  December 
ir>.  1900.  He  wa=!  a  son  of  Colonel  John  C. 
and  Margaret  (Steriing)  Hart. 

The    Hart   family   originated   in    England 


and  came  to  Connecticut  among  tlie  early 
colonists.  Rufus  Hart,  the  grandfather  of 
George  W.,  was  born  at  Goshen,  Connecticut, 
in  1771,  and  in  1795  he  married  Esther  Cot- 
ter. In  1802  he  moved  to  Genasee  County, 
New  York,  and  in  May,  1815,  to  Middle- 
bury,  Ohio,  which  is  now  the  Sixth  Ward  of 
Akron,  which  city  was  then  represented  by 
less  than  a  half  dozen  log  cabins,  the  whole 
surroimding  country  being  then  covered  by 
a  heavy  forest  growth.  As  an  officer  in  the 
War  of  1812,  he  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Chippewa  and  Limdy's  I-ane,  and  the 
burning  of  Buffalo. 

Colonel  John  C.  Hart,  father  of  George 
W.,  was  born  at  Cornwall,  Litchfield  County, 
Connecticut,  April  17,  1798,  and  was  only 
fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  joined  Captain 
Stone's  company  of  cavalry.  He  was  in  his 
father's  regiment  at  various  points  and 
Ijravely  faced  hardships  with  the  veterans  at 
the  evacuation  of  Fort  George.  He  continued 
in  the  service  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and 
then  accompanied  his  father  to  New  York 
and  subsequently  to  Ohio.  When  he  was 
twenty-one  years  old  he  left  the  paternal  roof 
and  started  out  to  seek  the  proverbial  for- 
tune, incidentally  to  find  employment.  He 
was  of  robust  constitution,  and  the  mere  fact 
of  being  obliged  to  walk  a  hundred  miles  or 
so  probably  did  not  discourage  him  to  any 
great  degree.  When  he  reached  Steul>enville 
he  boarded  a  lumber  raft  and  floated  a  dis- 
tance down  the  river;  from  that  point  he 
walked  to  Cincinnati,  and  from  there  made 
his  way  to  St.  Louis.  For  about  two  inonths 
he  worked  in  a  mill  in  that  city  and  later 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick  at  a 
small  place  where  malarial  conditions  pre- 
vailed to  such  an  extent  that  he  was  taken  ill 
with  chills  and  fever,  and  his  adventure,* 
abroad  were  brought  to  a  close.  Pie  managed 
to  return  home,  and  when  he  regained  his 
health  purchased  a  farm  of  fifty  acres  ju.<t 
south  of  Middlebury,  and  there  pa«.sed  the 
re.«it  of  his  active  life,  dying  Au,gust  20,  1880. 
He  always  remained  interested  in  military' 
affairs  and  late  in  life  he  raised  a  regiment  of 
cavalrv  of  which  he  was  elected  colonel. 


594 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


On  February  23,  1831,  John  C.  Hart  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Margaret  A.  Sterling,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  George  W.,  John  S.,  Charles  S., 
Hiram,  Elizabeth  and  Fannie  A.  The  last 
mentioned  married  Clinton  Ruckel.  Hiram 
died  from  disease  contracted  in  the  Civil 
War. 

The  late  George  W.  Hart  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  township  and  attended 
the  local  schools,  in  the  meanwhile  a-sisting 
on  the  home  farm.  After  his  marriage  he 
settled  on  a  farm  of  160  acres  situated  in 
Stow  Township,  where  he  resided  until  he 
retired  to  Cuyalioga  Falls  in  1880.  He  made 
his  main  interest  dairying  and  sheep  grow- 
ing. He  was  a  man  of  sterling  character, 
strong  in  the  advocacy  of  what  he  believed  to 
be  right,  but  just  in  his  dealings  with  all 
men.  For  many  years  he  was  a  vastryman 
of  St.  John's  Episcopal  Church  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls.  In  his  political  life  he  was  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  Republican  party  and  was  a 
man  particularly  well  fitted  for  public  office, 
but  his  ambitions  were  not  in  that  direction. 
He  served  as  township  commLssioner  and  al- 
ways, took  an  interest  in  the  public  schools. 
He  was  connected  M'ith  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, belonging  to  Star  Lodge,  No.  187,  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls. 

On  August  18,  1853,  George  W.  Hart  was 
married  to  Anna  H.  Beardsley,  who  was  born 
in  Middlebury  (Akron)  July  18,  1832,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Talman  and  Temperance 
(Spicer)  Beardsley.  To  this  marriage  six 
children  were  born,  the  two  who  reached  ma- 
turity being:  Emma  F.  and  Clarissa.  The 
latter  married  R.  D.  Morgan,  and  resides  at 
Cleveland.  Mrs.  Hart  and  her  daughters  are 
members  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 

Talman  Beardsley,  father  of  Mrs.  Hart, 
was  born  December  23,  1799,  in  Delhi,  Dela- 
ware County,  New  York,  and  accompanied 
his  father's  family  to  Tjicking  County,  Ohio, 
in  1810,  and  to  Middlebury  in  1818,  where 
he  worked  for  a  short  time  in  a  foundry,  and 
then  bought  a  farm  which  is  the  present  site 
of  the  Leggett  school.  He  disposed  of  that 
property    and    boTight    another    in    Coventry 


Township  on  which  he  lived  for  thirty  years. 
He  became  a  leading  citizen  in  this  part  of 
Summit  County,  was  a  prominent  Repub- 
lican, and  served  many  years  as  a  justice  of 
the  peace  and  also  as  township  clerk.  His 
parents  were  Daniel  and  Hannah  (Bailey) 
Beardsley. 

In  1831,  Talman  Beardsley  married  Tem- 
perance Spicer,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Major 
Minor  and  Cynthia  (Allen)  Spicer.  Major 
Spicer  was  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  a  sol- 
dier in  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  He  was 
a  very  early  pioneer  in  Summit  County, 
where  he  acquired  large  tracts  of  land.  He 
donated  the  land  on  which  Buchtel  College 
now  stands,  it  formerly  having  been  his  pri- 
vate burying  ground.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried, Mrs.  Beardsley  being  a  child  of  his  first 
union. 

The  children  of  Talman  Beardsley  and 
wife  were:  Anna  H.  (Mrs.  Hart)  ;  Emily, 
Mills  and  Avery,  all  of  whom  are  deceased; 
and  Avery,  second,  residing  at  Adrian,  Mich- 
igan. The  family  were  reared  in  the  Uni- 
versalist  faith.  Talman  Beardsley  died  July 
18,  1891,  surviving  his  wife  by  but  three 
months,  her  death  having  taken  place  March 
22,  earlier  dn  the  same  year.  Mrs.  Hart  was 
reared  at  Akron  and  was  one  of  the  first 
students  of  the  Akron  High  School  when  it 
was  under  the  direction  of  M.  D.  Leggett. 

F.  LAHMERS,  M.  D.,  physician  and  sur- 
geon, at  Barberton,  has  built  up  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice  during  his  residence  here 
of  nine  years,  and  he  has  also  become  one 
of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  town.  Dr.  Lah- 
mers  was  bom  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio, 
August  23,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles 
I^ahmers,  for  many  years  a  substantial  farmer 
of  that  county.  His  boyhood  was  spent  on 
his  father's  farm,  and  his  early  education 
acquired  in  the  coimtry  schools.  Later  he 
attended  the  Normal  College  at  New  Phila- 
delphia, and  subsequently  Scio  College,  at 
Scio,  Ohio,  for  one  year,  his  collegiate  course 
extending  from  his  seventeenth  to  hLs  nine- 
teenth year,  after  which  he  began  to  teach 
school  in  the  vicinitv  of  his  home.     During 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


595 


the  three  years  he  was  so  engaged,  he  began 
to  read  medicine,  and  in  1894  was  prepared 
to  enter  the  Baltimore  Medical  College,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1898. 

Dr.  Lah'mers  immediately  located  at  Beach 
City,  Ohio,  where  he  practiced  medicine  for 
six  months,  then  coming  to  Barberton.  In 
1907  he  took  a  post-graduate  cdurse  in  the 
New  York  Post-Graduate  Jledical  School. 
His  reputation  as  to  professional  ability  ex- 
tends beyond  the  town,  and  his  practice  re- 
quires the  larger  part  of  his  time  and  atten- 
tion. Nevertheless  he  finds  time  to  show  in- 
terest in  matters  pertaining  to  the  general 
welfare  of  the  community,  and  formerly 
served  as  health  officer. 

In  the  spring  of  1899,  Dr.  Lahmers  was 
married  to  Florence  C.  Peters,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  H.  J.  Pet«rs,  of  Ragersville,  Ohio. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church, 
having  been  reared  in  that  faith.  He  is  con- 
nected wath  several  medical  organizations, 
and  with  the  frat^ernal  orders  of  Elks,  Mac- 
cabees and  Pathfinders. 

JOHN  W.  WHITE,  manager  of  the  White 
Lumber  Company,  which  is  engaged  in  a 
retail  lumber  and  repair  business,  and  also 
does  general  contracting,  with  a  plant  on 
the  corner  of  Case  and  River  Streets,  Akron, 
is  one  of  the  old  and  reliable  business  men  of 
this  city,  one  who  has  watched  its  growth  for 
the  past  forty  years.  He  was  born  in  1854, 
at  Brooklyn,  New  York. 

Mr.  AA^hite  was  thirteen  years  of  age  when 
he  came  to  Akron,  and  in  boyhood  began  to 
work  in  the  box  factory  of  Ohio  Barber, 
where  he  remained  employed  for  thirteen 
years.  Later  he  was  with  the  Aultman-Mil- 
ler  Company  for  fifteen  years.  In  1891  he 
embarked  in  a  lumber  business,  and  since 
that  date  has  been  manager  of  the  White 
Lumber  Company.  He  is  interested  also  in 
real  estate  and  does  a  good  business  in  the 
buying,  building  and  selling  of  houses.  In 
1876  Mr.  White  married  Kate  Johnston,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Johnston,  who  was  for- 
merly a  large  manufacturer  of  sewer  pipe  at 
Akron.     Mr.  AATiite  is  a  member  of  Grace 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  for  thirty- 
five  years  he  has  belonged  to  its  official 
board.  He  is  a  man  widely  known  and  re- 
spected. 

CLARK  A.  SACKETT,  a  leading  citizen 
of  Tallmadge  Township,  residing  on  his 
farm  of  136  acres,  was  born  on  this  farni; 
in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  May  15,  1837,  and 
is  a  son  of  Clark  and  Laura  (Aiken)  Sack- 
ett. 

The  Sackett  family  is  an  old  colonial  one 
of  New  England.  Benjamin  Sackett,  the 
grandfather  of  Clark  A.,  died  in  Connecti- 
cut. His  children  w-ere  as  follows:  Simeon, 
who  lived  and  died  at  Canfield,  Mahoning 
County,  Ohio;  Myron,  who  died  in  Connec- 
ticut; Salmon,  who  died  in  Summit  County; 
Moses  and  Benjamin,  who  lived  in  Connecti- 
cut; Clark  and  Aaron. 

Clark  Sackett,  father  of  Clark  A.,  was  born 
at  AVarren,  Connecticut,  in  1793.  He  was 
still  a  young  man  when  he  joined  a  colony 
of  pioneer  settlers  who  came  wath  their  pos- 
sessions to  make  early  settlement  and  secure 
homes  in  Summit  County,  driving  their  ox- 
teams  through  forests  where  they  had  to  cut 
a  path.  They  purchased  lands  of  the  great 
Connecticut  Land  Company,  which,  at  that 
time,  had  control  of  the  lands  of  a  large  part 
of  the  Western  Reserve.  Clark  Sackett  was 
a  true  pioneer,  accepting  all  the  hardships 
incident  to  establishing  himself  in  a  new 
country,  and  through  his  industry  and  ster- 
ling virtues,  becoming  a  man  of  substance 
and  prominence.  He  lived  to  advanced  age. 
He  first  secured  100  acres  of  land  in  Tall- 
madge Township,  to  which  he  later  added 
seventy-five  acres,  lying  just  west  of  his  first 
purchase.  He  put  up  a  log  house  which 
stood  for  a  number  of  years,  but  was  later 
replaced  by  the  substantial  residence  which 
is  occupied  by  his  son,  Clark  A.  A  portion 
of  the  old  house  Mr.  Sackett  utilized  to  house 
his  bees,  as  he  took  a  great  deal  of  interest 
in  the  bee  indust,ry  for  many  years.  He 
cleared  all  his  land,  and  also  assisted  greatly 
in  promoting  the  civilizing  agencies  of  this 
section. 


596 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


In  1816  Clark  Sackett  was  married  (first) 
to  Cynthia  Preston.  He  was  married  (sec- 
ond) to  Laura  Aiken,  and  (third)  to  Jane 
Pierce.  The  mother  of  Clai'k  A.  Sackett, 
Laura  Aiken,  was  born  in  1800,  at  Norwalk, 
Connecticut,  and  was  married  in  the  fall  of 
1822.  She  was  six  years  old  when  her  father, 
Asher  Aiken,  removed  to  Vernon,  Ohio. 
There  were  the  following  children  bom  to 
Clark  and  Laura  Sackett:  Hiram,  who  died 
in  Tallmadge  Township,  married  (first) 
Eliza  Treat,  and  (.second)  Mabel  Fenn;  Cyn- 
thia, who  married  Luther  Heath,  is  survived 
by  children  residing  at  Genesee,  New  York, 
and  also  a  son,  Theodore,  residing  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls;  Edwin,  residing  at  Genesee,  New 
York,  married  Sasan  Pierce;  Amelia,  de- 
ceased, who  married  the  late  Dr.  George 
Chapman,  of  New  York;  Benjamin,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Benjamin  (2),  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; Clark  A.,  residing  in  Tallmadge 
Township ;  Charles,  who  married  Flora  Treat, 
and  Darius. 

Clark  A.  Sackett  attended  the  local  schools 
and  subsequently  taught  three  terms,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  farming  and  in  operat- 
ing a  threshing  machine.  He  owns  a  valu- 
able farm  of  136  acres  on  which  he  carries 
on  a  general  line  of  agriculture,  meeting  with 
the  success  which  has  placed  him  among  the 
substantial  men  of  his  section.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican  and  has  always  been  a 
loyal  supporter  of  the  Government.  During 
the  Civil  War  he  served  through  an  enlist- 
ment in  Company  D,  164th  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was  mustered  in 
at  Cleveland.  The  services  of  this  comi)any 
were  utilized  around  the  city  of  Wa.shington 
and  when  they  were  no  longer  needed,  the 
regiment  was  honorablv  discharged  at  Cleve- 
land. 

Clark  A.  Sackett  was  married  (first)  to 
Kate  Avshmun,  who  was  a  daughter  of  M. 
Ashmun.  He  was  married  (second)  to  Lot- 
tie Austin,  who  was  born  at  Newton  Falls, 
Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Enos  and  Sarah 
(Sackett)  Austin.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Sack- 
ett was  born  in  1809,  at  Warren,  Ohio,  and 
died  at  Ymmgstown,  in  1886.     The  mother 


of  Mrs.  Sackett  was  born  in  1820,  at  Can- 
field,  Mahoning  County,  Ohio,  was  married 
in  1840,  and  died  at  Youngstown,  in  1883. 
Enos  Austin  and  wife  had  three  children, 
two  daughters  and  one  son,  the  latter  of 
whom  died  in  infancy.  The  daughters  are: 
Phidelia,  who  married  Frank  Stiles,  a  resi- 
dent of  Youngstown,  and  Mrs.  Sackett.  The 
maternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Sackett  were 
Myron  aud  Orpha  (Dean)  Sackett,  the  for- 
mer of  whom  was  born  at  Warren,  Connec- 
ticut, and  the  latter  at  Cornwall,  Connecticut. 
This  branch  of  the  Sackett  family  can  be 
traced  to  Simon  and  Isabella  Sackett,  mem- 
bers of  the  Pilgrim  colony. 

Prior  to  her  marriage,  Mrs.  Clark  A. 
Sackett  taught  for  a  number  of  years,  first 
in  the  public  schools  of  Youngstown  and 
later  in  the  Blind  Asylum,  at  Columbus.  She 
is  an  accomplished  lady.  Both  she  and  her 
sister  were  teachers,  the  latter  for  a  period  of 
twenty-five  years.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sack- 
ett belong  to  the  Congregational  Church  at 
Tallmadge,  in  which  Mrs.  Sackett  is  the  or- 
ganist. Mr.  Sackett  has  served  in  a  number 
of  public  positions,  and  has  been  both  siiper- 
visor  and  tru.stee  of  Tallmadge  Township. 

CHARLES  H.  SWIGART,  one  of  the 
be.sit  known  and  most  popular  citizens  of 
Franklin  Town.ship,  the  talented  teacher  of 
music  in  the  rural  schools,  was  born  on  the 
old  family  homestead  in  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  .Ltiiuary  9,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  Jn- 
sopii  and  Sarah    (Haring)   Swigart. 

The  Swigart  family  is  an  old  settled  one 
of  this  .section  of  Ohio,  Joseph  Swigart-,  the 
great-grandfather,  having  brought  the  family 
from  Pennsylvania.  George  Swigart,  the 
grandfather,  was  born  in  Cumberland  County, 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  boy  when  his  par- 
ents made  the  long  overland  journey,  set- 
tling first  near  Canton,  but  removing  later 
to  Canal  Fulton,  where  Joseph  Swigart  se- 
cured the  farm  now  owned  by  Isaiah  Swi- 
gart. On  that  farm  the  great-grandfather 
died  a.t  the  age  of  forty-eight  years.  George 
Swigart  married  Elizabeth  Daily  and  they 
spent    their    lives    in    Franklin     Town.ship, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


597 


where  he  owned  206  acres  of  land.  They 
died  aged  about  eighty-two  years.  Their 
children  were  fifteen  in  number  and  those 
wiio  survive  are:  Mrs.  Caroline  J.  Corinany, 
Mrs.  Catherine  D.  Grill,  Mrs.  Susan  S.  Kep- 
ler, ilrs.  Elizabeth  P.  Surfass,  George  A., 
Henry,  Jacob,  Hiram  and  Daniel.  Those 
deceased  were:  John,  Joseph,  David,  Anna, 
Sarah  and  Margaret. 

Joseph  Swigart  ■  wiL<  born  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Franklin  Township,  which  is  now 
owned  by  Aaron  A.  Swigart.  He  married 
Sarah  Haring,  who  was  also  born  in  Frank- 
lin Townshij),  where  she  still  survives,  liv- 
ing on  the  old  hom&stead.  Joseph  Swigart 
died  in  1895,  aged  .seventy  years.  He  had 
two  children:     Aaron  A.  and  Charles  Hirain. 

Charles  Hiram  Swigart  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  supplemented  the  instruc- 
tion so  obtained  by  a  period  in  the  graded 
schools  of  Manchester  and  Clinton,  complet- 
ing his  education  with  two  year.--'  attendance 
at  the  Normal  University  at  Ada,  Ohio. 
Gifted  with  mu.sical  talent,  Mr.  Swigart  has 
spent  quite  a  large  amount  of  time  and 
money  in  developing  and  perfecting  it,  and 
has  done  a  great  deal  of  musical  in.structing. 
He  has  also  taught  school  in  various  .sections. 
He  owns  a  one-half  interest  in  the  old  home- 
stead place  of  201  acre.*,  which  he  and  his 
brother  operate  together,  and  he  also  carries 
on  general  farming  on  the  old  Diehl  farm. 

On  April  19,  1894,  Mr.  Swigart  was  mar- 
ried to  Hattie  Mav  Diehl,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Eliza  (Diehl)  Diehl.  They 
have  two  children,  Hallie  and  Gladys. 

Mr.  Swigart-  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  He  belongs  to  the  order  of  Mac- 
cabees. 

MADISON  WALTZ,  a  succassful  agricul- 
turist of  Franklin  Township,  where  he  is 
operating  the  old  Dice  property,  wa.s  born 
November  2,  1855,  at  Sharon,  Copley  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
Elias  and  Lucetta   (Kintz)   Waltz. 

David  Waltz,  the  grandfather  of  Madison, 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Wayne 
Countv,   Ohio,   where  he   followed   the  trade 


of  a  gunsmith.  He  died  at  Wadsworth,  aged 
eighty-six  years.  He  was  married  three 
times.  His  first  marriage  -was  to  a  Miss 
Baughman,  and  all  but  one  of  his  sixteen 
children  were  born  to  the  first  union. 

Elias  Waltz,  father  of  Madi.son,  was  bom 
and  reared  near  Wadsworth,  Wayne  County, 
Ohio.  Like  other  members  of  his  family, 
he  was  musically  gifted.  He  became  an  in- 
.-^tnictor  on  the  violin  and  a  member  of  the 
famous  Waltz  Band,  a  musical  organization 
which  was  made  np  of  Elias  Waltz  and  two 
of  his  brothers,  with  nine  cousins,  who  were 
lirothers.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War, 
he  entered  the  army  as  a  musician.  He  was 
prostrated  with  typhoid  fever  shortly  after- 
ward and  died  in  the  South,  where  his  burial 
took  place,  being  then  in  this  thirtieth  year. 
He  married  Lucetta  Kintz,  who  died  in 
1866,  aged  thirty-six  years.  They  had  eight 
children,  namely:  Sylvester,  residing  at  To- 
ledo, Ohio;  Madison,  Wilson,  residing  in 
Summit  County;  Luvander,  residing  at  Ak- 
ron, and  four  who  died  young. 

Madi.son  Waltz  began  to  attend  school  at 
Sharon,  where  his  father  was  there  operating 
an  old-fa.<hioned  "up  and  down"  sawmill, 
and  from  that  place  went  to  his  grandfather 
Kintz's  farm,  in  Wayne  County.  After  his 
father's  death  he  accompanied  his  mother  to 
Hametown,  where  she  soon  died,  leaving  him 
an  orphan  when  ten  years  of  age.  He  was 
bound  out  to  Ben  Richel,  north  of  Johnson's 
Corner,  with  whom  he  remained  a  short  time, 
and  for  six  and  one-half  years  was  with  C.  F. 
Meese.  During  this  time  he  had  little  or  no 
school  advantages.  For  five  years  thereafter 
he  worked  as  a  hired  man  on  different  farms 
in  that  section,  and  after  his  marriage  he 
conducted  the  David  Pow  farm  for  a  short 
time.  In  1881  he  located  at  Akron,  where 
he  followed  teaming  and  was  in  the  employ 
of  the  owners  of  the  stone  mill  for  five  years. 
The  following  four  years  were  spent  in  car- 
penter work,  with  his  brothers,  Sylvester  and 
Luvander.  Mr.  Waltz  then  engaged  in  con- 
tracting on  his  own  account,  which  he  fol- 
lowed imtil  190.S,  in  which  year  he  removed 
to  his  present  place,  the  property  of  his  wife's 


598 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


mother  and  the  heirs  of  Jeremiah  Dice.  Al- 
though Mr.  Waltz  spent  a  number  of  years 
in  the  city,  he  by  no  means  forgot  how  to 
farm,  and  was  credited  in  the  Akron  papers 
of  1907  with  having  the  finest  wheat  field 
in  Suinmit  County. 

On  December  25,  1878,  Mr.  Waltz  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mary  A.  Dice,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Caroline  E. 
Dice.  One  child  has  been  born  to  this  union, 
Delbert  Ellsworth,  who  resides  at  home  and 
a.ssist>s  his  father.  Mr.  Waltz  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics.  He  and  his  wife  and  son  attend 
the  Reformed  Church,  of  which  they  are  lib- 
eral supporters. 

LOUIS  LOEB,  president  of  the  J.  Koch 
Company,  which  is  the  largest  clothing  house 
at  Akron,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city 
for  almost  forty  years  and  is  a  man  of  promi- 
nence in  its  commercial  life.  Mr.  Loeb  was 
born  in  Germany,  in  1853,  and  remained  in 
his  own  land  until  he  was  seveteen  years  of 
age.  securing  there  a  good  education. 

Mr.  Loeb  located  at  Akron  after  reaching 
the  United  States,  entering  the  employ  of 
the  reliable  old  firm  of  Koch  &  Levi,  from 
which  Mr.  Levi  retired  in  1878,  Mr.  Loeb 
purchasing  his  interest,  and  he  remained  a.s- 
sociated  with  Mr.  Koch,  until  January  1, 
1907,  when  the  latter  retired.  After  the  re- 
tirement of  Mr.  Koch,  the  business  was  in- 
corporated as  the  J.  Koch  Company,  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $50,000.  the  officers  being; 
Lnuis  Loeb,  president:  Philip  Huber,  vice 
president,  and  Solomon  Goldsmith,  secretary 
and  treasurer.  This  is  not  only  one  of  the 
oldest  but  one  of  the  largest  and  most  sub- 
stantial houses  in  its  line  in  this  section  of 
Ohio. 

In  1882  Mr.  Loeb  was  married  to  Alice 
M6.SS,  who  is  a  daughter  of  H.  W.  Mass,  of 
Akron,  and  they  have  three  children, 
namely:  Edna,  who  is  the  wife  of  Arthur 
L.  Abt,  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of 
Canton';  Joy  T.,  who  is  in  charge  of  the 
o'ffice  of  the  J.  Koch  Company,  and  Irene, 
Residing  at  home.  Mr.  Loeb  and  family  be- 
long to  the  Akron  Hebrew  Congregation,  and 


he  has  served  in  various  church  offices.  Mr. 
Loeb  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge,  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  National  Union  and 
the  Elks  club. 


I.  F.  ALLEN,  vice  president  and  treasurer 
of  the  R.  &  A.  Supply  Company,  wholesale 
and  retail  dealers  in  hardware,  located  at  No. 
66  South  Howard  Street,  is  also  vice  presi- 
dent and  secretary  of  another  large  basiness 
enterprise  of  Akron,  the  Jahant  Heating 
Company.  He  was  born  in  1868,  in  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
Allen,  a  retired  resident  of  Akron.  Mr.  Al- 
len's father  was  born  in  1829,  on  the  same 
farm  in  Summit  County  on  which  his  son 
was  burn  thirty -nine  years  later.  He  is  a  son 
of  Jonah  Allen,  who  came  to  this  section  of 
Ohio  from  Connecticut  in  1811.  The  fam- 
ily is  one  of  the  most  respected  and  substan- 
tial ones  of  the  county. 

After  completing  his  education,  which  in- 
cluded a  full  commercial  course  at  Ham- 
mel's  Business  College,  I.  F.  Allen  went  to 
Cleveland,  and  for  seven  years  was  connected 
with  the  George  Worthington  Llardware 
Company,  of  that  city.  In  1891  he  came 
back  to  Akron  and  bought  the  interest  of 
Mr.  Williams  in  the  hardware  firm  of  Wil- 
liams &  Rohrbacher,  the  firm  of  Rohrbacher 
&  Allen  being  then  established.  In  October, 
1907,  the  business  was  incorporated  as  the 
R.  &  A.  Supplv  Companv  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $50,000.  The  officers  are:  A.  C. 
Rohrbacher,  president;  T.  F.  Allen,  vice 
president  and  treasurer,  and  Mr. .  Hawkins, 
.secretarv.  The  members  of  the  finn  are  all 
practical  hardware  men  and  the  business  is 
one  which  extend?  over  a  wide  extent  and 
does  a  large  amount  of  annual  trading. 

In  1891  Mr.  Allen  was  married  to  Eva 
May  Geddes,  of  Cleveland,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Clifford  I.,  who  is  a  bright  student 
in  the  Akron  public  schools.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Allen  are  members  of  the  First  Church  of 
Christ,  Akron.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Allen  is  a 
Knight  Templar  Mason,  affiliated  with  the 
Masonic   cliib,   al-^o  an   Odd  Fellow. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


599 


ALFRED  WOOD,  a  leading  citizen  of 
Northfield  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
who  owns  a  farm  of  fifty-six  acres,  about 
thirty  of  which  are  under  cultivation,  was 
born  October  23,  1842,  at  Independence, 
Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Charlotte  (Belden)  Wood. 

Benjamin  Wood  Avas  born  in  1816  on  the 
Strand,  London,  England,  where  he  attended 
boarding  school  until  fourteen  years  of  age, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  came  to 
America.  He  had  learned  the  tailor's  trade 
in  his  native  land,  but  did  not  follow  it  to 
any  extent,  after  a  short  residence  at  Cleve- 
land settling  on  a  farm  in  Independence. 
From  1862  until  1900  he  was  connected  with 
the  firm  of  Benjamin  Stair  and  Son,  at 
Cleveland,  and  became  a  man  of  some  means, 
making  three  trips  to  his  native  country.  Mr. 
Wood  was  possessed  of  scholarly  attainments, 
and  was  elected  to  a  number  of  township 
offices,  including  that  of  trustee.  His  death 
occurred  in  August.,  1905.  Mr.  Wood  was 
married  to  Charlotte  Belden,  -who-se  ancestry 
dates  Vjack  to  colonial  days,  and  they  had 
three  children :  Norman,  who  died  Novem- 
ber 18,  1907;  Alfred,  subject  of  this  sketch, 
and  Martha,  who  is  the  widow  of  John  R. 
Richardson,  of  Cleveland.  Benjamin  Wood 
was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  Init  there  being  no  churches  in  In- 
dependence when  he  located  there,  he  be- 
came a  Presbyterian,  and  paid  nearly  half  of 
the  co.st  of  erecting  there  the  church  of  that 
denomination. 

Alfred  Wood  received  a  common  school 
education  in  Independence,  and  in  youth  se- 
cured employment  with  the  firm  of  Benja- 
min Stair  &  Son,  at  Cleveland,  for  whom 
he  worked  for  a  year  and  a  half.  At  the 
end  of  this  time  he  rented  a  farm  at  St. 
Mary's,  Canada,  where  he  remained  for  five 
years,  and  then  located  at  Akron,  being  em- 
ployed in  the  Buckeye  shops  for  sixteen 
years.  Subsequently  he  became  foreman  of 
the  Lamson  and  Session  shops  at  Cleveland, 
but  in  1893  purchased  the  Charles  Vders 
•farm,  a  tract  of  fifty-six  acres  in  lot  65, 
about  thirtv  acres  of  which  Mr.   Wood  ha? 


under  cultivation.  He  keeps  about  eight 
head  of  cattle,  is  largely  interested  in  bee 
culture,  and  raises  blooded. horses.  His  prin- 
cipal crops  are  oats,  wheat,  hay  and  corn, 
and  he  has  a  fine  orchard  of  apple,  peach, 
pear  and  plum  trees. 

Mr.  Wood  has  given  much  attention  to 
horticulture  and  was  one  of  the  charter 
members  of  the  Summit  County  Horticul- 
tural Society.  He  has  been  very  active  in 
scientific  work,  being  associated  with  Prof. 
Claypole  of  Buchtel  College,  his  studies  em- 
bracing all  the  natural  sciences.  On  one  oc- 
casion he  read  a  paper  before  the  Scientific 
Society  of  Buchtel  College,  setting  forth  the 
theory  that  the  Cuyahoga  River  has  always 
flowed  north  as  at  present,  the  accepted  the- 
ory at  that  time  (Newberry's),  being  that  in 
prehistoric  times  the  river  flowed  south.  Mr. 
Wood's  paper  aroused  wide  discussion,  but 
his  theory  was  finally  accepted,  and  was  in- 
corporated in  the  reports  of  the  State  De- 
partment of  Geology.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Wood 
is  connected  with  Hesperion  Lodge  No.  281, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  of  Cleveland,  and  he  was 
a  charter  member  of  Etolia  Lodge  No.  24, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  of  Akron,  of  which  he 
was  secretary  and  treasurer. 

Mr.  AVood  was  married  to  Sarah  J.  Johns, 
who  is  the  daughter  of  James  Johns,  and  to 
this  union  there  were  born  six  children : 
Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  F.  H.  Fanning,  of 
Cleveland:  Charlotte,  who  is  a  well-known 
artist  of  Cleveland;  Norman  B.,  who  lives  at 
Pititsburg,  Pennsylvania;  Robert  J.,  William 
H.  and  Amelia  B.,  who  reside  in  Cleveland. 
The  family  is  connected  with  the  Episcopal 
Church. 

The  Johns  family,  which  is  an  old  one 
of  Hatherly,  Devonshire,  England,  was 
founded  in  America  by  the  parents  of  Mrs. 
Woods,  who  came  to  Canada  when  she  was 
a  child  of  three  years,  in  1843.  James 
Johns,  Mrs.  Wood's  father,  was  a  machinist 
by  trade,  an  occupation  w-hich  he  followed 
at  Darlington.  Ontario,  until  1860.  and  then 
for  a  few  years  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Later 
he  removed  to  Independence,  where  he  car- 
ried on   farming  for  two  years,  but  he  sub- 


600 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


sequently  sold  his  fai^m  and  returned  to  his 
trade  at  Cleveland.  Thence  he  went  to  Strat- 
ford, Ontario,  in  which  place  he  established 
a  machine  shop.  His  death  occurred  in 
1893,  -when  he  was  in  his  eighty-ninth  year; 
his  wife,  Mary  (Bourne)  James,  died  in 
1891,  when  eighty-two  years  old.  Mrs.  Wood 
was  the  seventh  of  a  family  of  sixteen  chil- 
dren. 

ARTHUR  A.  MOORE,  president  of  the 
People's  Savings  and  Banking  Compaaiy,  at 
Barberton,  and  also  interested  in  a  real  estate 
and  insnrajice  business,  was  bom  in  Ashta- 
bula County,  Ohio,  September  15,  1857,  and 
is  a  son  of  Reuben  and  Lavantia  (Adams) 
Moore. 

For  a  number  of  years  Reuben  Moore, 
father  of  Arthur .  A.,  conducted  a  general 
mercantile  business  at  Leon,  Ohio,  and  was 
concerned  to  a  considerable  extent  in  the 
lumber  industry  of  Ashtabula  County,  where 
he  owned  mills.  He  al.so  owned  and  operated 
mills  in  Florida.  Both  he  and  wife  are  re.?i- 
dents  of  Barberton. 

Arthur  A.  Moore  in  boyhood  attended  the 
countn-  schools  near  his  home,  and  later  the 
Grand  River  Tn.stitute  at  Austinburg.  When 
eighteen  year.s  of  age  he  started  into  busi- 
ness w'ith  his  father  with  whom  he  remained 
two  years.  On  attaining  his  majority,  he 
decided  to  go  into  business  for  himself,  hav- 
ing his  own  ideas  concerning  its  develop- 
ment. Lacking,  capital  to  purchase  a  horse 
and  wagon,  he  hired  them,  bought  a  stock 
of  seasonable  goods,  and  started  out  through 
the  country  to  .sell  them.  He  met  with  ex- 
cellent .success,  and  soon  established  a  store 
of  his  own  at  Leon,  Ohio,  keeping  a  man 
on  the  road,  and  was  thus  engaged  for  about 
thirteen  years.  When  he  came  to  Barljerton 
he  immediately  .showed  hL<  enter]')rise  by  the 
erection  of  the  fii-st  brick  block  in  the  place, 
a  substantial  building,  in  which  he  estab- 
lished a  general  .store.  He  was  appointed 
the  first  postmaster  of  the  village,  serving  in 
this  office  for  two  years.  Closing  out  his 
mercantile  interests,  Mr.  Moore,  in  1901,  en- 
tered into  the  insurance  and  real  estate  busi- 


ne.«,  in  which  he  is  now  the  leader  in  this 
place.  AA'lien  the  People's  Savings  and  Bank- 
ing Company  was  organized,  Mr.  Moore  was 
elected  presddent  of  this  financial  institution, 
which  enjoys  the  confidence  of  the  public. 
In  many  ways  he  has  shown  his  public  .spirit 
and  demonstrated  his  progressive  ideas,  and 
he  ranks  among  the  most  prominent  citizens 
of  Barljcrton. 

In  1879  Mr.  Moore  was  married  to  Dora 
N.  Bailey,  and  they  have  three  children, 
namely:  Nellie,  Lena  and  Hattie.  For  five 
years  Mr.  Moore  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Barberton  Board  of  Education,  all  his  influ- 
ence being  given  to  encouraging  good  schools 
and  other  uplifting  agencies.  Mr.  Moore  is 
a  member  of  the  U.  B.  Church,  of  Barber- 
ton, and  one  of  its  mo.«t  liberal  supporters. 
Fraternally,  he  is  a  Mason. 

NOAH  ERASE,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Franklin  Township,  Avho  is  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural operations  on  a  well-cultivated  tract 
of  100  acres,  was  born  December  23,  1850, 
at  the  family  home  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio, 
known  as  the  Frase  Settlement,  and  is  a  son 
of  .lohn  A.  and  Mary  (Ettling)   Frase. 

.lolin  A.  Erase,  the  grandfather  of  Noah, 
wa-^  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a  tailor 
by  trade.  From  Pennsjdvania  the  trip  to 
Obid  was  made  in  wagons  by  Noah  Frase, 
with  Ills  wife  and  five  children.  When  John 
A.,  was  about  two  years  old.  They  at  once 
■settled  on  a  lOO-acre  tract  of  land,  which  was 
sulisequently  mainly  cleared  and  operated  by 
the  children,  Mr.  Frase  continuing  with  his 
tailoring  until  his  death. 

John  A.  Enise,  Jr.,  father  of  Noah,  was 
reared  upon  the  home  farm,  and  there  re- 
sided until  about  five  years  after  his  mar- 
riage, when  he  p^irchased  a  tract  of  eighty 
acres  in  the  northeastern  corner  of  Wayne 
County,  and  al?o  acquired  land  in  Summit 
County  so  that  he  was  considered  a  man  of 
.some  wealth.  He  married  Mary  Ettling, 
who  survived  him  twelve  years.  To  them 
were  born  eight  children :  Noah,  William, 
who  resides  at  Ashtabula;  Catherine,  who 
married  William  Deckerhoof;  Peter  M.,  who 


ROBERT  S.  PAUL 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


803 


is  an  employe  in  a  bank  at  Clinton;  John 
W.,  who  resides  on  the  old  home  place  in 
Wayne  County;  Mary,  who  married  Charles 
Opplinger;  Emma,  who  married  Henry  Slee, 
and  Ida,  who  married  Christopher  Albrecht. 
The  father  died  in  Wayne  County  in  1888. 

Noah  Erase  was  reared  on  the  home  farm 
and  attended  the  district  schools  until  he 
reached  his  twenty-first  year,  when  he  went 
to  work  in  the  coal  banks,  where  he  contin- 
ued for  about  ten  years.  He  then  worked 
for  John  Grill,  at  farming,  and  also  in  a 
sawmill  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  came  to  his  present  property,  which 
he  purchased  from  the  old  estate.  Mr.  Erase 
has  been  engaged  in  general  farming  here 
since  1887.  and  has  proven  himself  a  good, 
practical  agriculturist.  For  the  past  seven 
years  he  has  been  a  director  in  the  Norton 
Mutual  Insurance  Company,  of  which  he 
served  two  terms  as  treasurer.  In  jx>litical 
matters  he  is  a  Democrat. 

On  October  28,  1880,  Mr.  Erase  wa*  mar- 
ried to  iVmanda  Grill,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Maiy  (Snyder)  Grill,  and  to  this 
union  there  have  been  born  six  children : 
Elmer,  who  married  Elizabeth  Oar,  has  one 
child.  May;  Oscar,  Ida,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  years;  Clayton,  Doyle  and  Eliza- 
beth. Mr.  Erase,  wiih  his  family,  belongs 
to  the  Reformed  Church,  in  which  he  serves 
as  deacon. 

ROBERT  S.  PAUL,  third  son  of  Ho.sea 
and  Ellen  Gamble  Paul,  was  born  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  Ohio,  October  3,  1842,  and  died 
at  Akron,  Ohio,  May  23,  1905.  Pie  received 
his  a.cadeariical  e-ducation  at  home,  it  being 
extended  by  attendance  at  the  Lebanon,  Ohio, 
Institute  and  at  Oberlin,  and  later  by  an  en- 
gineering course  at  the  Pennsylvania  Poly- 
technic at  Philadelphia.  He  l>ecame  practi- 
cally familiar  with  surveying  operations  and 
computations  at  an  early  age  by  reason  of 
a«si.sting  his  father,  who  was  county  surveyor 
and  town  engineer  of  Akron ;  his  youthful 
activities,  wnth  the  exception  of  a  couple  of 
terms  teaching  school,  being  thus  quite  ex- 
clusivelv  in  the  line  of  service  in  later  vears. 


During  the  Civil  ^^'a^,  he  spent  about 
three  years  (1862-1865)  with  the  Engineer 
Department,  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  a  part 
of  which  time  was  devoted  to  laying  out  the 
earthwork  defenses  for  the  city  of  Cincinnati. 

He  spent  the  years  1865  and  1866  sur- 
veying on  Oil  and  Pithole  Creeks,  in  Ve- 
nango County,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  then 
over  two  years  in  Cleveland  with  the  engi- 
neering firm  of  Sargent  &  Hartnell,  and  re- 
turned to  Akron  in  1869  to  reside  perma- 
nently. 

Upon  the  death  of  his  father  in  1870,  he 
became  county  surveyor,  and  held  the  office 
three  terms.  From  1874  to  1877  he  Ava.«  en- 
gaged in  surveying  and  was  the  chief  en- 
gineer of  the  6.  &  T.  R.  R.  He  was  the 
chief  engineer  of  the  Valley  Railway  in  1887 
and  1888.  He  was  president  for  two  terms  of 
the  Ohio  County  Surveyors'  Association,  and 
was  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Ohio  In- 
.stitute  of  Mining  Engineers,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.,  K.  of  P.,  F.  of  A.  and 
I.  O.  R.  M. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Paul 
Brothers,  civil  and  mining  engineers  and 
surveyors,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known 
firms  in  the  state.  His  written  records,  gen- 
erally full  and  definite,  were  supplemented 
and  illuminated  by  a  marvelous  memory, 
which  could  recall  every  tradition,  fact  or 
circumsitance.  His  knowledge  of  titles  and 
land  law  was  extensive  and  accurate.  He  had 
a  wide  acquaintance,  and  his  advice  and 
counsel  were  sought  not  only  by  his  profes- 
sional brethren  but  in  many  other  directions. 
He  was  well  equipped  in  mathematics,  and  a 
wide  reader  of  the  best  literature,  and  gave 
much  serious  thought  to  deep  problems. 

Mr.  Paul  married  Sarah  M.  Romig.  July 
25,  1872,  and  of  this  union  there  were  seven 
children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living — 
Ellen  Paul  Nice,  Ada  Paul  Bordner,  Mary 
Paul  and  Edward  W.  Paul. 

Robert  S.  Paul  had  five  brothers:  Harri- 
son D.  (deceased),  George  (deceased),  Ho- 
sea,  Jr.,  T.  D wight  and  Edward  J.,  all  of 
whom  were  or  are  now  engaged  in  surwy- 
ing  and  civil  engineering.     He  had  one  sia- 


004 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ter,  Mary  (deceased),  w^ho  was  an  expert 
draftsman  and  helped  extensively  in  both  the 
business  of  her  father  and  of  her  brothers. 

EDWARD  W.  PAUL,  of  the  firm  of  Paul 
Brothers,  civil  and  mining  engineers  and  sur- 
veyors, at  Akron,  has  been  identified  with 
this  kind  of  work  ever  since  he  entered  into 
business  life.  He  was  born  at  Akron,  Ohio, 
August  23,  1880,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  S. 
and  Sarah  M.  (Romig)  Paul.  His  father 
was  one  of  the  county's  most  prominent  men 
for  many  years  and  was  a  son  of  Hosea  Paul, 
one  of  the  first  surveyors  of  Summit  County. 

Edward  W.  Paul  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Akron,  graduating  from  the  Akron  High 
School  in  1898,  and  received  his  knoAvledge 
of  surveying  and  civil  engineering  from  his 
father,  having  assisted  him  for  many  yeare. 
He  has  had  considerable  experience  in  the 
line  of  railroad  engineering,  having  served 
in  the  engineering  department  of  the  Erie 
Railroad  in  New  York  State  in  1897:  with 
the  N.  0.  T.  &  L.  Co.  in  1898  and  1901 ; 
with  the  Chootaw,  Oklahoma  &  Gulf  R.  R. 
Co.,  in  Indian  Territory  and  Texas  in  1902, 
and  has  charge  of  several  railroad  surveys 
in  this  section.  He  does  a  considerable 
amo\int  of  coal  mine  surveying  and  engineer- 
ing and  is  considered  an  expert  in  thi.-;  line. 
He  was  married  December  31,  1903,  to  Agnos 
M.  Burman,  and  they  have  one  child,  Wini- 
fred Mary. 

HARRY  D.  TODD,  M.  D..  a  well-known 
physician  and  surgeon  of  Akron,  belonging 
to  Uie  Eclectic  School  of  Medicine,  was  born 
and  reared  at  Springfield,  Ohio,  and  in  1895 
was  graduated  from  Wittenberg  College.  He 
then  entered  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute 
at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  was  graduated 
in  1898.  Dr.  Todd  immediately  located  at 
Akron,  where  he  has  been  singularly  suc- 
cessful in  his  practice.  He  is  an  enthusiast 
in  his  profession  and  keeps  thoroughly  posted 
on  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  scientific  dis- 
coveries of  the  day;  is  a  thoughtful  student 
and  a  frequent  contributor  to  medical  litera- 
ture.    He  is  a  member  of  the  most  promi- 


nent organizations  of  his  school,  including 
the  Summit  County  and  the  Ohio  State  As- 
sociations, and  is  visiting  physician  of  the 
Akron  City  Hospital  staff.  In  1900  Dr.  Todd 
was  married  to  Margery  B.  Pottenger,  of  Lib- 
erty, Indiana,  and  they  have  one  child, 
James  W.  Fraternally,  Dr.  Todd  is  asso- 
ciated with  the  Elks  and  he  belongs  also  to 
the  Elks'  club. 

W^ILLIAM  W.  ROETHIG,  a  well  known 
and  respected  citizen  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  now 
retired  from  active  business  life,  was  born 
February  22,  1858,  in  this  place,  son  of  Fer- 
dinand Julius  and  Sarah  J.  (Faze)  Roethig. 
He  is  of  Iliuigarian  ancestry,  his  father  hav- 
ing been  born  at  Krakow,  Austro-Hungary, 
February  24,  1825.  When  Ferdinand  J. 
Roethig  was  five  years  old  his  father  died 
and  he  was  taken  by  his  mother — a  woman 
of  some  means — -to  Germany.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  Leipsig,  in  which  city 
he  learned  the  trade  of  tinner  and  copper- 
.smith.  His  heart  remained  true,  however, 
to  his  native  land,  and  he  was  one  of  the 
young  men  who  fought  nobly  for  Hungarian 
freedom  under  Louis  Kossuth,  whose  for- 
tunes he  followed  for  three  years.  On  the 
defeat  of  the  great  leader,  at  Temesvar,  Au- 
gust 9,  1849,  most  of  the  men  in  the  regi- 
ment to  which  Mr.  Roethig  belonged  escaped 
to  the  United  States,  he  among  them.  Here 
he  fell  back  on  his  trade  a?  a  means  of  sup- 
port. After  working  at  it  in  New  Orleans 
for  a  year,  he  ascended  the  Mississippi  River 
to  St.  Paul,  thence  going  to  Chicago,  where 
he  remained  a  year.  He  then  came  to  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for 
many  years,  a  part  of  the  time  for  himself 
and  for  the  reniiiinder  in  the  shops  of  L.  W. 
Loomis  and  Parks  and  Gillette.  After  com- 
ing to  Ohio  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the 
Civil  War,  but  was  stricken  with  illness  at 
Massillon.  which  occasioned  his  dii'charge. 
He  died  April  17,  1886.  He  married  Au- 
gust 30,  1852,  Sarah  J.  Faze,  who  survived 
him  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Cuyahoga  Falls. 
She  was  born  at  Manchester,  Carroll  County, 
Maryland,   February   24,   1832,   and   accom- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


605 


paiiied  hor  parents  to  Cuyahoga  Falls  when 
she  was  but  five  years  old,  the  family  taking 
three  weeks  to  make  the  trip  with  wagons. 
Her  father,  Peter  Faze,  a  native  of  Germany, 
came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  at  the 
age  of  five  years.  He  was  a  paper-maker  by 
trade  and  was  accidentally  killed  in  a  paper- 
mill  in  April,  1852,  being  then  fifty-nine 
years  old.  Of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ferdinand  J. 
Roethig's  nine  children,  the  following  arrived 
at  matui'ity:  Ferdinand  J.,  deceased;  Julia 
Sarah,  afterwards  Mrs.  C.  W.  Moon,  who, 
W'ith  her  husband,  is  deceased ;  Charles 
B.,  a  resident  of  Cortland,  New^  York;  Wil- 
liam Washington,  w'hose  name  appears  at  the 
head  of  this  sketch;  Edward  Loon,  Lillian, 
Alfred  Herman  and  Harrison  T.,  all  of  whom 
reside  in  Cuyahoga  Falls.  All  the  members 
of  this  family  Avere  reared  in  the  German 
Lutheran   faith. 

William  W.  Roethig,  after  attending  the 
common  and  high  schools  until  he  had  ac- 
quired a  sound  practical  education,  began  in- 
dustrial life  as  an  employe  of  Isaac  Lewis 
in  the  grocery  business,  in  which  occupation 
he  continued  from  1867  until  1888.  On 
January  Ifith  of  the  year  last  mentioned  he 
went  into  business  for  himself  wath  his 
brotlier,  Edward,  they  opening  a  meat  mar- 
ket under  the  firm  name  of  Roethig  Bros. 
This  partnership  lasted  for  ninetteen  years, 
being  discontinued  January  Ifi,  1907,  when 
they  sold  out  to  their  brother  Fred.  In  1899 
Mr.  William  Roethig  built  the  Roethig  block 
on  Front  Street,  which  is  now  occupied  by 
a  meat  market  and  the  Post  Office,  with  bu-si- 
ness  ofhces  on  the  second  floor.  Mr.  Roethig 
is  a  member  of  Howard  Lodge,  No.  162, 
I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls'.  He  is  well 
knoTvn  as  a  substantial  citizen  and  successful 
busin&ss  man,  and  his  aid  and  influence  can 
usually  be  counted  upon  in  behalf  of  any 
worthy  cause. 

HOWARD  W.  HAUPT,  superintendent 
of  the  Klages  Coal  &  Ice  Company  at  Akron, 
has  been  connected  with  this  concern  since 
he  was  twenty  years  of  age.  He  was  born 
in  1870,  at  Loyal  Oak,  Summit  Comity,  Ohio. 


His  father,  William  F.  Haupt,  has  long  been 
one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Loyal  Oak, 
where  he  lives  retired  after  a  successful  agri- 
cultural life.  He  has  served  as  trustee  of 
Norton  Township  and  in  other  local  offices. 
He  came  to  that  Township  in  early  man- 
hood, and  has  had  much  to  do  with  its  sub- 
sequent progress  and  development. 

Howard  W.  Haupt  went  from  the  local 
schools  to  the  Normal  Schools  at  Wadsworth 
and  his  course  there  was  supplemented  by  one 
at  the  Spencerian  Commercial  College  at 
Cleveland.  In  1890  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Klages  Company  as  assistant  bookkeeper, 
later  became  bookkeeper,  and  .still  later  was 
admitted  to  partnership.  For  the  last  six 
years  he  has  been  superintendent  of  the  com- 
pany. He  is  interested  also  in  other  pros- 
pering concerns. 

In  1897  Mr.  Haupt  was  married  to  Nellie 
Murphy,  who  was  born  at  Mt.  Gilead,  Ohio. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at 
Loyal  Oak.  He  is  prominent  in  the  brother- 
hood of  Odd  Fellows,  being  a  trustee  of 
Lodge  No.  50  of  Summit  County  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows' Temple  at  Akron.  He  belongs  also  to 
the  order  of  Modern  Woodmen  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias. 

FRANK  E.  AVERILL,  one  of  Summit 
County's  representative  agriculturists,  whose 
farm  of  100  acres  is  situated  in  the  south- 
west corner  of  Bath  Township,  adjoining 
Copley  on  the  south  and  Granger  Township, 
Medina  Coimty  on  the  west,  was  born  No- 
vember 17,  1861,  in  Bath  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin 
and   Louisa    (Harvey)    Averill. 

Benjamin  Averill  and  his  wife  were  both 
born  and  reared  in  New  York  State,  where 
they  married,  and  soon  thereafter  came  to 
Ohio  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Bath  Town- 
ship, about  four  miles  east  of  Frank  E. 
Averill's  present  home.  In  1867  they  re- 
moved to  the  present  property,  which  then 
consisted  of  105  acres,  five  acres  having  been 
sold.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Averill  both  died  on  this 
farm.     They  were>  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 


606 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


dren,  tlie  survivors  being:  Ellen,  who  mar- 
ried ]).  L.  Parker,  of  Copley  Township; 
Ohaxles,  who  is  a  stock  dealer  of  Granger 
Township,  Medina  County,  Ohio;  Perry,  wlio 
also  resides  in  Granger  Township;  Frank  E. 
Those  dec-eased  were:  Mary  E.,  Welthia  A., 
Alice  A.,  Clara  A.,  Henry  W.  and  Minnie  L. 

Frank  E.  Averill  has  resided  on  his  pres- 
ent farm  since  his  sixth  year,  and  has  always 
engaged  in  general  farming,  stock-raising 
and  dairying.  His  property  is  finely  culti- 
vated, his  buildings  of  the  most  substantial 
kind,  and  his  farming  machinery  the  best  to 
be  secured.  He  is  known  as  a  good,  practi- 
cal farmer,  and  his  reputation  as  a  citizen 
is  beyond  reproach. 

In  1881  Mr.  Averill  was  married  to  Anna 
A.  McMillen,  who  is  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Amanda  (Peckham)  McMillen,  and  to 
them  there  have  been  born  three  children, 
namely:  William,  who  is  an  engineer  and 
machinist,  married  Iva  Hammond;  Mary, 
w^ho  is  the  wife  of  Paul  C.  Crosier,  lives  in 
Granger  Township,  Medina  County,  and 
Earl,  who  resides  at  home. 

Mr.  Averill  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  the  Maccabees  and  the  National  Protective 
Legion.  In  political  matters  he  i?  a  Repub- 
lican, and  has  9er\'ed  as  chairman  of  the  Bath 
Township  Board  of  Election,  and  has  been  a 
school  director  for  the  pa.st  ten  years.  With 
his  family  he  attends  the  East  Granger  Dis- 
ciple Church. 

JOEL  MYERS,  residing  on  his  100  acres 
of  valualjle  land  which  is  situated  on  the  old 
Smith  road,  in  Bath  Township,  was  born  in 
Springfield  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  April  15.  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  Sarn- 
uel  and  Mary    (Paulus)    Myers. 

Samuel  Myers  accompanied  his  father,  Ja- 
cob Myers,  from  Snyder  County.  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  family  settled  near  Uniontown, 
Springfield  Township,  in  1805,  in  fact  the 
greater  part  of  that  village  is  built  on  the 
old  Myers  farm.  Sanniel  was  at  that  time 
a  strong  lad  of  twelve  years  and  he  learned 
the  stone-^mason  trade,  at  which  he  worked 
on    the   construction   of  the   old   canal.      He 


died  on  the  farm  in  Springfield  Township 
in  1883.  He  married  Mary  Paulus,  who  was 
born  in  Jackson  Township,  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  and  died  in  1868,  the  mother  of  ten 
children.  Samuel  Myers  married  a  second 
time  and  had  two  more  children. 

Joel  Myers  was  reared  in  Springfield 
Township  and  attended  the  district  schools. 
His  main  business  in  life  has  been  farming, 
stock-raising  and  manufacturing  brooms.  He 
was  married  May  30,  1869,  to  Elizabeth 
Schnee,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Han- 
nah (Young)  Schnee.  They  were  natives  of 
Snyder  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  were  of 
German  extraction,  Great-grandfather  Schnee 
having  come  from  Germany  to  America  on 
the  good  .ship  Phoenix,  in  1746.  Mrs.  Myers 
was  born  within  a  half-mile  of  the  old  Myers 
homestead  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1852,  and 
accompanied  her  parents  to  Springfield 
Township  in  1864.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Myers  have 
had  eight  children :  Lydia,  John,  William 
F.,  Frederick,  Ira,  Robert,  J.  Park  and  an 
infant,  the  babe  and  John  being  deceased. 
Lydia  married  Charles  Boltz  and  they  live 
in  Bath  Town.ship  and  have  three  children: 
Edith,  aged  sixteen  years;  Harley,  aged 
twelve  years,  and  Irma,  aged  eight  years. 
William  F.  married  Dottie  Martin,  who  died 
Augu.st  23,  1907,  her  infant  son  dying  on 
the  previous  day.  She  is  survived  by  her 
bereaved  hu.sband  and  little  Eva,  three  years 
old,  who  will  find  a  home  with  her  grand- 
parents. Frederick  married  Amanda  Sny- 
der and  they  have  a  bright  little  three-year- 
old  son,  Floyd,  and  reside  at  Akron.  Ira, 
wiho  was  born  in  1881,  operates  the  home 
farm.  Robert,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Bath 
High  School,  is  successfully  teaching  the 
Maple  Valley,  the  largesTt  country  school  in 
Summit  County,  where  he  has  fifty-two  pu- 
pils. J.  Park  resides  at  Cleveland,  where  he 
is  employed  as  a  bookkeeper. 

After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Myers  lived 
on  the  Myers  home  place  until  1875,  where 
Mr.  Myers  carried  on  farming  in  the  summer 
and  engaged  in  making  brooms  in  the  win- 
ter. In  the  fall  of  1874  Mr.  Myers  purchased 
the  present  place,   in   which  they  settled  in 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


607 


the  following  year.  He  has  made  many  im- 
provements here,  including  the  building  of 
a  substantial  barn  in  1881.  The  commodious 
frame  residence  in  which  the  Myers  family 
reside,  was  built  by  a  Mr.  Meridith  and  was 
the  first  frame  one  erected  in  Bath  Town- 
ship. The  Meridiths  were  great  entertainers 
and  were  somew^hat  given  to  frivolity,  and  on 
many  occasions  countrj^  dances  were  held  in 
the  big  rooms  of  the  upper  portions  of  the 
house.  Prior  to  coming  to  tliis  farm,  Mr. 
Myers  bought  one  of  eighty  acres  in  Indiana, 
but  sold  it  before  moving  to  it.  This  is  one 
of  the  old.  substantial  and  representative 
families  of  this  section. 

COL.  THOMAS  E.  MAJOR,  who  is  now 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  dairying,  in 
Boston  Township,  was  born  in  Paint  Town- 
ship, Highland  County,  Ohio,  September  19, 
1849,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  Thomas  and  Sarah 
(Righter)   Major. 

Thomas  Major,  the  colonel's  great-great- 
grandfather, was  born  in  Ireland,  County 
Londonderry-,  and  in  early  manhood  emi- 
grated to  America,  settling  four  miles  north- 
west of  Xorristown,  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
accompanied  by  a  son,  John.  John  Major 
learned  the  tailor's  trade  and  later  became 
proprietor  of  the  Blue  Ball  tavern,  near  A^'al- 
ley  Forge,  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania. 
He  married  Jane  Adams,  who  was  born  near 
Norristown,  and  who  died  June  14,  1813,  aged 
fifty-four  years.  He  died  June  17.  1819. 
aged  over  sixty-one  years. 

Thomas  Major,  son  of  John  and  grand- 
son of  Thomas,  the  original  settler,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  pa.ssed  the  larger  part 
of  his  life  in  Noriton  Township.  Montgom- 
ery County,  where  he  died  December  5,  1823, 
aged  forty  years,  two  months  and  twenty-one 
days.  He  followed  the  trade  of  shoemaker. 
He  married  Catherine  Curry,  who  died  Febm- 
ary  27,  1863,  aged  eighty-one  years.  Her 
whole  life  was  .spent  in  Pennsylvania.  Her 
father,  James  Currv*.  was  born  September  25. 
1755,  in  Montgomery-  County.  His  services 
in  the  Revolutionary-  War  may  be  briefly 
summed  as  follows :  "Volunteered  in  Captain 


Archibald  Thompson's  rifle  company  in 
1775;  was  a  member  of  Captain  John  Hamil- 
ton's company.  Major  John  Berry's  battalion, 
in  1776;  member  of  Captain  Stephen  Por- 
ter's rifle  company,  in  1776 ;  adjutant  to  Gen- 
erals Potter  and  Heiston,  1776-1777;  served 
as  express  rider  for  General  "Washington,  in 
1777,  and  in  1778,  while  encamped  at  Val- 
ley Forge;  member  of  Captain  Pitts'  com- 
pany. Colonel  Thomp.son's  regiment,  in  1777 ; 
adjutant  to  General  Potter  and  Colonel 
Moore,  1777-1779.  He  w^as  pensioned  as  cap- 
tain." 

The  father  of  Captain  James  Curry  was 
also  James  Curry,  -who  came  to  America  from 
County  Londonderry,  Ireland,  and  became  an 
officer  also  in  the  Patriot  army  in  tlie  Revo- 
lutionary War.  He  settled  one  mile  west  of 
Norristown,  where  he  engaged  in  farming. 
He  died  April  8,  1788,  and  was  buried  at 
Norton  Church  cemetery,  where  many  of  the 
ancestors  of  Colonel  Thomas  E.  Major  lie. 
AVhen  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  met  at 
Pliiladelphia,  Colonel  Currv^  serv^ed  as  clerk 
of  that  body.  Like  other  members  of  his 
own  and  the  Major  family,  he  lived  and  died 
in  the  faith  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Revolutionary  records  give  much  space  to  the 
loyalty  and  bravery  of  both  Colonel  and  Cap- 
tain Curr}^ 

Rev.  Thomas  Major,  father  of  Colonel 
Thomas  E.  Major,  was  one  of  six  chil- 
dren, and  wa«  born  September  19,  1811.  He 
was  ed\icated  in  the  common  schools  and 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  in  Philadelphia, 
which  he  followed  there  until  he  came  to 
Ohio.  He  married  in  that  city,  Sarah 
Righter,  who  was  born  August  29,  1808,  and 
died  September  18,  1884.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Righter.  She  wa«  converted  to 
the  faith  of  the  German  Baptist  Church  when 
she  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  under  the 
preaching  of  the  famous  Harriet  Livermore, 
who  was  the  only  woman  for  whom  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  State*  ever  requested  ad- 
journment of  Congress,  which  he  did  in  or- 
der that  she  might  be  given  an  opportunity  to 
addre.«s  that  body.  For  fifty  years  thereafter 
Mrs.  Major  was  a  preacher  in  the  German  Bap- 


608 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


tist  faith,  and,  in  1840,  both  her  husband  and 
father  took  up  the  same  work.  They  had 
three  children,  namely:  Samuel,  who  was 
born  February  23,  1847,  graduated  from  Del- 
aware College,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1894  was  superintendent  of  schools  at 
HilLsborough,  Ohio;  Thomas  E.  and  Annie 
M.,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  December 
13,  1852,  married  Aaron  Johns,  and  resides  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  with  her  husband. 

After  marriage,  Rev.  Thomas  Major  and 
his  wife  came  to  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  where  he 
bought  a  farm,  subsisting  by  its  cultivation, 
as  neither  he  nor  his  wife  accepted  any  re- 
muneration for  their  ministerial  work.  Some- 
time between  1847  and  1849  they  removed  to 
Highland  County,  where  they  lived  until 
their  retirement  from  active  life.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  before  his  death  Rev.  Major 
resided  at  Greenfield,  Ohio,  but  after  the  death 
of  his  wife  he  made  his  home  with  his  daugh- 
ter in  ^^'a.shington  city,  where  he  passed  away 
April  17,  1888.  During  his  residence  in 
Highland  County  he  carried  on  his  agricul- 
tural work  on  his  135  acres.  The  ministerial 
labors  of  Thomas  Major  and  wife  were  a 
heavy  drain  upon  their  time,  resources  and 
sympathy.  Each  Sunday  they  held  from  one 
to  three  services,  often  traveling  a  distance  of 
from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  over  poor  roads  to 
meet  thase  who  eagerly  gathered  to  listen  to 
them.  Their  joint  efforts  resulted  ultimate- 
ly in  the  building  of  a  church  at  what  was 
then  called  New  Lexington,  in  Highland 
County.  They  have  long  since  gone  to  their 
final  reward,  but  the  influences  of  their 
worthy,  virtuous,  unselfish  lives  go  on  and 
on. 

Thomas  E.  Major  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Paint  Township  and  the  Southwest 
Norma]  School  at  Lebanon,  Ohio.  AVhile  he 
was  living  on  the  farm  his  parents  received 
some  literature  sent  by  Harriet  Livermore, 
and  among  the  books  there  chanced  to  be  an 
old  Pitman  manual  of  phonography.  What 
a  find  this  was  to  the  eager,  ambitious  farmer 
boy,  and  to  mastering  its  contents  he  applied 
himself  every  moment  that  he  could  secure 
from  the  farm  duties,  which  were  heavy  on 


account  of  the  frequent  absences  of  his  father. 
On  January  7,  1870,  he  received  an  appoint- 
ment as  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Comptroller 
of  Currency  in  the  Treasury  Depiixtment  at 
Washington,  a  position  he  could  never  have 
aspired  to  without  a  knowledge  of  the  art  of 
stenography.  He  satisfactorily  filled  positions 
of  this  nature  in  different  departments  of 
government  work  for  a  number  of  years  and 
became  recognized  as  one  of  the  best  stenog- 
raphers in  the  service,  .so  much  so,  that  on 
the  reconunendation  of  Assistant  Secretary  of 
the  Treasurer,  C.  E.  Conant,  he  was  invited  to 
become  the  private  secretary  of  General  B. 
F.  Butler.  Pie  entered  upon  the  duties  of  this 
position  in  April,  1875,  and  remained  in  the 
■most  intimate  and  confidential  relations  with 
this  soldier-statesman  \intil  the  lafter's  death 
in  1893.  During  the  period  that  General 
Butler  -was  governor  of  Mas!5achusetts  Mr. 
Major  served  as  the  governor's  private  secre- 
tarv  and  also  A^ith  the  rank  of  colonel  on  his 
staff. 

While  thus  closely  associated  with  General 
Butler,  Colonel  Major  became  acquainted,  and 
on  terms  of  friendship  with  many  of  the  lead- 
ing men  in  public  life,  men  of  large  affairs 
and  weighty  deeds.  He  studied  law  during 
this  time,  and  not  only  overlooked  the  steno- 
graphic work,  but  also  a.«sisted  General  But- 
ler in  his  professional  labors.  In  1895  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Suffolk  County, 
Massachusetts,  and  practiced  his  profession  in 
the  city  of  Boston  until  1901.  Failing  health 
warned  him  to  give  up  office  work  and  hence 
his  removal  to  the  healthful  air  and  simple 
life  of  the  farm.  He  purchased  208  acres  in 
Boston  Township,  and  here,  far  removed  from 
the  complex  problems  of  politics  and  law,  he 
oversees  his  agricultural  operations,  and  has 
recovered  an  excellent  state  of  health.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  dairying,  sending  his 
milk  to  the  cheese  factory  at  Richfield. 

On  April  16,  1873,  Colonel  Major  married 
Virginia  P.  Berkley,  of  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  they  have  three  children :  Sarah  Avan- 
elle,  who  married  Dr.  Joseph  W.  Proctor,  re- 
siding at  Maiden,  Mass;  Syhna  Pearl,  residing 
at  Maiden,  and  holding  an  important  pon- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


609 


tion  in  the  office  of  the  Massachusetts  Com- 
missioner of  Corporations,  at  Boston;  and 
Selwj-n  Berkley,  who  resides  at  home  mth 
her  parents.  Mrs.  Major  and  her  daughters 
axe  artists  of  acknowledged  ability. 

Colonel  Major  resided  at  Baston  until  1884 
and  taught  shorthand  in  the  Boston  evening 
classes  in  the  High  School  for  several  years, 
having  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
most  expert  stenographers  of  the  day.  In 
1884  he  established  his  home  in  Maiden,  one 
of  Boston's  most  agreeable  suburbs,  and  while 
living  there  served  on  the  School  Board  as 
its  chairman ;  also  as  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Park  Commissioners,  and  in  other  public 
capacities.  While  living  there  he  also  took 
an  active  interest  in  the  order  of  Knights  of 
Pythias,  was  pa-st  chancellor  of  the  IMalden 
lodge  and  served  on  the  judiciary  committee 
of  the  Grand  Lodge.  He  is  a  member  of  Ri.?- 
ing  Sun  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Richfield, 
and  has  taken  the  Royal  Arch  and  Knight 
Templar  degrees.  Politically,  he  is  an  ardent 
Republican ;  personally,   a  cultivated  gentle- 


LYNN  WORDEN,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Bath  Township,  proprietor  of  the  well-knowTi 
place  of  business,  which,  in  a  large  measure, 
supplies  the  needs  of  households  for  miles 
around,  known  as  the  Worden  Grocery  Store, 
has  been  established  here  since  1897.  It  is  lo- 
cated about  two  and  one-fourth  miles  north  of 
the  Smith  road,  on  the  county  line  highway 
which  divides  Medina  from  Summit.  Mr. 
Worden  wa«  born  in  Hinklev  Township. 
Medina  County,  Ohio,  April  23,  1860,  and  is 
a  son  of  Hiram  and  Melissa  (Bissell)  Worden, 

The  father  of  Mr.  Worden  was  bom  at 
Broome,  Schoharie  County,  New  York,  and 
■accompanied  his  parents  to  Richfield  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  in  boyhood,  and  later 
removed  to  Hinkley  Township,  Medina 
County,  where  both  he  and  wife  died. 

Mrs.  Worden  was  bom  at  Granger,  Medina 
County,  Ohio. 

Lynn  Worden  was  reared  in  Medina  County, 
attended  the  country  schools  and  remained  at 
home  until  about  nineteen  years  of  age.  and 


then  went  to  Medina  village,  where  he  worked 
three  years.  For  several  years  he  was  tele- 
graph operator  for  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Railroad,  working  in  various  places.  He 
married  Anna  Speneer,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Abijah  and  Mary  Spencer,  old  residents  of 
Bath  Township,  who  formerly  owned  the 
farm  which  belongs  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Worden. 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  Worden 
and  wife,  namely:  Ethel  M.  and  Esther.  The 
family  belong  to  Moore's  Chapel,  IMethodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

In  1897,  when  Mr.  Worden  established  his 
store  at  its  present  location,  he  had  it  made 
a  postoffice,  which,  on  account  of  the  intro- 
duction of  the  riiral  mail  delivery  service,  was 
discontinued  July  31,  1903.  Mr.  Worden 
takes  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  all  matters 
pertaiiung  to  his  end  of  Bath  Town.?hip  and 
since  1898  he  has  served  on  the  School  Board. 

JOSEPH  DANGEL,  superintendent  of  the 
American  Hard  Rubber  Company,  at  Akron. 
is  a  thoroughly  experienced  man  in  the  rub- 
ber industiy,  and  a  leading  business  citizen. 
Mr.  Dangel  was  born  in  Germany,  Decem- 
ber 19,  1860,  and  remained  in  his  own  coim- 
try  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age. 

Equipped  with  an  excellent  education,  Mr. 
Dangel  came  to  America  to  enter  into  busi- 
ness, locating  first  at  Butler,  New  Jersey, 
where  he  entered  the  plant  of  the  Butler  Hard 
Rubber  Company,  beginning  at  the  bottom, 
in  order  to  learn  the  business  in  all  its  de- 
tails. From  Butler  one  year  later  he  went  to 
Hoboken  wnth  the  LTniversal  Rubber  Com- 
pany, and  in  the  following  year  he  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  Keystone  Rubber  Company,  at 
Morrisville,  Pennsvlvania.  where  he  remained 
from  1883  until  1887.  In  the  latter  year  he 
came  to  Akron,  being  connected  with  the 
Goodrich  Hard  Rubber  Company,  which  had 
just  been  organized.  In  1898  the  Goodrich 
Hard- Rubber  Company  became  the  Akron 
factory  of  the  American  Hard  Rubber  Com- 
pany, and  Mr.  Dangel  was  made  superintend- 
ent of  the  plant,  having  its  whole  operation 
under  his  charge. 

Thus  his  intere.sts  have  been  centered  in  the 


610 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


rubber  business  from  the  beginning  of  his 
business  life,  and  he  has  advanced  from  one 
position  to  another  with  the  sureness  that 
marks  hds  abiHty.  He  is  also  a  stockholder 
in  several  other  enterprises  which  are  pros- 
pering. In  addition  to  his  absorbing  business 
resjionsibilities,  Mr.  Dangel  has  somehow 
found  time  to  show  an  active  interest  in  civic 
affairs,  being  elected  councilman-at-large  in 
1903.  In  this  capacity  he  has  served  as 
chairman  of  the  Finance  Committee  of  the 
City  Council,  proving  a  competent  and  val- 
uable official. 

In  1887  Mr.  Dangel  was  married  to  Amelia 
Schafer,  residing  in  New  York,  but  a  native 
of  Germany.  They  have  five  children: 
Emily,  an  accomplished  young  lady,  who  has 
just  graduated  from  the  Sacred  Heart  Acad- 
emy ;  Lena  D.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  St.  Mary's 
school ;  Marie  D.,  who  is  a  student  at  the 
Sacred  Heart;  and  Rosa  and  Joseph,  Jr.,  who 
a.re  students  at  St.  Mary's.  Mr.  Dangel  is  a 
prominent  Catholic,  one  of  the  leading  mem- 
he.Ts,  and  a  trustee  of  St..  Mary's  Catholic 
Church  since  its  organization  in  1887.  He 
belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  to 
other  Catholic  organizations  of  a  benevolent 
character. 

WILLIAM  A.  SEARL,  M.  D.,  one  of  the 
founders  and  medical  director  of  Fair  Oaks 
Villa,  a  sanitai'iimi  for  the  treatment  of  ner- 
vous disorders  at.  Cuyahoga  Falls,  is  a  gen- 
tleman of  broad  experience  in  this  line  of 
medical  practice,  and  as  such  is  well  known 
to  the  profession  all  over  the  state.  Dr. 
Searl  was  born  at  Ellicottville,  Cattaraugus 
County,  New  York,  March  25,  1864,  and  is  a 
son  of  Alonzo  and  Jessie  (Vaughn)  Searl. 
His  father  is  still  a  resident  of  Cattaraugus. 
County,  New  York,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  and  lumbering  for  many  years 
prior  to  his  retirement.  Arza  Searl,  the  doc- 
tor's grandfather,  was  a  pioneer  settler  of 
Western  New  York,  coming  from  New  Eng- 
land. The  family,  including  the  doctor's  one 
living  si.«ter,  are  identified  with  the  Methodist 
Episcojial  Church. 

\\'il]iain  A.  Searl  attended  the  common  and 


high  schools  in  his  native  town,  and  prepared 
for  college  with  Dr.  Stephen  Spencer,  from 
whose  tutorship  he  entered  the  medical  de- 
partment of  Buffalo  University.  After  one 
year's  study  there  he  entered  the  Alexis  Hos- 
pital, where  his  duties  were  such  as  now  fall 
to  an  interne,  although  at  that  time  there 
was  no  organization  of  the  hospital  work  that 
exactly  corresponded-  to  the  present  system. 
With  the  added  experience  thus  gained  he  en- 
tered the  medical  department  of  Wooster  Uni- 
versity, where  he  was  graduated  in  1890.  For 
three  years  subsequently  he  was  engaged  in 
general  practice  in  Cleveland,  later  becoming 
assistant  physician  at  the  Cleveland  State 
Hospital,  and  then  going  to  Yankton,  South 
Dakota,  where  he  was  superintendent  of  the 
Yankton  State  Hospital. 

In  July,  1894,  Dr.  Searl  came  to  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  and  in  association  with  Dr.  A.  B.  How- 
ard, established  Fair  Oaks  Villa,  for  the  treat- 
ment of  nervous  and  mental  diseases.  For 
the  first  four  years  Dr.  Howard  was  in  charge 
of  the  sanitarium,  and  then  Dr.  Searl  had 
the  management  until  1904,  when  Dr.  H.  I. 
Cozad  becanie  associated  with  him.  The  build- 
ing, which  is  a  large,  elegant  brown  stone 
structure,  steam  heated  and  illuminated  by 
electricit^^  was  originally  erected  and  occupied 
by  the  wealthy  Newbury  family,  who  were 
among  the  notable  pioneer  settlers  of  Cuya- 
hoga Falls.  It  is  particularly  well  adapted  to 
the  purpose  to  which  it  is  now  applied,  the 
surroundings,  atmosphere  and  internal  econ- 
omy of  the  institution  having  a  domestic  and 
home-like  flavor  very  favorable  to  the  class 
of  patients  herein  treated,  and  which  is  doubt- 
less responsible  in  part  for  the  very  success- 
ful rasults  which  have  been  attained.  Dr. 
Searl  is  a  member  of  the  Summit  County  and 
Ohio  State  Medical  Societies,  the  Academy  of 
Medicine,  the  Medical  Library  Association  of 
Cleveland,  and  the  American  IMedical  Psycho- 
logical Association.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  is  a  Free  Mason,  belonging  to 
Star  Lodge,  No.  187,  P.  &  A.  M.,  of  Cuya- 
hoga Falls  and  to  Lake  Erie  Consistory. 

Dr.  Searl  was  married,  at  Cleveland,  to 
.\nna  Dalrymple  of  that  city.     He  and  his 


IIKXDERSOX  STEELE 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


()1 3 


wife  are  the  parents  of  three  sons:  Howard 
A.,  Miller  V.,  and  William  A.  With  his  fam- 
ily the  doctor  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  which  he  is  serving  oificially 
as  a  meml>er  of  the  Board  of  Stewards. 

HENDERSON  STEELE,  whose  recent 
death,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years,  removed 
one  of  the  best  knowm  and  most  highly  re- 
spected citizens  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  was  born 
in  Stmv  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
November  15,  1845,  son  of  Isaac  and  Mar- 
garet C.  Steele. 

His  paternal  grandfather  was  Isaac  Steele, 
■who  was  a  son  of  Adam  Steele.  Adam  w-as 
a  pioneer  farmer  of  Fayette  County.  Penn- 
sylvania, and  also  fought  for  American  in- 
dependence in  the  Revolutionarj'  War.  Af- 
ter the  war  he  moved  with  his  family  to 
Stow  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  died  in  July,  1811,  aged  about  six- 
ty-seven yeairs.  He  was  buried  in  Hud.son 
Cemetery. 

His  son,  Lmac.  grandfather  of  the  direct 
subject  of  thi-  sketch,  upheld  the  military 
traditions  of  the  family,  participating  in  the 
War  of  1812.  He  had  first  come  to  Stow  Town- 
."^hip  in  1804,  but  had  returned  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  remained  until  1820,  except 
during  the  period  of  his  military  .service.  Re- 
turning to  Stow  Township  in  the  year  last 
mentioned,  he  located  here  permanently,  his 
death  occurring  here  in  1845.  He  was  one 
of  the  .sturdy  agriculturist  of  the  county,  and 
a  man  well  respected.  He  married,  in  Penn- 
sylvania, Bet,?ey  Galloway,  and  they  had  six 
children — .John,  Isaac,  Mars',  Eliza,  Anna 
and  Margaret. 

Henderson  Steele  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  in  Stow  Township,  of  which  he  subse- 
quently became  the  owner,  and  to  which  he 
added  seventy-four  acres.  In  his  latter  years 
he  ceased  to  operate  this  property  him.self. 
renting  it  on  sliares  to  two  men,  one  of  whom 
carries  on  general  farming  and  the  other  con- 
ducts the  celery  garden,  con.=isting  of  four- 
teen acres.  Dairying  is  also  carried  on  largely 
on  the  farm,  fourteen  cows  being  kept  for 
this  purpose,  and  the  milk  being  shipped  to 


Akron.  On  the  fiurm  is  .some  excellent  stock. 
In  the  .spring  of  1906  Mr.  Steele  retired  from 
active  work  and  purchased  a  home  in  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  where  he  died. 

In  1877  Mr.  Steel,  in  partnership  with  his 
brothei-s,  Thomas  and  St.  Clair,  started  in 
the  lumbering  business  under  the  firm  name 
of  Steele  Broithers.  Purchasing  a  portable 
sawmill,  they  operated  it  all  through  this  sec- 
tion of  the  State,  Mr.  Henderson  Steele  hav- 
ing charge  of  the  business  for  many  years. 
For  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  firm  also  did 
an  exten.sive  thre-shing  bu.siness.  In  1906  the 
firm  was  incorporated  as  The  Steele  Brothers 
Hardwood  Lumber  Company.  The  company 
buys  the  standing  timber  and  sells  the  rough 
lumber  locally.  Mr.  Steele's  death  occurred 
suddenly  at  his  home,  on  Sunday  evening, 
September  29,  1907,  and  was  due  to  heart 
failure.  His  end  was  peaceful,  and  on  the 
morrow  the  connmunity  of  Cuyahoga  Falls 
knew  that  a  good  man  and  sterling  citizen 
had  passed  from  among  them. 

In  1885  Mr.  Steele  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Emily  J.  (Malone)  Carr,  wJio  w'as  the  widow 
of  William  L.  Carr,  of  Northampton  Town- 
^-hip,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  JL  and  Lucy 
A.   (Rice)   Malone. 

Thomas  H.  Malone  was  born  in  Stow 
Town.ship.  November  20,  1815,  and  died 
February  4,  1852.  In  hi.s  younger  days  he 
taught  school,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  overseer  of  the  Ohio  Canal,  having 
succeeded  his  father  in  that  position.  The 
greater  part,  of  his  life  was  spent  at  Akron. 
He  w^  a  son  of  Patrick  Malone,  who  came 
to  America  from  Ireland  with  his  parents 
when  about  five  years  old.  They  settled  in 
Stow  Township. 

Mrs.  Steele's  maternal  grandfather  was 
Lewis  Rice,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  whose 
gun,  u.sed  in  the  cau.se  of  American  free- 
dom, is  .still  preserved  in  the  family.  He 
owned  a  farm  in  Northampton  Township, 
and  w\as  also  a  physician  of  prominence  in 
his  dav.  Mrs.  Steele's  mother  was  born  Mav 
15,  1817,  and  died  September  15,  1898.  Mrs. 
Steele  had  two  brothers  who  ser\'ed  in  the 
Civil    War — .James   M.,    born    Deceml>er   18, 


t}14 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


1843,  who  died  October  25,  1902,  and  Vin- 
cent, born  November  7,  18-17,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  CuyaJioga  Falls. 

Mrs.  Steele  was  born  at  Akron,  January 
17,  1846,  and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
that  oitj'.  By  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Carr 
she  had  two  sons — Frank  B.,  a  resident  of 
Cleveland,  and  Claude  L.  of  Reading,  Penn- 
sylvania. Of  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Steele 
there  is  one  son,  Lester  H.,  who  was  bom 
February  21,  1887.  He  is  now  a  bright  stu- 
dent in  Buchtel  College,  having  previously 
graduated  from  the  Cuyahoga  Falls  High 
Scliool  and  Hammel's  Business  College.  Mrs. 
St-eele  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Churcli, 
while  her  husband  was  reared  in  the  Presby- 
terian faith. 

In  politics  Mr.  Steele  was  a  Democrat,  vot- 
ing for  the  candidates  of  that  party  in  Na- 
tional elections,  but  in  local  politics  some- 
times placing  the  man  before  the  party  when 
in  his  opinion  there  was  sufficient  reason. 
Though  he  never  sought  public  office,  he  took 
a  warm  interest  in  the  caaise  of  education, 
and  had  served  as  school  director.  He  was 
also  for  six  years  a  township  trustee.  His 
fellow  citizens  knew  that  whatever  matters 
were  entrusted  to  his  hands  would  be  well 
taken  care  of.  He  was  a  prominent  member 
of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.,  holding  membership  in 
Howard  Lodge,  Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  he  was 
laid  to  rest  by  that  body. 

ISAAC  SHANNON  McCONNELL,  who 
cultivates  a  valuable  farm  in  Northfield  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio, 
December  14,  1854,  son  of  John  and  Jane  L. 
(Shannon)   McConnell. 

The  grandparents  of  Mr.  McConnell  came 
to  America  from  Coiinty  Donegal,  Ireland, 
when  thedr  son  John  was  a  child  of  eight 
years,  settling  in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio. 
There  John  McConnell  remained  until  1864, 
when  he  came  to  Northfield  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  and  here,  in  the  course  of  time, 
through  his  industry  and  good  management, 
he  acquired  B67  acres  of  land,  which  he  and 
his  sons  farmed  in  common.  He  was  a  high- 
ly respected  man  and  lived  a  long  and  useful 


life,  dying  March  6,  1905,  when  almost  eighty 
years  of  age.  He  married  Jane  Ij.  Shannon, 
who  died  March  30,  1896.  They  had  the  fol- 
lowing children :  John,  deceased ;  Isaac,  whose 
name  begins  this  sketch;  George  A.,  resid- 
ing in  Northfield  Township;  Hervey  A.,  a 
present  justice  of  the  peace  in  Northfield 
Townsliip-;  Dr.  LaGrande,  deceased;  James 
and  Albert,  deceased;  Sarah,  who  married  H. 
R.  Royden,  of  Northfield;  and  Charles,  of 
Magnolia,  Colorado. 

Isaac  S.  McConnell  was  ten  years  old  when 
his  parents  moved  to  Northfield.  AVith  the 
exception  of  nine  summers,  during  which 
period  Mr.  McConnell  worked  at  cheese-mak- 
ing, he  has  followed  farming  ever  since  old 
enough  to  handle  farm  implements.  In  the 
spring  of  1894  he  came  to  his  present  farm, 
of  which  he  became  the  owner  at  the  time  of 
his  father's  death.  It  contained  originally  156 
acres,  but  sixteen  acras  have  been 
taken  by  the  Lake  Erie  and  Penn- 
.'^ylvania  Railroad.  Thirty-nine  acres  and 
a  fraction  of  the  original  farm  belongs  to 
Charles  E.  Mr.  McConnell  has  seventy-five 
acres  of  his  land  under  cultivation,  his  crops 
being  hay,  com,  wheat  and  oats.  He  keeps 
on  an  average  fourteen  head  of  cattle  and 
forty  head  of  sheep. 

Mr.  McConnell  is  one  of  the  most  modern 
farmers  of  this  section.  He  makes  use  of 
the  best  machinery,  keeps  a  man  all  the  year 
around  and  makes  his  business  a  thorough 
success. 

Mr.  McConnell  married  Ella  H.  Ne.-ibit, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  James  Nesbit,  of 
Northfield,  and  they  had  two  children:  Myrtle 
Louis  and  Rebecca.  Mrs.  McConnell  died 
December  19,  1904,  at  the  age  of.  thirty-seven 
years.  This  was  a  heavy  affliction  from  which 
her  family  have  not  yet  recovered.  She  was 
a  lovely  Christian  woman,  a  devoted  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  to 
which  religious  body  Mr.  McConnell  also  be- 
longs. 

A.  J.  PAUL,  .secretary  of  the  Akron  Sella 
Company,  at  Akron,  has  been  identified  with 
the  interests  of  this  city  and  Summit  County 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


615 


throughout  the  whole  period  of  his  business 
Hfe.  He  wa.?  born  in  1863  at  AUentown,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  remained  until  twenty 
■years  of  age,  enjoying  in  the  meanwhile  the 
advantage.-;  offered  by  the  public  schools. 

From  AUentown  Mr.  Paul  came  to  Akron, 
where  he  was  employed  for  one  year  in  the 
county  recorder's  office,  during  the  adminis- 
tration of  Recorder  A.  A.  Bartlett,  following 
which  he  was  in  the  office  of  Auditor  Aaron 
Wagoner,  working  on  the  tax  duplicate  for  a 
year.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of  the  C.  A. 
&  C.  Railroad,  and  remained  with  that  corpo- 
ration for  fourteen  years,  as  agent  and  tele- 
graph operator.  For  three  years  more  he 
was  connected  with  the  American  Cereal  Com- 
pany, for  one  year  he  was  with  the  Whitman- 
Barnes  Companj',  and  then  he  worked  for  a 
year  for  the  Diamond  Rubber  Company.  For 
the  pa.st  three  years  has  been  secretary  of 
the  Akron  Selle  Company.  Mr.  Paul  has 
thus  been  associated  with  a  number  of  Ak- 
ron's leading  business  houses,  and  the  knowl- 
edge and  experience  he  has  gained  have  broad- 
ened his  commercial  views  and  increased  his 
capacity  for  work.  He  is  interested  in  the 
Selle  Company  as  a  member  of  its  Board  of 
Directors,  in  addition  to  being  its  secretary. 

In  1889  Mr.  Paul  was  married  to  Mary  A. 
Wolf,  who  was  born  in  AUentown,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  and  his  wife  have  two  children: 
Ruth  V.  and  Earl  R.  With  hi?  family,  Mr. 
Paul  belongs  to  Grace  Reformed  Church.  In 
political  sentiment  Mr.  Paul  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  pre-eminently  public-spirited  and  enter- 
prising, and  all  that  pertains  to  advancing 
the  public  welfare,  receives  his  hearty  endorse- 
ment. He  is  a  leading  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity  at  Akron,  belonging  to  the 
Blue  Lodge,  Chapter,  Council  and  Command- 


RAMUEL  S.  CARPER,  a  leading  citizen  of 
Springfield  Township,  residing  on  his  well- 
improved  farm  of  ninety-seven  acres,  was 
bom  in  Springfield  Township.  Summit  Ooun- 
tv,  Ohio.  October  27.  1873,  and  is  a  son  of 
Oeorge  and  Elizabeth  (Young")  Carper. 

The  Carper  family    came    to    Ohio    from 


Penn.-^yhania,  Samuel  Carper,  the  grand- 
father, being  the  first  one  of  the  name  to  set- 
tle in  Stark  County,  where  he  and  wife  both 
died.  They  had  four  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, namely:  John,  Andrew,  Samuel, 
George,  Catherine,  Elizabeth,  Susan  and 
Sarah. 

George  Carper,  father  of  Samuel  S.,  was 
born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  April  15,  1838, 
and  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm, 
which  was  situated  two  and  one-half  miles 
south  of  Hartville,  and  was  educated  in  the 
district,  schools.  In  the  fall  of  1860  he  was 
married  in  Springfield  Township  to  Eliza- 
beth Young,  who  was  born  in  1843,  and  was 
the  only  child  of  Henry  and  Margaret  (Mish- 
ler)  Young.  Henry  Young  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  and  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years.  His  widow  still  survives,  aged  six- 
ty-nine years.  There  were  five  children  born  to 
George  Carper  and  wife,  as  follows:  Henr>', 
who  died,  aged  nine  years;  Amanda,  who 
married  Alvin  Holl,  resides  with  her  hus- 
band and  two  daughters,  Lorena  and  Elvina, 
one-half  mile  south  of  Mogadore;  Margaret., 
decea.sed,  who  married  Frank  Cordier,  left  two 
daughters,  Lizzie  and  Amanda:  and  Samuel 
S.  and  Reuben  F.  The  latter  was  born  in 
1877  and  resides  on  and  farms  the  homestead 
for  his  mother.  He  owns  .sixty  acres  of  fine 
land.  He  married  Flora  Hall,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Alonzo  Hall,  of  Stark  County,  and  they 
had  one  child  that  died  in  infancy. 

After  his  marriage,  George  S.  Carper,  then 
a  poor  young  man,  settled  first  in  his  wife's 
old  home  and  a.ssLsted  his  father-in-law.  but 
later  bought  a  farm  of  142  acres.  While  he 
operated  his  farm  he  was  also  in  partnership 
with  his  father-in-law  for  about  eighteen  years 
in  the  stoneware  clay  industry',  a  business 
which  was  ver\^  remunerative  at  that  period. 
Subsequently  he  acquired  different  tracts  of 
land  which  made  him  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial men  of  the  township.  He  purchased 
172  acres  north  of  Mogadore  and  later  the 
farm  on  which  his  .son.  Samuel  S.,  resides, 
which  was  known  as  the  John  B.  Mishler 
farm,  the  latter  having  built  the  old  house 
and  barn.     This  residence  was  the  first  frame 


616 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


house  ever  erected  in  Springfield  Township, 
and  is  still  in  an  excellent  state  of  preserva- 
tion. George  Carper  later  bought  the  John 
Rover  farm  of  sixty  acres,  and  at  the  time  of 
the  death  of  Henry  Young  he  acquired  the 
old  Young  homestead  of  eighty  acres,  to- 
gether with  eig'hty  more  acres  in  SufReld 
Township.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  October 
27,  1905,  George  Carper  was  the  largest  land- 
owner in  Summit  County,  being  possessed 
of  more  than  732  acres.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  business  capacity.  He  was  widely 
known  also  for  his  sterling  traits  of  character 
and  enjoyed  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his 
fellow  citizens.  For  twenty-eight  years  he 
was  a  minister  in  the  German  Bapti.«it  Church 
and  for  a  long  period  was  pastor  of  the  church 
of  this  body  in  Springfield  Township. 

Samuel  S.  Carper  wa.«  roared  in  his  native 
township  and  attended  the  district  schools. 
He  was  taught  habiits  of  industry  and  fru- 
gality in  his  youth  and  had  the  advantages 
resulting  from  the  religious  teaching  of 
Christian  parents.  He  has  devoted  his  atten- 
tion through  mature  life  to  farming  and 
stock-raising  and  some  eight  years  since  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  of  ninety-seven  acres 
from  his  late  father.  The  remainder  of  his 
father's  large  estate  has  not  been  divided.  Mr. 
Carper  has  a  very  valuable  property,  which, 
under  his  careful  management,  is  probably 
one  of  the  most  produobive  in  Springfield 
Township. 

On  October  2,  1894,  Mr.  Carper  was  mar- 
ried to  Lillie  E.  Kurtz,  who  is  the  youngest 
daughter  of  Eli  and  Catherine  (Koones) 
Kurtz,  and  they  have  had  three  children : 
Geo'rge,  who  was  born  January  7,  1896,  died 
March  11,  1896;  Eunice,  who  was  born  May 
31,  1898;  and  Clarice,  who  was  born  July  22. 
1903.  These  littk  daughters  are  particular- 
ly attractive  children  and  give  promise  of 
amiable  and  beautiful  womanhood. 

In  politics,  like  his  father,  Mr.  Carper  is 
a  stanch  Democrat.  He  is  a  good  citizen,  but 
he  has  no  desire  to  hold  public  office.  He 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  German  Bap- 
ti.st  Church  and  he  is  a  liberal  supporter  of 
the  same. 


JOHN  W.  CLAPPER,  whose  magnificent 
fiU'm  of  175  acres,  all  in  one  body,  lies  three 
and  one-half  miles  north  of  the  Smith  road, 
on  the  line  road  separating  Medina  and  Sum- 
mit Counties,  is  one  of  Bath  Township's  lead- 
ing citizens,  and  is  also  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War.  Mr.  Clapper  was  born  in  Baughman 
Township,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  February 
12,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Lydia  Ann 
(Beers)    Clapper. 

Jacob  Clapper,  the  grandfather,  was  the 
first  of  the  family  to  come  from  Pennsylvania 
and  settle  in  Baughman  Township,  where  he 
secured  several  hundred  acres  of  land.  There 
his  son,  John  Clapper,  the  father  of  John  W., 
was  born  and  he  died  three  months  previous 
to  John  W.'s  birth.  Mrs.  Clapper  subsequent- 
ly married  Abraliam  Zimmerman  and  had 
four  more  children.  The  two  born  to  her 
first  marriage  were:  Sarah  Ann,  who  is  the 
widow  of  R.  Y.  Robinson,  residing  in  Bath 
Township;  and  John  W.  Those  of  her  sec- 
ond marriage  were:  Mahala,  who  married 
Adam  Cook,  of  Baughman  Township;  Wes- 
ley, who  died  in  boyhood;  Jesse  B.,  who  lives 
in  Bath  Township;  and  Laura  Elizabeth,  de- 
ceased, who  married  Thomas  Welsh. 

During  his  boyhood,  the  mother  and  step- 
father of  John  "\A'.  Clapper,  moved  to  Chip- 
pewa Township,  and  took  up  land  in  the 
woods,  and  there  the  boy  grew  to  nineteen 
yemrs,  when  he  enlisted  for  ser\'ice  in  the  Civil 
War.  He  entered  Company  I,  Fifth  Regi- 
ment, Ohio  Cavalry,  in  the  winter  of  1864. 
He  remained  in  the  army  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  performing  the  duties  and  bearing 
the  hard.ships  of  a  soldier  all  through  Georgia, 
North  and  South  Carolina,  Tennessee,  Vir- 
.ginia  and  Kentucky. 

When  his  army  service  was  over,  Mr.  Clap- 
per returned  to  his  home  in  Chippewa  Town- 
ship and  worked  by  the  month  for  different 
farmers  mitil  the  fall  of  1867,  when  he  was 
married  to  Mary  Martha  Huston,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  William  Hu.ston,  of  Baughman 
Township.  Mr.  Huston  formerly  owned  the 
farm  which  is  now  the  property  of  Mr.  Clap- 
per. The  latter  bought  first  a  one-third  in- 
terest in  102  acres  and  in  1906,  bought  sev- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


617 


enty-two  acres  of  land  adjoining  on  tlio  .^ontli, 
and  on  this  purchase  he  has  built  a  very  fine 
barn.  He  is  nialiing  plans  to  build  a  nice 
residence  here  also,  which  will  be  for  rental. 
On  the  older  part  of  his  farm  he  has  put  up 
all  the  buildings,  except  the  house,  which  has 
been  completely  remodeled.  Formerly,  Mr. 
Clapper  wa<  a  \"ery  large  raiser  of  stock  and 
still  keeps  many  sheep,  hogs,  cattle  and  hoi-ses, 
but  not  to  the  extent  that  he  once  did. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clapper  have  four  children : 
Emma,  who  married  John  Wilson,  has  one 
child,  Georgia;  William,  who  married  Edith 
Swigart,  a  paper-hanger  and  painter,  at  Bar- 
berton,  has  three  children,  Earl,  Ellen  and 
Lucille;  and  Sadie  and  Ross,  residing  at 
home. 

Mr.  Clapper  is  a  member  of  the  Grange 
and  he  belongs  also  to  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic. 

MILAN  TRE:\IAN,  whose  well-cultivated 
farm  of  118  acres  lies  in  Bath  Township,  one 
mile  west  of  Montrose,  on  the  Smith  road,  hns 
owned  his  property  and  carried  on  gen- 
eral farming  and  stockraising  here  since  the 
fall  of  1880.  Mr.  Treman  was  born  in  De- 
Kalb  County,  Indiana,  October  8.  1844.  and 
is  a  son  of  Edgar  and  Laura  (Spencer)  Tre- 
man. 

Edgar  Treman,  father  of  Milan,  was  born 
in  Granger  Town.ship,  Medina  County,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  Treman,  who  came  to 
Medina  County,  from  New  York,  in  pioneer 
days.  Later,  John  Treman  moved  to  In- 
diana, accompanied  by  his  three  sons,  and 
settled  on  the  farm  in  DeKalb  County,  on 
which  Milan  Treman  was  subsequently  born. 
.'\t.  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  Edgar  Treman 
was  married  to  Laura  Spencer,  who  was  reared 
in  Granger  Town.ship,  Medina  County,  Ohio, 
and  died  in  Indiana.  Her  father,  Nathaniel 
Spencer,  came  to  Ohio  from  the  same  section 
as  did  John  Treman,  the  latter  of  whom  died 
in  Indiana. 

Milan  Treman  was  reared  in  DeKalb  Coun- 
ty and  attended  school  until  about  eighteen 
years  of  age.  when  he  came  to  Ohio  to  visit 
relatives  in  Medina  County  and  was  .=o  pleased 


with  the  country  and  people  that  when  he  was 
twenty-one  and  at  liberty,  he  left  home  and 
returned  to  Ohio.  For  several  years  he 
worked  on  various  farms,  and  on  October  7, 
1869,  was  married  to  Sarah  Arnold,  wlio  was 
born  in  Copley  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  September  8,  1843.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Sophia  (Porter)  Arnold,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  Wayne  County, 
Ohio,  and  was  a  son  of  Daniel  Arnold  who 
came  to  Summit  County  from  Maryland.  His 
wife  came  also  from  a  Maryland  family  that 
settled  in  Medina  County. 

After  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Treman  went 
to  live  on  the  old  Seth  Dye  farm,  in  Granger 
Township,  where  he  had  worked  for  thre3 
years  previously,  and  he  spent  foTirteen  years 
in  all  on  that  farm.  In  1879  he  bought  his 
present  farm  in  Bath  Township,  settling  on  it 
in  the  following  year.  He  has  made  many 
fine  improvements  here  and  among  thase  is 
his  substantial  barn,  40  by  80  feet  in  dimen- 
.sions.  which  he  erected  in  1886. 

CLARENCE  D.  CRUMB,  of  the  sales  de- 
partment of  the  Falls  Rivet  and  Machine 
Company,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  has  been  an  ac- 
tive citizen  of  this  place  for  a  number  of 
years,  during  which  period  he  has  ser\'ed  as 
mayor  and  in  other  public  offices.  He  was 
born  at  Canastota,  Madison  County,  New 
York,  December  7,  1855,  and  ls  a  son  of  .Jo- 
seph D.  and  Nancy  H.  (Hale)  Crumb. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Crumb  was  born  in  Che- 
mung County,  New  York,  and  followed  car- 
penter work  all  his  life.  He  died  in  1899, 
aged  .seventy-four  years.  He  was  connected 
fraternally  both  with  the  Masons  and  the  Odd 
Fellows.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican. 
HLs  wife,  Nancy,  died  in  1864,  aged  thirty- 
three  years.  They  had  four  children,  of  whom 
there  now  are  two  sun-ivors:  Clarence  D. 
and  Nettie,  the  latter  of  whom  married  W.  H. 
Stanley  and  resides  at  Cuyahoga  Falls. 

Clarence  D.  Crumb  attended  school  in  th:' 
old  Cuyahoga  Falls  High  School,  having 
come  first  to  this  section  when  thirteen  years 
of  age.  and  his  finst  industrial  employment 
was  as  a  clerk  in  the  general  store  of  Samuel 


Q18 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Conistock,  where  he  remained  for  three  years, 
and  during  the  next  three  years  he  carried  on 
a  hardware  business  for  himself.  For  five 
years  subsequently  he  was  with  the  firm  of 
Snyder  and  Blood,  who  were  succeeded  by 
Harvey  Snyder,  and  in  turn  by  the  Phoenix 
Hardware  Company,  and  diiring  this  period 
Mr.  Crumb  served  as  bookkeeper  and  a  part 
of  the  time  as  secretary.  In  1885  he  was  ap- 
pointed deputy  revenue  collector  and  served 
as  such  until  1889,  following  which  he  was 
engaged  for  four  years  in  the  in.suranoe  busi- 
ness. In  1885  Mr.  Crumb  located  at  Akron, 
where  he  resided  until  1890,  moving  then  to 
Cleveland,  and  from  there  in  1894  back  to 
Akron,  his  business  demanding  these  change*. 
Until  1898,  Mr.  Cnimb  was  engaged  as  book- 
keeper with  the  Akron  Iron  and  Steel  Com- 
pany, and  when  that  organization  retired 
from  business,  he  -was  in  the  accounting  de- 
partment of  the  Whitman-Barnes  Company 
for  ahout  two  years.  The  Falls  "Wire  Works 
tiien  secured  him  in  their  auditing  departr 
mont.  where  he  continued  for  three  years, 
coming  back  to  Cuyalioga  Falls  in  1902.  In 
1905  he  accepted  his  present  responsible  po- 
.sition  in  tlie  sales  department. 

Mr.  Crumb  married  Ella  ITaynes,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  John  N.  and  Martha  Haynes,  of 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  they  have  two  children, 
namely:  Mabel  M.,  who  married  Ray  C. 
TToilis.  and  resides  at  Alliance,  and  Metta. 
who  is  residing  at  home  with  her  parents. 
The  family  belong  to  the  Episcopal  Church, 
in  which  Mr.  Cramb  is  a  vestryman. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Crumb  has  always  been 
a  stanch  Democrat,  but,  notwithstanding,  in 
1895,  he  was  elected  mayor  of  the  town, 
which  is  distinctively  Republican.  He  made 
an  admirable  magistrate,  but  resigned  hi-i 
honors  when  he  was  a'ljiointed  a  member  of 
the  revenue  serWce.  Since  190.S  he  has  served 
a*  village  clerk.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  Masort, 
belonging  to  Star  Lodge,  No.  187,  and  to 
Washington  Chapter,  R.  A.  M..  at  Akron. 

JACOB  HERMAN,  one  of  Akron's  leading 
general  contractors  in  brick,  stone  and  cement 
work,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  for  the 


piist  twenty-one  years  and  during  this  time 
has  been  identified  almost  exclusively  with  the 
building  trades.  He  was  born  June  21,  1858, 
in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  and  Ls  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Elizabeth  Felger  Herman.  The 
parents  of  Mr.  Herman  were  old  residents  of 
Chester  Township,  Wayne  County,  where 
they  engaged  in  farming.  Of  their  family  of 
nine  children  eight  survive. 

In  1880  Jacob  Herman  came  to  Akron  tmd 
for  about  ten  years  he  worked  as  a  journey- 
man bricklayer  and  mason,  having  learned 
his  trade  in  Wayne  County.  He  has  carried 
on  a  general  contracting  business  in  Akron 
f(ir  many  years  and  has  built  a  number  of 
the  most'  substantial  structures  in  this  city. 
He  gives  employment  to  about  ten  men,  in- 
creasing the  number  when  the  business  de- 
mand.s  it.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Odd 
Fellows'  Temple  and  in  other  enterprises.  In 
1886  Mr.  Herman  married  Enmia  M.  Hoff, 
who  was  born  at  Sterling,  Ohio,  and  they  have 
five  children — Verna,  Ada,  Leroy,  Freda  and 
Marguerite.  Mr.  Herman  is  identified  fra- 
ternally with  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  one  of 
Akron'>  substantial  and  valued  citizens. 

LANSON  BARKER,  a  representative  citi- 
zen of  Bath  Township,  re.siding  on  his  val- 
uable farm  of  155  acres,  which  is  favorably 
situated  within  three-quarters  of  a  mile  of 
Ghent,  was  born  on  this  farm,  in  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  February  6,  1857,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  and  Anna  Eliza  (Hutchinson) 
Barker. 

Mr.  Barker  is  a  member  of  a  pioneer 
family  of  Ohio,  of  New  England  ancestry. 
The  grandfather,  Lanson  Barker,  whose  hon- 
ored name  has  descended  to  the  grandson, 
was  born  in  Connecticut,  in  1791,  and  his 
father,  Jared  Barker,  wa.s  born  in  England. 
Lanson  Barker  moved  to  New  York  and  sub- 
sequently to  Ohio,  settling  first  in  Holmes 
County,  later  in  Medina  County,  and  still 
later  in  Cuyahoga  County,  where  he  died  in 
1855.  His  children  were:  Roxie  A.,  Wil- 
liam, .Jared,  Jolm.  Lyman,  Mary,  Frances 
and  Nelson. 

William    Barker,    the   eldest   of  the   above 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


P)19 


family,  was  born  in  New  York,  July  30, 
1817,  and  accompanied  the  family  to  Ohio. 
After  a  prospecting  visit  to  California,  in 
1849,  he  returned  to  the  E;ist,  and  in  1853  he 
purchased  a  farm  in  Bath  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio.  To  the  clearing  and  de- 
veloping of  this  farm  he  devoted  practically 
the  rest  of  his  life,  making  of  it  some  of  the 
most  valuable  land  of  this  section.  He  died 
February  10,  1896.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling 
character,  honest  and  up'right  in  his  deal- 
ings with  his  fellow-men  and  was  entitled  to 
the  respect  and  esteem  in  which  he  was  held. 
He  was  a  .stanch  Republican  and  at  various 
times  held  public  office.  He  married  Anna 
Eliza  Hutchinson,  who  was  born  April  3, 
1826,  and  died  October  2,  1876.  They  had 
four  children,  the  two  survivors  being:  Lan- 
son  and  Jared,  the  latter  of  whom  was  former- 
ly sheriff  of  Summit  County. 

Lanson  Barker  has  always  lived  on  his 
present  farm,  with  the  exception  of  three  years 
of  Vx)yhood  spent  at  Ghent.  His  education 
was  secured  in  the  schools  near  his  home.  His 
occupation  ha?  been  farming  ever  since  he 
reached  mature  years  and  he  is  numbered 
with  the  progressive  and  succe-ssful  a.gricul- 
turists  of  Bath  Township.  He  cultivates  155 
acres,  having  recently  sold  sixty  acres. 

Mr.  Barker  married  Alice  Behmer,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  Moses  and  Mary  Ann  (Myers') 
Behmer.  She  was  born  in  Springfield  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  but  was  reared  in  Rich- 
field Town.ship.  They  have  three  children : 
Anna,  Frederick  and  Alba.  The  son  is  a 
."tudent  in  a  bu.siness  college  at  Akron.  The 
family  residence  is  a  commodious  and  com- 
fortable frame  building  which  Mr.  Barker 
erected  in  1895.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Dis- 
ciples Church  at  Ghent  and  one  of  the  trus- 
tees. He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  educational 
affairs  and  for  several  years  was  a  member 
of  the  town.ohip  School  Board,  and  a  director 
of  District  No.  4,  one  in  which  Bath  Town- 
ship takes  particular  pride  on  account  of  the 
excellence  of  its  schools. 

DURASTUS  VALLEN.  township  trustee, 
and  one  of  Bath  Township's  prominent  and 


substantial  citizens,  resides  on  his  valuable, 
well-improved  farm  of  eighty  acres,  and  owns 
an  additional  twenty-five  acres,  which  is  sit- 
uated in  Northampton  Township.  Mr.  Val- 
len  was  born  in  Northampton  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  December  16,  1840, 
and  is  a  .son  of  William  and  Catherine  (Chris- 
man)  VaHen. 

Abel  Vallen,  the  grandfather,  came  to 
Ohio  with  his  family  among  the  pioneers  of 
Medina  County,  bringing  his  household  goods 
from  New  York  in  huge  ox-drawn  wagons. 
The  Vallens  lived  long  enough  in  Medina 
County  to  prove  that  they  were  people  of 
merit,  but  the  grandfaither  decided  to  move 
farther  east,  and  later  invested  in  a  farm  in 
Northampton  Township,  Summit  County, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death.  His  widow- 
spent  her  last  years  with  a  daughter  at  Nor- 
walk,  Ohio. 

William  Vallen  was  a  boy  when  the  fam- 
ily left  New  York  and  settled  in  Ohio.  He 
remained  at  home  assisting  his  father,  and 
when  he  reached  man's  estate,  the  farm  was 
divided,  William  taking  the  western  portion, 
on  the  line  separating  Northampton  and  Bath 
Townships.  He  proved  to  be  a  good  business 
man  and  from  time  to  time  kept  adding  to 
his  land  until  he  acquired  217  acres,  which 
he  owned  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1878. 
He  was  a  man  who  was  highly  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him  and  in  every  sense  was  a 
good  citizen. 

William  Vallen  married  Catherine  Chris- 
man,  who  is  a  daughter  of  George  Chrisman, 
who  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  They  had 
.■seven  children,  namely:  Enos.  re.«iding  in 
Williams  County,  Ohio;  Durastus:  Sylvester, 
residing  on  the  old  homestead  in  Northamp- 
ton Township:  Lavina,  who  married  Perry 
Moore,  residing  in  Bath  Township :  Adeline, 
who  is  the  -n-idow  of  Charles  Boies;  and  two 
deceased,  O.scar,  the  eldest  of  the  family,  and 
Miranda,  the  voungest.  The  mother  died  in 
1858. 

Durastus  Vallen  remained  at  home  work- 
ing for  his  father  and  attending  the  di.strict 
schools,  until  he  was  twentv-one  years  of  age, 
at  which  time  he  owned  his  own  team  and 


820 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


went  to  farming  by  the  month.  After  his 
marriage,  when  twenty-four  years  old,  he 
settled  for  one  year  on  a  farm  in  Copley 
Township,  axid  spent  two  years  on  a  farm  in 
the  wet^tern  part  of  Bath  Township,  in  1871, 
moving  to  his  present  farm,  one  that  his 
father  had  previously  bought  of  J.  Park  and 
Joseph  II.  Alexander.  It  was  not  much  im- 
proved and  Mr.  Vallen  built  a  barn  the  same 
year  that  he  came  to  the  place,  which  he 
later  rebuilt,  a.nd  in  1882,  he  erected  his  fine 
residence. 

In  1864  Mr.  Vallen  was  married  to  Wealthy 
Averill,  who  died  December  22,  1905,  on  the 
forty-first  anniversary  of  her  wedding.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Averill,  a  na- 
tive of  New  York,  and  she  was  born  in  Cop- 
ley Township,  but  was  living  in  Bath  Town- 
ship at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  She  was 
a  kind  and  faithful  wife  and  a  devoted 
mother  and  her  death  left  a  sad  vacancy.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Vallen  had  four  children,  the  only 
survivor  being  the  youngest,  Frank  D.,  who 
operates  the  home  farm.  He  married  Eva 
Heller  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Fra.nc&s. 
Mr.  Vallen's  other  children  were  daughters 
and  all  died  in  childhood :  Jennie,  aged  four 
years,  Ruby,  aged  sixteen  months,  and  Nellie, 
aged  two  and  one-half  years. 

Mr.  Vallen  has  carried  on  general  farm- 
ing and  has  raised  cattle,  horses  and  hog? 
very  profitably.  Politically,  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  in  1900  he  was  elected  township 
trustee  and  has  been  continued  in  office.  He 
has  also  sen-ed  on  the  School  Board. 

JEREMIAH  HARTER,  residing  in  the 
pleasant  village  of  Western  Star,  owns  an  ex- 
cellent farm  of  eighty  acres,  situated  on  the 
county  line  road,  about  one  mile  south  of 
the  town.  He  belongs  to  a  pioneer  family  of 
Stark  County,  which  was  established  there  in 
the  days  of  hi.?  grandfather.  Mr.  Harter  was 
born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  on  a  farm  one 
mile  east  of  New  Berlin,  August  14,  1838, 
and  is  a  son  of  Je.sse  and  Deborah  (Essig) 
Harter. 

Jesse  Harter  was  born  al<o  in  Stark  County 
on  the  farm  on  which  his  father,  Jacob  Har- 


ter, had  settled  wlien  he  came  to  Ohio  from 
Pennsylvania,  in  1812.  Jacob  Harter  owned 
about  480  acres.  Jesse  Harter  married  De- 
1)0 rah  Es.sdg,  who  was  reared  near  Canton, 
in  Stark  County.  They  became  the  parents 
of  twelve  children,  seven  of  whom  still  sur- 
vive. 

Jeremiah  Harter  was  the  eldest  born  of  the 
family  and  on  him  fell  the  responsibilities  at- 
tending thait  position.  He  gave  his  father  all 
the  a.ssistance  possible  and  remained  on  the 
homestead  until  he  was  almost  forty  years 
(if  age,  and  during  this  time  had  acquired  a 
part  of  the  property.  After  selling  this  land 
he  purchased  a  farm,  in  1877,  in  Norton 
Township,  Summit  County,  on  which  he 
moved  in  the  spring  of  1878,  and  there  con- 
tinued to  carry  on  general  farming  until 
1905,  when  he  removed  to  Western  Star, 
placing  the  Norton  Township  property  under 
rental. 

Mr.  Harter  was  married  (first)  to  Harriet 
Schaar,  who  died  July  23,  1889.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Daniel  Schaar,  who  was  a  native 
of  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania.  There 
were  ten  children  born  to  this  marriage,  as 
follows:  Laura,  who  mamed  L. -0.  Benner, 
resides  at  Akron,  and  they  have  seven  chil- 
dren: Henry,  married,  resides  at  Akron; 
Nathan,  married,  resides  at  Akron;  Mary 
Frances,  who  married  Aaron  Teeple,  resides 
at  Akron:  Ede  Rosanna,  who  married  J.  M. 
Swain;  Clara,  who  married  Fore-t  Swain; 
Pearl  May,  who  married  Wallace  San  tee,  re- 
sides at  Wadsworth ;  and  three  who  are  de- 
ceased, Harvey  D.,  Alice  D.  and  a  child  that 
died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Harter  was  married 
(second)  to  Lorinda  R.  Lautzenheiser,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  John  Lautzenheiser. 

Mr.  Harter  has  always  taken  a  good  citi- 
zen's interest  in  public  matters  and  political 
movements  and  he  has  frequently  been  called 
upon  to  officiate,  in  office.  For  three  years 
he  served  as  tn;stee  of  Plaine  Township, 
Stark  County,  later  .served  two  years  as  treas- 
WTcr  of  Norton  Township,  for  ten  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Western  Star  School 
Board,  during  the  latter  part  of  this  period 
being  its  treasurer,  and  is  now  serving  in  the 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


621 


town  council  of  Western  Star.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Evangelical  Church,  in  which  he 
is  serving  as  an  elder. 

CURTIS  FENTON,  vice  president,  superin- 
tendent and  general  manager  of  the  Akron 
Smoking  Pipe  Companj-,  with  main  factory  at 
Mogadore  and  branch  factories  at  Point  Pleas- 
ant, Clermont  County,  Ohio,  and  Hampton, 
Virginia,  is  one  of  the  leading  men  in  the  clay 
industry,  in  this  section,  his  experience  cov- 
ering many  years.  Curtis  Fenton  was  born  at 
Mogadore,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  January  22, 
1S53,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Almus  and  Susannah 
(Lee)  Fenton. 

Almus  Fenton  was  born  at  Ogdcusburg, 
New  York,  May  27,  1825,  and  he  accom- 
panied his  father,  Alonzo  Fenton,  to  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  where,  prior  to  1840,  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  red  clay  manufacturing  business. 
Later  he  settled  at  ilogadore,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  in  October,  1892,  he  was  the 
oldest  clay  potter  in  the  place.  He  married 
Susannah  Lee,  who  died  in  July,  1906,  and 
wa?  buried  on  her  eighty-fourth  birthday. 
She  'was  born  in  1823  and  was  one  of  four- 
teen children.  Her  father  was  William  and 
her  grandfather  was  Alexander  Lee  and  they 
came  from  Pennsylvania  and  settled  at 
Greensburg,  Ohio.  The  old  Fenton  farm  on 
which  Almus  Fenton  was  bom,  by  the  ero- 
sion of  the  water  has  all  slipped  into  the  St. 
Lawrence  River.  Almus  Fenton  and  wife 
had  four  sons,  namely:  William  and  Thomas, 
twins,  John  Curtis,  and  Curtis.  William  Fen- 
ton is  a  resident  of  Mogadore.  John  Curtis 
died  when  two  years  old. 

Curtis  Fenton  attended  the  common  schools 
at  Mogadore  and  later  took  a  course  in  the 
Spencerian  Business  College  at  Cleveland. 
After  leaving  school  he  was  employed  in  a 
pottery  and  he  has  continued  from  that  time 
to  be  connected  with  the  clay  industry.  For 
eight  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  stoneware  at  Tallmadge.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Baker  and  McMillan, 
which  acquired  the  small  pipe  factory,  which 
became  the  nucleus  of  the  .-Vkron  Smokinc; 
Pipe   Company.     Later  it   consolidated  with 


another  small  firm  and  for  the  past  eighteen 
years  the  Akron  Smoking  Pipe  Company  has 
been  a  very  important  factor  in  the  industrial 
world  in  this  section,  and  is  the  only  tirni  in 
the  United  States  devoted  exclusively  to  the 
manufacture  of  clay  smoking  pipes. 

The  Akron  Smoking  Pipe  Company  was 
organized  in  1889,  with  F.  W.  Butler  as  pres- 
ident, Curtis  Fenton  as  vice  president,  and 
C.  H.  Palmer  as  treasurer.  The  board  of  di- 
rectors was  made  up  of  these  leading  citizens: 
C.  H.  Palmer,  F.  W.  Butler,  William  H.  Pal- 
mer, W.  H.  Merrill  and  Curtis  Fenton.  The 
capital  stock  was  $70,000,  which  was  later 
increased  to  $100,000.  The  branch  factory 
at  Hampton,  Virginia,  employs  twenty-five 
workmen  and  is  devoted  exclusively  to  the 
manufacture  of  clay  pipes,  as  is  also  the  fac- 
tory at  Point  Pleasant.  At  the  main  factory 
the  industry  is  now  confined  exclusively  to  the 
manufacture  of  insulators.  More  than  100 
men  are  given  employment  in  the  various 
plants  and  the  value  of  the  output  is  more 
than  $100,000  per  annum. 

Mr.  Fenton  manufactured  the  first  third 
rail  insulators  ever  v^sed  for  the  equipping  of 
the  third  rail  system  for  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral Railroad,  in  1906,  and  manufactured  also 
all  of  the  insulators  for  the  West  Shore  road 
of  the  same  system.  From  Mr.  Fenton's  fac- 
tory 10,000  insulators  for  the  General  Electric 
Company,  for  export,  have  been  shipped,  and 
recently  the  fir.«t  insulators  for  the  California 
third  rail  system  have  been  dispatched,  mak- 
ing four  carloads  of  finished  products.  This 
company's  trade  relations  cover  Canada,  the 
T'nited  States.  Europe  and  other  parts  of  the 
world,  there  being  a  demand  for  their  goods 
at  everv  point  where  modern  methods  of  trans- 
portation have  been  adopted.  The  company 
keeps  abrea.st  of  the  times  and  considers  every 
new  appliance  in  its  line  of  manufacture, 
adopting  it  wherever  it  has  proved  to  be  of 
obvious  utility. 

Mr.  Fenton  married  Kate  Louise  Ferguson, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  C.  and  Mary 
(Ward)  Ferguson,  and  a  granddaughter  of 
Calvin  and  Lydia  Ward,  who  were  natives  of 
Connecticut  and  were  the  first  settlers  in  Ran- 


622 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


dolpli  Township,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  where 
they  died.  Dr.  Ferguson  was  a  well-known 
physician  of  Mogadore  for  many  years.  He 
was  a  graduate  of  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Michigan,  and  of  the  Cleve- 
land Medical  College  and  was  a  man  who  was 
largely  self-educated.  Prior  to  coming  to  Mo- 
gadore, he  practiced  at  North  Baltimore,  Ohio, 
and  after  he  located  at  this  place  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  Dr.  Jewett.  Dr.  Fergu- 
son died  in  188(3,  aged  sixty-six  years.  He 
married  Mary  Ward,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
forty  years.  Their  sun'iving  children  are :  Mrs. 
Fenton,  George  W.,  residing  at  Mogadore,  who 
married  Georgia  Speora,  and  has  five  children ; 
and  Mrs.  Weimer,  who  is  the  wife  of  George 
C.  Weimer,  and  for  thirty-one  years  was  a 
resident  of  Cincinnati.  She  now  resides  with 
her  only  daughter,  Mrs.  Wilson  Cross,  in  Lon- 
don, England.  Dr.  Ferguson  was  identified 
with  (he  Masonic  fraternity. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fenton  have  had  four  chil- 
dren, the  eldest  of  whom,  James  T.,  was  born 
October  12,  1875,  and  died  January  7,  1877. 
The  three  survivors  are:  Mary  Ferguson,  who 
was  born  in  November,  1879,  was  married 
January  25,  1905,  and  resides  at  Mogadore; 
Marjorio  Ruth,  who  was  born  July  20,  1889 ; 
Harry  AVeimer,  who  was  born  December  12, 
1880,  all  three  children  having  enjoyed  su- 
perior educational  advantages.  The  family 
residence  was  built  in  1899  and  is  one  of  the 
handsomest  in  Mogadore. 

Mr.  Fenton  does  not  consider  him.-elf  a 
politician  but  has  ever  taken  an  active  inter- 
est in  public  affairs  looking  to  good  govern- 
ment. In  political  sentiment  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. His  only  fraternal  connection  is  with 
the  order  of  Maccabees.  Mr.  Fenton  has  been 
a  resident  of  Mogadore  for  the  past  twenty 


GEORGE  W.  BABB,  one  of  Summit 
County's  most  substantial  citizens,  is  proprie- 
tor and  owner  of  the  Cold  Spring  Farm,  con- 
taining 155  acres,  situated  in  Portage  Town- 
ship, and  also  of  a  tract  of  100  acres,  situated 
in  Stow  Township,  known  a^^  the  Springdale 
Celery  Garden.  Mr.  Babb  was  born  in  Spring- 


field  Township,  Sununit  County,  Ohio,  No- 
vember 5,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth   (Wise)   Babb. 

The  pioneer  of  the  Babb  family  in  Spring- 
field Township  was  the  grandfather,  George 
Babb,  who  came  from  Berks  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, settling  among  the  early  home-seek- 
ers of  this  section.  His  days  were  ended  in 
Springfield  Township.  Joseph  Babb  was 
born  in  Berks  County  and  he  was  a  boy  when 
he  accompanied  his  father  to  Ohio.  In  early 
manhood  he  was  married,  at  Greentown,  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  to  Elizabeth  Wise,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  George  Wise,  who  was  an  early 
settler  and  became  a  large  landholder  in  Por- 
tage Township.  Joseph  Babb  and  wife  had 
the  following  children:  Jacob,  George  W., 
Mrs.  Amelia  Camp,  William  J.,  Frank  and 
Edwin,  all  surviving,  and  Charles,  who  died 
in  infancy. 

George  W.  Babb  was  nine  years  old  when 
his  parents  moved  to  the  farm  in  Portage 
Township,  on  which  he  lives.  Joseph  Babb 
bought  350  acres  of  land,  which  became  val- 
uable in  every  part,  Mr.  Babb's  home  farm 
being  particularly  so  as  it  is  located  on  the 
northeast  corner  of  Portage  Township,  lying 
just  outside  the  limits  of  Cuyahoga  Falls  and 
adjoining  Northampton  Township.  In  1870, 
Joseph  Babb  built  the  large  brick  residence 
which  Mr.  Babb  occupies.  Joseph  Babb  and 
wife  subsequently  moved  to  North  Hill,  Ak- 
ron, where  both  died.  They  were  people  who 
were  held  in  high  esteem. 

This  pleasant  old  farm  has  been  the  home 
of  George  W.  Babb  ever  since  he  was  nine 
years  old  with  the  exception  of  four  years, 
three  of  which  he  spent  on  his  farm  in  Stow 
Township;  and  one  in  Tallmadge  Town- 
ship, where  he  formerly  owned  a  farm 
of  seventy-five  acres.  He  carries  on  farming 
and  dairying  on  his  Portage  Township  land 
and  devotes  twenty  acres  of  his  Stow  Town- 
ship land  to  the  growing  of  celery. 

On  July  28,  1880,  Mr.  Babb  was  married  to 
Anna  Kingsbury,  w-ho  is  a  daughter  of  Les- 
ter Wayne  and  Elizabeth  (Fosdick)  Kings- 
bury. Lester  Wayne  Kingsbury  was  a  sewer- 
pipe  maker  by  trade,  and  worked  at  this  busi- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


623 


iiess  first  in  Illinois,  where  Mrs.  Babb  wti3 
born.  She  was  nine  years  old  when  he  moved 
to  Cuyahoga  Falls.  He  entered  the  employ 
of  H.  B.  Camp,  where  he  remained  for  many 
years.  During  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  iu 
the  army  from  Illinois  and  served  three  years, 
when  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  sick- 
ness. His  death  occurred  in  August,  1884. 
His  widow  still  survives,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years,  and  resides  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Edwin  Babb,  of  Akron.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kings- 
bury liad  four  children,  namely:  Elsie,  Anna, 
Albert  and  Abbie.  The  three  daughters  all 
married  Babbs,  three  brothers.  Elsie,  de- 
ceased, was  the  wife  of  William  J.  Babb.  Ab- 
bie is  the  wife  of  Edwin  Babb.  Albert  Kings- 
bury is  a  graduate  of  Cornell  University  and 
is  a  mechanical  engineer  for  the  great  West- 
inghouse  Company.  His  home  is  at  Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania.  For  some  years  he  taught 
school  at  Durham,  New  Ilampshire,  and  later 
was  connected  with  a,  college  at  Worcester, 
Massachusetts. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Babb  have  five  children, 
namely:  Bessie,  who  married  Harry  Albers, 
resides  at  Cuyahoga  Falls  and  they  have  two 
children,  Wayne  and  Bertha;  Lester,  who 
married  Bessie  McDonald,  has  one  child. 
Donna,  and  they  reside  on  the  Springdale 
farm:  and  Joseph,  Hugo  and  Karl,  all  at 
home. 

HENRY  VOGT,  the  capable  superinTend- 
ent  of  the  great  park  system  of  Akron,  and 
one  of  the  city's  prominent  and  substantial 
citizens,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  June 
7,  1838,  and  when  young  accompanied  his 
father,  John  Vogt,  to  America,  the  family  lo- 
cating in  Springfield  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio.  He  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Springfield  Township,  and  in  his 
boyhood  attended  the  district  schools.  In 
early  youth  he  came  to  Akron  and  for  five 
years  was  in  the  employ  of  Rus.-;ell  Kent.  H" 
then  became  connected  with  the  Middlebury 
Coal  Company  and  continued  with  that  firm 
for  eighteen  years.  Mr.  Vogt  was  subsequent- 
ly appointed  a  member  of  the  police  force  of 
Akron,  serving  one  year,  and  was  then  ap- 


pointed by  the  park  commissioners  to  the  of- 
fice of  superintendent  of  parks.  At  that  time 
the  position  did  not  carry  with  it  a  large 
amount  of  responsibility,  but  during  the 
twenty-five  years  that  have  since  elapsed  a  very 
dift'erent  condition  of  things  has  been  brought 
about,  chiefly  through  Mr.  Vogt's  own  ef- 
forts. Probably  Akron  is  now  tis  well  equipped 
with  public  parks  as  any  city  in  Ohio,  and 
much  of  their  beauty  and  general  utility  must 
be  attributed  to  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Vogt.  His 
conscientious  performance  of  every  duty  in 
connection  with  this  work,  together  with  his 
natural  love  of  beauty,  and  fine  executive 
ability,  have  contributed  to  make  him  a  most 
useful  public  officer,  and  have  resulted  in 
benefitting  every  resident  of  Akron. 

In  1861,  Mr.  Vogt  was  married  to  Lovina 
Walter,  who  was  born  in  Summit  County, 
Ohio.  He  has  three  childi"en — Frank,  resid- 
ing in  Akron ;  Ella,  who  married  William 
Wheeler,  residing  in  Akron ;  and  Abbie,  whc 
married  Bert  Taggart,  and  also  a  resident  o1 
Akron. 

GEORGE  ZELLER,  one  of  Portage  Town- 
ship's representative  citizens  and  successful 
agriculturists,  resides  on  his  valuable  farm 
of  ninety-five  acres,  which  he  has  placed  un- 
der an  excellent  .state  of  cultivation  George 
Zeller  was  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  March 
19,  1852.  and  is  a  son  of  William  Zeller. 

The  Zeller  family  originated  on  the  farther 
side  of  the  Atlantic  ocean,  its  first  members 
in  America  having  come  here  from  Germany. 
William  Zeller  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  in 
Stark  Connty,  and  in  1860  he  came  to  Sum- 
mit County.  He  was  a  saddler  by  trade  but 
turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
acquiring  large  tracts  of  valuable  land  and 
when  he  died,  March  2,  1907,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years,  he  was  a  man  of  ample  for- 
tune. 

Up  to  the  age  of  twenty-four  years  George 
Zeller  remained  at  home  and  assisted  on  the 
homestead  farm,  and  then  went  to  Akron  for 
a  few  years  and  worked  in  the  Buckeye  shops; 
and  then  he  worked  as  a  steamfitter.  Event- 
ually he  returned  to  the  country,   purchas- 


624 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


iiig  at  that  lime  bis  present  farm,  on  wliicli 
he  has  since  continuously  resided.  Formerly 
he  raised  many  head  of  hogs,  but  now  eon- 
tents  himself  with  keeping  about  twelve  head 
of  cattle,  shipping  his  milk  to  Akron,  and 
to  raising  abundant  crops  of  wheat,  corn  and 
oats.  Mr.  Zeller's  farm  is  somewhat  noted  for 
the  magnificent  barn  he  put  up  in  1897,  re- 
placing one  that  had  been  destroyed  by  fire 
in  the  previous  year.  Its  dimensions  are  70 
by  40  feet  and  the  supports  are  18-foot  posts. 
The  interior  of  this  structure  is  well  finished, 
and  his  cattle  have  clean  and  sanitary  quar- 
ters. 

George  Zeller's  family  is  made  up  of  wife 
and  two  children.  He  married  Lenora  Sharp, 
a  lady  who  was  born  at  Akron.  Their  son, 
Fred  G.,  is  a  prominent  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  who  owns  186  acres  of  land  in  North- 
ampton Township,  Summit  County.  Their 
daughter,  Clara,  lives  with  her  parents. 
Politically,  Mr.  Zeller  is  a  Republican,  but 
he  is  not  an  active  politician.  He  is  a  good, 
reliable,  straight-forward  man,  one  whose 
neighbors  know  just  where  to  find  him  on  any 
question  involving  right  and  wrong. 

JOHN  SMITH,  a  representative  citizen  and 
substantial  resident  of  Tallmadge  Township, 
owns  two  farms  of  sixty-five  acres  each,  one 
of  which  is  situated  within  the  city  limits  of 
Akron.  Mr.  Smith  was  born  about  seventy- 
two  years  ago,  in  County  Antrim,  Ireland, 
and  was  fifteen  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
came  to  America.  They  were  named  Robert 
and  Mary  (McCracken)  Smith,  children  res- 
spectively  of  Robert  Smith  and  Patrick  Mc- 
Cracken. 

In  England,  prior  to  his  losses,  which  were 
caused  by  the  murrain  in  his  cattle,  the  father 
of  John  Smith  was  a  successful  raiser  and 
dealer  in  stock.  He  was  born  in  the  north  of 
Ireland,  where  he  owned  three  farms  at  one 
time.  After  his  losses  he  decided  to  come  to 
America.  He  embarked  on  one  of  the  frail 
old  sailing  ships,  which  required  six  weeks 
and  three  days  to  make  the  voyage  which  the 
latest  ocean  marvel  has  accomplished  in  about 
four  days,  but  it  landed  the  family  safely  on 


American  soil  and  they  came  immediately  to 
*Vkron.  They  lived  first  on  Broad  Street,  re- 
moving later  to  Rubber  Street.  John  and  his 
brother  went  to  work  in  the  woolen  mills  of 
Rouse  &  Goodrich,  where  they  remained  for 
a  number  of  years.  In  the  meanwhile  the 
father  bought  a  farm  of  160  acres  from  Ros- 
well  Kent,  a  part  of  which  he  sold  for  city 
lots. 

The  large  family  of  Robert  and  Mary 
Smith  included  nine  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Joseph  died  in  1861.  Robert  died  in  the  same 
year.  Hugh  married  and  moved  to  Missouri, 
where  he  died.  William  also  died  in  Mis- 
souri. Samuel  lived  to  within  ten  years  ago. 
James,  who  lived  on  the  homestead,  died  in 
the  fall  of  1906.  Patrick  married  and  is 
pro.spering  in  Arizona.  John,  as  noted  above, 
lives  in  Tallmadge.  Eliza  married  John  N. 
Hankey  and  died  at  Cleveland.  Mary  is  the 
widow  of  John  Honodle,  who  died  in  1891. 
Margaret  never  married. 

John  Smith  has  spent  a  large  part  of  his 
active  life  at  work  in  woolen  mills,  his  last 
labor  in  this  line  having  been  in  mills  at 
Cleveland.  He  resides  with  his  two  sisters  on 
the  farm  which  the  family  has  owned  for  the 
past  fift}'  years.  Every  acre  of  it  is  valuable. 
The  Smith  family  belong  to  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  which  they  were  reared  by  their 
Christian  parents.  Politically,  Mr.  Smith  is 
a  stanch  Republican  and  he  cast  his  first  pres- 
idential vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln. 

CHRISTOPHER  SCHECK,  who  operates 
a  well-improved  tract  of  farming  land,  con- 
sisting of  fifty-five  acres,  in  Portage  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  was  born  March  10, 
1851,  in  Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Frederica  (Reichard)   Scheck. 

When  but  one  and  one-half  years  of  age 
Mr.  Scheck  was  brought  to  America  by  his 
parents,  who  settled  first  at  Liverpool,  Me- 
dina County,  Ohio,  but  after  five  years  re- 
moved to  Northampton  Township,  Summit 
County,  where  the  father  purchased  twenty- 
five  acres  of  land.  Here  he  carried  on  farm- 
ing until  about  1864  or  1865,  when  he  bought 
the    property    now    owned    by    Christopher 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


6:^5 


Scheck,  on  which  was  situated  a  log  house. 
This  ■  house  originally  stood  near  the  river, 
but  it  was  moved  by  the  family  to  the  loca- 
tion of  the  present  home,  which  was  erected 
by  Christopher  Scheck  after  his  marriage. 
The  farm  wa^  cleared  and  gardening  com- 
menced, and  later  the  parents  purchased 
forty-five  acres  of  land,  about  one-quarter  of 
a  mile  away,  which  land  is  now  occupied  by 
William  and  John  Scheck,  brothers  of 
Christopher.  Here  Jacob  and  Frederiea 
Scheck  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

Christopher  Sheck  was  married  (first)  to 
Louise  Eberhart,  who  was  born  in  New  York, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  George  Eberhart.  Four 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  namely : 
Fred,  who  died  aged  about  seven  years;  Kate, 
who  married  Gus  Schmeidel,  of  Akron,  has 
two  children,  Gertrude  and  Margaret;  and 
Clarence  and  George.  Mrs.  Scheck  died  in 
1887,  and  Mr.  Scheck  was  married  (second) 
to  Mrs.  Lena  (Gestner)  Rebaux.  One  child, 
Lillian,  has  been  born  to  this  union.  Mrs. 
Scheck  has  a  son  by  her  first  marriage,  Cur- 
tiss  A.  Rebaux,  who  lives  in  New  York  City, 
where  he  is  a  mail  carrier.  He  was  in  the 
Spanish-American  War,  in  Company  H, 
Eighth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
during  the  whole  period  of  war. 

After  marriage  Mv.  and  Mrs.  Scheck  lo- 
cated on  their  present  farm,  where  Mr.  Scheck 
has  been  engaged  in  raising  vegetables,  the 
larger  amount  of  which  he  sells  at  wholesale. 
He  is  considered  one  of  the  reliable  men  of 
the  township,  and  has  served  efficiently  in 
the  capacities  of  school  director  and  supervisor. 
Mr.  Scheck  and  family  belong  to  the  German 
Reform  Church  and  Mrs.  Scheck  belongs  to 
the  German  Lutheran  Church. 

CORNELIUS  ALEXANDER  JOHNS- 
TON, a  highly  esteemed  retired  citizen  of 
Tallmadge  Township,  was  born  in  Green 
Township,  Summit  Couny,  Ohio,  July  16, 
LS42,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
G.  (Moore)  Johnston. 

Cornelius  Johnston,  the  grandfather  of  Cor- 
nelius A.  Johnston,  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  in  Green  Township.    He  was  a  native 


of  Pennsylvania.  He  lived  in  Green  Town- 
ship until  his  death  when  aged  about  eighty 
years.  His  birth  is  recorded  in  Center  County, 
Pennsylvania,  February  17,  1782.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Wilhelm,  March  25,  1806,  who 
was  born  June  18,  1787,  a  daughter  of  Abra- 
ham Wilhelm,  who  settled  in  Green  Township 
in  1814.  Cornelius  Johnston  entered  320 
acres  of  land  on  which  the  town  of  Greens- 
burg  is  now  located.  His  children  were  as 
follows :  Mary,'  born  March  3,  1807,  resided 
at  Akron  until  her  death;  Alexander;  Abra- 
ham W. ;  John,  born  February  11,  1813,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  R.  Newton,  February  4,  1840, 
and  died  January  26,  1876 ;  William,  born 
in  Green  Township,  August  3,  1815,  and  was 
the  third  white  child  born  in  the  township 
in  which  his  father  had  located  in  the  pre- 
vious year. 

On  April  22,  1841,  William  Johnston  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  G.  Moore,  who  died  in 
1894.  They  had  two  children :  Cornelius 
Alexander,  named  for  his  grandfather  and 
for  an  uncle,  who  was  born  in  Center  County, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1808;  and  John  M.  The 
latter  is  a  retired  ciizen  of  Akron  and  one 
of  the  Board  of  Infirmary  directors  of  Summit 
County.  In  1844,  William  Johnston  moved 
to  Copley  Township,  settling  on  lot  15,  where 
he  resided  initil  his  death,  in  1886.  He  was 
a  man  of  quiet  tastes,  a  farmer  and  good  citi- 
zen. He  was  identified  with  the  Republican 
party. 

Cornelius  Alexander  Johnston  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools  and  the  Twinsburg  In- 
stitute and  also  enjoyed  two  years  at  Union 
College,  at  Mt.  Union,  Ohio.  When  twenty- 
three  years  old  he  embarked  in  the  coal  busi- 
ness in  Coventry  Township,  as  a  member  of 
the  Johnston  Coal  Mining  Company,  with 
which  he  remained  connected  for  four  years, 
and  then  sold  his  coal  bank,  purchasing  an 
interest  in  an  oil  refinery  at  Akron.  In  1874 
he  disposed  of  this  interest  and  purchased  a 
farm  of  104  acres,  one  miles  south  of  Tall- 
madge, which  was  the  old  Alpha  Wright  farm. 
This  farm  Mr.  .lohn.ston  continued  to  operate 
until  he  retired  in  1897. 

On   October   22,   1869.   Mr.   Johnston   was 


626 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


married  to  Sarah  A.  Swartz,  who  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Christian  and  Ehzabeth  Swartz.  She 
died  December  8,  1894.  They  had  three 
children ;  Elizabeth  May,  Clara  B.,  and  one 
that  died  in  infancy. 

Ever  since  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  John- 
ston has  consistently  supported  the  candidates 
and  measures  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
is  not  bigoted  in  his  views,  however,  and  has 
a  kindly  tolerance  for  those  whose  ideas  con- 
flict with  his  own.  This  pleasant  tempera- 
ment perhaps  has  something  to  do  with  mak- 
ing Mr.  Johnston  so  universally  esteemed  in 
his  community.  He  has  been  a  progre.ssive, 
and  intelligent  promoter  of  public-spirited  en- 
terprises and  has  shown  that  he  has  had  the 
best  interests  of  his  neighborhood  at  he;irt. 

DANIEL  P.  STEIN,  sheriff  of  Summit 
County,  and  a  capable  and  conscientious  pub- 
lic officer,  was  elected  in  the  fall  of  1906,  and 
assumed  the  duties  of  this  responsible  office, 
January  7,  1907.  He  was  born  in  Green 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  in  1859, 
and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  E.  (Cramer) 
Stein. 

Henry  Stein  was  ).)orn  iu  Germany  and  set- 
tled in  Green  Township  shortly  after  coming 
to  America,  but  prior  to  his  death  removed 
to  Springfield  Township.  Four  of  his  six 
children  still  survive,  namely :  Amanda,  who 
is  the  widow  of  Emanuel  Killinger,  residing 
at  Akron,  Emeline,  who  is  the  wife  of  Benja- 
min Hollen,  residing  in  Marshall  County,  In- 
diana; William  Henry,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Green  Township;  and  Daniel  P., 
whose  name  begins  tliis  sketch. 

Daniel  P.  Stein  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Green  Township  and  continued  to  farm 
there  until  1890.  He  then  became  connected 
with  the  street  railway  business,  in  which  he 
continued  for  thirteen  years,  when  he  turned 
his  attention  to  the  grocery  business.  In  this 
latter  btisiness  he  prospered  and  it  was  only 
given  up  in  order  that  he  might  assume  the 
duties  of  sheriff  to  which  his  fellow-citizens 
had  elected  him.  For  the  past  fifteen  years 
he  has  been  active  in  politics  and  has  served 


as  a  member  of  the  City  Council  from  the 
Seventh  Ward. 

Sheriff"  Stein  was  married  January  25,  1879, 
to  Celia  A.  Hartong,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Al- 
lan Ilartong.  Their  family  consists  of  five 
sons  and  five  daughters.  Fraternally,  Sheriff 
Stein  is  an  Encampment  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellows,  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias,  Uniform 
Rank,  Company  21,  and  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America.  He  is  one  of  Akron's  repre- 
sentative men  and  is  popular  all  over  the 
county. 

RUFUS  P.  UPSON,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Tallmadge  Township,  wdiere  he  owns  two  fine 
farms  aggregating  175  acres,  was  born  No- 
vember 23,  1834,  iu  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  son  of  Anson  and  Polly  (Upson)  Up- 
son. 

The  earliest  ancestors  of  this  family  in 
America  came  from  England  in  1635,  two 
brothers  of  the  name  being  with  the  colonizing 
Puritans.  Stephen  Upson,  the  great-great- 
grandfather of  Rufus  P.,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  The  maternal  Upson 
line  follows: 

John  Upson,  the  great-grandfather  of  Ru- 
fus P.,  lived  in  Connecticut.  His  children 
were:  Stephen,  Daniel,  Horatio,  John,  Thur- 
man,  Reuben,  Iluldah,  Sylvia  and  Lucinda. 
In  1810,  when  advanced  in  years,  John  Up- 
son came  to  Tallmadge  Township  and  lived 
with  his  son  Reuben  until  his  death.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 

Reuben  Upson,  the  grandfather  of  Rufus 
P.,  was  born  at  Waterburj'',  Connecticut,  Au- 
gust 14,  1771.  He  received  a  good  education 
for  his  time  and  taught  school.  On  December 
25,  1798,  he  was  married  to  Hannah  Richard- 
son, who  was  born  at  Waterbury,  October  18, 
1780,  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Richardson. 
By  trade,  Reuben  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner. 
In  1808  he  came  to  Ohio  with  his  brother 
Stephen  and  family,  making  the  trip  with  a 
five-horse  team,  but  even  then  the  journej'  re- 
quired six  weeks  of  time  as  the  road  had  to 
be  cut  through  the  forest.  They  settled  in 
Portage  County,  where  the  brothers  had 
bought  land  from  the  Connecticut  Land  Com- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


627 


pany,  paying  75  cents  an  acre.  The  children 
of  Reuben  Upson  and  wife  were:  Phebe, 
Emma,  Reuben  and  Polly,  born  in  Connecti- 
cut. 

The  land  upon  which  Reuben  Upson  set- 
tled was  heavily  timbered  and  it  required  hard 
work  to  clear  up  even  60  acres,  after  which 
Mr.  Upson  sold  that  land  and  moved  to  Tall- 
made  Township,  Suniniit  County,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  Priest  Leonard  Bacon,  a 
celebrated  character  of  that  day.  Reuben  Up- 
son cleared  100  acres  of  this  land  and  lived 
on  that  farm  until  1818,  when  he  moved 
to  the  northeastern  part  of  Tallmadge  Town- 
ship, where  he  bought  300  acres.  Not  being 
able  to  secure  a  clear  title  to  this  land,  he  re- 
ceived in  lieu  of  it,  100  acres  in  Tallmadge 
Township,  100  acres  on  the  Cuyahoga  River 
and  100  acres  near  by.  Mr.  Upson  now 
worked  to  a  large  degree  at  his  trade,  and 
hired  others  to  clear  the  farm  and  make  im- 
provements. He  died  on  this  farm  in  1844, 
aged  77  years.  He  was  a  strict  member  of 
the  Congregational  Church.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican,  having 
strong  anti-slavery  views.  He  was  one  of  the 
earliest  Masons  in  the  Western  Reserve  and 
he  belonged  to  Masonic  Lodges  at  Canfield 
and  Columbus.  Four  more  children  were  born 
to  him  after  he  settled  in  Ohio,  namely:  Chloe, 
Hannah,  Julius  A.  and  George  M. 

Tracing  the  Upson  family  back  on  the  pa- 
ternal side,  the  ancestral  record  is  as  follows: 

Rufus  P.  Upson  descends  from  Thomas  Up- 
son, who  came  from  England  and  settled  at 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  at  an  early  day,  where 
it  is  on  record  that  he  enjoyed  the  right  to 
get  wood  and  keep  his  cows  on  the  Common. 
About  1638  he  is  listed  as  one  of  the  original 
proprietors  of  Farmington,  Connecticut.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Fuller,  in  1646,  and  died 
July  19,  1655.  His  children  were:  Thomas, 
who  died  at  Saybrook,  Conneeticut;  Stephen; 
Marv;  Eliza,  and  Hannah,  the  latter  of  whom 
died\july  20,  1655. 

Stephen,  second  son  of  Thomas  and  Eliza- 
beth Upson,  wa.s  married  December  29,  1682, 
to  Mary,  daughter  of  .John  Lee,  Sr.  of  Farm- 
ington, Connecticut,  and  died  in  1735,  aged 


85  years.  His  wife  died  February  15,  1715-16. 
Prior  to  his  marriage  he  moved  to  Waterbury 
and  became  a  proprietor  December  29,  1679, 
to  the  amount  of  tifty  pounds.  He  became  & 
man  of  affairs  there  and  was  one  of  a  com- 
mittee to  settle  bonds  with  Woodbury,  in 
April,  1702,  and  was  made  surveyor,  com- 
mitteeman and  grand  juror.  He  was  three 
times  deputy  to  the  General  Court,  in  May, 
1710,  in  October,  1712,  and  in  October,  1729. 
In  1715  he  was  a  sergeant  and  in  1729  he 
had  a  seat  with  the  volunteers  in  the  new 
meeting-house.  His  children  were:  Mary, 
born  November  5,  1683,  married  Richard 
Welton,  son  of  John;  Stephen,  born  Septem- 
ber 30,  1686;  Elizabeth,  born  February  14, 
1689;  Hannah,  born  March  16,  1695,  mar- 
ried (first)  Thomas  Richards,  (second)  John 
Bronson,  and  in  1751  was  living  a  widow; 
Tabitha,  born  March  16,  1698,  married  John 
Scoville;  John,  born  December  13,  1702;  and 
Thankful,  born  March  14,  1706-7,  married 
James  Blakesley. 

Thomas  Upson  of  the  third  American  gen- 
eration, was  a  son  of  Stephen  and  Mary 
(Lee)  Upson.  He  married  Rachel,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Judd,  and  they  resided  on  Cole 
street,  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  until  1732-3, 
when  he  sold  and  moved  to  Farminglon,  later 
to  Southington,  where  he  died  respected  and 
esteemed.  His  wife  Rachel  died  July  13, 
1750,  aged  56  years,  and  he  died  September 
29,  1769,  aged  68  years.  The  following  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Thomas  and  Rachel  Upson : 
Thomas,  born  December  20,  1719;  Mary  and 
-Tohn,  twins,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  1741, 
the  former  of  whom  married  Jo.siah  Newell, 
of  Southington ;  Josiah,  born  January  28, 
1724,  died  in  1725;  Asa,  born  November  30, 
1728;  T.  W.,  bom  October  8,  1731;  Amos, 
born  March  17,  1734;  Samuel,  born  in  March, 
1737;  Freeman,  born  July  24,  1739,  died  in 
1750. 

Thomas  Upson,  son  of  Thomas  and  Rachel 
(Judd)  Upson,  married  Hannah  Hopkins, 
daughter  of  Timothy  Hopkins,  of  Waterbury, 
May  28,  1749,  and  settled  one  mile  north  of 
Wolcott  Center,  and  died  in  1798,  aged  79 
vears.     His  wife  died  .Tune  6,  1757.     Thev 


628 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


had  the  following  children:  Benoni,  born 
February  14,  175U;  Charles,  born  March  8, 
1752;  Sylvia,  born  June  7,  1756,  died  in  1764. 

Charles  Upson,  known  as  'Squire  Upson, 
son  of  Thomas  and  Hannah  Upson,  married 
Wealthy  Hopkins,  March  26,  1773,  who  died 
I-)i'ceiuber  8,  178o.  He  uuirried  (second) 
the  Widow  Mary  Moulthrop,  March  24,  1784. 
He  resided  on  the  homestead  and  was  a  man 
of  considerable  influence  in  the  community, 
and  in  1805  he  had  the  largest  tax  list  of  any 
man  there.  He  subscribed  the  largest  sum 
for  the  settlement  of  Reverend  Woodward  in 
1792,  and  for  many  years  he  was  a  justice 
of  the  peace.  He  was  accidentally  killed  when 
riding  into  his  barn  on  a  load  of  hay,  April 
29,  1809,  aged  57  years.  His  widow  died 
March  30,  1826,  aged  76  years. 

The  children  of  Charles  Upson  by  his  first 
wife  were:  Washington,  born  September  2, 
1775;  Lee,  born  May  7,  1778;  and  Gates, 
born  July  18,  1780.  By  his  second  marriage 
he  had  the  following  children :  Thomas,  born 
September  23,  1785;  Charles  Hopkins,  born 
July  18,  1788 ;  Mark,  born  October  24,  1790 ; 
Wealthy  H.,  born  April  18,  1794,  married 
March  30,  1817. 

Dr.  Lee  Upson,  son  of  Charles  and  Wealthy 
(Hopkins)  Upson,  married  Roxanna  Lewis 
and  they  had  the  following  children :  Anson, 
Sarah,  Israel  and  Olivia.  All  of  the  children 
remained  in  Connecticut  except  Anson.  Dr. 
Upson  and  wife  died  in  Connecticut,  the 
former,  February  7,  1851.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  Church. 

Anson  Upson,  son  of  Dr.  Leo  and  Wealthy 
(Hopkins)  Upson,  was  born  at  Walcott,  Con- 
necticut, December  21,  1801.  In  1825,  prior 
to  marriage,  he  came  to  Tallmadge  township. 
Summit  County,  where  he  remained  two  years 
and  then  returned  to  Connecticut  and  worked 
in  a  cotton  factory  for  Seth  Thomas,  who  later 
became  distinguished  as  a  clock-maker.     In 

1832  Anson  Upson  returned  to  Ohio,  and  in 

1833  he  was  married  in  Tallmadge  Town.ship 
to  Polly  Upson,  who  was  born  at  Waterbury, 
Connecticut,  June  9,  1806,  and  died  Novem- 
ber 1,  1884.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Reuben 
and    Hannah    (Richardson)     Upson.     Their 


chilch-en  were:  Rufus  P.;  Maria  P.,  residing 
in  Tallmadge,  married  George  H.  Root,  and 
they  have  two  children;  and  Helen  L.  and 
Harriet  H.,  twins,  born  October  18,  1842. 
Helen  L.  married  Roland  Hough,  of  Roots- 
town,  and  they  have  five  children.  Harriet 
H.  married  Festus  Sanford  and  they  also  re- 
side at  Rootstown,  Portage  County,  and  have 
one  child. 

Anson  Upson  settled  in  Tallmadge  Town- 
ship, where  he  bought  a  farm  of  seventy-two 
acres,  which  was  then  all  forest  land,  and 
there  he  lived  until  his  death,  February  7, 
1851,  aged  forty-nine  years.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  Church  and  a  trus- 
tee. In  politics,  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  later 
an  Abolitionist.  Like  other  members  of  his 
family,  he  was  a  man  of  unswerving  integrity. 

Rufus  P  Upson  attended  the  schools  of 
Tallmadge  Township  in  his  boyhood,  where 
he  laid  the  foundations  of  his  education 
which  years  of  practical  experience  and  con- 
tact with  his  fellow-men  has  widened  and 
broadened.  He  was  reared  to  agricultural 
pursuits  and  followed  farming  on  his  father's 
land  until  1891,  when  he  settled  on  the  farm 
which  he  has  operated  ever  since.  This  con- 
tains 100  acres  of  most  excellent  land  and  he 
has  improved  it  greatly  by  erecting  commo- 
dious and  substantial  buildings,  fie  carries 
on  a  general  farming  line  and  has  been  re- 
warded for  his  industry  by  continued  pro.sper- 
ity.  His  second  farm  is  equally  valuable  and 
he  is  .justly  considered  one  of  the  subslantial 
as  well  as  competent  agriculturists  of  Tall- 
madge Township. 

On  October  22,  1861,  Rufus  P.  Upson  was 
married  to  Mary  Upson,  who  was  born  May 
20,  1836,  in  Tallmadge,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Edwin  and  Betsey  (Blakesley)  Upson.  Ed- 
win Upson,  father  of  Mrs.  Rufus  P.  Upson, 
Ava?  born  May  21,  1804,  at  Waterbury,  Con- 
necticut, and  was  a  son  of  Horatio  and  Han- 
nah (Cook)  Upson,  who  was  a  son  of  John 
Upson. 

Edwin  Upson  came  to  Tallmadge  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  a  youth  of  twen- 
ty-two years,  in  1822,  accompanying  his  un- 
cle Reuben  Up.^on,  Calvin  Treat  and  Abra- 


U.  G.  HIGH 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


631 


ham  Hiae.  The  party  came  on  foot,  making 
the  journey  as  far  as  Buffalo,  New  York,  in 
eighteen  days.  Subsequently,  Edwin  Upson 
returned  to  Connecticut,  where  he  married 
Betsey  Blakesley  and  in  1833  he  came  with 
his  family,  to  Tallmadge  and  settled  on  a  part- 
ly improved  tract  of  land  in  the  north  part 
of  the  township.  The  farm  contained  107 
acres  and  fifteen  had  been  cleared  and  a  log 
house  stood  on  the  place.  Mr.  Upson  cleared 
the  remainder  of  the  land  and  developed  a 
fine  property.  His  parents  accompanied  him 
when  he  settled  permanently  in  Ohio  and 
they  died  on  this  farm.  Edwin  Upson  lived 
to  the  age  of  eighty-one  years,  dying  May  1, 
1885.  His  wife  lived  many  years  longer,  dy- 
ing May  4, 1902,  aged  eighty-four  years.  Up  to 
the  close  of  her  life  she  retained  remarkable 
eyesight,  never  having  required  the  assistance 
of  glasses  until  within  a  very  few  years  of  her 
death,  although  she  delighted  in  fine  sewing 
and  embroidering.  Both  Edwin  Upson  and 
wife  were  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  The  children  of  Edwin  and  Betsey 
Upson  were:  Mary  M. ;  Jacob  E.,  who  died 
aged  five  years  and  nine  months;  and  Joseph 
E.,  residing  at  Cleveland,  who  married  Cor- 
nelia Lyman. 

Rufus  P.  Upson  and  wife  have  had  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Addie  M. ;  Amelia  A.,  who 
married  Walter  L.  Mallory,  of  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  have  had  five  children,  Ruth,  Ernest 
Leroy,  Helen,  Donald  D.,  and  Blanche,  de- 
ceased: Edward  A.,  residing  in  Tallmadge 
Township,  engaged  in  farming,  married  Min- 
nie Skinner;  Henry  S.,  who  died  March  25, 
1887:  George  L.,  residing  on  the  home  farm 
with  his  parents,  married  Jessie  Southmayd; 
and  Be.ssie  L.,  residing  at  home. 

Mr.  Upson  is  one  of  the  original  Repub- 
licans of  Tallmadge  Township  and  voted  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  when  he  was  first  the  nomi- 
nee of  this  party,  and  he  has  never  changed 
his  political  allegiance.  For  nine  years  he 
has  served  as  township  trustee  and  both  in 
and  out  of  office  has  taken  pride  in  being  a 
good  citizen  in  all  that  the  word  implies.  He 
is  a  useful  member  of  the  Tallmadge  Histor- 
ical Societv. 


U.  G.  HICtH,  county  treasurer  of  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  president  of  the  Johnson 
Hardware  Company,  of  Barberton,  was  born 
in  1868,  in  Coventry  Township,  Summit 
County,  and  is  a  son  of  Alem  and  Elizabeth 
High. 

The  father  of  Mr.  High  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Coventry  Township  for  the  past  sixty 
years  and  is  still  hale  and  hearty,  although 
he  has  passed  his  eighty-fourth  birthday.  He 
accompanied  his  parents  from  Pennsylvania 
to  Summit  County  in  1831,  and  can  still  re- 
call many  of  the  incidents  of  the  wagon  jour- 
ney through  the  unsettled  regions.  He  has 
followed  agricultural  pursuits  all  his  life. 

U.  G.  High  was  educated  in  the  local 
schools  near  his  home  and  later  at  Lebanon, 
and  then  taught  school  for  six  years,  when 
he  was  made  deputy  auditor  of  Summit 
County,  serving  in  that  office  for  five  years. 
Mr.  High  resigned  that  position  in  order  to 
become  assistant  cashier  of  the  Barberton 
Savings  Bank,  where  he  remained  for  four 
years,  resigning  August  12,  1906,  in  order 
to  again  resume  the  duties  of  public  office. 
He  was  appointed  treasurer  of  the  county  to 
fill  out  the  term  of  Treasurer  F.  E.  Smith, 
who  had  resigned  the  office,  and  his  efficiency 
has  brought  him  many  marks  of  public  con- 
fidence and  approval.  Mr.  High  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  public  matters  in 
his  community,  has  served  five  yeare  on  the 
Barberton  Board  of  Education,  and  has  con- 
sistently promoted  the  movements  which  have 
been  designed  to  be  of  benefit  to  this  section. 
Pie  was  the  first  Republican  clerk  elected  in 
Coventry  Township  in  twenty  years.  His 
business  interests  are  also  important,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  he  has  been  president  of 
the  Johnson  Hardware  Company. 

In  1899  Mr.  High  was  married  to  Laura 
B.  Miller,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John  Miller, 
of  Portage  County,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren :  Laura  Lucile  and  Wayne  Miller.  Fra- 
ternallv,  Mr.  High  is  identified  wath  National 
Lodge,'  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Barberton  Tent.  K.  0. 
T.  M.,  and  Barberton  Lodge,  B.  P.  0.  E.  He 
is  a  memher  of  the  High  Street  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  of  Barberton. 


632 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


W.  G.  ALLEN,  general  manager  of  the 
Niagara  Fire  Extinguisher  Company,  with  of- 
tices  in  tlie  Hamilton  Building,  Akron,  is  one 
of  the  city's  capable  business  men,  and  has 
been  a  resident  here  since  1900.  He  was  born 
at  Dundee,  Michigan,  in  1872,  and  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  state.  During  al- 
most the  whole  of  his  business  life,  he  has 
been  in  his  present  line  of  business.  For  four- 
teen years  he  was  connected  with  the  Auto- 
matic Sprinkler  Company,  of  Chicago,  as  de- 
partment manager,  leaving  there  in  1900,  in 
order  to  become  general  manager  of  the  Niag- 
ara Fire  Extinguisher  Company,  at  Akron, 
where  the  company  has  a  factory  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  automatic  sprinkling  appliances. 
The  output  of  this  factory  is  of  standard  ex- 
cellence and  the  sale  of  the  company's  goods, 
under  Mr.  ^VUen's  progressive  business  meth- 
ods, is  constantly  increasing. 

In  1897  Mr.  Allen  was  married  to  Jessie  D. 
Bryden,  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Jeanette  M.  Mr.  Allen  is  a 
man  of  social  tastes  and  belongs  to  all  of 
Akron's  exclusive  clubs. 


C.  S.  HIDDLESON,  M.  D.,  one  of  Akron's 
leading  medical  men,  who  located  here  after 
a  number  of  years  of  professional  experience 
in  other  places,  was  born  at  Randolph, 
Portage  County,  Ohio,  in  1860,  and  there  ob- 
tained his  literary  training  to  the  extent  of 
graduating  from  the  Randolph  High  School. 

After  some  preliminary  medical  study,  he 
entered  the  Western  Reserve  University  at 
Cleveland,  and  in  1883  he  received  his  medi- 
cal degree  from  the  old  Ohio  Medical  Col- 
lege at  Cincinnati.  Dr.  Hiddleson  then  lo- 
cated at  Randolph,  where  he  practiced  for  four 
years.  He  subsequently  went  to  Atwater, 
where  he  remained  for  seventeen  years,  and 
then  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  New 
York  Post  Graduate  School.  Coming  after- 
ward'^  to  Akron,  he  has  remained  here  since, 
taking  a  yirominent  place  among  the  skillful 
medical  practitioners  of  this  city.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Summit  County  Sixth  Coun- 
cilor District,  and  also  of  the  Ohio  State,  the 


Northeastern  and  the  American  Medical  So- 
cieties. 

In  1885  Dr.  Hiddleson  was  married  to  Ella 
M.  Mendenhall,  of  Randolph,  Ohio.  They 
have  two  children,  Robert  M.  and  Dorothy, 
both  students,  the  former  having  just  entered 
upon  his  second  year  in  Western  Reserve  Uni- 
versity, after  a  vacation  tour  of  Europe.  The 
family  belong  to  the  West  Hill  Congregational 
Church  of  Akron.  Dr.  Hiddleson  is  a  Royal 
Arch  Alaaon,  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  a  Mac- 
cabee;  he  belongs  also  to  the  Masonic  club  of 
Akron. 

BENJAMIN     FRANKLIN    HOFFMAN, 

one  of  Portage  Township's  leading  citizens, 
who  has  served  as  township  trustee  since  1901, 
resides  on  liLs  well-improved  farm  of  forty- 
two  acres,  which  is  situated  on  the  North 
Howard  Street  extension,  just  north  of  the 
city  limits  of  Akron,  and  which  Mrs.  Hoifman 
inherited  through  her  mother.  Mr.  Hoffman 
was  born  in  Norton  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  August  12,  1843,  and  is  a  son 
of  Philip  and  Amelia  (Feller)   Hoffman. 

Philip  Hoffman  and  wife  were  both  born 
in  Lehigh  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  were 
married  at  Wadsworth,  Medina  County,  Ohio. 
They  went  to  hoasekeeping  near  Doylestown, 
Wayne  County,  but  later  moved  to  Norton 
Township,  Summit  County,  where  Philip 
Hoffman  owned  a  small  farm,  and  also  carried 
on  shoemaking.  Both  he  and  wife  died  on 
another  farm,  of  eighty  acres,  to  which  they 
moved  when  Benjamin  F.  was  twelve  vears 
old. 

Benjamin  F.  Hoffman  attended  the  country 
schools  and  worked  in  the  neighborhood  until 
he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to 
work  for  Superintendent  Frank  T.  Husong, 
at  the  Summit  County  Infirmary,  where  he 
remained  until  he  was  twenty-one.  He  was 
mainly  engaged  in  teaming  until  1870,  when 
he  went  to  work  at  the  Excelsior  Works  and 
remained  two  years,  after  which  he  became 
an  employe  of  the  Buckeye  Reaper  and 
Mower  Company,  and  continued  with  that 
concern  for  twenty  years.  In  1893,  he  pur- 
chased his  present  farm   and  has  been  con- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


033 


cerned  in  its  cultivation  and  improvement 
ever  since.  Mr.  Hoffman  al^o  owns  four 
acres  of  very  valuable  land  on  the  corner  of 
Tallmadge  and  Schiller  Avenues,  Akron, 
which  he  is  selling  in  town  lots.  In  1893  he 
erected  his  commodious  frame  residence  and 
gradually  has  built  all  necessary  farm  build- 
ings. 

In  1865  Mr.  Hoffman  was  married  (first) 
to  Clara  Brumbaugh,  who  died  in  1869,  leav- 
ing no  children.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
David  Brumbaugh.  He  was  married  (sec- 
ond), in  1870,  to  Almira  Zeller,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  William  Zeller,  and  they  have 
had  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  survive  ex- 
cept Joseph,  the  next  to  the  youngest,  who 
died  when  two  years  old.  Those  living  are : 
Charles  W.,  residing  at  Akron,  is  engaged  in 
the  plumbing  business;  George  P.,  residing  at 
Akron,  is  in  the  plumbing  and  building 
block  business;  Frank  P.,  residing  at  Akron, 
is  a  bookkeeper;  Harry,  residing  at  Detroit, 
is  a  baker  by  trade;  Edward,  residing  at 
Akron,  is  collector  for  the  People's  Telephone 
Company;  Oliver,  residing  at  Akron,  is  a 
plumber  by  trade;  and  May,  Clyde,  Eli  and 
Ruth,  all  residing  at  home.  The  older  sons 
are  all  married,  and  all  are  doing  well. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hoffman  is  a  Democrat. 
He  has  always  taken  a  good  citizen's  interest 
in  public  matters.  In  1901  he  was  elected 
township  trustee  and  has  been  continued  in 
office  to  the  present  time,  giving  his  fellow 
citizens  careful  and  faithful  service. 

A.  LINCOLN  CARPENTER,  residing  on 
North  Howard  Street,  Akron,  owns  a  fine 
farm  of  eighty  acres,  just  outside  the  city  lim- 
its, and  is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of 
Portage  Township.  He  was  born  on  the  old 
Judge  Pitkin's  farm,  just  east  of  his  present 
one,  August  15,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  Abra- 
ham and  Eliza  (Wise)   Carpenter. 

Abraham  Carpenter  was  born  in  Lancaster 
Countv.  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  son  of  Ga- 
briel Carpenter,  who  came  to  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  when  Abraham  was  about  eight  years 
of  age.  Gabriel  Carpenter  was  a  day  laborer. 
His  wife  died  in  Stark  Countv.     He  contin- 


ued to  reside  there  until  within  five  years  of 
his  death,  when  he  took  up  his  residence  with 
his  sons,  Abraham  and  Jacob,  in  Summit 
County. 

Abraham  Carpenter  was  reared  in  Stark 
County,  and  in  early  manhood  married  Eliza 
Wise,  who  was  born  in  Stark  County  and  was 
a  daughter  of  George  W.  Wise.  A  few  years 
later,  Abraham  Carpenter  and  wife  came  to 
Portage  Township,  his  father-in-law  having 
purchased  a  farm  of  320  acres,  which  he 
farmed  on  shares  for  many  years,  a  large  part 
of  the  property  subsequently  coming  into  the 
posse&sion  of  his  family.  Mr.  Wise  died  on 
the  Wise  farm,  a  part  of  which  A.  Lincoln 
now  owns.  The  Carpenters  had  three  chil- 
dren :  Alfaretta,  who  married  Levi  A.  Lancas- 
ter, resides  at  Akron ;  Jennie,  who  married 
Joseph  Schnee,  resides  at  Akron ;  and  A.  Lin- 
coln. The  mother  of  the  above  family  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  The  father 
still  survives,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 

A.  Lincoln  Carpenter  was  reated  on  the 
home  farm,  and  with  the  exception  of  the 
first  four  years  of  married  life,  when  he  rented 
a  farm  in  Copley  Township,  he  has  never 
lived  out  of  sight  of  his  present  farm.  He 
attended  the  country  schools  near  his  home 
and  when  we  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  he 
entered  the  Empire  Mower  and  Reaper  Com- 
pany and  worked  in  the  blacksmith  shop  for 
eleven  years.  He  was  employed  also,  for  one 
year,  in  the  Buckeye  Mower  and  Reaper 
Works.  Leaving  out  these  twelve  years,  Mr. 
Carpenter  has  devoted  himself  exclusively  to 
farming  and  dairying.  He  has  made  a  suc- 
cess of  the  latter  industry  through  hard  work. 
He  started  in  with  a  milk  route,  buying  his 
milk  from  other  parties,  and  peddled  it  for 
some  five  years  before  he  purchased  any  cows. 
He  now  own  twenty-eight  head  and  has  a 
good  business.  In  1902  he  moved  to  his 
present  farm  and  in  1906,  he  built  his  hand- 
some and  commodious  cement-block  house. 
His  farm  has  an  excellent  tenant  house  on 
the  place,  that  he  built  in  1902,  and  he  has 
erected  all  the  other  substantial  buildings,  no 
improvements  being  here  when  he  purchased 
the  land.     'Mr.  Carpenter    has    shown    great 


634 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


good  judgment  in  locating  the  site  of  his  resi- 
dence. It  overlooks  the  Cuyahoga  Valley 
and  on  a  clear  day  the  view  extends  to  West 
Richfield,  seventeen  miles  away.  His  fertile 
land  yields  readily  to  culture  and  he  makes 
something  of  a  feature  of  gardening  and 
growing  choice  berries. 

On  April  29,  1886,  Mr.  Carpenter  was  mar- 
ried to  Laura  Viers,  who  is  a  daughter  of  B. 
J.  Viers,  and  they  have  two  children :  Ford 
L.  and  Adele,  both  of  whom  are  students  at 
Buchtel  College. 

JOHN  W.  SEWARD,  a  representative  citi- 
zen, formerly  county  surveyor  of  Summit 
County,  now  living  at  Tallmadge  Center,  was 
born  in  Tallmadge  Township,  Summit  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  October  14,  1826,  and  is  a  son  of 
Amo.-3  and  Asenath   (Dudley)   Seward. 

Mr.  Seward  traces  his  ancestry  to  an  old 
English  family  which  was  first  represented  in 
New  England  by  Lieut.  William  Seward,  who 
was  married  to  Grace  Norton,  April  2,  1651. 
He  died  March  22,  1689.  John  W.  Seward  is 
in  the  seventh  generation  from  this  ances- 
tor. 

Nathan  Seward,  the  paternal  grandfather, 
was  born  October  18,  1758,  and  married  Mar- 
tha Gridley.  They  moved  to  New  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  where  he  died  November  15, 
1815.  He  served  for  five  years  with  the  Con- 
tinental Army  in  the  Revolutionary  strug- 
gle, and  was  given  a  colonel's  commission  in 
the  War  of  1812,  in  which  he  served  several 
months. 

Amos  Seward,  father  of  .John  W.,  was  born 
at  Cornwall,  Connecticut,  February  19,  1786, 
and  died  in  Tallmadge  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  November  12,  1859.  He  mar- 
ried Asenath  Dudley,  who  was  born  at  Mid- 
dletown.  Connecticut,  November  28,  1787, 
and  died  September  20,  1852.  Her  parents 
were  Isaac  and  Anna  (Woodhouse)  Dudley, 
the  former  of  whom  was  born  April  8,  1761, 
and  died  September  9,  1843.  He  was  a  de- 
scendant of  William  and  Jane  (Lutman) 
Dudley,  of  Oakland,  England,  and  came  with 
the  original  colony  that  settled  at  Guilford, 
Connecticut,  in  1639. 


In  1817  Amos  Seward  came  to  Tallmadge 
Township,  Summit  County,  where,  as  the  lay 
of  the  land  suited  his  fancy,  he  bought  a 
farm  and  then  returned  to  his  former  home, 
Whitestown,  New  York,  from  which  place  he 
removed  his  family  and  established  his  home 
in  the  new  location,  March  10,  1818,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Four  of 
his  children  grew  to  maturity,  John  W.  being 
the  youngest  and  the  only  one  born  in  Tall- 
madge Township,  of  which  he  is  now  the  old- 
est sui-viving  native-born  resident.  The  other 
three  children,  all  born  at  Whitestown,  New 
York,  were:  Frederick,  who  was  born  in 
1811,  married  Nancy  Carrell ;  Amos,  who  was 
born  April  19,  1815,  married  Pleiades  Bar- 
ber, July  14,  1840,  and  they  reside  in  Cali- 
fornia; and  Sarah  Abbott,  who  Avas  born  No- 
vember 5,  1817,  married  Rev.  James  Shaw, 
October  22,  1850,  and  died  in  December, 
1904. 

In  many  respects,  Amos  Seward  was  one 
of  the  most  prominent  men  of  his  day  in 
Tallmadge  Township,  and  for  years  was  a 
factor  in  the  public  and  political  life  of  Sum- 
mit County.  About  1830  he  was  appointed 
on'e  of  the  appraisers,  at  the  time  that  Congress 
appropriated  several  thousand  acres  of  school 
lands  for  the  Western  Reserve,  these  being 
mainly  situated  in  Llolmes  County.  In  1835 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature  from 
Portage  County,  and  in  1842  was  elected  from 
Summit  Count}-.  In  1847  he  was  elected  to 
this  body  from  both  Portage  and  Summit 
Counties.  In  the  .spring  of  1840,  when  Sum- 
mit County  was  formed,  he  was  appointed 
county  assessor  and  at  the  regular  election  in 
the  fall  of  the  year,  he  was  elected  for  a  period 
of  two  years  and  was  the  only  man  who  ever 
held  that  office  in  the  county,  as  the  law  was 
then  changed,  giving  assessors  to  each  town- 
ship. In  the  meanwhile  he  had  been  ap- 
pointed by  the  governor  of  the  State  to  mem- 
bership on  the  State  Board  of  Equalization. 
He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Tallmadge 
Historical  Society  and  was  its  first  president. 
In  all  that  pertained  to  his  section  he  was  ac- 
tivelv  interested  throughout  his  long  and  use- 
ful life. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


635 


John  W.  Seward  attended  the  district 
schools  of  Talhnadge  Township  and  enjoyed 
one  term  at  Middlebury  (now  the  Sixth  Ward 
of  Akron)  and  spent  one  term  at  the  acad- 
emy at  Tallmadge  Center.  He  continued  to 
assist  on  the  home  farm  up  to  1851,  in  the 
meanwliile  teaching  several  sessions  of  the  dis- 
trict school  in  his  neighborhood.  From  No- 
vember, 1850,  to  June,  1851,  he  served  as  a 
guard  in  the  Ohio  Penitentiary  at  Columbus, 
when  he  resigned  on  account  of  his  health. 
He  had  given  some  attention  to  the  study  of 
general  surveying  and  when  the  C.  A.  &  C. 
Railroad  extended  its  survey  through  this 
section,  Mr.  Seward  became  a  member  of  the 
engineering  corps  and  continued  with  this 
body  until  the  road  was  completed  as  far  as 
Millcrsburg.  After  his  marriage,  in  1858, 
Mr.  Seward  continued  on  the  home  farm  for 
several  years,  after  which  he  engaged  in  a 
foundry  business  at  Fredericksburg,  "Wayne 
County,  for  almost  five  years.  In  1864,  he 
served  four  months  in  the  Federal  Army,  as 
a  member  of  Company  G,  166th  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry-,  and  was  honorably 
discharged  in  September  of  that  year. 

On  account  of  his  father-in-law's  feeble 
health,  Mr.  Seward  then  returned  to  Tall- 
madge, and  he  engaged  in  carpenter  work 
and  paid  some  attention  to  surveying,  gradu- 
ally giving  that  calling  the  larger  part  of  his 
attention.  His  capacity  and  efficiency  were 
soon  recognized,  and  in  1874  he  was  elected 
surveyor  for  Summit  County,  and  during  his 
three  years  in  the  oflfice  did  a  large  amount 
of  important  work.  For  a  period  of  thirty 
years  he  did  all  the  surveying  for  the  Akron 
cemetery,  and  on  account  of  his  accuracy  and 
experience,  he  was  called  upon  to  do  a  great 
deal  of  private  work  in  this  line.  For  some 
years  Mr.  Seward  has  been  a  notary  public 
and  for  eighteen  years  he  was  a  justice  of  the 
peace. 

On  April  22,  1858,  Mr.  Seward  was  mar- 
ried to  Urania  D.  Ashley,  a  daughter  of  An- 
son and  Miranda  (Fenn)  Ashley.  The  .Ash- 
ley family  can  be  traced  back  for  many  gen- 
erations. Oliver  Ashley,  paternal  grandfather 
of  Mrs.  Seward,  was  a  son  of  Oliver,  son  of 


David,  son  of  David,  son  of  David,  son  of 
Robert  and  was  in  the  fifth  generation  from 
a  daughter  of  Governor  Robert  Treat  of  Con- 
necticut. Oliver  Ashley  married,  in  1793, 
Tabitha  Baker.  Pie  was  born  at  Pittsfield, 
Massachusetts,  November  20,  1766,  and  died 
June  14,  1825.  Anson  Ashley,  father  of 
Mrs.  Seward,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  in 
1796,  and  was  married  in  Tallmadge  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  to  Miranda  Fenn,  who 
was  born  June  1,  1798,  and  lived  to  the 
age  of  ninety-one  years,  within  two  years  oi 
the  limit  of  the  lives  of  her  mother  and  hei 
grandmother.  Peck  Fenn,  the  maternal 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Seward,  was  also  in  the 
fifth  generation  from  Governor  Robert  Treat, 
of  Connecticut.  He  came  to  Tallmadge  Town- 
ship in  1818,  one  year  later  than  Anson  Ash- 
ley, his  son-in-law.  There  were  ten  children 
born  to  Anson  Ashley  and  wdfe,  namely: 
Miranda,  who  was  the  wife  of  Edward  C. 
Leach,  of  New  York ;  Sarah,  who  was  the  sec- 
ond wife  of  Edwin  C.  Leach,  died  in  1902 ; 
Anson,  who  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-nine 
years;  Urania;  Andrus;  Lucretia;  Anna,  Ar- 
lington, residing  in  California;  and  two  chil- 
dren died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seward  have  three  children: 
Myra,  Anna  Woodhouse  and  Henry  Baldwin. 
Myra  Seward  was  born  July  24,  1859,  and 
was  married  to  William  G.  Pitkin,  in  1880, 
and  they  have  five  children :  Paul  B.,  Fred- 
erick S.,  William  Henderson,  John  Ashley 
iind  Thomas  Monroe.  Anna  Woodhouse 
Seward  went  out  to  China  as  a  missionary, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Association.  In  her  field  of  work  she  met  Rev. 
C.  W.  Pruitt,  who  was  also  a  mi.ssionary.  and 
they  were  married  and  are  stationed  in  North 
China  and  have  four  children :  .John  and  Ida, 
who  are  attending  school  at  Atlanta.  Geor- 
gia; and  Robert  and  Dudley  McClellan.  Hen- 
ry Baldwin  Seward  w^is  horn  Augu.st  19,  1865, 
arid  in  1892  he  married  May  Avery.  They 
reside  at  Mineral  Ridge,  Ohio,  and  have  three 
children :  Myra  Rosalie,  Laura  May  and  Al- 
len Dudley. 

Mr.  Seward  is  a  member  of  Buckley  Post, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at  .\kron.   For 


036 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


forty-two  years  he  has  belonged  to  the  Tall- 
madge  Historical  Society  and  is  an  autliority 
on  matters  pertaining  to  its  researches,  and  is 
treasurer  of  this  organization.  He  is  one  of 
the  leading  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Tallmadge,  and  has  long  been  treas- 
urer of  the  church's  private  benefactions.  For 
eighteen  years  he  was  registrar  of  the  Puritan 
Conference  of  this  religious  body.  The  home 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seward,  at  Tallmadge  Cen- 
ter, is  the  residence  in  which  she  was  born, 
the  old  part  of  which  is  the  oldest  frame 
house  in  the  town. 

JOSEPH  WARBURTON,  M.  D.,  a  well- 
known  physician  and  surgeon,  who  has  been 
established  at  Tallmadge  since  the  spring  of 
1902,  was  born  October  17,  1874,  at  Green- 
town,  Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
Richard  and  Sarah   (Marsland)    Warburton. 

The  parents  of  Dr.  Warburton  were  natives 
of  England,  where  the  father  was  born  June 
3,  1835,  and  the  mother,  December  21,  1842, 
tlie  latter  at  Hazel  Grove,  near  Stockport,  not 
far  from  Liverpool.  Richard  Warburton  was 
a  mining  engineer  and  a  superintendent  and 
inspector  of  mines.  He  preceded  his  family 
to  America  and  sent  for  them  in  18G4.  At  the 
time  of  his  death,  October  5.  1895,  he  resided 
at  New  Berlin.  The  family  of  Richard  and 
Sarah  Warburton  consisted  of  the  following 
children :  John  Thoma.s,  residing  at  New 
Berlin,  Stark  County,  Ohio;  David;  Mar- 
garet, who  married  Henry  Gladieux;  Rich- 
ard ;  Emma  and  Joseph. 

Dr.  .Joseph  Warburton  was  educated  in  the 
public  scliools  and  in  1897  he  graduated 
from  the  New  Berlin  High  School,  after 
which  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and 
spent  one  year  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  and  following  this,  three  years 
in  the  Ohio  Medical  I^niversity  at  Columbus, 
graduating  in  the  class  of  1901.  For  one 
year  he  served  a,s  house  physician  at  the  Dea- 
coness Hospital,  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1902  he  located  in  Tallmadge, 
where  he  has  enjoyed  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice  and  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  per- 
sonal high  standine;. 


In  1901  Dr.  Warburton  was  married 
(tirst)  to  Maude  E.  Wills,  who  died  in  the  fol- 
lowing September.  She  was  a  trained  nurse 
by  profession.  In  October,  1903,  Dr.  War- 
burton was  married  (second)  to  Myrna 
Munn,  of  Macedonia,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Wesley  and  Mary  Munn,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Francis  Munn,  who  was  born  at  Tall- 
madge. He  is  an  interesting  child  of  three 
years. 

Mrs.  Warburton's  grandparents  were  Hiram 
and  Esther  Munn,  who  were  pioneers  in 
Summit  County  and  early  settlers  at  Mace- 
donia. Wesley  Munn,  father  of  Mrs.  War- 
burton, married  Mary  Lanier,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  New  York.  They  had  the  following 
children :  Esther,  who  married  Frank  Wise, 
a  prominent  citizen  of  Macedonia,  who  was 
the  first  mayor  there ;  King,  residing  at  Mace- 
donia; Myrna;  and  Gladys,  residing  at  home. 
Mr.  Munn  died  in  1891,  aged  fifty-eight 
years,  and  Mrs.  Munn  died  in  1903,  aged 
fifty-two  years. 

Dr.  Warburton  is  a  member  of  the  Summit 
County  Medical  and  the  State  Medical  So- 
cieties. Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  but  is 
only  active  so  far  as  becomes  a  good  citizen. 
His  fraternal  connections  are  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  No.  501  at  Tallmadge, 
and  the  order  of  Maccabees,  at  New  Berlin. 

THOMAS  E.  McSHAFFREY,  of  the  firm 
of  E.  McShaffrey  &  Son,  general  contractors, 
doing  a  large  business  at  Akron  and  at  other 
points  in  Summit  County,  has  been  one  of 
the  partners  in  this  firm  for  the  past  two  years, 
and  has  been  indirectly  connected  with  the 
concern  for  the  past  ten  years.  He  was  born 
in  1876,  at  Akron,  and  is  a  son  of  Edward 
and  Margaret  (Magrath)  McShaffrey. 

Edward  McShaffrey  was  born  in  County 
Antrim.  Ireland,  in  1851,  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  He  located  at 
Akron,  where,  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, he  has  been  engaged  in  general  con- 
tracting, in  1905  admitting  his  son  to  part- 
nership. 

Thomas  E.  'McShaffrcv  was  reared  at  Akron 
and  attended  the  parocbial  sclionls.  later  tak- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


637 


ing  a  course  in  Hanimel's  Business  College. 
Prior  to  entering  into  partnership  with  his 
father,  he  was  foreman  of  the  Whilman- 
Bai'ues  Manufacturing  Company  for  eight 
years,  and  was  identified  with  that  firm  for 
seventeen  years  in  all.  The  firm  of  E.  Mc- 
Shaffrey  &  Son  have  done  a  large  amount  of 
street  paving  at  Akron,  with  other  work,  and 
at  present  they  are  building  a  large  sewerage 
disposal  system  at  Ravenna,  Ohio.  They  are 
practical  men  and  their  work  gives  universal 
satisfaction. 

On  September  28,  1899,  xMr.  McShaffrey 
was  married  to  Rose  C.  Gilbride,  of  Ravenna, 
and  they  have  two  children :  Regina  and 
Thoma-s  Vincent.  Both  Mr.  McShaffrey  and 
wife  are  members  of  St.  Vincent  Catholic 
Church. 

Politically  he  is  a  Republican  and  takes  an 
intelligent  citizen's  interest  in  public  affairs. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
the  ancient  order  of  Hibernians  and  the 
Whitman-Barnes  Relief  Association. 

J  A  RED  BARKER,  formerly  sheriff  of 
Summit  County,  resides  on  his  farm  of  forty- 
four  acres,  situated  in  Portage  Township, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  making  such  im- 
provements a.s  will  make  his  one  of  the  lead- 
ing dairy  farms  of  this  section.  Neither  time 
nor  expense  is  being  spared  in  the  construc- 
tion of  sanitary  buildings  and  wholesome 
surroundings.  Mr.  Barker  was  born  March 
14,  1861.  at  Bath,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  son  of  William  and  Eliza  (Hutchinson) 
Barker. 

Lanson  Barker,  the  grandfather  of  Jared 
Barker,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  November 
17,  1791.  and  he  was  a  son  of  Jared  Barker, 
who  was  born  in  England.  Lanson  Barker 
became  a  resident  of  the  State  of  New  York 
and,  in  1809,  he  was  married  to  Betsey 
Phelps,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut. 
Augu.-t  15,  1791.  They  moved  to  Ohio  and 
finsf  bought  land  in  Holmes  County,  remov- 
ing from  it  to  Massillon,  but  soon  after  to 
Cranger  Township.  Medina  County,  where 
they  resided  a  number  of  years.  Still  later, 
Lanson    Barker    bought    land  at    Rovalton. 


Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio,  where  his  wife  died 
in  1847,  his  death  following  in  1855.  They 
had  eight  children:  Roxie  A.,  William, 
Jared,  John,  Lyman,  Mary,  Frances  and  Nel- 
son. 

William  Barker,  father  of  Jared,  was  born 
in  the  State  of  New  York,  July  30,  1817,  and 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Ohio.  In  1849, 
he  went  to  California  but  soon  returned,  ow- 
ing to  poor  health,  and  in  1853,  he  purchased 
the  farm  in  Bath  Township.  At  that  time  it 
was  all  covered  with  timber,  which  he  cleared 
off  and  erected  substantial  buildings,  devel- 
oping subsequently  a  good  farm.  He  engaged 
also  in  manufacturing  to  some  extent.  In 
politics  he  was  a  strong  suppporter  of  the  Re- 
publican party  and  held  manv  offices  of  trust. 
He  died  February  10,  1898.  In  1856  he  mar- 
ried Eliza  Hutchinson,  who  was  born  April  8, 
1826,  who  died-October  2,  1876.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Warren  and  Martha  (Mc- 
Laughin)  Hutchinson.  Thej'  had  four  chil- 
dren, namely;  Alonzo,  who  was  born  in 
1857 ;  Jared  and  a  twin  brother,  the  latter  of 
whom  died  in  infancy;  and  Bettie,  who  was 
born  in  1867,  died  in  infancy. 

Jared  Barker  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Bath  Township,  where  he  owns  a  magnificent 
farm  of  267  acres,  located  in  the  Yellow 
Creek  bottoms.  In  addition  to  farming  and 
stock-raising,  Mr.  Barker  engaged  in  lumber- 
ing, owning  a  planing  mill  and  a  sawmill. 
He  purchased  his  dairy  farm  of  forty-four 
acres,  June  1,  1907.  Until  1902,  he  con- 
tinued to  live  in  Bath  Township,  when,  hav- 
ing been  elected  sheriff  of  Summit  County, 
he  moved  to  Akron  and  resided  there  during 
his  two  terms  in  office.  His  administration  of 
the  responsible  office  of  sheriff  gave  universal 
satisfaction  to  all  law-abiding  citizens  and  he 
retired  with  a  fine  record  as  to  efficiency. 
Since  then  he  has  devoted  a  large  part  of  his 
attention  to  developing  his  dairy  farm  along 
first-class  lines,  it  being  his  idea  to  supply 
certified  milk,  absolutely  inire.  This  is  a  laud- 
able enterprise  w'hich  engages  the  attention  of 
the  public  at  large. 

On  September  13,  1883,  Mr.  Barker  was 
married  to  Almira    Mvers,    who    was    born 


638 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


February  24,  1862,  at  Rome  City,  Indiana, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Weikel)  Myers.  The  parents  of  Mrs. 
Barker  moved  from  Ohio  to  Indiana,  in  1856, 
settling  in  Noble  County,  where  they  are 
prominent  in  every  circle.  Mr.  Mj'ers  is  one 
of  the  largest  agriculturists  in  that  section. 
They  had  four  children,  namely:  Samuel, 
born  March  27,  1857;  Ellen,  born  June  22, 
1858,  who  married  R.  Shroyer,  of  Indiana; 
Almira,  Mrs.  Barker;  and  Charles,  who  was 
born  April  7,  1868.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Myers  arj 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barker  have  five  children, 
namely:  Pearl,  born  January  7,  1886;  Bes- 
sie, born  October  25,  1889;  Marv,  born  Oc- 
tober 21,  1891 ;  Sarah,  born  August  31,  1890; 
and  William  Barker,  born  July  7,  1898. 
Mrs.  Barker  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Disciples  Church.  Politically,  Mr.  Barker  is 
a  stanch  Republican,  casting  his  first  Presi- 
dential vote  in  support  of  Hon.  James  G. 
Blaine.  Mr.  Barker  is  one  of  the  representa- 
tive men  of  Summit  County. 

A.  J.  DIETRICH,  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Dietrich  &  Brunswick,  proprietors  of 
pattern  works,  located  at  No.  90  East  South 
Street,  Akron,  is  at  the  head  of  one  of  the 
prospering  industries  of  the  city.  He  was 
born  in  Akron,  in  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  the 
late  Anthony  Dietrich,  a  native  of  Germany 
who  came  to  America  in  1861.  The  latter 
followed  the  trade  of  stone-mason  until  within 
a  short  time  before  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1891. 

A.  J.  Dietrich  was  reared  and  educated  at 
Akron  and  is  master  of  two  distinct  trades, 
those  of  cabinet-maker  and  mill-wright.  For 
eight  years  he  was  connected  with  the  Ameri- 
can Cereal  Company's  plant.  Later  he  was 
employed  in  the  pattern  shops  of  the  Taplin- 
Rice  Company,  for  seven  and  a  half  year.a, 
for  two  years  of  this  period  being  in  charge 
of  their  pattern  department.  Having  gained 
the  necessary  experience  and  possessing  suffi- 
cient capital.  Mr.  Dietrich  then  entered  into 
partnership  with  AVilliam  F.  Bnmswick,  es- 
tablishing the  pattern  works  of  the  Dietrich 


&  Brunswick  finn,  which  are  fully  equipped 
with  all  kinds  of  aj;)pliances  and  modern  ma- 
chinery for  every  known  kind  of  pattern 
work. 

In  1900  Mr.  Dietrich  was  married  to 
Louise  Willenbacher,  of  Akron,  and  they  have 
two  interesting  little  sons,  Carl  Philip  and 
Philip  Joseph.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dietrich  are 
members  of  St.  Bernard's  Catholic  Church. 
He  belongs  to  the  order  of  Knights  of  St. 
John. 

PETER  SERFASS,  a  successful  agricul- 
turist of  Norton  Township,  residing  on  his 
valuable  farm  of  seventy-six  acres,  was  born 
in  Monroe  County,  Pennsylvania,  August  15, 
1826,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Eva  (Hout- 
smith)  Serfass. 

The  i^arents  of  Peter  Serfass  came  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Ohio,  in  1838,  and  as  they 
traveled  by  wagon  their  progress  was  slow  and 
they  were  on  the  road  nineteen  days.  The 
father  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Norton 
Township,  which  had  been  partly  improved, 
but  later  he  sold  four  acres,  the  remainder 
being  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son,  Peter 
Serfass.  The  hoase  that  was  standing  on  the 
place  at  that  time  still  serves  as  a  residence, 
although  a  large  amount  of  money  has  been 
spent  in  remodeling  it.  The  land  was  soon 
all  cleared  and  orchards  were  set  out  and  the 
parents  lived  to  enjoy  some  years  of  comfort 
and  ease  on  this  farm  before  they  passed 
away.  Of  their  five  children,  three  survive, 
namely:  Ladina,  who  is  the  widow  of  Louis 
Mosier;  Matilda,  who  is  the  wife  of  Jacob 
Boerstler ;  and  Peter,  of  Norton  Township. 

Peter  Serfass  remained  at  home  and  as- 
sisted his  father  until  he  was  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  and  for  the  following  three  years 
worked  by  the  month  on  the  home  farm.  At 
this  time  he  was  married  to  Ansaneta  Seig- 
freid,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
came  to  Ohio  in  girlhood,  accompanying  her 
father,  who  was  Louis  Seigfried.  They  have 
had  four  children,  namely:  Clara,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Dr.  Joseph  Wingerter,  residing  at 
Akron :  Alice  Viola,  who  died  aged  twenty- 


EGBERT  J.  RODD 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


(Ul 


one  years;   Cora  May;   and  Elva,   who  died 
aged  fourteen  years. 

After  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Serfass  set- 
tled on  the  farm,  on  which  they  have  resided 
ever  since,  with  the  exception  of  fourteen 
years  spent  at  Akron,  during  which  time  Mr. 
Serfass  was  employed  by  the  liankey  Lumber 
Company.  He  carries  on  a  general  farming 
line.  Mr.  Serfass  and  wife  belong  to  the 
Lutheran  Church. 


ROBERT  JAMES  RODD,  superintendent 
of  the  rivet  department  of  the  Falls  Rivet  a,nd 
Machine  Company's  plant  at  Kent,  Ohio,  but 
a  resident  of  Cuj'ahoga  Falls,  was  born  at 
London,  England,  May  29,  1854,  and  is  a 
son  of  William  James  and  Sarah  (Ashby) 
Rodd. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Rodd  was  born  in  the 
great  manufacturing  city  of  Birmangham, 
but  learned  no  trade,  having  been  college- 
bred.  He  worked  as  an  accountant  until 
1875,  when  he  crossed  the  ocean  and  settled 
in  Canada,  residing  at  Dundas  until  1893. 
He  then  came  to  Cuyahoga  Falls,  where  his 
death  occin-red  when  he  had  reached  the  age 
of  sixty-two  years.  He  married  Sarah 
Ashby,  who  resides  with^  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
George  Shannon.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  while  her  late 
husband  belonged  to  the  Episcopal  com- 
munion. They  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, namely:  Kate,  who  married  John 
Morri.son,  residing  at  .Jordan,  Canada;  Rosa, 
who  married  George  Forester,  and  resides  at 
Cleveland:  Mary;  Frederick,  residing  at 
Cleveland;  Arthur;  Charles,  residing  at 
Cleveland;  and  Esther,  who  married  George 
Shannon,  and  resides  at  Cuyahoga  Falls. 
Marj'  and  Arthur  are  deceased. 

Robert  James  Rodd  enjoyed  good  educa- 
tional advantages,  and  before  coming  to  Can- 
ada, was  a.«.sociated  with  his  father  in  office 
work.  He  then  learned  the  machinist's  trade 
and  in  1877  became  foreman  for  the  Canada 
Screw'  Company,  with  wihich  concern  he  re- 
mained until  it  went  out  of  business.  In 
1879   Mr.    Rodd   came   to   Cuyahoga   Falls, 


where  he  was  employed  by  E.  L.  Babcock, 
then  of  the  Falls  Rivet  and  Machine  Com- 
pany, to  operate  the  cold  headers,  and  has 
been  identified  with  this  business  ever  since. 
From  1888  until  1891  he  was  engaged  as 
erecting  engineer  in  the  East  and  South;  in 
the  latter  year  he  became  assistant  superin- 
tendent, and  in  the  fall  of  189.3  became  su- 
perintendent of  the  rivet  department,  which 
wa.s  then  separate  from  the  machinery  de- 
partment. He  remodeled  the  shops,  and^the 
tvork  has  so  increased  that  from  a  force  of 
thirty-five  men  then  required,  he  now  em- 
ploys 150. 

In  June,  1891,  Mr.  Rodd  started  to  build 
machinery  for  making  bolts.  Prior  to  that 
time  the  company  had  made  only  rivets.  By 
adding  the  manufacture  of  bolts,  the  output 
of  the  plant  was  doubled.  Mr.  Rodd  has 
patents  on  machines  for  automatically  tap- 
ping nuts,  this  being  known  as  the  Rodd's 
Automatic  Nut  Tapper.  It  is  in  use  in  all 
the  leading  factories  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  and  sales  have  been  made  also  in 
England  and  Germany. 

On  January  4,  1881,  Mr.  Rodd  was  mar- 
ried to  Katherine  Cooper,  who  was  born  at 
Grantham,  England,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
William  Cooper,  who  settled  at  Dundas,  Can- 
ada, in  1859.  They  have  one  son,  William 
Cooper,  who  learned  the  machinist's  trade 
with  hLs  father  and  now  fills  the  position  of 
draughtsman,  ■nith  the  International  Har- 
vester Company,  of  Akron.  Mr.  Rodd  and 
family  belong  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

In  1901  Mr.  Rodd  built  a  fine  residence 
on  the  comer  of  Broad  and  Third  Streets. 
The  land  was  secured  from  the  Sill  family, 
whose  deed  came  from  the  Connecticut  Land 
Company,  its  eai^liest  owners,  the  Indians 
having  sold  it  to  that  body  of  promoters. 

In  politics  Mr.  Rodd  is  a  Republican.  He 
ha?  never  been  anxious  for  political  honors, 
but  has  served  several  years  as  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education.  He  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  Masons  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  is  past  master  of  Star  Lodge,  No.  187. 


642 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


L.  W.  CAMP,  president  of  the  L.  W.  Camp 
Company,  is  one  of  Akron's  enterprising  and 
progressive  business  men  of  the  younger  gen- 
eration, whose  energy,  in  many  instances,  has 
infused  new  life  into  old  and  conservative 
houses.  Mr.  Camp  was  born  in  1879,  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  H.  B. 
Camp,  one  of  Akron's  prominent  men.  He 
was  reared  at  Cuyahoga  Falls  and  Akron, 
where  he  attended  school.  He  then  engaged 
in  contracting,  in  association  with  his  father, 
with  whom  he  remained  for  three  years  in 
New  York,  where  the  father  had  at  that  time 
large  business  interests.  In  1902  the  L.  W. 
Camp  Company  wa.s  organized  and  incorpo- 
rated with  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000,  for  the 
manufacture  of  fireproof  clay  products,  with 
L.  W.  Camp  as  president  and  R.  E.  Arm- 
strong, secretary  and  treasurer.  Mr.  Camp 
has  other  business  interests,  being  president 
of  the  Factory  Oil  Company  and  treasurer 
of  the  Akron  Fire  Proof  Construction  Com- 
pany. On  June  18,  1904,  he  was  married  to 
Louise  B.  Wettach,  who  is  a  daughter  of  F.  .J. 
Wettach,  of  Akron. 

GEORGE  A.  BISBEE,  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  War  and  a  substantial  business  citizen  of 
Akron,  where  he  is  engaged  in  a  wholesale 
and  retail  feed  business,  at  No.  127  South 
Main  Street,  was  born  in  1844,  at  Union 
Mills,  Lagrange  County,  Indiana. 

Mr.  Bisbee  was  but  four  years  old  when  his 
parents  died  and  he  was  taken  into  the  family 
of  a  Mr.  Capon,  whom  he  subsequently  ac- 
companied to  Summit  County.  Here  he  was 
reared  and  attended  the  district  schools.  He 
learned  the  blacksmith  trade  and  worked  at 
it  until  1864,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company 
F,  164th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  the 
100-day  service  in  the  Civil  "War.  During 
this  enlistment  he  was  stationed  at  Fort 
Cochran,  near  "Washington,  D.  C.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1865,  Mr.  Bisbee  re-enlisted,  entering 
Company  I,  188th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
which  was  sent  first  to  Murfreesboro,  and 
thence  to  Nashville,  where  it  was  stationed  at 
the  close  of  the  war,  being  later  mu.'tered  out 
at  Columbus. 


After  the  close  of  his  military  service,  Mr. 
Bisbee  went  to  work  again  at  his  trade,  first 
in  Michigan  and  later  at  Orland,  Indiana, 
but  in  February,  1867,  he  returned  to  Sum- 
mit County  and  went  into  business  at  Ghent, 
where  he  lived  until  September  23,  1872.  He 
then  came  to  Akron,  and  for  the  succeeding 
seventeen  years  was  an  employee  of  the 
Whitman-Barnes  Company.  He  next  em- 
barked in  his  present  business,  in  which  he 
has  met  with  very  satisfactory  success. 

In  1868  Mr.  Bisbee  was  married  to  Sarah 
Davis,  of  Bath,  Summit  County,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Adclia  B.,  who  is  the  wife  of 
M.  Janse,  residing  at  Maple  Creek,  North- 
western Canada.  Mr.  Bisbee  has  an  honorable 
record  as  a  soldier,  and  is  a  valued  member 
of  Buckley  Post,  G.  A.  R.  He  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Honor,  at  Akron. 

WILSON  F.  SEIBERLING,  a  general 
farmer,  residing  on  a  part  of  the  old  Seiber- 
ling  homestead  farm,  which  is  situated  on 
the  Norton  Center  road,  just  east  of  Western 
Star,  was  born  on  this  farm,  in  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  September  24,  1876,  and  is  a 
son  of  Gus  and  Julia  (Kulp)  Seiberling,  the 
former  of  whom  was  one  of  the  county's 
prominent  men. 

Wilson  F.  Seiberling  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Norton  Township  and  attended 
school  at  We«tern  Star,  completing  his  edu- 
cation at  the  Norton  Center  High  School. 
From  that  time  to  the  present  he  has  given 
his  attention  to  general  farming  and  to  the 
raising  of  fine  horses.  He  settled  on  his  pres- 
ent farm  immediately  after  his  marriage,  and 
has  continued  to  develop  and  improve  the 
land  ever  since. 

On  November  29,  1899,  Mr.  Seiberling  was 
married  to  Kittle  Marnin,  who  was  reared  in 
Chippawa  Township,  Wayne  County,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  William  Marnin.  They 
have  had  two  children,  a  babe  that  died  in 
infancy,  and  Marcella  Gertrude. 

Mr.  Seiberling,  like  other  members  of  this 
old  Summit  County  family,  is  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


643 


JAMES  B.  CROSS,  a  well-known  citizen  of 
Tallniadge  Township,  where  he  owns  a  fertile 
farm  uf  sixteen  and  one-half  acres,  on  which 
he  carries  on  general  fanning  and  poultry- 
raLsing,  is  a  survivor  of  the  great  Civil  War 
and  a  veteran  of  the  same.  He  was  born  in 
Canil)ridgeshire,  England,  January  30,  1844, 
and  is  a  son  of  Elijah  and  Hannah  (Bidwell) 
Cross. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Cross  were  natives  of 
England  and  came  to  America  in  1853.  The 
father  settled  finst  in  Medina  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  engaged  in  business  as  a  horticul- 
turist and  tiorist,  having  served  an  apprentice- 
ship of  seven  years  to  this  business  in  his  na- 
tive land.  He  died  in  Medina  County  in 
1879,  aged  seventy-one  years.  His  widow- 
died  in  the  town  of  Medina,  in  1861.  The 
father  wa.s  married  twice  and  to  his  first 
union  there  were  born  four  children:  Jo.seph, 
William,  Mary  and  Elijah.  To  the  second 
marriage  four  children  were  born,  as  follows: 
Sarah,  who  i.s  the  widow  of  Clarence  Peck, 
resides  in  Lorain  County,  Ohio;  Hannah,  de- 
cea.sed,  w^ho  married  Eudoris  Stewart ;  Henry 
B..  who  was  born  in  1848,  operates  a  broom 
factory  in  Akron,  where  he  is  a  useful  citizen, 
taking  an  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  being 
the  originator  of  the  measure  known  a.s  the 
Buchtel  Bill  for  the  Blind ;  and  James  B. 

Jam'es  B.  Cross  attended  the  district  schools 
in  ^Medina  County  and  a.ssisted  his  father  un- 
til he  entered  the  service  of  the  United  States, 
becoming  a  member  of  Company  G,  84th 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was 
enrolled  June  2,  18G2,  to  serve  three  months, 
and  was  honorably  discharged  Septemljer  20, 
1862,  at  Camp  Delaware.  He  re-enlisted  May 
2,  1864,  in  Company  B,  162nd  Regiment, 
Ohio  National  Guards,  to  serve  100  days  and 
was  honorably  discharged  a  second  time,  Sep- 
tember 4,  1864.  at  Camp  Chase.  A  third  time 
he  enlisted,  February  19,  1865,  in  Company 
T,  188th  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
for  one  year.  His  first  service  was  on  the 
United  States  mail  boat,  taking  prisoners  from 
Covington,  Kentucky,  to  Louisville,  and  the 
second  was  at  Tullahoma,  Tennessee;  New- 
Creek,  Virginia;  Cumberland,  Maryland,  and 


at  Nashville,  Tennessee.  He  was  at  Tulla- 
homa at  the  time  of  General  Lee's  surrender, 
being  so  ill  at  the  time  that  it  required  two 
men  to  bring  him  home. 

Following  his  return  from  the  army,  for 
forty-three  years  he  worked  in  the  gearing 
dejiarlment  of  the  Aultman-Miller  Company, 
at  Akron,  engaged  in  putting  machinery  to- 
gether, and  remained  until  the  business 
changed  hands.  For  twenty-four  years  he 
resided  at  Akron,  and  has  lived  on  the  pres- 
ent place  for  the  past  nineteen  years.  On 
February  20,  1865,  Mr.  Cross  was  married  to 
Almira  Branch,  who  belongs  to  a  very  old 
pioneer  family  and  is  a  daughter  of  Lawson 
and  Cordelia  Branch.  Mrs.  Cross  is  of  Eng- 
lish descent  on  the  paternal  side.  The  grand- 
father, Levi  Branch,  with  his  brothers,  Theo- 
dore, Edwin  and  Elisha,  came  to  Ohio  from 
Massachusetts,  and  they  all  settled  in  York 
Township,  Medina  County.  The  children  of 
Levi  Branch  were:  Lawson,  Levi,  Theodore, 
Elisha,  Edwin  and  Mary.  Levi  Branch  was 
born  at  Worthington,  Massachusetts,  Septem- 
ber 17,  1779,  and  died  in  York  Township, 
Medina  County,  Ohio,  in  1855.  He  came  to 
that  section  from  Sweden,  New  York,  in  1830, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  several  children. 
He  was  a  man  of  authority  in  York  Town- 
ship. The  first  election  was  held  in  his  barn 
and  the  first  religious  meeting  was  held  in 
his  house.  The  first  educational  institution 
the  little  community  erected  was  named  the 
Levi  Branch  school-house.  For  a  time  he 
owned  the  only  team  in  the  town  and  had  the 
monopoly  of  hauling  provisions  from  Wooster 
and  Portage.  For  a  long  period  he  was  the 
owner  of  the  only  stove  in  the  township. 

The  parents  of  Mrs.  Cross  lived  and  died 
in  Medina  County.  Her  mother  came  from 
Sweden,"  New  York,  and  her  father  from 
Massachusetts.  Mrs.  Cross'  eldest  sister,  Fan- 
nie, was  born  in  1831  and  was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  York  Township.  She  married 
C.  B.  Abbott  and  died  aged  seventy-six  years. 
The  other  members  of  the  family  were:  Eg- 
bert, .Julia  and  James,  living,  and  Ellen, 
Miles,  Almira,  Levi  and  Evaline,  deceased. 
In  1907  the  survivors  of  this  familv  had  their 


644 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


first  reunion  in  fifty  years  and  it  was  a  nota- 
ble occasion. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cross  were  born  tlie  fol- 
lowing children :  Nellie,  who  married 
Charles  Leonard,  resides  at  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia, and  they  have  one  child,  Blanche; 
Minnie,  died  in  1877,  aged  nine  years ;  Pearl, 
who  married  Lewis  Frase  of  East  Akron,  has 
two  children,  Ruth  and  Ralph;  Bertha,  who 
married  Arthur  Warner,  who  is  head  chemist 
of  the  Goodrich  Company,  resides  on  Crosby 
Street,  Akron,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Helen ;  and  Roy,  who  is  a  bookkeeper  in  the 
office  of  the  Goodrich  Company,  married 
Lorna  Scott  of  Tallmadge,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Winnifred. 

For  thirty-five  years  Mr.  Cro.ss  has  been  a 
member  of  Summit  Lodge  No.  50,  Odd  Fel- 
lows, his  membership  dating  from  January 
16,  1871.  Both  he  ami  wife  are  members  of 
Tallmadge  Grange.  They  belong  to  the  Uni- 
versalist  Church.  Politically,  Mr.  Cross  is  a 
Republican. 

LEVI  BURROUGHS,  general  farmer  and 
highly  respected  citizen  of  Northfield  Town- 
ship, residing  on  his  well-cultivated  farm  of 
thirty-eight  acres,  is  a  surviving  veteran  of 
the  great  Civil  War,  in  which  he  served  hon- 
orably from  1862  until  1865.  Mr.  Burroughs 
was  born  on  the  farm  in  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  on  which  he  lives,  June  15,  1843,  and 
is  a  son  of  Allen  and  Betsey  (Honey)  Bur- 
roughs. 

Allen  Burroughs  was  born  in  Vermont,  in 
November,  1799,  and  was  a  son  of  David  and 
Polly  Burroughs,  who  founded  the  family  in 
the  Western  Reserve.  He  was  an  early  land- 
holder in  Northfield  Township;  settling  here 
when  his  land  was  still  in  the  virgin  state.  He 
cleared  a  forty-acre  farm,  and  continued  to 
improve  his  property  as  long  as  he  lived,  in 
the  meanwhile  taking  a  good  citizen's  interest 
in  the  development  of  all  this  section.  He  was 
a  man  of  exemplary  life,  and  supported  the 
public  schools,  contributed  liberally  also  to  re- 
ligious enterprises,  and  was  a  strong  advocate 
of  temperance.  He  lived  respected,  and  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  esteemed  by  all 


who  knew  him.  He  married  Betsey  Honey, 
who  was  born  in  Connecticut,  and  of  their 
children  the  following  reached  maturity: 
Tryphena,  who  married  John  Seidel,  both  be- 
ing now  deceased;  Dorsey  W.,  also  deceased; 
Sabrina,  who  married  Aseph  Thompson,  and 
is  deceased  with  her  husband;  Marinda,  who 
is  (he  widow  of  Darius  Wolcott,  residing  in 
Gueaga  County;  Wealthy  (deceased)  was  the 
wife  of  A.  J.  Cross,  of  Michigan ;  Mary,  de- 
ceased; and  Levi.  The  parents  of  the  above 
mentioned  family  were  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church. 

Levi  Burroughs  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  in  Northfield  Township,  and  his  occu- 
pation in  life  has  been  agriculture.  He  was 
only  nineteen  years  of  age  when,  impelled  by 
a  sense  of  patriotism,  he  offered  his  services 
in  defense  of  the  nation.  On  July  30,  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  115th  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volimteer  Infantry,  under  Capt.  H. 
Fitch,  contracting  to  serve  three  years  or  dur- 
ing the  continuance  of  the  war.  Fresh  from 
the  healthy  life  of  farm  and  field,  Mr.  Bur- 
roughs, in  all  the  strength  of  vigorous  youth 
entered  the  service  of  his  country. 

During  the  first  year  of  service.  Mr.  Bur- 
roughs was  mainly  kept  on  guard  duty  at 
Covington,  Kentucky,  and  while  endeavoring 
to  protect  a  bridge  on  the  Chattanooga  Rail- 
road, he  was  captured,  with  his  regiment,  by 
a  part  of  General  Hood's  army.  For  one 
month  he  was  kept  a  prisoner  at  Meridian, 
Mississippi,  where  rations  were  issued  oc- 
casionally, consisting  of  corn  meal  with  a  lit- 
tle beef.  From  there  Mr.  Burroughs  with 
his  comrades  were  transferred  to  Anderson- 
ville  Prison,  famous  for  the  severity  with 
which  prisoners  were  treated,  and  the  hard- 
.ships  they  were  obliged  to  endure.  Mr.  Bur- 
roughs was  incarcerated  there  February  3, 
1865,  and  remained  until  the  middle  of 
April,  1865.  While  his  strong  constitution 
enabled  him  to  survive  the  semi-starvation 
that  was  usually  the  lot  of  prisoners  at  An- 
dersonville,  many  of  his  comrades  succumbed. 
Mr.  Burroughs  was  one  of  the  last  prisoners 
to  be  released  from  Andersonville.  He  was 
there  at  the  time  President  Lincoln  was  as- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


045 


sassiuated.  He  was  honorably  discharged 
June  17,  1865,  at  Camp  Chase,  Columbus, 
Ohio. 

On  November  20,  1867,  Mr.  Burroughs  was 
married  to  Sarah  F.  Nichols,  who  was  born  in 
West  Virginia,  across  the  river  from  Wells- 
ville,  Ohio,  September  17,  1839.  Mrs.  Bur- 
roughs is  a  daughter  of  Harbin  and  Lorana 
(Viers)  Nichols.  Her  father,  a  shoemaker 
by  trade,  settled  in  Northfield  Township  about 
1850,  residing  many  years  at  Little  York. 
He  died  at  Northfield,  in  1864,  aged  sixty- 
five  years.  His  children  were:  Harriet  M., 
Margaret  V.,  Matilda  N.,  McCourtuey  B., 
Beersheba  L.,  Sarah  F.  and  Thomas  Benton. 
Two  brothers  of  Mrs.  Burroughs  served  in  the 
Civil  War — McCourtney  B.  and  Thomas  Ben- 
ton. The  former  died  from  wounds  received 
at  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek,  Virginia.  The 
latter  served  through  the  war,  taking  part  in 
seventeen  battles  and  being  wounded  at  Get- 
tysburg. He.  subsequently  entered  the  regu- 
lar army  and  was  sent  to  the  western  fron- 
tier. 

In  1877  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burroughs  settled 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  has  since  resided. 
He  carries  on  general  farming,  raising  corn, 
oats,  wheat  and  hay,  and  keeps  about  five 
head  of  cattle. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burroughs  have  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Eva  M..  Harvey  A..  Thomas 
Benton  and  Sheppard  H.  The  eldest  daugh- 
ter is  the  widow  of  Frederick  Plank  and  has 
two  bright  children.  She  is  the  popular 
teacher  at  Northfield  Center,  and  resides  at 
home  with  her  parents.  Harvey  A.,  who  re- 
sides at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  married  Beatrice 
Burns.  Thomas  Benton  lives  in  Northfield 
Township.  He  married  Lillian  Burns.  Shep- 
pard H.  is  one  of  the  leading  surgeons  in  the 
State  of  Ohio  and  is  filling  the  responsible  po- 
sition of  surgeon  in  chief  at  the  Ashtabula 
General  Hospital.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Baker. 

Mr.  Burroughs  cast  his  first  Presidential 
vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  Republican  party  ever  since. 
He  has  been  affiliated  with  the  Royal  Dun- 
ham Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  No. 


177,  at  Bedford.    With  his  estimable  wife  he 
belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

JACOB  J.  KRISHER,  superintendent  of 
the  Akron  Foundry  Company,  is  one  of  the 
city's  successful,  self-made  men — one  who  has 
had  a  large  amount  of  practical  experience  in 
his  present  line  of  business.  He  was  born  in 
1850,  at  Massillon,  Ohio,  where  he  attended 
school  up  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  He 
subsequently  learned  the  molder's  trade  with 
Russell  &  Company,  and  after  completing 
the  necessary  apprenticeship  in  the  foundry, 
worked  in  different  establishments  at  many 
different  places,  until  1876,  when  he  came  to 
Akron,  which  city  has  been  his  home  since. 
He  was  engaged  as  a  molder  by  the  Buckeye 
Company,  with  which  he  remained  for  five 
years,  and  then  spent  four  years  with  the 
Empire  Company.  Later  he  became  con- 
nected with  Schumacher's  Gymnasium,  where 
he  remained  until  1893.  In  that  year,  with 
J.  K.  Williams,  John  C.  Weber  and  Jahant 
and  Charles  Stores,  he  built  the  Akron  foun- 
dry, or  which  he  has  since  had  charge.  This 
foundry  turns  out  a  large  variety  of  manu- 
factured goods,  and  gives  work  to  eighty- 
eight  employes.  Mr.  Krisher  is  a  very  com- 
petent superintendent,  having  the  fact  to  man- 
age large  bodies  of  men  to  good  advantage, 
without  friction. 

Mr.  Krisher  was  married  at  Massillon  to 
Frances  F.  Rhoadbaugh,  who  died  January 
11.  1904,  leaving  three  children,  namely: 
Nellie  E.,  who  married  Henry  Brooks,  of 
Akron;  Kate  S.,  who  married  J.  F.  McGov- 
ern,  of  Akron;  and  Perry  A.,  who  is  proprie- 
tor of  the  Krisher  Brass  Foundry.  Mr.  Kris- 
her was  married  (second),  on  January  24, 
1907,  to  Mrs.  L.  M.  Higy,  of  Akron.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  has  been  an  active  Odd 
Fellow. 

L.  H.  SCOTT,  residing  on  his  well-im- 
proved farm  of  114  acres,  which  is  situated 
one-fourth  mile  from  the  eastern  limit,"  of 
the  city  of  Akron,  is  one  of  the  well-known, 
highly  respected  and  substantial  citizens  of 
this  quarter. 


646 


HISTOEY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


The  parents  of  Mr.  Scott  were  married  at 
Bufiulo,  New  York.  The  mother  was  born  in 
England  and  accompanied  her  parents  in 
childhood  to  America,  where  her  father  died 
one  year  hxter.  Her  mother  returned  to  Eng- 
hmd  for  a  short  period,  but  decided  to  make 
her  permanent  home  ni  America  and  after 
coming  back  wiis  married  to  a  Mr.  Kendricks, 
and  one  child  was  born  to  this  second  union. 
Three  of  the  five  children  of  her  first  mar- 
riage still  survive,  namely:  L.  H.,  of  Tall- 
madge  Township;  Mary,  residing  at  Buffalo, 
where  she  married  Harris  Wilkins;  and 
Charles.  The  hitter,  when  eighteen  years  of 
age,  entered  the  regular  army  of  the  United 
States  and  has  served  both  in  Cuba  and  in 
the  Phillipine  Islands.  He  is  still  a  United 
States  soldier.  The  father  of  Mr.  Scott  had 
one  brother,  Zenas,  and  one  sister,  Lucretia. 
Zenas  Scott  served  all  through  the  Civil  War, 
in  the  Union  army.  Lucretia  Scott  married 
a  Mr.  Cook.  After  the  death  of  her  first  hus- 
band, the  grandmother  of  Mr.  Scott  married 
a  Mr.  Green,  and  children  were  born  to  them 
of  whom  we  have  no  record.  Mr.  Green  was 
the  only  father  known  to  the  father  of  L.  H. 
Scott. 

L.  H.  Scott  was  reared  Ijv  his  mother's  peo- 
ple and  was  educated  in  public  school  No. 
19,  on  North  Washington  Street,  Buffalo, 
New  York.  When  he  had  reached  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years,  Mr.  Scott  went  to  Pitts- 
burg, where  he  remained  four  months  and 
then  worked  for  a  time  in  a  rolling  mill  at 
Girard,  Ohio,  subsequently  traveling  to  a 
number  of  cities,  including  Cincinnati,  New- 
port, New  York;  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Marquette, 
Michigan ;  and  then  back  to  Pittsburg,  work- 
ing for  a  time  in  each  place  and  remaining 
for  two  years  in  the  latter  city,  engaged  as  a 
structural  iron  worker.  From  Pittsburg,  Mr. 
Scott  came  to  Akron,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  bu-siness  of  kiln  burning  sewer  pipe. 

On  May  11,  1881,  Mr.  Scott  was  married 
to  Adelaide  Denmead,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Mary  Ann  Denmead.  They  came 
from  England  to  America,  about  1860,  set- 
tling on  the  present  Scott  farm  .shortly  after- 
ward, on    which    they    re.sided    until    death. 


Mrs.  Scott  was  born  in  America,  one  of  three 
children.  She  has  one  surviving  sister,  Mary 
Ann,  who  married  Charles  Pennington,  and 
they  reside  in  the  State  of  Washington,  where 
he  engages  in  farming.  The  mother  of  Mrs. 
Scott  died  soon  after  coming  to  America  and 
the  father  was  married  (second)  to  a  Mrs. 
Sands.  Mr.  Denmead  lived  to  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years.  His  second  wife,  who  died 
two  weeks  previous  to  his  demise,  was  eighty- 
four  years  of  age. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  have  had  four  children : 
Lois  Lucretia,  who  died  aged  nineteen  years, 
from  the  cffect^s  of  an  accident  on  a  railroad; 
Earl  J.,  who  operates  the  pumping  station  for 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad,  at  Akron; 
Robert  Clyde,  a  potter  by  trade,  residing  tem- 
porarily in  Minnesota;  and  Vera,  who  is  a 
student  in  the  school  at  South  West  Six  Cor- 
ners. 

For  nine  years  Mr.  Scott  has  been  success- 
fully engaged  in  farming  on  this  place.  He 
.«old  one  acre  after  erecting  a  house  on  it,  to 
a  Mr.  Evvart.  The  present  residence  was  built 
by  Mrs.  Scott's  father.  Mr.  Scott  is  an  inde- 
pendent voter,  declining  to  be  identified  with 
any  political  party.  In  religious  belief  he  is 
a  Spiritualist. 

DANIEL  HAWK,  one  of  Summit  County's 
most  re-spected  citizens,  has  been  a  resident  of 
Tallmadge  Township  for  more  than  twenty 
years.  He  was  born  in  Suffield  Township, 
Portage  County,  Ohio,  November  14,  1848, 
and  is  a  son  of  Philip  and  Lena  (Dock) 
Hawk. 

Philip  Hawk,  father  of  Daniel,  was  born  in 
Germany,  and  was  twenty-one  years  of  age 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  America. 
Grandfather  Philip  Hawk  purchased  150 
acres  of  land  in  the  soiitheastern  part  of  Suf- 
field  Township,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his 
life.  His  widow  died  at  the  home  of  their 
son,  Michael  Hawk,  in  Tallmadge  Township, 
Summit  County.  The  children  born  to  the 
grandparents  of  Daniel  Hawk  w-ere:  Philip, 
Abbie,  Catherine,  Daniel  and  Michael.  Of 
this  family,  Abbie  married  John  Guenther 
and  both  are  deceased;     Catherine     married 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


647 


Henry  Swartz  and  she  died  iu  Portage  County. 
Daniel  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  Akron, 
from  which  place  he  moved  to  Grand  Rapids, 
Michigan,  and  thence  to  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  has  lived  for  the  jjast  ten 
years.  Michael  is  a  resident  of  Tailmadge 
Township. 

Philip  Hawk  (2),  father  of  Daniel,  also 
bought  a  farm  in  Sutheld  Township,  situated 
just  north  of  his  father's  land,  but  sold  this 
about  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  and  purchased 
a  farm  in  Springfield  Township,  Summit 
County,  where  he  died  in  189G,  in  his  seventy- 
ninth  year.  He  married  Lena  Dock,  who  still 
survives,  being  now  iu  her  eighty-fifth  year. 
The  children  born  to  Philip  and  Lena  (Dock) 
Hawk  were  the  following:  Daniel,  Philip, 
Frederick,  and  Lewis.  Philip  Hawk,  the 
third  of  the  name,  resides  east  of  Mogadore, 
but  in  Portage  County.  He  married  a  Miss 
Guenther,  of  Hartville,  Stark  County.  Fred- 
erick Hawk  is  a  successful  farmer  of  Brom- 
field  Township,  Portage  County.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  Peter  Lepper,  of  Springfield 
Township.  Summit  County.  Lewis  Hawk  i.<' 
employed  in  tlie  rural  mail  service.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret   Kobinstine,  of  Logtown. 

Daniel  Hawk  attended  the  district  schools 
of  Suffield  Township  and  grew  to  manhood 
(in  his  father's  farm,  where  he  was  trained  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  After  his  marriage  he 
.-ettled  in  Portage  County,  where  he  farmed 
on  share*  for  one  year,  and  then  moved  south 
of  Kent,  purcha.sing  a  farm  in  Bromfield 
Town.ship,  the  .same  on  which  his  eldest  son 
now  lives.  In  1883  he  bought  the  farm  of 
128  acres  on  which  he  has  resided  ever  .since, 
which  he  devotes  to  general  farming  and 
dairying.  He  gives  considerable  attention  to 
raising  hor.ses,  his  method  being  to  purchase 
when  young,  break  and  then  sell,  and  he  has 
been  very  successful  in  this  line.  In  all  he 
owns  420  acres  of  most  excellent  land  and 
is  one  of  the  township's  most  substantial  men. 
He  has  practically  made  his  own  way  in  the 
world,  acquiring  his  ample  fortune  by  hard 
work  and  close  attention  to  business. 

In  1872.  Mr.  Hawk  was  married  to  Cather- 
ine Fulnier.  who  was  born  in  Green  Town- 


ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  Adam  Fulmer.  Her  father  was  born  in 
Germany  and  her  mother  iu  j\.lsace,  France, 
the  latter  coming  to  America  when  eighteen 
years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fulmer  settled 
first  iu  Suffield  Township,  Portage  County, 
but  later  moved  to  Jay  County,  Indiana, 
where  they  died. 

To  Daniel  Hawk  and  wife  have  been  born 
eight  children,  namely:  Lewis,  Ellen,  Adam, 
(irant,  Clyde,  Frederick,  Bertha  and  Grace. 
Lewus  Hawk  is  engaged  in  farming  on  his 
father's  land  near  Kent.  He  married  Delia 
Brumbaugh.  Ellen,  an  educated  young  lady, 
is  bookkeeper  for  a  business  firm  at  Kent, 
Ohio.  Adam  Hawk  is  engaged  in  farming 
on  the  family  property,  in  Tailmadge  Town- 
ship. Grant,  residing  at  home,  carries  on  the 
dairying  interests.  The  other  members  of  the 
family  reside  at  home. 

Mr.  Hawk  has  shown  his  interest  in  the  de- 
velopment of  his  section  in  many  ways,  ac- 
cording to  his  convictions  of  the  duties  of  a 
good  citizen.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat, 
but  he  is  no  aspirant  for  office.  Both  he  and 
wife  belong  to  the  local  Grange  and  enjoy  its 
meetings.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  members 
of  the  East  Akron  Reformed  Church  and  he 
was  one  of  the  most  liberal  contributors  to 
the  building  fvuul  when  the  present  edifice 
was  put  up. 

OLIVER  HARTER,  who  owns  eighty- 
three  acres  of  some  of  the  finest  farming  land 
in  Norton  Township,  resides  on  this  property, 
which  is  situated  on  tlie  East  and  West  road, 
eight  and  one-fourth  miles  west  of  Akron  and 
about  one-half  mile  east  of  the  Medina  County 
line.  Mr.  Harter  was  born  in  Norton  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  July  25,  1851, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Baugh- 
man)  Harter. 

John  Harter  was  born  in  Green  Township, 
Summit  County,  and  was  a  son  of  .Jacob  Har- 
ter, who  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a 
veteran  of  the  War  of  1812  as  well  as  a  pio- 
neer settler  in  this  section.  When  John  Har- 
ter was  ten  years  of  age,  his  father  moved 
from  Green  to  Coventry  Township,  where  he 


648 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


settled  in  a  wild  region,  in  the  midst  of  the 
woods.  There  he  cleared  up  a  farm  on  which 
he  lived  until  the  age  of  ninety-two  years. 
John  Harter  grew  to  young  manhood  in  Cov- 
entry Township  and  then  went  to  Wisconsin, 
where  he  remained  for  eighteen  months  work- 
ing in  a  lumber  camp.  There  are  many  ac- 
cidents in  the  life  of  a  woodsman  and  fre- 
quently they  prove  as  serious  as  the  one  which 
befell  Mr.  Harter  and  his  companions.  A  raft 
of  logs  which  it  had  taken  hard  work  to  se- 
cure, went  to  pieces  in  the  river  when  they 
started  to  float  it.  With  difficulty  they  saved 
enough  of  the  valuable  logs  to  make  a  second 
but  much  smaller  raft  on  which  the  party 
floated  to  St.  Louis,  where  is  was  sold  for  only 
about  enough  to  take  the  party  to  their  dif- 
ferent homes.  This  adventure  seems  to  have 
satisfied  Mr.  Harter  as  to  the  safety  and  sta- 
bility of  an  agricultural  life  and  after  his 
return  home  he  soon  married  and  moved  to 
Norton  Township.  He  died  Februarv  20, 
1905. 

John  Harter  married  Elizabeth  Baugh- 
man,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  died  ^ 
in  Norton  Township,  August  18,  1881.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Theobold  Baughman,  who 
came  from  Westmoreland  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  Summit  County,  when  Mrs.  Harter 
was  three  years  old.  The  children  born  to 
John  and  Elizabeth  Harter  were:  George; 
Oliver;  AVilliam,  who  died  in  Illinois;  Theo- 
bald ;  Melvina,  who  married  Wilson  Waltz,  of 
Tallmadge  Township;  Eli;  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried Frank  Waltenberger ;  and  Otis,  who  is  a 
Presbyterian  minister  located  at  Fredericks- 
town,  Knox  County,  Ohio. 

Oliver  Harter  was  reared  on  the  farm  which 
is  now  owned  by  R.  B.  Baughman  and  which 
is  situated  just  west  of  Johnson's  Corners, 
which  was  then  his  father's  property,  and 
there  he  was  trained  to  be  a  farmer  and  has 
followed  agricultural  pursuits  ever  since.  He 
continued  to  reside  in  Norton  Township  until 
October  11,  1871.  when  he  removed  with  his 
family,  to  Illinois,  where  he  acquired  a  farm 
of  eighty  acres  in  Fayette  County,  on  which 
he  lived  for  ten  and  one-half  years.  In  1882 
he  sold  that  farm  and  returned  to  Ohio,  set- 


tling on  the  farm  of  his  father-in-law,  west 
of  Johnson's  corners,  and  lived  there  for 
eleven  years.  During  this  period  he  was 
elected  township  trustee  on  the  Democratic 
ticket  and  served  three  years.  Mr.  Harter  in 
the  meanwhile,  bought  his  present  excellent 
farm  to  which  he  came,  March  28,  1893.  He 
has  recently  completed  a  fine  seven-room  resi- 
dence, modern  in  constiiiction  and  full  of  con- 
veniences and  comforts.  He  has  taken  an 
active  interest  in  township  matters,  being  an 
intelligent,  thoughtful  man,  and  for  the  past 
eleven  years  has  been  serving  in  the  office 
of  assessor. 

Mr.  Harter  was  married  to  Mary  S.  Wey- 
gandt,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Elias  Weygandt. 
She  was  born  in  Chippewa  Township,  Wayne 
County,  Ohio.  Her  parents  lived  for  two 
years  in  Ashland  County  and  then  came  to 
Norton  Township  and  settled  near  Johnson's 
Corners.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harter  have  had  seven 
children,  the  survivors  being:  Clara  Olive, 
who  taught  school  for  five  years  after  gradu- 
ating from  the  Norton  High  School,  later  mar- 
ried Henry  W.  Mong  and  they  have  one  son, 
Roy ;  Emma,  who  married  George  Young, 
resides  with  her  father,  and  they  have  three 
children,  Mary  Lavina,  Gertrude  and  Marcus 
Oliver;  Ada  Blanche,  who  married  Clyde  S. 
Burgner,  resides  at  Cleveland,  and  they  have 
one  child.  Earl  Raymond;  and  Earl  Monroe, 
residing  at  Loyal  Oak,  married  Minnie  Bauer. 
Mr.  Barter's  youngest  daughter,  Mrs.  Burg- 
ner, graduated  from  the  Norton  High  School, 
then  taught  school  one  year,  then  took  a 
couree  in  the  Spencerian  Business  College  at 
Cleveland,  after  which  she  worked  as  a  sten- 
ographer for  eighteen  months.  She  was  mar- 
ried at  Cleveland  to  a  gentleman  who  had 
been  a  childhood  companion  in  Norton  Town- 
ship. Three  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Har- 
ter are  deceased,  namely:  an  unnamed  in- 
fant; John  Edmund,  who  died  aged  eleven 
montlis;  and  Anna,  who  died  February  17, 
1902. 

Mr.  Harter  has  always  favored  popular  ed- 
ucation and  for  twelve  years  served  on  the 
School  Board.  He  is  a  leading  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church. 


MR.  AND  MRS.  JOHN  M.  HOERTZ  AND  FAMILY 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


051 


JOHN  M.  HOERTZ,  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  Norton  Township,  residing  on  his 
well-improved  farm  of  forty-eight  and  a 
quarter  acres,  was  born  October  22,  1852,  in 
Independence  Township,  Cuyahoga  County, 
Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Philip  Ploertz. 

The  mother  of  Mr.  Hoertz  died  when  he 
was  an  infant,  and  his  father  passed  away 
when  he  was  a  boy  of  ten  years.  He  there- 
upon went  to  the  home  of  his  uncle,  John 
Hoertz,  who  was  a  farmer  of  Cuyahoga 
County,  and  remained  with  him,  working  on 
the  farm  for  seven  years.  After  this  he 
worked  on  farms  in  the  neighborhood  until 
1875,  when  he  rented  a  farm,  after  his  mar- 
riage, and  his  family  lived  on  it  until  1882, 
when  he  purchased  his  present  farm  in  Nor- 
ton Township.  He  has  done  a  large  amount 
of  improving  here  in  the  way  of  building 
and  remodeling,  and  has  a  very  comfortable 
home.     He  grows  fine  fruits  and  vegetables. 

On  April  -1,  1875,  Mr.  Hoertz  was  married 
to  Maiy  L.  Harris,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Vin- 
cent G.  and  Magdalena  (Long)  Harris. 
Vincent  G.  Harris  was  born  in  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  February  7,  1826.  and  died  at 
his  home  in  Copley,  November  14,  1905, 
lacking  but  a  few  months  of  being  eighty 
years  of  age.  He  was  a  .son  of  Aaron  and' 
Ellen  Harris.  He  secured  such  educational 
training  as  was  afforded  in  the  schools  of  his 
day,  and  after  his  marriage  settled  on  a  farm 
of  fifty  acres,  one  mile  north  of  the  center  of 
Copley.  To  this  land  he  added  until  he 
owned  210  acres,  all  in  one  body.  He  was  _ 
a  loyal  supporter  of  the  Government  during 
the  Civil  War  and  when  Governor  Tod  called 
on  the  patriots  of  Ohio  to  suppre.s.s  the  raids 
of  the  guerrilla,  Morgan,  in  the  State,  he  was 
one  that  immediately  responded  and  re- 
mained in  the  ser\'ice  until  all  danger  was 
over,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged. 
Mrs.  Harris  still  survives,  having  passed  her 
seventy-eighth  birthday  on  March  1,  1907, 
and  she  resides  in  the  fine  home  which  her 
husband  built  at  Copley. 

Mrs.  Harris  was  married  September  14, 
1849.  and  her  happy  married  life  covered 
fiftv-six  vears.     The  familv  consisted  of  nine 


children,  namely:  Mrs.  Belle  Unger,  resid- 
ing at  Averill,  Michigan:  Mrs.  Mary  Hoertz; 
Rev.  Joseph  J.,  who  is  pastor  of  the  Dis- 
ciples Church  at  Marion,  Illinois;  John,  de- 
ceased in  infancy;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Shook,  re- 
siding at  Helena,  Montana;  Eliza  J.,  residing 
at  Copley  with  her  mother;  Charles  F.,  re- 
siding at  Loyal  Oak;  Mrs.  Alice  S.  Fried, 
rcisiding  at  Blake,  Ohio,  and  Andrew  J.,  re- 
siding at  Copley. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoertz  have  two  children, 
Ada  Alljerta  and  Harry  Ernest.  Ada  Al- 
berta married  Carman  Seiberling  of  Wads- 
worth,  where  he  operates  a  grocery  store. 
They  have  four  children— Ernest  Allen, 
Harold  Robert,  Helen  Mary  and  James 
Larin.  Mrs.  Seiberling  is  an  educated,  cul- 
tured lady.  She  graduated  from  the  Nortnn 
Center  High  School  and  sub.sequently  taught 
school  for  two  years,  one  term  in' Norton  and 
the  rest  at  Kruinroy,  Springfield  Township. 
Harry  Ernest  also  graduated  from  the  Nor- 
ton Center  High  School  and  the  Actual 
Business  College,  at  Akron,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  office  force  of  the  Goodrich  Rubber 
Company,  at  Akron. 

To  dispose  of  the  products  of  his  farm ,  Mr. 
Hoertz  runs  a  wagon  to  Barberton  at  stated 
intervals,  and  sometimes  even  sells  at  Akron. 
He  is  an  active,  interested  citizen  and  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board  of 
Norton  Township.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Pathfinders.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoertz  belong  to 
the  Wabash  Avenue  Disciples  Church,  at 
Akron. 

W.  H.  HUNT,  of  the  firm  of  Hunt  &  AVig- 
lej',  general  contractors,  at  Akron,  is  a  man 
of  large  experience  in  his  line  of  work  and 
hiis  been  a  resident  of  the  city  in  which  so 
much  of  it  is  in  evidence,  for  the  past  twenty- 
eight  years.  Mr.  Hunt  was  born  in  Lanca.stcr- 
shire,  England,  in  1860,  and  lived  there  un- 
til he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  In  1878,  he 
came  to  America,  settling  in  Akron,  where 
he  thoroughly  learned  the  brick-  and  stone- 
mason's trade.  He  was  located  for  some  five 
years  subsequently  in  New  York  city,  during 
which  time  he  was  engaged  in  general  con- 


652 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


tracting.  After  his  return  to  Akron  he  con- 
tinued in  the  same  line  of  industry,  working 
alone  for  some  years,  and  later  admitting  J. 
Wigley  to  partnership,  the  firm  name  of  Hunt 
&  Wigley  then  being  assumed.  During  his 
nearly  twenty  years  of  contracting  at  Alcron, 
he  has  executed  a  large  amount  of  important 
work,  including  the  erection  of  great  build- 
ings used  for  business,  school  and  residence 
purposes  His  first  large  contract  was  the 
Doyle  Block,  which  was  followed  by  the 
Walsh  Block  and  by  other  buildings  of  a  sub- 
stantial character,  more  or  less  ornate  as  their 
uses  demanded.  His  work  has  stood  the  most 
satisfactory  tests,  and  each  succeeding  job  has 
added  to  his  reputation  as  an  honorable  and 
capable  business  man.  He  is  the  owner  of 
the  National  Biscuit  Block,  which  he  leases 
to  the  National  Biscuit  Company,  and  of  the 
Hardware  &  Supply  Warehouse,  Avhich  he 
leases  to  the  Hardware  &  Supply  Company. 
He  also  owns  a  block  at  No.  63  Market  Street. 
In  1880,  Mr.  Hunt  was  married  to  Mary 
McGowan,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  seven 
surviving  children,  namely:  Annie,  who  mar- 
ried Arthur  Wales,  residing  at  Akron ;  and 
Mary,  .James,  William,  Margaret,  Edward 
and  Ellen,  all  residing  at  home.  Mr.  Hunt's 
business  address  is  No.  35  North  Maple  Street, 
Akron. 

NELSON  W.  FENN,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  dairyman  of  Tallmadge  Township,  was 
born  October  23,  1847,  in  Tallmadge  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
Treat  and  Harriet   (Bierce)  Fenn. 

In  1818,  Richard  Fenn,  the  grandfather  of 
Nelson  W.,  brought  his  family  from  Connect- 
icut and  purchased  a  farm  of  200  1-2  acres 
in  Tallmadge  Township,  now  in  Summit  but 
then  in  Portage  County.  The  maternal  grand- 
father, Philo  Bierce,  was  an  early  settler  in 
Nelson  Township,  Portage  County,  coming 
there  also  from  Connecticut. 

Tieat  Fenn  was  born  in  Connecticut  and 
\.as  about  fourteen  years  of  age  when  his  }iar- 
ents  came  to  Ohio,  and  he  was  reared  on  the 
home  farm  in  Tallmadge  Township.  He  was 
married  three  times,  (first)  to  Harriet  Bierce, 


who  died  when  Nelson  W.  was  an  infant,  and 
(second)  to  Rachel  Fuller  Baldwin,  who  died 
in  1856.  In  1861  he  was  married  (third) 
to  Florilla  Wright,  who  is  also  deceived.  Mr. 
Fenn  died  November  24,  1886,  aged  eighty- 
two  years.  Of  his  eight  children,  seven  were 
born  to  his  first  marriage. 

Nelson  W.  Fenn  has  resided  all  his  life 
on  the  present  farm,  which  is  a  part  of  the 
old  homestead  purchased  by  his  grandfather. 
He  attended  the  local  schools  and  has  made 
farming  and  dairying  his  main  occupations, 
and  keeps  from  eighteen  to  twenty  cows  to 
carry  on  the  latter  industry.  He  is  numbered 
with  the  township's  substantial  and  represent- 
ative citizens. 

In  1885,  Mr.  Fenn  was  married  to  Mary 
Gunsualis,  of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and 
they  have  one  daughter,  Irene.  They  have 
an  adopted  son,  Oliver  Fenn. 

In  politics  Mr.  Fenn  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party.  He  and  wife  are  members 
of  the   Congregational  Church. 

HARVEY  THORNTON,  a  representative 
agriculturalist  who  is  carrying  on  farming 
on  a  part  of  the  old  Thornton  homestead,  a 
100-aere  tract  of  fine  land  situated  in  the 
northeastern  corner  of  Franklin  Township, 
was  born  in  the  brick  house  located  just  across 
the  channel  from  his  present  residence,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  March  20,  1876,  and  is  a 
son  of  Aaron  Thornton. 

Samuel  Thornton,  the  grandfather  of  Har- 
vey, was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  this  dis- 
trict, where  at  one  time  he  owned  800  acres 
of  land,  200  of  which  is  now  South  Akron. 
He  donated  a  large  amount  of  land  to  Ak- 
ron, including  Thornton  Street  and  Pleasant 
Park.  In  his  latter  years  he  removed  from 
his  farm  in  Franklin  Township  to  Akron, 
where  his  death  took  place.  His  widow  re- 
sides at  Akron,  aged  eighty  years. 

Aaron  Thornton,  father  of  Harvey,  was  born 
in  Franklin  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
on  his  father's  farm,  which  he  made  his  home 
until  1893,  when  he  removed  to  Akron.  His 
wife,  who  is  a  native  of  Snyder  County,  Penn- 
,sylvania,  came  to  Franklin  Township,  in  girl- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


653 


liuudj  oil  u  visil  tu  litT  sister.  Her  father  died 
wheu  she  was  an  infant.  Here  she  met  Mr. 
Thornton,  wlioni  she  later  married.  Three 
children  were  born  to  this  union:  May,  who 
died  in  childhood;  Harvey;  and  Bessie,  who 
married  Russell  Robison  of  Akron. 

Harvey  Thornton  remained  on  the  home, 
farm  in  Franklin  Township  until  he  was  six- 
teen years  of  age,  when  he  removed  with  the 
family  to  Akron,  where  he  assisted  his  fath- 
er in  a  coal  business,  until  his  marriage.  He 
then  settled  on  his  present  farm,  where  he 
has  followed  farming  and  threshing  ever 
since,  with  the  exception  of  a  short  period, 
when  he  engaged  in  a  grocery  business  at  Ak- 
ron. He  has  been  an  active  citizen  and  tak- 
en an  interest  in  township  affairs.  In  1901 
he  served  in  the  office  of  road  supervisor  and 
at  present  is  a  school  director.  Mr.  Thornton 
and  family  belong  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 

On  January  5,  1898,  Mr.  Thornton  mar- 
ried Bertha  Diehl,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren, namely;  Floyd,  Fern  and  Robert.  The 
parents  of  Mrs.  Thornton  are  AVilliam  and 
Eliza  (Diehl)  Diehl,  residents  of  Barberton. 
They  have  the  following  children :  Hattie, 
who  married  Charles  Swigart,  residing  in 
Franklin  Township ;  Edward,  who  resides  at 
East  Liberty ;  Curtis,  who  resides  at  Barber- 
ton  ;  Bertha,  who  is  the  wife  of  Harvey  Thorn- 
ton ;  and  Wallace,  who  lives  at  Barberton. 
William  Diehl  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
his  wife  in  Stark  County,  Ohio.  They  were 
prominent  residents  of  Franklin  Township  for 
many  years,  Imt  in  1904  removed  to  Barber- 
ton. 

.T.  V.  CLEAVER,  M.  D.,  physician  and  sur- 
geon, of  Akron,  who  probably  stands  at  the 
head  of  the  medical  profession  in  Summit 
County,  and  whose  reputation  as  a  surgeon  ex- 
tends all  over  Ohio,  was  born  June  13,  1858, 
at  East  Bethlehem,  Washington  County, 
Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  son  of  John  T.  and 
Pleasant  H.   (Hill)  Cleaver. 

The  Cleavers  have  been  known  in  Penn^vl- 
vania  .since  1682,  when  the  German  founder 
of  the  family  settled  there.  John  Cleaver, 
grandfather  of  the  doctor,  was  a  pioneer  of 


Washington  County,  Pennsylvania.  He 
reared  a  large  family,  some  members  of  which 
became  distniguished.  One  of  his  sons, 
Hiram,  became  a  professor  in  the  medical 
college  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  his  son,  John, 
a  physician.  James  IL,  another  grandson, 
also  a  physician,  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
mayor  of  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  and  a  third 
son,  Eli  B.,  served  in  the  Ohio  State  Legisla- 
ture. 

John  I.  Cleaver,  father  of  Dr.  Cleaver,  spent 
his  whole  life  as  an  agriculturist  and  sheep- 
raiser  in  Washington  County.  He  married 
Pleasant  Hill,  whose  ancestor.-; — paternal  and 
maternal — came  from  Ireland  and  Scotland 
respectively,  and  they  had  four  children, 
namely:  Etta,  Avho  died  in  childhood;  J.  V. 
Cleaver,  M.  D.,  whose  name  begins  this  sketch; 
Solon  H.,  who  died  in  childhood;  and  Isaac 
N.,  who  is  in  business  at  Indianapolis,  In- 
diana, in  the  Archibald  Cleaver  Companj*. 

After  finishing  the  public  school  course  in 
Washington  County,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
took  a  course  in  the  Southwest  Normal  School 
in  the  same  county.  He  then  spent  four  years 
in  teaching.  During  this  time  he  was  quietly 
reading  medicine  under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
Q.  C.  Farquhar,  and  also  found  time  to  serve 
as  clerk  to  the  county  treasurer.  He  subse- 
(juently  entered  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  had  the 
advantage  of  receiving  the  special  instruction 
of  Dr.  Agnew,  who  was  probably  one  of  the 
most  skilled  surgeons  of  the  day.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  LTniversity  as  M.  D.,  May 
2,  1887.  Deciding  to  locate  in  Akron,  he 
came  here  and  entered  an  office  with  Dr. 
Thomas  McEbright,  with  whom  he  remained 
one  year.  Since  then  Dr.  Cleaver  has  prac- 
ticed alone,  and  for  some  years  has  devoted 
himself  mostly  to  surgery.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  American  Medical  A.ssociation,  the 
State  Medical  Association,  the  Union  Medical 
Association  of  the  Sixth  Councilor  District, 
this  state;  the  Mississippi  Valley  Medical  As- 
sociation, and  the  Summit  County  Medical 
Society,  to  all  of  which  he  has  contributed 
carefully  prepared  papers  on  medical  and  sur- 
gical subjects.    Dr.  Cleaver's  modern-equipped 


654 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


offices  are  located  in  the  Quaker  OaU;  Build- 
ing. 

On  October  24,  1894,  Dr.  Cleaver  was  mar- 
ried at  Akron  to  Mabel  Wagoner,  who  i»  a 
daughter  of  Captain  xVaron  Wagoner,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Josephine.  The  family 
home  is  at  No.  605  West  Market  Street.  Politi- 
cally Br.  Cleaver  is  a  Republican.  He  ha^ 
served  both  as  city  physician  and  inlirmary 
physician.  Fraternally  he  is  ccnnected  with 
the  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Akron  Medical  Club. 

JOHN  T.  BRITTAIN,  a  leading  citizen  of 
Springfield  Township,  where  he  owns  135 
acres  of  valuable  land,  was  born  in  Columbia 
County,  Pennsylvania,  August  6,  1823,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Albertson) 
Brittain. 

The  mother  of  Mr.  Brittain  died  when  he 
was  eight  years  of  age.  In  1832  his  father 
came  to  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  settled  on 
the  farm  on  which  his  son,  John  T.  Brittain, 
resides,  a  property  which  has  been  owned  by 
father  and  son  for  seventy-five  years.  At  the 
time  John  Brittain  located  in  Springfield,  not 
a  house  had  yet  been  built  at  Akron,  and  only 
a  sparse  population  was  scattered  over  the 
township.  Neither  schools  nor  churdies  had 
been  established,  but  Mr.  Brittain  and  his 
brother  soon  aroused  enough  interest  to  have 
a  schoolhouse  erected,  this  being  the  first  one 
in  Springfield  Township.  The  first  house 
built  on  the  Brittain  farm  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  and  was  replaced  by 'the  one  which  still 
stands,  in  which  John  Brittain  died  in  1857. 

There  were  eight  children  born  to  John  and 
Margaret  Brittain,  four  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, namely:  Henry,  Zebrith,  Jane,  Eliza- 
beth, Margaret,  John  T.,  Matilda,  and  a  son 
that  died  in  infancy,  in  Pennsylvania.  All 
the  other  members  of  the  family  reached  ma- 
turity. John  T.  Brittain  is  the  only  survivor. 
John  Brittain  was  married  (second)  in  1834, 
to  a  member  of  the  Gaynor  family,  which  was 
one  of  the  first  to  settle  in  Springfield  Town- 
ship. 

John  T.  Brittain  ha.-  had  possession  of  his 
present   farm   since   the   dcnlli   nf  hi-   father. 


His  life  has  been  mainly  devoted  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits  and  his  industry  has  brought 
him  independence.  For  some  yeai's  he  oper- 
ated a  blacksmith's  shop  and  for  three  years 
was  in  the  fire  clay  industry,  carrying  on  these 
industries  on  his  farm.  He  retains  135  acres 
of  the  original  farm,  having  disposed  of  fifty- 
six  acres  some  time  since. 

Mr.  Brittain  has  been  married  twice  (first), 
to  Hannah  Rodgers,  who  was  born  in  Geauga 
County,  Ohio,  whose  parents  were  natives  of 
Connecticut.  To  this  union  were  born  four 
children:  Amanda,  John  G.,  Sarah  and  Han- 
nali.  The  eldest  daughter  married  Wesley 
Corp,  of  Northampton,  and  all  of  their  four 
children  have  married.  John  G.,  named  for 
both  father  and  grandfather,  married  Au- 
gusta Dennis  and  they  reside  in  the  Sixth 
Ward,  East  Akron.  During  the  Civil  War 
he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Fourth  Ohio 
Battery.  Sarah  married  Herman  Newbower 
and  they  have  two  children.  Hannah  mar- 
ried Thomas  Gilcrist,  and  they  reside  at  Hart- 
ville,  where  he  is  engaged  in  celery  growing. 

Mr.  Brittain  w"as  married  (second)  to  Cath- 
erine Potts,  who  died  June  22,  1906,  aged 
seventy-four  years.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Israel  Potts  and  was  a  woman  of  most  estima- 
ble character,  one  who  was  much  beloved  by 
all  who  came  within  her  kindly  ministrations. 
There  were  six  children  born  to  this  marriage, 
as  follows:  Olive,  who  married  W.  S.  Rhodes, 
residing  at  Kent ;  Lemuel,  who  married  Carrie 
Brunil)augh,  residing  with  Mr.  Brittain; 
Alice,  who  married  Charles  Kohler,  residing 
in  Indiana ;  Cora,  who  married  Harry  Har- 
rington, residing  at  Twin  Lakes ;  and  Edith, 
who  married  L.  Ewart.  Mrs.  Ewart  is  the 
only  one  of  Mr.  Brittain's  children  who  is 
decea.sed.  His  family  record  is  a  very  re- 
markable one,  as  he  has  thirty  grandchildren 
and  forty  great-grandchildren  and  death  has 
invaded  the  family  but  once. 

Mr.  Brittain  cast  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  Henry  Clay,  in  1844,  and  has  supported 
every  candidate  of  the  Republican  party  since 
the  birth  of  this  organization.  He  has  al- 
ways taken  a  deep  interest  in  national  affairs 
and  in  local  good  government  and  has  been 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


(355 


ready  to  do  hirf  full  duty  ou  every  occasion. 
For  about  thirty  years  lie  served  as  a  member 
of  the  township  School  Board,  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  as  township  trustee. 

THOMAS  HALE,,  one  of  Springfield  Town- 
ship's substantial  men  and  leading  citizens, 
residing  on  his  well-improved  farm  of  110 
acres,  has  lived  on  this  place  for  the  past  forty- 
two  years  and  has  acquired  property  at  other 
points,  including  thirty-five  acres  near  Moga- 
dore  and  111  acre.s  in  Suflield  Township,  Por- 
tage County. 

Thomas  Hale  was  born  in  Springfield 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  March  22, 
1839,  and  is  a  son  of  Austin  M.  and  Samantha 
(Bellows)  Hale.  Austin  M.  Hale  was  born 
also  in  Springfield  Township,  in  1814,  on 
what  was  known  as  the  Christ  place,  and  was 
a  son  of  Thomas  and  Laura  (Moore)  Hale. 
The  Hale  family  is  of  Welsh  extraction,  but 
the  first  Samuel  Hale  of  whom  there  is  record, 
settled  at  Glastonbury,  Connecticut,  in  1637, 
sailing  from  an  English  port  as  a  resident 
of  Glastonbury.  He  acquired  nmch  land  and 
a  part  of  it  has  always  remained  in  the  Hale 
family.  The  old  homestead  which  has  been 
kept  for  250  years  is  the  property  of  J.  H. 
Hale,  who  also  owns  great  peach  orchards  in 
Georgia,  and  is  a  man  of  large  capital. 

The  Samuel  Hale  who  came  to  the  Western 
Resen'e  from  Groton,  Connecticut,  was  the 
great-grandfather  of  Thomas  Hale  of  Spring- 
field Township.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Connecticut  Land  Company  and  owned  as  his 
share,  5.000  acres  of  land  and  there  are  mem- 
bers of  the  family  in  the  fifth  generation,  who 
still  possess  a  portion  of  this.  Great-grand- 
father Samuel  Hale  married  Abigail  Austin, 
who  belonged  to  the  old  Austin  family  of 
Connecticut,  which  subsequently  established 
great  powder  mills  at  Akron  and  Cleveland. 
Samuel  and  Abigail  Hale  had  four  sons  and 
one  daughter,  the  latter  of  whom  became  the 
wife  of  Martin  Kent,  who  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Suffield  Township,  Portage 
County.  The  four  sons  were:  Samuel,  who 
married  a  member  of  the  old  Gaylord  fam- 
ily:  Thomas,   who   married    Laura    Moore; 


Orestes  and  Josiah,  both  of  whom  were  acci- 
dentally killed. 

Thomas  Hale,  grandfather  of  Thomas  Hale 
of  Springfield  Township,  lived  on  what  was 
known  as  the  Kent  farm.  He  died  in  1839, 
aged  fifty-six  years.  He  married  Laura 
Moore,  who  died  in  1864,  aged  seventy-three 
years.  They  had  one  son,  Austin  M.,  who 
died  in  1889,  aged  seventy-four  years.  He 
married  Samantha  Bellows,  who  was  born  in 
Albany  County,  New  York,  and  came  to  Ohio 
with  her  father,  Ephraim  Bellows,  who  was 
born  at  Groton,  Connecticut.  The  mother  of 
Mrs.  Hale  died  when  she  was  only  eleven  days 
old.  The  surviving  children  of  Austin  M. 
and  Samantha  Hale  are:  Thomas;  Laura, 
who  married  Henry  Stahl,  residing  at  Hud- 
son, have  two  surviving  children,  Howard, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  banking  business  at 
Cleveland;  and  Mary,  who  married  Frank 
Huff,  residing  at  Mogadore,  has  two  children. 
Albert,  of  the  above  family,  died  in  October, 
1903,  aged  fifty-eight  years.  He  maried  Ella 
Smith,  of  Suffield  Tow-nship,  and  they  had 
a  family  of  five  children.  Austin  M.  Hale 
was  married  (second)  to  Laura  Brown,  a 
daughter  of  one  of  the  early  settlers,  and  they 
had  one  daughter,  Nellie,  who  married  Rev. 
J).  D.  Fennel,  a  minister  of  the  Disciples 
Church,  and  they  live  on  the  old  homestead 
in  Springfield  Township,  Summit  County, 
where  Samuel  Hale,  the  great-grandfather  set- 
tled when  an  old  man  and  where  he  died  in 
1809. 

In  1827,  his  son  Thomas  Hale  removed  to 
Springfield  Township,  Summit  County,  this 
being  two  years  after  the  great  wind  storm 
which  had  swept  through  Springfield  and  in- 
to Brimfield  Township,  Portage  County.  It 
cut  a  swath  one-quarter  of  a  mile  in  width, 
practically  destroying  miles  of  valuable  tim- 
ber. Great  barricades  of  logs  lay  in  this  path 
for  the  following  fifty  years  and  Mr.  Hale  has 
seen  these  logs  and  has  also  conversed  with 
the  venerable  Mr?.  Sax,  who  witnessed  the 
havoc  made  by  this  unusual  deinonstration 
of  nature's  forces.  No  one  was  seriously  in- 
jured, this  being  easily  explained  by  the  fact 
that  the  country  was  then  so  sparsely  settled. 


05(i 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


but  iiiaiiy  historic  events  are  dated  "from  the 
year  of  the  great  storm."  Mr.  Hale  has  seen 
one  of  the  great  forest  trees  which  escaped 
destruction,  on  which  his  grandfather, 
Thomas  Hale,  had  carved  his  name  and  the 
date  of  1828. 

Thomas  Hale,  of  Springfield  Township, 
was  reared  among  pioneer  conditions.  He  at- 
tended school  sixty-three  years  ago  in  a  lit- 
tle house  in  Mogadore,  which  was  subsequent- 
ly moved  to  a  farm  to  do  duty  as  a  barn,  and 
the  old  door,  which  so  often  opened  to  admit 
the  );are-footed  little  boys  and  girls  of  his  child- 
hood to  their  more  or  less  unwelcome  ta.sks  over 
book  and  slate,  still  swings  true  on  its  hinges. 
In  1847-8  a  new  schoolhoiLse  was  built  at  Mo- 
gadore, and  it  probably  was  considered  the 
acme  of  modern  construction  and  convenience, 
and  Mr.  Hale  remembers  being  on  hand 
bright  and  early  on  the  morning  of  the  first 
session,  in  1848,  in  order  to  have  a  first  choice 
of  seat.    This  schoolhouse  still  stands. 

Mr.  Hale  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm 
and  in  setting  out  a  large  amount  of  nursery 
stock.  Austin  M.  Hale  took  a  great  deal  of 
interest  in  growing  fruit  and  for  a  number 
of  years  conducted  a  business  which  was  con- 
sidered a  satisfactory  one  at  that  time,  in  the 
line  of  raising  fruit  and  other  trees,  imder 
the  firm  name  of  A.  M.  Hale  &  Sons.  When 
he  married  he  was  residing  on  the  farm  on 
which  he  was  born,  on  the  Akron  and  Moga- 
dore road,  but  afterward  moved  to  the  farm 
on  which,  as  mentioned  above,  he  has  lived 
for  forty-two  years.  This  land  was  the  old 
Sax  farm,  Martin  Sax,  the  first  settler,  having 
lived  here  all  his  life.  The  residence,  which 
Mr.  Hale  has  remodeled  and  added  to,  was 
built  by  the  son  of  Mr.  Sax.  Mr.  Hale  has 
continued  to  make  improvements  and  in  1892 
he  completed  the  erection  of  his  substantial 
barn,  which  has  dimensions  of  40  l)y  60  feet. 
He  retains  110  acres  in  his  home  farm,  which 
he  devotes  mainly  to  wheat  growing,  and  has 
sold  thirty-two  acres  to  the  Granite  Clay  Com- 
pany and  some  land  to  the  Colonial  Brick 
Company.  His  other  land,  in  Mogadore  and 
in  Portage  County,  i.=  all  very  valuable. 

In   186.'),  Mr.   Hale  married  Emilv  HufT. 


who  is  a  daugliter  of  James  and  ^^'ilhelmina 
(Erdley)  Hutf,  who  came  from  Pennsylvania 
and  settled  in  the  southern  part  of  Springfield 
Township,  moving  later  to  the  Siix  farm, 
which  they  purchased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hale 
have  two  children,  Alice  and  Frederick.  The 
former  married  Rev.  G.  T.  Norris  and  they 
reside  "at  Marlboro  and  have  two  sons,  Wen- 
dell and  Paul.  Frederick  Hale  is  a  mechan- 
ical engineer  in  the  employ  of  the  Westing- 
house  Company  and  is  stationed  at  Wilkins- 
burg,  Pennsylvania.  Pie  received  his  primary 
education  at  Mogadore  and  then  entered  the 
Ohio  University  and  took  a  course  in  mechan- 
ical engineering,  making  a  specialty  of  gas 
engines.  He  is  still  a  young  man  but  has 
attained  to  a  fine  position  with  the  Westing- 
house  people.  He  married  Jennie  Hartman. 
of  Ashtabula  County,  and  they  have  had  four 
children :  Genevieve,  Marguerite,  Harriet, 
and  a  son,  who  is  deceased.  In  politics, 
Thomas  Hale  was  reared  a  Republican,  but 
in  local  matters,  votes  independently.  With 
his  wife  he  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  at  Mogadore. 

HIRAM  C.  HENRY,  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Henry  &  Patterson,  dealers  in  lumber 
and  general  contractors,  at  Akron,  with  busi- 
ness location  at  No.  282  Torrey  Street,  has 
been  engaged  in  contracting  for  the  past 
twenty-six  years  and  is  generally  recognized 
as  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  reliable  men  in 
his  line,  in  this  city.  Mr.  Henry  was  born 
in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  in  1848,  was 
reared  and  educated  in  his  native  place  and 
learned  the  carpenter  and  mill-wright  trade 
with  his  father,  the  late  Samuel  Henry. 

In  1871  he  'came  to  Akron  and  for  some 
eight  years  worked  as  a  mill-wright,  building 
mills  for  the  Schumackers,  and  paper  mills 
for  other  parties,  continuing  work  also  as  a 
carpenter,  and  gradually  drifting  into  con- 
tracting, which  later  became  his  main  inter- 
est. It  is  estimated  that  Mr.  Henry  has  pro- 
ably  done  a  larger  amount  of  building  here 
than  any  other  individual  contractor,  For 
the  past  fourteen  vears  he  has  also  been  han- 
dling lumber,  and  tlH>  firm  of  ITenrv  &  Patter- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


657 


son  operates  a  planing  mill  in  connection  with 
their  other  work.  The  firm  wa^  established 
in  February,  1907.  Mr.  Henry  employs  from 
twelve  to  twenty  men  and  divides  them  into 
three  gangs.  He  gives  his  personal  attention 
to  all  his  contracts  and  has  been  careful  to 
keep  up  the  standard  which  he  established 
when  he  first  started  into  bu.siness. 

In  1873,  Mr.  Henrj*  was  married  to  Eliza- 
beth Weeks,  of  Trumbull  .County.  He  and 
his  wife  have  two  children :  Carrie,  who  mar- 
ried P.  H.  Baldwin,  of  Newark,  New  Jersey ; 
and  Bertha  M.,  who  married  Arthur  Richards, 
of  Akron,  Ohio.  Mr.  Henry  is  a  member  of 
the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Ak- 
ron, and  for  twenty  years  has  served  on  its 
official  board. 

BENJAMIN  HART,  a  representative  citi- 
zen of  Springfield  Township,  where  he  owns 
a  fine,  well-improved  farm  of  -eighty  acres, 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  village  of  Moga- 
dore  since  1902.  Mr.  Hart  was  born  June  5, 
1832,  and  is  a  son  of  Jesse  and  Freelove 
(Ive.s)   Hart. 

Mr.  Hart  belongs  to  an  old  and  honorable 
pioneer  family  of  New  England  stock,  his 
ancestors  having  been  among  the  first  settlers 
of  Springfield  Township  and  among  the  very 
early  residents  of  Summit  County,  coming 
here  a  few  years  after  the  admission  of  Ohio 
as  a  .state. 

Jesse  Hart,  father  of  Benjamin,  was  born 
in  Connecticut,  in  1773,  and  died  in  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  July  18,  1868,  aged  ninety- 
four  years.  When  twenty-eight  years  of  age 
he  married  Esther  Warner,  in  Connecticut, 
and  they  had  the  following  children :  Worthy, 
who  wa«  born  March  12,  1808 ;  Amy,  who  was 
born  January  29,  1805;  Esther,  who  was  born 
•Tanuary  15,  1808 ;  Patience,  who  was  born 
April  10,  1809 ;  and  Welcome,  who  was  born 
February  19,  1811.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  March  28,  1811.  Jesse  Hart 
was  married  (second)  also  in  Connecticut  to 
Freelove  Ives,  September  15,  1811.  She  wa.s 
born  in  Vermont  and  died  in  Summit  Countv. 
Ohio.  November  7,  1863,  The  children  of 
Je.sse  and  Freelove  Hart  were:     Louisa,  who 


was  born  August  2,  1812,  married  Homer 
Root;  Jesse,  who  was  born  April  27,  1813, 
married  Rachel  Richards;  Phoebe,  who  was 
born  September  17,  1816,  married  Otis  Merri- 
man ;  George,  who  was  born  October  22,  1818, 
married  (first)  Eliza  Nelson,  and  (second) 
Mrs.  Lizzie  (Hile)  Bean;  Elizabeth,  who  was 
born  October  18,  1821,  married  John  Hixon; 
Amos,  who  was  born  April  28,  1824,  died 
from  an  accident,  when  two  years  of  age; 
Harriet,  who  was  born  August  27,  1826,  mar- 
ried (first)  William  Chapman,  and  (second) 
John  Smith ;  Sarah,  who  was  born  August  1, 
1828,  married  (first)  Joseph  Conrad,  and 
(second)  Robert  Fisher;  and  Benjamin,  who 
was  born  June  5,  1832,  the  youngest  of  a  fam- 
ily of  fourteen  children. 

"^In  1812,  Jesse  Hart  left  Conecticut  with 
his  family  and  made  the  journey  to  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  in  covered  wagons,  bringing 
along  many  household  treasures,  and  probably, 
as  did  many  other  early  settlers,  his  cows  and 
horses.  He  settled  on  what  became  known 
as  the  Hart  homestead,  in  Springfield  Town- 
ship, west  of  Logtown,  where  the  remainder 
of  his  life  was  pa.ssed.  He  found  only  a  small 
portion  of  the  land  cleared,  heavy  timber  cov- 
ering the  balance,  and  it  required  years  for 
himself  and  sons  to  cut  down  this  timber, 
blacken  and  then  grub  out  the  stumps  and 
I)lace  it  all  under  cultivation.  His  experience 
was  that  of  other  pioneer  settlers,  a  little  easier 
in  his  case  because  he  possessed  more  ample 
means  than  many  others.  His  older  chil- 
dren, however,  were  all  daughters  and  years 
I)assed  before  his  sons  could  materiallj'  assist 
in  the  heavy  labor.  He  first  erected  a  log 
house  of  fair  dimensions,  and  in  this  the  fam- 
ily lived  and  increa.sed  for  ten  years.  About 
1822.  he  erected  a  .substantial  brick  house,  in 
which  he  lived  until  he  died  and  which  still 
remains  on  the  farm  in  habitable  condition. 
In  all  that  went  to  promote  the  civilization 
of  this  section  and  to  advance  the  welfare  of 
the  community  in  which  he  had  been  an 
early  pioneer.  -lesse  Hart  was  a  man  to  be  de- 
f>ended  upon.  He  lived  to  witness  wonderful 
changes  in  tlie  country  to  which  he  had  come 
so  early,  and  on  which  he  left  an  imj)ress  on 


658 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


account  of  his  sterling  character.  The  Hart 
connections  are  found  all  over  this  section, 
almost  all  of  his  children  having  married  and 
left  descendants. 

Benjamin  Hart  was  born  in  the  brick  house 
above  mentioned  and  resided  in  it  until  1892. 
His  education  was  obtained  in  the  early  dis- 
trict schools  near  his  home  and  he  enjoyed 
one  term's  instruction  at  a  private  school  in 
Mogadore.  He  continued  to  cultivate  the 
patrimonial  farm  until  1892,  when  he  passed 
it  on  to  his  children  and  grandchildren  and 
at  last  the  old  place  was  sold,  but  it  is  still 
called  the  old  Hart  homestead.  In  1892,  Mr. 
Hart  moved  from  the  old  farm,  which  con- 
tained 150  acres,  to  a  farm  of  eighty  acres, 
which  he  purchased  of  R.  L.  Ewart,  and  that 
farm  he  occupied  and  operated  until  he 
moved  to  Mogadore,  in  1902. 

On  November  15,  1855,  Benjamin  Hart 
was  married  to  Mary  L.  Meacham,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Prudence  (Force) 
Meacham.  Benjamin  Meacham  was  born  in 
Connecticut,  came  as  an  early  settler  to  Sum- 
mit County,  and  lived  in  both  Tallmadge  and 
Springfield  Townships.  The  mother  of  Mrs. 
Hart  died  when  she  was  two  years  old,  but 
her  father  survived  some  forty  years.  The 
children  born  to  Benjamin  and  Mary  L,  Hart 
were  the  following:  Alice,  Clara,  Mary  L., 
Sarah  L.,  Wilbur  Judd,  and  Raymond,  Alice, 
who  married  Clark  AVoolf,  resides  in  Spring- 
field Township,  and  they  have  three  children. 
May,  Mahlon  and  Bessie.  Clara,  deceased, 
married  Edward  Daugherty,  and  at  death, 
December  12.  1886,  left  two  sons,  James  Ben- 
jamin, who  has  become  a  prominent  citizen 
of  New  Berlin,  and  Irvin  Garfield,  who  is  a 
succes.«ful  dentist  residing  at  New  Berlin. 
May  L.,  who  married  Homer  L.  Hudson, 
October  7,  1882,  died  September  7,  1888, 
leaving  one  daughter.  Clara  Louise;  Sarah  L., 
was  married  August  27,  1885,  to  Amos  K. 
Douglas  and  they  have  four  children,  Rosa- 
mond. Ray  Hayes,  Ethel  and  Helen.  Wilbur 
,Tudd  Hart  was  married  .Tune  3.  1890,  to  Viola 
Funt,  and  they  have  eight  children,  Jennie, 
James,  Edith,  Clara,  Gertrude.  Trvin  (de- 
ceased),  Elwood.    and   Florence   V,     Wilbur 


Judd  Hart  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Tall- 
madge Township,  Raymond  Hart,  the 
youngest  member  of  the  family,  conducts  a 
meat-market  at  Mogadore,  On  October  14, 
1900,  he  married  Mrs,  Maggie  (Flick)  Kline. 

Benjamin  Hart  has  been  a  life-long  Repub- 
lican and  was  a  strong  supporter  of  the  policies 
of  the  late  Governor  Pattison.  He  has  always 
been  a  vigorous  fighter  for  the  cause  of  tem- 
perance and  lives  up  to  his  convictions.  He 
has  never  used  into.xicants  nor  tobacco,  and  in 
the  vigor  of  his  seventy-five  years  may  be 
read  an  excellent  and  convincing  temperance 
lecture. 

Mr.  Hart  is  one  of  the  prominent  and  sub- 
stantial men  of  this  part  of  Summit  County, 
not  only  on  account  of  his  material  posses- 
sions, but  for  the  sturdy  qualities  and  sterling 
attributes  which  have  marked  the  family 
name.  The  years  have  touched  him  kindly, 
silvering  his  hair  but  leaving  his  heart  young. 
In  the  friendly  clasp  of  his  hand  and  the 
hearty  sound  of  his  voice  is  a  cheer  that 
speaks  of  a  well  regulated  life,  a  clear  past  and 
a  hopeful  future. 

ROSSEAU  HESS,  proprietor  of  the  Ak- 
ron Nurseries,  which  are  located  on  B^itler 
.\ venue,  North  Hill,  and  include  seven  and 
on&-half  acres,  was  bom  in  Guilford  Town- 
ship, Medina  County,  Ohio,  July  .30,  1865, 
a.nd  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Charity  (Howe) 
Hess. 

When  Ro-;seau  He.«s  was  eight  years  of  age. 
his  father,  who  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade, 
moved  to  Akron,  and  the  son  enjoyed  excel- 
lent school  advantages  there.  Subsequently, 
he  attended  Buchtel  College  and  later  en- 
gaged for  some  years  in  teaching  school,  be- 
ginning in  Geiauga  County,  Later  he  became 
principal  of  the  schools  at  Frontenac,  Kan- 
sas, and  from  there  went  t-o  Montana,  where 
he  taught  school  for  three  years  on  a  govern- 
ment resen-ation.  When  Mr.  Hess  returned 
to  .\kron,  he  became  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Akron  Soap  Company  for  one 
year,  and  for  two  following  years  conducted 
a  roofing  bu.siness  under  the  firm  name  of 
Kasch  &  He=s.     When  he  .sold  out  his  inter- 


DAVID  J.  THOMAS 


AND    RErRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


661 


est  in  this  concern,  he  embarked  in  his  pres- 
ent line.  Mr.  Hess  makes  a  specialty  of  or- 
namental trees,  shrubbery  of  all  kinds  and 
perennial  plants.  He  employs  five  agents  and 
is  doing  a  large  business.  His  natural  bent 
led  him  into  landscape  gardening,  and  dur- 
ing the  eight  years  in  which  he  has  been  in 
the  nursery  business,  he  has  done  a  large 
amount  of  work  in  this  line,  being  the  only 
landscape  gardener  at  Akron.  He  is  frequent- 
ly called  to  different  parts  of  the  county  to 
lav  out  grounds  around  country  houses. 

On  May  26,  1892,  Mr.  Hess  was  married 
to  Mamie  Rockwell,  Miho  is  a  daughter  of 
Dr.  J.  W.  and  Elvira  (Van  Evera)  Rockwell. 
Dr.  Rockwell  is  one  of  the  leading  phvsicians 
of  Akron.  Mrs.  Rockwell  died  July  20,  1907. 
Her  father,  Reinhardt  ^^an  Evera,  operated 
for  many  years  the  old  stage  coach  hotel  at 
Copley  Center.  Later  he  became  proprietor 
of  the  old  E.rchanyi'  Hotel,  at  Akron,  and, 
after  it  Inirned  down,  he  bought  a  farm  in 
Tallmadge  Township,  but  later  returned  to 
Akron.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Peterson,  who  is  the  mother-in-law 
of  Hon.  Charles  Dick. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hess  have  two  children : 
Hazel  R.  and  J.  Ro.ss.  Mr.  He.ss  belongs  to 
the  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Odd  Fellows. 

DAA'ID  .1.  THOMAS,  coal  dealer,  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  is  an  honored  survivor  of  the 
great  Civil  War,  from  which  he  safely 
emerged  after  many  thrilling  adventures  and 
innumerable  dangers  and  hardships.  Mr. 
Thomas  was  born  at  Palmyra,  Portage 
County.  Ohio,  March  14,  1841,  and  is  a  son 
of  .Tohn  and  Anna   (Rees)   Thomas. 

John  Thoma«,  his  father,  was  born  in 
Wales,  came  to  America  in  1835,  and  died 
on  the  farm  which  he  had  cleared  from  the 
\-irgin  forest,  in  Portage  County,  when  aged 
seventy  years.  Prior  to  emigrating  he  had 
met  with  an  accident  which  nece.«sitated  the  ■ 
amputation  of  a  leg,  and,  as  typical  of  his 
character  and  showing  his  physical  courage, 
lie  calmly  watched  the  surgeon  at  his  work, 
disdaining  to  even  deaden  his  sen.ses  with  the 
alcohol,   which,   at  that  time,   was  the  only 


Tnerciful  help  known  in  surgery.  Although 
disabled,  he  held  his  own  with  men  who  had 
more  advantages,  and  in  addition  to  clearing 
up  his  pioneer  fai'm  and  carrying  on  its 
cultivation,  he  worked  as  a  blacksmith  and 
was  employed  in  this  line  on  the  old  Ohio 
and  Pennsylvania  Canal.  After  coming  to 
America  he  became  interested  in  politics,  and 
up  to  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  was  a  strong  Whig,  later  giv- 
ing active  supporti  to  the  new  organization, 
and  for  years  was  one  of  the  two  Repub- 
licans in  his  township.  He  married  Anna 
Rees,  who  died  in  1867,  aged  seventy-one 
years,  and  they  had  ten  children,  namely: 
Sarah,  now  deceased,  who  married  Da\'id 
Williams;  Rees,  deceased;  Ann,  who  married 
Henry  Harris,  both  being  now  decea.sed; 
Margaret,  who  married  Evan  Hughes,  of 
Braymer,  Mi.ssouri ;  David  J.,  John,  decea.sed; 
Martha,  who  married  David  Jenkins,  both  of 
whom  are  deceased,  and  three  others  that  died 
in  infancy. 

David  J.  Thomas  remained  at  home  assistr 
ing  in  the  farming,  until  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age.  He  attended  the  district  school, 
had  one  year's  instruction  in  the  High 
School,  and  then  went  to  Tallmadge,  where 
he  worked  in  the  coal  mines  until  1862. 
Early  in  this  year,  Mr.  Thomas  enlisted  for 
service  in  Company  C,  115th  Regiment.  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  organization 
he  .«erved  in  the  Civil  War  for  three  years, 
lacking  a  month.  This  re.giment  was  kept 
actively  engaged  and  Mr.  Thomas  took  part 
in  all  its  movements  until  he  was  taken  pris- 
oner at  Lavergne,  Tennessee,  during  Greneral 
Hood's  raid  on  Nashville.  After  ten  days, 
with  two  other  members  of  the  regiment,  he 
escaped,  and  a  recital  of  the  way  in  which 
this  was  managed  is  very  interesting. 

The  weather  at  this  time  was  very  cold  and 
the  prisoners  were  guarded  in  the  Court 
House  at  Columbia,  Tennes.«ee,  in  which  they 
huddled  around  one  little  fire  which  was  to- 
tally inadequate  for  the  .«pace  it  was  supposed 
to  heat.  The  Union  prisoners  were  sent  out 
to  gather  the  wood  to  burn  and  these  expe- 
ditions  gave  them    the   opportunity  to  learn 


062 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


the  lay  of  the  land  and  to  secure  other  in- 
formation necessary  in  effecting  their  escape, 
which  was  foremost  in  the  minds  of  all. 

Mr.  Thomas  remembers  saying  to  his  fel- 
low prisoners,  on  the  day  of  capture:  "If 
tliey  get  me  to  Andersonville,  they  are 
smarter  than  I  think  they  are,"  and  to  this 
significant  remark  Samuel  Perry  replied: 
"Davie,  I  am  with  you,"  and  they  shook 
hands  on  it,  meaning  that  each  one  should 
watch  for  an  opportunity  and  follow  up  any 
advantage  gained.  The  other  comrade,  James 
Cassidy,  soon  joined  in  the  compact,  all  three 
deciding  to  stand  together.  While  the  pris- 
oners were  stamping  about  the  room,  in  this 
way  trying  to  keep  up  a  circulation,  Mr. 
Thomas  and  his  companions  were  able  to 
secretly  remove  the  nails  from  a  barricaded 
door,  which  happened  to  be  imguarded,  and 
they  managed  to  place  their  blankets  on  the 
floor  right  by  this  door,  pretending  to  go  to 
sleep  there,  but  they  were  never  more  wide 
awake.  The  night  guard  became  drowsy,  and 
Cassidy  managed  to  slip  the  cap  from  his 
gun,  in  this  way  preventing  his  sihooting  if 
he  awakened  while  they  were  getting  awaj'. 
As  all  preparations  had  been  made  to  take 
the  prisoners  to  Andersonville,  Mr.  Thomas 
and  his  comrades  felt  there  was  no  time  to 
be  last.  In  the  afternoon  they  had  all  been 
given  full  rations.  As  Mr.  Thomas  and  his 
two  friends  slipped  out,  he  threw  his  blanket, 
for  which  he  had  swapped  his  overcoat,  over 
his  .shoulders,  a  common  practice  among  the 
thinly-clad  Confederates,  and  picking  up  an 
old  musket,  which  was  really  entirely  use- 
less, he  marched  his  two  comrades,  appar- 
ently prisoner.'^,  down  the  street  in  front  of 
him.  It  was  a  daring  venture,  the  night  be- 
ing one  of  bright  moonlight,  l)ut  the  ruse 
was  never  suspected  by  the  many  Confed- 
erate soldiers  whom  they  passed,  and  on  and 
on  they  went,  cro-ssing  rivers  and  barely  es- 
caping capture  on  many  occasions.  Once 
they  came  face  to  face  with  a  Confederate 
officer,  .whom  they  had  thought  was  a  Union 
man,  but  escaped  from  him,  although  fired 
on  a  number  of  times.  On  another  occasion 
they  just,  got  over  a  fence  in  time  to  escape 


a  marching  regiment  of  Confederates.  They 
suffered,  greatly  from  the  drenching  rains 
and  from  fording  creeks  where  the  water 
came  up  to  their  armpits,  the  intensely  cold 
weather  hut  adding  to  their  misery.  By 
means  of  a  compass  which  they  had  secured 
through  trading  an  overcoat,  they  were  able 
to  shape  their  course,  traveling  by  night  and 
secretiHg  themselves  by  day.  On  one  occar 
sion  they  overheard  one  man  tell  another, 
unconscious  that  three  half-famished  Union 
soldiers  were  lying  behind  the  cedar  log  by 
the  roadside,  the  good  news  that  the  Con- 
federates were  retreating  from  Nashville.  Be- 
fore the  conversation  ended,  a  third  man 
joined  the  others,  and  the  horse  he  rode  came 
so  near  Mr.  Thomas  that  the  latter  thought 
every  moment  his  brains  would  be  crushed 
out  by  his  hoofs.  Not  daring  to  make  a 
motion,  Mr.  Thomas  thinks  that  ten  or  fif- 
teen minutes  was  about  the  most  perilous  of 
his  life.  Under  such  circumstances  Mr. 
Thomas  and  his  comradas  managed  to  make 
their  way  to  a  point  three  miles  back  of  La- 
vergne,  where  they  met  kind  treatment  from 
a  Mr.  Austin,  who  hid  them  for  .several  days, 
and  in  the  meantime  their  locality  was 
brought  within  the  Union  lines.  Ever  since 
the  close  of  the  war,  these  three  old  veterans 
have  held  an  annual  reunion,  and  it  is  a 
privilege  indeed,  when  one  of  the  younger 
generation  is  permitted  to  hear  this  story 
from  the  lips  of  the  participants.  Mr. 
Thomas  is  a  member  of  Eddy  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic. 

After  the  close  of  his  army  service,  Mr. 
Thomas  returned  to  Tallmadge,  where  he 
lived  until  the  fall  of  1867,  when  he  came 
to  Cuyahoga  Falls  and  embarked  in  the  gro- 
cery business,  in  partnerehip  mth  John  I. 
Jones,  under  the  firm  name  of  Jones  and 
Thomas.  Fourteen  months  later,  Mr. 
Thomas  sold  his  interest  and  started  a  pot- 
tery opposite  his  present  coal  office,  where, 
in  partnership  wiih  his  brother,  R.  J. 
Thomas,  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
all  kinds  of  stoneware,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Thomas  Bros.  Until  the  plant  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  .several  years  later,  the  firm 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


663 


did  a  large  business.  Mr.  Thomas  then 
opened  up  his  coal  office,  which  is  the  oldest 
coal  business  in  ithe  town,  and  his  yards  are 
favorably  located  just  opposite  the  wire  mill. 

Mr.  Thomas  married  Ruth  Williams,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  William  H.  Williams.  She 
was  born  in  Walas,  where  her  mother  died, 
and  she  was  five  years  old  when  she  and  a  sis- 
ter were  brought  to  America  by  her  brother- 
in-law  and  her  sister.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas 
have  had  seven  children,  the  four  to  reach 
maturity  being:  Ella,  who  married  William 
Graham,  residing  at  Akron;  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Dr.  L.  J.  Kehres,  residing  at  Cleve- 
land; Sarah  Jo.sephine,  deceased,  and  Tracy 
David,  residing  at  Ma.ssillon.  Mrs.  Thomas  is 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 

Politically,  Mr.  Thomas  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  he  ha'*  served  some 
seven  years  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board 
at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  one  term  in  the  Town 
Council.  He  is  one  of  the  directoi-s  of  the 
Agricultural  Society. 

JOHN  GIRDEN  BRITTAIN,  a  represent- 
ative member  of  one  of  the  honorable  old 
families  of  Springfield  Township,  which  has 
been  established  here  for  a  period  of  seventy- 
five  years,  was  born  .June  16,  1847,  in  Spring- 
field Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  .son  of  John  Thomas  and  Hannah 
(Rodgers)   Brittain. 

John  T.  Brittain,  residing  on  his  farm  of 
135  acres,  in  Springfield  Township,  wa.s  born 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1823,  and  was  about 
seven  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his 
father,  John  Brittain,  to  Ohio.  He  has  been 
married  twice,  and  has  had  ten  childi'en, 
thirty  grand<^ihildren  and  forty  great-grand- 
children, and  in  this  large  family,  up  to  the 
present  writing,  there  has  been  but  one 
death,  a  remarkable  proof  of  vitality.  Mr. 
Brittain  has  long  l)een  regarded  as  one  of  the 
mast  substantial  men  of  his  community. 

John  G.  Brittain  was  the  second  eldest  and 
only  son  born  to  his  father's  fii^st  man-iage, 
there  being  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  sur- 
vive. His  education  ■was  obtained  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  - 


He  was  only  sixteen  years  of  age  when  he 
offered  his  services  to  his  country,  enlisting  in 
Company  D,  First  Ohio  Regiment,  Volun- 
teer Light  Artillery,  in  February,  1864,  the 
officers  of  which  were:  Captain  Cockrell, 
First  Lieutenant  Reid  and  Second  Lieutenant 
Palmer.  After  the  company  was  mustered 
in  at  Cleveland,  it  proceeded  to  Columbus, 
and  thence  to  Knoxville,  Tennessee.  It  took 
part  in  the  engagements  from  Chattanooga  to 
Atlanta,  participated  in  the  battles  of  Resaca 
and  Big  Sandy,  and  at  Atlanta  assisted  in  cut- 
ting the  railroad  communication.  From  that 
city  the  regiment  returned  to  Tennes.see, 
where  Mr.  Brittain  was  detained  for  a  time  by 
.sickness,  but  rejoined  his  regiment  at  Moore- 
head,  North  Carolina,  and  continued  to  per- 
form his  duty  as  a  brave  and  effective  sol- 
dier until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  serv- 
ice, and  in  July,  1865,  was  mustered  out  at 
Cleveland.  That  was  a  very  strenuous  period 
for  a  youth  of  sixteen  years,  but  Mr.  Brit- 
tain has  a  record  that  would  do  credit  to  a 
seasoned  veteran. 

In  1869  Mr.  Brittain  was  married  to 
Frances  A.  Dema.^s,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
.Jacob  and  Lucy  Demass.  Jacob  Demass  was  a 
soldier  in  the  same  regiment  with  Mr.  Brit- 
tain and  he  sitill  survives,  aged  seventy-eight 
years.  Mrs.  Brittain  was  reared  in  Portage 
County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brittain  have  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Thomas  R..  who  married 
Minnie  White,  has  five  children;  .Jud.son 
who  married  Margaret  Selser,  has  three  chil- 
dren:  Dilla,  who  maried  Clement  Chew,  has 
three  children ;  Mead,  who  married  Lizzie 
Roberts,  has  four  children:  and  John,  who 
resides  at  home. 

Mr.  Brittain  owns  a  comfortable  home  in 
one  of  the  allotments  of  'East  Akron,  in 
Springfield  Township.  He  is  a  carpenter  by 
trade.  He  belongs  to  Buckley  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Akron.  In  poli- 
tics," he  is  a  Republican. 

ALBERT  H.  RUCKEL,  general  farmer, 
residing  on  his  valuable  farm  "of  fifty-one 
acres,  is  a  well  known  citizen  of  Tallmadgo 
Towiiship,  whore  his  father  settled  in  1849. 


('>64 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Albert  11.  Ruckel  was  born  on  the  Susqui'- 
liannah  River,  in  Columbia  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, November  4,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of 
George  and  Hannah   (Crivling)  Ruckel. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Ruckel  was  also  born  in 
Columbia  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  resided 
there  until  after  his  marriage,  when  he  and 
family  started  to  Michigan  in  one  of  the 
great  covered  wagons  of  pioneer  days.  He 
proposed  to  huy  640  acres  of  land  at  $1.25 
per  acre,  but,  after  reaching  Michigan,  he 
found  that  climatic  conditions  were  such  that 
it  would  be  difficult  to  establish  .there  a  com- 
fortable home.  In  six  weeks'  time  the  wagon 
was  again  on  its  way  in  the  direction  of  Me- 
dina County,  Ohio.  Mr.  Ruckel  settled  in 
Sharon  Township,  Medina  County,  and  lived 
there  for  three  years,  removing  then  to  Tall- 
madge  Townsihip,  Summit  County.  Here  all 
the  five  children  were  reared,  namely:  An- 
drew, W'ho  die<i  in  1856;  Abner,  who  has  re- 
sided at  Whitehall,  Illinois,  for  the  past  thir- 
ty-five years,  engaged  with  his  son  in  the 
manufacture  of  pottery,  married  Emma 
Adams  of  Akron;  Clinton,  who  carries  on 
farming  on  his  property  at  Fairlawn,  west  of 
Akron,  married  Frances,  a  daughter  of  John 
Hart;  Albert  H. ;  and  Wa.^hington,  the  lat- 
ter being  the  only  child  born  after  the  family 
eame  to  Ohio.  He  married  Delia  Baldwin 
and  resides  with  his  father-in-law  at  Akron, 
and  is  engaged  in  the  mauufacture  of  sewer 
pipe.  George  Ruckel  died  August  25,  1878, 
in  his  .sixty-eighth  year,  having  long  suiTived 
his  wife,  wlio  died  in  1855,  aged  forty-four 
years. 

Albert  Ruckel  assisted  his  father  in  culti- 
vating his  farm  of  110  acres,  and,  after  his 
marriage,  he  purchased  fifty-one  acres  of  the 
homestead.  In  addition  to  learning  to  be  a 
first-class  farmer,  Albert  H.  Ruckel  worked 
for  some  time  at  the  carpenter  trade,  and  also 
traveled  for  a  pottery  firm  after  finishing  his 
education  in  the  Sixth  Ward  School  at 
Akron.  However,  for  the  past  twenty-eight 
years  he  has  devot-ed  his  attention  to  culti- 
vating and  improving  his  land.  Tn  1873  he 
built  the  comfortable  farm  residence  and  as 
they  -were  needed,  has  added  the  other  sub- 


stantial liuiklings.  Mr.  Ruckel  makes  some- 
thing of  a  si>ecialty  of  growing  potatoes  and 
he  iilso  liaises  timothy  hay. 

On  August  30,  1873,  Mr.  Ruckel  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Greenman,  who  was  born  at 
North  East,  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Norton  and  Elizabeth  (Irish) 
Greenman.  Both  parents  of  Mrs.  Ruckel 
were  born  in  ^^'ashingtoll  County,  New  York. 
Her  father  died  March  22,  1901^  aged  eighty- 
five  years,  and  the  mother  died  February 
10,  1903,  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years. 
The  four  children  of  Norton  Greenman  and 
wife  were:  Cynthia,  who  is  the  widow  of 
Leonard  Cole;  Mary,  who  is  Mrs.  Ruckel; 
Job,  residing  at  Bradford,  Pennsylvania,  mar- 
ried Adell  Cole;  and  Josephine  Cole,  who  is 
deceased.  The  family  record  of  Mrs.  Ruckel 
can  be  traced  far  back.  Her  great-grand- 
father Ba.ssett  followed  the  sea  and  lived  at 
Martha's  Vineyard.  He  was  commander  of 
a  cocTsting  ves,sel  that  touched  many  sihores 
in  the  course  of  his  voyage.  The  paternal 
grandfather  was  Job  Greenman,  a  farmer, 
and  the  grandfather  on  the  mother's  side  was 
Charles  Irish,  who  was  also  a  farmer.  All 
seem  to  have  been  men  who  left  an  impress 
that     recalls  them  to  their  descendants. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ruckel  have  two  daughter*. 
Nora  and  Edith.  The  former  is  employed  in 
the  office  of  the  American  Cereal  mill.  The 
latter  married  Harry  Feudner.  who  is  the  son 
of  the  vice-prasident  of  the  M.  O'Neil  Dry 
Goods  Company,  one-  of  the  largest  business 
houses  of  Summit  County.  Both  daughters 
of  ^Ir.  Ruckel  were  educated  at  Akron. 

The  Democratic  partv  claims  Mr.  Ruckel 
as  a  member,  hut  he  is  very  liberal  and 
broad-minded  and  usually  exercises  has  right 
to  support  those  candidates  for  office,  who.  in 
his  judgment,  will  best  provide  good  govern- 
ment and  make  wise  laws. 

FRANCIS  HANMER  WRIGHT,  a  lead- 
ing citizen  of  TaJlmadge.  was  born  in  Tall- 
madge  Township,  Summit  County.  Ohio.  July 
7.  1834.  and  is  a  .son  of  Francis  H.  and 
Clarinda  (Fenn)  Wright. 

In  1810  the  grandparents  of  Francis  Han- 


AND    EEPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


mer  Wright,  Elizur  and  Rhoda  (Hanmer) 
Wright,  came  to  Suiniuit  County.  They  set- 
tled on  what  was  known  as  the  Southwest 
road,  along  which  Mr.  Wright  bought  a  large 
tract  of  land.  He  built  here  the  first  frame 
barn  in  Tallinadge  Township,  and  this  struc- 
ture was  utilized  for  a  time  as  a  place  in 
which  lo  hold  religious  exercises.  He  con- 
tinued to  acquire  land  until  he  owned  a  large 
portion  of  the  western  half  of  the  township, 
including  the  valuable  property  known  as 
Coal  Hill.  He  had  been  a  pi'ominent  man 
in  both  church  and  public  affairs  at  Canaan, 
Connecticut,  and  he  continued  to  be  held  in 
high  esteem  after  .settling  in  Summit  County. 
He  reared  a  family  of  five  daughters  and 
four  sons,  all  of  whom  became  more  or  less 
noted  in  their  various  communities.  They 
were:  Philo,  Elizur,  Francis  H.,  James,  Pol- 
ly, Clarissa,  Harriet,  Amelia  and  Lucy.  Philo 
Wright  married  Sally  Owen  and  they  resided 
in  Tallmadge  Township,  where  he  practiced 
medicine  for  many  j-ears.  Elizur  W^right  (2) 
was  a  distinguished  man.  He  resided  for  a 
time  in  the  city  of  New  York  and  was  the 
able  editor  of  a  strong  anti-slavery  paper 
there.  He  became  professor  of  mathematics 
at  the  Western  Reserve  University,  at  liud- 
son,  which  position  he  was  obliged  to  resign 
on  account  of  his  radical  views  against  slav- 
ery-. He  then  removed  to  Denham,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  had  an  office  in  Bo.ston,  where 
he  was  an  actuary  of  life  insurance,  and  for 
several  years  was  Commissioner  of  Insurance 
for  the  state.  He  died  in  1890,  aged  eighty 
years,  at  which  time  a  biographical  sketch  of 
bis  life  was  produced  in  McClure's  Magazine. 
James  Wright  became  a  minister  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church.  After  a  pa«<torate  at  Na- 
poleon, Henry  County,  Ohio,  he  went  to  Cal- 
ifornia and  died  there  in  1900.  Polly  Wriglit 
married  Dr.  Daniel  Upson,  then  of  Worth- 
ington,  Ohio,  who  later  came  to  Tallmadge, 
and  they  were  the  parents  of  William,  Daniel 
A.,  James  AV.  and  Francis  H.,  the  latter  of 
whom  died  in  Cleveland,  and  left  a  family 
of  children.  Clari.ssa  Wright  married  a  Mr. 
Rurrell,  of  Elyria,  Ohio.  Harriet  Wright 
married  Rev.   John   Seward,   who   became   a 


minister  of  the  Congregational  Church,  who 
was  stationed  at  Hudson  and  at  other  points. 
Amelia  Wright  married  Rev.  William  Hana- 
ford,  who  entered  the  Congregational  minis- 
try, and  after  serving  pastorates  at  a  num- 
ber of  places,  died  at  Tallmadge. 

Francis  H.  Wright,  father  of  Francis  Han- 
mer, was  born  at  Canaan,  Litchfield  County, 
Connecticut,  July  16,  1795,  and  died  in  Tall- 
madge, in  1886,  aged  ninety-one  years.  He 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Summit  County 
and  subsequently  inherited  a  part  of  the  val- 
uable Coal  Hill  property.  In  partnership 
with  his  brother-in-law.  Dr.  Daniel  Upson,  he 
was  engaged  for  many  years  in  developing 
coal  mines  here,  shipments  being  made  to 
Cleveland  and  Chicago,  Mr.  Wright  accom- 
panying the  first  load  of  coal  ever  shipped  to 
the  latter  city.  He  married  Clarinda  Fenn, 
who  was  born  in  1802,  and  died  in  1888. 

Francis  Hanmer  Wright  was  reared  in 
Tallmadge,  attended  the  Tallmadge  Acad- 
emy and  spent  one  year  in  the  Cleveland  Ag- 
ricultural College,  leaving  when  nineteen 
years  of  age  and  teaching  school  for  a  year. 
He  then  .stalled  to  farm  and  subsequently 
went  into  a  dairy  business,  which  latter  in- 
dustry he  continued  until  the  spring  of  1897, 
supplying  patrons  at  Akron  for  a  period  of 
twenty-two  years.  During  the  Civil  War, 
when  the  governor  of  Ohio  called  out  men  to 
serve  for  100  days,  Mr.  Wright  responded  and 
became  a  member  of  Company  D,  164th  Regi- 
ment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was 
nuL*tered  in  as  first  lieutenant.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Cleveland,  after  assisting  in  the 
defense  of  the  forts  around  Washington  city. 
He  is  a  member  of  Buckley  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  He  belongs  to  the 
Orange. 

Mr.  Wright  married  Harriet  Kilbourn,  of 
Akron,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Lewis  and 
Eliza  Kilbourn.  Mrs.  Wright  died  July  27, 
1904,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  They  had 
four  children,  namely:  Winnifred  B.,  w-ho 
died  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years; 
Elberta,  who  married  E.  R.  Hine.  died  in 
1900,  aged  thirty-five  years,  leaving  one  son 
and   two  daughters,  Leland   W..    Winnifred 


666 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  Leora;  Friincis  H.,  who  was  born  in  1868, 
married  Fraaices  Parnialee,  a  daughter  of 
Chai'les  P.  Parmalee,  and  has  five  cliildreii, 
Julia,  Geneva,  Kathrj'n,  Doi'othy  and  Francis 
H.,  resides  with  his  father  at  Talhnadge;  and 
Ida,  who  married  W.  A.  Osborn,  lives  at  Ak- 
ron, Ohio. 

CLARENCE  M.  ZWISLER,  a  leading 
citizen  of  Springfield  Township,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  also  follows  butchering, 
is  a  representative  on  the  maternal  side  of 
one  of  the  oldest  families  in  Summit  County. 
He  was  born  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  No- 
vember 2,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Irene  (Norton)  Zwisler. 

John  Zwisler,  father  of  Clarence  M.,  was 
born  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  and  came  to 
Summit  when  a  young  man,  where  he  died 
in  March,  1900,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
He  was  a  son  of  Charles  and  Rebecca  Zwisler. 
He  followed  agricultural  pursuits  all  his  life 
On  January  7,  1864,  John  Zwisler  married 
Irene  Norton,  who  w'as  a  daughter  of  Les- 
ter and  Susan  (Johnson)  Norton. 

The  earliest  records  of  the  Norton  family 
trace  to  one  De  Norville,  who  was  a  soldier 
and  wlio  accompanied  William  the  Con- 
queror to  England  in  1066.  His  descendants 
were  early  American  colonists,  coming  from 
Bedfordshire  to  Cambridge  and  Boston,  Mas- 
sachusetts, to  Guilford,  Connecticut,  and  to 
points  in  New  Hampshire. 

Tracing  the  generations  back,  it  is  found 
that  from  Richard  Norton  descended  John 
(1),  John  (2),  Ebenezer,  Bethuel,  Peter  and 
Lester,  the  latter  being  the  grandfather  of 
Clarence  M.  Zw^sle^. 

Ebenezer  Norton,  son  of  John,  had  chil- 
dren: Christiana,  Sarah,  Freelove,  Bethuel, 
Ebenezer,  Isaac  and  A.  Norton. 

Bethuel  Norton,  son  of  Ebenezer,  had 
these  children:  Peter,  Zena.s,  Hart,  Ashbel, 
James,  Eunice  and  Sally. 

Peter  Norton,  son  of  Bethuel,  had  these 
children:  Anna  P.,  Anderson,  Lester,  Lois, 
Thomas  and  Seth  D. 

Lester  Norton,  son  of  Peter,  married  Susan 
Johnson,  in  1821,  and  thev  had  tlie  follow- 


ing children :  Lois,  iVmanda,  Perry,  Lucinda, 
Harvey,  George,  Irene  and  Susan.  The  two 
survivore  are  Amanda  and  Mrs.  Zwisler.  Les- 
ter Norton  accompanied  his  father  to  Ohio 
and  they  located  first  in  Trumbull  County 
and  then  came  to  Summit,  Peter  Norton  pur- 
chasing the  Thomas  Cook  place  in  Akron, 
where  he  died.  In  1822,  in  the  year  follow- 
ing his  marriage,  Lester  Norton  .settled  on 
the  farm  on  which  his  grandson,  Clarence  M., 
now  resides.  In  1832  he  built  the  house  and 
made  many  improvements  during  his  active 
years.  He  died  in  1881  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two  years,  survived  by  his  widow  until  1894, 
she  dying  aged  ninety-two  years  and  six 
months. 

John  Zwisler  and  wife  had  two  children, 
Lester  N.  and  Clarence  M.  The  former  re- 
sides on  Newton  Street,  Akron.  He  married 
Alice  Hearty. 

Clarence  M.  Zwisler  attended  the  district 
schools  and  applied  himself  to  agricultural 
jnirsuits.  With  the  exception  of  a  short 
time  pa.«,«pd  in  Tallmadge  Township,  he  has 
lived  his  life  on  his  present  farm  in  Spring- 
field Township.  In  addition  to  farming  he 
carries  on  a  lucrative  meat  biisine.ss. 

Mr.  Zwisler  married  Minnie  Rhodes,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  P'rederick  and  Louisa  (Rep- 
rogle)  Rhodes.  Her  father  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  her  mother  in  Stark  County. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zwisler  have  three  interest- 
ing children :  Esther  L.,  who  was  born  July 
22,  1900:  Milford,  who  was  born  August  4, 
1903;  and  Herbert  N.,  who  was  bom  January 
7,  1907. 

Politically,  Mr.  Zwisler  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Democratic  party.  For  seven  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  School  Board. 

JOHN  L.  CHAPMAN,  president  of  the 
Tallmadge  Township  School  Board  and  a 
prominent  citizen  of  thLs  section,  resides  on 
the  old  homestead  farm  of  eighty-five  acres 
and  in  the  old  brick  residence  which  was  built 
seventy-six  years  ago,  all  the  material  for  its 
construction  having  been  produced  on  the 
farm,  with  the  exception  of  the  lime.  Mr. 
Chapman    was    born     at    Akron,     Summit 


AND    REPKESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


66- 


Ck)untj,  Ohio,   January  6,  1859,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  and  Phoebe   (Budd)   Chapman. 

The  Chapmfin  family  is  of  English  extrac- 
tion. The  paternal  grandparents  of  Mr. 
Chapman  were  John  and  Elizabeth  (Burt) 
Chapman.  They  came  to  America  with  their 
children  and  settled  at  Oswego,  New  York, 
where  both  died.  They  had  the  following 
children :  Kichard,  who  lived  and  died  near 
Bloomfield,  New  York;  Mary,  who  married 
John  Rowe,  lived  and  died  at  Oswego,  New 
York:  Margaret,  who  died  unmarried,  in 
New  York;  William,  who  died  at  Wilton, 
Wisconsin,  in  1875;  Susan,  who  survived  her 
husband,  William  Merchant,  who  disap- 
l>eared  and  was  supposed  to  have  been  killed 
for  a  sum  of  money  in  his  possession ;  Charles, 
who  died  ait  Oswego,  and  John.  The  sons 
all  learned  the  milling  business  with  their 
father  and  they  ran  the  same  mill,  an  old 
tide-water  one,  which  had  been  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  family  in  Cornwall,  England, 
for  generations.  As  some  families  were 
farmers  as  far  back  as  can  be  traced,  the 
Chapmans  were  millers. 

John  Chapman,  father  of  John  L.  Chap- 
man, of  Tallmadge,  was  born  in  Cornwall, 
England,  in  1812,  and  was  nineteen  years 
of  age  when  he  left  England,  and  with  other 
members  of  his  family,  settled  at  Oswego, 
New  York.  Although  little  more  than  a  boy 
in  years,  he  had  a  good  knowledge  of  his 
trade  and  found  immediate  employment  in 
the  flour  mills  of  that  place,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1832,  when  he  came  to  Akron. 
He  was  a  pracitical  mechanic,  a  natural  one, 
and  understood  the  wheelwright  trade  and 
ever\"thing  concerning  not  only  the  operating 
but  the  consti-uction  of  mills  and  mill  ma- 
chinery. He  came  to  Akron  at  first  to  start 
in  operation  the  old  stone  mill,  which  was 
then  being  erected,  but  it  had  not  been  com- 
pleted when  he  arrived,  and  he  went  to  Mid- 
dlebim'  and  worked  some  time  for  the  firm 
of  McNorton  &  Noble. 

T\Tien  the  stone  mill  was  completed,  John 
Chapman  took  charge  and  he  made  the  first 
flour  ever  ground  in  Akron  proper,  and  con- 
tinued to  operate  that  mill  for  one  year.     In 


1833  he  returned  to  New  York,  and  for  one 
year  operated  a  mill  at  Rochester  and  then 
came  back  to  Akron,  and  for  a  sihort  time 
resumed  work  at  the  stone  mill.  He  was 
called  to  different  points  to  superintend  the 
building  of  mills  and  many  of  those  scattered 
over  Summit  County,  which,  in  their  day, 
were  valuable  adjuncts  to  the  comfort  and 
convenience  of  se-ttlers,  were  either  built  by 
him  or  under  his  supervision.  Mr.  Chapman 
then  bought  a  farm  on  which  he  lived  for 
twenty-five  years,  and  in  1872  he  purchased 
the  farm  on  which  his  widow  and  son  still 
live. 

In  1857  John  -Chapman  married  Phoebe 
Budd,  who  still  sur\-ives,  and .  they  had  six 
children:  John,  Nellie,  Carrie,  Cora,  Alva 
and  Charles,  the  latter  two  dying  in  infancy. 
John  Chapman  died  in  April,  1881,  after  a 
.<hort.  illness,  from  pneumonia.  His  age  was 
sixty-nine  years  and  ten  months.  He  was 
a  man  who  commanded  the  respect  of  all 
who  knew  him. 

The  Budd  family,  of  which  Mrs.  Chap- 
man is  a  member,  is  an  old  one  of  the  Em- 
pire State.  Her  grandfather,  Underbill 
Budd,  is  on  record  as  being  a  highly  respected 
resident  of  Ithaca,  New  York,  which  city  he 
left  to  accompany  his  son,  Solomon  Budd, 
to  Ohio.  He  married  Rebecca  Townsend,  and 
both  he  and  wife  died  at  Akron,  Ohio.  They 
had  the  following  children:  Debby  Ann,  who 
is  deceased:  John,  who  dded  in  New  York; 
Solomon,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Chapman  ;  Phebc, 
who  married  William  B.  Doyle;  Hannah, 
who  married  Daniel  Teeter,  both  died  at 
.Tones%alle,  Michigan ;  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Charles  Stetson,  died  at  Cleveland,  and  Eras- 
tus,  who  died  at  Akron,  aged  twenty  years. 

Mrs.  Phebe  J.  Chapman  was  born  at  El- 
mira.  New  York.  June  15.  1838,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Solomon  and  Emmeline  fJar- 
vis)  Budd.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Chapman  was 
bom  in  New  York,  July  4,  1813.  and  died 
at  Akron,  Ohio.  May  21,  1891.  His  wife  was 
born  in  New  York,  April  IB,  1816,  and  died 
at  Akron.  May  1.  1883.  He  was  a  manu- 
facturer of  shingles,  in  the  days  when  it  was 
a  hand  indu.'^trs'.     In  1839  he  came  tf)  Ohio 


668 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  lived  for  one  year  at  Canal  Fulton,  then 
returned  to  the  East  for  a  year.  la  1842  he 
came  back  to  Ohio  with  his  wife  and  they 
lived  at  Akron  during  tlie  remainder  of  their 
lives. 

The  eliildren  of  Solomon  Budd  and  wife 
were  the  following:  Pliebe  J.,  who  became 
Mrs.  Chapman ;  Mary  E.,  born  September  19, 

1840,  who  died  in  childhood;  Townsend  C. 
born  December  19,  1842,  married  Ellen 
Goodman,  of  Cleveland,  and  they  reside  at 
Akron ;    William    H.,    born    November    10, 

1841,  died  in  childhood;  Aurelia  A.,  born 
January  3,  1846,  who  is  the  widow  of  Jacob 
Denaple,  who  died  in  1889,  and  Julia  E., 
born  Ai)ril  18,  1848,  who  resides  at  Akron. 

John  L.  Chapman,  who  bears  his  father's 
and  gran  df  at  her '.s  name,  lived  in  the  city  of 
Akron  from  his  birth  mitil  1872,  when  he 
removed  with  his  parents  to  the  present  farm 
in  Tallmadge  Township.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Akron,  attended 
school  in  Tallmadge  Township  and  spent 
several  terms  at  Buchtel  College,  which  in- 
stitution he  left  in  1878. 

Mr.  Chapman  engaged  immediately  in 
farming  and  hns  made  many  improvements 
on  the  property.  This  farm  is  an  old  settled 
one,  its  first  owner  having  be^n  a  pioneer 
named  John  Lane,  who  sold  it  to  Samuel 
Keller,  from  whom  John  Chapman  bought. 
It  is  good  land  and  is  favorably  situated.  Mr. 
Chapman  raises  grain,  hay  and  potatoes  and 
enough  stock  for  his  own  use.  He  works 
along  modern  lines  and  meets  with  sittisfae- 
tory  results. 

In  June.  1901.  Mr.  Chapman  was  married 
to  Emma  Blackburn,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
William  T.  and  Mary  (Hurst)  Blackburn, 
of  Berea,  Ohio,  William  T.  Blackburn  was 
born  at  Kent  and  his  wife  at  Ithaca,  New 
Y'ork,  and  both  are  deceased,  the  mother  dy- 
ing in  1900,  aged  sixty-eight  years,  and  (he 
father  in  1904,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years.  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Chapman  have  one  son. 
Earl,  who  was  born  September  9,  1905. 

In  political  .sentiment.  Mr.  Chapman  is  a 
Kepublican  and  usually  gives  his  support  to 
candidates  of  thai    parly,   but   in   local    mat- 


ters occasionally  votes  for  the  man  he  feels 
is  best  qualified  for  the  otRce.  He  is  no 
seeker  for  political  honors  for  himself,  lias 
tastes  lying  in  a  different  direction.  He  is 
connected  with  several  fraternal  organiza- 
tions, belonging  to  Elm  Grove  Lodge,  No. 
501,  Tallmadge,  formerly  of  the  Aetolia 
Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias.  Apollo  Lodge, 
No.  61,  Akron,  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  to 
the  Pathfinders.  In  1904  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  School  Board  under  the  new 
law,  for  a  term  of  four  years,  and  is  its  presi- 
dent. 

ZIMMERLY  BROTHERS,  the  leading 
pork  packers  and  dealers  in  choice  meats,  in 
Summit  County,  with  a  large  retail  establish- 
ment at  Akron  and  a  five-acre  packing  plant 
at  Kenmore,  have  built  up  their  business  from 
a  small  beginning  to  the  command  of  a  mar- 
ket which  covers  all  this  section  of  Ohio. 
This  success  is  a  nionument  to  their  business 
ability,  clear  foresight  and  unflagging  indus- 
try. The  firm  of  Zimmerly  Brothers  is  made 
up  of  John,  Jacob,  Gottleib  and  Herman,  all 
experts  in  the  meat  business.  They  were  all 
born  in  Switzerland,  and  are  sons  of  Samuel 
Zimmerly.  who  died  in  that  land. 

John  Zimmerly,  the  eldest  member  of  the 
firm,  was  born  in  1855  and  was  fifteen  years 
of  age  Avhen  he  came  to  Summit  Countv. 
From  1874  until  1878,  he  lived  at  Wads- 
worth,  coming  to  Akron  in  the  latter  year. 
Here  he  worked  for  twelve  months  at  the 
harness  V)usine.ss.  and  for  the  same  length  of 
time  at  the  marble  business.  From  then  un- 
til 1891  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Ak- 
ron Iron  Company,  and  in  the  year  last  men- 
tioned became  associated  with  his  brothers 
in  the  establi.shing  of  the  meat  business  which 
has  grown  to  such  large  proportions.  In 
1905  John  Zimmerly  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Augustus  Reishler.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
German  American  club.  With  his  brothers 
lie  belong-s  to  the  German  Reformed  Church. 

Jacob  Zimmerly,  of  Zimmerly  Brothers, 
wholesale  and  retail  pork  packers  and  meat 
dealers,  was  born  in  1863,  and  remained  in 
Switzerland  until  he  had  completed  his  edu- 


EDWIN  SEEDHOUSE 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


r>71 


cation.  After  reaching  the  United  States  he 
settled  in  Akron,  and  for  seventeen  years  af- 
ter was  employed  in  the  Buckeye  Works,  in 
the  meanwhile  hecoming  interested  with  his 
brothers  in  the  founding  of  their  present 
business,  to  which  for  the  past  seven  years 
he  has  devoted  his  exclusive  attention.  He 
belong-s  to  the  German  Reformed  Church, 
as  above  intimated,  while  his  social  connec- 
tions include  a  number  of  German  societies. 

In  1904,  Herman  Ziinmerly  w^as  married 
to  Emma  Brodt.  The  brothers  are  intere.sted 
also  in  tlie  Depositors  Savings  Bank  and  the 
Akron  Brewery  Company. 

The  Zimmerly  Bi-others'  business,  started 
in  a  small  way,  as  above  mentioned,  .soon 
required  additional  buildings,  and  the 
brothers  accordingly  erected  a  brick  struetxire 
20  by  50  feet,  two  stories  iri  height,  at  No. 
215  We*t  Main  Street,  Akron.  By  1904  the 
business  had  further  increased  to  such  an 
extent  that  the  firm  found  it  necessary  to 
erect  and  equip  a  three-story  brick  building, 
30  by  62  1-2  feet,  at  the  same  time  adding 
a  story  to  their  former  structure.  This  firm 
was  the  first  in  Akron  to  put  in  a  refrigerat- 
ing machine  for  the  cooling  of  their  meat. 
They  own  also  five  acres  of  land  at  Ken- 
more  on  which  they  have  a  pork-packing 
plant  located,  which  is  finely  equipped,  be- 
ing installed  with  all  modern  appliances. 
The  main  building  is  of  brick,  100  by  40 
feet,  and  there  are  three  refrigerating  rooms 
attached.  The  thorough  sanitary  condition 
of  all  the  surroundings  ensures  the  wholc- 
someness  of  the  meat,  which  has  an  extensive 
sale  all  over  this  section.  The  firm  slaugh- 
ter 100  hogs  a  week  and  manufacture  at 
least  3,000  pounds  of  Bolougna  sausage. 
Their  name  i.*  a  .«atisfacfory  guarantee  of  the 
quality  and   purity   of  their  goods. 

EDWIN  SEEDHOUSE,  pre^^ident  and 
general  manager  of  the  Palls  Rivet  and  Ma- 
chine Company,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  one  of 
its  most  important  induf^tries,  was  bom  at 
Birmingham,  England,  April  4,  1864,  and 
is  a  son  of  .John  and  Mary  (Cox)  Seedhouse. 

The  parents    of    Mr.    Seedhouse    came    to 


America  in  1868,  and  settled  at  Wadsworth, 
Ohio,  Avhere  ho  attended  the  public  schools. 
He  afterward  became  station  agent  for  the 
Erie  Railroad  Company,  at  Sherman,  where 
he  .'served  from  1884  to"  1887.  Mr.  Seedhouse 
was  then  sliipping  clerk  for  the  Akron  Iron 
Company,  holding  that  position  for  two  years 
and  then  becoming  salesman  for  the  branch 
of  this  company,  at  Boston,  Ma.ssachusetts, 
where  he  remained  until  1892.  He  occupied 
the  same  position  in  New  York,  for  the  New 
York  branch,  from  1892  until  1893.  His 
return  to  Akron  was  in  the  capacity  of  con- 
tracting agent  for  the  same  concern,  but  in 
1897  he  severed  his  relations  with  the  above 
company,  as  it  had  been  affected  by  the  pre- 
vailing business  depres.?ion,  and  went  to  New 
York  as  general  ea.stern  manager  for  the 
Falls  Rivet  and  Machinery  Company,  where 
he  continued  until  1903.  Then  returning  to 
Ohio,  he  became  president  and  general  man- 
ager of  the  Falls  Rivet  and  Machine  Com- 
pany, which  was  organized  May  16,  1903. 
Tt  succeeded  the  old  Falls  Rivet  and  Machin- 
ery Company,  that  had  been  in  existence  for 
thirty  years.  The  business  was  incorporated 
by  the  present  board  of  directors — Edwin 
Seedhouse,  Charles  H.  Wells  and  Theophilus 
King.  This  concern  is  one  of  the  largest  of 
its  kind  in  the  whole  country.  One  plant 
is  located  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  where  it  covers 
four  acres,  with  its  own  foundry  and  build- 
ings of  two,  three  and  four  .stories  in  height, 
where  employment  is  given  250  men.  Power 
is  tran.smitted  from  the  falls  to  the  other 
plant,  which  is  located  at  Kent,  where  em- 
ployment is  afforded  150  men.  The  product 
— rivets  and  bolts — are  sold  all  over  the 
wortd.  The  management  of  this  large  indus- 
try requires  the  handling  of  a  large  amount 
of  capital  and  the  exercise  of  rare  business 
capacity.  In  addition  to  his  interests  con- 
nected -n-ith  the  above  business.  Mr.  Seed- 
house  is  vice  president  of  the  Cuyahoga  Falls 
Savings  Bank. 

Mr.  Seedhouse  married  T.ucy  M.  Miller, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  TT.  Miller,  of 
Norton  Township,  and  their  one  child.  Edna 
A.,   is   decoa.^ed.     Both    ^fr.   and   Mrs.    Seed- 


672 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


house  ai'e  laenibers  of  Trinity  Lutheraxi 
Church,  and  he  belongs  to  the  Church  Coun- 
cil and  to  the  Music  Committee,  of  which 
he  is  chairman.  The  family  home  of  Mr. 
Seedhouse  is  a  handsome  residence  situated 
on  North  Hill,  Akron.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Portage  Country  club.  Mr.  Seedhouse 
has  been  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune. 
His  parents  returned  to  England  when  he 
was  seven  years  of  age,  and  the  death  of  his 
mother  following,  he  was  reared  by  an  uncle, 
and  after  maturity  practically  made  his  own 
way  in  the  world. 

JOHN  W.  BRADY,  who  has  resided  m 
Tallmadge  Township  for  many  yeare  and  has 
lived  on  his  present  place  for  a  half  century, 
was  born  in  Oi'ange  County,  New  York,  on 
the  Hudson  River,  in  December,  1831,  and 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  Brady. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Brady  was  born  in  the 
north  of  Ireland,  and  the  mother  was  born 
in  Scotland.  They  were  married  in  Amer- 
ica and  they  had  four  children:  Bennett, 
James,  Elizabeth  and  John  W.  About  1850, 
James  Brady  went  from  Albany,  New  York, 
to  St.  Louis,  by  way  of  the  Erie  Canal,  the 
trip  consuming  six  weeks,  including  visits  to 
Cleveland,  Cincinnati  and  East  St.  Louis.  He 
remained  at  the  latter  point,  where  he  bought 
100  acres  of  land  and  engaged  in  gardening. 
From  there  he  removed  to  Jonesboro,  Illinois, 
where  he  bought  a  half  section  and  made  a 
business  of  raising  peaches  for  a  time,  but  later 
sold  this  land,  the  timber  having  been  bought 
by  the  railroads,  and  moved  then  to  Hamil- 
ton County,  Ohio.  The  wife  of  James  Brady 
died  in  Illinois,  and  he  died  in  Hamilton 
County,  Ohio. 

John  W.  Brady  is  the  only  survivor  of  his 
parents'  family.  He  came  to  Akron  prior  to 
the  Civil  War,  and  worked  at  his  trade  of 
stone-mason  until  after  his  marriage  in  1862, 
when  he  went  to  Pitt.sburg,  where  he  was  an 
employe  of  Andrew  Carnegie  for  a  time,  and 
then  returned  to  Akron.  He  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  E,  50th  Regiment.  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  under  General  Hayes,  and 
remained  in  the  service  until  after  the  battle 


uf  Fort  Donelson,  in  which  he  was  severely 
injured.  Owing  to  the  disability  thus  caused, 
he  was  honorably  discharged.  He  returned  to 
Akron  and  purchased  his  present  place  on 
which  he  has  lived  for  tifty  years. 

In  1862,  Mr.  Brady  was  married  to  Ellen 
O'Neill,  who  died  March  21,  1907.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  John  O'Neill.  They  had  the 
following  children ;  John,  who  died  in  the 
far  West;  Lois,  who  is  deceased;  Chai'les; 
Grace,  who  married  Ernest  Crouse,  resides 
at  Massillon ;  and  Bennett  and  Agnes,  both  of 
\vhom  are  deceased. 

In  political  sentiment,  Mr.  Brady  is  a  Re- 
publican. Among  his  many  interesting  rem- 
iniscences of  the  past,  he  recalls  the  time 
when  the  C.  A.  &  C.  'Railroad  was  the  only 
transportation  line  that  entererd  Akron. 

HIRAM  F.  KREIGHBAUM,  sole  owner 
of  the  Barberton  Artificial  Stone  Company, 
and  the  People's  Coal  and  Feed  Company,  at 
Barberton,  was  born  in  Green  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  November  29,  1850,  and 
is  a  son  of  Levi  and  Nancy  (Gayman) 
Kreighbaum. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Kreighbaum  was  also 
born  in  Green  Township  and  both  paternal 
and  maternal  grandparents  settled  there  at 
an  early  day,  when  they  came  west  from 
Pennsylvania.  They  were  all  people  of  solid 
character,  honest  and  industrious  and  their 
descendants  have  been  noted  for  the  same  vir- 
tues they  possessed.  They  did  much  to  hasten 
the  development  of  the  agricultural  regions 
in  the  vicinity  of  Barberton. 

Hiram  F.  Kreighbaum  attended  the  dis- 
trict school  and  helped  on  the  home  farm  un- 
til h-e  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  learned 
the  carpenter  trade,  and  it  is  estimated  that 
during  the  time  he  worked  at  the  same  he 
built  a  larger  number  of  bank  barns  than  any 
man  in  the  town,«hip.  They  still  stand  strong 
and  true  to  line  and  compass,  testifying 
silently  to  Mr.  Kreighbaum's  mechanical 
.'^kill.  He  settled  on  his  present  home  place 
in  1875  and  for  a  number  of  years  followed 
contracting.  In  August,  1905,  he  purchased 
the  People's  Coal  and  Feed  yard,  which  had 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


673 


been  the  property  of  Mr.  McDowell,  aud  has 
made  a  iuccesa  of  thii  business.  Since  the 
spring  of  iyU4  he  has  been  manufacturing 
artilicial  stone,  and  he  has  built  up  a  very 
large  and  important  industry. 

ill  l.b(4,  -ur.  Kreighbaum  was  married  to 
Ann  Louisa  SlioUey,  who  was  born  in  Cov- 
entry Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Emanuel  Sholly,  vvho,  with 
his  wife,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Mr. 
and  Mi-s.  Kreighbaum  have  four  children, 
namely:  John  Wesley,  residing  at  Barber- 
ton,  a  contractor  and  builder;  Louis  Franklin, 
residing  at  Reno,  Nevada,  a  cigannaker; 
Amos,  residing  at  Elyria,  Ohio;  and  Harry, 
who  works  as  a  carpenter  for  his  eldest  broth- 
er. Mr.  Kreighbaum's  sons  are  all  practi- 
cal, successful  business  men.  The  family  be- 
long to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

A.  S.  GREENBAUM,  proprietor  of  the 
Greenbaum  Foreign  Exchange  Bank  and 
Steamship  Agency,  and  a  large  real  estate 
dealer,  at  Bai'berton,  is  one  of  the  leading 
capitalists  of  the  town  and  one  of  its  enter- 
prising and  progressive  business  men.  Mr. 
Greenbaum  was  born  October  14,  1877,  in 
Austria-Hungary,  where  his  parents  still  re- 
side. 

The  story  of  Mr.  Grenbaum's  life  is  one 
of  unusual  interest,  proving  as  it  does,  the 
intrinsic  value  of  personal  effort,  for  he  has 
climbed  from  almost  penurj'  to  affluence  en- 
tirely through  his  own  efforts  and  by  steps 
which  are  everywhere  recognized  as  entirely 
honorable.  The  old  home  in  Hungary  was 
a  huinljle  one  and  its  resources  so  scant,  that 
when  the  lonely  boy  was  able  to  earn  fifty 
cents  a  day,  in  a  foreign  land,  he  brought 
his  own  expenses  down  to  five  cente  a  day 
so  that  he  could  send  the  balance  to  help  eke 
out  the  small  amount  his  father  was  able 
to  make  by  conducting  a  little  store.  He  was 
about  fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  left 
home,  being  the  eldest  of  the  family,  and 
came  to  America,  relying  on  himself  to  make 
his  way  in  a  country  the  language  of  which 
was  even  unknown  to  him.  The  courage  of 
vouth  is  sometimes  sublime. 


It  was  at  Pittsburg  that  Mr.  Greenbaum 
was  able  to  find  his  first  steady  employment, 
but  he  desired  to  get  farther  west  and  after 
securing  the  means,  he  went  to  Akron,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  clothing  house  of 
Henry  Krouse.  His  education,  thus  far,  had 
been  neglected,  but  he  soon  remedied  this,  at- 
tending night  school  and  devoting  every 
spare  moment  to  study.  Thus  he  not  only 
educated  himself  in  literature,  but  also  in  law 
and  has  practiced  in  the  local  courts  for  some 
years.  While  at  Akron,  his  knowledge  of 
different  German  dialects  made  him  valuable 
as  an  interpreter.  At  present  Mr.  Greenbaum 
has  command  of  six  languages  without  includ- 
ing English,  namely:  Hungarian,  German, 
Slavish,  Croatian,  Servian  and  Krainer.  He 
continued  to  reside  at  Akron  and  be  connected 
with  clothing  interests  in  that  city  until  1900, 
w'hen  he  came  to  Barberton,  where  he  is,  as 
above  stated,  a  prominent  and  influential 
business  man. 

Mr.  Greenbaum  is  a  very  valuable  assistant 
to  his  fellow-countrymen  in  their  purchases 
of  real  estate,  giving  them  legal  advice  and 
watching  their  investments,  and  there  are  now 
more  than  200  foreign-born  settlers  in  Sum- 
mit County,  who  own  their  farms  and  homes 
through  Mr.  Greenbaum's  agency.  Mr. 
Greenbaum  recognized  how  easy  it  w-as  for 
even  hard-working  people  to  spend  their  raon- 
ej'  carelessly  and  heedlessly,  and  it  has  been 
his  aim  to  show  these  how  a  small  investment 
will  result  in  later  independence. 

On  October  16,  1901,  Mr.  Greenbaum  was 
married  to  Minnie  Fuerst,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  M.  W.  Fuerst,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Ak- 
ron. Mr.  Greenbaum  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  He  has  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Barberton  Humane  Society,  having 
been  one  of  its  organizers.  In  a  contest  re- 
cently held  by  the  Akron  Beacon-Journal,  the 
prize  of  a  handsome  gold  watch  was  awarded 
to  Mr.  Greenbaum,  as  tlie  most  popular  man 
of  Barberton. 

Mr.  Greenbaum  resides  at  No.  616  Sixth 
Street,  Barberton,  one  of  the  popular  streets 
of  this  citv. 


674 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


WALTER  C.  HOLLINGER,  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  HoUinger  Company,  at  Bar- 
berton,  which  does  a  general  real  estate,  in- 
vestment, loan,  collection  and  insurance  busi- 
ness, has  his  ottices  at  No.  209  North  Second 
Street.  Walter  C.  Hollinger  was  born  May 
30,  lyGo,  at  Clinton,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  son  of  David  D.  and  Mary  N.  (Hous- 
man)    Hollinger. 

David  Hollinger,  father  of  Walter  C,  re- 
sides on  the  farm  on  which  both  he  and  his 
father,  Jacob  Hollinger,  were  born,  in  Frank- 
lin Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  the  lat- 
ter's  father  having  been  a  pioneer  from  Penn- 
sylvania. He  took  up  640  acres  of  govern- 
ment land  and  part  of  this  property  is  now 
owned  by  his  son,  David  D.  Hollinger.  It 
was  bought  for  $1.25  an  acre,  but  it  would 
take  a  large  amount  of  money  to  purchase  it 
now.  The  mother  of  Walter  C.  Hollinger 
was  also  born  in  Franklin  Township,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Ilousman,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania  and  an  early  settler  in 
Summit  County.  The  three  children  of 
David  D.  tlollinger  and  wife  are :  Walter  0. ; 
Lloyd  Jacob,  residing  on  the  home  farm ;  and 
Charles  A.,  residing  on  a  farm  in  Franklin 
Township. 

Walter  C.  Hollinger  was  reared  on  his  fath- 
er's farm  and  attended  the  district  schools  of 
the  neighborhood.  He  was  about  eighteen 
years  of  age  when  he  began  to  teach  school 
and  for  ten  years  spent  his  winters  in  teach- 
ing and  his  summers  in  farming.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1S94,  he  left  the  educational  field  to  ac- 
cept an  appointment  as  deputy  .-sheriff  vuider 
Sheriff  Griffin,  but  returned  to  teaching  after 
serving  in  that  office  for  two  years,  but  was 
subsequently  reappointed  deputy  .sheriff  and 
served  under  Sheriff  Fn\nk  G.  Kelly,  for  four 
years.  Mr.  Hollinger  then  entered  the  Guard- 
ian Savings  Bank  at  Akron,  as  bookkeeper, 
and  upon  the  consolidation  of  that  bank  with 
the  Ci'ntral  Savings  and  Trust  Company,  he 
came  to  Barberton,  and  when  the  Hollinger 
Company  was  organized  he  wxis  elected  to  his 
present  position.  This  company  was  incor- 
porated under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  in 
1904.  with  a  capital  stock  of  $10,000,  its  of- 


ficer,>  being;  H.  M.  Hollinger,  of  Akron, 
jiresident ;  C.  A.  Brouse,  of  Akron,  vice  presi- 
dent, and  Walter  C.  Hollinger,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  board  of  directors  is  made  up 
of  tlie  following  leading  men :  Fred  J.  Stein- 
ert,  of  Akron,  H.  M.  Hollinger,  of  Akron, 
Thomas  Cleinenger,  of  Akron,  Walter  C.  Holl- 
inger, of  Barberton,  L,  N,  Oberlin,  of  Clinton, 
Ohio,  and  C,  A,  Brouse,  of  Akron.  The  com- 
panv's  books  were  open  for  business  on  Sep- 
tember 14,  1904. 

On  July  11,  1907,  Mr.  Hollinger  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Cora  E.  Grove,  a  native  of 
Franklin  Township,  Summit  County.  Mrs. 
Hollinger  taught  school  in  Summit  County 
for  a  period  of  fourteen  years,  seven  of  which 
was  in  the  public  schools  of  Barberton.  Mr. 
Hollinger  has  many  pleasant  social  connec- 
tions at  Barberton,  and  he  is  fraternally  asso- 
ciated with  the  Elks  and  the  Odd  Fellows. 

MTLLIAM  II.  LAHR,  one  of  Norton 
Township's  prominent  citizens,  and  the  owner 
and  operator  of  ninety-three  acres  of  excellent 
farming  land,  situated  on  the  Wadsworth 
road,  about  one-quarter  of  a  mile  west  of 
Norton  Centre,  was  born  April  16,  1850,  on 
his  present  farm  in  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
and  IS  a  son  of  Jolm  and  Mary  Margaret 
(Miller)  Lahr. 

John  Lahr,  who  was  a  son  of  John  Lahr, 
Sr.,  was  born  in  Northampton  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  came  to  Norton  Township  in 
1.S45  wlien  a  young  man  of  twenty-three 
years.  After  his  marriage  for  four  years  he 
resided  at  Norton  Centre  and  then  removed 
to  the  present  farm  of  William  H.  Lahr, 
where  his  death  occurred  January  21.  1897. 
In  1846  John  Lahr  was  married  to  Mary 
Margaret  Miller,  who  was  born  October  19, 
1825,  in  Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Susan  (Bauer) 
Miller.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  had  come  to 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  in  1853,  with  a  party 
of  fifty  people,  but  eight  of  whom  are  now 
living,  and  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  Samuel  Miller,  Mrs.  Lahr's  brother.  Mrs. 
Lahr  still  survives,  and  makes  her  home  with 
her  son,    and   although   having  reached   ad- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


675 


vaoced  years,  her  nieinorj-  is  excellent  and 
she  is  well  preserved  both  in  body  and  mind. 
She  has  been  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  at  Loyal  Oak  ever  since  its 
establishment,  her  father  having  assisted  in 
the  erection  of  the  church  building.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  Lahr  there  were  born  three 
children :  Lucinda  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Daniel  Everhard,  died  in  1874;  and  Jonas 
Franklin  and  William  H.,  twins,  the  former 
of  whom  died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 

William  H.  Lahr  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  section  and  was  reared 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  which  he  has  car- 
ried on  all  of  his  mature  life.  Since  1904, 
he  has  lived  more  or  less  retired  from  the  ac- 
tive duties  of  the  farm,  but  he  still  takes  an 
earnest  interest  in  its  improvement.  In  addi- 
tion to  two  fine  residences,  there  is  a  substan- 
tial barn  on  thi-^  propertv,  which  was  built  by 
Mr.  Lahr  in  1868. 

On  December  1,  1870,  Mr.  Lahr  was  mar- 
ried to  Sarah  J.  Lerch,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Peter  Lerch,  and  to  this  union  there  were 
born  two  children :  Charles  H.,  and  Aletta 
Pearl.  Charles  11.  is  a  graduate  of  the  Ham- 
mel  Business  College,  at  Akron,  and  is  auditor 
of  the  Northern  Ohio  Traction  Company.  He 
married  Lizzie  Sieger.  Aletta  Pearl  is  the 
wife  of  Carman  Mj'ers,  and  they  have  one 
child,  William  A. 

DANIEL  O'MARR,  general  contractor,  and 
one  of  the  best-known  citizens  of  Akron,  has 
been  a  resident  of  this  city  since  1881  and 
has  been  closely  identified  with  its  material 
upbuilding.  He  was  born  at  Cleveland,  in 
1849,  but  was  reared  at  Independence,  Ohio, 
where  he  learned  the  brick-  and  stone-ma- 
son's trade. 

Mr.  O'Marr  ha.s  been  interested  in  the 
stone  business  all  his  active  life,  with  the  ex- 
ce])tion  of  his  school  days  and  the  period  up 
to  seventeen  years  when  he  worked  on  a 
farm,  and  even  during  that  time  he  did  some 
work  in  the  stone  quarries.  Later  he  ac- 
quired an  interest  in  the  stone  quarries  at 
Independence  and  Clinton,  Ohio,  and  opened 
up  several  quarries  of  his  own,  continuing  in 


the  quarry  business  for  about  fifteen  years,  at 
those  points.  He  came  to  Akron,  in  1881, 
and  wa.s  engaged  as  foreman  of  the  repair 
work  in  the  stone  construction  of  the  Ohio 
Canal  from  Cleveland  to  Clinton,  for  three 
years,  and  since  closing  that  contract  has  been 
occupied  with  general  contracting.  His  sub- 
stantial work  may  be  seen  in  all  parts  of  the 
city,  his  first  structure  being  the  big  cereal 
mill  on  Howard  Street,  following  which  he 
built  the  foundation  of  the  High  School 
Building,  and  then  erected  the  Baker-Mc- 
Millan Building,  the  National  Citv  Bank 
Building,  the  Gas  Works  of  the  Sixth  Ward, 
a  part  of  the  Buckeye  "Works,  a  part  of 
Adamson's  foundry,  five  buildings,  for  the 
Goodrich  plant,  and  many  others.  For  the 
past  seventeen  years  he  has  also  been  engaged 
in  street  paving  and  has  put  down  many 
miles  of  it  in  Akron,  He  estimates  his  pres- 
ent contracts  as  worth  $30,000.  He  has  al- 
ways been  and  still  continues  to  be  one  of  the 
busiest  of  busy  men  and  has  built  up  a  repu- 
tation for  thorough  work  and  prompt  service 
second  to  no  contractor  in  this  section, 

Mr.  O'Marr  was  first  married  in  1873,  to 
Mary  Conners,  who  died  in  the  fall  of  1882. 
The  four  children  of  that  marriage  were: 
Jessie,  deceased;  Minnie,  who  married  a  Mr. 
Connelly,  residing  at  Chicago,  Illinois;  Maud, 
who  married  Je&«e  Jackson,  residing  at  Buf- 
falo, New  York;  and  William,  a  resident  of 
Olio,  New  York,  Mr.  O'ilarr  married,  sec- 
ond, Kate  Glennon,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren :  John,  Paul  and  Elinor.  With  his 
family,  Mr.  O'Marr  belongs  to  St.  Vincent's 
Catholic  Church.  He  takes  a  good  citizen'.s 
interest  in  politics  and  was  appointed  sani- 
tary officer,  but  found  the  pre-ss  of  private 
bu.siness  too  heavy  and  be  resigned  tlie  of- 
fice. 

JONAS  BAUER,  general  farmer  and  suc- 
cessful grower  of  small  fruit,  who  resides  on 
his  fertile  farm  of  fifty-five  acres,  which  ad- 
joins the  Medina  County  line  on  the  west, 
has  been  a  resident  of  Norton  Township 
since  1882.  He  was  born  in  a  section  that 
has  .sent  manv  excellent  citizens  to  Summit 


(376 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


County,  xs'ortliaiiipton  County,  Pennsylvaiiiu, 
July  18,  184G,  aud  is  a  sou  of  Jacob  aud 
Mary   (Mai'sh)   Bauer. 

Jonas  Bauer  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  remained  in  Pennsylvania  for  ten 
years  succeeding  his  marriage,  when  he  came 
to  Summit  County  aud  rented  farms  in  Nor- 
ton Township  until  1895,  when  he  purchased 
his  present  place. 

Mr.  Bauer  was  married  in  Northampton 
County,  Pennsylvania,  to  Amanda  Oplinger, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Catherine 
(RaiJt)  Ojalinger.  She  was  reared  near  Mr. 
Bauer's  former  home.  To  this  marriage  four 
children  have  been  born,  three  sons  and  one 
daughter,  namely :  Owen,  who  is  employed  at 
Akron;  Marcus,  residing  at  Lafayette,  In- 
diana, who  married  Grace  Bryan;  Oliver; 
and  Minnie,  who  married  Earl  llarter. 

With  his  family,  Mr.  Bauer  belongs  to  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  at  Loyal  Oak, 
of  which  he  is  a  trustee. 

J.  A.  GEHRES,  surveyor  of  Summit  Coun- 
ty, has  been  identified  with  this  branch  of  the 
public  service  since  1884.  He  was  born  at 
Marshallville,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  October 
2,  1861.  After  completing  his  education,  he 
taught  school  at  Marshallville  up  to  1882. 
During  1882-83  he  was  enrolled  as  a  student 
at  the  O.  S.  U.  College  of  Columbus,  Ohio. 
He  entered  the  surveyor's  office  as  deputy,  in 
1884.  From  1892  imtil  1893,  Mr.  Gehres 
was  engaged  for  the  State  in  surveying  the 
State  i-ivers  and  canals,  and  for  two  years  was 
engaged  in  platting  for  the  city.  With  the 
excc]ition  of  these  periods  of  special  work,  he 
has  been  occupied  for  the  past  eleveii  years 
as  county  .surveyor.  He  was  trained  to  the 
work  in  the  Ohio  State  University,  and  with 
his  public  contract  and  extensive  outside  de- 
mands, has  his  time  very  fully  occupied.  In 
addition  to  his  engineering  and  surveying  he 
is  interested  in  a  number  of  the  successful 
business  enterprises  of  Akron,  being  a  stock- 
holder in  .several  and  one  of  the  officials  in 
the  German-American  Building  and  Loan 
Association.  In  1888  Mr.  Gehres  was  mar- 
ried to  JcnTiie  M.  Ilartoncr.     He  is  a  member 


of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  belongs  to  the 
Ohio  Engineering  Society,  the  Elks,  and  the 
Liebertaufal,  and  to  the  German-American 
club. 

HARVEY  A.  SPARHAWK,  whose  sterling 
qualities  and  useful  life  made  him  a  leading 
citizen  of  Tallmadge  Township,  was  born  in 
Norton  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
July  25,  1844,  and  died  in  1896,  on  the  farm 
of  138  26-100  acres,  in  Tallmadge  Township, 
on  which  he  had  lived  from  the  age  of  four- 
teen years.  Ilis  parents  were  Henry  G.  and 
Lucy  (Baker)  Sparhawk. 

The  Sparhawk  family  is  of  New  England 
origin  and  was  established  in  Ohio  by  the 
father  of  Harvey  A.  Sparhawk,  who  brought 
his  family  from  Vermont.  Henry  G.  Spar- 
hawk came  to  Norton  Township  on  horseback, 
his  possessions  consisting  of  his  saddle  bags 
and  an  ax.  He  took  up  land  in  Norton 
Township  which  he  cleared  and  developed 
and  which  is  now  known  as  the  Jacob  Bowers 
farm.  He  married  Lucy  Baker  and  of  their 
large  family  five  reached  maturity,  namely: 
Lucy,  who  married  Rev.  Henry  Brown,  re- 
siding at  East  Ninety-eight  Street.  Cleveland; 
Harvey  A.,  who  is  dece'ased;  Hattie,  twin  of 
Harvey  A.,  who  married  Rev.  Newton  Brown, 
residing  at  Elliott,  Maine;  Melanchthon.  who 
married  Phebe  Beebe,  residing  at  Columbus, 
Nebraska ;  and  Martha,  unmarried,  residing  at 
Columbus,  Nebraska.  Henry  G.  Sparhawk 
acquired  the  present  home  farm  in  Tallmadge 
Township  about  fifty  years  ago.  and  he  died 
on  it  in  1870,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  His 
widow  died  at  Ol^erlin,  Ohio. 

Harvey  A.  Sparhawk  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  and  subsequently 
attended  school  at  Adrian,  Michigan.  He  was 
fourteen  years  old  when  his  father  settled  on 
the  present  family  estate,  and  he  continued  to 
reside  on  it,  managing  and  improving  it,  until 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of  high 
character  and  was  regarded  with  respect  and 
esteem  hv  his  fellow-citizens.  He  lielonged  to 
Apollo  Lodge.  No.  51.  Odd  Fellows,  at  East 
Akron,  and  to  Tallmadge  Lodge  of  Knights 
of  Pvthins,  and  wa-  also  a  member  of  Tall- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


677 


madge  Grange.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church. 

In  1870  Harvey  A.  Sparhawk  was  married 
to  Emma  Wolf,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Aaron 
and  Catherine  Wolf.  Mrs.  Sparhawk  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  accompanied  her 
parents  when  they  moved  finst,  to  Maryland, 
and  later  to  Tallmadge,  Summit  County. 
They  had  the  following  children :  Arthur, 
William,  Frank  0.,  Mary  Arvilla,  Howard 
H.,  Ira,  Elmer,  and  an  infant,  the  two  last 
named  being  deceased. 

Arthur  Sparhawk  was  born  April  1,  1872. 
He  attended  the  schools  of  Tallmadge  Town- 
ship and  later  took  a  course  in  Hammel's 
Business  College,  and  still  later  spent  a  short 
time  at  Buchtel  College.  He  is  successfully 
engaged  in  farming.  William  Sparhawk 
was  born  February  20,  1874,  and  from  the 
public  schools  entered  the  Ohio  State  Uni- 
versity at  Columbus,  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
Cleveland,  where  he  is  employed  as  a  meat 
inspector  for  the  Government.  He  married 
Lulu  Arbogast  and  they  have  three  children : 
Theoron,  Mildred  and  Evaline.  Frank  0. 
Sparhawk  was  born  February  27,  1876.  He 
first  attended  the  public  schools  of  Tallmadge 
Township  and  then  took  a  course  in  Forestry, 
at  the  University  of  Colorado,  and  is  in  the 
employe  of  the  Government  as  forest  ranger 
and  owns  a  section  of  land  at  Rongis,  Wyo- 
ming. Mary  Arvilla  Sparhawk  was  born 
May  29,  1880,  and  married  Herman  T. 
Schlegle,  of  East  Akron,  who  is  the  general 
manager  of  the  Akron  Fertilizer  Company. 
They  have  one  child,  Harold  Howard.  Dr. 
Howard  H.  Sparhawk  was  born  March  19, 
1885,  in  the  old  family  home  in  Tallmadge 
Town.ship  and  attended  first  the  local  schools 
and  later  the  public  schools  of  Akron.  He 
then  entered  the  Ohio  State  University  and 
wa«  graduated  in  the  class  of  1907,  in  the  de- 
partment of  veterinary  medicine.  Ira  Spar- 
hawk was  born  July  24.  1886,  was  educated 
in  the  public  school*  of  Tallmadge  Township 
and  later  the  common  and  High  School  at 
Akron.  The  mother  of  this  family  resides  on 
the  homestead.     She  is  a  valued  member  of 


the  Congregational  Church,  and  a  lady  who  is 
highly  esteemed  for  her  many  womanly  qual- 
ities. The  whole  family  ranks  very  high 
among  the  representative  people  of  Tallmadge 
Township. 

ROSWELL  HOPKINS,  residing  on  his 
valuable  farm  of  100  acres,' which  is  situated 
in  Bath  Township,  owns  a  second  farm  of  156 
acres,  in  the  same  township,  and  in  addition 
to  farming,  has  been  interested  in  the  lumber 
business  since  boyhood.  Mr.  Hopkins  was 
born  in  the  house  in  which  he  resides,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  in  1872,  and  is  a  son  of 
Roswell  and  Emily  (Briggs)  (Case)  Hop- 
kins. 

The  grandparents  of  Mr.  Hopkins,  Isaac 
and  Susannah  (Harrison)  Hopkins,  were  na- 
tives of  Connecticut,  from  whence  they  moved 
to  the  State  of  New  York,  and  removed  from 
there  to  Summit  Comity,  Ohio,  locating  in 
Bath  Township,  September  10,  1814,  where 
the  grandfather  later  bought  a  farm  on  which 
they  lived  the  rest  of  their  lives.  Roswell 
Hopkins,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Bath  Township, 
and  resided  here  until  his  death.  In  1860  he 
went  into  the  lumber  business,  in  partnership 
with  William  Barker, .and  they  operated  a 
sawmill  and  bending  works.  Mr.  Hopkins 
sold  his  interest  at  a  later  date  and  com- 
menced to  operate  the  sawmill  near  Ghent, 
which  his  son  still  conducts,  this  old  mill  hav- 
ing been  in  use  over  seventy-five  years.  He 
married  Mrs.  Emily  (Briggs)  Case,  who  is 
also  deceased. 

Roswell  Hopkins,  son  of  Roswell,  was 
reared  on  the  home  property,  and  ever  since 
leaving  school  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
lumber  busines.-s.  In  1905  he  bought  the 
planing  mill  and  lumber  interests  of  former 
Sheriff  Barker,  and  moved  the  mill  to  its 
present  location  on  his  own  land,  one  mile 
west  of  Ghent.  Here  he  has  large  lumber 
yards  and  does  a  great  amount  of  business. 

Mr.  Hopkins  married  Ossie  Pierson  and 
they  have  seven  children,  namely:  Cecil, 
Ruth,  Helen,  Anna,  Paul,  .Juanita,  and  How- 
ard. Mr.  Hopkins  is  one  of  the  leadinig  citi- 
zens of  his  community  and  is  interested  in 


678 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


all  that  i^LTtaiiis  to  its  \\olfare.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  township  Board  of  Education. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Masons 
and  the  Maccabees. 


LEVI  ALLEN,  formerly  for  many  years 
a  well-known  and  highly  respected  citizen  of 
Akron,  and  a  worthy  repreisentative  of  several 
of  the  old  and  honored  families,  not  only  of 
this  section  of  Ohio,  but  also  of  New^  Eng- 
land, was  born  February  10,  1799,  in  Tomp- 
kins County,  New  York,  and  was  a.  .son  of 
Jesse  and  Catherine  (Fiethrick)  Allen. 

Jesse  Allen,  father  of  Levi,  was  born  at 
Cornwall,  Litchfield  County,  Connecticut,  in 
1770.  He  Avas  still  in  young  manhood  when 
he  went  to  Tompkins  County,  New  York, 
where  he  was  married,  in  1797,  to  Catherine 
Fiethrick,  who  was  born  at  Trenton,  New 
Jersey,  in  177B,  of  Holland  ancestry.  Jesse 
Allen  followed  farming  and  shoemakmg  un- 
til July,  1811,  when  he  came  to  Ohio,  trav- 
eling in  a  covered  wagon  and  bringing  along 
cattle  and  sheep  with  which  tq  stock  the  new 
farm  in  the  wilderness.  He  bought  land  in 
Coventry  Township.  Summit  County,  and 
here  developed  a  valuable  farm  on  which  he 
died  September  12,  1837.  He  served  in  the 
War  of  1812  under  Maj.  Miner  Spicer.  He 
was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  in  the  early  days,  when  the  vis- 
its of  the  pioneer  preachers  were  neces.sarily 
few  and  far  between,  he  opened  his  log  house 
to  his  neighbors  and  kept  religious  feeling 
alive.  His  ten  children  were:  Jonah,  de- 
ceased, whose  wife  was  Cynthia  Spicer ;  Levi ; 
David,  who  married  Beulah  Jones ;  Jacob,  who 
married  Catherine  Van  Sickle;  John;  Jesse; 
Catherine,  who  married  Mills  Thompson; 
Sarah,  who  married  James  M.  Hale:  Hiram; 
and  Christiana,  who  married  Charles  Cald- 
well. 

Levi  Allen  was  just  twelve  years  old  when 
his  parents  and  other  relatives  came  to  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  and  in  the  exodus  from 
the  Eastern  home  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  drive 
cattle  and  .sheep  over  the  long  route.  LTntil 
his  majority  he  remained  assisting  his  father. 


but  when  his  own  marriage  took  place  or  was 
in  contemplation,  he  purchased  land  of  his 
own  in  Coventry  Township,  on  which  he  re- 
sided vuitil  18(38,  when  he  retired  to  Akron, 
where  the  rest  of  his  life  was  passed,  his 
death  occurring  May  11,  1887. 

On  December  10,  182:1  Levi  Allen  was 
married  to  Phebe  Spicer,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Major  Miner  and  Cynthia  (AUyn)  Spicer, 
and  who  died  January  10,  1879.  Major 
Miner  Spicer  was  born  May  29,  1776,  and  in 
1798  married  Cynthia  Allyn,  who  died  Sep- 
tember 10,  1828.  In  the  following  year  he 
was  married  (second)  to  Mrs.  Hannah  (Al- 
lyn) Williams,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife  and 
the  widow  of  Barnabas  Williams.  Major 
Spicer  served  as  a  commander  of  militia  dur- 
ing the  War  of  1812.  He  came  to  Summit 
County  prospecting,  in  1810,  bought  260  acres 
of  land  in  Portage  Township  and  established 
his  family  on  it  in  1811.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent man  in  all  the  affairs  of  Portage  Town- 
ship, and  died  September  11,  1855. 

The  mother  of  Mrs.  Levi  Allen  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Ephraim  and  Temperance  (Morgan) 
Allyn,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of 
Captain  William  and  Temperance  (Avery) 
Morgan.  These  are  old  New  England  fami- 
lies of  Welsh  extraction.  Captain  William 
Morgan  was  a  son  of  William  and  Mary 
(Axery)  Morgan,  the  former  of  whom  was  a 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Jone.s)  Morgan, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  Jones,  who  was  governor  of 
the  New  Haven  Colony.  The  Morgans,  also 
of  Wales,  were  Puritans  and  from  this  same 
family  came  Edward  D.  Morgan,  who  be- 
came governor  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
Temperance  .Vvery,  wife  of  Captain  Williain 
Morgan,  was  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Christ o- 
]iher  and  Prudence  (Payson)  .\very,  and  a 
granddaughter  of  James  and  Dcburali  (Stel- 
lyon)  Avery.  Ca])tain  William  Morgan 
served  \mder  Colonel  Parsons  dvn-ing  several 
years  of  the  Revolutionary  AVar. 

Levi  Allen  and  wife  had  six  ciiildrcn.  iis 
follows:  Levi,  Miner  S.,  .\\\>vi-[.  Miner  J., 
Walter  S.  and  Cvntbia. 


GEORGE  PAUL 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


681 


GEORGE  PAUL,  for  many  years  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Cuyaihoga  Falls,  and  probably 
the  most  able  civil  engineer  who  ever  claimed 
this  section  as  his  home,  was  born  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  Summit  Countv,  Ohio,  September 
8,  1837,  and  died  January  9,  1900.  His  par- 
ents were  Hosea  and  Ellen  (Gamber)  Paul. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  and  High 
schools  of  his  native  place,  and  in  1857  be- 
gan to  learn  the  machinist's  trade.  With 
him  this  natural  leaning  developed  into 
something  very  nearly  approaching  genius. 
Going  east  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  early 
manhood  at  Boston  and  at  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  in  the  meantime  devoting  his  evenings 
and  leisure  time  to  the  study  of  civil  engineer- 
ing, under  a  private  tutor.  When  the  Civil 
War  broke  out  he  was  working  as  a  machinist 
at  Wilmington,  Delaware,  and  in  1862  he 
enli.sted  in  the  Federal  navy,  as  an  engineer. 
For  three  years  he  sensed  in  the  South  At- 
lantic squadron  under  Admiral  Dupont,  and 
was  attached  to  the  "Nahant,"  the  "Sonama," 
and  to  other  monitors.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  came  back  to  Cuyalioga  Falls,  and 
in  1867  purchased  a  small  shop,  which,  how- 
ever, he  carried  on  but  a  short  time,  his  sub- 
sequent work  being  all  in  the  line  of  'civil 
engineering.  In  1871  he  went  to  Waterloo, 
Iowa,  where  he  designed  the  magnificent 
bridge  across  the  Cedar  River,  which  is  600 
feet  long  and  one  of  the  largest  in  the  coun- 
try. Long  before  this  he  planned  the  first 
stoam  canal  boat  that  plied  on  the  Ohio 
Canal.  After  the  filling  of  his  contract  for 
the  above  mentioned  bridge.  Mv.  Paul  had 
many  professional  calls  in  Iowa,  and  did  the 
surveying  for  a  projected  narrow-guage  rail- 
road running  north  from  Waterloo.  Later 
he  was  engaged  in  laying  the  .grade  of  a 
road  projected  from  Marion,  Ohio,  to  Chi- 
cago, but  this  work  was  stopped  on  account 
of  the  panic  of  1873.  At  this  time  Mr.  Paul 
was  residing  at  Kenton,  Ohio,  from  which 
city  he  again  returned  to  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
where  for  many  years  he  was  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  frequently  be- 
ing identified  with  notable  feats  of  engineer- 
ing.    At  the  time  of  his  death.  January  9, 


1900,  ho  had  full  charge  of  the  work  of  con- 
structing the  Akron,  Bedford  and  Cleveland 
Railroad.  He  died  just  as  he  would  have 
wished,  still  with  full  mental  powers,  and  at 
the  head  of  a  work  of  great  importance.  His 
death  left  a  void  in  his  profession  at  it  did 
in  the  family  and  social  circles.  For  six  years 
he  had  been  a  m-ei^iber  of  the  State  Board 
of  Public  Works,  and  one  of  its  most  valued 
advisors. 

On  May  18,  1871,  Mr.  Paul  was  married  to 
Olive  A.  Babcock,  a  member  of  an  old  Co- 
lonial family.  She  was  bom  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls  May  21,  1842,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Austin  and  Eliza  (Taylor)  Babcock,  and  a 
granddaughter  of  Chester  Babcock,  who  was 
born  June  9,  1781,  and  who  lived  and  died 
at  Tolland,  Connecticut. 

Austin  Babcock  was  born  at  Tolland,  Con- 
necticut, October  28,  1810,  and  died  in  1876. 
He  married  Eliza  Taylor,  who  was  born  at 
Lee,  Massachusetts,  December  28,  1809,  and 
who  died  in  September,  1890.  They  had  two 
children,  Erskine  L.,  residing  at  Springfield, 
Ohio,  at  time  of  his  death,  in  June,  1907, 
and  Olive  A.,  who  is  the  widow  of  George 
Paul.  Both  parents  were  members  of  the 
Wesleyan  Methodist  Church.  In  boyhood, 
Austin  Babcock  learned  the  trades  of  paper- 
malving  and  mill  constniction.  He  came  to 
Cuyahoga  Falls  in  1835,  and  was  employed 
in  the  paper  mill  at  this  place  for  a  number 
of  years.  In  1850  he  made  a  trip  to  Cali- 
fornia, mainly  for  the  benefit  of  his  hesilth, 
and  came  back  three  years  later  much  im- 
proved. Subsequently  he  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  J.  M.  Smith  &  Company,  pa- 
per manufacturers,  the  firm  later  becoming 
Harrison,  Hanford  &  Company.  On  this 
company's  mills  being  burned  he  assisted  in 
rebuilding  them.  At  a  still  later  date  he 
and  his  son,  Erskine,  started  into  business 
as  builders,  and  in  connection  with  their 
1)uilding  operations,  they  conducted  a  plan- 
ing mill.  In  the  course  of  time  he,  with  his 
son  and  several  other  business  men,  converted 
the  planing  mill  into  a  rivet  factory,  and 
this  was  the  first  firm  to  manufacture  riA'eta 
here.     The  old  building  is  ."till   utilized  as 


682 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


a  part  of  the  present  plant  at  Cuyahoga  Falls. 
This  was  Mr.  Babcock's  last  business  connec- 
tion, and  he  wa^  associated  with  these  works 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  early  life  he 
was  a  Whig,  but  later  became  identified  with 
the  Republicans. 

Politically,  Mr.  Paul  was  a  Republican, 
taking  the  interest  of  a  ^ood  citizen  in  pub- 
lic affairs.  He  always  enjoyed  his  connection 
with  Eddy  Post,  No.  137,  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  of  which  he  was  past  com- 
mander. Mrs.  Paul  prizes  very  highly  a 
number  of  historic  relics  which  Mr.  Paul 
gathered  while  in  the  service  of  liis  country 
and  not  the  least  of  these  is  a  quaint  little 
ginger  jar  that  was  picked  up  at  Fort  Sum- 
ter on  the  day  after  it  was  evacuated.  Mr. 
Paul  was  a  imember  of  Star  Lodge,  No.  187, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  Cuyahoga  Falls.  Mrs.  Paul  is  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church  of 
this  city,  of  which  Mr.  Paul  was  an  attend- 
ant. He  was  a  man  of  great  mental  equip- 
ment, brofld-minded  in  his  views,  and  ehari- 
table  in  thought,  word  and  action. 

H.  G.  MOON,  one  of  Akron's  retired  capi- 
talists and  leading  citizens,  was  born  Novem- 
ber 12,  1830,  in  Oswego  County,  New  York, 
and  is  a  son  of  Silas  and  Mary  (Russell) 
Moon.  His  parents  came  to  Northampton 
Town.ship,  Summit  County,  about  1831,  cross- 
ing the  lakes  and  traveling  by  way  of  the 
canal  to  Old  Portage.  Their  last  years  were 
spent  with  their  el(lf'.-<t  son,  William  Moon,  in 
Wisconsin. 

Circumstances  in  Mr.  Moons  family  in  his 
boyhood  made  it  neces.«ary  for  each  member 
to  contribute  to  his  own  support,  and  the  first 
effort  of  the  suljject  of  this  .<ketch  in  this  di- 
rection was  working  as  a  chore  boy.  lie 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  in  following 
this,  visited  many  different  points,  Vjut  for 
years  his  industrial  activities  found  'their 
scope  in  Akron. 

Mr.  Moon  was  married,  first,  July  16,  1853, 
to  Fanny  Cochran,  who  died  in  1886,  leaving 
two  children,  Mary  E.  and  Alfred  H.  Mary  E. 
was  married  (first)  to  Charles  Pettit,  and  some 
years  after  his  death  became  the  wife  of  Wil- 


liam tiammond.  Alfred  H.  resides  in 
Portage  County  and  is  engaged  in  farming. 
Mr.  Mooii  was  married,  second,  June  15,  1888, 
to  Eveline  W.  Mallison,  who  was  born  and 
reared  at  Akron.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Albert  G.  Mallison,  once  one  of  Akron's 
most  prominent  men.  lie  came  to  Summit 
County  as  a  civil  engineer,  in  1832,  and  did 
the  greater  part  of  the  surveying  and  platting 
of  a  large  part  of  that  section  of  Akron  which 
is  now  most  closely  built,  notably  Market  and 
Howard  Streets.  The  family  has  been  one  of 
much  prominence  in  the  city's  social  life. 
Since  retiring  from  business,  Mr.  Moon  has 
taken  much  pleasure  in  travel  and  for  four 
winters  he  and  wife  have  enjoyed  the  genial 
climate  of  California. 

DANIEL  VOGT,  an  honorable,  upright  cit- 
izen of  TallHiadge  Township,  who  is  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  mixed  farming  on  his 
valuable  land  consisting  of  eighty-one  fertile 
acres,  was  born  in  Rheinish  Bavaria,  Ger- 
many, August  8,  1836.  His  parents  were 
John  and  Margaret  (Selzer)  Vogt. 

The  grandparents  of  Mr.  Vogt  were  Daniel 
and  Christiana  (Hass)  Vogt,  and  their  whole 
live.?  were  passed  in  Germany.  The  grand- 
father was  a  man  of  some  consequence,  being 
postmaster  of  his  native  town  for  many  years. 
He  had  two  sons  and  three  daughters.  The 
Vogts  came  originally  from  Holland,  prob- 
ably Daniel  and  his  four  brothers,  and  set- 
tled in  the  town  of  Freinsheim,  in  the 
province  of  Rhine  Phals,  Germany,  where 
they  became  soldiers  in  the  army,  orje  of 
them  being  formerly  a  guard  to  the  king  of 
Holland.  He  was  embroiled  in  some  trouble 
with  another  guard,  which  caused  hi«  leaving 
bis  native  land,  and  he  subsequently  entered 
the  English  army.  One  of  the  other  brothers 
entered  the  Pnis.^ian  army,  where  he  was 
given  charge  of  the  commissary  department 
and  was  killed  while  on  duty.  A  third 
brother  was  an  expert  swordsman  and  was  a 
teacher  of  fencing. 

The  maternal  grandfatlier  of  Daniel  Vogt 
was  George  Selzer,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five   vears,   living    in    the    old   home 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


683 


which  belonged  to  the  family  for  generations, 
at  Frein.sheiin.  He  married  a  lady  named 
More.  The  Selzer  children  were:  Franz, 
George  and  Peter,  sons;  and  the  daughters 
were:  Catherine,  who  married  Jacob  Baker, 
lived  and  died  in  Germany;  Mrs.  Barth;  Mrs. 
Pleppihe,  who  came  to  America  and  in  1846 
lived  in  Philadelphia;  and  Margaret,  who  be- 
came the  mother  of  Daniel  \'ogt.  The  sons 
of  Franz  Selzer  were  bringing  their  parents 
to  America,  when  he  died  on  board  the  vessel 
and  hi.-i  widow  died  later  at  Cleveland. 

Both  parents  of  Daniel  Vogt  were  born  in 
Bavaria,  Germany.  The}'  left  their  native 
land  and  came  to  North  Springfield  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  March  28,  1852, 
where  they  jnirchased  twenty  acres  of  land  of 
Robert  and  .John  Gilchrist,  and  they  resided 
on  this  until  death.  The  father  lies  buried 
in  Springfield  Township  and  the  mother  at 
Akron.  To  John  and  Margaret  Vogt  were 
born  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  natives 
of  Germany,  as  follows:  Daniel;  Plenry,  who 
has  had  charge  of  the  city  parks  of  Akron 
for  the  past  twenty-five  years,  married  Lovina 
AV alters,  of  Clinton,  Ohio;  Christina,  who 
married  John  Hebert,  a  carriage  manufac- 
turer of  Akron ;  George,  who  was  a  victim  of 
consumption,  was  a  brave  soldier  during  the 
Civil  AVar,  later  an  employe  of  the  Collins  & 
Fell  carriage  factory  at  Akron,  married  Miss 
Cvishman  and  left  a  son,  Irvin,  who  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  of 
Akron ;  and  Christian,  who  is  a  retired  citizen 
of  South  Akron  was  formerly  interested  in 
carriage  manufacturing.  He  married  Mary 
McDonald. 

Daniel  Vogt  was  sixteen  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  came  to  America  and  he  continued 
to  reside  in  Springfield  Township  until  he 
enlisted,  in  1864,  for  service  in  the  Civil 
War.  Prior  to  this  he  had  joined  a  company 
of  military  called  the  Home  Guards,  and  in 
1864  the  Governor  of  Ohio  called  the  men  out 
for  a  service  of  100  days.  The  mustering  in 
was  done  at  Cleveland,  and  the  full  quota  of 
the  164th  Regiment  was  filled  out  with  a 
Tifiln  company,  after  which  the  regiment 
was  sent  to  Fort  Cochran,  later  to  Fort  Wood- 


bury, and  when  the  term  of  service  wa^  over, 
returned   to   Cleveland   to   be   mustered   out. 

After  his  return  from  the  army,  Mr.  Vogt 
resumed  his  business  of  weighing  coal,  on  the 
farm  which  he  now  owns.  The  coal  mine  was 
the  property  of  Dr.  Amos  Wright  and  James 
Chamberlin,  and  he  was  coal  weigher  here  for 
fifteen  years.  In  1864  he  purchased  forty 
acres  of  his  land  from  Mr.  Chamberlin,  thir- 
ty-five acres  from  Park  Alexander  at  a  later 
period,  and  now  owns  a  total  of  eighty-one 
acres.  He  is  justly  proud  of  the  fact  that  he 
has  earned  all  he  has  through  his  own  ef- 
forts, never  having  inherited  a  dollar  from 
any  one.  He  has  made  about  all  the  improve- 
ments on  his  property,  taking  a  great  interest 
in  its  condition  and  appearance.  In  the  spring 
of  1886  he  built  a  fine  modern  residence  con- 
taining nine  rooms  with  slate  roof,  double 
siding  and  all  of  first-cla.ss  material.  It  cost 
him  $3,000,  and  could  not  be  replaced  now  for 
$4,000.  Its  furnishings  are  tasteful  and  com- 
fortable and  it  stands  as  one  of  the  most  at- 
tractive and  desirable  homes  of  the  town- 
ship. 

In  1860  Mr.  \"ogt  was  married  to  Mary 
Hebert,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Cath- 
erine (Kinne)  Hebert,  both  of  whom  were 
!)orn  in  Germany.  The  father  was  a  black- 
smith by  trade.  In  1856  he  came  to  America 
and  located  first  in  Coventry  Township  and 
then  moved  to  Massillon,  where  he  bought  a 
flour  mill,  and  both  he  and  wife  lived  there 
until  death,  John  Hebert  dying  in  1868,  aged 
sixty-five  years  and  his  widow  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vogt  have  had  six  children : 
William  H.,  who  was  horn  in  March,  1861, 
h.os  been  married  twice,  first  to  Metta  Fenn, 
daughter  of  F.  F.  and  Julia  (Treat)  Fenn. 
They  had  one  son,  Lewis,  who  married  Lois 
Johnson,  daughter  of  Park  Johnson,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Mr.  Vogt's  great-grandson. 
Charles  Vogt,  the  second  son,  married  (first) 
Alice  Honiwell,  who  died  without  i.ssue.  He 
married  (second)  Mrs.  Duncan.  He  is  a 
traveling  salesman  for  the  Standard  "\''arnish 
Company  and  is  manager  of  the  business  at 
Toronto,  Canada.  Edward  Vogt.  the  third  son, 


684 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


is  a  carpenter  by  trade.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Seizor,  vvlio  is  a  daugliter  of  Lewis  Sel- 
zer,  and  tliey  have  one  son,  Clarence.  Their 
home  is  at  Cleveland.  Ella,  Mr.  ^'ogt's  eld- 
est daugliter,  married  Frank  Bear,  of  the  lum- 
ber firm  of  Bear  &  Collier  of  Canal  Dover. 
Louisa,  the  second  daughter,  married  Fred- 
erick Ellet,  and  they  have  two  children,  Earl 
and  Maud.  Clara,  the  third  daughter  of  Mr. 
Vogt,  married  William  Kenwood,  a  builder 
and  contractor  of  Columbus. 

Mr.  Vogt  was  reared  in  the  Protestant  Re- 
formed Church  of  Germany  and  all  of  his 
brothers  are  members  of  the  German  Re- 
formed Church  at  the  present  time.  Mr.  Vogt, 
however,  united  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  is  one  of  the  liberal  supporters 
of  the  same  at  Tallmadge.  He  belongs  to 
Buckley  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
at  Akron,  and  enjoys  talking  over  old  times 
and  joining  in  the  various  reunions  of  the 
veterans  of  the  Civil  War.  In  politics  he  has 
been  identified  with  the  Democratic  party 
ever  since  he  reached  maturity  and  invariably 
supports  its  candidates.  He  is  no  seeker  for 
political  honors  but  takes  a  good  citizen's  in- 
terest in  the  election  of  responsible  men  who 
will  carry  out  the  laws  of  the  land.  Person- 
ally, Mr.  Vogt  is  held  in  high  esteem  by 
those  who  have  known  him  for  many  years. 

L.  C.  KOPLIN,  who  is  superintendent  of 
the  factory  department  of  The  Thomas  Phil- 
lips Company,  manufacturers  of  bags,  has 
been  identified  with  this  firm  since  he  was 
seventeen  years  of  age,  working  up  from  a 
humble  position  to  one  of  importance.  He  was 
born  April  11,  1869,  in  Norton  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  a  member  of  an  old 
family  of  that  region.  His  father,  .Joel  C. 
Koplin,  now  a  resident  of  Akron,  was  also 
born  in  the  old  Koplin  homestead  in  Norton 
Township. 

L.  C.  Koplin  completed  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Norton  Township  and  then  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  concern  with  which 
he  has  been  since  connected,  his  industry  and 
fidelity  to  the  interests  of  his  employers  hav- 
ing been  rewarded  with  promotion.     For  the 


past  two  years,  Mr.  Koplin  has  been  general 
superintendent  of  the  bag  factory,  a  position 
for  which  he  is  well  fitted  on  account  of  his 
executive  ability  and  his  understanding  of 
every  detail  connected  with  the  satisfactory 
production  of  the  firm's  output.  Mr.  Koplin 
has  also  other  business  interests.  In  189U  he 
was  married  to  Carrie  M.  Moore,  of  Akron. 
He  is  a  member  of  Grace  Reformed  Church. 
For  a  luunber  of  years  Mr.  Koplin  has  been 
a  prominent  factor  in  Democratic  politics,  be- 
longing to  the  Democratic  State  Executive 
Committee,  and  the  County  Board  of  Elec- 
tions, and  taking  a  very  active  part  in  all  po- 
litical campaigns.  He  has  served  on  the  City 
Board  of  Health,  and  on  various  civic  com- 
mittees of  a  public-spii-ited  nature.  Frater- 
nally he  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  in  which  order  he 
is  far  advanced. 

MILO  CAIIOW,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Norton  Township,  formerly  president  of  the 
township  School  Board,  was  born  in  Coven- 
try Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  July 
8,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Maria 
Eva  (Smith)  Cahovv. 

Robert  Cahow  was  born  in  Maryland  and 
his  wife  in  Westmoreland  County.  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  grandfather  of  Milo  Cahow  was 
Basil  Cahow,  who  was  a  very  early  settler  in 
Coventry  Township,  where  he  died,  leaving  a 
farm  of  fifty  acres,  which  was  purchased  from 
the  other  heirs  by  Robert  Cahow.  When  the 
latter  died,  Milo  Cahow  bought  the  old  place, 
and  after  living  on  it  a  number  of  years,  he 
moved  to  Barberton,  buying  a  farm  in  that 
neighborhood,  on  which  he  lived  for  three 
years.  This  land  be  sold  to  the  syndicate  of 
which  0.  C.  Barber  is  president  and  the  plant 
of  the  American  Sewer  Pipe  Company  is  lo- 
cated there.  Subsequently,  Mr.  Cahow 
bought  hi?  present  farm  of  142  acres,  which 
lie  devotes  to  general  agriculture. 

Mr.  Cahow  was  married  (first)  to  Amanda 
Dreisbach,  who,  at  death,  left  one  child,  Har- 
vey A.,  who  follows  the  carpenter  trade  at 
.'Vkron.  Mr.  Cahow  was  married  (second) 
to  Clarissa  Dreisbach,  a  half-sister  of  his  finst 
wife    and    thev   have    five   children,    namelv: 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


685, 


Iniu,  who  is  superintendent  of  the  work  of 
construction  of  the  big  steel  plant  in  the 
course  of  building  for  the  Diamond  Rubber 
Company  at  Akron ;  Elva  May,  who  married 
William  Knecht,  resides  with  Mr.  Cahow; 
Clarence  Elton,  residing  at  Akron ;  and  Joyce 
Marie  and  Dorothy  Mildred,  both  residing  at 
home. 

Politically,  Mr.  Cahow  is  a  Democrat.  He 
served  one  term  as  township  trustee  and  for 
ten  years  served  continuously  on  the  School 
Board,  during  three  years  of  this  time  being 
president  of  this  body.  Mr.  Cahow  resigned 
from  this  board  April  4,  1907. 

BERT  L.  SHAW,  of  the  firm  of  Shaw 
Brothers,  proprietors  of  the  JPebble  Rock  stone 
quarries,  which  are  situated  on  the  old 
George  Shaw  farm,  in  Norton  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  has  resided  at  John- 
son Center  since  hi^  birth,  April  8,  1878.  He 
is  a  son  of  George  and  Haretta  (Douglas) 
Shaw,  and  a  grandson  of  Joshua  T.  Shaw. 

Joshua  T.  Shaw  was  born  in  New  York  and 
came  to  Ohio  from  there  in  1800,  settling  in 
Medina  County,  where  his  son  George  was 
born,  April  13,  1835.  When  seven  years  of 
age,  the  family  settled  at  Johnson's  Corners. 
George  Shaw  married  Haretta  Douglas,  who 
still  survives.  During  the  Civil  War,  Mr. 
Shaw  enlisted  for  service  and  was  detailed  as  a 
musician,  being  the  leader  of  a  brigade  band 
for  three  years.  He  returned  and  engaged  in 
farming  in  Norton  Township,  where  he  died 
on  the  old  homestead,  June  20,  1902. 

Bert  Shaw,  who,  with  his  brother  Arthur 
R.,  is  interested  in  the  Pebble  Rock  stone 
quarries,  is  well  knwn  as  a  citizen  and  busi- 
ness man,  and  has  few  equals  as  a  musician 
in  this  section.  His  reputation  in  the  musical 
field  is  more  than  local.  He  is  the  leader  of 
the  Johnson  Military  Band  of  Johnson's  Cor- 
ners, which  consists  of  an  organization  of 
twenty-five  pieces.  Mr.  Shaw  is  a  member  of 
the  Eighth  Regiment  Band,  Ohio  National 
Guards,  and  was  in  service  almost  a  year  dur- 
ing the  Spanish-American  AVar.  In  addition 
to  his  quarry  interests,  he  owns  a  one-half  in- 


terest in  30U  acres  of  land,  and   a   beautiful 
residence  property. 

Mr.  Shaw  was  married,  August  15,  1903,  to 
Anna  Marie  Christopher,  of  Ada,  Hardin 
County,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Shaw  was  a  resident  of 
that  place  for  seventeen  years  and  graduated 
from  the  High  School  in  1898.  She  was  also 
a  student  at  the  Ohio  Normal  University,  at 
Ada,  Ohio. 

WILLIAM  WINDSOR,  JR.,  president  and 
general  manager  of  the  Windsor  Brick  Com- 
pany, was  born  in  1860,  in  the  pottery  dis- 
trict of  Staffordshire,  England,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  Windsor,  who  is  now  a  retired 
resident  of  Akron. 

William  Windsor,  Jr.,  was  tw^enty  years  of 
age  when  he  came  to  America,  well  equipped 
as  to  education,  and  trained  in  the  brick-lay- 
ing trade.  After  coming  to  Akron  he  joined  his 
brother  John,  who  had  reached  this  city  a  few 
months  earlier,  and  the  father  joined  his  sons 
a  short  time  afterw'ard.  For  some  thirty 
years  previously,  William  Windsor,  Sr.,  had 
engaged  in  general  contracting,  and  he  now 
became  the  head  of  the  firm  of  William 
Windsor  &  Sons,  which  secured  a  prominent 
position  in  the  business  life  of  this  city.  In 
1898,  after  seventeen  years  of  activity,  the 
father  retired.  He  is  a  member  of  the  sons  of 
St.  George.  In  1896  the  Windsor  Brick  Com- 
pany had  been  established.  It  was  incor- 
porated in  1902,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $40,- 
000,  its  object  being  the  manufacture  of  all 
kinds  of  building  and  repress  paving  brick. 
Of  this  company,  William  Windsor.  Jr.,  is 
president  and  manager;  Clarence  W.  Windsor 
i?  vice  president;  and  John  T.  Windsor  is 
secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  Windsor  Brick  Company  does  a  gen- 
eral line  of  contracting  in  addition  to  brick 
manufacturing.  This  company  has  practi- 
cally built  Barberton,  erecting  all  the  large 
plants  there,  and  has  laid  from  35,000,000 
to  40,000,000  brick  in  that  place  alone. 
Among  these  are  the  Diamond  Match  Fac- 
tory; the  Diamond  Match  Machine  Shop;  the 
National  Sewer  Pipe;  the  Carrara  Paint  Com- 
pany;  the  Barberton  Electric  Light    Plant; 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


the  Sterling  Boiler  and  Foundry ;  the  Barber- 
ton  High  School;  the  National  Hotel;  the 
National  Sewer  Pipe  offiee;  the  Tracy  Block; 
the  Moore  and  St.  John  Block;  the  Welker 
Block  and  the  Fraze  Block.  They  built  the 
Diamond  Match  plant  at  Liverpool,  England, 
which  contains  y,UUU,OUO  brick.  This  was  a 
notable  achievement  and  is  typical  of  the  en- 
ergy and  capacity  of  this  firm.  No  English 
contractor  could  be  found  to  undertake  the 
gigantic  task  under  a  two-year  contract,  but 
this  firm  went  to  England  and  completed  the 
work  in  six  months.  This  firm  built  the  great 
City  Ho.5pital  at  Akron,  in  addition  to  busi- 
ness blocks  and  private  residences,  and  have 
done  a  large  amount  of  superior  work  in 
other  States  and  in  Canada,  supplying  the 
material  for  the  same. 

In  1881  Williain  Windsor,  Jr.,  was  mar- 
ried to  Sarah  Hemming,  who  was  born  in 
England,  and  they  have  two  children:  Clar- 
ence AVilliam  and  Gordon  Welford.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  an  Odd  Fellow. 

John  T.  Windsor,  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Windsor  Brick  Company,  was  born  in 
England,  in  1862.  He  was  the  first  of  the 
family  to  come  to  Akron,  and  when  his  broth- 
ers and  father  joined  him,  all  were  concerned 
in  the  contracting  business  of  William  Wind- 
sor &  Sons.  Mr.  Windsor  has  always  shown 
an  interest  in  the  welfare  and  development  of 
this  city  since  he  made  it  his  home.  He  is 
president  of  the  Windsor  Land  Company,  and 
is  vice  president  of  the  Akron  Base  Ball  Com- 
pany, William  Windsor,  .Jr.,  being  a  director 
in  both  organizations. 

John  T.  Windsor  married  Mary  Stubbs, 
who  was  born  in  England,  and  they  have  five 
children:  William  T.,  Mary,  John,  George 
and  Ellen.  Mr.  Windsor  is  an  Odd  Fellow. 
The  Windsors  are  all  affiliated  with  the  Epis- 
copal Chnrch. 

ORRIN  ERASE,  a  representative  citizen 
and  prosperous  farmer  of  Norton  Township, 
and  the  owner  of  seventy-six  and  one-half 
acres  of  fine  farming  land  situated  on  the 
East  and  AVest  road,  in  Norton  Township,  and 
1R2   acres  in  Wayne  County,   was    born    in 


Chippewa  Township,  Wayne  County,  Ohio, 
Novejuber  21,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Sameul 
and  Elizabeth  (Shoe)  Erase,  both  of  whom 
are  deceased. 

Orrin  Erase  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Chippewa  Township,  and  obtained 
his  education  in  the  country  schools.  He  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Wayne  County,  where 
he  remained  until  November  1,  190IJ,  when 
he  moved  to  Norton  Township,  Summit 
County,  purchasing  his  present  farm,  which 
he  has  been  cultivating  very  profitably  ever 
since.  For  twenty-seven  years  he  has  been 
engaged  in  Itreeding  Shropshire  registered 
sheep,  and  the  strain  produced  has  been  of 
such  excellent  quality  that  a  large  demand 
has  been  made,  and  Mr.  Erase  has  sold  his 
sheep  in  eighteen  "States  and  in  Old  Mexico. 

On  March  10,  1876,  Mr.  Erase  was  mar- 
ried to  Ella  Baughman,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Israel  and  Anna  (Weygandt)  Baughman, 
who  were  farming  people  of  Chipj)ewa  Town- 
ship. Mrs.  Frase's  grandfather,  Rev.  Henry 
Weygandt,  was  a  pioneer  minister,  who  prob- 
ably helped  to  organize  more  Lutheran  par- 
ishes in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  than  any  other 
man  of  his  time. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frase  have  had  the  follow- 
ing children:  Oliver  M.,  Israel  M.,  Cora  E., 
Walter  R.,  Elsie  Murriel,  Irene,  Carl  G., 
Florence,  Ruby,  Oral  and  Lucille.  Oliver  M., 
residing  near  Clinton,  is  a  teacher  and  also 
farms.  Israel  M.,  residing  at  Barberton,  is 
with  the  Sterling  Companj-.  Cora  E.  mar- 
ried Marvin  Dice,  of  Akron.  Walter  resides 
on  the  old  farm  of  132  acres,  in  Wayne 
County,  from  which  the  family  came  to  Sum- 
mit County.  He  has  one  daughter,  Beatrice. 
The  present  fine  home  and  all  the  substantial 
buildings  were  erected  by  Mr.  Frase.  He  is 
a  leading  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at 
Loyal  Oak,  being  one  of  the  deacons. 

WILLIAM  KOONSE,  who  is  the  oldest 
native-born  citizen  of  Green  Township,  resides 
on  a  farm  of  100  acres  and  owns  also  a  second 
farm,  of  125  acres,  situated  in  the  same  town- 
ship. Mr.  Koonse  was  born  on  the  farm  on 
which  he  lives,  in  Green  Township,  Summit 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


687 


County,  Oliio,  Februray  26,  1838,  and  is  a 
sou  of  Henry  and  Katherine  (Gromoos) 
Koonse. 

John  Koonse,  the  grandfather,  was  a  farmer 
and  weaver,  and  he  passed  his  whole  life  near 
AUentown,  Pennsylvania.  He  had  a  large 
family  of  children,  Henry  being  one  of  the 
younger  members.  Henry  Koonse  learned 
the  trade  of  weaver,  which  he  followed  for  a 
time,  but  later  became  a.  farmer.  He  was 
married  tir.~t  in  Peinisylvania,  to  Katherine 
Gromous.  and  some  of  his  elder  children 
were  born  there.  After  leaving  Pennsylvania, 
the  family  lived  for  one  year  at  Buffalo,  New 
York,  and  then  made  the  journey  to  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  in  wagons.  They  settled  in 
Wild  Cat  Swamp,*  on  the  present  farm  of  Wil- 
liam Koonse.  Henry  Koonse  cleared  the 
land  and  lived  on  this  farm  until  his  death, 
in.  1885,  when  he  was  over  eighty-three  years 
of  age.  His  first  wife  died  many  j'ears  be- 
fore, and  in  1874  he  was  married  to  Cath- 
erine Weaver.  Ten  children  were  born  to  the 
first  union,  a.?  follows:  Julia  Ann,  deceased, 
who  married  Samuel  Klick ;  Jonas ;  Pollie, 
who  married  J.  Burkett ;  Reuben  :  ilaria,  who 
married  John  Hildebrand;  Susan,  who  mar- 
ried A.  Belts;  Henry;  Catherine,  who  married 
J.  Burkett;  Sarah,  who  married  M.  Young; 
and  AVilliam. 

William  Koonse  spent  many  boyhood  days 
in  the  fields  and  woods,  where  he  caught  rac- 
coons and  other  small  game.  During  the 
winter  terms  he  attended  the  old  log  school- 
house,  which  had  a  desk  on  each  side  of  the 
room.  Since  attaining  his  majority  Mr. 
Koonse  has  always  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  bought  the  old  home  place  from 
his  father,  but  the  large  brick  house  and  other 
buildings  have  been  erected  by  him.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  farm  which  he  operates,  he  owns 
another  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  Green 
Township,  which  he  purchased  from  David 
Thornton,  and  on  which  he  lived  for  eight 
years.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Grange, 
and  takes  a  lively  interest  in  its  welfare. 

Mr.  Koonse  was  married  (first)  to  Maria 
Thornton,  who  was  born  Aug\ist  24.  1S40. 
and  was  a  daughter  of  David  Thornton,  one 


of  the  early  pioneers  of  Summit  County. 
She  died  May  17,  1878,  having  been  the 
mother  of  nine  children:  Mary  Ella,  who 
married  H.  Killinger;  Henry  Calvin;  David 
Nelson,  who  married  Emma  Putt;  Isaiah  M., 
who  died  young;  Katie  Ann,  who  married 
Rev.  J.  Prickett;  Alice  Alma,  deceased,  who 
married  John  McCoy;  Marvin  C,  who  mar- 
ried Mary  Englehardt;  Willis  Wilson,  who 
married  Sarali  Robart;  and  Emanuel,  who 
married  Ida  Overhalt.  After  the  death  of  his 
first  wife,  Mr.  Koonse  was  married  (second) 
May  29,  1879,  to  Alice  Spidle,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Eliza  (Werst)  Spidle, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Spidle  died  when  Mrs.  Koonse  was  a  child  of 
ten  years,  they  having  been  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  namely:  Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried S.  Lilley;  Naomi,  who  is  single;  Alice; 
Stacey;  Dora,  who  is  unmarried;  EfJie,  who 
married  Edward  Shellhouse;  and  Ezra  and 
Ira,  both  deceased,  both  of  whom  served  in 
the  Union  Army  during  the  Civil  War.  Five 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Koonse,  namely:  Arlin;  Lydia,  who  died 
aged  five  and  one-half  .years ;  John,  who  died 
when  fifteen  and  one-half  years ;  William ; 
and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

In  political  matters  Mr.  Koonse  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  his  first  vote  was  cast  for 
Abraham  Lincoln.  With  his  family  he  at- 
tends the  Evangelical  Association  Church, 
and  he  has  served  for  forty  years  in  the  va- 
rious official  positions  of  that  denomination. 

HARVEY  A.  MARSH,  who  resides  on  the 
farm  of  160  acres  owned  by  the  heirs  of  S. 
C.  Marsh,  in  Franklin  Township,  was  born 
in  Springfield  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  September  18,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of 
Samuel  C.  and  Sarah  (Spade)  Marsh. 

The  first  member  of  the  Marsh  family  to 
settle  in  Summit  County  was  the  great- 
grandfather, George  A.  Marsh,  w-ho  crossed 
the  mountains  from  Pennsylvania,  in  an  old 
covered  wagon,  which  he  later  utilized  in 
hauling  hi?  grain  to  Cleveland.  That  was 
many  years  later,  for  when  he  settled  on  the 
farm   in   Franklin   Township,   H  was  as  the 


688 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT   COUNTY 


hand  of  Nature  had  left  it  and  it  required 
many  toilsome  years  to  bring  it  to  a  grain 
producing  condition.  He  reared  a  large  fam- 
ily, four  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely: 
Hiram,  who  resides  in  Franklin  Township; 
Mrs.  Dailey,  residing  at  Akron;  John,  liv- 
ing at  Kent;  and  Simon,  who  is  a  resident  of 
Coventry.  One  of  the  sons,  George  L.,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  accompanied  his 
father  to  the  wilds  of  Ohio  and  made  his 
home  in  Franklin  Township,  all  his  life.  A 
farm  that  he  purchased  toward  its  close  be- 
longs now  to  Samuel  Snyder.  He  had  ten 
children  and  was  the  grandfather  of  Harvey 
A.  I\Lirsh. 

Samuel  C.  Marsh,  father  of  Harvey  A.,  was 
a  well-known  resident  of  Franklin  Township. 
He  cultivated  the  old  home  farm  and  also 
worked  for  a  short  time  in  the  old  Excelsior 
shop,  at  Akron.  During  the  days  of  the 
Civil  War,  when  the  call  came  for  emer- 
gency men,  he  went  out  with  the  100-day  vol- 
unteei's,  but  with  these  exceptions  never  lived 
outside  of  Franklin  Township.  He  was  mar- 
ried (first)  to  Sarah  Spade,  who  died  in  1869, 
aged  thirty-four  years.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  Spade,  of  Springfield  Township. 
His  second  marriage  was  to  a  sister  of  his 
first  wife,  then  a  widow,  Mrs.  Matilda  Hersh- 
berger,  who  at  that  time  had  one  son,  Nathan 
Hershberger.  She  died  after  the  birth  of  one 
daughter.  Laura,  who  married  C.  Stump.  Mr. 
Marsh  was  married  (third)  to  Mary  Smith, 
who  still  survives,  having  had  one  daughter, 
Carrie.  Tlie  children  born  to  the  first  mar- 
riage were:  Harvey;  Mary,  who  married 
George  Becker;  Madison;  Jennie,  who  mar- 
ried E.  Swigart;  and  Elma.  who  married  A. 
Bexler.  The  second  son,  Madison,  is  de- 
ceased. Samuel  Marsh  died  in  October,  1906. 
After  Harvey  A.  Marsh  was  born,  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Akron,  and  after  a  four  years' 
residence  there  they  came  to  the  present  farm, 
on  which  he  was  reared.  His  education  was 
obtained  in  the  country  schools,  and  his  oc- 
cupation has  been  farming.  On  November 
24,  1S,S7,  Mr,  Marsh  was  married  to  Emma 
Swigart,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Kath- 
erinp    (Keller)    Swigart,  and  they  have  had 


seven  children,  three  of  whom  died  young. 
The  survivors  are:  Ray,  George,  Mabel  and 
Berenice.  Mrs.  Marsh  has  one  brother,  Byron 
W.  Swigart,  residing  at  Kenmore. 

In  politics  Mr.  Marsh  is  a  Republican. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Maccabee.  With  his  fam- 
ily, he  belongs  to  the  Reformed  Church. 

MILO  WHITE,  who  resides  on  the  old 
homestead  farm  in  Springfield  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  on  which  he  was  born, 
August  23,  1850,  is  a  son  of  Abia  and  Martha 
(Hagenbaugh)  White. 

Abia  White,  fait-her  of  Milo,  was  l:>orn  in 
Luzerne  County,  Pennsylvania,  October  18, 
1816,  and  was  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Rachel 
(Brittain)  White,  who  carne  from  Luzerne 
County  to  Summit  County  in  1824,  making 
the  long  journey  in  wagons.  They  were  na- 
tives of  New  England  and  possessed  much  of 
the  jmidenee  and  thrift  belonging  to  natives 
of  that  section.  In  1827  they  settled  in 
Springfield  Township  on  what  is  known  as 
the  Hilbish  farm,  removing  later  to  the  farm 
nO'W  owned  by  Milo  White,  which  contained 
at  that  time  150  acres.  Jacob  WTiite  and 
wife  both  died  in  1853,  the  former  in  May 
and  the  latter  in  April,  aged  about  eighty-four 
years. 

Abia  White  was  reared  on  the  home  farm 
and  when  twenty-one  years  of  age  learned  the 
car{:ienter's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  a 
few  years,  and  then  engaged  in  farming 
through  the  rest  of  his  active  life.  His  death 
occurred  May  16,  1893.  He  married  Martha 
Hagenbaugh,  who  died  December  24,  1893. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Christian  Hagenbaugh, 
of  Medina  County,  Ohio.  There  were  five 
children  horn  to  this  marriage,  and  Milo  is 
the  only  survivor.  The  others  were:  Mary 
Elizabeth,  who  died  aged  about  seven  years, 
and  three  others  in  infancy. 

Milo  White  gained  his  primary  education 
in  the  di.strict  schools  near  his  home,  and 
attended  tln-ough  one  term,  a  school  at  Moga- 
dore,  then  spent  two  years  at  Oberlin  College, 
and  a  short  time  at  Buchtel  College,  at  Akron. . 
After  he  left  school  he  engaged  in  farming, 
and  has  proved  the  efficiency  of  an  educated 


MR.  AND  MRS.  ELMER  A.  GAULT 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


691 


man  in  agriculture.  He  has  a  valuable  farm 
of  145  acres,  admirably  managed,  on  which 
he  raises  feed  for  liis  cattle,  a  considerable 
amount  of  wheat,  and  inilks  a  number  of 
high-grade  cows.  In  addition  to  these  inter- 
ests, he  has  been  concerned  for  some  time 
in  handling  estates,  and  has  dealt  to  some  ex- 
tent in  realt}'.  He  has  also  given  his  atten- 
tion to  public  matters,  having  been  elected 
township  treasurer,  trustee  and  assessor,  and 
for  more  than  twelve  j^ears  has  been  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  His  management  of  his 
various  interests  have  made  him  a  leader 
among  the  representative  men  of  Springfield 
Township. 

Mr.  White  was  married  (first)  to  Mattie  L. 
Ellet,  who  died  November  7,  1891.  She  was 
a  daugliter  of  Ki«g  J.  and  Lucinda  E.  Ellet. 
King  J.  Ellet  sensed  two  terms  as  commis- 
sioner of  Summit  County  and  was  a  man  of 
much  prominence.  His  parents,  John  and 
Elizabeth  Ellet.  were  natives  of  Maryland, 
who  settled  in  Springfield  Township  in  1810. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellet  had  three' children :  Mat- 
tie,  who  became  Mrs.  "\^%ite;  Cora  J.,  wlio 
married  Frank  Weston,  of  Springfield:  and 
Fred  K.  Mr.  Ellet  retired  from  the  office  of 
county  commissioner  in  1889.  and  in  March. 
1890,  he  was  appointed  a  trustee  of  the  Sum- 
mit County  Children's  Home,  a  position  he 
filled  in  an  able  and  efficient  manner.  Both 
he  and  wife  died  in  1896. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  had  a  family  of  three 
sons  aud  three  daughters  born  to  them,  name- 
ly: Addie  M.,  who  married  Charles  W.  Sur- 
fass,  a  machini.?t,  and  the  superintendent  of 
an  automobile  garage,  residing  at  Akron ; 
Frances  L.,  who  married  Mark  IMetzger,  sii- 
perintendent  of  the  Akron  ]Mariufacturing 
Company,  residing  at  Akron,  have  one  daugh- 
ter, Mary;  Roscoe  A..  re.«iding  in  Chicago, 
connected  with  a  large  diamond  importing 
hou.se.  was  educated  at  Buchtel  College,  and 
married  Dorothy  Butler,  of  Elkhart,  Indiana; 
William  R.,  residing  on  the  home  farm,  is 
interested  also  in  a  milk  business  at  Akron ; 
and  Blanche  Irene,  re,<?iding  at  home.  Two 
of  the  daughters  of  Mr.  White  were  students 
at  Buchtel  and  Wooster  Colleges,  and  both 


were  teachers  in  the  public  schools  of  Akron 
prior  to  marriage.  Mr.  White  was  married 
(second).  May  24,  1894,  to  Mrs.  Cordelia  D. 
Surfass,  who  Ls  a  daugliter  of  the  late  John 
H.  and  Mary  Foltz. 

Politioally  Mr.  White  is  stanch  in  his  Re- 
publicanism and  has  long  taken  an  active  in- 
terest in  party  policies.  Fraternally,  he  is  an 
Odd  Fellow,  for  the  past  thirty  years  having 
been  a  member  of  i\pollo  Lodge,  No.  61,  East 
Akron. 

ELMER  A.  GAULT.  wlio,  for  the  past  ten 
years  has  had  charge  of  all  the  concessions  of 
the  Lake  Side  Park,  at  Akron,  is  one  of  the 
city's  best  known  and  substantial  men.  Mr. 
Gault  was  born  in  1862  in  Wisconsin,  and  in 
childhood  accompanied  his  parents  to  Lodi, 
Ohio,  growing  to  the  age  of  sixteen  years  on  a 
farm. 

At  the  above-mentioned  age  Mr.  Gault  went 
to  Cleveland,  where  he  learned  the  busine-s 
of  manufacturing  candy,  and  was  engaged  in 
the  candy  line  at  Lexington,  Kentucky,  for 
five  years.  Failing  health  caused  his  return 
to  Ohio,  where  he  was  married  to  Ella  A. 
Zarle,  of  Wooster,  in  1894.  After  a  year 
spent  at  Cleveland,  Mr.  Gault  came  to  Akron 
and  for  one  year  conducted  a  pleasure  resort 
at  Chippewa  Lake,  and  then  embarked  in  his 
present  enterprise.  He  has  a  lease  extending 
for  eight  more  years  and  has  felt  justified  in 
making  many  improvements  on  these 
groimds,  in  the  spring  of  1907  completing  a 
large  baseball  diamond  here  at  a  cost  of 
$2,500. 

He  has  \'i.sited  many  parts  of  the  ITnited 
States  and  understands  how  to  secure  the 
best  attractions.  He  is  one  of  the  largest 
.stockholders  in  the  East  Market  Street  rink 
and  owns  other  property,  including  a  fine 
home  at  No.  936  South  Main  Street. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Gault  were  Daniel  and 
Sarah  (Hutchin.?on)  Gault.  the  latter  of 
whom  still  survives,  the  father  having  died 
Febniary  17,  1906.  Their  children  were:  U. 
II.  Gault,  residing  at  Lodi,  Ohio,  and  en- 
gaged in  well  drilling  and  coal  pro.^pccting: 
S.  L.,  a  retired  farmer,  living  near  I^odi :  E. 


692 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


A.,  of  Akron;  Mary,  who  married  W.  J. 
Feazel;  Miller,  of  Lodi;  Nellie,  who  married 
Edward  Paden,  an  engineer,  running  the  fi;\st 
express  between  Chieago  and  Pittsburg; 
Frederick,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  Bal- 
timore (i:  Ohio  Railroad  as  an  electrical  signal 
man;  and  Ida,  who  married  William  Bower, 
hose  maker  at  the  Diamond  Rubber  works, 
Akron.  Mrs.  E.  A.  Gault  is  a  leading  mem- 
ber of  the  St.  Paul's  Lutheran  Church  on 
West  Thornton  Street,  Akron. 

GEORGE  W.  RUCKEL,  a  well  known 
Akron  citizen,  superintendent  of  the  Summit 
Sewer  Pipe  Company,  was  born  in  Medina 
County,  Ohio,  September  23,  1848.  His 
father,  George  Ruckel,  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  Sunnnit  County  in  hds  day,  and  in 
politics  a  stanch  Republican,  died  in  1878. 

At  a  very  early  date  in  the  life  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  his  parents  moved  to  a 
farm  near  Tallmadge,  Summit  County,  where 
he  was  reared  and  attended  the  district 
schools.  Later  he  attended  school  at  East 
Akron.  His  first  indii.strial  experience  begun 
at  an  early  age,  was  gained  on  the  farm,  and 
he  followed  his  father's  occupation  on  the 
home  farm  at  Tallmadge  until  1894.  In  that 
year  his  industrial  activities  underwent  a  rad- 
ical change,  for  he  then  came  to  Akron,  from 
which  place  be  went  out  to  superintend  the 
building  of  a  paper-mill  at  Boston,  this 
county.  For  the  past  eight  years  he  has  been 
superintendent  of  the  Summit  Sewer  Pipe 
Company,  a  responsible  position,  calling  for  a 
thorough  practical  knowledge  of  the  business 
and  good  managerial  ability.  He  is  financial- 
ly interested,  bo^h  in  this  concern  and  in  the 
Cleveland-Akron  Bag  Company.  In  politics, 
Mr.  Ruckel  is  a  Republican.  His  fraternal 
affiliations  are  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 

He  married,  in  1878,  Mass  Delia  Baldwin, 
daughter  of  Harvey  Baldwin,  the  president  of 
the  Biickeyc  Sewer  Pipe  Company,  and  one 
of  Akron's  best  known  and  most  respected 
citizen,  further  mention  of  whom  may  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  work. 


MILTON  OTIS  HOWER,  one  of  the  fore- 
most business  men  of  Akron,  was  born  in 
Doylestown,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  November 
25,  1859,  son  of  John  H.  and  Su.san  (Young- 
ker)  Hower.  His  eai'ly  ancestors  in  this  coun- 
try were  of  German  origin.  Removing  with 
his  parents  to  Akron  in  1866,  he  was  educated 
in  the  Akron  Public  Schools  and  Buchtel  Col- 
lege, paying  particular  attention  to  those 
studies  best  calculated  to  equip  him  for  a 
sueces.sfid  business  career.  With  his  father 
and  two  brothers  he  was  associated  in  the  or- 
ganization of  The  Hower  Company,  oatmeal 
millers,  of  which  company  he  was  elected  sec- 
retary. This  company  was,  in  June,  1891, 
merged  with  the  American  Cereal  Company, 
and  Mr.  Hower  was  one  of  the  directors,  later 
filling  the  position  of  vice-president  and  chair- 
man of  the  Executive  Connnittee.  His  active 
businass  connections  have  extended  until  he 
is  now  a  leading  officer  in  some  of  the  most 
important  business  ent/crprises  of  Akron  and 
elsewhere.  He  is  president  and  general  man- 
■  ager  of  The  Akron-Selle  Company  and  The 
Akron  Wood  Working  Company;  vice-presi- 
dent of  The  Central  Savings  &  Trust  Com- 
pany; president  of  the  Lombard  &  Replogie 
Engineering  Company;  president  of  the.Jahant 
Heating  Company,  president  of  the  Bannock 
Coal  Company;  president  of  The  Akron  Hi- 
Potential  Company,  of  Barberton ;  president 
of  the  Akron  Skating  Rink  Company  and 
The  Automol>ile  Club.  He  is  also  a  director 
of  The  Akron  Gas  Company  and  the  Home 
Building  it  Loan  A.ssociation,  and  is  active  in 
the  promotion  of  all  private  and  public  en- 
terprises, having  for  their  object  the  moral 
or  material  advancement  of  the  commimity. 

Mr.  Hower  was  married.  November  16, 
1880,  to  Miss  Blanche  Eugenia  Bruot,  daugh- 
ter of  James  F.  and  Rosalie  (Gressard)  Bruot, 
of  Akron.  Of  this  marriage  there  are  two 
children,  Grace  Susan  Rosalie  and  John 
Bruot.  Mr.  Hower  resides  in  the  old  Hower 
homestead.  No.  60  Fir  Street,  one  of  the  larg- 
est and  most  co^nnnodious  residences  in  the 
city.  He  is  an  independent  Republican  and 
noted  for  his  fight  against  corruption  and 
graft  in  any  party. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


693 


FOREST  SWAIN,  trustee  of  Norton  Town- 
ship, and  a  substantial  fanner  residing  on  his 
valuable  ninety -six  acres,  was  boro  October  4, 
1870,  on  the  old  Swain  homestead,  in  Norton 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
i^on  of  Frederick  and  Rosanna  (Roth)  Swain. 

Jacob  Swain,  the  grandfather  of  Fore.st 
Swain,  was  born  in  Germany,  and,  after  com- 
ing to  the  United  States,  settled  near  Smith- 
\dlle,  Wayne  County,  Ohio.  There  Frederick 
Swain  was  born  aaid  resided  until  he  came  to 
Su'onnit  County,  just  prior  to  his  marriage. 
He  became  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Nor- 
ton Townijhip.  He  was  married  (first)  to 
Rosanna  Roth,  who  died  August  18,  1880. 
She  was  'the  mother  of  seven  children ;  of 
these,  John,  Forest  and  William  axe  surviv- 
ors, the  latter  living  on  the  old  Swain  home- 
stead. Frederick  Swain  was  married  (sec- 
ond) to  Ella  Fisher,  and  they  had  two  chil- 
dren, the  older  of  these  dying  in  infancy,  and 
the  younger,  Grace,  residing  in  the  old  home. 
Frederick  Swain  died  February  20,  1902. 

Fore.st  Swain  has  never  lived  outside  of 
Norton  Township.  In  boyhood  he  attended 
the  neighborhood  schools,  and  since  attain- 
ing manhood  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to 
agricultural  j)ursuits.  In  1900  Mr.  Swain, 
together  with  his  brother  John,  purchased  the 
present  farm.  Forest  Swain  bought  his  broth- 
er's interest  and  later  the  latter  bought  one  of 
the  father's  fann.s  of  ninety  acres  and  removed 
to  it  in  1905.  John  Swain  erected  a  fine 
dwelling. 

The  Swain  brothers  have  always  been 
bound  by  the  closest  of  fraternal  ties  and  they 
hold  many  interests  together.  They  married 
sisteirs,  both  being  daughters  of  Jeremiah 
Ilarter,  a  well-known  resident  of  Norton 
Township.  Fore.st  Swain  married  Clara 
Ilarter,  and  they  have  one  child,  Harold. 
John  Swain  married  Ede  Harter,  and  they 
have  four  children:  Paul,  Rxith,  Frederick 
and  Clifford.  Both  brothers  are  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church.  For  ten  years 
■Tohn  Swain  has  been  a  member  of  the  School 
Board,  and  at  present  is  president  of  this 
body.  In  1903  Forest  Swain  wa«  elected 
township  tnistee  on  the    Republican    ticket. 


and  has  served  as  such  ever  since.  In  Forest 
and  John  Swain  Norton  Township  has  two 
honorable,  intelligent,  broad-minded  citizens, 
men  who  exert  a  good  influence  in  the  com- 
munity and  who  command  the  respect  of  all 
who  know  them. 

CHARLES  CALVIN  EWART,  a  promi- 
nent -and  suhstantial  citizen  of  Springfield 
Town.ship,  who  is  engaged  in  mixed  farming 
and  dairying  on  his  fine  estate  of  200  acres, 
on  which  he  was  born,  in  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  July  13,  1850,  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Ha.rris)  Ewart. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Mr.  Ewart  was 
Joseph  Ewart,  who  came  with  his  wife  to 
Summit  County,  in  1811.  She  was  of  Scotch 
descent,  and  was  a  girl  of  eleven  yeare  when 
the  Revolutionary  War  closed.  Joseph  Ewart 
was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland  and  Arhen 
he  emigrated  to  America,  located  in  Washing- 
ton County,  Penn.syh^ania,  where  he  married. 
After  coming  to  Ohio,  the  Ewarts  lived  for 
one  year  at  Tallmadge  and  then  settled  in 
Springfield  Township,  on  the  farm  on  w-hich 
their  grand-Jon  now  lives. 

Joihn  Ewart,  was  born  in  Butler  County, 
Pennsylvania,  December,  1809,  and  died  in 
Augu.st,  1901.  He  was  one  of  the  following 
family  of  children :  John ;  James,  who  mar- 
ried Rebecca  Babb,  daughter  of  George  Babb, 
died  in  Summit  County;  Campbell,  who  wa=: 
married  (first)  to  a  Miss  McClelland  and 
(.second)  to  Ann  Adams,  died  in  Wvandot 
County;  Silas,  who  married  a  Miss  Hile, 
moved  to  Clark  County,  Missouri,  where  he 
subsequently  died;  Robert,  who  married 
Martha  Lemon,  died  in  Springfield  Town- 
ship; Polly,  who  married  a  ^Ir.  Frederick- 
burg,  moved  to  Tuscaraw-as  County,  but  died 
in  Summit  County;  and  Nancy,  who  married 
Armstrong  Thomas,  died  in  Springfield 
Township.  There  arc  numerous  descendants 
of  the  above  children  of  Joseph  Ewart  settled 
in  different  sections  of  this  county. 

The  parents  of  the  mother  of  Mr.  Ewart 
died  when  she  was  two  years  old  and  she  was 
reared  in  the  family  of  William  Kranfzer.  She 
still    sun'ives,    having    reached    her    eightv- 


694 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


fourth  year.  There  were  five  children  born 
to  John  and  Elizabeth  Ewart,  as  follows:  Jo- 
seph, who  died  in  boyhood;  Perry  A.,  who 
resides  in  Springfield  Township,  married  Jen- 
nie Schaffer;  Charles  Calvin;  Mary  B.,  who 
married  John  Sheppard,  resides  in  Lake 
County;  Ada,  who  married  Hubert  Wright, 
resides  in  Lake  County. 

Charles  Calvin  Ewart  obtained  his  early 
education  in  the  district  schools  and  spent  a 
short  season  in  academies  at  Darby  and  Moga- 
dore.  With  the  exception  of  a  period  of  four 
months,  Mr.  Ewart.  has  always  lived  on  the 
present  farm.  It  was  first  settled  about  100 
years  ago,  the  original  owner  being  named 
De  Haven.  He  was  a  blacksmith  and  had  a 
shop  on  the  farm.  For  many  years  Mr.  Ewart 
was  engaged  in  sheep-raising,  but  for  some 
years  past  he  has  given  the  larger  part  of 
his  attention  to  the  dairy  business.  His  beau- 
tiful herds  of  Guernsey  cattle  are  of  great 
value  and  at  the  present  writing  he  has  thir- 
ty-five head,  milking  twenty  head.  He  feeds 
many  hogs  annually,  and  with  the  good  man- 
agement which  has  made  him  a  prosperous 
man;  he  watches  his  opportunity  to  make  each 
line  of  agriculture  profitable. 

On  January  1,  1874,  Mr.  Ewart  was  mar- 
ried to  Leora  Weston,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Solomon  and  Mary  Jane  (Force)  Weston,  the 
former  of  whom  died  in  Summit  County  in 
February,  1907,  and  the  latter  in  July,  1905. 
Both  were  natives  of  Summit  County  and  Mr. 
Weston  died  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was 
bom.  Mr.  and  Mi-s.  Ewart  have  had  six 
children,  the  survivors  being:  Eva,  who  mar- 
ried Lewis  Houseley,  residing  in  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  has  one  son,  Burton;  Aurie,  who 
married  Curtis  Ewart,  residing  at  Pomona, 
California,  has  one  .son,  Robert  Weston;  and 
John  and  Elizabeth,  both  residing  at  home. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Ewart  is  a  Democrat.  For 
the  pa.st  fifteen  years  he  has  served  continu- 
ou.sly  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board,  his 
whole  term  of  service  covering  twenty  years. 
For  a  number  of  years  this  Township  was  the 
banner  one  of  the  county  in  relation  to  the 
number  of  graduates  and  it  is  only  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  the  excellent  control  of  the 


schools  by  an  intelligent  township  l^oard  had 
much  to  do  with  this. 

JAKE  L.  RANNEY,  general  merchant  at 
Macedonia  Village,  was  born  in  Northfield 
Townsliiip,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  July  10, 
1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Moses  and  Miranda 
(Rogers)   Ranney. 

Moses  Ranney  was  born  in  Hudson  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  August  12,  1819, 
and  died  June  24,  1895.  After  attending 
the  district  school  through  boyhood  he 
learned  the  blacksmith  trade  at  Little  York 
and  then  opened  a  shop  at  Peninsula,  which 
be  ran  for  seven  years.  On  May  1,  1851,  he 
came  to  what  is  now  Macedonia,  where  he 
established  himself  in  business,  where  he  re- 
mained active  until  within  twenty  years  of 
his  death.  He  took  much  interest  in  public 
aff'airs,  was  a  Democrat  in  political  belief, 
and  served  frequently  in  township  offices.  He 
was  a  valued  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at 
Hudson.  He  married  Miranda  Rogers  and 
they  had.  the  following  children.  Edward  G., 
who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg; 
Frank,  residing  at  Akron ;  J.  L.,  residing  at 
Macedonia;  and  Fred  E.,  residing  at  Akron. 

Jake  L.  Ranney  leaxned  the  blacksmith 
trade  with  his  father  and  worked  at  it  for 
some  nine  years  and  then  embai'ked  in  a  gen- 
eral mercantile  business,  in  partnership  with 
his  brothers,  under- the  firm  name  of  F.  M. 
Ranney  &  Company.  In  1888,  after  eight 
years  of  experience,  Mr.  Ranney  sold  his  in- 
terest and  learned  the  carpenter  trade,  but 
in   1892  he  returned  to  merchandising. 

In  1904  he  became  manager  of  the  Mace- 
donia Implement  Company,  handling  all 
kinds  of  agricultural  implements  and  feed, 
and  making  a  sjiecialty  of  the  manufacture  of 
a  can  cleaner  for  the  use  of  dairymen.  It  is 
a  very  u.«eful  device  and  is  in  general  de- 
mand, being  much  superior  to  any  article  of 
the  kind  ever  before  put  on  the  market. 

Mr.  Ranney  married  Pearl  M.  Clifford,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  .Tame?  C.  Clifford,  of  North- 
field,  and  they  have  had  two  children,  the 
one  survivor  bearing  the  name  of  Roger  Clif- 
ford, and  he  was  born  April  6,  1897.     Mr. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


695 


Rannej'  owns  considerable  property  at  Mace- 
donia, including  his  own  home,  which  is  fur- 
nished with  beauty  and  taste. 

When  Mr.  Ranney  became  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity  there  were  about  for- 
ty-eight members  in  Northfield.  Previous  to 
this  time,  township  politics  had  been  largely 
controlled  by  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
influences,  inimical  to  the  Masons,  and  this 
induced  the  Masonic  people  to  get  up  a  popu- 
lar ticket  which  would  sweep  the  town.  On 
this  ticket  they  elected  Mr.  Ranney,  who  was 
then  twenty-two  years  of  age,  constable,  an 
otfice  he  soon  resigned.  He  never  con.sented 
to  hold  any  other  until  he  was  elected  to  his 
present  office  of  township  trustee.  In  the 
fall  of  1904,  he  w^as  appointed  a  justice  of 
'the  peace,  without  being  consulted,  and  he 
promptly  declined  the  honor.  Mr.  Ranney  is 
to  some  degree  interested  in  opening  up  a 
giis  well,  in  this  section,  which  may  prove 
of  considerable  value.  He  is  one  of  the  rep- 
resentative men  of  this  part  of  Sunmiit 
County. 

JOSEPH  BENSON  CARTER,  general 
farmer  at  Macedonia,  Northfield  Town.'ihip, 
was  born  in  Twin.sburg  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  February  2S,  1839,  and  is  a 
son  of  Thaddeus  Andrews  and  Esther  (Mar- 
shall )  Carter. 

The  Carter  family  originated  in  southern 
England  and  probably  the  first  settler  in 
America  was  Robert  Carter,  who  was  the 
father  of  seven  children,  and  who  died  at 
Killingsworth,  Connecticut,  in  1751.  His 
son,  William,  was  born  in  1702,  and  joined 
the  church  at  Killingsworth  in  1725,  soon 
after  this  removing  to  Guilford  and  thence 
to  Wallingford.  where,  in  1733,  he  married 
Ann,  daughter  of  Capt.  Theophilus  Yale. 

Thaddeus  Carter,  son  of  William,  was  born 
at  Wallingford,  in  1735.  removed  to  Richfield, 
Connecticut,  in  1783,  and  married  Lucy,  a 
daughter  of  Elisha  Andrews. 

Noah  Andrews  Carter,  son  of  Thaddeus, 
was  born  at  Wallingford  in  1777,  removed 
to  Richfield  with  his  father,  thence  to  Bris- 
tol.   He  was  adopted  by  his  nncle,  Noah  An- 


di-ews,  one  of  the  pioneer  Methodist  preachers 
of  Connecticut.  In  1815  he  moved  to  Bark- 
hamstead,  where  he  died  in  1830.  He  mar- 
ried Lydia  Gaylord,  who  was  born  in  1778. 

Thaddeus  Andrews,  father  of  Joseph  B. 
Carter  and  second  child  and  first  son  of  Noah 
Andrews  Carter  and  wife,  was  born  at  Bristol, 
Connecticut,  March  24,  1902.  In  1828  he 
married  Esther  Alford  Marshall,  who  was 
born  at  Canton,  Connecticut,  December  9, 
1805.  They  probably  came  to  Ohio  soon 
after  their  marriage,  locating  two  miles  west 
of  the  center  of  Twinsburg,  on  a  wild,  unim- 
proved tract  of  land.  On  this  farm  Mrs.  Car- 
ter died,  September  1,  1845,  leaving  behind 
a  record  of  a  beauitiful,  unselfish  life  and 
many  heroic  deeds,  as  fell  to  pioneer  woman's 
lot.  The  father  of  Mr.  Carter  was  married 
(second)  December  28,  1845,  to  Margaret 
McKesson,  who  was  born  at  Yorktown,  Marv- 
land.  May  6,  1812.  He  died  October  22, 
1870.  At  one  time  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  lodge  at  Twinsburg.  In  early  life 
he  was  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican,  and 
frequently  was  elected  to  offices  of  responsi- 
bility, both  in  public  affairs  in  the  commu- 
nity and  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Joseph  B.  Carter  remained  assisting  on  the 
home  farm  until  twenty-two  years  of  age, 
hut  when  the  Civil  War  Avas  precipitated  on 
the  land,  he  determined  to  ofl^er  his  life  and 
sendees  in  defen.se  of  his  country.  He  enli.«ted 
Augu.st  26,  1861,  in  Company  K,  Nineteenth 
Regiment,  Ohio  Vohmteer  Infantry,  and  was 
honorably  discharged  in  the  fall  of  1864.  He 
was  oonnected  with  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland and  participated  in  all  the  battles  in 
which  his  regiment  took  part,  from  Pittsburg 
Landing  to  Stone  River,  where  he  was 
w^ounded  by  a  bullet  in  his  knee.  This  injury 
confined  him  to  the  hospital  and  subsequently 
made  his  transfer  nece^ssary  to  the  invalid 
corps,  in  which  he  remained  eight  months. 
He  barely  escaped  death  on  the  same  battle- 
field, as  a  bullet  penetrated  the  buckle  of  his 
belt.  This  buckle  is  preserved  as  a  very 
precious  object  by  his  family. 

After  the  honorable  close  of  his  military 
.service  Mr.  Carter  returned  to  the  Twinsburg 


696 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


farm  and  remained  until  1870,  and  two  years 
later  bought  a  farm  of  K30  acres,  which  was 
the  old  homestead,  which  he  still  retains  and 
has  cultivated  by  a  tenant.  In  1889  Mr.  Car- 
ter came  to  his  present  farm  of  275  acres, 
on  which  his  wife  was  born.  Mr.  Carter  has 
100  acres  under  cultivation,  and  feeds  all  he 
grows  except  wheat  and  potatoes.  He  keeps 
forty  head  of  cattle,  ten  horses  and  seventy- 
five  sheep.  He  ships  his  milk  to  Cleveland. 
He  has  excellent,  substantial  buildings  and 
has  a  silo  18  by  30  feet,  30  feet  high. 

On  December  24,  1873,  Mr.  Carter  was 
married  to  Amarilla  L.  Spafford,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Jason  M.  Spafford,  of  Northfield, 
where  she  Avas  born  August  4,  1852.  They 
have  two  children.  Lena  May  and  Thaddeus 
B.  The  family  belong  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  at  Twinsiburg.  Mr.  Carter  has 
l>een  vice  commander  of  Royal  Dunn  Post, 
No.  177,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at 
Bedford. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Carter  'was  born  at  Sa- 
lem, Ohio,  September  13,  1831,  and  died  May 
25,  1876.  His  parents  mioved  into  Summit 
County  when  he  was  a  small  boy.  Soon  after 
bis  marriage  he  bought  the  farm  in  lot  3, 
on  which  the  Carter  family  now  lives.  He 
niarnied  Philena  Cranson,  who  was  born  in 
New  York,  and  accompanied  her  parents  to 
(ieauga  County,  Ohio,  in  childhood.  She 
still  survives.     Mrs.  Carter  was  an  only  child. 

MUNN  BROTHERS,  a  firm  made  up  of 
twin  brothers,  Abram  Cranmer  and  Amos  R. 
Muiiii,  has  been  prominent  in  the  business 
affairs  of  Macedonia  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  the  two  brothers,  together  and  individ- 
ually, have  been  identified  mth  much  of  the 
public  life  and  conmiercial  concerns  of  this 
section.  The  brothers  were  born  at  Mace- 
donia, Northfield  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  May  6,  1840,  and  are  sons  of  Hiram 
and  Esther    (Cranmer)   Munn. 

Warner  Munn,  the  grandfather,  was  a  na- 
tive of  New  Jersey,  and  sei-ved  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  For  a  number  of  years  near 
the   close  of  liis   life  he  lived  in   Northfield 


Town.sliip,  and  his  remains  lie  in  Northfield 
Cemetery. 

Hiram  Munn  was  born  at  Trenton,  New 
Jersey,  in  January,  1800,  and  died  in  1880. 
When  he  was  still  young  his  parents  moved 
to  the  State  of  New  York,  and  during  the 
War  of  1812  he  served  as  a  drammer  boy  at 
the  battle  of  Sacketts  Harbor.  Subsequently 
he  followed  his  trade  of  cabinetmaker  at 
Cleveland  for  a  few  years,  and  then  came  to 
Northfield,  where  he  followed  carpentry  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  his  active  life.  He  mar- 
ried E.sther  Cranmer,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Abraham  Cranmer,  of  Macedonia.  She  was 
ithe  first  school  teacher  in  Northfield  Town- 
ship. Hiram  Munn  and  wife  had  eleven 
children,  eight  of  whom  reached  maturity, 
as  follows:  Irene,  who  married  J.  J.  Brit- 
tain,  residing  in  Streetsboro  Township ;  Fran- 
cis Adelda,  who  is  survived  by  her  husband, 
J.  W.  Caldwell,  residing  at  Macedonia ;  John 
Wesley,  who  is  decea.sed ;  Abram  C.  and  Amos 
R.;  Zorada,  who  married  Harry  Brumley,  re- 
siding at  Cleveland,  and  Ferdinand  Sylve.«ter, 
residing  at  Macedonia.  The  parents  of  the 
above  family  were  most  worthy  people  in 
every  phase  of  life.  They  were  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in 
which  the  father  was  a  local  preacher,  and 
they  were  largely  instrumental  in  having 
erected  the  presenif  Northfield  Church. 

Abram  C.  Munn  obtained  a  common  schonl 
education  at  Macedonia,  and  after  acting  in 
the  cafiacity  of  a  clerk  for  several  years,  in 
the  post-office,  he  learned  the  shoemaking 
trade,  and  in  1858  the  firm  name  of  Munn 
Brothers  came  into  existence,  the  young  men 
enitering  into  partnershi]),  and  they  continued 
to  carry  on  a  shoemaking  indu.stry  for  about 
ten  years.  In  1861  A.  C.  Munn  was  appointed 
post-master  by  President  Lincoln,  and  in 
1863  he  became  local  agent  for  the  American 
Merchants  I^nion  Express  Company,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  capacity  iintil  he  went  to 
Cleveland,  where  he  fitted  himself  to  be  a 
practical  .^team  engineer.  He  was  succeeded 
as  agent  by  his  brother,  Amos  R.,  who  fills 
the  po,-:ition  for  the  Adams  Express  Com- 
pany at  this  point. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


697 


After  closing  out  their  first  business  entor- 
|)ri.se,  the  brothers  engaged  in  a  general  mer- 
cantile ^business  at  Macedonia,  which  they 
continued  as  a  partnership  until  1885,  when 
Abram  C,  went  to  Cleveland  to  accept  the 
pasition  of  engineer  of  the  waterworks  depart- 
ment for  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Com- 
pany. Amos  R.  continued  the  business  at 
Macedonia,  changing  its  character  somewhat, 
and  has  added  notions  and  coal  to  the  com- 
modities he  handles.  Abram  C.  Munn  re- 
mained in  the  employ  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany until  1902,  when  he  returned  to  Mace- 
donia, where  he  now  lives  partially  retired,  al- 
though the  ibrothers  still  have  business  inter- 
ests in  common.  They  are  much  alike  in  their 
niode<s  of  thought,  and  view  public  questions 
in  the  same  light,  hence,  both  are  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  both  are  Masons 
and  both  are  Maccabees.  For  five  years  A.  C. 
Munn  ser\'ed  as  clerk  of  Northfield  Townshij). 
Their  Masonic  connections  are  at  Bedford, 
and  A.  C.  Munn  is  also  a  member  of  Summit 
Chapter,  Royal  Arch.  Of  the  Maccabees,  A. 
C.  Munn  is  past  comuiander,  and  A.  R.  has 
served  as  trea.surer  of  the  lodge. 

Abram  C.  Munn  was  married  (first)  to 
Mary  S.  McLaughlin,  who  died  in  1898. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  McLaughlin  of 
Corona,  Michigan.  No  children  were  born  to 
that  niiirriage  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Munn 
adopted  a  daughter,  Grace  A.,  who  subse- 
quently became  the  wife  of  A.  T.  Brooks, 
(if  Macedonia.  Mr.  Munn  was  married  (sec- 
ond) July  8,  1904,  to  Mrs.  Ella  A.  (Allen) 
AVadham.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Disciples 
Church. 

In  1866,  Amos  R.  Munn  was  married 
(firstt)  to  Sarah  Ann  DeHaven,  of  Northfield 
Township,  and  of  their  children,  one  sur- 
vives, Gertrude,  who  married  Frederick  .Ten- 
kins,  of  Macedonia.  Mrs.  Munn  died  in  1874. 
Mr.  Munn  was  married  (second)  to  .Johanna 
Havens,  of  Bedford,  who  formerly  was  a 
school  teacher  in  Northfield  Township.  They 
have  two  daughters :  Stella,  who  man-ied  Al- 
bert Jenkins,  residing  at  Macedonia,  and 
Rada,  who  married  Homer  Armstrong,  who 
is  a  teacher  in  the  Akron  High  School. 


Amos  R.  j\Iunn  resides  on  a  farm  which 
his  grandfather  Cranmer  cleared.  There  are 
about  twenty  acres  in  the  place  and  Mr.  Munn 
cultivates  about  twelve.  He  has  put  in  all 
kinds  of  modern  improvements,  including  a 
silo  10  iby  12  feet  and  30  feet  high.  He  has 
twenty-five  stands  of  bees  and  produces  a 
great  deal  of  fine  honey.  He  ships  milk  to 
Cleveland,  keeping  some  six  head  of  cattle. 
Many  of  the  old  orchard  trees  set  out  by  his 
grandfather  are  still  in  bearing  condition. 

JAMES  F.  WRIGHT,  a  leading  citizen  of 
Springfield  Township,  resides  on  an  excellent 
farrm  of  thirty-six  acres,  which  he  purchased 
in  1896.  Mr.  Wright  was  born  in  Spring- 
field Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  July 
4,  1856,  and  ds  a  son  of  Hon.  Thomas  and 
Elizabeth    (Henderson)    AV right. 

When  Thomas  Wright,  Sr.,  the  grand- 
father of  James  F.,  came  from  New  York  to 
Summit  County,  in  1837,  he  settled  first  by 
Springfield  Lake,  where  he  built  a  log  hoiLse. 
Later  he  moved  to  the  farm  now  owned  by 
his  son,  Hon.  Thomas  Wright,  chosing  the 
land  on  account  of  a  fine  .spring  located  on 
the  place.  There  were  few  settlers  in  Spring- 
field Townsihdp  at  that  time,  and  but  little 
clearing  had  been  done.  On  the  farm,  after 
all  these  years,  there  still  remains  one  tree, 
the  markings  on  which  recall  the  time  when 
blazings  were  the  only  sign  po.sts  by  which 
settlers  could  reach  civilization  from  their 
homes  in  the  forest.  This  tree  marked  the 
old  forest  road  which  led  to  the  river,  near 
Mr.  Wright's  home.  Tlie  highway  which 
runs  by  his  property  has  a  foundation  of  cor- 
duroy, the  logs  having  been  laid  years  and 
yeare  ago. 

Tlie  grandparents  of  James  J.  Wright  were 
born  and  married  in  England.  His  father, 
Hon.  Thomas  Wright,  formerly  a  member  of 
the  Ohio  State  Legislature,  was  born  after  the 
family  settled  in  Tomjikins  County,  New 
York.  Thomas  Wright,  Jr.,  married  Eliza- 
beth Henderson,  who  w.as  ]>otii  in  Springfield 
Town.ship  and  was  a  daughter  of  an  old  pio- 
neer  familv,    .Tames   and    Elizabeth    (Smdth) 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT   COUNTS 


Henderson.  She  died  in  1902,  aged  seventy- 
two  years. 

James  F.  Wright  is  one  of  a  family  of  six 
children.  He  was  educated  in  the  district 
school  and  the  Akron  High  School,  going 
from  there  to  Monnt  Union  College,  after 
Avhdch  he  taught  school  for  some  two  years 
in  Coventry  and  Springfield  Townships.  His 
life,  however,  has  heen  mainly  devoted  to 
farming.  For  some  time  he  managed  his 
father's  farm,  but,  later  purchased  property, 
which  he  has  continued  to  improve  to  the 
present  time. 

On  September  10,  1875,  Mr.  AA'right  was 
married  to  Mary  J.  Steese,  who  was  born  in 
Green  Township,  and  is  a  daughter  of  George 
and  Esther  (Faust)  Steese.  Her  parents 
came  to  Ohio  from  Pennsylvania.  Both  are 
deceased,  the  fatlier  reaching  the  age  of  eighty 
years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ^A^right  have  three  chil- 
dren: Esther  Elta,  who  married  Robert 
Manson,  resides  a/t  Akron,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Finley  Manson;  Bert  A.,  residing  at 
Akron,  where  he  is  assistant  draught'^man  for 
the  firm  of  Taplan  and  Rice,  and  Myron  E., 
who  is  stenographer  and  bookkeeper  for  the 
Welsh  Paper  Mill  Compamv,  at  Cuvahoga 
Falls.  ^  ~ 

Mr.  Wright  is  one  of  the  leading  Repub- 
lican politicians  of  Summit  County.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  has  sensed  as  a  member 
of  the  party  executive  committee  of  this  pre- 
cinct, has  attended  numerous  county  conven- 
tions as  a  delegate,  and  in  1906  he  was  elected 
alternate  to  the  State  convention.  He  has  also 
served  in  local  offices,  and  for  some  ten  years 
has  been  a  member  of  the  School  Board. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Wright  is  an  Odd  Fellow, 
belonging  to  Summit  Lodge,  No.  50,  Akron. 
Both  he  and  wife  are  members  of  the  German 
Reformed  Church. 

GEORGE  W.  SHRIBER,  general  farmer 
and  trucker,  resnding  on  .  a  well-cultivated 
farm  near  Loyal  Oak,  Norton  Township,  was 
born  at  On-ville,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  No- 
vember 23,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Emanuel 

and  Elizabeth    (Crites)   Shriber. 


Emanuel  Shriber  was  a  farmer  and  also  a 
carpenter  and  George  W.  was  reared  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  His  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  country  schools.  For  fourteen 
years  after  marriage,  Mr.  Shriber  lived  on 
his  farm  in  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio.  After 
the  death  of  his  father,  which  took  place  in 
September,  1895,  Mr.  Shriber  returned  to 
^Vayne  County,  and  continued  to  reside  on 
the  home  farm  in  Baughman  Township,  un- 
til March,  1902,  when  he  came  to  Summit 
County  and  settled  on^his  present  farm.  His 
land  is  well  adapted  to  the  growing  of  vege- 
tables and  small  fruiits  and  he  engages  largely 
in  this  industry,  in  addition  to  general  agri- 
cultural work. 

Mr.  Shriber  was  married  to  Clara  E.  Erase, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth 
Erase.  She  was  reared  in  Chippewa  Town- 
ship, Wayne  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shriber 
have  had  six  children,  namely:  Carrie  E., 
Bert  Alvin,  Carl  C,  George  Neil,  Howard 
Erase  and  Glen  Russell.  Mr.  Shriber's  chil- 
dren have  been  well  educated,  the  three  older 
ones  all  becoming  teachers.  The  eldest 
daughter,  who  is  principal  of  the  High  School 
at  Carrolton,  the  county  seat  of  Carrol  County, 
is  a  talented  lady  and  \\'idely-known  edu- 
cator. She  attended  the  High  School  at  Mar- 
sha.llville,  Ohio,  spent  one  year  at  Jefferson, 
Ohio,  and  completed  her  liberal  education  at 
Wooster  University.  Bert  Alvin,  the  eldest 
son,  is  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
dentistry  at  Akron.  For  four  years  he  en- 
gaged in  teaching.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Mar.shallville  High  School,  and  studied  his 
profesision  at  the  Western  Reserve  University 
at  Cleveland.  He  married  Blanch  Woods, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Dr.  A.  T.  Woods,  of 
Loyal  Oak,  Ohio.  Carl  C,  the  second  son, 
attended  the  Marshallville  High  School  and 
completed  his  education  in  the  .summer  ses- 
sions at  "Wooster  I^niversity,  for  three  years 
teaching  through  the  -n-inters. 

Mr.  Shriber  and  familv  belong  to  Grace 
Reformed  Church  at  Loyal  Oak,  in  which  he 
is  an  elder.  He  is  a  man  of  upright  char- 
acter and  the  family  is  a  representative  one 
of  Norton  Township. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


701 


REUBEN  B.  BAUGHMAN,  a  representa- 
tive citizen  and  leading  farmer  of  Norton 
Township,  resides  upon  a  well-improved  and 
finely-cultivated  farm  of  ninety  acres,  which 
is  situated  one  mile  south  and  west  of  John- 
son's Corners.  He  was  born  at  Hametown, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  July  12,  1850,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  C.  and  Elizabeth  (Barkhamer) 
Baughman. 

-  John  Baughman,  the  grandfather  of  Reu- 
ben B.,  came  to  Norton  Township  when  his 
son,  John  C,  the  youngest  of  the  three  chil- 
dren, was  four  years  old,  the  other  being 
Joel  C.  and  Mrs.  Su.^anna  Waltenberger.  At 
that  time  the  family  name  was  spelled  in  the 
old  German  way — Bachman — the  change  be- 
ing made  to  the  present  orthography  by  John 
C,  when  he  came  to  man's  estate.  John  Bach- 
man, or  Baughman,  was  a  cabinetmaJvcr  by 
trade  and  settled  first  in  Chippewa  Township, 
A^'ayne  County,  but  it  is  probable  that  he  did 
little  else  than  farming  after  coming  to  Nor- 
ton To^raship.  John  C.  Baughman  was  born 
in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  but  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Wayne  and  Summit 
Countie.-i,  Ohio.  He  married  Elizabeth  Bark- 
liamer,  who  was  reared  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship. She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Bark- 
hamer, who  walked  the  whole  distance  from 
Pennsylvania  and  bought  a  tract  of  wood- 
land in  Franklin  Township,  Summit  County, 
on  which  he  lived  for  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  For  many  years  he  was  a  justice  of  the 
peace. 

The  parents  of  Reuben  B.  Baughman  went 
to  housekeeping  in  Norton  Township  and  as 
he  had  learned  the  carpenter  trade  he  worked 
at  it  and  subsequently  became  a  well-known 
contractor  and  carried  on  a  large  wliolesale 
lumber  business.  In  addition  to  his  carpen- 
ter, contracting  and  lumber  interests,  Mr. 
Baughman  dealt  in  land  and  acquired  308  1-3 
acres  of  farming  land,  and  owned  also  a 
.etore  property  at  Hametown.  The  Barberton 
Chemical  Company  plant  is  located  on  land 
which  was  once  his  farm.  He  died  in  Sep- 
tember. 1898.  He  is  survived  by  his  widow 
and  the  following  children :  Reuben  B., 
Tsaae  James;  Arvilla,  who  married  William 


H.  Nice,  of  Barberton;  Calista  B.,  who  mai-- 
ried  Huston  Snyder,  living  on  the  old  home 
fairm;  and  Clara  E.,  who  married  Clyde  0. 
Rasor.  Three  children  are  deceased,  name- 
ly:    Amanda,  Emma  and  Cora. 

Reuben  B.  Baughman  was  reared  in  Nor- 
ton Township  and  attended  the  district 
schools.  His  attention  has  been  given  to  farm- 
ing and  his  fine  property  shows  that  he  is 
successful  as  an  agriculturist.  He  raises  grain 
and  enough  stock  for  his  own  use. 

Mr.  Baughnnm  married  Martha  Jane  Wise, 
only  child  of  Michael  and  Martha  (Myers) 
Wise.  The  Wise  family  is  a  very  old  and 
prominent  one  in  ftiis  township.  For  many 
years  Michael  Wise,  who  resides  at  Johnson's 
Corners,  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
few  men  are  better  known  in  this  section  than 
'Squire  Wise.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baughman  have 
had  four  children — Loma  Blanche,  who  died 
aged  four  years;  Lloyd  AV.  is  a  bookkeeper 
for  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  Railroad,  residing  at 
Cleveland;  Clarence  C,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  years;  and  John  R.,  residing  at 
home. 

Mr.  Baughman  is  a  man  who  takes  aii  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  his  community  and 
as  a  prominent  man  has  freqviently  been  se- 
lected by  his  fellow-citizens  for  office.  He 
ser\'ed  two  terms  as  Township  treasurer,  and 
.since  1904  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
School  Board.  He  belongs  to  the  Reformed 
Church. 

L.  D.  CASTLE,  general  manager  of  the 
Pittsburg  Valve  and  Fitting  Company,  an 
important  industry  which  has  been  located 
at  Barberton,  since  1902,  is  a  practical  ma- 
chinist, who  has  had  a  large  experience  in 
differemt  parts  of  the  country.  Mr.  Ca.«tle  was 
bom  at  Frederick.  Maryland,  but  in  his 
childhood,  his  parents  moved  to  Charlcstown, 
Jefferson  County,  Virginia. 

Mr.  Oa.«it.le  was  educated  at  Charlestown, 
and  when  eighteen  years  of  age.  he  moved  to 
Connecticut,  locating  at  Bridgeport,  Fairfield 
County.  There  he  had  an  opportunity  to 
study  mechanical  drawing,  and  he  also  served 
an  apprenticeship  of  three  years  to  the  ma- 


702 


HISTORY    OF    SUjniTT    COUNTY 


chinist's  trade.  For  two  years  he  worked  a^ 
a  journeyman  machinist  and  then  became 
foreman  of  the  Eaton,  Cole  and  Burnham 
Company's  shops,  and  while  serving  as  such 
was  offered  the  superintendency  of  the  Kelley 
and  Jones  Company,  of  New  York,  which  he 
accepted.  PTevioi:isly  he  declined  the  offer 
of  assisitant  superintendent  with  the  former 
company.  The  Kelly  and  Jones  Company, 
two  years  later,  removed  their  plant  from  New 
York  to  Greensburg,  Pennsylvania,  where 
they  built  larger  works,  and  Mr.  Castle  re- 
mained with  them  until  prepared  to  go  into 
the  organization  of  the  Pittsburg  Valve  and 
Fitting  Company. 

This  important  business  concern  of  Bar- 
berbon  was  organized  in  1901  at  Pittsburg, 
by  L.  D.  Ca.stle  and  M.  J.  Alexander.  For 
one  year  the  partners  operated  a  pattern  sliop 
at  Pittsburg,  but  as  the  scope  of  their  busi- 
ness was  enlarged,  it  was  considered  advisable 
to  build  the  necessary  large  works  at  another 
place,  Barberton  offering  a  suitable  location. 
The  officers  of  the  company  are  the  follow- 
ing capitalists  and  experienced  men  in  this 
line  of  work:  William  D.  Hartupee,  presi- 
dent, residing  at  Pitt,sburg;  M.  J.  Alexander, 
secretary  and  treasurer,  residing  at  Pitt-sburg. 
and  L.  D.  Ca.«itle,  general  manager,  residing 
at  Barberton.  The  board  of  directors  includes 
.  these  names :  Alexander  R.  Peacock,  Charles 
W.  Brown,  William  D.  Hartupee,  M.  J.  Alex- 
ander, L.  H.  Castle,  Joseph  H.  O'Neill  and 
Kenneth  K.  McLaren.  The  company  own- 
eighty  acres  of  land,  seventy-five  of  which 
was  purchased  from  the  Huntsburger  heirs 
and  five  acres  from  the  Barberton  Land  Com- 
pany. Employment  is  given  to  900  men  and 
the  pay  roll  is  a  very  heavy  item.  The  products 
of  this  plant  are  standard  brass  and  iron 
valves  and  iron  pipe  fittings,  for  use  in  con- 
nection with  .steam,  water,  oil  and  gas.  They 
sell  through  jobbers,  their  trade  territory  be- 
ing the  United  States  and  foreign  countries. 
The  business  was  incorporated  under  the  laws 
of  New  Jersey,  with  a  capital  .'^tock  of  $1,000,- 
000.  They  run  three  foundrys,  a  grey  iron, 
a  malleable  iron  and  a  bra.ss  foundry. 

Mr.  Castle  was  married  in  New  York  City 


to  Carrie  L.  Fuller,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren, namely:  l/ouis  H.,  who  is  connected 
with  a  bank,  in  Boston,  in  which  city  he  re- 
sides with  liis  family,  and  George  Fuller,  who 
is  a  student  in  the  Barberton  schools. 

Mr.  Castle  is  a  member  of  the  order  of 
Elks. 

GREGORY  J.  GONDER,  a  substantial 
citizen  and  leading  business  man  at  Barber- 
ton, conducting  a  store  at  No.  345  Second 
Street,  in  the  Gonder  Block,  devoted  to  wall 
paper  and  painters'  supplies,  was  born  at  Ak- 
ron. May  29,  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  Catherine  (Steinbecker)  Gonder. 

Joseph  Gonder,  a  son  of  Joseph  Gonder, 
was  born  in  Germany,  and  came  alone  to 
America  in  boyhood,  settling  at  Akron,  where 
he  was  joined  two  years  later  by  his  father, 
who  established  the  business  in  1835.  The 
three  brothers,  Gregory  J.,  William  H.  and 
Joseph,  all  learned  the  painting  trade. 

Gregory  J.  Gonder  grew  up  at  .likron  and 
began  to  assist  his  father  when  only  twelve 
years  of  age,  in  the  old  shop  which  was  lo- 
cated on  East  Market  Street,  Akron,  and  after 
he  became  his  father's  partner  the  business 
was  continued  at  Akron,  Mr.  Gonder  not  set- 
tling at  Barberton  until  September,  1906. 
He  still  runs  a  shop  in  the  basement  of  the 
Windsor  Hotel,  but  his  main  business  is  car- 
ried on  in  the  Gonder  Block,  which  fine 
three-.story  brick  building,  24  by  100  feet  in 
dimensions,  he  erected  in  1904.  He  give* 
employment  to  nine  men  and  does  general 
contracting  in  painting. 

Mr.  Gonder  was  married  at  Akron  to 
Emma  M.  Edwards,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
John  Edwards,  and  they  have  had  three  chil- 
dren, the  one  survivor  being  the  eldest.  Greg- 
ory R.,  who  is  as,sociated  with  his  father  in 
business.  He  married  Mary  Condon.  The 
oither  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gonder  were: 
Susan,  who  died  aged  two  years,  and  Howard, 
who  died  aged  seventeen  years.  Mr.  Gonder 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Baptist  Clmrch 
at  Akron.  Fraternally,  he  is  connected  with 
the  Knights  of  Pythias. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


703 


CHARLES  B.  TRYON,  farmer,  residing  in 
tihe  village  of  Macedonia,  was  born  on  a  farm 
he  owns,  situated  in  lot  2,  Northfield  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  July  22,  1855. 
His  piirents  were  Jesse  and  Ruth  (Gibson) 
Try  on. 

Jesse  Tryon,  father  of  Charles  E.,  was  born 
at  Wethersfield,  Connecticut,  September  15, 
1819,  and  was  twelve  years  of  age  when  he 
came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents.  They  settled 
in  Cuyahoga  County,  and  he  was  educated 
in  an  old  log  school  house  near  his  father's 
farm.  After  he  was  married,  Jesse  Tryon 
came  to  Summit  County  and  bought  the 
farm  on  which  his  son  Charles  B.,  was  sub- 
sequently born.  It  contained  originally,  for- 
ty-nine acres,  to  which  Jesse  Tryon  added 
until  he  had  158  acres,  and  on  this  land  he 
rai-ed  many  cattle  and  sheep.  He  became 
identified  with  the  Republican  party  and 
served  in  township  offices.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  Asa  Gibson.  She  was  born  in 
Nctv  Jersey  and  died  in  Ohio,  in  1896,  aged 
seventy-six  years.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Baptist.  Church.  Three  of  their  four  children 
grew  to  maturity,  namely:  Jennie  R.,  de- 
ceased, who  married  V.  B.  Murphey,  also  de- 
ceased: Charles  B.,  and  Zettie  R.,  who  mar- 
ried C.  A.  Bis.sell,  residing  at  Antwerp,  Ohio. 

Charles  B.  Tryon  remained  on  the  home 
farm  through  childhood,  youth  and  into  mid- 
dle ago,  developing  the  property  and  carrj-- 
ing  on  both  farming  and  dairying  for  many 
years.  Prior  to  the  spring  of  1907,  when  he 
retired  to  a  plea.sant  home  in  the  village  of 
Macedonia,  he  looked  after  all  his  farm  in- 
dustries himself,  but  these  he  ha«  largely  dele- 
gated to  his  son,  who  resides  on  the  farm,  in 
tlie  sub.stantial  old  hou.-=e  which  was  built  by 
his  grandfather,  .sixty  years  ago.  The  barns 
have  be«n  enlarged  and  other  building- 
added,  Mr.  Tryon  always  having  taken  con- 
siderable pride  lin  his  surroundings.  There 
are  kept  twenty-five  head  of  Holstein  cattle 
on  the  farm,  milk  being  shipped  to  Cleve- 
land. Hay,  corn  and  oats  are  raised  for 
feed,  and  wheat  and  potatoes  for  sale. 

Mr.  Tryon  married  Delia  Robin.son,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Sidney  Roliinson,  of  Michi- 


gan, and  they  have  had  three  children: 
Pearl,  deceased,  who  married  Z.  A.  Hoasell, 
of  Northfiicld;  Fred,  who  was  born  August 
11,  1880,  residing  on  the  farm,  married  Delia 
Baldwin  and  has  three  children,  and  Treva, 
residing  at  home. 

Politically,  Mr.  Tryon  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party  and  for  twenty  years 
has  been  a  member  of  the  School  Board  of 
Northfield  ToAvnship.  He  was  one  of  the 
prime  movers  in  securing  the  in  corporation 
of  the  village  of  Macedonia  and  at  present 
is  a  member  of  the  village  council.  He  is 
the  secretary  of  the  Twinsburg  German  Coach 
Honse  Company,  which  owns  the  imported 
German  coach  .stallion,  Olof.  With  his  wife 
he  attends  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  contributes  liberally  to  its  support. 

IRA  L.  HART,  who  resides  on  his  well- 
improved  farm  of  eighty-seven  acres  in 
Springfield  Township,  is  one  of  the  best- 
known  farmers  in  the  township  and  a  rep- 
resentative member  of  one  of  the  oldest  fam- 
ilies of  this  section.  He  was  born  in  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  October  8,  1861.  and  is 
a  son  of  George  W.  and  Rebecca  (Myers) 
Hart.  He  is  a  grandson  of  John  D.  Hart, 
who  came  to  Summit  County  from  Pennsyl- 
■\ania,  at  a  very  early  date  which  has  not 
been  preserv-ed,  but  at  that  time  there  were 
few  other  settlers  in  this  region.  .Tohn  D. 
Hart  made  his  first  permanent  settlement 
where  his  granrLson  Ira  now  resides.  A  log 
cabin  had  been  bi;ilt  on  the  land  by  a  former 
tenant  and  in  that  rude  but  sufficient  abode 
this  worthy  pioneer  and  his  wife  rounded  out 
their  lives.  John  D.  Hart  was  a  soldier  in 
the  War  of  1812,  and  he  was  a  son  of  the 
John  Hart  -whose  name  is  appended  to  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  John  D. 
Hart's  family  included  four  daughters  and 
two  sons  who  reached  mature  age,  namely: 
Mrs.  Margaret  Gillen,  ^lary  A.,  who  married 
John  A,  Myers  and  died  in  Springfield 
Township ;  Rel>ecca,  who  married  Abraham 
Rodenbaugh,  and  spent  her  life  in  Spring- 
field Township:  Jane,  deceased,  who  sur\dved 
her  hu.=band,  Benjamin  Clay;  John,  who  died 


704 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


in  1900,  aged  eighty  years,  and  who  married 
Margaret  Haiwk,  and  George  W.,  father  of 
Ira  L.,  who  died  in  1898.  John  D.  Hart 
and  his  wife  died  soon  after  the  close  of  the 
Civil  War,  and  were  buried  in  the  cemetery 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Springfield. 
He  owned  a  farm  of  ninety  acres  at  that 
time. 

The  parents  of  Ira  L.  Hart  were  both  born 
in  Springfield  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio.  The  mother,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Hart,  died 
when  Ira  L.  Hart  was  about  seven  years  of 
age.  Her  husband  survived  her  until  April 
10,  1898,  when  he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
six  years.  They  had  eight  children,  the 
three  survivors  being:  Arilda  J.,  who  mar- 
ried 0.  J.  Swinehart.,  residing  at  Springfield 
Lake;  Luther  E.,  residing  at  Akron,  but 
owning  a  farm  in  Springfield  Township,  who 
married  Minerva  Ritzman,  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel Ritzman,  and  Ira  L.,  whose  name  begins 
this  sketch.  After  marriage,  George  W.  Hart 
and  wife  started  housekeeping  in  the  old  log 
house  which  still  stands  on  the  farm,  and 
his  life  was  mainly  devoted  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
Pomona  Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandrs'.  He 
owned  a  farm  of  sixty  acres  which  he  placed 
under  good  cultivation  and  he  built  an  excel- 
lent barn,  of  which  his  .son  now  makes  use. 
The  old  home  was  comfortable  and  neither 
he  nor  his  wife  desired  any  other.  They  were 
quiet,  \'irtuous,  godly  people,  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  estimable  in  every 
relation  of  life.  Their  remains  lie  in  the 
Presbyterian  cemetery.  Mr.  Hart  was  a  pa- 
triotic citizen  and  served  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  Civil  War. 

Ira  L.  Hart  was  born  in  the  old  family 
residence  which  still  remains  standing  on  the 
farm.  He  obtained  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  He  and  his  brother  Luther 
worked  some  years  for  their  father,  after 
which  they  purchased  the  Henderson  farm. 
After  the  father's  death  they  returned,  Ira  L. 
receiving  a  small  portion  of  the  esrtate,  to 
which  he  subsequently  added  by  purchase 
until  he  now  owns  a  fraction  over  eighty- 
seven    acres.      Formerly   he   was   largely   in- 


terested in  growing  potatoes  for  the  Akron 
market,  but  now  carries  on  mixed  farming 
and  raises  .small  fruit.  In  1903  he  completed 
hLs  fine  modern  residence,  of  eight  rooms, 
wliich,  in  architecture  and  convenience,  is  one 
of  the  handsomest  in  Springfield  Township. 
All  his  surroundings  show  thrift  and  good 
management.  In  a  large  measure,  Mr.  Hart 
is  a  self-made  man,  having  acquired  his  pop- 
ularity through  industry  and  frugality. 

On  December  22,  1885,  Mr.  Hart  was  mar- 
ried to  Ida  B.  Traster,  of  Springfield  Town- 
ship, and  they  have  three  children,  namely: 
Jessie,  Willard  and  Dawn,  all  residing  at 
home.  The  family  belong  to  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church  at  Springfield. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Hart  is  a  Democrat.  In 
the  spring  of  1901  he  was  elected  township 
treasurer,  and  subsequently  served  efficiently 
four  years  and  four  months  in  this  respon- 
.«ible  office.  He  is  a  man  of  liberal,  broad- 
minded  views  on  public  matters,  and  is  in- 
terested in  all  that  promises  to  be  of  bene- 
fit to  his  locality. 

ALBERT  R.  HENRY,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Paul  &  Henry  Constnietion  Com- 
pany, and  member  of  the  firm  of  Paul  & 
Henry,  of  Barberton,  is  one  of  the  prominent 
citizens  and  a  representative  business  man  of 
this  community.  Mr.  Henry  was  born  in 
Butler  County,  Penn.sylvania,  March  26, 
1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Milton  and  Margaret 
(Reed)    Henry. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Henry  moved  to  New 
Castle.  Pennsylvania,  when  he  was  about  one 
year  old,  and  he  was  reared  and  educated  in 
that  place,  completing  the  High  School 
course.  In  1891,  just  about  the  time  the 
business  awakening  reached  Barberton,  Mr. 
Henr\-  came  to  this  place,  accompanying  the 
Stirling  Boiler  AA^'orks  as  bookkeeper,  and 
manager  of  the  clerical  force,  and  he  re- 
mained with  that  organization  until  1900, 
when  he  entered  into  partnership  with  John 
Paul,  in  the  coal  business  and  in  city  contract 
work,  including  pa^nng,  etc.  The  extensive 
yards  and  offices  of  this  firm  are  located  at 
Bolivar  Road  and  Baird  Avenue,  where  they 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


705 


have  about  an  acre  of  land.  Paul  &  Henry 
are  contractors  and  builders  in  stone  work 
and  sewer  work,  and  make  a  specialty  of 
heavy  hauling  and  moving.  Much  of  the 
extensive  work  required  by  the  Diamond 
Match  Company  is  placed  in  the  hands  of 
this  firm.  They  did  all  the  stone  work  on 
the  school  houses  here,  the  abutment  at  the 
gorge,  at  Akron,  over  the  Cuyahoga  River, 
and  also  all  of  the  stone  work  for  the  Pitts- 
burg Valve  Company's  buildings.  Employ- 
ment is  given  to  from  150  to  225  men.  In 
May,  1907,  the  firm  entered  into  the  manu- 
facture of  artificial  ice,  in  a  newly  constructed 
building.  Paul  &  Henry  is  a  separate  organ- 
ization from  the  Paul  &  Henry  Construction 
Company.  The  latter  is  incorporated  at 
$20,000,  and  do  nothing  but  grading,  con- 
crete work  and  masonry.  John  Paul  is  presi- 
dent of  that  branch.  The  fonner  company 
does  some  construction  work  but  is  mainly 
interested  in  coal  and  ice.  Both  members  of 
the  above  companies  are  practical  engineers 
and  are  prominent  in  industrial  circles  at 
Barberton,  and  equally  prominent  as  citi- 
zens. 

Mr.  Henry  was  married  in  1904  to  Martha 
McMichael.  He  is  an  active  and  interested 
member  of  both  the  Masons  and  the  Elks. 

WALTER  A.  WHITE,  who  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  match  industry  since  1868, 
is  superintendent  of  the  Diamond  Match 
Company,  at  Barberton.  Mr.  White  was 
born  at  Brooklyn,  New  York,  December  28, 
1855,  and  is  a  son  of  James  P.  and  Keziah 
(Hunt)  White. 

When  Mr.  White  was  eleven  years  of  age, 
his  parents  removed  to  Akron,  Ohio.  During 
the  Civil  War  his  father,  a  ship  carpenter, 
had  worked  for  the  Government  at  Brooklyn, 
and  after  he  came  to  Akron  he  devoted  him- 
self to  building  canal  boats.  He  w^as  a  good 
workman  and  met  with  material  succe.ss.  He 
lived  to  be  eighty-six  years  of  age,  dying  from 
the  effects  of  an  accident.  April  8,  1907.  His 
widow  still  survives,  aged  seventy-seven  years. 

Walter  A.  White  completed  his  education 
at  Akron,  in  1868  beginning  to  work  for  0. 


C.  Barber  in  the  match  business,  at  first  only 
during  the  summer  vacation,  but  later  taking 
regular  work  and  attending  night  school. 
Step  by  step  he  has  risen  in  the  business, 
from  its  humblest  position  to  that  of  one  of 
the  most  important  on  its  working  force,  each 
year  becoming  more  valuable  to  Mr.  Barber 
and  his  associates,  both  on  account  of  his  effi- 
ciency as  well  as  fidelity. 

On  December  24,  1883,  Mr.  White  was 
married  to  Alice  Westcott,  and  they  have  two 
children,  namely:  Ethel  C,  who  married 
Oris  Tichnor,  has  one  child;  Walter  H.,  and 
Howard  W.  Mr.  White  has  two  brothers  and 
one  sister:  John,  proprietor  of  the  White 
Lumber  Company,  at  Akron ;  James,  in  a 
lumber  business  at  Detroit,  and  Anna,  who 
married  Charles  Akers,  who  is  a  hardware 
and  real  estate  dealer  at  Akron. 

Mr.  White  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Elks. 

\y.  IT.  SHAW,  a  representative  agricul- 
turist of  Northfield  Township,  residing  on  his 
valuable  farm  of  112  acres,  was  born  in 
Washington  Township,  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  September  3,  1853.  and  is  a  son  of 
Ha.r\'ey  F.   and  Rebecca   (Helphrey)    Shaw. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Shaw  was  born  in  New 
Jersey  and  there  learned  the  trade  of  .stone- 
mason. He  came  to  Washington  Township, 
Utica  village.  Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  young 
manhood,  acquired  a  farm  and  carried  dt  on 
together  with  work  at  his  trade.  He  died 
in  1870,  aged  forty-eight  years.  He  married 
a  daughter  of  George  Helphrey,  and  they  had 
the  following  children :  Annabel,  W.  H., 
Laura,  Simon  L.,  Frank,  Arthur  and  Cor- 
bett.  The  mother  of  the  above  family  still 
survives,  aged  seventy-eight  years.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbvterian  Church  at  Berea, 
Ohio. 

W.  H.  Shaw  attended  school  in  Washing- 
ton Township.  Utica  village,  and  was  fifteen 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  to  Clin- 
ton, Henr>'  County.  Mi.<souri.  .«elling  the  old 
farm.  The  father  died  in  Mi.«souri  and  three 
year?  later,  upon  her  retiirn  to  Licking  Comi- 
ty, the  mother    purchased    a    second    farm. 


706 


HISTORY    OP    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


W.  H.,  as  the  eldest  son,  took  charge  aiid  re- 
mained at  home  until  his  own  marriage.  For 
three  years  following  he  rented  a  farm  in  the 
same  township,  later  purchasing  property 
there  on  which  he  continued  to  reside  until 
1901,  when  he  came  to  his  present  location, 
buying  eighty-nine  acres  at  first,  and  subse- 
quently increasing  to  112  acres.  Of  this  he 
has  about  fifty  acres  under  cultivation,  on 
which  he  raises  wheat,  hay,  corn  and  oats 
and  many  potatoes.  He  has  a  valuable  silo 
14  by  14  feet  and  26  feet  high.  He  keeps 
twenty-five  head  of  fine  Durham  and  Hol- 
stein  cattle,  and  disposes  of  his  milk  to  the 
Brooks  Creamery  Company.  He  mak&s  poul- 
try raising  profitable  and  understands  how  to 
reap  benefit  from  all  portions  of  his  domain. 

Mr.  Shaw  married  Lucina  Chopson,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  John  Chopson,  of  Washington 
Township,  Utica  village,  and  they  have  five 
children,  namely:  Gail,  Mabel,  Flossie,  Reid 
and  Charles.  Mr.  Shaw  and  family  belong 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which 
he  is  a  trustee  and  in  which  he  has  sei-ved 
as  a  class  leader. 

Mr.  Shaw  is  one  of  the  leading  Republicans 
of  his  section,  and  prior  to  coming  here, 
served  for  six  years  as  township  trustee,  and 
for  ten  or  twelve  years  was  a  member  of  the 
School  Board.  Formerly  he  frequently 
served  as  a  delegate  to  county  conventions. 
He  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  also  to 
the  Maccabees. 

WILLIAM  R.  HAGUE,  a  progre.ssive 
farmer  and  energetic,  intelligent  citizen  of 
Northfield  Town.ship,  residing  on  his  valu- 
able farm  of  100  acres,  was  born  August  15, 
1870,  in  Washington  Township,  Guernsey 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Jehu  and 
Preeney  (Stillians)  Hague. 

William  R.  Hague  is  a  self-made  man.  His 
parents  died  when  he  was  young,  leaving  him 
and  his  sister,  Nola,  to  be  reared  by  family 
friends.  The  other  children  were:  Louis, 
residing  in  Washington  Township,  and  Cora 
who  married  Fa.raau  Coats,  residing  at  Cleve- 
land. Nola  .subsequently  married  B.  H.  Dea- 
con, of  Alpena,  Michigan. 


Mr.  Hague  remained  with  his  foster  par- 
ent^!  until  they  died,  when  he  was  about 
twenty-three  years  old,  after  which  he  came 
to  Northfield  Township,  where  he  has  been 
mainly  engaged  in  farming  ever  since.  In 
1896,  he  was  married  to  Charlotte  Rinear, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Albert  Rinear,  the  lat- 
ter of  whom  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
highly  respected  citizens  of  Nortlifield  Town- 
ship. For  four  years  following  his  marriage 
Mr.  Hague  rented  his  present  farm  and  then 
built  a  house  in  Bedford,  where  he  resided 
for  about  two  years,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1907,  purchased  the  fann.  He  carries  on  a 
general  agricultural  line,  keeps  ten  head  of 
cattle,  raises  about  the  same  number  of  hogs 
annually,  and  grows  potatoes,  corn,  hay,  oats 
and  wheat. 

Mr.  Hague  is  a  good  citizen  of  his  com- 
munity but  he  takes  no  very  active  interest 
in  politics,  devoting  his  energies  to  the  im- 
provement and  development  of  his  farm. 

BRACE  P.  HILL,  residing  on  the  old  Hill 
homestead  in  Norton  TowSiship,  a  valjiable 
tract  of  199  acres,  which  is  situated  about 
two  and  one-half  miles  from  Wadsworth.  and 
lies  on  the  county  line  between  Medina  and 
Summit  Counties,  has  carried  on  general 
farming  here  with  much  success  for  the  pa^^t 
twenty-one  years.  Mr.  Hill  was  born  on  this 
farm  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  John  and  Catherine 
(Pardee)  Hill. 

The  late  Dr.  John  Hill  was  born  in  Sussex, 
England,  October  26,  1828,  and  was  a  son 
of  .John  and  a  grandson  of  .John,  the  name 
being  a  particularly  favored  one  in  the  Hill 
family,  appearing  in  every  generation.  The 
mother  of  Dr.  Hill  was  Harriet  Wickham. 
and  she  was  born  in  County  Kent,  England. 
In  1828  the  Hills  sailed  for  America,  from 
the  now  .sunken  port  of  Rye,  on  the  English 
Channel,  and  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks 
they  landed  in  New  York.  The  father  of 
Dr.  Hill  engaged  in  farming  in  the  vicinity 
of  Utica,  New  York,  until  the  spring  of  1832, 
when  he  removed  to  Orange  Township,  Cuya- 
hoga, County,  Ohio,  where  he  invested  in 
farming  land  on  which  he  lived  until  1843. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


707 


After  disposing  of  his  interests  there,  John 
Hill  moved  to  Tazewell  County,  Illinois, 
where  he  passed  the  rest  of  his  life. 

The  son,  John  Hill,  left  his  home  to  seek 
work  with  strangers  when  he  was  about  fif- 
teen years  of  age,  but  for  five  years  there- 
after he  gave  all  his  wages  to  his  father.  He 
was  very  anxious  to  obtain  an  education  and 
was  only  a  boy  wihen  he  had  determined  to 
become  a  physician.  Through  rigid  economy 
and  persevering  study  he  attained  his  am- 
bition. In  1847  he  began  to  read  medicine 
with  Dr.  Alexander  Fisher,  at  Western,  Star, 
Summit  County,  and  in  the  fall  of  1848  he 
attended  his  first  course  of  lectures  at  the 
Cleveland  Medical  College,  returning  for  his 
second  course  in  the  following  year.  In  1850 
he  went  to  California,  where  he  w^as  taken 
sick  and  lay  for  six  months  in  a  hospital  in 
Sacramento,  but  subsequently  recovered  and 
remained  in  that  State  until  May,  1853,  when 
he  took  ship  for  Australia.  After  a  voyage 
of  seventy  days  he  reached  the  island  conti- 
nent, where  he  remained  until  the  following 
May,  when  he  went  to  London,  England,  on 
his  w^ay  back  to  America.  He  left  England 
in  September,  reached  New  York  late  in  Oc- 
tober, and  Cleveland  early  in  December,  and 
during  the  winter  of  1854  and  1855,  he  at- 
tended medical  lectures  in  the  latter  city. 

In  the  fall  of  1855  Dr.  Hill  entered  Jeff"er- 
son  Medical  College,  at  Philadelphia,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  March,  185G,  receiving 
his  long  sought  diploma.  For  a  short  time 
Dr.  Hill  practiced  at  Western  Star,  from 
which  place  he  removed  to  Sharon  Township, 
in  Medina  Count}',  where  he  practiced  for  a 
year,  and  then  settled  in  Norton  Township, 
Summit  County.  He  was  a  man  of  such  wide 
experience  and  much  learning  outside  his 
profession  that  he  soon  became  a  leader 
among  his  fellow-citizens,  and  in  1870  he  was 
elected  county  commissioner,  in  which  office 
he  served  for  almost  nine  years.  In  1879 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature  and 
served  one  term,  after  which  he  retired  from 
public  life.  His  death  took  place  December 
13,  1890. 


In  March,  1857,  Dr.  Hill  was  married  io 
Catherine  Pardee,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
P^benezer  and  Almira  (Brace)  Pardee,  and 
they  had  six  children,  as  follows:  Harriet 
Almira,  who  was  born  June  22,  1858,  died 
October  30,  1878;  John  E.,  who  was  born 
August  7,  1859,  resides  at  Barberton;  Martha 
B.,  who  married  D.  H.  Taft,  resides  at  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio;  Brace  B.,  who  was  born  Au- 
gust 12,  1865;  Josephine  Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried Richard  Was.son,  resides  at  Barberton, 
and  Edward  B.,  who  was  born  January  4, 
1881,  lives  in  Illinois.  The  mother  of  this 
family  still  survives. 

Brace  P.  Hill  has  always  resided  on  the 
present  farm,  which  has  been  under  his  di- 
rect management  for  many  years.  He  at- 
tended the  district  schools  of  Norton  Town- 
ship and  also  the  Norton  High  School.  He 
married  Anna  A\'iser,  and  they  have  five  chil- 
dren :  Margaret  K.,  Karl  W.,  Lawrence  B., 
Walter  and  an  infant  son  born  September 
23,  1907.  Mr.  Hill  belongs  to  the  fraternal 
orders  of  Modern  Woodmen  and  Pathfinders. 
He  is  one  of  Norton  Township's  substantial 
and  reliable  citizens,  and  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  School  Board  and  as  clerk  of 
the  incorporated  village  of  Western  Star.  Mr. 
Hill  at  present  holds  both  of  these  offices. 

A.  S.  NEALE.  B.  S.,  proprietor  of  Maple 
Mound  Farm  and  president  of  the  Northern 
Ohio  Milk  Producers'  Association,  is  one  of 
the  most  energetic  and  progressive  agricul- 
turists of  Northfield  Township,  having  been 
thoroughly  educated  in  the  line  of  his  pres- 
ent industry.  He  was  born  in  Monroe  Town- 
ship, Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  September  8, 
1870,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Amanda 
(Rourk)  Neale. 

Mr.  Neale  bears  an  old  and  honored  name 
and  readers  of  history  will  recall  the  promi- 
nent part  the  Neales  took  in  English  affair,^ 
in  the  days  of  Cromwell.  At  the  time  of  the 
Restoration,  the  family  left  England  and 
came  to  America,  locating  first  in  Mar\'land 
and  later  in  Pennsylvania,  and  in  the  person 
of  the  grandfather,  Archibald  Neale.  became 


708 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


established  in  Harrison  County,  Ohio.  He 
died  in  1887. 

John  NeaJe,  father  of  A.  S.,  resides  on  his 
farm  of  100  acras,  having  always  devoted 
himself  to  agricultural  pursuits,  in  the  past 
having  given  much  attention  to  wool-grow- 
ing. In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  has 
served  in  a  number  of  the  local  offices  in  his 
community.  During  the  Civil  A\'ar  he  was 
in  the  service  of  the  Federal  Government  for 
one  year.  He  married  (first)  Amanda 
Rourk,  who  died  in  1876.  Her  father  was 
Edward  Rourk,  of  Guernsey  County.  She 
was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist 
Churcli.  Of  the  four  children  born  to  this 
union,  three  reached  maturity,  namely: 
Maude,  who  married  E.  T.  Brock,  residing 
at  Dillon,  Montana;  A.  S.,  and  Lena,  who 
married  II.  E.  McCleary,  residing  at  Milners- 
ville,  Ohio.  John  Neale  was  married  (sec- 
ond) to  Lucina  McConneaughey,  and  to  that 
marriage  has  been  four  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter. For  twenty-five  years,  John  Neale  has 
been  an  elder  in  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  A.  S. 
Neale  spent  his  time  in  securing  a  good,  com- 
mon school  education  and  in  assisting  on  the 
home  farm,  his  father  being  a  very  large 
landowner.  He  then  went  to  the  southwest- 
ern part  of  Montana  and  spent  two  •  years 
working  on  a  ranch,  in  the  meanwhile  sav- 
ing enough  capital  to  take  a  preliminary 
course  at  the  Ohio  State  University,  becom- 
ing a  member  of  the  class  of  1895.  Prior 
to  taking  up  the  studies  of  his  .senior  year, 
in  1904,  Mr.  Neale  spent  a  season  in  Tus- 
carawas County,  but  his  whole  time  w.xs  taken 
up  either  in  study,  experimenting  or  prepar- 
ing agricultural  literature.  At  the  university 
he  took  the  scientific  course,  specializing  in 
Agriculture.  During  the  year  1903-4  he  was 
superintendent  of  the  university  farm.  For 
a  number  of  years  prior  to  190.3,  he  had  been 
a  welcome  corre'^ondent  of  many  agricul- 
tural papers,  and  early  in  that  year  he  be- 
came associate  editor  of  the  North  American 
Farmer,    a    monthly    magazine,    which    was 


started  to  present  the  scientific  side  of  farm- 
ing, in  a  popular  manner. 

When  Mr.  Neale  left  the  university  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  with  the  Scripps-McCrea 
League,  one  of  the  newspaper  syndicate,  as 
a  special  writer  on  agriculture,  and  continued 
with  that  company  for  two  years,  during 
which  time  he  made  several  trips  each  year 
to  Washington  City,  where  he  formed  many 
congenial  acquaintanceships  with  prominent 
men  in  the  Agricultural  Department  of  the 
Government.  During  this  time  Mr.  Neale 
continued  to  reside  on  his  farm  of  162  acres, 
near  Macedonia.  Of  this  acreage  he  culti- 
vates ninety  acres,  producing  hay,  corn, 
wheat  and  oats,  giving  ten  acres  to  potatoes, 
and  growing  raspberries  and  strawberries  for 
market.  He  keeps  twenty-five  cows  and  sells 
milk  to  the  Brooks  Creamery  Company. 

Mr.  Neale  married  Emma  Rogers,  a  lady 
of  most  endearing  qualities  of  heart  and 
mind,  who  died  November  9,  1906.  She  left 
four  children :  John  and  Comfort,  twins, 
and  Philip  and  Edward.  She  was  a  valued 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
of  which  Mr.  Neale  is  one  of  the  stewards. 

Mr.  Neale  united  with  the  Grange  in  Tus- 
carawas County,  and  is  in  full  accord  with 
all  agricultural  movements  looking  to  the 
advancement  of  the  fanning  community  and 
the  spreading  of  scientific  knowledge. 

FRANK  H.  MILLER,  one  of  Norton 
Township".-;  reliable  citizens  and  good  farmers, 
residing  on  his  eighty-acre  farm,  was  born  at 
Loyal  Oak,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  March  30, 
1856,  and  i.s  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Amelia 
(Boers(ler)  Miller. 

Both  parents  of  Mr.  Miller  were  born  in 
Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
father  came  to  Summit  County  in  1843  and 
the  mother  in  1850.  They  were  married  in 
Norton  Township  and  had  but  one  child, 
Frank  H.  The  father  purcha.-^ed  the  farm  on 
which  his  son  lives,  when  the  latter  was  fifteen 
years  of  age,  and  here  he  died  October  26, 
1900.  His  widow  still  survives,  aged  seventy- 
four  years,  a  lady  who  is  most  highly  es- 
teemed  in   thi.^  communitv. 


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AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


711 


Frank  H.  Miller  attended  the  district 
schools  of  Norton  Township,  and  his  occupa- 
tion in  life  htis  been  farming.  In  1877,  he 
was  married  to  Sarah  Ann  Moser,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Louis  and  Litina  Moser,  and  they 
have  four  children:  Mattie,  who  married 
William  Moser,  has  one  child,  Roy  Daniel ; 
Elsie;  Loui^  D.,  who  resides  in  Sharon  Town- 
ship, married  Nettie  Davis,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Wanda  May  and  Una  Marion ; 
and  Earl  Francis.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  lost 
one  daughter,  Carrie.  The  family  belong  to 
the  Lutheran  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Miller 
has  been  secretary  for  fourteen  years.  For 
several  years  Mr.  Miller  has  been  the  treasurer 
of  the  Norton  Fire  Insurance  Company. 

MILTON  A.  SEIBERLING,  a  substantial 
citizen  and  successful  agriculturist,  residing 
on  a  small  farm  of  five  acres,  which  is  located 
in  Norton  Township  on  the  Center  road,  owns 
a  very  valuable  farm  of  111  acres,  which  lies 
on  the  Llamet-own  road,  near  Sherman.  Mr. 
Seiberling  belongs  to  a  prominent  old  fam- 
ily of  Summit  County,  and  he  was  born  on 
the  farm  which  is  the  property  of  his 
brother,  Gusta\ais  Seiberling,  November  20, 
1850.  His  parents  were  Nathan  and  Cath- 
erine   (Peters)   Seiberling. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Seiberling  were  both 
born  in  Lehigh  County,  Pennsylvania,  where 
they  were  reared  and  attended  school.  Short- 
ly after  their  marriage  they  came  to  Norton 
Township.  Summit  Gournty.  where  they  lived 
long  and  virtuous  lives;  and  when  the  father 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  and  the 
mother,  aged  eighty-four,  there  were  many 
outside  their  large  family  who  grieved  to  lose 
them  from  the  community  in  which  they  had 
been  long  noted  for  their  kindness  and  char- 
ity. They  were  the  parents  of  fifteen  chil- 
dren. 

Milton  Seiberling  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  in  Norton  Township,  and,  after  com- 
pleting his  education  in  the  country  schools, 
he  immediately  began  active  farming  opera- 
tions. He  remained  on  the  home  farm  for 
about  four  years  after  his  marriage,  and  then 
purchased  the  farm  which  is  occupied  by  his 


son-in-law,  Robert  Helmick,  and  started  at 
once  to  make  improvements.  He  removed  a 
house  from  another  farm  to  the  new  loca- 
tion, remodeled  it,  and  built  a  substantial 
barn,  and  then  set  out  orchards  and  a  grove 
of  maple  trees,  and  continued  improving  un- 
til his  property  was  equal  in  value  to  any  of 
like  size  in  the  neighborhood  and  more  at- 
tractive than  any.  On  that  farm  Mr.  Seiber- 
ling continued  to  reside,  carrying  on  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising,  imtil  in  the  spring  of 
1898,  when  he  retired  from  hard  work  and 
settled  on  his  present  tidy  little  place,  which 
it  gives  him  only  needful  exercise  to  manage. 
Mr.  Seiberling  has  always  been  considered 
one  of  the  mo.st  prosperous  farmers  of  Nor- 
ton Township  on  account  of  his  progressive 
methods  and  the  great  interftst  he  always  took 
in  his  work. 

On  November  30,  1871,  Mr.  Seiberling  was 
married  to  Fayetta  Johnson,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  Johnson,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sei- 
berling have  three  children :  Minnie,  who 
married  Harman  Dague,  resides  at  Doyles- 
town  and  has  three  children — Ethel.  Flor- 
ence and  Roy;  Martha,  wife  of  Robert  Hel- 
mick, who  operates  her  father's  farm,  and 
who  ha^  had  two  children — one  who  died  in 
infancy;  and  Gertrude,  the  younger;  and 
Ruth,  residing  at  home.  Mr.  Seiberling  and 
family  belong  to  the  Lutheran  Church.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  beneficial  order  of  Path- 
finders. 

REUBEN  STAUFFER,' residing  on  his 
well-improved  farm  of  forty-two  acres,  situated 
in  Norton  Township,  is  .one  of  the  leading 
men  of  his  community.  He  was  born  in 
Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania,  January 
1,  18:3.3,  and  is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Susan 
(Ruth)  Stauffer.  They  were  farming  people 
and  the  father  also  followed  carpentering. 

Reuben  Stauffer  was  reared  in  his  native 
county  and  attended  the  district  schools.  He 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age  when  he  came  to 
Summit  Ci>unty,  Ohio.  Before  leaving  Penn- 
sylvania he  learned  the  cooper  trade  and  this 
he  followed  for  a  time,  l)ut  worked  mainly  as 


712 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


a  carpenter,  following  that  trade  for  thirty- 
five  consecutive  years.  During  this  time 
he  ha^  done  a  large  amount  of  building 
through  the  county,  erecting  as  many  as 
thirty  bank  barns  and  many  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial residences  in  Norton  Township.  His 
farming  has  been  of  secondary  importance. 

In  1855  Mr.  Staufler  was  married  to  Eliza- 
beth Hartzell,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and 
Mary  Hartzell.  Mrs.  Stauffer  was  born  in 
Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
ten  years  old  when  her  parents  settled  in  Nor- 
ton Township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stauffer  have  had 
three  children,  namely:  Ellen,  who  married 
Hower  Van  Hyning,  has  two  children.  Earl 
and  Ethel  May,  the  former  of  whom  married 
and  has  one  child,  Ellen;  Harry  Abraham, 
who  died  aged  five  years;  and  Milton  Albert. 

For  seven  years  following  his  marriage,  Mr. 
Stauffer  lived  at  Norton  Center  and  then  set- 
tled on  the  present  fiirm.  They  are  members 
of  the  Reformed  Church  at  Loyal  Oak.  For 
thirty  years,  Mr.  Stauffer  has  served  as  school 
director  and  his  fellow-citizens  have,  on  vari- 
ous occasions,  elected  him  trustee  and  treas- 
urer of  the  township. 

LUTHER  A.  KUHN,  a  retired  farmer  of 
Northfield  Township,  who  still  retains  his 
valuable  farm  consisting  of  114  acres,  was 
born  at  Northfield,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
December  10,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
H.  H.  and  Mary  (Elder)  Kuhn. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Kuhn  was  born  in  Plum 
Creek  Township,  Allegheny  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  he  came  to  Summit  County  with 
his  wife  and  one  child,  settling  on  land  lying 
on  the  line  separating  Northfield  and  Bedford 
Townships.  He  owned  208  acres  on  which 
he  raised  sheep  for  many  years,  but  later 
turned  his  property  into  a  dairy  farm.  He 
was  a  man  of  substantial  character  and  was 
frequently  chosen  for  local  offices.  He  sup- 
ported the  Republican  party.  He  married 
Mary  Elder  who  was  born  at  Blairsville,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  of  their  children,  the  following 
grew  to  maturity:  Margaret  Jane,  who  mar- 
ried John  H.  Shirk,  residing  in  Falcon 
County,  Dakota;  Luther  A.;  Elder,  who  died 


September  14,  1907,  aged  sixty  years,  resided 
at  Lincoln,  Nebra.ska;  and  Louis  and  Frank, 
both  residing  at  Cleveland.  The  mother  of 
the  above  family  died  in  1896,  aged  seventy- 
two  years.  The  father  passed  away  in  1894, 
aged  eighty-three  years. 

Luther  A.  Kuhn  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
he  became  a  clerk  in  a  general  store  at  Bed- 
ford, later  entering  into  business  under  the 
firm  name  of  Voght  &  Kuhn,  in  the  gro- 
cery line,  at  Cleveland,  occupying  a  building 
near  the  city  market-house,  which  was  owned 
by  Mr.  Kuhn's  father.  Six  months  later  Mr. 
Kuhn  sold  his  interest  and  went  to  Muscatine, 
Iowa,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres, 
subsequently  selling  this  at  an  advantage  and 
buying  100  acres,  to  which  he  later  added  a 
second  farm  of  the  same  area.  These  farms 
he  operated  for  many  years,  when  he  sold  one, 
but  retains  the  other,  which  he  rents.  In 
1867,  Mr.  Kuhn  came  back  to  Northfield 
Township  for  a  few  years  and. then  returned 
with  his  wife  to  Iowa,  where  he  continued  to 
live  until  1904.  In  that  year  he  again  came 
to  Northfield  Township  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence on  what  was  formerly  the  McCon- 
neaughey  farm,  which  he  had  bought  in  1902. 
It  formerly  contained  120  acres,  but  six  acres 
has  been  sold  to  the  Lake  Erie  &  Pennsylvania 
Railroad. 

In  1867  Mr.  Kuhn  was  married  to  Isabella 
Darrow,  wdio  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Captain 
Darrow,  who  died  in  Cuyahoga  County.  Mrs. 
Kuhn  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Mr.  Kuhn  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
but  he  is  no  seeker  for  political  recognition. 

JOHN  CRISP,  of  the  firm  of  John  Crisp 
and  Son,  contractors,  with  offices  at  Nos.  173- 
175  Annadale  street,  xikron,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  this  city  for  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
and  during  this  period  has  been  one  of  its 
most  active  business  men.  He  was  born  in 
1851,  in  Northamptonshire,  England,  where 
he  obtained  his  education  and  prior  to  coming 
to  AiTierica  in  1872,  he  learned  the  trade  of 
brick-layer. 

Mr.    Cri.<p   crossed   the   Atlantic   Ocean   to 


AND    REPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


713 


Canada,  where  he  spent  one  year  and  then 
moved  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  built  a  large  church  at  Painesville. 
He  returned  to  Canada  and  lived  for  three 
years  at  Hamilton.  In  1878  he  located  at 
Hudson,  Sunnnit  County,  Ohio,  and  several 
years  later  came  to  Akron,  then  a  small  city 
of  12,000  poi)ulation.  He  was  in  partnership 
with  his  brother,  and  the  firm  of  Crisp  Broth- 
ers was  the  leading  contracting  firm  in  this 
place  for  fully  fourteen  years.  John  Crisp 
was  then  appointed  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
City  Commissioners  and  performed  the  duties 
of  that  office  for  four  years,  and  then  superin- 
tended the  building  of  the  Colonial  Salt 
Works,  the  First  National  Bank  Building, 
the  Stein  Block  and  other  structures.  In 
the  fall  of  1903  Mr.  Crisp  admitted  his  son, 
Edmund  Crisp,  to  partnership,  under  the  firm 
name  of  .John  Crisp  and  Son,  which  still  con- 
tinues. Into  the  hands  of  this  firm  has  been 
placed  the  construction  of  a  number  of  the 
most  pretentious  building-s  which  have  re- 
cently added  to  Akron's  architectural  beauty. 
The  firm  has  just  completed  the  Flat  Iron 
Building  and  has  constructed  several  new 
school  buildings.  They  also  have  a  large  gen- 
eral supply  liouse. 

In  1876,  Mr.  Crisp  was  married  to  Susanna 
Arkall,  who  was  born  in  Canada,  and  they 
have  three  sons,  T.  Edmund,  Arthur  Lee  and 
Roland  Earl.  The  family  belong  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  East  Akron. 
Mr.  Crisp  Ls  a  Knight  Templar  Mason,  and 
senior  warden  of  Akron  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Masonic 
Temple.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the  Employ- 
ers' Association  and  formerly  was  president  of 
the  Buildei's"  Exchange. 

JOHN  J.  AA'ARNER,  whose  valuable  farm 
of  eighty-eight  and  one-half  acres  is  situated 
five  miles  w&st  of  Akron,  on  the  highway 
known  as  the  Akron-AVadsworth  road,  is  a 
well-known  and  respected  citizen  of  Norton 
Township.  He  was  born  in  Coventry  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  October  23, 1855, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Weaver) 
Warner. 


John  Warner  was  born  near  East  Liberty, 
Ohio,  July  14,  1821,  a  son  of  Henry  Warner, 
a  pioneer  of  that  se^'tion.  John  Warner  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Weaver  and  they  had  the  fol- 
lowing children:  William,  residing  in  Coven- 
try Township ;  Henry,  residing  at  Barberton ; 
Samuel,  residing  in  Copley  Township;  John 
J. ;  and  Adam,  residing  in  Coventry  Town- 
ship, all  being  farmers.  The  mother  died  in 
1905,  aged  .seventy-nine  years. 

John  J.  Warner  was  reared  in  Coventry 
Township.  In  1877,  his  father  purchased 
his  present  farm  and  John  J.  settled  on  it  at 
that  time  and  subsequently  bought  it.  He 
owned  seventy  acres  of  land  where  Barberton 
now  stands,  owning  nine  of  the  thirteen  acres 
which  comprises  Lake  Anna.  He  was  the  first 
man  to  sell  his  farm  to  the  syndicate  that  built 
Barberton.  John  J.  Warner  carries  on  gen- 
eral farming. 

By  marriage  to  Sarrah  Dreisbach,  Mr.  War- 
ner became  connected  with  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial old  families  of  Norton  Township. 
She  was.  born  in  Penn.sylvania  and  was 
brought  to  Norton  Township  in  infancy.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Warner  have  had  five  children,  the 
three  survivors  being:  Fietta,  who  resides  at 
Young's  Crossing,  with  her  venerable  grand- 
father; and  Elsie  and  William,  residing  at 
home.  Bessie  died  aged  three  months,  and 
Roy  died  aged  nine  months. 

Mr.  Warner  is  numbered  with  the  leading 
citizens  of  the  township  and  has  served  three 
years  as  trustee. 

ANDREW  FENN  RICHEY,  a  successful 
general  farmer  of  Northfield  Township,  resid- 
ing on  his  valuable  farm  of  111  acres,  on 
which  he  makes  a  specialty  of  dairying,  was 
born  on  the  Richey  homestead,  in  Northfield 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  January 
15,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  K.  and 
Elizabeth  (Bain)  Richey. 

Andrew  K.  Richey,  father  of  Andrew  F., 
was  born  in  Chippewa  Township,  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  January  31,  1828,  and  ac- 
companied hLs  parents  to  Northfield  Town- 
.ship,  Summit  County,  where  he  taught  school 
in  his  early  years.     He  subsequently  acquired 


714 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


292  acres  of  valuable  land,  on  which  he  car- 
ried on  general  farming  and  dairying  for 
many  years.  He  became  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  this  section,  prominent  in  church  and 
public  affairs,  and  when  he  died  July  7,  1900, 
the  community  felt  that  it  had  suffered  a  deep 
loss.  On  November  6,  185'6,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Bain,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Bain  and  a  granddaughter  of  James  Bain, 
who  came  to  Ohio  from  Argyle,  New  York. 
Mrs.  Richey  still  survives  and  was  born  Sep- 
tember 19,  1836.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Associated  Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  her 
late  husband  was  a  trustee  and  one  of  the 
deacons.  They  had  the  following  children: 
Margaret  Zephina,  who  married  John  L. 
Ritchie;  Jacob  F.  J.,  residing  in  Northfield 
Town.ship;  Thomas  Tell,  residing  at  Cleve- 
land; Andrew  Fenn,  residing  at  Northfield; 
Emmer  Ross,  who  is  deceased ;  and  Elizabeth 
Catherine,  residing  with  her  mother. 

Andrew  Fenn  Richey  remained  on  the 
home  farm  until  1887,  attending  the  local 
schools  through  boyhood,  and  worked  for  his 
father  until  1897.  He  then  purchased  sixty- 
one  acres  of  his  present  farm,  to  which  he 
later  added  fifty  acres,  all  of  which  he  culti- 
vates, together  with  land  that  he  rents.  He 
keeps  twenty  cows,  making  a  specialty  of 
dairying  and  in  this  industry  follows  the  ex- 
ample of  Reverend  Deitrich,  a  Moravian 
preacher,  whose  Pennsylvania  farm  is  declared 
by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture to  be  the  model  farm  of  the  country.  He 
keeps  his  cows  in  the  barn,  in  sanitary  condi- 
tion, and  carries  green  food  to  them.  He 
ships  his  milk  to  Cleveland.  He  devotes 
twenty-five  acres  to  wheat,  eighteen  to  pota- 
toes and  has  three  acres  in  fruit  trees.  Mr. 
Richey  has  made  a  scientific  study  of  his 
various  industries  and  can  but  be  pleased  with 
the  application  of  the  principles  he  has 
adopted. 

Mr.  Richey  married  Chloe  M.  Mack,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  John  Mack,  of  Antrim,  Guern- 
sey County,  Ohio,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren :  Andrew  Lawrence,  George  Grant  and 
Ralph  Stuart.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richey  are 
members  of  the  United  Presbvterian  Church. 


FREEMAN  W.  STROH,  a  leading  citizen 
of  Barberton  and  closely  identified  with  many 
of  its  interests,  is  senior  member  of  the  promi- 
nent lumber  firm  of  Stroh  and  Millis,  which 
firm  owns  an  extensive  lumber  yard  and  a 
finely  equipped  planing  mill  at  this  point. 
He  is  also  largely  interested  in  the  real  estate 
business.  Mr.  Stroh  was  born  in  DeKalb 
County,  Indiana,  September  9,  1864,  and  is 
a  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Mottinger) 
Stroh. 

Henry  Stroh,  father  of  Freeman  W.,  re- 
sided formerly  at  Greensburg,  Ohio,  where  he 
followed  shoemaking  in  his  earlier  years,  but 
after  moving  to  Indiana,  he  confined  himself 
to  agricultural  pursuits.  It  was  on  his  fath- 
er's farm  that  Freeman  W.  Stroh  was  reared, 
and  there  he  remained  until  twenty-four  years 
of  age,  in  the  meantime  securing  a  good,  com- 
mon school  education  in  the  country  schools. 
Following  his  mai'riage  he  farmed  for  his 
father-in-law,  near  Massillon,  Ohio,  for  two 
years,  meetiiig  with  success  in  that  industry. 
He  was,  however,  a  natural  born  mechanic  and 
had  never  been  quite  satisfied  with  raising 
grain  and  stock,  the  constant  trend  of  his  mind 
being  in  the  direction  of  machinery  and  the 
improvement  of  the  same,  his  spare  time  all 
being  given  to  inventions  along  this  line.  He 
therefore  moved  from  the  farm  into  Massillon 
and  after  securing  several  patents  on  his 
"brain  children,"  he  made  up  his  mind  that 
the  most  sensible  and  satisfactory  plan  would 
be  to  enter  a  machine  or  foundry  business, 
where  his  talents  could  have  full  play.  This 
state  of  affairs  was  soon  brought  about  and 
for  some  time  prior  to  1893,  when  he  came  to 
Barberton,  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufactur- 
ing of  sawmill  machinery,  and  carrying  on  a 
foundry  business. 

When  Mr.  Stroh  came  first  to  Barberton, 
he  was  associated  with  his  brother-in-law, 
Jacob  Milton  Mcintosh,  in  operating  a  foun- 
dry for  the  manufacture  of  saw  mill  and 
wood-working  machinery,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Stroh-Mclntosh  Company.  The 
prospects  were  liright,  but  the  business,  had 
been  but  fairly  started  when  a  fire  destroyed 
the  factory,  entailing  great  financial  loss.  Mr. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


715 


Stroh,  however,  is  not  a  man  who  is  easily  dis- 
couraged, and  within  sixty  days  he  had  start- 
ed in  the  turning  business,  having  secured  a 
small  factory,  where  he  turned  out  moldings 
and  interior  tinishings.  He  had  bought  the 
ground,  the  same  on  which  his  present  build- 
ings and  yards  are  located,  and  during  the 
three  years  in  which  he  continued  alone,  he 
kept  increasing  his  facilities  and  adding  to  his 
buildings  until  he  commanded  a  trade  of  large 
proportions. 

After  three  years'  work  alone,  in  the  turn- 
ing business,  Mr.  Stroh  went  into  partnership 
with  Jacob  E.  Millis,  and  the  firm  style  be- 
came the  Stroh  and  Millis  Company.  They 
now  operate  a  large,  thoroughly  equipped 
planing  mill,  having  twenty-eight  different 
machines,  and  manufacture  all  kinds  of  out- 
side as  well  as  inside  furnishings  for  buildings 
and  in  addition  make  doors,  sash  and  show- 
cases. Regular  employment  is  given  twelve 
experienced  workmen,  and  this  is  a  flourish- 
ing industrj'  of  Barberton,  its  success  being 
mainly  due  to  Mr.  Stroh's  energy  and  enter- 
prise. 

On  January  15,  1889,  Mr.  Stroh  was  mar- 
ried to  Cora  Alice  McInto.?h,  who  was  born 
near  Massillon,  Ohio,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren, a  son  and  daughter:  Lillian  Blanche 
and  Byron  Freeman.  Mr.  Stroh  and  family 
belong  to  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  at  Barberton.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Junior  Order  of  American  Mechanics. 
Mr.  Stroh  has  always  believed  in  the  educa- 
tional value  of  useful  work  and  in  his  own 
case  has  proven  how  sure  are  the  rewards  of 
industry  and  perseverance  along  the  line  of 
one's  natural  gifts. 

J.  IRA  EMMETT,  has  resided  on  the  old 
Emmett  homestead  in  Springfield  Township, 
for  the  past  twenty  years,  the  valuable  farm  of 
125  acres,  on  which  his  grandfather  settled  in 
1832.  Mr.  Emmett  was  born  on  the  farm  on 
which  he  lives,  September  15,  1856,  and  is 
a  son  of  Franklin  and  Mary  A  (Chamberlin) 
Enimett. 

There  is  not  a  schoolboy  in  America  who 
has  not  sympathized  with  and  longed  to  emu- 


late the  deeds  of  the  Irish  patriot,  Robert 
Emmett,  and  undoubtedly  from  the  same 
stock  came  the  progenitors  of  the  Emmett 
family  in  Summit  County.  Three  brothers  of 
the  name  came  from  the  north  of  Ireland  to 
America,  in  colonial  days,  separating  after 
reaching  these  shores,  one  going  South,  one 
settling  in  the  Susquehannah  _  Valley,  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  later,  a  branch  of  the 
family  was  found  in  Illinois,  and  another  in 
New  York.  In  the  main  they  all  possess  the 
same  sterling  traits  which  have  made  of  them 
good  citizens  and  valuable  members  of  so- 
ciety. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  J.  Ira  Em- 
mett were  William  and  Mary  (McBride)  Em- 
mett, the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of  William 
Emmett,  who  was  of  American  birth.  The 
grandmother  was  a  native  of  Columbia  Coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania.  William  and  Mary  Em- 
mett had  four  children  :  Franklin ;  John, 
who  resides  in  Tallmadge  Township,  aged 
seventy  years ;  Mercy  Jane,  who  died  aged  ten 
years;  and  a  babe  that  died  in  infancy. 
Franklin  Emmett,  father  of  J.  Ira,  was  born 
in  Columbia  County,  Pennsylvania,  June  21, 
1832,  and  accompanied  his  parents  to  Ohio, 
they  settling  in  Springfield  Township,  Sum- 
mit County  in  his  childhood.  In  1851,  he 
married  Mary  A.  Chamberlin,  who  was  born 
in  Columbia  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  Au- 
gust, 1829.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Agnes  (Deal)  Chamberlin,  and  a  grand- 
daughter of  William  Chamberlin,  who  was 
born  in  Hunterdon  County,  New  Jersey,  Sep- 
tember 25,  1736. 

This  ancestor  was  a  man  of  great  promi- 
nence during  the  Revolutionary  War,  in 
which  he  served  as  lieutenant-colonel  of  the 
Second  Regiment  under  Col.  David  Chambers, 
his  commission  bearing  the  date  of  Septem- 
ber 9,  1777.  In  November  of  that  same 
year,  he  was  ordered  by  Governor  Livingston 
of  New  Jersey,  to  call  on  Messrs.  Penn  and 
Chew,  at  the  Union  Iron  Works  and  conduct 
them  to  Worchester,  Massachusetts,  and  to  de- 
liver them  to  the  council  of  that  State,  and 
he  was  also  directed  to  purchase  in  Connecti- 
cut or  Massachusetts  Bav,  20,000  flints  for  the 


716 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


counoil  of  New  Jersey.  He  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Monmouth,  June  28,  1778,  in 
which  his  eldest  son,  Lewis,  was  killed  by  a 
cannon  ball.  In  1793  he  moved  into  Buffalo 
Valley,  and  on  August  16,  1794,  he  married 
his  fourth  wife,  Mary  Kemble.  He  wa.-^  the 
father  of  twentj'-three  children,  fifteen  of 
these  having  been  born  in  New  Jersey.  The 
children  born  to  his  last  marriage  were:  John, 
James,  Lewis,  Mary  Frances,  who  married 
John  Linn,  Joseph  Park,  James  D.  and 
Moses. 

Joseph  Chamberlin  married  Agnes  Deal 
and  they  came  to  Uniontown  in  1832,  from 
Columbia  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  bought 
land  in  Springfield  Township.  -Joseph  and 
Agnes  Chamberlin  had  eight  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Mary  Ann,  who  married  Frank  Em- 
mett;  Sarah,  who  married  Benjamin  Chisnel, 
both  died  in  Green  Township;  Rebecca,  who 
married  Daniel  Zeisloft,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  is  eighty-one  years  of  age  and  has 
survived  her  since  1902;  Francis  L.,  residing 
at  Tallmadge;  William,  residing  in  Kent, 
married  Mary  Barker;  John,  deceased,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  AVise;  and  Lewis,  deceased, 
married  Mary  Hageman.  There  were  but  two 
children  born  to  Franklin  and  Mary  A. 
(Chamberlin)  Emmett,  namely:  William  J. 
and  J.  Ira.  William  J.  Enuuett,  residing  at 
Tallmadge,  is  a  traveling  salesman  for  the 
Russell  Manufacturing  Company  of  Massillon. 
He  married  Belle  G.  Treat,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Stanley  Treat,  and  they  have  three  sons: 
Homer  I.,  Stanley  T.  and  James. 

J.  Ira  Emmett  was  reared  on  the  old  home- 
stead and  first  attended  the  di.strict  schools  in 
the  neighborhood,  later  becoming  a  student 
in  the  Tallmadge  High  School  and  Academy, 
the  family  having  moved  into  Tallmadge 
Townshij)  in  1861.  After  the  death  of  hi,< 
parents,  and  his  own  marriage,  Mr.  Emmett 
returned  to  the  old  family  farm,  and  here  he 
has  continued  to  live  ever  since.  He  has 
made  many  improvements  and  he  and  family 
enjoy  every  comfort  to  be  found  in  a  well  reg- 
ulated rural  home.  He  carries  on  a  general 
line  of  agriculture,  and  has  other  farm  inter- 
ests outside  the  old  homestead. 


On  March  3,  1887,  Mr.  Emmett  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  F.  Moore,  who  ls  a  daughter  of 
Oliver  C.  and  Marion  (Golden)  Moore,  form- 
erly of  Richfield  township.  Summit  County, 
Ohio.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  were  born 
in  Summit  County,  where  the  former  died,  in 
February,  1907,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years.  Mrs.  Moore  still  survives,  aged  sixty- 
seven  years.  They  had  two  children,  namely: 
Mary  F.,  who  became  Mrs.  Emmett,  and  Ella, 
who  married  Frank  Converse.  Mrs.  Emmett 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Akron  High  School  and 
is  a  lady  of  superior  educational  attainments. 
Prior  to  her  marriage  she  taught  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Summit  County  and  later  be- 
came the  principal  of  the  Tallmadge  High 
School. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emmett  have  two  children. 
Iris  M.  and  Frank  Moore,  the  former  of  whom 
is  a  student  in  Buchtel  Academy,  and  the  lat- 
ter in  the  public  schools  of  Springfield  Town- . 
ship. 

Politically,  Mr.  Ennnett  Ls  identified  with 
the  Republican  party  and  on  numerous  oc- 
casions he  has  been  elected  to  township  of- 
fices, although  he  has  never  solicited  the  same. 
He  has  served  as  a  luember  of  the  Summit 
County  Republican  E.xecutive  Committee  and 
has  been  interested  in  public  affairs  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  ever  since  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  For  a  period  of  six  years 
he  served  as  township  trustee,  and  at  present  is 
serving  both  as  township  clerk  and  as  clerk  of 
the  School  Board.  Plaving  the  financial  stand- 
ing as  well  as  the  personal  qualifications  of 
a  representative  citizen,  Mr.  Emmett  is  natu- 
rally frequently  consulted  concerning  public 
movements  calculated  to  advance  the  interests 
of  his  community,  and  he  is  never  found 
unwilling  to  contribute  liberally  when  the  ob- 
jects meet  with  his  approval.  In  fraternal 
life,  Mr.  Emmett  has  long  been  a  memlier  of 
the  order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  was  one  of  the 
early  members  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry 
in  this  section,  being  fully  in  sympathy  with 
the  Grange  movement.  With  his  family  he 
belongs  to  the  Pre.'^bvterian  Church  of  Spring- 
field. ' 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


717 


WILLIAM  H.  WINTER,  justice  of  the 
peace,  president  of  the  Barberton  Business 
Men's  Association,  and  president  of  the  Nor- 
ton Mutual  Fire  Association,  is  a  busy  and 
prominent  citizen  of  Barberton.  Mr.  Winter 
was  born  m  Holmes  County,  Ohio,  March  19, 
1858.  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Catherine 
(Sonnner)   Winter. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Winter  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Win- 
ter, the  latter  of  whom  died  in  Pennsylvania. 
Daniel  Winter  came  to  Holmes  County,  Ohio, 
in  1850,  and  in  1852  was  married  to  Catherine 
Sommer,  who  was  born  in  Holmes  County, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Sommer,  a  mil- 
ler, who  was  an  early  settler  there.  In  1868 
Daniel  W^inter  and  family  move  to  Wayne 
County,  Ohio. 

William  H.  Winter  attended  the  public 
schools  both  in  Holmes  and  Wayne  Counties, 
beginning  when  he  was  only  three  and  one- 
half  years  of  age,  the  school-house  at  that  time 
being  located  on  his  father's  farm.  Later,  he 
attended  the  Smithville  Academy,  and  when 
eighteen  years  of  age,  entered  the  Urbana 
High  School.  After  completing  his  own  edu- 
cation, Mr.  Winter  became  a  teacher,  and  for 
twenty-six  years  he  continued  to  teach,  during 
ten  years  of  the  period  in  N(U'ton  Township, 
Summit  County,  two  years  in  the  West  Bar- 
berton school,  and  also  near  W^ooster,  in 
Wayne  County,  and  ended  his  long  and  suc- 
cessful educational  career,  by  teaching  a  term 
in  District  No.  9,  Coventry  Township,  Sum- 
mit County.  In  1893,  he  removed  from 
Wayne  County  to  Norton  Township,  Summit 
County.  In  1905,  when  elected  to  the  office 
of  justice  of  the  peace,  he  quit  teaching,  but 
continued  to  reside  on  his  farm  of  fifty-seven 
acres  in  Norton  Township,  until  February, 
1906,  when  he  established  his  home  at  Bar- 
berton. 

In  January,  1907,  Mr.  AVinter,  embarked  in 
a  grocery  business  at  Barberton,  in  partner- 
.«hip  with  F.  E.  Barns.  They  carry  a  ver\' 
complete  and  well  assorted  stock,  and  are  cen- 
trally located  at  No.  1021  Wooster  Avenue. 
In  March,  1907,  Mr.  Winter  was  shown  the 
confidence  his  fellow-citizens  feel  in  him,  bv 


his  election  to  the  presidency  of  the  Barberton 
Business  Men's  Association,  an  organization 
of  commercial  importance  here.  The  other 
officers  of  the  association  are:  E.  J.  Quigley, 
vice  president;  J.  W.  Rider,  secretary  and  J. 
H.  Miller,  treasurer.  The  Norton  Mutual 
Fire  Association  was  organized  in  1872,  and 
Mr.  AVinter  has  been  its  president  since  1899. 
It  is  in  a  very  prosperous  condition  and  its 
area  of  risks  covers  about  nine  townships. 

In  1883,  Mr.  Winter  was  married  to  Sarah 
E.  Orr,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  B.  and 
Elizabeth  Orr.  Mr.  Winter  is  an  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  at  Barberton  and  is  su- 
perintendent of  the  Sunday  school. 

LORIN  BLISS,  township  treasurer  of 
Northfield  Township,  is  a  prominent  citizen 
and  representative  agriculturist  of  this  section, 
and  was  born  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  No- 
vember 18,  1842.  He  is  a  son  of  Ambrose 
Williams  and  Emeline  (Palmer)  Bliss. 

Both  the  Bliss  and  Palmer  families  were 
early  settlers  in  New  England,  and  both  have 
contributed  largely  to  the  country's  prominent 
men  in  various  walks  of  life.  The  father  of 
Lorin  BlLss  was  born  at  Jericho,  Chittenden 
County,  Vermont,  December  6,  1806.  He 
was  a  carpenter  and  builder  and  in  that  ca- 
pacity he  came  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  1833, 
•to  accept  work  on  the  public  improvements 
then  in  progress  at  Cleveland  and  Black 
River,  as  Lorain  was  then  called.  Later  he 
worked  on  the  Ohio  canal  and  built  many 
l)ridges,  locks  and  gates.  He  soon  began  to 
invest  in  land,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
owned  240  acres,  all  of  which  he  had  accumu- 
lated by  his  own  industry.  He  was  a  man  of 
sterling  character,  one  of  whom  his  descend- 
ants can  refer  with  pride  and  affection.  His 
death  took  place  when  over  eight  y-.scven  years 
of  age. 

Ambrose  Williams  Bliss  was  married  May 
9,  1839,  to  Emeline  Palmer,  who  was  born  at 
AVindsor,  Connecticut,  April  5,  1815.  They 
had  four  children:  Ellen,  Lorin,  George  and 
Horace.  Ellen,  who  resides  in  the  old  home, 
acted  as  township  historian  for  the  Western 
Reserve  Historical  Society,  in  the  preparation 


718 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


of  the  work  on  "Pioneer  Women  of  the  West- 
ern Reserve."  George,  resides  in  Northfield 
Townshij).  Horace,  died  February  20,  1863, 
from  disease  contracted  while  serving  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Civil  War.  In  August,  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  115th  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  Ambrose  AV.  Bliss 
served  in  many  public  offices.  He  was  town- 
ship trustee,  for  some  years  was  a  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  from  1854  until  1860,  he 
served  as  county  commissioner  of  Summit 
County.  He  was  an  almost  life-long  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Bible  Society.  Political- 
ly, he  was  strong  in  his  support  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  was  one  of  the  contract- 
ors of  the  Cleveland,  Zanesville  &  Cincinnati 
Railroad.  Hi.s  brother,  Hon.  George  Bliss, 
was  once  presiding  judge  of  the  Third  Judi- 
cial District  of  Ohio.  From  1852  to  1854.  he 
represented  the  18th  Congressional  District, 
in  Congres.s. 

Lorin  Bliss  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  Northfield  Township  and  remained 
on  tbe  home  farm  until  his  marriage,  in  1878, 
when  he  purchased  the  place  on  which  he 
lives.  He  remodeled  the  residence  and  made 
additions  to  the  other  biiildings.  He  carries 
on  mixed  farming,  cultivating  fifty  of  his 
eighty-five  acres,  raising  hay,  corn,  wheat, 
potatoes  and  oats  and  keeping  from  twelve  to 
fourteen  head  of  cattle. 

Mr.  Bliss  married  Mary  Emeline  Wallace, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  James  W.  Wallace,  of 
Northfield.  Mrs.  Bliss  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Bliss  was  reared  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he 
has  been  a  trustee  and  a  steward.  He  takes  a 
great  deal  of  interest  in  the  Sunday-school,  of 
which  he  has  been  superintendent'. 

Politically  a  Republican,  he  has  been  elect- 
ed township  trustee  on  two  occasions  by  that 
party,  and  has  also  served  as  township  clerk 
and  supervisor.  Prior  to  the  disbanding  of 
the  Northfield  Grange,  he  was  a  member  and 
supporter,  and  he  was  identified  with  and  a 
hearty  worker  in  the  order  of  Good  Temp- 
lars. 


HENRY  H.  WEIMER,  a  leading  agricul- 
turist and  prominent  citizen  of  Springfield 
Township,  who  owns  an  excellent  farm  of 
seventy  acres,  was  born  November  23,  1849, 
at  Mar.shallville,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  son  of  Adam  and  Lydia  (Keiffer) 
Weimer. 

Barnhart  Weimer,  the  grandfather  of 
Henry  H.,  married  a  Miss  Zimmerman,  and 
both  died  in  Germany.  Barnhart  was  in  the 
army  and  crossed  the  Alps  with  Napoleon's 
army.  Their  children  were:  Barnhart; 
Jacob;  Martin,  who  married  Susan  Mercer; 
Adam ;  Frederick,  who  married  a  Miss  Fetzer; 
and  Margaret,  who  married  Jacob  Bough- 
man.  Of  this  family,  Martin,  Adam,  Fred- 
erick and  Margaret  came  to  America  and  all 
settled  in  AVayne  County,  Ohio,  Martin  being 
the  first  to  locate  there. 

Adam  AA'^eimer,  the  father  of  Henry  H.,  was 
born  in  1824,  in  Germany,  and  came  to  this 
country  about  1840.  He  was  a  tailor  by  trade 
and  worked  at  Uniontown  and  at  Columbus 
prior  to  his  marriage,  following  which  he 
moved  to  Easton,  AAXvne  County,  where  he 
continued  tailoring  until  1853.  In  this  year 
Mr.  AA'^eimer  purchased  a  farm,  on  which  the 
remainder  of  his  life  was  spent,  his  death  oc- 
curring September  17,  1905,  at  which  time 
he  was  rated  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  his 
community,  his  property  consisting  of  372 
acres  of  land.  Adam  Weimer  was  married  to 
Lydia  Keiff'er,  who  w^as  born  near  Marshall- 
ville.  AA^ayne  County,  Ohio,  and  they  had  nine 
children :  Henry  H. ;  Annie  Maria,  who 
married  Solomon  Gerbrick,  a  resident  of 
AVooster,  AA^ayne  County;  Barbara,  who  is  de- 
ceased; Maggie,  Who  married  John  Tyler, 
who  resides  near  Sterling,  AVayne  County;  Al- 
bert; AVilliam;  Eli,  who  married  Annie  St. 
Clair,  resides  near  Smithville,  AVayne 
County;  Daniel;  and  AA%«ley,  who  resides  near 
AA^ooster,  married  (first)  Cora  Oiler,  and  (sec- 
find)  Violet  Aletzor.  All  of  these  children, 
with  the  exception  of  Henry  H.,  are  residents 
of  AA^ayne  County. 

Henry  H.  AA'^eimer  was  reared  in   AVayne 
County,    from    whence   he    came,   in    March,  . 
1876,  to  Mogadore,  where  he  was  engaged  in 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


721 


a  meat  market  business  until  his  marriage, 
at  which  time  he  settled  on  the  farm  of  his 
father-in-law,  Peter  Hile.  For  the  past  six- 
teen years  he  has  been  operating  his  present 
farm,  a  tract  of  seventy  acres  in  Springfield 
Township,  where  he  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing. In  1903  he  erected  hLs  fine  residence, 
and  in  1905,  a  large,  substantial  barn.  Mr. 
^\^eime^  is  an  up-to-date,  practical  agricultur- 
ist, keeping  himself  well  abreast  of  all  new 
movements  and  methods  in  farming  by  his 
membershij)  in  the  local  Grange.  He  has 
been  a  resident  of  Springfield  Township  for 
thirtyrone  years,  while  his  wife,  who  was  born 
in  the  township,  has  lived  here  all  of  her  life. 
On  December  26,  1878,  Mr.  Weimer  was 
married  to  Sarah  L.  Hile,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Peter  and  Olive  (Boyd)  Hile.  Peter  Hile, 
whose  mother  had  died  when  he  was  but  ten 
days  old,  came  as  a  boy  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Ohio,  with  his  brother,  Jacob  Hile,  and  set- 
tled in  Norton  Township.  .  For  seventy  years 
lie  was  a  resident  of  Summit  County,  and  his 
death  occurred  February  16,  1905,  in  his 
eightieth  year,  on  the  farm  on  which  his 
widow  now  resides,  where  .<he  has  lived  since 
1855.  Peter  Hile  married  Olive  Boyd,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Roxie  (Atwood) 
Boyd,  the  former  of  whom  is  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Connecticut. 
Ten  children  were  born  to  Andrew  Boyd  and 
wife:  Ichabod,  who  was  twice  married,  (first) 
to  a  Miss  Clark,  who  died  on  Lake  Erie,  east 
of  Cleveland ;  Olive,  who  is  the  mother  of  Mrs. 
Weimer;  Urias,  who  died  in  California;  Mary, 
who  married  Ross  TJiomas;  Emma,  who  mar- 
ried Frank  Proctor,  resided  for  a  number  of 
years  at  Mantua,  from  whence  she  removed  to 
California,  where  her  husband  died;  and  five 
children  who  died  in  infancy.  Two  children 
were  born  to  Peter  and  Olive  (Boyd)  Hile, 
namely:  Sarah  L.  and  Emily.  The  latter 
married  Quincy  Monroe.  They  resided  for  five 
years  in  Suflneld  Township,  then  moved  to 
Tennes.see  and  sub.sequently  to  Texas,  and  for 
tlie  past  fifteen  years  have  lived  in  Oklahoma. 
They  have  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom 
survive.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hile  were  members  of 
the  Mogadore  Church  of  Chri.st. 


Three  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  H.  Weimer,  namely:  Elmer  and 
Irwin,  who  make  their  home  with  their  par- 
ents; and  Frank,  who  died  September  17, 
1905,  aged  sixteen  years,  five  months.  They 
belong  to  the  Church  of  Chri.st,  at  East  Akron. 

FREDERICK  RIES,  whose  beautiful"  farm 
of  114  acres  lies  just  ea.st  of  Johnson's  Coi- 
ners, has  resided  here  for  almost  a  half  cen- 
tury and  its  excellent  condition  is  due  to  his 
'industry  and  careful  management.  Mr.  Ries 
was  born  in  Prussia-Germany,  March  24, 
1830,  and  is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Mary 
Ries. 

Although  Mr.  Ries  has  developed  into  an 
excellent  farmer,  he  was  not  reared  as  one. 
After  he  had  completed  his  schooling  he  went 
to  work  in  a  coal  bank,  with  which  his  father 
was  connected  as  an  outside  boss,  and  he  thus 
continued  mining  until  he  was  nineteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  decided  to  follow  his  broth- 
ers to  America.  In  July,  1849,  he  left  home 
for  the  great  country  acro.ss  the  water,  and, 
as  far  as  we  have  been  informed,  although  his 
thoughts  have  often  gone  backward,  he  has 
never  returned  to  his  native  land.  The  ves- 
sel on  which  he  sailed  was  not  a  great  tur- 
bine-wheel mistress  of  the  sea,  which  takes 
but  four  days  to  cover  the  distance  between 
Europe  and  America,  but  a  sailing  ship  that 
was  on  the  water  forty-nine  days  before  sight- 
ing land.  Landing  at  New  York  he  joined 
his  two  brothers  in  Iowa,  where  he  worked 
for  two  years  in  the  lead  mines,  after  which 
he  settled  in  Chippewa  Township,  Wayne 
County.  There  he  and  his  brother,  Paul  Ries, 
operated  a  coal  bank.  In  1855  he  was  mar- 
ried, and  continued  to  run  the  coal  bank  for 
five  years  longer,  and  then  came  to  the  farm 
on  which  he  has  lived  ever  since.  Mr.  Ries 
has  retired  from  active  work  and  rents  the 
farm,  but  stilt  retains  his  comfortable  home 
here.  Through  hard  work  and  persistent  ef- 
fort he  has  gained  an  ample  fortune  which 
he  and  his  estimable  wife  can  enjoy  in  their 
evening  of  life. 

Mr.  Ries  wa<  married  November  2.3.  1855. 
to  Louisa  Klein,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Peter 


HISTOEY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Kleiu,  who  was  also  bori)  in  Gerniauy,  but 
settled  in  Ohio  before  the  birth  of  Mrs.  Ries. 
To  this  marriage  thirteen  children  were  born, 
as  follows:  Charles,  deceased  at  three  weeks; 
Frederick,  who  is  married  and  lives  at  John- 
son's Corners;  Jacob,  married,  also  lives  at 
the  Corners;  Emma  died  aged  three  years, 
two  months;  John,  who  is  married,  lives  in 
Indiana;  George;  Ella,  who  married  Bert 
Haines;  Mary,  who  died  at  eleven  months; 
Christian,  residing  at  home;  Arthur,  married, 
who  lives  at  Johnson's  Corners;  Harry,  de- 
ceased at  six  weeks;  Minnie,  who  married 
Andrew  Backdur;  and  Edward. 

Mr.  Ries,  as  one  of  the  township's  repre- 
sentative men,  has  served  in  public  office  at 
various  times  and  has  been  a  valuable  mem- 
ber of  the  School  Board  and  an  efficient  road 
supervisor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

HENRY  L.  AVAGONER,  a  leading  citizen 
of  Springfield  Township,  has  been  postma.'stc'r 
ait  Knimroy  for  the  past  twenty-seven  year.s 
and  has  been  identified  with  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  village.  He  was  born 
near  Manchester,  in  Franklin  Tow-nship, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  March,  8,  1827,  and  is 
a  son  of  George  and  Rebecca  (Sowers") 
Wagoner. 

George  Wagoner  was  born  in  Cumberland 
County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1795,  and  came  to 
Summit  County  with  his  parents,  in  1812. 
His  father  was  Henry  Wagoner.  George 
Wagoner  was  married  first  in  Pennsylvania, 
his  second  marriege  being  to  Rebecca  Sowers. 
He  entered  160  acres  of  land  which  Henry  L. 
assisted  to  clear.  He  died  in  1874,  and  was 
survived  some  fifteen  years  by  his  widow. 
They  had  a  family  of  ten  children.  a.s  follows: 
Catherine,  who  married  Philip  Houseman, 
both  died  in  Indiana;  Sarah,  who  married 
Aaron  Baughman,  both  died  in  Norton  Town- 
ship ;  Henry  L. ;  Philip,  who  was  formerly 
county  commi.s.sioner  of  Summit  County,  mar- 
ried Hannah  Haney;  John  Jacob,  who  mar- 
ried Catherine  Weaver,  resides  in  Summit 
County;  PTarriet,  who  married  Michael  Harp- 
srter,  is  a  widow  residing  at  Akron ;  Anna  Re- 


becca, deceased,  married  (first)  Jacob  Becker 
and  (second)  David  Keller;  Amanda,  who  is 
the  widow  of  John  Spangler,  who  died  in  the 
spring  of  1907,  lives  in  Franklin  Township; 
and  Aaron,  who  married  Amanda  Smith,  re- 
sides on  River  Avenue,  Akron. 

Henry  L.  Wagoner  obtained  his  education 
in  the  subscription  schools,  and  continued  to 
assist  has  father  in  clearing  and  developing  his 
land  until  he  reached  manhood,  in  the  mean- 
while learning  the  trade  of  shoemaker.  In 
the  early  days  of  the  great  Rebellion,  Mr. 
Wagoner  enlisted  for  army  sei'vice,  entering 
Company  A,  Second  Regiment,  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Cavalry,  in  1861,  selecting  the  cavalry  on 
account  of  being  accustomed  to  horses  and 
with  an  idea  thait  he  could  better  stand  the 
hardships  he  knew  were  ahead  of  him.  His 
health  broke  down,  however,  and  in  1862,  he 
was  discharged  at  Fort  Scott,  on  account  of 
disability.  He  continued  to  farm  for  the  next 
five  years  and  then  applied  himself  exclusively  • 
to  work  at  his  trade  until  February,  1880, 
when  he  came  to  Krumroy. 

At  this  time  the  first  trains  were  running 
over  the  Cleveland,  Tennessee  &  Valley  Rail- 
rqad  and  Mr.  Wagoner  was  made  the  first 
agent  for  the  road  at  this  point.  In  the 
same  year  he  was  appointed  j^ostmaster,  an  of- 
fice he  has  held  ever  since,  notwithstanding 
changes  in  the  administration.  There  are 
few  as  capable  officials  in  the  public  service 
who  have  reached  the  age  of  Mr.  Wagoner, 
who  is  now  eighty  years  old,  and  there  are 
also  few  who  possess  his  hearty  health  and 
prolonged  vigor.  He  can  recall  many  inter- 
esting events  concerned  with  the  developing 
of  this  section,  and  remembers  when  the  busy 
city  of  Akron  was  but  a  straggling  village. 
He  has  spent  his  whole  life  in  Franklin  and 
Springfield  Townships  and  is  known  all  over 
Summit  County.  At  the  time  of  his  birth 
this  section  was  still  included  in  Stark  County. 

On  January  24.  1850,  Mr.  Wagoner  was 
married  to  Sarah  Ritter,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Isaac  and  Margaret  Ritter.  Her  people  came 
to  Stark  County  at  an  early  day  and  settled 
near  Massillon,  where  her  grandfather  pur- 
chased a  section  of  land,  making  a  liome  in 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


723 


the  wagon  for  his  family  until  he  could  con- 
struct a  log  house  in  the  forest.  They  were 
old  and  lionored  pioneers.  Mrs.  Wagoner 
was  reared  in  Green  Township.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wagoner  have  had  the  following  children : 
Elnora,  who  married  ^I.  J.  Rodenbaugh,  re- 
sides at  Thomastown  and  they  have  three 
children,  Burt,  Mabel,  wife  of  Thoniiis  Stahl, 
of  Peninsula,  Ohio,  and  Harvey,  a  merchant 
at  Akron;  Lodie,  who  married  (first)  Eman- 
uel Hubler  and  (second)  Michael  Benning- 
ham,  is  deceased;  John  Riley  died  aged  three 
years;  Margaret  Ann  died  aged  seven  years; 
Amelia,  died  in  infancy,  and  Isaac  Hamlin, 
resides  at  Akron. 

Mr.  Wagoner  has  always  been  actively  in- 
terested in  politics  and  has  been  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party  ever  since  its 
formation.  He  has  voted  for  every  one  of  its 
Presidential  candidates  from  .John  C.  Fremont 
to  Theodore  Roosevelt.  He  is  a  member  of 
Buckley  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Akron.  In  many 
ways.  Mr.  ^Vagoner  is  a  remarkable  man,  and 
is  a  worthy  representative  of  the  sturdy  old 
pioneer  family  from  which  he  came,  possess- 
ing not  only  their  robust  constitution,  but  also 
many  of  the  qualities  which  made  friend- 
ships enduring  in  those  days,  and  honesty  and 
integrity  words  full  of  meaning. 

ADAM  J.  FULMER.  who  was  a  leading 
citizen  and  successful  agriculturist  of  Spring- 
field Township,  for  many  years,  was  born  in 
Green  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  Oc- 
tober 20,  1846,  and  died  on  his  beautiful 
farm  in  Springfield  Township.  October  28, 
1905,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years.  His 
parents  were  Adam  and  Christina  (Bettler) 
Fulmer. 

Both  parents  of  .Vdain  J.  Fulmer  were  born 
in  Germany  and  in  1833  they  accompanied 
their  parents  to  Stark  County,  Ohio,  where 
the  latter  died.  After  the.  marriage  of  Adam 
and  Christina  Fulmer,  they  moved  to  Green 
Township  and  later  to  Springfield  Township, 
and  both  died  at  Brittain,  where  they  were  liv- 
ing retired.  They  had  a  family  that  con- 
sisted of  three  sons  and  four  daughters: 
Jacob.  Daniel.  Adam  J.,  Catherine.  Margaret. 


Melvina  and  Charlotta.  Of  the  above  family, 
Jacob  is  deceased.  Daniel  married  Melvina 
Baughman.  Catherine  married  Daniel  Hawk 
and  they  reside  in  Tallmadge  Township. 
Margaret  married  Jonathan  Weaver  and  they 
reside  in  Portage  County.  Melvina  married 
"S'incent  Wagner  and  they  live  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  while  Charlotta  married  Joseph  Guiley 
and  they  reside  in  Tallmadge. 

Adam  J.  Fulmer  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  and  attended  the  district  schools  in  the 
neighborhood  of  his  home.  He  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Brittain  when  they  settled  in  the 
village,  but  shortlj'  after  his  marriage,  in 
18S1,  he  settled  on  the  place  which  continued 
to  be  his  home  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  His 
first  purchase  w^as  of  100  acres,  to  which  he 
subsequently  added  the  second  100,  making 
the  present  acreage,  and  here  he  carried  on 
general  farming  for  many  years,  paying  .par- 
ticular attention  to  growing  wheat.  He  was 
a  man  of  persistent  industry  and  was  greatly 
interested  in  improving  his  property,  erecting 
at  various  times  the  fine  residence  and  other 
substantial  buildings  which  add  greatly  to  the 
value  of  an  already  valuable  property.  Since 
February,  1906,  there  have  been  three  oil 
wells  in  operation  on  the  farm,  all  being  fine 
jiroducers.  Mr.  Fulmer  also  owned  valuable 
lots  in  Akron,  having  accumulated  all  his 
projierty  through  prudence,  good  management 
and  industry. 

On  January  4,  1881,  Adam  J.  Fulmer  was 
married  to  Mary  Ruth,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Catherine  (Vogelman)  Ruth, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  Germany,  the 
father  in  1822  and  the  mother  in  1823.  After 
marriage  Charles  Ruth  and  wife  settled  in 
Oneida  County,  New  York.  Mrs.  Ruth  died 
in  1890.  and  Mr.  Ruth  six  years  later.  They 
had  four  children,  namely:  Mrs.  Fulmer; 
Louisa,  residing  with  her  sister;  Lena,  resid- 
ing at  Akron,  married  Cyrus  Swinehart,  a 
contractor  in  that  city;  and  Charles,  who  con- 
ducts a  meat  business  at  Utica,  New  York. 
He  married  Lillian  Mvers,  of  Rome,  New 
York. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fulmer's  family  consisted  of 
two  children,  a  son  and  daughter.  Ravmond 


724 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  Mary  l-Iutli.  The  former  operates  tlu' 
home  farm  in  a  very  capable  manner.  He 
is  a  young  man  of  talent  and  education,  hav- 
ing graduated  at  the  University  of  Michigan, 
in  the  class  of  1905.  Miss  Mary  Ruth  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Akron  High  School  and  is 
a  student  in  the  freshman  year  at  Buchtel 
College. 

In  the  death  of  Adam  J.  Fulmer,  Spring- 
field  Township  lost  a  citizen  of  more  than 
usual  worth,  for  he  was  a  man  of  sterling 
character  and  one  whose  acts  in  every  phase 
of  life  were  governed  by  right  motives.  He 
was  a  man  of  very  practical  ideas  and  he  won 
tlie  respect  of  those  with  whom  he  came  into 
contact  either  in  a  business  or  social  way. 
During  all  his  mature  life  he  was  stanch  in 
his  adherence  to  the.principlas  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  by  which  he  was  frequently 
elected  to  local  offices  and  in  performing  the 
duties  of  these  he  displayed  public  spirit  as 
well  as  efficiency.  He  was  long  a  useful  mem- 
ber of  the  School  Board  and  served  both  as 
supervisor  and  as  township  trustee. 

LOUIS  SCflOTT.  a  leading  citizen  of 
Springfield  Township,  who  has  owned  and 
operated  what  was  known  as  Tritt's  mill,  since 
1890,  was  born  in  Grevesmuhlen,  Germany, 
where  his  parents  both  died  in  1860,  victims 
of  small-pox. 

Mr.  Schott  was  reai-ed  by  his  grandfather 
until  the  latter's  death,  when  he  went  to  live 
with  strangers.  He  attended  school  until  he 
was  fourteen  years  of  age,  according  to  the  ex- 
cellent German  law,  and  then  learned  the 
milling  trade,  which  he  has  followed  ever 
since.  In  1882  he  came  to  America  and  lo- 
cated at  Akron,  where  he  was  in  the  employ 
of  F.  Schumacher,  and  others,  for  about  seven 
years,  and  then  bought  what  was  known  as 
Tritt's  mill.  This  mill  was  built  in  1836,  by 
the  grandfather  of  Brewster  Brothers,  who  are 
business  men  of  high  standing  in  Summit 
County,  and  it  has  been  in  continuous  opera- 
tion ever  since.  Joseph  Tritt  bought  the  mill 
from  Mr.  Brewster,  and  operated  it  until  he 
sold  it  to  David  Brumbaugh,  who  subsequent- 
ly sold  it  to  Mr.  Elderkin,  who  assigned  it  to 


the  man  from  whom  Mr.  Schott  purchased, 
in  1890.  Since  taking  possession  he  has  prac- 
tically rebuilt  the  mill,  putting  in  new  power 
and  making  many  practical  and  substantial 
improvements.  It  is  what  is  known  as  a  gen- 
eral custom  mill,  with  capacity  of  twenty-five 
barrels,  and  Mr.  Schott  makes  both  white  and 
rye  flour,  together  with  all  kinds  of  feed.  He 
has  constant  patronage  and  does  a  very  large 
Inisine.ss.  Mr.  Schott  has  always  been  very 
industrious,  careful  and  frugal,  and  has  made 
his  own  way  honestly  and  fairly,  without  ask- 
ing aid  from  any  one. 

In  1883  Mr.  Schott  was  married  to  Louisa 
Schultz,  of  Akron,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the 
late  George  Schultz.  Her  mother  still  sur- 
vives. Mt.  and  Mrs.  Schott  have  had  twelve 
children,  namely:  Hans,  who  died  in  young 
manhood,  in  1905;  Louis,  who  is  a  telegraph 
operator  for  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad ; 
Helena,  who  is  a  stenographer  for  the  Board 
Manufacturing  Company,  of  Akron ;  Charles, 
who  as.sists  his  father  in  the  mill ;  Louisa,  who 
is  employed  at  Akron ;  Harriet,  who  is  de- 
ceased; and  William,  Sophia,  Elmer,  Mary, 
Herman  and  Frederick,  all  residing  at  home. 
Mr.  Schott  and  family  belong  to  the  German 
Lutheran  Church.    Politically  he  is  a  Repul)- 


.TOHN  F.  MENTZER,  assessor  of  Norton 
Township,  and  the  owner  of  seventy-five  acres 
of  very  valuable  land,  which  is  .situated  on  the 
Loyal  Oak  road,  about  five  miles  west  of  Ak- 
ron, was  born  on  the  fai'm  on  wliich  he  lives, 
in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  September  7,  1865. 
He  is  a  son  of  Alexander  and  A?nelia 
(Blocker)  Mentzer. 

Alexander  Mentzer  was  born  at  Canal  Ful- 
ton, Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  died  May  IB, 
1900,  aged  sixty-four  years.  His  father  was 
John  Mentzer,  who  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, from  which*  state  he  moved  to  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  owned  the  farin 
where  the  feeder  of  the  Old  Ohio  Canal  enters 
the  Tu.scarawas  River.  In  1850  he  bought  the 
farm  in  Norton  Township  on  wliich  his 
grandson,  John  F.,  resides,  and  in  1870,  Alex- 
ander Mentzer  bought   it   from   his   father's 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


725 


estate,  and,  in  turn,  John  F.  bought 
it  from  Alexander's  estate,  in  October, 
1900.  Alexander  Mentzer  married  Amelia 
Blocker.  Her  father,  Eli  Blocker 
was  a  pioneer  of  Norton  Townshij),  and  he 
owned  the  fai*m  which  is  now  the  property  of 
Joseph  Oser,  and  on  that  farm  Mrs.  Mentzer 
was  born.  The  five  children  of  Alexander 
Mentzer  and  \vife  are :  John  F. ;  Charles,  re- 
siding in  Portage  Township ;  Sadie,  who  mar- 
ried Edgar  Poulson,  residing  at  Warren, 
Trumbull  County;  Har\-ey,  residing  at  Gar- 
rettsville,  Portage  County;  and  Frank,  resid- 
ing at  Braceville,  Trumbull  County. 

John  F.  Mentzer  was  reared  at  home  and 
wa.s  educated  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years  in 
the  countn'  schools,  after  which  he  worked  as 
a  farmer.  For  two  years  following  his  mar- 
riage he  lived  in  Medina  County,  otherwise, 
his  home  has  always  been  in  Norton  Town- 
.ship.  He  carrier  on  general  farming,  and  for 
some  years  bought  and  sold  many  horses;  I^^e 
is  considered  a  verj^  good  business  man.  'In 
addition  to  farming,  Mr.  Mentzer  frequently 
spends  considerable  time  auctioneering,  and 
his  popularity  is  shown  by  his  being  sent  for 
to  cry  sales  all  through  the  surrounding 
country. 

In  1889  Mr.  Mentzer  was  married  to  Ella 
Oplinger,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Nathan  Op- 
linger,  and  they  have  four  children,  namely: 
Harry.  Lloyd.  Rus.«ell  and  Morris. 

Politically.  Mr.  Mentzer  is  a  Democrat,  and 
for  the  past  two  years  has  served  as  assessor 
of  the  township.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
School  Board  for  four  years,  and  at  all  times 
shows  a  good  citizen's  intere.sl  in  the  town- 
ship's educational  sitanding  Mr.  Mentzer  i- 
a  deacon  in  the  Loyal  Oak  Reformed  Church 
and  for  the  past  ten  years  has  been  church 
secretarA'. 

CLARENCE  HOWLAND,  formerly  one  of 
Akron's  prominent  citizens  and  leading  man- 
ufacturers, was  identified  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  with  The  Thomas  Phillips  Company, 
of  which  he  was  treasurer  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  May  6,  190.5.  Mr.  Howland  was  born 
in  New  York. 


In  1873  Mr.  Howland  came  to  Akron  and 
began  work  with  the  company  with  which  he 
continued  to  be  connected  as  long  as  he  lived, 
entering  its  employ  in  a  humble  position,  and 
through  merit,  advancing  vmtil  he  was  one 
of  the  most  valued  members  of  the  firm.  He 
was  a  man  of  broad  and  liberal  views,  and 
while  his  business  sagacity  made  him  a  fac- 
tor in  that  line,  his  public  .spirit  and  his  rec- 
ognition of  a  citizen's  duties,  both  private 
and  public,  made  him  respected  and  esteemed 
in  every  circle  of  society. 

^Ir.  Howland  was  married  (first)  to  Jennie 
Fouser,  and  the  four  children  of  this  imion 
were:  Helen,  Ruth,  George  and  Frank  C. 
Mr.  Howland  was  married  (second)  to  Jose- 
phine Creque,  and  they  had  one  daughter. 
Josephine. 

EDWARD  W.  LESER,  who  conducts  a 
florist  busineas  in  Coventry  Township,  near 
the  city  limits  of  Akron,  was  bom  January  11, 
1875,  at  Bay  City,  Bay  County,  Michigan,  and 
is  a  son  of  J.  J.  Leser.  The  parents  of  Mr. 
Leser  are  still  residents  of  Bay  City,  where 
his  father  carries  on  a  carpenter  and  con- 
tracting business.  He  W' as  born  at  Ann  Arbor, 
Michigan.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leser  have  .seven 
children,  the  eldest  of  whom  is  Edward  W. 

Until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  Ed- 
ward William  Le.ser  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Bay  City,  and  then  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Irvine  Company,  florists,  wnth 
whom  he  remained  for  nine  years,  during 
w'hich  time  he  made  a  close  study  of  the  man- 
agement and  rearing  of  plants  and  of  all  mat- 
ters concerning  their  propagation  and  cul- 
ture. In  the  spring  of  1898  he  came  to  Ak- 
ron. He  entered  the  employ  of  E.  J.  Bolanz, 
the  leading  florist  of  this  city,  with  whom  he 
continued  until  1905,  when  he  purcha.sed  Mr. 
Bolanz's  business,  which  he  has  successfully 
conducted  ever  since.  Mr.  Leser  has  .S5,000 
feet  of  .space  under  cover  and  owns  ten  acres 
of  ground.  His  buildings  have  modern  equip- 
ments to  produce  the  proper  climatic  condi- 
tions, he  keeps  four  men  employed  and  does 
a  ver\'  large  wholesale  bu.'iness.  and  enjoys  the 
largest  trade  in  his  line    in    this    city.     His 


726 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


greenhouses  ai-e  delightful  to  visit,  with  their 
abundance  of  bloom  and  fragrance,  and  his 
growths  include  all  varieties  of  plants,  except 
palms.  He  is  a  self-made  man  and  his  suc- 
cess shows  the  value  of  industry  and  concen- 
tration of  effort. 

Politically,  Mr.  Leser  is  a  Republican. 

CHARLES  ROEGER,  one  of  the  leading 
business  men  of  Springfield  Township,  a 
member  of  the  manufacturing  firm  of  Roeger 
Brothers,  was  born  in  Springfield  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  September  17,  1875. 
His  parents  ai-e  Chi'istian  and  Rosanna  (Ri- 
bold)  Roeger. 

Christian  Roeger  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1844  and  came  to  America  in  1870,  locating 
at  Akron,  but  removing  to  Tallmadge  six 
months  later,  where  he  remained  for  four 
and  one-half  years  working  for  Sperry  &  Bald- 
win. In  1875  he  came  to  Brittain,  Spring- 
field Township,  and  in  the  following  year 
organized  the  present  business  Avhioh  is  now 
so  successfully  managed  by  his  two  sons,  his 
successors.  He  started  with  a  repair  shop  and 
increased  his  facilities  >as  his  business  grew, 
remaining  as  its  active  head  for  twenty-four 
years.  In  many  ways  Christian  Roeger  is  a 
remarkable  man.  He  landed  at  Akron  with 
a  knowledge  of  the  blacksmith  trade,  but 
with  only  forty-eight  cents  capital.  At  first, 
to  provide  for  his  immediate  wants,  he  cut 
timber  in  South  Akron  for  the  building  of 
Buchtel  College.  He  -was  married  at  Canton 
to  Rosainna  Ribold,  who  was  born  in  1850, 
and  they  had  four  children,  the  three  sur- 
vivors being:  Charles,  George  W.  and  Archer. 
Elbert  J.,  who  was  born  in  1882,  died  unmar- 
ried in  1895.  The  parents  of  this  family  re- 
side at  Brittain,  worthy  and  highly  respected 
people. 

Charles  Roeger  attended  the  schools  near 
his  home,  and  as  soon  as  old  enough  began 
to  work  in  his  father's  shop,  and  until  1906, 
devoted  him.self  almost  entirely  to  the  paint- 
ing department  of  the  business,  since  which 
time  he  has  exercised  a  general  superintend- 
ence. Charles  Roeger  married  May  L.  Mc- 
Chesney,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Edward  and 


Sarali  (Wise)  McChesney,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Glynn  and  Reginald.  Mr.  Roeger 
is  a  member  of  the  East  ^larket  Street  Re- 
formed Church,  in  which  he  is  a  deacon.  He 
belongs  to  Apollo  Lodge,  No.  61,  East  Akron, 
Odd  Fellows.  Politically,  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

George  W.  Roeger,  who  is  his  brother's 
]jartner  in  the  firm  of  Roeger  Broth ei-s,  was 
born  in  Springfield  Township,  Summit  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  in  Mtu'ch,  1878.  He  was  educated 
in  the  local  schools  and,  like  his  older  brother, 
eai'ly  began  work  in  his  father's  shop.  He 
was  married  to  Anna  Brubaker,  September 
17,  1902,  and  they  have  one  child.  Politic- 
ally, he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  East  Market  Street  Reformed  Church. 

The  firm  of  Roeger  Brothers  does  a  very 
large  business.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  houses 
of  its  kind  in  this  section  and  it  has  gained 
the  confidence  of  the  public  through  honor- 
.able  businftss  dealing  and  high  quality  of 
goods.  The  factory  is  located  at  Brittain.  The 
firm  manufactures  diff^erent  kinds  of  carriages 
and  wagons  and  deals  also  in  harness  and  fann 
implements,  twelve  men  being  given  constant 
employment.  Their  repair  shop  alone  does  a 
bu.sines3  of  from  $5,000  to  $6,200  per  year, 
and  their  new  business  amounts  to  from  $5,- 
000  to  $6,000  annually.  The  present  factory 
was  built  about  1892  and  has  been  remodeled 
.severl  times  since,  excellent  facilities  now  be- 
ing afforded. 

RUSSELL  T.  DOBSON,  one  of  AkroTi's 
practical  and  succe,ssful  business  men,  who  is 
president  and  manager  of  the  Dobson  Build- 
ing Company,  has  been  an  active  and  valued 
citizen  of  this  place  since  1892.  He  was 
bom  in  1861,  at  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  re- 
moving from  there  with  his  parents  when 
eleven  yeaxs  of  age,  and  settling  at  Toledo. 

Mr.  Dob.son  was  mainly  educated  at  Toledo, 
both  in  the  public  schools  and  in  that  other 
school,  a  printing  office. 

In  1880,  with  W.  B.  Dobson,  his  brother, 
he  purchased  the  newspaper  property  of  The 
Wood  County  Democrat,  at  Bowling  Green, 
Ohio,   where  he  resided  until   1889,  servinsr 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


727 


as  postmaster  during  the  administration  of 
President  Cleveland.  He  then  moved  to  De- 
fiance, Ohio,  where  he  published  the  Defiance 
County  Democrat,  and  also  the  Daily  News. 
In  1891  he  removed  to  Springfield,  Ohio,  and 
there  engaged  for  a  year  in  the  publication 
of  the  Daily  Democrat,  and  then  came  to  Ak- 
*  ron.  Mr.  Dohson  and  his  brother  estal^lished 
here  a  newspapei"  under  the  name  of  the 
Daily  Democrat,  which  is  now  known  as  the 
Daily  Times,  which  he  continued  until  1897, 
when  he  sold  out,  and  in  the  following  year 
took  over  the  management  of  the  Beacon-Jour- 
nal, and  was  owner  and  manager  of  the  same 
mitil  1903,  when  he  sold  out  his  newspaper 
interert.'?. 

Mr.  Dobson  then  turned  his  attention  to 
other  lines,  and  shortly  afterward  erected  the 
Dobson  Building,  one  of  the  most  modern, 
sanitarj'  and  convenient  office  buildings  in 
Akron.  It  is  five  stories  in  height,  situated 
on  the  corner  of  Howard  and  Main  Streets, 
occupying  74  feet  on  the  latter,  with  110 
feet  of  depth,  and  with  two  basements. 

In  1885  Mr.  Dobson  was  married  to  Jen- 
nie A.  Wiley,  of  Bowling  Green,  Ohio,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Russell  T.,  Jr.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dobson  attend  the  Episcopal  Church. 
Fraternally  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Elks  and 
the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

HARRY  A.  COCHRANE,  one  of  North- 
field  Township's  representative  citizens  and 
successful  agriculturists,  was  born  at  Ligonier, 
Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania,  March 
9,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Huston  and  Rachel 
(Scroggs)   Cochrane. 

Huston  Cochrane  was  born  at  Latrobe, 
Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  received  a  common  school  education  and 
learned  the  trade  of  potter,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  nearly  twenty-five  years,  owning 
his  own  kilns  and  making  stone,  china  nnd 
all  kinds  of  earthenware.  About  1874  Mr. 
Cochrane  sold  his  pottery,  and  purchased  a 
farm  at  Latrobe,  on  which  he  resided  for  nine 
years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  came  to 
Northfield  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
purchasing  the   old   Griswold   farm   of    106 


acres,  on  which  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  July  1,  1906.  Mr. 
Cochrane  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
while  at  Ligonier,  Pennsylvania,  served  as 
tax  collector  and  school  director  for  three 
years.  He  married  Rachel  Scroggs,  who  was 
a  daughter  of  Rev.  Joseph  Scroggs,  a  clergj'- 
man  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  who 
preached  for  fifty  years  in  the  Ligonier  Val- 
ley. There  were  six  children  born  to  this 
union,  namely:  Laura,  who  is  the  wife  of 
William  McFarland,  of  Latrobe;  James  Ed- 
win, who  died  in  infancy;  Joseph,  who  is  de- 
ceased; Harry  A.;  Aggie,  who  is  the  wife  of 
George  McFarland,  of  Greensburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania; and  Thomas,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
five  years.  The  mother  of  these  children, 
who  is  now  seventy-three  yeaVs  old,  makes 
her  home  with  her  son  Harry  A.,  and  is  a  de- 
voted member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  her  husband  was  an  elder 
for  thirty  years. 

In  1885,  after  coming  to  Summit  County, 
Harry  A.  Cochrane  entered  the  Northfield 
High  School,  and  after  graduating  there  he 
took  a  course  in  the  Cleveland  Business  Col- 
lege. For  some  time  afterward  he  traveled 
for  the  Brooks  Oil  Company,  and  also  handled 
agricultural  implements  for  a  while.  About 
1900  he  bought  a  one-half  interest  in  the 
Macedonia  Milling  Company,  taking  full 
charge  of  buying  and  selling,  also  running  a 
cider  press  and  apple  jelly  factory  in  connec- 
tion. He  closed  this  business  out  in  1905. 
Since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-raising,  devoting  seventy-eight 
acres  of  his  property  to  raising  corn,  oats, 
wheat  and  hay,  and  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
acres  to  growing  potatoes.  Mr.  Cochrane 
keeps  from  six  to  eight  head  of  cattle,  raises 
young  stock,  and  keeps  about  nine  head  of 
horses.  He  uses  the  most  modern  methods 
in  operating  his  farm,  and  is  considered  one 
of  Northfield  Township's  good,  practical  agri- 
culturists. 

Mr.  Cochrane  was  married  to  Myrtle  Ne.s- 
bitt.  who  is  a  daughter  of  James  Nesbitt,  one 
of  Northfield  Township's  most  prominent 
citizens,   who   was   county    commissioner    of 


728 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Summit  County  for  seven  yearti.  Two  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  thL!<  union:  Helen 
liaehel  and  Lucille,  the  latter  of  whom  died 
in  infancy.  Mr.  and  Mr.<.  Cochrane  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Uiiited  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
which  he  is  a  trustee.  In  political  matters 
Mr.  Cochrane  is  an  independent  Kepublican. 

M.  B.  SHUMAKEK,  of  Shumaker  and 
Company,  boot  and  shoe  merchants,  at  Akron, 
with  business  located  at  No.  17  South  How- 
ard Street,  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio, 
in  l(Sr)4,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Mar- 
garet (l^locker)  Shumaker. 

Williiun  Shumaker,  father  of  M.  B.,  accom- 
panied his  father,  also  William  Shumaker,  to 
Wayne  County  from  Westmoreland  County, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1823,  and  resided  on  his 
farm,  which  his  father  had  secured  from  the 
gxjvernment,  until  his  death,  in  February, 
1907,  at  the  age  of  eighty-.-<even  years.  He 
married  Margaret  Blocker,  who  died  in  1858. 
They  had  six  children,  the  five  now  living 
being:  Amanda,  who  married  D.  T.  Frank, 
and  residing  at  Massillon ;  Lee  C,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  bu.-iiness  at  Lorain,  Ohio;  John  F., 
who  is  one  of  the  infirmary  directors  of  Medi- 
na County;  M.  B.,  of  Akron;  and  W.  W. 
Shumaker,  wlio  is  engaged  in  farming  in 
Wayne  County. 

M.  B.  Shumaker  attended  the  country 
schools,  and  when  twenty-one  years  of  age  he 
left  the  farm  and  came  to  Akron.  Here  he 
began  to  learn  the  shoe  business  with  Bow- 
man and  McNeil,  with  whom  he  remained 
four  years,  later  spending  one  year  at  Y^'oinigs- 
town.  In  1880,  he  went  to  Helena,  Mon- 
tana, where  he  remained  for  fifteen  months, 
going  thence  to  California,  Washington  and 
Oregon,  and  remaining  in  the  far  We.'^t  until 
1884.  He  then  returned  to  the  East  and  was 
engaged  in  a  shoe  business  at  Ma.s.sillon,  Ohio, 
until  1801.  Ill  health  kept  him  out  of  bu.'^i- 
ne-:s  for  a  year,  hut  in  1892,  seeing  a  good 
opening  at  Akron,  he  embarked  in  a  .«hoe 
bu.*ine.«s  in  this  city,  beginning  on  a  limited 
scale,  with  one  clerk  and  an  office  boy.  His 
entrance  into  business  wa.'i  in  one  way  at  an 
inif.-ivorablo  time,  the  small-pox  epidemic  im- 


mediately following;  nevertheless  he  was  able 
to  achieve  progress  from  the  first,  and  now 
owns  one  of  the  finest  shoe  stores  in  Akron. 
He  carries  a  large  and  varied  stock,  to  suit 
every  taste,  has  modern  equipments,  and  gives 
constant  employment  to  seven  assistants,  and 
on  Saturdays,  when  the  countiy  people  come 
to  the  city  to  supply  their  needs,  he  requires 
four  extra  helpers,  Mr.  Shumaker  attrib- 
utes his  success  to  fair  and  courteous  dealing, 
and  to  the  excellence  of  the  stock  he  carries. 
He  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Dollar  Sav- 
ings Bank  at  Akron. 

On  April  15,  1885,  Mr.  Shumaker  was  mar- 
ried to  Ella  B.  Hawkins,  wdio  is  a  daughter 
of  Nelson  C.  Hawkins,  of  Portage  Township, 
Summit  County,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Lloyd,  who  is  a  student  in  the  Akron  High 
School.  Mr.  Shumaker  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  of  the  Odd  Fellows. 
He  belongs  to  the  West  Hill  Congregational 
Church,  of  which  he  was  a  trustee  for  several 
years.  He  is  conceded  to  be  one  of  Akron's 
representative  business  men. 

ORISON  M.  MOORE,  general  farmer  and 
dairyman,  oi)erating  his  valuable  farm  of 
some  seventy  acres,  is  one  of  the  prosperous 
agriculturists  of  Stow  Township.  He  was 
born  in  Suffield  Township,  Portage  County, 
Ohio,  December  20,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of 
Samuel  Lucius  and  Sally  H.  (Randall) 
Moore. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Moore  was  born  May  29, 
1819,  at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  and  ac- 
companied his  parents  when  they  moved 
first  to  Pennsylvania,  and  some  years  later 
to  New  Portage,  Ohio,  where  they  purchased  a 
small  farm.  They  w'ere  Lester  H.  and  Ruth 
(Smith)  Moore.  They  had  the  following 
children  :  Lois  B.,  who  was  born  .Tanuary  81, 
LSKi:  Samuel  Lucius;  Mary  A.,  who  was  horn 
in  1822;  Ori.-^on  Erskine,  born  in  1823;  Ru- 
fus  S])a]ding,  who  was  born  in  182r);  ,Tohn 
Ilnmjihrey,  who  was  born  in  1829;  .Juden 
Harrison,  who  was  born  in  1833;  Polly  0., 
who  wa.'?  born  in  1836;  Orville  Smith,  who 
wa*  born  in  1839;  and  Sarah  Lucretia,  who 
was  born  in  1841. 


o 

2; 
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Pi 
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AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


731 


Samuel  Lucius  Moore  worked  in  youth  on 
his  father's  farm  and  subsequently  acquired 
property  of  his  own,  which  included  a  one- 
half  interest  in  a  pottery,  in  Suffield  Town- 
ship, where  he  worked  for  some  years  as  a 
turner.  He  became  a  man  of  local  promi- 
nence in  SufKeld  Township  and  served  as  a 
trustee.  In  April,  1809,  he  came  to  Stow 
Township  and  purchased  the  farm  on  which 
his  son,  Orison  M.,  resides,  which  was  the  old 
Wetmore  homestead,  and  at  that  time  con- 
tained about  120  acres.  The  railroad  has 
taken  some  eight  acres  of  the  original  farm. 
On  this  property  Mr.  Moore  raised  many 
sheep,  having  been  previously  engaged  in  this 
industry  in  SufReld  Township,  and  also  car- 
ried on  general  farming  and  dairying.  He 
died  on  the  present  farm  May  19,  1886,  leav- 
ing his  property  to  his  heirs,  Orison  M.  hav- 
ing the  use  of  the  present  farm  as  long  as  he 
lives.  Of  his  seven  children,  but  two  grew  to 
maturity:  James  S..  residing  also  in  Stow 
Township,  and  Orison  M. 

Orison  M.  Moore  enjoyed  educational  ad- 
vantages, completing  his  education  in  the 
Suffield  High  School,  at  Randolph.  He  as- 
sisted his  father  on  the  homestead,  and  has 
resided  in  Stow  Township  ever  since  his  mar- 
riage. For  nine  years  following  his  father's 
death  he  rented  the  present  farm,  but  since 
1898  has  had  the  sole  control.  During  this 
time  he  also  cultivated  a  farin  which  Mrs. 
Moore  inherited  from  her  father,  and  which  is 
still  her  personal  possession.  Mr.  Moore 
raises  wheat,  oats,  corn  and  potatoes,  and 
keeps  twelve  head  of  cattle  through  the  winter 
and  sells  his  milk  to  the  Co-operative  Cream- 
ery at  Stow.  He  is  also  interested  in  raising 
poultry  and  supplies  a  large  demand  from 
Silver  Lake. 

Mr.  Moore  was  married  to  Clara  Wetmore, 
who  belongs  to  an  old  and  distingi:ished 
family  of  this  section.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Edwin  and  Polly  (Wetmore)  Wetmore.  The 
Wetmore  family  came  originally  from  Wales, 
in  the  persons  of  three  brothers,  Seth, 
Chauncy,  and  one  whose  name  has  been  lo.st. 
Setji  settled  in  Connecticut  and  the  Wetmores 
of  Stow  Town.«hip  descended  from  him.    His 


son  William  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace 
in  Stow  Township.  He  was  known  as  Judge 
Wetmore  and  was  the  grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Moore.  His  children,  Edwin,  William,  Henry, 
Ogden  and  Clarissa,  were  liLs  heirs,  and  Edwin 
owned  some  200  acres.  He  built  the  house 
which  belongs  to  the  heirs  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Moore.  He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  a 
man  of  consequence  in  this  part  of  Sunnnit 
County.  He  was  born  in  1798  and  died  De- 
cember 25,  1872. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  have  had  seven  chil- 
dren, the  three  survivors  being  one  daughter 
and  two  sons:  Grace  Claribel,  Henry  W.  and 
Arthur  Garfield.  Mrs.  Moore  is  a  valued 
member  of  the  Disciples  Church  at  Stow  Cor- 
ners. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Moore  votes  with  the  Re- 
publican party  in  national  mutters,  but  pre- 
fers to  be  independent  in  local  affairs.  He  is 
identified  with  several  fraternal  organizations, 
and  is  past  commander  of  the  Maccabees,  is 
past  president  and  a  trustee  of  the  Pathfind- 
ers, at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  is  past  chief  ranger 
and  a  trustee  of  the  Foresters  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  pub- 
lic affairs  of  his  neighborhood  when  benevo- 
lent movements  are  organized.  Mr.  Moore 
and  family  are  people  who  enjoy  the  highest 
measure  of  public  e.steem. 

AARON  MORRTSS,  a  native  of  Winstead, 
Connecticut,  who  died  on  his  farm  in  the 
southeast  part  of  Tallmadge  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  in  1871,  aged  seventy-one 
years,  was  one  of  the  leading  men  of  this  sec- 
tion, and  a  type  of  that  strict  uncompromis- 
ing integrity  which  makes  men  honored 
whether  rich  or  poor. 

The  name  of  Morriss  is  attached  to  that  im- 
mortal document,  The  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  the  lady  who  is  the  sole  repre- 
sentative of  the  family,  in  Tallmadge  Town- 
ship, Miss  America  Morri.ss,  is  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  the  signer.  Her  paternal  grandparent" 
died  when  her  father,  the  late  Aaron  Morri.ss. 
was  a  child.  He  had  two  brothers  and  two 
sisters.  One  brother,  Andrew  Morri.ss.  owned 
a  home  at  Bridgeport.  Connecticut,  adjoining 


732 


HISl'ORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


that  of  the  late  P.  T.  liariiuni,  while  the 
other  brother  lived  at  New  Haven.  One  sis- 
ter married  Mr.  Hill,  who  was  superintendent 
of  the  Marine  Hospital  at  New  Haven,  and 
the  other  sister  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  Lewis 
Fisk,  who  was  the  first  person  to  be  interred 
in  what  was  then  called  the  New  Evergreen 
Cemetery,  at  New  Haven. 

Aaron  Morriss  spent  his  first  twenty-one 
years  mainly  at  New  Haven  and  Winstead, 
where  he  learned  the  carpenter's  and  cabinet- 
maker's trades.  In  pursuit  of  business,  he 
then  accompanied  Peter  Hepburn  to  Savan- 
nah, Georgia,  where  he  lived  for  thirteen 
years,  engaged  in  building  and  contracting. 
He  became  a  man  of  consequence  there,  took 
an  active  interest  in  the  public  life  of  the 
city  and,  on  account  of  his  sterling  qualities 
as  well  as  his  personal  appeai-ance  and  digni- 
fied bearing,  he  was  selected  as  one  of  the 
committee  of  Savannah  citizens  to  receive  and 
welcome  General  Lafayette,  when  he  visited 
that  city  in  1824.  Mr.  Morri.^s  was  known  as 
a  very  liberal  man  and  is  said  to  have  con- 
tributed fifty  dollars  to  every  church  built 
in  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  He 
made  many  and  warm  friends  in  the  southern 
city,  even  when  a  cordial  feeling  was  not  the 
normal  attitude  between  New  England  and 
Georgia. 

After  he  returned  to  New  Haven,  Mr.  Mor- 
riss was  married  to  Sarah  Isbell,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  Israel  and  Sallie  (Pardee)  Isbell. 
Her  maternal  grandmother  was  Rebecca 
Beecher,  who  was  a  sister  of  the  late  Dr. 
Lyman  Beecher.  Israel  Isbell  and  wife  died 
at  Milford,  Connecticut.  They  had  the  fol- 
lowing children  exclusive  of  Mrs.  Morriss: 
David,  who  subsequently  came  to  Tallmadge, 
who  married  Charlotta  Beach,  a  very  aristo- 
cratic lady  of  Milford.  After  his  death  in 
Tallmadge,  she  married  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Piatt,  and  died  at  Oberlin,  Ohio.  Israel,  a 
cabinet-maker  by  trade,  also  came  to  Tall- 
madge. He  married  Huldah  Wooding,  of  New 
Haven,  Connecticut.  Josiah  Pardee  married 
Mary  Andrew,  of  Connecticut,  and  they  re- 
mained in  that  state.  Polly  married  Bene- 
dict Merwin  and  went  to  reside  on  Long  Is- 


land. Irene,  the  youngest,  married  Bela 
Clark  and  they  remained  at  Milford,  Connec- 
ticut. 

At  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Aaron  Mor- 
riss, Sarah  Isbell  was  the  widow  of  Captain 
Freegift  Coggeshall.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morriss 
had  two  children — America,  who  was  born  in 
Tallmadge  Township,  Summit  County,  in 
1835 ;  and  Corinne,  born  in  1836,  who  died 
December  25,  1894.  Few  young  ladies  of 
their  day  enjoyed  better  educational  advan- 
tages than  were  given  the  Masses  Morrass.  They 
attended  the  Ravenna  select  school  conducted 
by  Miss  Curtis,  a  graduate  of  Mt.  Holyoke, 
Massachusetts;  later,  the  Hudson  Female  Sem- 
inary, in  charge  of  Miss  Lee,  and  still  later 
the  Ontario  Female  Seminary,  at  Canandai- 
gua,  New  York,  where  they  remained  until 
they  completed  their  education.  They  re- 
turned to  Tallmadge  where  they  exerted  a 
wholesome  influence  of  culture  and  refine- 
ment. The  father  took  great  pride  in  his 
daughters,  and  the  family  relations  were 
marked  by  the  most  perfect  congeniality. 
The  beloved  mother,  who  was  born  at  Mil- 
ford, Connecticut,  in  1801,  survived  to  the 
age  of  seventy-eight  years,  passing  away  in 
1879,  having  sui"vived  her  husband  for  eight 
years. 

Aaron  Morriss  made  an  early  visit  to  Sum- 
mit County,  but  was  not  so  impressed  with 
the  country  at  that  time  as  to  invest  in  land, 
but  after  his  marriage  he  returned  and  set- 
tled on  the  farm  which  remained  his  home 
initil  the  close  of  his  life.  The  confinement 
incidental  to  hLs  trade  acted  unfavorably  on 
his  health,  and  he  was  obliged  to  ,give  it  up 
and  seek  an  out-door  life,  but  his  talent  as 
a  worker  in  wood,  never  permitted  him  to 
entirely  lay  aside  his  tools.  Before  leaving 
his  native  state  he  had  fashioned  furniture 
that  probably  still  is  in  use  in  Yale  College, 
and  had  also  done  a  large  amount  of  build- 
ing. 

The  land  that  Mr.  Morriss  purchased  in 
Tallmadge  Township  was  a  tract  of  155  acres, 
and  of  it  he  made  a  model  farm.  No  unsight- 
ly stumps  were  left  to  mar  the  even  beauty 
of  liLs  fields  and  meadows,  while  all  his  build- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


733 


iugri  were  kept  in  the  best  of  repair  and  were 
ciuitcd  to  their  needs  and  adequately  equipped. 
He  wii;3  a  natural  architect  and  when  building 
or  making  repairs,  first  laid  out  a  plan  and 
followed  it.  As  his  daughter  views  her  com- 
fortable home  she  can  recall  how  her  father 
ctu"efully  fitted  each  bit  of  material  as  he  was 
partially  rebuilding,  and  the  great  pillars  of 
the  porch,  of  solid  black  walnut,  were  chiseled 
out  by  his  skilled  hands  with  the  truest  ac- 
curacy. All  he  did  was  in  the  same  careful 
way.  He  took  delight  in  growing  fruits  and 
vegetables,  and  in  improving  his  surroinid- 
ings,  and  enjoj^ed  comfort  in  the  quiet,  re- 
fined peace  of  his  home,  where  at  last  he 
passed  peacefully  away. 

Miss  America  Morriss  now  owns  the  old 
homestead  farm  which  her  father  bought  in 
the  year  preceding  her  birth,  and  she  also 
owns  city  property  in  Akron.  For  many 
years  she  has  admirably  administered  her  own 
affairs  and  is  known  as  an  excellent  business 
woman  as  well  as  a  lady  of  great  charity  and 
of  warm,  true  hospitality.  She  attends  the 
Congregational  Church  at  Tallmadge. 

DAVID  R.  FERGUSSON,  the  efficient 
citj'  marshal  at  Barberton,  is  serving  in  his 
fifth  successive  term  in  his  present  capacity. 
He  was  born  at  Lockland,  Ohio,  August  14, 
1875,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Campbell)   Fergusson. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Fergusson  moved  to 
Akron  in  1879,  and  to  Barberton,  in  1883, 
his  father  in  that  year  entering  the  employ 
of  the  American  Straw  Board  Company  at 
this  place.  He  built  the  first  house  in  the 
new  part  of  Barberton,  west  of  the  Erie  Rail- 
road. AVilliam  Fergusson  still  survives,  but 
his  wife  died  in  March,  1905. 

David  R.  Fergu.sson  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Akron  and  of  New  Portage,  up  to 
the  age  of  fourteen  years,  when  he  started  to 
work  for  the  American  Straw  Board  Com- 
pany, then  known  as  the  Portage  Straw 
Board,  remaining  about  seven  years.  From 
that  company  he  went  to  the  American  Sewer 
Pipe  Works,  first  as  kiln  setter  and  later  as 
fireman,  remaining  until  1900,  when  he  was 


first  elected  town  mai-shal.  Prior  to  this,  from 
1899  to  1900,  he  had  served  as  chief  of  the 
fire  department  and  so  efficiently  as  to  gain 
the  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens.  He  has 
subsequently  been  re-elected  marshal  and  his 
last  election  was  by  a  majority  of  300  votes. 

In  June,  1904,  Mr.  Fergusson  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Willems,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Frederick  Willems,  and  they  have  one  sou, 
David,  Jr. 

Mr.  Fergusson  belongs  to  the  Masons,  the 
Elks  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  being  a  cap- 
tain of  the  Uniform  Rank  in  the  latter  or- 
ganization. 

PERRY  R.  MILLER,  who  came  to  Bar- 
berton in  1892,  one  of  its  first  home-makers, 
resides  at  No.  926  Wooster  Avenue,  where  his 
beautiful  dwelling  is  surrounded  by  two  acres 
of  improved  land.  For  many  years  prior  to 
that  date  he  was  a  large  farmer  and  successful 
dairjmian  in  Norton  Township.  He  was  born 
in  Norton  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
August  29,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Cyrus  and 
Hannah  (Reese)  Miller. 

Cyrus  Miller  was  also  born  in  Norton  Town- 
ship, but  the  grandfather  of  Perry  R.  Miller 
was  born  in  Ireland.  He  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica and  lived  for  a  time  in  Summit  County, 
but  later  moved  to  Illinois,  and  both  he  and 
wife  died  there  before  the  birth  of  their 
grandson.  Cyrus  Miller  worked  as  a  tailor 
during  some  of  his  earlier  years,  on  account 
of  an  accident,  which  resulted  in  the  loss  of 
a  leg,  which  for  a  time  prevented  agricultural 
work,  but  he  subsequently  became  a  farmer 
in  Norton  Township.  He  died  at  Akron, 
aged  eighty  years,  his  wife  dying  when  seven- 
ty-eight years  old.  They  had  six  children, 
namely:  Wellington,  residing  at  Barberton; 
Wealthy,  who  died  in  girlhood  from  being 
accidentally  burned ; '  Perry  R. ;  Wilbur  and 
Willis,  twins,  the  latter  of  whom  is  deceased, 
the  former  residing  at  Barberton ;  and  Ar- 
thur, residing  at  Akron. 

Perry  R.  Miller  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  in  Norton  Township,  in  which,  with  the 
exception  of  one  year,  1865,  when  the  family 
resided  at  Wadsworth,  he  has  spent  his  life. 


734 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


He  at  one  time  owned  240  acres  of  land,  in 
two  farms,  and  for  many  years  resided  on  one 
of  190  acres,  which  belonged  to  his  wife  and 
her  mother.  During  the  winter  oi"  190(3-7  he 
sold  that  farm  but  retains  one  of  fifty  acres, 
which,  with  his  property  at  Barberton,  still 
leaves  him  the  owner  of  some  very  valuable 
realty.  He  was  educated  in  the '  district 
schools  of  Norton  Township,  after  which  he 
taught  .school  for  about  three  year^,  but  later 
turned  his  entire  attention  to  farming  and 
dairying,  in  which  he  met  with  much  .suc- 
cess. 

Mr.  Miller  married  Addie  L.  Dickerman, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Simeon  and  Mary  Ann 
Dickerman,  who  came  early  to  Norton  Town- 
ship. Mr.  Dickerman  is  deceased,  Ijut  Mrs. 
Dickerman  resides  with  Mr.  and  :Mrs.  Miller. 
The  latter  have  two  sons,  \^ernon  and  Le- 
land. 

Mr.  Miller  has  always  taken  an  active  and 
intelligent  interest  in  township  affairs,  and  on 
numerous  occasions  has  been  called  on  by  his 
fellow  citizens  to  accept  office,  and  has  served 
most  acceptably  as  township  clerk  and  trus- 
tee. He  is  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Barberton,  in 
which  he  is  steward,  trustee  and  treasurer, 
and  also  serves  as  a.s.sistant  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday-school.  He  occupies  himself 
mainly  in  looking  after  his  real  estate  inter- 
ests, which  he  has  lately  increa.^ed.  He  is  a 
man  of  public  spirit  and  the  improvements 
he  puts  on  his  properties  add' to  their  value 
and  also  to  the  general  appearance  of  the 
town. 

GEORGE  A.  BOTZUM,  proprietor  of  one 
of  the  leading  mercantile  establishments  at 
Akron,  the  George  A.  Botzum  Company, 
dealers  in  dry  goods  and  ready-to-wear  gar- 
ments, was  born  in  Northampton  Town.'ihip, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  May  31,  1858,  and  is 
a  son  of  Adam  Botzum. 

The  Botzum  family  is  of  German  extrac- 
tion and  it  was  the  grandfather,  John  George 
Botzum,  who  brought  his  family  from  Ger- 
many and  .settled  in  Northampton  Town.*hip, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  in  IS.'^fi,  securing  Gov- 


ernment land,  on  which  he  lived  for  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  The  village  of  Botzum, 
in  that  section,  is  named  for  this  respected 
fiinnily.  The  late  Adam  Botzum  was  six  years 
old  when  he  accompanied  his  father  to  Amer- 
ica. He  was  born  at  Strasburg,  Germany, 
October  25,  1830,  and  died  in  Northampton 
Township,  where  his  long,  useful  and  hon- 
ored life  was  passed,  October  16,  1907.  He 
was  an  old-school,  Jeffersonian  Democrat  and 
an  important  factor  in  the  political  life  of  his 
fonnnunity.  He  served  as  township  trustee 
and  on  the  School  Board  and  both  in  public 
and  private  life  was  an  ideal  citizen. 

George  A.  Botzum  was  reared  on  the  old 
homestead,  and  from  the  local  schools  entered 
Buchtel  College,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
the  normal  eour.se.,  in  1879,  in  the  meantime 
teaching  .school,  alternating  as  a  teacher  and. 
a  pupil.  In  1880  he  came  to  Akron  and  en- 
tered the  dry  goods  store  of  Hall  Brothers. 
For  nine  years  he  served  as  manager  and  went 
from  there  to  the  Boston  store,  where  he  re- 
mained seven  years,  going  then  to  A.  Polsky, 
with  whom  he  continued  for  eight  years. 
AVith  all  this  mercantile  experience,  Mr.  Bot- 
zum felt  qualified  to  embark  in  the  business 
for  himself,  and  September  23,  1904,  he 
opened  up  his  present  business,  under  the 
firm  name  of  the  George  A.  Botzum  Com- 
pany. The  firm  is  established  at  Nos.  9-11 
South  Howard  Street,  occupying  three  floors, 
two  of  which  are  devoted  to  the  exhibition  of 
cloaks  and  ready-to-wear  garments.  Fourteen 
people  are  required  to  show  goods  and  the 
volume  of  trade  is  on  the  increase.  Good  taste 
in  the  selection  of  stock,  honest  methods  and 
courteous  treatment  are  all  contributing 
causes  to  the  success  of  this  enterprise. 

On  September  4.  1883,  Mr.  Botzum  was 
married  to  Maud  Fayerweather,  w^ho  is  a 
daughter  of  .Tames  B.  Fayerweather,  who  was 
a  j)ioneer  in  Boston  Township.  Mr-,  and  Airs. 
Botzum  have  three  children:  Floyd  A.,  who 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Akron  High  School,  and 
assists  his  father  in  the  store:  Jennie  B..  who 
is  a  student  at  Mt.  JTnion  College:  and  Lydia 
E.,  who  is  a  student  at  Buchtel  College.  Mr. 
Botzum  and  familv  helono-  to  "We.^t  Hill  Con- 


AND    REPRESENTATI^■E    CITIZENS 


735 


gregatiuiial  Church.     He  is  a  iiiembei-  of  the 
beneficiary  order  of  Protected  Home  Circle. 

JOHN  FREDERICK  IIANKEY,  u  gen- 
eral farmer  residing  on  his  well-cultivated 
farm  of  eighty  acres,  situated  in  Copley  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  May 
24,  1855,  and  is  a  .*on  of  Sanuiel  and  Mary 
(Witmer)  Hankey. 

Samuel  Hankey  came  to  Ohio  in  young 
manhood  and  shortly  afterward  wa.s  married 
to  Mary  Witmer,  who,  like  himself,  had  been 
born  in  an  eastern  State.  They  lived  at 
Akron  for  a  short  period  and  then  moved  to 
a  farm  of  H)'^  acres,  in  Copley  Township, 
where  they  ccjntinued  to  live  for  forty  years, 
removing  then  to  a  farm  near  White  Ele- 
phant, on  which  both  died.  Sanmel  Hankey 
lived  to  be  seventy-four  years  old,  but  his  wife 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-one.  The  venerable 
father  of  Samuel  Hankey,  Lewis  Hankey, 
accompanied  his  son  to  Copley  Township.  He 
wa.?  a  man  well-known,  being  a  shoemaker 
by  trade  and  a  preacher  by  profession.  He 
died  aged  eighty-eight  years.  Samuel  Hankey 
and  wife  had  five  children,  a.s  follows:  David; 
Ellen,  who  married  P.  G.  Prentice;  Cath- 
erine, deceased,  who  married  Charles  Traver; 
John  Frederick,  and  ElizaV)eth,  who  married 
J.  D.  Arnold. 

Shortly  after  his  birth,  the  father  of  John 
Frederick  Hankey,  bought  land  where  South 
Akron  now  stands.  When  he  was  eight  years 
old,  Mr.  Hankey  rememliers  walking  almost 
the  whole  way  to  the  farm  which  his  father 
had  purchased  in  Copley  Township,  the  same 
which  he  now  owns.  Here  he  was  reared  and 
the  little  schooling  he  was  able  to  get  was 
obtained  in  the  district  .schools.  On  January 
1,  1878,  he  was  married,  and  then  bought  the 
home  farm,  which  he  has  since  continued  to 
operate.  He  has  done  a  great  deal  of  im- 
proving, putting  up  the  present  substantial 
Iniildings,  and  has  a  comfortable  home  and 
valuable  property.  He  set  out  the  orchard 
and  all  the  other  trees. 

Mr.  .Tohn  F.  Hankey  married  Emma  E, 
Cary,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Amos  and  Sarah 
(Heistand)   Gary,  the  former  of  whom  was 


born  in  Wayne  County,  and  the  latter  in 
Copley  Township,  Summit  County.  Mrs. 
Hankey'.s  maternal  grandparents  were  Abra- 
ham and  Sarah  (Arnold)  Heistand.  Her 
parents  both  died  in  Copley  Township,  in 
1906,  the  father  aged  seventy-five  years  and 
the  mother  sixty-nine  years.  They  had  four 
children:  Albert;  Emma;  Delia  M.,  who 
married  Frank  Lyon;  and  Lettie. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hankey  have  one  son,  Harry 
Wilbur,  who  was  born  September  6,  1883, 
and  lives  at  home  with  his  parents.  The  fam- 
ily belongs  to  the  United  Brethren  Church, 
Mr.  Hankey  being  one  of  the  stewards.  They 
are  well-known  and  highly  esteemed  people 
in  Copley  Township. 

GEORGE  A.  PFLUEGER,  president  of 
the  Enterprise  Manufacturing  Company,  of 
Akron,  Ohio,  one  of  Akron's  oldest  and  most 
substantial  manufacturing  enterprises,  and 
the  largest  of  its  kind  in  this  country,  was 
born  in  Akron  in  1871,  and  is  the  son  of  the 
late  E.  F.  Pflueger,  the  founder  of  the  com- 
pany. 

,  George  A.  Pfiueger  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Akron,  and  from  the  public  schools  of 
this  city  he  entered  his  father's  factory, 
where  he  received  the  technical  training  neces- 
sary for  a  business  of  this  chai'acter.  In  1889 
Mr.  Pflueger  took  charge  of  a  branch  factory 
at  North  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  returning  to 
Akron  in  1895,  and  has  since  been  actively 
engaged  in  the  various  departments  of  the 
business.  He  was  elected  to  the  position  of 
vice-president  in  May,  1901,  and  filled  that 
office  until  November,  1903,  when  he  was 
elected  to  his  present  position  as  president  of 
the  company.  His  years  of  training  in  the 
harness  ornament  and  fishing  tackle  business, 
together  with  his  natural  business  abilities, 
well  fit  him  for  the  position  of  chief  of  a 
large  industrial  enterpri.se. 

In  1896  Mr.  Pflueger  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  J.  Earhuff,  of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota. 
They  have  five  children  resulting  from  such 
union,  namely:  Marjorie.  Virginia,  Harriet, 
George  and  Sarah.     Mr.  Pflueger  is  a  Mason 


73(1 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  belongs  to  various  branches  of  the  fra- 
ternity of  Akron. 

The  late  Mr.  E.  F.  Ptlueger,  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  at  Baden, 
Germany,  in  February,  1843,  and  died  No- 
vember 18,  1901.  He  was  brought  to  Amer- 
ica in  early  childhood.  He  was  soon  or- 
phaned by  the  premature  death  of  his  parents, 
and  through  difficulties  and  privations,  by 
force  of  natural  ability  and  sterling  charac- 
ter, developed  himself  into  a  man  of  promi- 
nence and  fortune.  At  his  death  he  left  as  a 
fitting  monument  to  his  efforts  and  years  of 
industry  the  great  manufacturing  concern 
which  his  sons  now  operate.  The  Enterprise 
Maniifacturing  Company  was  founded  by  E. 
F.  Pflueger  in  1880,  incorfjorated  in  1886, 
and  from  its  inception  has  been  a  leader  in  its 
line. 


H.  11.  TAYLOR,  president  of  the  Long- 
Taylor  Company,  at  Akron,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  this  city  for  twenty  years  and  has 
done  his  part  in  advancing  her  interests.  He 
was  born  at  Tallmadge,  Ohio,  in  1872,  and 
is  a  son  of  the  late  Samuel  C.  Taylor.  The 
Taylor  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Summit 
County.  Samuel  C.  Taylor  was  born  in 
Tallmadge  Township  in  1837,  and  became 
one  of  the  leading  men  of  his  day  in  this  lo- 
cality.    His  death  took  place  March  19,  1905. 

TI.  ri.  Taylor  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Tallmadge  until  he  prepared  for  college,  and 
then  spent  two  yeai-s  at  Buchtel  College.  AA''hen 
lie  entered  into  business  at  Akron  it  was  as 
shoe  salesman  for  C.  A.  Barnes  and  Company, 
proprietors  of  the  Black  Bear  Hat  Store, 
where  he  remained  three  years.  He  then  con- 
tinued two  years  with  A.  L.  Bowman  and 
Company,  who  purchased  the  shoe  depart- 
ment of  the  other  firm.  During  the  next  two 
years  he  was  connected  with  S.  E.  Phinney 
&  Company,  and  then  became  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  M.  S.  Long  &  Company.  This 
firm  was  succeeded  by  that  of  Long  &  Tay- 
lor, which  was  later  incorporated  as  The  Long 
&  Taylor  Company,  which  is  recognized  as 
OTIC  of  Akron's  leading  business  firms. 


On  September  21,  1905,  Mr.  Taylor  was 
married  to  Mary  A.  Stolcy,  of  Akron,  and 
they  have  one  daughter,  Mary  ^\.lta.  Mr. 
Taylor  is  a  32nd  degree  Mason  and  belongs 
to  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter,  Council  and  Com- 
mandery  at  Akron,  and  to  Alkoran  Shrine 
and  Lake  Erie  Consistory,  at  Cleveland. 

HON.  THOMAS  WKIGHT,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Springfield  Township,  who  served 
in  the  Ohio  State  Legislature  from  1890  un- 
til 1891,  declining  renomination,  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  a  leading  pioneer  family  of  this 
section.  Mr.  Wright  was  born  in  Tompkins 
County,  New  York,  February  22,  1830,  and 
is  a  son  of  Thomas  Wright,  Sr.,  and  his  wife, 
Lucy  (Kirkman)  Wright.  Thomas  Wright, 
Sr.,  and  his  wife  celebrated  their  golden  wed- 
ding in  1867.  They  were  born  and  married 
in  England.  Four  of  their  children  were  born 
in  England  and  two  after  they  came  to  Amer- 
ica. They  were:  George,  James,  Jemima, 
Josiah,  Thomas  and  Lucy.  The  eldest  son, 
George  Wright,  died  some  years  since  at  the 
home  of  his  sister,  in  Michigan.  In  his  earlier 
years  he  taught  school  and  then  engaged  for  a 
time  in  farming,  later  becoming  a  merchant. 
He  married  twice,  his  wives  being  sisters  by 
the  name  of  Williams.  James  Wright,  now 
deceased,  farmed  during  his  earlier  years,  and 
then  became  a  bookkeeper,  residing  in  Akron. 
He  married  Mary  Buechtel,  who  was  a  sister 
of  John  Buechtel.  Jemima,  the  eldest  da\igh- 
ter.  residing  on  her  farm  in  Michigan,  is  the 
widow  of  William  Harris,  who  died  on  his 
farm  in  the  neigliborhood  of  Hudson.  Michi- 
gan. Josiah  Wright  (deceased)  was  educated 
at  Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  and  then  went  to 
Virginia  as  a  teacher.  He  married  there,  and 
after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  married  again, 
and  siibsequently  moved  to  Missouri,  where 
he  engaged  in  a  lumber  business.  Lucy  A., 
the  youngest  member  of  the  family,  died  in 
the  winter  of  1906.  Prior  to  her  marriage 
Math  Andrew  .Jackson,  she  was  a  school  teach- 
er, a  profession  her  husband  also  followed. 
Later  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Tackson  moved  to  .\kron. 
where  he  and  his  sons  went  into  the  lumber 
business.  .One  son.  Dr.  Tlinmas  .Tackson,  went 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


737 


to  the  Philippine  Islands  in  the  service  of  the 
government. 

Thomas  Wright  was  gifted  by  nature  with 
a  quick  intelligence,  and,  although  his  school- 
ing was  limited  to  attendance  at  the  public 
or  district  schools,  by  home  study  he  became 
quite  well  informed.  He  prepared  himself 
for  teaching  school,  and  taught  for  two  terms 
in  Coventry  Township  so  satisfactorily  that 
he  was  besought  by  his  patrons  to  continue  in 
the  educational  field  after  his  marriage.  He 
thought  it  best,  however,  to  turn  his  attention 
to  farming,  and  began  on  rented  land  in 
Springfield  Township,  but  later  he  purchased 
the  old  Wright  homestead,  on  which  his  fath- 
er had  settled  in  18.37.  This  property  was 
partly  cleared  but  the  country  round  about 
was  but  thinly  settled.  The  aged  parents  lived 
in  this  home  until  death.  They  were  typical 
pioneers  and  are  remembered  with  the  respect- 
ful affection  by  their  children. 

In  October,  1852,  Thomas  Wright  was  mar- 
ried to  Elizabeth  A.  Henderson,  who  died  in 
May,  1904,  aged  seventy-two  years.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  (Smith)  Hen- 
derson rasidents  of  Springfield  Township,  who 
reared  a  large  family  which  still  has  numer- 
ous descendants  in  this  locality.  Mrs.  Wright 
was  a  teacher  prior  to  her  marriage.  She  was 
a  most  estimable  woman,  fulfilling  every  duty 
as  wife,  mother  and  neighbor.  For  many 
year.s  she  had  been  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Pleasant  Valley  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  she  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  ad- 
joining. Her  happy  married  life  had  covered 
fifty-two  years.  She  was  permitted  to  enjoy 
the  celebration  of  their  Golden  Wedding,  on 
October  5,  1902,  a  memorable  occasion  to  all 
who  were  permitted  to  participate  in  its  quiet 
festivities.  The  children  born  to  Thomas 
Wright  and  wife  who  reached  maturity  were: 
James  F.,  .John  F.,  Lucy  J..  Myron  T.  and 
Edwin  E.  All  the  children,  both  of  Thomas 
Wright,  Sr.,  and  Thomas  Wright,  Jr.,  who 
attained  maturity  were  school  teachers. 

James  F.  Wright,  eldest  son  of  Thomas 
Wright,  .Jr.,  residing  near  his  father  and  en- 
gaged in  farming,  is  one  of  the  leading  citi- 
zen.? of   Springfield   Township.     He   married 


Mary  Steese  and  they  have  three  children. 
Lucy,  the  only  daughter,  was  educated  very 
thoroughly  and  became  a  teacher.  She  mar- 
ried Herman  G.  AlcChesney,  who  is  in  the 
rural  mail  service,  and  resides  at  Akron.  Mr. 
McChesney  owns  an  excellent  farm  of  forty 
acres  near  Krumroy.  Mr.  and  McChesney 
have  one  son  in  the  mail  service,  and  two  other 
children  resicUng  at  home.  Edwin  E.,  the 
second  son  of  Mr.  Wright,  engaged  in  teach- 
ing prior  to  his  marriage,  but  for  a  number 
of  years  has  been  prominently  associated  with 
newspaper  work.  He  was  first  connected 
with  the  Akron  Journal,  later  the  Cleveland 
Press,  then  the  Pitsburg  Dispatch,  and  the 
New  York  Press,  but  now  fills  the  editorial 
chair  of  the  Youngstown  Telegram.  He  mar- 
ried Lucy  Carl  of  Mogadore,  Ohio. 

In  his  early  political  life,  Mr.  Wright  was 
a  Whig,  casting  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
Gen.  Zachery  Taylor.  He  came  into  sym- 
pathy with  the  party  that  made  John  C.  Fre- 
mont its  standard-bearer,  then  voted  for  Ab- 
raham Lincoln  and  for  every  subsequent  Re- 
publican candidate.  He  saw  service  during 
the  Civil  AVar,  enlisting  in  Company  H,  164th 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  1864, 
with  the  rank  of  corporal.  He  has  long  been 
an  active  factor  in  politics  in  Summit  County, 
but  has  seldom  accepted  political  office  of  any 
kind,  although  well  qualified  to  do  so.  In 
1889  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State 
Legislature  and  served  through  one  term  with 
fidelity  and  efficiency,  but  no  arguments  were 
sufficient  to  induce  him  to  be  again  a  candi- 
date. 

Mr.  Wright's  fraternal  connections  are  with 
Buckley  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
at  Akron,  and  with  Akron  Lodge.  No.  83,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

JOSIAH  BROWN,  funeral  director  and 
furniture  dealer  at  Cuvahoga  Falls,  was  born 
in  Summit  County.  Ohio.  April  28.  1838.  and 
is  a  son  of  Simon  and  Elizabeth  (Pontious) 
Brown. 

Jacob  Brown,  the  paternal  grandfather  oT 
Josiah  Brown,  wa.s  born  in  Pennsylvania,  but 


738 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


died  in  Stark  County,  Ohiu,  where  he  was 
eugaged  in  agricuUural  pur^^uits.  He  had  a 
family  of  thirteen  cliildren  and  of  these  Si- 
mon wiis  the  eldest.  The  latter  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  and  came  to  Summit  County 
about  1835.  He  died  in  1895,  aged  eighty- 
four  years.  After  reaching  Cuyahoga  Falls 
he  learned  the  cabinet-making  trade,  with  J. 
T.  Holloway,  and  then  went  into  partner.'ship 
with  Addison  McConkey,  under  the  finn 
name  of  McConkey  &  Brown.  About  1848 
he  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  con- 
tinued alone,  alf^o  carrying  on  undertaking, 
and  being  the  only  undertaker  in  the  place 
for  many  years.  He  .supported  the  candidates 
of  the  Republican  party.  His  wife,  who  was 
a  daughter  of  Solomon  Pontious,  was  born  at 
Uniontown,  Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  died 
December,  1901,  aged  eighty-four  years.  The 
three  children  of  Simon  Brown  and  his  wife 
were:  Josiah,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs. 
Harriet  Goble,  residing  at  Cuyahoga  Falls; 
and  Ezra,  who  is  now  deceased.  The  family 
belonged  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

After  completing  his  education  in  the  High 
School  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  .losiah  Brown 
learned  hi*  father's  trade,  and  continued  to 
be  associated  with  him  until  1873,  when  he 
w-ent  to  Akron,  where  be  worked  through  the 
summer  and  fall  as  a  carpenter,  and  then  en- 
tered the  employ  of  Turner,  Vaiighn  &  Tay- 
lor. For  twenty  years  he  remained  with  that 
firm  as  a  carpenter  and  then  returned  to  his 
father.  After  the  latter's  death,  he  managed 
the  business  for  his  mother  nntil  her  death, 
when  he  took  en  tare*  charge.  It  is  one  of  the 
oldest  business  houses  at  the  Falls. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War. 
On  September  10,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Battery 
D.  Firsit  Ohio  Light  Artillery,  and  re-enli.sted 
in  the  same  battery,  in  January,  1864,  and 
was  commissioned  second  lieutenant  at  that 
time.  He  took  an  active  part  in  all  the  en- 
gagements in  which  his  battery  was  concerned 
and  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  June, 
1865.  Mr.  Brown  is  a  member  of  Eddy  Post, 
No.  37,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  and  enjoys  meeting  with  his  old 


comrades  and  living  over  again  tiie  dangers 
and  triumplis  of  army  days. 

Mr.  Brown  married  Lucy  E.  V\  arner,  a 
daughter  of  John  Warner,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
and  they  have  had  three  children,  namely: 
Ida,  deceased,  who  married  William  Graham, 
of  Akron;  Charles  Arthur,  residing  at  Toledo, 
a  mechanical  engineer  in  the  employ  of  the 
Toledo  Railway  and  Light  Company ;  and 
Birdie  B.,  who  is  the  widovv'  of  John  Wilson, 
residing  at  New  York  City.  Mr.  Brown  and 
family  attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  is  affiliated  with  Howard  Lodge, 
No.  62,  Odd  Fellows.  Politically  ne  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

W.  C.  KEENAN,  one  of  Akron's  business 
citizens,  is  established  in  excellent  quarters 
on  North  Main  Street,  where  he  deals  in  bug- 
gies, wagons,  harness  and  horses,  shipping  an- 
nually from  six  to  seven  carloads  of  the  lat- 
ter. He  wa<  born  in  Boston  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  on  the  old  Ritchie  home- 
stead, September  27,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  Keenan.  The  father  of  Mr.  Keenan 
was  born  in  Ireland  and  after  emigrating, 
settled  first  at  Niagara  Falls,  and  in  1857  came 
to  Summit  County.  He  located  in  Boston 
Township,  where  he  has  carried  on  agricul- 
tural pur.«uits  ever  since. 

M'.  C.  Keenan  was  reared  on  the  home 
f;n-ni  and  attended  the  district  schools  and 
then  entered  the  Western  Reserve  Academy 
as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1892.  In  the 
meanwhile,  as  he  was  dependent  mainly  on 
his  own  efforts,  he  left  school  and  taught 
through  ten  seasons,  .subsequently  returning 
to  the  university,  where  he  completed  his 
course  and  graduated  with  the  class  of  1894. 
During  his  period  of  teaching  he  started  a 
grocery  store  at  Peninsula,  which  he  gradual- 
ly expanded  nntil  the  commodities  he  han- 
dled included  a  general  line  of  merchandise, 
buggies,  agricultural  implements,  harne.'%s  and 
horses.  He  dealt  extensively  in  horses  and  at 
the  time  of  his  sale,  in  1901,  in  y)reparation 
to  move  to  .Akron,  he  had  forty-two  bo'id  to 
dispose   of. 

Mr.  Keenan  was  married  to  Lillian  Th  mip- 


(JEORCE  CRISP 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


741 


son,  of  Cuyahoga  Ealls,  and  they  liave  one 
son,  William  Harold.  Mr.  Keenan  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  of  St. 
Vincent  de  Paul's  Catholic  Church. 

GEORGE  CRISP,  of  the  lirm  of  George 
Crisp  and  Son,  proprietors  of  the  Akron 
Storage  and  Warehouse  Company,  located  at 
Nos.  211-215  South  Broadway,  has  been  a 
resident  of  Akron  for  thirty-one  years  and  is 
one  of  the  city's  most  substantial  and  repre- 
sentative men.  He  was  born  in  Northamp- 
tonshire, England,  in  1849,  and  when  a  boy 
went  to  London,  where  he  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  six  years  to  the  brick-laying 
and  stone-cutting  trades.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  came  to  America,  locating  for 
a  .short  time  at  Toronto,  Canada.  In  1S72  he 
removed  to  Cleveland,  and  in  1876  to  Akron. 
For  some  time,  in  association  with  his  brother, 
John  Crisp,  he  did  a  small  jobbing  business, 
and  they  then  formed  the  firm  of  Crisp 
Brothers  and  entered  into  contracting.  Their 
first  large  contract  was  the  Henry  school  build- 
ing, a  fine  structure  for  those  days,  and  its 
attractive  appearance  and  substantial  con- 
struction did  much  to  extend  the  business 
of  the  firm.  The  brothers  continued  together 
for  twenty  years  and  during  that  time  con- 
tracted for  and  erected  about  one-third  of  all 
the  prominent  buildings  in  Akron,  includ- 
ing many  factories  and  seven  school  build- 
ings. The  firm  soon  became  the  most  promi- 
nent one  in  their  line  of  business  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  State.  Since  1896  the  style  of  the 
firm  has  been  George  Crisp  and  Son,  and  in 
addition  to  general  contracting,  the  firm  does 
a  large  storage  and  coal  business.  They 
erected  on  South  Broadway  a  fine  brick  build- 
ing. 220  feet  by  45,  five  stories  high,  with 
basement,  it  being  one  of  the  best-built 
buildings  in  the  city.  They  have  also  two 
fine  brick  buildings  on  North  Howard  Street, 
one  66  feet  by  30.  three  stories  in  height, 
and  the  other  120  by  40,  all  having  been  built 
after  modern  plans.  The  latter  buildings  are 
their  headquarters  for  general  supply  work  of 
all  kinds. 

Mr.  Crisp  wa.«  married  in  1876,  to  Susanna 


Wat^son,  whose  parents  were  born  in  England. 
They  have  four  children,  namely:  Frederick 
James,  who  is  associated  with  his  father  in 
business;  George  Raymond,  who  is  a  student 
at  the  Ohio  University ;  Grace  E.,  who  is  em- 
ployed in  her  father's  office ;  and  William  E., 
who  is  attending  school  in  Akron. 

Mr.  Crisp  is  an  old  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  Fraternity,  having  united  with  the 
Manchester  Unity  order  in  his  native  land, 
when  sixteen  yeare  of  age.  In  1882  he 
joined  Apollo  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  Akron. 
He  is  affiliated  with  all  its  divisions  and  is 
faithful  to  all  its  teachings. 

HON.  DAVID  TOD.  Few  men  in  Ameri- 
can public  life  have  attained  to  a  nobler  fame 
than  that  which  history  accords  to  the  late 
Hon.  David  Tod,  Ohio's  great  war  governor, 
whose  death  took  place  November  13,  1868. 
Throughout  a  public  career  which  had  its  be- 
ginning when  he  was  comparatively  young 
and  which  continued  through  the  trying  years 
of  the  Civil  War,  he  continued  to  be  a  type 
of  American  statesman-^hip  at  its  best. 

David  Tod  was  born  at  Youngstown,  Ohio, 
February  21,  1805,  and  was  a  son  of  Hon. 
George  and  Sally  (Isaacs)  Tod,  and  a  grand- 
son of  David  and  Rachel  (Kent)  Tod,  of  old 
New  England  stock.  His  father,  Judge 
George  'Tod,  was  born  at  SufReld,  Con- 
necticut, December  11,  1773,  was  grad- 
uated from .  Yale  College  in  1795  and 
subsequently  studied  law  at  New  Haven, 
Connecticut.  He  wa«  there  admitted  to 
the  bar  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  In  1800  he  accompanied  a 
party  of  prospectors  to  the  Western  Reserve 
and  formed  so  favorable  an  opinion  of  the 
great  opportunities  for  business  and  profes- 
sional development  in  Ohio  that  he  made 
plans,  which  he  later  successfully  carried  out, 
to  become  a  resident  of  this  beautiful  state. 
In  1801  Judge  Tod  removed,  with  his  wife 
and  two  children,  to  Youngstown.  and  in  the 
same  year  was  appointed  secretary  for  the 
territory  of  Ohio,  by  Governor  Arthur  St. 
Clair.  In  1802  Ohio  became  a  state  and  at  the 
first  election  held  thereafter  at  Youngstown, 


742 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


George  Tod  was  elected  clerk  of  Youngstown 
Township,  to  which  bfiice  he  was  subsequently 
re-elected.  He  continued  in  the  practice  oi 
his  profession  but  was  soon  called  into  active 
public  life,  being  elected  state  senator  from 
Trumbull  County,  serving  in  the  session  of 
1804-5,  and  again,  in  the  same  capacity,  in 
1810-11.  In  the  interim  between  these  two 
terms  of  service,  he  filled  for  four  years  an 
important  position  on  the  bench,  serving  for 
four  years  as  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of 
Ohio,  which  service  was  terminated  in  1810. 

At  the  opening  of  the  War  of  1812,  Judge 
Tod  signified  his  intention  of  taking  an  active 
part  in  militarj'  operations  and  was  first  com- 
missioned major  of  the  19th  Ohio  Regiment, 
later  serving  as  colonel.  On  the  field  Judge 
Tod  distinguished  himself,  participating  in 
the  battles  of  Fort  Meigs  and  Sacketts  Har- 
bor. At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  once 
more  to  the  practice  of  the  law,  but  in  1815 
he  was  again  honored  by  his  fellow-citizens, 
being  elected  presiding  judge  of  the  court  of 
common  pleas,  an  office  he  held  lantil  1829. 
With  the  exception  of  one  term  as  prosecut- 
ing attorney  of  Trumbull  County,  this  closed 
Judge  Tod's  public  career.  Upon  the  retire- 
ment from  the  cares  and  duties  which  had  so 
completely  filled  so  many  years  of  his  life, 
the  aged  jurist  sought  recreation  in  looking 
after  his  farm,  to  which  he  had  given  the 
name  of  "Brier  Hill."  This  was  appropriate 
on  account  of  the  abundance  of  briers  then 
found  there.  The  name  remains,  but  in  these 
latter  days  it  represents  a  wealth  of  coal,  and 
its  material  products  are  carried  over  a  large 
part  of  the  world.  At  a  later  date  the  farm 
passed  into  the  more  practical  hands  of  his 
son  David,  and  it  still  remains  a  possession 
of  the  family.  It  is  now  owned  and  occupied 
as  the  residence  of  George  Tod,  one  of  the 
sons  of  David  Tod. 

Judge  Tod  was  married  in  1797  to  Sally 
Isaacs,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Ralph  and 
Mary  Isaacs.  Their  long  and  happy  compan- 
ionship lasted  for  forty-four  years,  broken  by 
the  death  of  .Tndge  Tnd,  in  1841.  The  wife 
sur\Hved  until  1847. 

Like  manv  other  distinguished   American 


statesmen,  David  Tod  graduated  from  no  old- 
established  institution  of  learning.  His  in- 
heritance of  mental  ability  was  great  but  to 
himself,  alone,  was  due  the  wide  knowledge 
and  broad  culture  which  made  him  the  equal 
of  the  highest  in  his  own  or  other  countries, 
and  the  inherent  manliness,  integrity  and  de- 
votion to  country  that  gained  him  the  admi- 
ration, esteem  and  affection  of  his  fellow-citi- 
zens and  installed  forever  his  memory  in  their 
hearts. 

In  1827  David  Tod,  after  completing  what 
was  little  more  than  an  elementary  education 
and  spending  some  time  in  the  study  of  the 
law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  entered  into 
practice  at  Warren,  when  22  years  of  age.  A 
cotemporary,  in  considering  the  almost  imme- 
diate success  which  met  his  efforts,  analyzed 
the  situation  as  follows:  "His  success  at  the 
bar  was,  in  the  main,  due  to  his  unsurpassed 
ability  in  the  examination  of  witnesses  and  to 
his  power  in  gaining  and  holding  the  confi- 
dence of  the  jury,  which  he  did  by  a  manifest 
frankness,  fairness  and  earnestness,  together 
with  his  clear  statement  of  the  argument." 
For  about  fifteen  years  Mr.  Tod  continued  in 
the  active  practice  of  his  profession  and  dur- 
ing this  period  he  demonstrated  that  it  was  in 
him  to  become  a  great  lawyer  and  that,  with 
his  large  legal  knowledge,  wide  experience, 
high  sense  of  honor  and  unsullied  integrity, 
he  would  have  been  eminently  successful  on 
the  bench.  Other  elements  entered  into  his 
life,  however,  and  in  other  avenues  he  became 
distinguished,  political  affairs  claiming  many 
years  of  his  life. 

In  the  campaign  of  1824  Mr.  Tod  first  be- 
came an  enthusiastic  politician,  following  in 
the  train  of  that  popular  hero,  .Andrew  Jack- 
son, and  he  remained  an  ardent  Democrat  un- 
til the  secession  movement  of  1861.  In  1840 
he  campaigned  through  the  state,  using  hia 
powerful  oratory  in  the  attempt  to  defeat  Gen- 
eral Harrison.  The  first  political  office  to 
which  he  was  elected  was  that  of  state  senator, 
in  1838,  and  he  grew  so  rapidly  in  public 
favor  that  in  1844  he  was  unanimously  chosen 
by  the  Democratic  party  as  its  candidate  for 
governor.     Hon.  Mordecai  Bartley,  the  ^^Tiig 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZENS 


743 


candidate  defeated  him  with  a  majority  of 
about  1,000  votes. 

So  prominent  was  his  position  by  this  time, 
that  President  James  K.  Polk,  in  1847,  felt 
justified  in  appointing  him  United  States 
minister  to  Brazil.  During  his  five-years' 
residence  in  that  country  he  won  many  a 
quiet  diplomatic  victory  which  brought  about 
a  much  better  understanding  between  the  two 
countries  and  reflected  nothing  but  added 
honor  upon  him  as  the  representative  of  the 
United  States.  It  is  a  matter  of  record  that 
upon  his  departure  for  his  own  country,  the 
ruler  of  Brazil,  in  a  parting  address,  took  oc- 
casion to  speak  in  the  highest  terms  of  Mr. 
Tod  both  as  an  individual  and  as  a  public 
official. 

For  the  succeeding  ten  years  Mr.  Tod  gave 
his  attention  mainly  to  business.  He  had 
taken  charge  of  the  family  estates  in  1841, 
and  with  remarkable  business  sagacity  he  en- 
tered into  negotiations  which  later  resulted 
in  the  developing  of  the  great  coal  fields 
which  have  made  Youngstown  one  of  the 
noted  industrial  points  in  Ohio  and  incident- 
ally brought  about  much  of  the  prosperity 
of  the  Mahoning  Valley.  Mainly  through  his 
enterprise,  the  Cleveland  &  Mahoning  Rail- 
road was  constructed,  and  he  remained  its 
president  as  long  as  he  lived. 

The  next  period  of  Mr.  Tod's  political  ac- 
tivity belongs  to  the  country's  history.  Se- 
cession was  brought  to  light  in  1860.  He  was 
made  vice-president  of  the  National  Demo- 
cratic Convention  that  met  at  Charleston, 
April  2.3d  of  that  year,  of  which  Caleb  Cush- 
ing.  of  Massachusetts,  was  chairman.  Every 
state  was  represented,  there  being  303  dele- 
gates, equaling  the  electoral  vote.  The  strong- 
est candidate  was  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  The 
two-thirds  rule  for  nomination  prevailed.  By 
a  plank  in  the  Douglas  platform  it  was  agreed 
to  abide  by  the  decision  of  the  supreme  court 
judges  on  the  subject  of  the  slave-code.  The 
minority,  or  Douglas  platform,  was  substi- 
tuted and  adopted,  whereupon  the  Alabama 
delegation  withdrew,  and  a  majority  of  the 
delegate-  from    .\rkansas.    Florida.    Georgia, 


Louisiana  and  South  Carolina  also  retired  in 
the  same  manner. 

After  a  week  so  spent  the  remainder  of  the 
convention  proceeded  to  ballot  under  the  two- 
thirds  rule,  and  Douglas  was  by  far  the  strong- 
est candidate,  receiving  as  high  as  152  1-2 
votes  several  times,  while  202  votes  were  nec- 
essary to  a  choice.  The  convention  composed 
of  those  left  after  the  seceders  had  withchrawn 
voted  to  adjourn  to  meet  in  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land, June  18th. 

The  seceding  delegates  met  in  a  separate 
convention,  elected  James  A.  Bayard,  of  Dela- 
ware, their  chairman,  and  after  adopting  the 
majority  platform  of  the  committee,  post- 
poned further  action  to  June  10th,  at  Rich- 
mond, Virginia. 

When  the  convention  met  at  Baltimore, 
pursuant  to  adjournment,  trouble  arose  about 
admitting  delegates  who  had  seceded  at 
Charleston,  or  others  who  had  been  chosen  in 
their  place.  During  the  discussion  of  this  is- 
sue many  delegates  withdrew',  among  them 
being  the  chairman,  Caleb  Cushing.  At  this 
point  Mr.  Tod,  with  great  presence  of  mind 
took  possession  of  the  deserted  chair,  and  after 
an  earnest  appeal  succeeded  in  restoring  order. 
He  was  confirmed  as  chairman  and  the  con- 
vention proceeded  to  its  legitimate  business, 
which  resulted  in  the  nomination  of  Douglas. 

The  members  who  had  recently  seceded  in- 
vited the  seceders  at  Richmond  to  join  them, 
and  John  C.  Breckinridge,  of  Kentucky,  was 
nominated  for  president  by  them,  and  Joseph 
Lane  of  Oregon,  vice-president. 

A  "Constitutional  Union  Convention"  met 
May  10th,  also  at  Baltimore,  and  nominated 
John  Bell  of  Tennessee,  for  president,  and 
Edward  Everett,  of  Massachusetts,  for  vice- 
president. 

Later  Mr.  Tod  supported  the  "Little 
Giant,"  giving  him  his  unqualified  support 
all  through  the  heated  campaign  that  fol- 
lowed. Mr.  Tod  made  no  secret  of  bitterly  op- 
posing secession  and  when  the  test  came  he 
preferred  the  election  of  Lincoln  to  that  of 
Breckinridge.  He  w-a.s  quick  to  sea  the  dis- 
asters sure  to  follow  the  policy  of  seces.sion  and 
when  he  saw  that  Civil  "War  was  inevitable. 


744 


HISrORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


he  made  the  choice  that  only  a  uiau  of  his 
integrity,  loyalty  and  devotion  to  what  he 
felt  was  duty,  could  possibly  have  made. 

There  came  that  time  in  the  history  of 
Ohio  when,  amid  the  beating  .of  druma  and 
the  marching  of  troops,  every  bearded  man 
or  callow  youth  was  a  possible  hero,  for  then 
patriotism  was  a  llame  and  loyalty  the  torch. 
Far  beyond  physicial  heroism  was  the  moral 
heroism  which  inspired  David  Tod  in  those 
memorable  days.  Cutting  loose  from  old 
party  associates,  severing  ties  which  long  con- 
nection and  earnest  conviction  had  cemented, 
he  came  forward  and  announced  his  principles 
— an  unswerving  devotion  to  the  Union.  Thus 
he  became  known  as  a  War  Democrat.  The 
times  were  ripe  for  just  such  a  man,  and  when 
the  Republicans  themselves  suggested  Mr. 
Tod  as  a  candidate,  enthusiasm  ran  high.  He 
was  unanimously  nominated  by  the  Union 
Party,  made  up  of  Republicans  and  War 
Democrats,  and  was  gloriously  elected,  with 
a  majority  of  55,000  votes,  governor  of  the 
state  of  Ohio. 

Governor  Tod  came  to  the  capitol  in  1862, 
succeeding  Governor  Dennison,  and  ui)i)n  him 
fell  the  great  responsibilities  that  made  Ohio 
take  so  prominent  a  rank  among  the  Northern 
States  during  the  Civil  War.  After  the  first 
enthusiasm  passed  and  war,  grim  war,  made 
itself  manifest  in  every  town,  hamlet  and 
country  side,  troops  still  had  to  be  enlisted  and 
hurried  to  battle,  discouragements  of  those  at 
the  front  and  at  home  had  to  be  overcome, 
seditious  political  influence  had  to  be  com- 
batted,  the  state  had  to  be  saved  from  inva- 
sion and  the  public  treasury  had  to  be  pre- 
served from  depletion.  In  Governor  David 
Tod  was  found  the  man  of  the  hour.  It  is 
admitted  that  his  administration  as  governor 
won  for  him  justly  illustrious  fame.  Every 
emergency  was  met  with  the  calm,  judicial 
mind  that  would  have  given  him  di^stinction 
as  a  judge,  as  we  have  intimated.  He  met 
difficulties  of  every  kind,  and  firmly,  prompt- 
ly and  rigorously  he  administered  the  rem- 
edy. Hi's  devotion  to  the  soldiers  was  so  well 
known  that  his  name  was  an  inspiration  to 
them.     Thev  learned  of  his  constant  efforts 


on  their  behalf,  not  only  to  secure  tor  liiem 
their  rights  of  suffrage  while  away  from  home 
but  to  obtain  food,  clothing,  medicine  and 
care,  all  that  he  would  have  labored  to  obtain 
for  his  own  sons. 

When  he  was  approached  in  18(33  with  the 
urgent  request  that  he  seek  renomination  he 
positively  declined  to  again  assume  the  re- 
sponsibilities which  his  acceptance  would  en- 
tail. When  his  attention  was  called  to  the 
fact  that  thousands  of  his  fellow-citizens  were 
not  only  bearing  heavy  responsibilities,  but 
were  endangering  their  lives  on  the  field  of 
battle.  Governor  Tod  replied,  "Then,  looking 
at  it  in  that  light,  I  am  also  willing  to  sacri- 
fice my  life."  He  was  not  renominated.  He 
had  made  many  enemies,  as  any  man  with 
the  courage  to  face  .such  stern  responsibilities 
necessarily  will;  the  state  had  the  year  before 
gone  Democi-atic;  and  C.  L.  Vallandigham, 
whose  arrest  for  seditious  utterances  had  been 
approved  of  by  Governor  Tod,  had  been 
placed  in  nommation  by  the  Democratic 
party,  and  was  making  stirring  appeals  for 
his  vindication  at  the  polls.  Under  these 
circumstances  the  Republican  managers 
thought  it  best  for  the  interests  of  the  party 
to  place  in  nomination  some  man  who  had 
aroused  fewer  and  less  fierce  antagonisms,  and 
although  eighty-eight  comities  had  instructed 
their  delegates  to  vote  for  his  nomination,  the 
political  wires  were  manipulated  in  favor  of 
Hon.  John  Brough,  who  was  accordingly 
nominated.  In  January,  1864,  Governor  Tod 
retired  from  office,  bearing  with  him  the  ap- 
proval of  the  majority  of  his  fellow-citizens, 
the  love  of  the  army,  and  the  confidence  and 
personal  esteem  of  the  public  men  with  whom 
the  exigencies  of  the  times  had  so  closely  as- 
sociated him. 

Failing  health  caused  him  to  decline  fur- 
ther honors  proffered  him.  It  was  a  disap- 
pointment to  President  Lincoln  that  he  was 
unable  to  induce  him  to  accept  the  portfolio 
of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  which  was  tend- 
ered him.  His  fellow  citizens  soon  realized 
that  his  health  in  their  behalf  had  indeed  been 
broken,  and  when  the  news  of  his  death,  No- 
vember 23,  1868,  came  to  them  from  his  Brier 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


745 


Hill  Farm,  to  which  he  had  retired,  their 
grief  was  as  that  of  a  child  for  a  parent. 

Governor  Tod  was  a  man  of  unaffected 
manner,  and  a  keen  judge  of  men  in  all  the 
changing  elements  of  political  and  social  con- 
ditions. Full  well  he  knew  the  mettle  of  both 
friend  and  foe.  His  personal  loyalty  to  his 
friends  was  unshakable,  save  when  it  con- 
flicted with  the  higher  duties  of  an  exalted 
patriotism;  and  none  of  his  political  enemies 
could  ever  say  that  he  was  auglit  but  a  fair 
and  open  foe.  Resolutions  deploring  his  loss 
and  speaking  in  appreciative  terms  of  his 
high  character  as  statesman  and  citizen  were 
passed  by  the  senate  and  house  of  representa- 
tives of  the  state,  and  the  press  throughout 
the  country  announced  the  sad  news  in  words 
of  sorrow  and  respect  that  found  an  echo  in 
the  hearts  of  all  who  knew  him  as  he  was. 
His  name  still  remains  one  of  honor  in  the 
great  state  he  served  so  well,  and  although 
long  years  have  passed  away  since  his  mortal 
presence  has  been  removed,  the  principles  he 
labored  to  sustain  remain,  and  the  country  he 
loved  is  still  united. 

At  Warren,  Ohio,  July  24,  1832,  Governor 
Tod  was  married  to  Maria  Smith,  who  came 
from  a  family  of  early  settlers  in  Trumbull 
County.  The  seven  children  of  this  marriage 
were:  Charlotte,  who  married  Gen.  A.  V. 
Kautz,  of  the  United  States  army  and  died  in 
1868,  in  Mississippi;  John,  a  prominent  cit- 
izen of  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Henry,  deceased, 
formerly  president  of  the  Second  National 
Bank  of  Youngstown,  of  whom  an  extended 
sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume;  Wil- 
liam, deceased,  a  prominent  manufacturer  at 
Youngstown,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  also  be 
found  in  this  volume;  George,  vice-president 
<if  the  Mahoning  National  Bank  of  Youngs- 
town, and  president  of  the  Brier  Hill  Iron  & 
Coal  Company,  who  is  also  represented  in  this 
work;  Grace,  who  is  the  wife  of  Hon.  George 
F.  Arrel,  a  prominent  attorney  at  Youngs- 
town, a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  in  this 
volume;  and  Sallv,  the  voungest  of  the  fam- 
11 V. 


C.  E.  SHELDON,  president  of  the  Whit- 
man-Barnes Manufacturing  Company,  at  Ak- 
ron, has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  for  the 
past  thirty  years  and  has  been  closely  identi- 
fied with  much  of  its  industrial  expansion.  He 
was  born  at  Fitchburg,  Massachusetts,  July 
18,  1850. 

Mr.  Sheldon  was  reared  and  educated  in 
the  old  Bay  State,  where  he  studied  and  fol- 
io wed  civil  engineering  in  his  younger  years, 
becoming  connected  with  the  company  of 
which  he  is  now  the  head,  in  his  native  place. 
Mr.  Sheldon  has  a  practical  knowledge  of  his 
business,  having  '  entered  the  factory  and 
worked  up  to  the  position  of  superintendent 
of  the  same,  which  he  held  when  the  Whit- 
man-Miles Manufacturing  Company  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, consolidated  with  the  George 
Barnes  Company  of  Syracuse,  New  York, 
forming  the  Whitman-Barnes  Manufacturing 
Company.  Mr.  Sheldon  came  to  Akron  as 
superintendent  of  the  plant  at  this  city,  later 
became  general  manager,  then  treasurer,  sub- 
sequently vice-president,  and  for  the  past  four 
years  president.  In  addition  to  furthering 
the  interests  of  the  concern  with  which  he 
has  been  so  long  and  intimately  associated, 
Mr.  Sheldon  has  materially  assisted  in  pro- 
moting other  successful  business  enterprises 
of  this  section. 

In  1870  Mr.  Sheldon  was  married  to  Ruth 
L.  Gifford,  of  Connecticut,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Ethel,  who  married  A.  H.  Commins, 
an  attorney,  residing  at  Akron.  Mrs.  Sheldon 
is  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church. 
Mr.  Sheldon  is  a  Thirty-second  Degree  ilason, 
and  belongs  to  the  Mystic  Shrine  and  Lake 
Erie  Consistory,  at  Cleveland,  and  is  past  em- 
inent commander  of  fhe  Akron  Command- 
ery.  He  belongs  also  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Elks,  and  socially  is  connected  with  the 
Portage  Country  Club. 

JOHN  KLEIN,  who  conducts  a  first-class 
meat  market  at  No.  35-1  West  Market  Street, 
Akron,  is  one  of  the  business  men  of  this 
city  who  is  -succeeding  because  of  his  honest 
methods  and  excellent  management.  He  was 
born  in  Germany,  in  September,  1863,  whore 


746 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


he  went  to  school  in  boyhood.  When  seven- 
teen years  of  age  he  came  to  America  and 
since  June,  1880,  he  has  resided  in  Akron. 

For  several  years  alter  coming  to  this  city, 
Mr.  Klein  worked  at  various  places,  where 
his  industry  and  fidelity  won  him  friends. 
He  then  engaged  with  his  brother  in  the  meat 
business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Klein 
Brothers,  and  at  one  time  they  operated  two 
stores.  In  1902  the  firm  erected  a  two-.«tory 
building  40  by  50  feet  in  dimensions,  on 
the  corner  of  West  Market  and  Valley  Streets. 
They  manufacture  their  own  prepared  meats 
and  lard,  and  these  include  American  prod- 
ucts as  well  as  German  dainties.  They  have 
gained  such  a  reputation  as  reputable  meat 
packers  that  there  are  many  particular  peo- 
ple at  Akron  who  will  buy  no  other  hanas, 
bacon  or  lard  than  that  prepared  and  vouched 
for  by  Klein  Brothers. 

In  1886  Mr.  Klein  was  married  to  Minnie 
Hardert,  who  was  also  born  in  Germany,  and 
they  have  an  interesting  family  of  four  sons 
and  two  daughters — Louis  A.,  John  L.,  Eliza- 
beth, Mary,  William  and  Clarence.  Mr.  Klein 
is  one  of  the  liberal  members  of  St.  Bernard's 
Catholic  Church.  He  belongs  to  the  Catho- 
lic Mutual  Benefit  Association. 

RICHARD  J.  DALLINGA,  whose  highly 
cultivated  truck  farm  of  twenty-five  acres  is 
situated  in  Copley  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  was  born  June  22,  1864,  in 
Holland,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Emma 
(Van  Cingel)  Dallinga. 

Jacob  Dallinga,  who  was  a  farmer  and 
brewer  of  the  Netherlands,  was  married  to 
Emma  Van  Cingel,  also  a  native  of  that  coun- 
try, and  to  them  were  born  seven  children, 
namely:  Richard  Jacob;  Herman,  who  is 
bookkeeper  for  George  Crisp  &  Son,  of  Ak- 
ron ;  Cecelia,  who  is  deceased ;  Julia,  the  wife 
of  Charles  DeBruyn,  proprietor  of  the  Val- 
ley City  Machine  Works,  of  Grand  Rapids, 
Michigan;  Remina,  who  married  Dr.  W.  L. 
Holbrook,  of  Wellington,  Ohio;  Dena,  who 
married  Elger  Barnard,  of  Medina  County, 
Ohio;  and  Grace.  In  1897  Jacob  Dallinga 
died,  and  his  widow  married  for  her  second 


husband,  J.  G.  C.  Van  der  Wonde,  with  whom 
she  came  to  America  in  1883.  She  died  in 
Copley  Township,  February  22,  1899,  aged 
fifty-six  years.  There  were  no  children  born 
of  her  second  marriage. 

Richard  J.  Dallinga  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  attended  the  common 
school  until  eleven  years  old,  at  which  time 
he  entered  the  academy.  After  graduation 
therefrom  he  took  a  general  course  at  Ryks 
Hoogers  Burger  school,  which  he  left  just  be- 
fore graduation  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years, 
and  where  he  was  instructed  in  French,  Eng- 
lish, German  and  Dutch.  In  1883  he  came 
with  the  family  to  America,  first  settling  at 
Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  where  all  the  boys 
of  the  family  found  employment  'in  the  fur- 
niture factories.  Being  dissatisfied  with  this 
kind  of  work,  Mr.  Dallinga  went  to  Kalama- 
zoo, Michigan,  and  engaged  in  celery  grow- 
ing on  a  small  farm  purchased  by  his  step- 
father, and  he  also  worked  on  a  nursery  farm 
for  L.  G.  Bragg  and  Company,  attend- 
ing to  the  duties  of  the  shipping  department. 
While  there  he  was  engaged  by  W.  R.  Wean 
and  0.  P.  Chapman,  of  Wean,  Horr  and  Com- 
pany, of  Medina  County,  Ohio,  now  the  Horr- 
Wamer  Company,  to  take  charge  of  the  celerj' 
department  of  theirl,500-acre  truck  farm.  One 
year  later  he  became  general  superintendent, 
a  position  which  he  held  for  nine  years, 
when  he  engaged  with  the  Copley  Garden 
Company,  located  on  the  old  Sackett  estate 
in  Copley  Township.  He  continued  with  this 
institution  for  three  years,  at  which  time  the 
business  was  dissolved  and  he  purchased  his 
present  tract  of  twenty-five  acres.  At  this 
time  the  property  was  considered  worthless, 
but  Mr.  Dallinga  soon  cleared  it  and  brought 
it  under  cultivation,  erected  new  buildin.gs, 
and  made  it  one  of  the  best  truck  farms  in 
this  section. 

On  December  23,  1890,  Mr.  Dallinga  was 
married  to  Lucy  E.  Rockenfelder,  who  was 
born  in  Ashland  County,  Ohio,  and  who  is 
a  daughter  of  William  and  Catherina  (Yost) 
Rockenfelder.  Five  children  have  been  bom 
to  this  union :  Charles,  a  student  at  Buchtel 
College;    Rosa,    who    attends    Copley    High 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


747 


School;    Clarence,  who  died  youug;     Mabel, 
and  Emma  Lucille. 

Mr.  Dallinga  is  a  Republican  iu  politics 
and  has  always  taken  a  great  interest  in  ed- 
ucational matters,  having  served  as  president 
of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Copley  Town- 
ship for  three  years.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Masonic  order,  and  he  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  local  Grange. 

PHILANDER  D.  HALL,  and  LORENZO 
HALL,  brothers,  were  two  of  the  early  mer- 
chants and  leading  men  of  Akron.  They 
brought  from  their  New  England  environ- 
ment that  frugality  and  integrity  which  made 
them  both  successful  in  their  own  material 
affairs,  and  influential  in  directing  the  ener- 
gies of  others.  The  best  years  of  their  lives 
were  mainly  devoted  to  advancing  the  pros- 
perity of  Airon. 

Philander  D.  Hall,  the  founder  of  the  old 
business  house  of  Hall  Brothers,  at  Akron, 
was  born  October  10,  1806,  at  Bridgeport. 
Connecticut,  and  was  a  son  of  Richard  and 
Sally  (Hurlburt)  Hall. 

Mr.  Hall  w^as  educated  at  Western 
Academy,  and  as  his  inclinations  did  not  lie 
in  the  direction  of  his  father's  occupations,  in 
early  age  he  started  out  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world.  When  little  more  than 
twenty  years  of  age,  he  was  already  engaged 
in  teaching  at  Saugatuck,  Connecticut,  where 
he  subsequently  had  a  mercantile  experience 
of  eighteen  months,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Bridgeport.  Shortly  afterward  he  em- 
barked in  a  grocery  business,  which  included 
the  shipping  and  importing  of  West  Indian 
products,  and  this  enterprise  he  continued  at 
Bridgeport,  until  the  summer  of  1834. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Mr.  Hall  first 
visited  Akron,  and  he  evidently  foresaw  some- 
thing of  the  future  prosperity  which  has  come 
to  this  city,  for  he  immediately  invested  here, 
closed  out  his  interests  at  Bridgeport,  and  in 
May,  1835.  started  the  "Cascade  Store,"  then 
a  great  innovation  on  anything  in  the  mer- 
cantile line  ever  seen  in  the  village.  His 
location  was  a  two-story  frame  building,  on 
the  comer  of  Howard  and  Market  Streets, 


which  was  destroyed  by  tire  iu  February,  1851. 
In  the  same  year  the  present  brick  block  was 
erected,  and  the  business  was  resumed,  and  it 
is  now  the  oldest  continuous  business  house  in 
this  city.  In  1842,  Orlando  Hall,  a  brother 
of  Philander  D.,  became  associated  in  the 
business,  and  so  continued  until  his  death,  in 
1858,  when  the  late  Lorenzo  Hall,  another 
brother,  became  a  partner,  and  the  firm  of 
Hall  Brothers  continued  to  be  for  years  one 
of  the  leading  business  firms  of  Akron.  Its 
policy  was  never  changed,  business  integrity 
being  the  foundation  stone. 

On  December  30,  1841,  Philander  D.  Hall 
was  mai'ried  to  Martha  McElhinney,  who  was 
born  at  Alleghenv,  Pennsylvania,  and  died 
at  New  York,  February  20,  1889.'  ,  In  1857, 
Mr.  Hall  established  his  home  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  but  he  continued  his  business  in- 
terests here  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
December  5.  1896. 

LORENZO  HALL,  who  was  equally 
prominent  at  Akron,  with  his  brother,  first 
visited  the  village  in  1836.  He  was  born 
February  22,  1812,  at  Bridgeport,  Connecti- 
cut, and  his  parents  were  Richard  and  Sally 
(Hurlburt)  Hall.  He  enjoyed  all  the  educa- 
tional opportunities  afforded  by  the  schools  of 
his  day,  and  as  evidence  that  he  made  good 
use  of  them  it  is  recorded  that  when  but  fifteen 
years  of  age  the  directors  of  his  school  dis- 
trict urged  him  to  become  a  teacher  there, 
and,  in  spite  of  his  youth,  he  was  probably  a 
satisfactory  pedagogue,  as  he  continued  to 
teach  school,  alternating  that  occupation  with 
farming  for  the  next  six  years  the  old  home- 
stead land  on  which  his  great-great-grand- 
father had  settled  in  1635. 

In  May,  1835,  his  older  brother.  Philan- 
der D  ,  located  as  a  merchant  in  the  little  vil- 
lage which  then  stood  in  place  of  the  busy, 
important  city  of  Akron  of  to-day,  opening  up 
a  general  store.  In  1836  Lorenzo  Hall  visited 
his  brother  and  while  at  Akron  sold  goods 
both  in  the  town  and  the  vicinity,  but  the 
prospects  not  being  sufficiently  encouraging, 
he  returned  by  horseback  to  Connecticut,  as 
he  had   come,   and  resumed  cultivating  the 


748 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


homctitead  acres.  In  1842,  another  brother, 
Orlando  Hall,  went  to  Akron  and  became  as- 
sociated in  the  mercantile  venture  with  Phil- 
ander D.,  with  whom  he  contiimed  until  his 
death,  in  1858.  Lorenzo  Hall  then  returned 
to  Akron  and  took  his  late  brother's  place  in 
the  business  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hall 
Brothers.  For  many  years  Lorenzo  Hall  con- 
tinued one  of  Akron's  prominent  busines.s 
men  as  well  as  upright  citizens.  His  death 
took  place  January  9,  1892. 

On  March  26,  1846,  Lorenzo  Hall  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  J.  Hubbel,  who  was  born  at 
Trumbull,  Connecticut.  Two  sons  were  born 
to  them,  both  of  whom  survive,  Frank  L. 
and  Philander  D.  Frank  L.  Hall  was  born 
July  5,  1850,  and  for  twenty  years  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  well-known  law  firm  of  De  Forest, 
Weeks  &  Company.  He  is  still  in  active  prac- 
tice in  New  York  City.  Philander  D.  Hall, 
Jr.,  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  National  City 
Bank  at  Akron,  and  conducts  a  large  real 
estate  business  at  No.  4  South  Howard  Street. 
He  has  other  important  interests  which  re- 
quire a  large  portion  of  his  time  to  be  spent 
in  Europe. 

WALTER  WAINWRIGHT,  superinten- 
dent of  the  foundry  of  The  Falls  Rivet  and 
Machine  Company,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  was 
born  in  England,  February  2,  1865,  and  is  a 
son  of  Frank  and  Mary  (Gibson)  Wain- 
wright. 

The  jiarents  of  Mr.  Wainwright  were  also 
natives  of  England.  The  father  followed  the 
trade  of  pattern-maker  in  that  country  until 
he  was  forty  years  cf  age,  when  he  came  to 
America  and  settled  at  Cleveland.  He  died 
in  England  while  on  a  visit  to  his  old  home. 
He  belonged  to  the  order  of  Forestei-s  and  the 
Odd  Fellows. 

Walter  AVainwright  was  afforded  but  few 
educational  opportunities  in  his  boyhood,  as 
he  was  a  child  of  nine  years  when  he  was 
sent  to  work  in  a  foundry.  Fortunately  it 
was  employment  in  which  he  took  an  inter- 
esit,  and  he  learned  the  busdness  from  the 
ground  up,  gaining  all  the  practical  knowl- 
edge  through   personal    experience,    and    the 


theoretical  through  study  auring  'ater  years 
when  he  enjoyed  some  degree  of  leisure. 
After  serving  a  hard  apprenticeship,  he  came 
to  America  in  1881  and  followed  his  trade  in 
various  parts  of  this  countiy,  gaining  nmch 
through  visiting  different  sections  and  watch- 
ing the  methods  of  work  in  many  foundries. 
When  only  seventeen  years  of  agt,  he  was* 
made  foreman  of  the  Walker  Manufacturing 
Company,  of  Cleveland,  and  remained  in  that 
position  until  1897.  He  then  went  to  New- 
comerstown  as  foreman  for  J.  B.  Clow,  re- 
maining there  two  years,  when  he  went  to 
Massillon,  Ohio,  as  superintendent  of  a 
foundry  which  he  built  for  the  Massillon 
Iron  and  Steel  Company.  Mr.  Wainwright 
continued  there  for  four  years  and  then  went 
to  Fostoria,  also  as  superintendent,  but  a  short 
time  later,  September,  1903,  he  accepted  his 
present  position. 

Mr.  Wainwright  miarried  Nellie  Stoddard, 
daughter  of  Merrit  L.  Stoddard,  of  Cleve- 
land, and  they  have  one  son,  William  Royal. 
The  latter  has  nearly  completed  his  appren- 
ticeship as  a  foundryman  in  the  foundry  of 
which  his  father  is  superintendent.  Mr. 
Wainwright  owns  a  fine  tesidence  property, 
his  lot  extending  66  feet  on  Front  Street  and 
105  feet  on  Falls.  In  1906  he  started  a  mod- 
ern hou.se  of  seven  rooms  which  was  com- 
pleted in  the  spring  of  1907,  and  he  is  now  in 
tlie  enjoyment  of  its  many  comfort.-:.  With 
his  family  he  belongs  to  "the  Episcopal  Church 
and  is  tenor  singer  in  its  choir.  He  belongs 
also  to  the  Castle  quartette,  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  In  this  order  he  belongs  to  Red 
Cross  Lodge,  of  Cleveland,  of  which  he  is  past 
chancellor,  and  of  the  Uniformed  Rank  of  the 
order  at  Cuyahoga  Falls.  Politically,  he  is 
a  Republican. 

J.  S.  FARNBAUCH,  proprietor  of  a  meat 
business  at  No.  891  South  Main  Street.  Ak- 
ron, ha.s  been  establi.shed  in  this  city  since 
1893.  Ho  was  born  in  SuflReld  Township, 
Portage  County.  Ohio,  in  1863,  on  the  old 
Farnbaueh  homestead,  on  which  his  grand- 
father settled  in  pioneer  days.  The  latter 
was  Joseph  Farnbaueh,  who  came  to  Portage 


GEORGE  J.  STUBBS 


AND    REPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


751 


County  in  1835  to  assist  in  the  building  of 
the  old  Ohio  Canal.  iVntone  Fainbauch, 
fatlier  of  J.  S.,  was  one  of  Portage  County's 
prominent  fai'mers  and  he  died  there  in  1879. 

J.  S.  Farnbauch,  after  coming  to  Akron, 
worked  for  a  time  for  J.  F.  iSeiberling  and 
John  Wetzel,  but  returned  to  his  home  in 
Portage  County  on  the  death  of  his  mother, 
coming  back  to  Akron  in  the  spring  of  1885. 
For  one  year  he  worked  for  John  Memmer 
and  for  two  years  within  one  week  for  D.  W. 
Thomas.  He  was  then  engaged  with  Henry 
Sprain  in  the  meat  business  up  to  April,  189S, 
and  prior  to  embarking  in  the  meat  business 
on  his  own  account,  August  7,  1893,  worked 
in  the  markets  of  Spicer  Brothers  and  C.  W. 
Baum.  Mr.  Farnbauch  thus  had  consider- 
able experience  before  he  opened  up  his  own 
business,  which  he  has  since  developed  into 
an  extensive  one.  He  carries  only  the  best 
quality  of  meats  and  his  surroundings  are 
sanitary,  clean  and  wholesome. 

In  October,  1893,  Mr.  Farnbauch  was  mar- 
ried to  Margaret  Yeager,  of  iVkron.  He  is  a 
member  of  St.  Bernard's  Catholic  Church  and 
he  belongs  to  St.  Bernard's  Society.  He  is  a 
representative  business  man  and  good  citi- 
zen. 

In  1902  Mr.  Farnbauch  built  his  present 
residence  at  322  Ivocust  Street.  It  is  one  of 
the  handsome  residences  in  the  city. 

GEORGE  J.  STUBBS,  one  of  the  proprie- 
tors of  the  Akron  Paving  &  Plaster  Company, 
contractors  for  concrete  construction  and 
plain  and  decorative  plastering,  and  dealers 
in  masons'  supplies,  is  one  of  Akron's  well- 
established  and  successful  business  men.  Mr. 
Stubbs  was  born  in  Springfield  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  in  1875,  and  is  a  son 
of  the  late  George  W.  Stubbs. 

His  father  was  born  in  England,  and  on 
coming  to  America,  in  1875— the  year  of  his 
son's  birth — settled  in  Springfield  Township, 
where  he  died  in  1907.  For  twenty-seven 
vears  ho  was  superintendent  of  the  Hill  Sewer 
Pipe  Company.  He  married  Alicia  Harley. 
who  was  also  a  native  of  England,  and  they 
had  six  children,  the  eldest  son  being  Geor.q;e 


J.  'i'he  latter  has  two  sisters,  Hannah  and 
-Mary,  the  former  of  whom  married  George 
\\ .  Cai'michael,  one  of  Akron's  leading  con- 
iractoi-s,  the  latter  becoming  the  wife  of  John 
T.  Windsor,  a  prominent  brick  manufactur- 
er of  Akron. 

George  J.  Stubbs  was  educated  at  Akron 
and  in  1892  was  graduated  from  the  High 
Sciiool.  He  then  went  to  work  for  the  Hill  Sew- 
er Pipe  Company,  and  was  employed  at  their 
Pennsylvania  plant  for  seven  years.  In  1899, 
in  association  with  George  W.  Carmichael  and 
George  V.  Billow,  he  organized  the  Akron 
Paving  &  Plaster  Comi^any,  a  concern  which 
has  outstripped  many  older  ones  in  its  par- 
ticular line  of  work.  It  was  this  company 
that  executed  the  much  admired  decorative 
[(latter  work  for  the  Court  House,  and  the 
High  School  building,  and  it  has  been  the 
c^jntracting  firm  engaged  for  many  of  the 
largest  jobs  of  the  kind  in  this  city. 

In  1900,  Mr.  Stubbs  was  married  to  Avis 
De  Haven,  who  died  in  1903,  leaving  a  wide 
circle  to  mourn  her  loss.  Mr.  Stubbs  is  a 
member  of  the  Disciples  Church.  Fraternally 
he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

ELMER  E.  STUMP,  the  owner  of  ninety- 
two  acres  of  excellent  farm  land,  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  School  Directors,  of 
which  he  has  been  a  member  for  upwards  of 
twenty  years,  was  bom  March  11,  1861,  on 
the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides  in  Frank- 
lin Township,  son  of  John  G.  and  Lucy  (Van- 
ness)  Stump. 

John  Stump,  the  grandfather  of  Elmer  E., 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  whence  he  came 
to  Franklin  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
and  finally  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  the  Levi  Stump  heirs,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred, his  wife,  Elizabeth  (Grove)  Stump, 
having  preceded  him  to  the  grave.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  sons  and  four  daughters. 

John  G.  Stump  was  al.«o  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  came  with  the  family  to  Ohio 
at  tho  age  of  five  or  six  years,  growing  to  man- 
hood on  the  Franklin  Township  farm,  which 
he  helped  to  clear  from  its  wdld  state.  After 
his  marriage.  Mr.  Stump  purchased  the  farm 


752 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


from  his  father,  and  here  the  remamder  of 
his  hfe  was  spent,  his  death  occurring  in  his 
fifty-eighth  year.  He  was  married  to  Lucy 
Vanness,  who  was  a  native  of  Trumbull  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  and  to  this  union  six  children  were 
born :  Emily,  who  married  P.  Keyser ;  Albert 
L. ;  Elmer  Excell ;  Sarah  M. ;  Charles  H.,  and 
Olive  E. 

Elmer  E.  Stump  was  reared  to  manhood  on 
the  place  which  he  now  occupies,  and  which 
has  always  been  his  home.  His  education  was 
secured  in  the  township  schools  and  the  High 
School  at  Manchester,  Ohio.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  purchased  the  property  from  the  heirs 
of  his  father's  estate,  and  here  he  has  since 
carried  on  general  farming. 

On  September  24,  1889,  Mr.  Stump  was 
married  to  Hannah  Devlin,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Jane  (Hood)  Devlin,  the  former 
of  whom  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Scotland.  They  were  married  in  Eu- 
rope, whence  they  came  to  this  countrj',  and 
settled  in  Pennsylvania,  subsequently  remov- 
ing to  Ohio.  John  Devlin  died  in  Summit 
County  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight  years,  and 
his  widow  was  later  married  to  James  Gordon, 
now  deceased,  and  makes  her  home  in  British 
Columbia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Devlin  were  the  par- 
ents of  these  children:  Anna,  who  married 
William  P.  Ries;  Hannah,  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Stump;  Sarali,  who  married  E.  Beachtel; 
Elizabeth,  who  married  N.  Dailey;  Jennie, 
who  married  Ott  Wagoner;  Rose,  who  married 
John  Stewart;  Eliza,  who  married  Thomas 
Pearson,  and  several  others  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stump  there  have  been 
born  six  children,  namely:  J.  Parke,  Florence, 
Sidney,  Merle,  Ralph  and  Helen.  Mr.  Stump 
is  a  Democrat  in  polities,  and  for  about  twen- 
ty years  has  been  a  member  of  the  School 
Board,  of  which  he  is  now  president.  He  is 
fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Maccabees.  He 
and  his  family  belong  to  the  Reformed  Church 
at  Manchester. 

DR.  JOSEPH  WINGERTER.  V.  S.,  pro- 
prietor of  the  City  Veferinan'-  Hospital,  lo- 
cated on  the  comer  of  Cedar  and  Orleans  Ave- 


nue, at  the  Haymaxket,  in  the  city  of  Akron, 
conducts  one  of  the  largest  and  most  mod- 
ern institutions  of  its  kind  in  Ohio.  He  was 
born  February  6,  1864,  at  Akron,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Lewis  and  Mary 
(Smith)  Wingerter. 

The  father  of  Dr.  Wingerter  was  born  at 
Paris,  France,  and  his  mother  was  a  native  of 
Alsace-Lorraine,  Germany.  Prior  to  1840, 
Lewis  Wingerter  came  to  Akron,  called  here 
to  become  the  superintendent  of  the  Wilcox 
pottery,  and  in  the  above  year  he  built  a  pot- 
tery of  his  own,  which  he  operated  at  Akron, 
until  1891.  He  affiliated  himself  with  the 
Democratic  party  and  became  a  somewhat 
prominent  politician,  serving  as  postmaster 
at  Coventry  for  a  number  of  years,  and  capa- 
bly filling  other  local  offices.  He  had  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  Lena,  who  married  Lewis 
Yeck,  and  resides  at  Coventry;  Lewis,  resid- 
ing at  Coventry,  where  he  operates  a  pottery; 
Philip,  residing  in  Akron,  and  connecffed  with 
the  Goodrich  Rubber  Works ;  Leo,  residing  in 
Akron;  Augustus,  re.siding  at  Coventry;  and 
Joseph,  whose  name  begins  this  sketch. 

Joseph  Wingerter  secured  an  excellent  com- 
mon school  education  in  the  town  of  Coventry, 
and  was  then  shipping  clerk  for  the  0.  B. 
Hardey  pottery  for  a  time.  He  then  joined 
his  brother  in  a  livery  and  saloon  business, 
which  they  conducted  for  about  eight  years. 
A  destructive  fire  closed  out  their  interests  in 
this  direction,  entailing  a  great  financial  loss, 
biit  probably  resulted  in  the  young  man  turn- 
ing his  attention  to  those  studies  in  which  he 
ha^  met  with  such  success.  He  had  been  in- 
terested from  childhood  in  animals,  and  in 
conducting  his  livery  business  he  learned 
much  concerning  the  need  that  exists  for  the 
proper  understanding  of  the  ills  that  afflict 
the  dumb  brute  creation.  When  his  regular 
course  of  business  was  interrupted  he  entered 
the  Toronto  Veterinary  College,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1894,  with  high  honors.  Upon 
his  return  to  Akron  he  became  joint  proprie- 
tor, with  Mr.  Dellenberger,  of  a  veterinary 
ho.«pital.  and  in  1906  he  purcha.sed  his  part- 
ner's interest  and  now  manages  the  large  busi- 
ness of  the  City  Veterinary  Hospital  alone. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


753 


This  modern  institution  is  a  hospital  for 
the  care  and  treatment  of,  and  surgical  oper- 
ations on,  horses,  dogs,  cats  and  all  domestic 
animals.  It  is  equipped  -with,  a  large  and  well- 
ventilated  box  stall,  soaking,  sweating  and 
cooling  stalls,  exercising  paddock  slings,  oper- 
ating tables,  ambulances,  etc.,  there  being  a 
special  ambulance  for  dogs.  The  whole  build- 
ing is  supplied  with  all  the  latest  appliances. 
Calls  in  the  city  or  country  are  promptly  at- 
tended to  day  or  night.  Dr.  Wingerter  is  also 
a  manufacturer  of  veterinary  remedies  and 
stock  food,  and  is  proprietor  of  the  Pet  Stock 
Cemetery  for  the  burial  of  pet  animals,  lo- 
cated at  Covcntrj'.  His  office,  reception,  medi- 
cine and  operating  rooms  are  situated  in  the 
hospital  on  the  corner  of  Cedar  and  Orleans 
avenue.  Dr.  Wingerter  was  married  Febru- 
rary  6,  1897,  to  Clara  A.  Serf  ass,  who  was 
born  in  Summit  County,  Ohio.  Dr.  Winger- 
ter is  a  member  of  the  Veterinary  Medical 
Association  of  Toronto,  Canada,  and  to  the 
Ohio  State  Veterinary  Medical  Association. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

DANIEL  R.  BRAUCHER,  the  efRcient  su- 
perintendent of  the  Children's  Home,  Akron, 
was  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  March  4, 
1849,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary 
( Li  ch  ten  waiter)  Braucher.  The  Braucher 
family  is  probably  of  German  extraction.  The 
father  of  Superintendent  Braucher  was  bom 
in  Somerset  County,  Pennsylvania,  but  the 
maternal  grandfather  was  a  resident  of  Stark 
County.  Samuel  Braucher  was  a  substantial 
farmer  and  reared  hLs  son  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits.   He  and  his  wife  had  seven  children. 

Prior  to  1881,  Daniel  R.  Braucher  resided 
in  his  native  county,  where  he  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools.  He  then  moved  to 
Portage  County,  where  he  purchased  a  large 
farm.  He  continued  operating  that  property 
until  1892,  when  he  became  assistant  superin- 
tendent of  the  Portage  County  Infirmary, 
where  he  remained  five  years  and  nine 
months.  He  then  traveled  two  years  in  the 
interest  of  the  Trumbull  County  Mutual  In- 
surance Company.  At  that  time  he  again  ac- 
cepted his  old  position  at  the  Portajge  County 


Infirmary.  Subsequently  appointed  to  his 
present  position,  he  assumed  its  duties  Jan- 
uary 1,  1904.  The  Children's  Home  is  a  pet 
charity  of  Akron  and  its  needs  have  been  re- 
sponded to  by  many  of  the  capitalists  of  this 
section.  For  this  very  reason  it  was  the  part 
of  wisdom  to  select  as  superintendent  a  man 
of  reliable  character,  broad  mind  and  execu- 
tive ability,  qualities  which  are  possessed  in 
high  degree  by  Mr.  Braucher.  With  the 
cheerful  and  hearty  assistance  of  his  ad- 
mirable wife,  who  is  the  matron  of  the  home, 
the  twelve  employes  of  the  institution  are  kept 
faithfully  performing  their  duties  and  the 
safety,  well-being  and  happiness  of  the  sixty- 
nine  dependent  children  are  assured. 

Mr.  Braucher  w^as  married  (first)  to  Louisa 
Humbert,  who  died  March  13,  1893,  leaving 
four  children.  He  married  (second)  Geneva 
Folk,  who  is  a  first  cousin  to  Governor  Folk, 
Missouri's  distinguished  chief  magistrate. 
There  were  no  children  by  the  second  mar- 
riage. Mr.  Braucher  and  family  belong  to 
the  Reformed  Church.  His  children,  all  of 
the  first  marriage,  survive.  Mrs.  E.  Bunts 
lost  her  husband,  who  died  February  IS.  1907. 
The  other  are :  Mrs.  William  Metzger,  of  Ak- 
ron; Mrs.  Arthur  Gillette,  of  South  Omaha; 
Clark  L.,  of  Toledo,  who  is  division  manager 
there  of  the  U.  S.  Telephone  Company ;  and 
Harry  H.,  who  died,  aged  four  years. 

Politically,  Mr.  Braucher  is  a  Democrat. 
Fraternally,  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  and  Mrs.  Braucher  with  the  order 
of  Maccabees. 

R.  S.  IREDELL,  one  of  Akron's  represent- 
ative business  men,  who,  for  the  past  thirty 
years  has  been  interested  in  fire  insurance  at 
this  point,  is  also  secretary  and  general  man- 
ager of  the  Hamilton  Building  Company,  with 
offices  in  the  Hamilton  Building.  He  was  bom 
January  15,  1847,  at  Akron,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
son  of  Seth  and  Mary  (Irwin)  Iredell.  Seth 
Iredell  was  once  one  of  Akron's  most  promi- 
nent and  useful  citizens— a  pioneer  merchant 
— and  had  the  distinction  of  being  the  first 
mayor.  He  was  born  September  6,  1773,  in 
Montgomery  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  came 


754 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT   COUNTY 


to  Akron  in  1830,  prior  to  tlie  opening  of  the 
Akron  Canal.  He  became  interested  in  many 
of  the  early  enterprises  of  the  city  and  lent  his 
influence  to  further  their  development.  He 
died  in  1854.  The  mother  of  R.  S.  Iredell  was 
also  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  Irwin,  whom  she  accompimied 
to  Akron  in  1812. 

R.  S.  Iredell  was  given  all  the  educational 
advantages  the  city  of  his  birth  offered  in  his 
boyhood.  For  a  number  of  his  early  business 
years  he  was  connected  with  the  boot  and  shoe 
trade,  but  since  1877,  he  has  been  almost  ex- 
clusively occupied  in  fire  insurance.  He  is  a 
stockholder  in  other  enterprises  and  is  at  the 
head  of  the  Hamilton  Building  Company.  In 
1884,  Mr.  Iredell  was  married  to  Maiy  Ter- 
rass,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John  Terrass,  of 
Akron,  and  they  have  three  children — Mary 
K.,  Robert  and  Elizabeth.  The  son  is  a 
student  at  Buchtel  College,  and  the  younger 
daughter  is  completing  the  High  School 
course  at  Akron.  Mr.  Iredell  and  family  be- 
long to  the  Congregational  Church. 

HAROLD  E.  JOY,  general  superintendent 
of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  at  Akron, 
which  city  has  been  his  chosen  home  since 
1874,  was  born  in  England,  in  1868,  and  was 
brought  to  America  in  childhood,  and,  at  the 
age  of  six  years,  to  Akron.  His  school  days 
and  bu-siness  life  have  been  passed  in  this 
city,  where  his  main  interests  are  centered. 
When  he  was  sixteen  years  old  he  entered  a 
grocer\'  store,  where  he  learned  the  business, 
remiaining  six  years,  when  he  became  ship- 
ping clerk  in  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company. 
His  industry  and  fidelity  brought  him  promo- 
tion and  from  one  stage  to  another  ho  rose, 
being  several  years  in  the  order  department, 
for  several  years  department  manager,  then 
second  assistant  superintendent,  later  assist- 
ant superintendent,  and  since  August,  1907, 
general  superintendent,  a  position  of  great  re- 
sponsibility. Mr.  Joy  having  worked  his  way 
up.  understands  every  detail  of  the  business, 
and  under  his  efficient  superintendence  there 
is  no  danger  that  any  deterioration  will  take 
place  in  the  quality  of  the  products  which 


have  won  their  way  into  every  civilized  cor- 
ner of  the  Avorld. 

In  1892,  Mr.  Joy  was  married  to  Jessie 
Holmes,  who  was  born  and  reared  at  Akron, 
and  they  have  four  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Joy  are  members  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church,  and  he  belongs  to  its  Board  of  Trus- 
tees. He  is  a  member  of  the  Portage  Country 
chib. 

JOHN  W.  GAUTHIER,  an  experienced 
pottery  man,  who  has  been  foreman  of  the 
Robinson  Clay  Product  Company,  at  Akron, 
for  many  years,  and  is  also  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Union  Printing  Ink  Manu- 
facturing Company,  is  one  of  Akron's  lead- 
ing citizens,  being  actively  interested  in  other 
lines  than  those  above  mentioned.  He  was 
born  in  1867,  at  Ottawa,  Canada. 

Mr.  Gauthier  was  a  youth  of  twelve  years 
when  he  oame  to  Akron,  where  the  greater 
part  of  his  education  has  been  secured.  For 
twenty -five  yeaK;  he  has  been  in  the  pottery 
lousiness,  starting  in  what  was  the  old  E.  H. 
Merrill  Company,  the  same  that  was  subse- 
quently merged  into  the  Robinson  Clay  Prod- 
uct Company.  His  bu.sine.ss  ability  has  made 
him  a  valuable  member  of  other  concerns  also 
and  his  standing  in  commercial  circles  is  very 
high.  He  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the 
only  Democratic  member  of  the  Akron  city 
council,  and  has  served  in  this  body  for  a 
number  of  terms.  At  different  times  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  city,  as  well  as  im- 
portant county  committees  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  of  the  party 
leaders  throughout  the  state. 

In  1891,  Mr.  Gauthier  was  married  to 
Augusta  Sommerfeldt,  who  was  born  in  Ger- 
many. They  have  six  children:  .Tohn,  Edna, 
Mina,  Karl,  Mary  and  Edward.  Mr. 
Gauthier  is  a  member  of  a  number  of  the 
leading  fraternal  organizations  and  is  active 
in  promoiting  therr  usefulness. 

EMSLEY  0.  GROSE,  president  and  gen- 
eral manager  of  the  Independent  Tack  Com- 
pany, of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  of  which  he  was  the 
organizer,  is  one  of  the  representative  businesg 


AND    REPKESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


:r.5 


men  of  thi.s  city.  ilr.  Grose  was  born  at  Tip- 
ton, Indiana,  Fcbniary  17,  1872,  and  is  a  son 
of  Joseph  and  Selindia  (Welshonse)  Grose. 

Joseph  Grose  was  born  in  Indiana,  in  1844, 
and  is  a  retired  farmer  liwng  at  Tipton.  He 
has  been  a  very  active  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  that  section,  and  for  eight 
years  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Tipton 
County  Infirmary.  He  saw^  service  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  Civil  War,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He 
married  Selindia  AVelshonse,  who  also  sur- 
vives, and  eight  of  their  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren grew  to  TBaturity.  The  Grose  family  is 
an  old  one  in  Indiana,  extending  back  beyond 
the  days  of  the  grandfather. 

Emsley  0.  Grase  was  the  finst  born  of  his 
parents'  large  family.  He  obtained  a  com- 
mon school  education  in  the  Tipton  schools 
and  then  learned  ■  the  machinist's  trade,  at 
Anderson,  Indiana,  after  completing  his  ap- 
prenticeship, ent-ering  the  wire  nail  mill, 
which  Ls  one  of  the  largest  industries  of  that 
place.  He  continued  work  there  until  he 
came  to  Cuyahoga  Falls,  in  July,  1899,  when 
he  was  with  the  E.  A.  Henry  Wire  Company 
for  about  eighteen  months,  from  which  place 
he  entered  the  Rivet  Works,  remaining  one 
year.  During  all  this  time,  while  quietly 
working  at  his  trade,  Mr.  Grose  was  evolving 
in  his  mind  the  plan  of  a  different  kind  of 
wire  nail  machine,  which  he  felt  convinced 
would  be  of  the  greatest,  efficiency  in  making 
large-headed  wire  roofing  nails,  and  in  1905 
he  completed  his  invention  and  went  to  Fos- 
toria  to  see  about  putting  it  on  the  market. 
There  he  organized  the  Seneca  Wire  and  Man- 
ufacturing Company,  and  remained  six 
months  as  the  superintendent  of  the  nail  de- 
partment. He  then  returned  to  Cuyahoga 
Falls  and  organized  the  Independent  Tack 
Company.  For  several  years  he  had  been 
stud>-ing  out  a  design  for  a  tack-making  ma- 
chine and  succeeded  in  making  a  practical 
model  during  the  early  months  of  1907,  which 
has  been  a  complete  success  in  ever^^  way.  Mr. 
Grose  has  a  dozen  automatic  machines  at 
work  in  his  facton-  and  they  are  being  rap- 
idly installed  in  other  places.    Their  con,«truc- 


tion  is  unique,  nothing  of  the  kind  ever  hav- 
ing been  put  on  the  market  previously.  To 
Mr.  Grose  belongs  the  credit  for  a  thorough- 
ly i)ractical  and  labor-saving  invention.  His 
factory  needs  no  traveling  representatives,  as 
the  demand  for  itcs  product  already  far  exceeds 
the  supply. 

Mr.  Grose  married  Rose  A.  Keeney,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  Charles  Keeney,  of  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  and  they  have  had  three  children, 
namely:  Ethel  and  Margaret,  living,  and 
George,  the  eldest,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  months.  Mrs.  Grose  is  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  but  Mr.  Grose  was  reared 
a  Methodist.  Mr.  Grose,  like  his  father,  has 
always  been  identified  T\'ith  the  Democratic 
party,  but  takes  no  very  active  interest  in  poli- 
tics. He  belongs  to  Fostoria  Lodge,  No.  86, 
Knights  of  Pythias. 

JAMES  W.  RABE,  M.  D..  physician  and 
surgeon,  of  many  years'  experience,  has  been 
a  resident  of  Akron  since  1891.  He  was  bom 
at  Caldwell,  Noble  County,  Ohio,  but  was 
reared  at  Cleveland. 

Dr.  Rabe  received  his  literary  training  in 
the  city  of  Cleveland,  and  his  medical  educa- 
tion in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1888.  He  returned  to 
Cleveland  and  for  two  years  was  demon- 
strator of  anatomy  in  the  Western  Reserve 
Medical  College.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sum- 
mit County,  the  Ohio  State,  the  Noi-theastern 
Ohio  and  the  American  Medical  As.sociations. 
He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  various  sani- 
tary movements  in  the  city  when  the  judg- 
ment of  a  phy,sician  bore  considerable  weight. 
but  takes  only  a  good  citizen's  interest  in  poli- 
tics. Dr.  Raibe  is  surgeon  at  the  Akron  City 
Ho.spital,  and  is  also  surgeon  for  the  ^Balti- 
more &  Ohio,  the  Pennsylvania  &  Western 
and  the  Cleveland  and  Valley  Railroads.  He 
is  medical  examiner  for  a  number  of  life^  in- 
surance companies,  including  the  New  York 
and  Manhattan,  of  New  York;  the  Northwest- 
ern, of  Milwaukee;  the  Metropolitan ;  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Mutual;  the  John  Hancock.  Cana- 
dian Life  and  others.  In  1891  Dr.  Rabo  was 
married  to  ]\Iaud  Na.'sh.  daughter  of  Sumner 


756 


HISTORY    OF    SUMjMIT    COUNTY 


Nash,  of  Akron.  They  have  two  children, 
Mary  and  J.  W.,  Jr.  Dr.  Rabe  belongs  to  the 
Elks  and  the  Elks  club  and  also  to  the  Akron 
club. 

JAMES  P.  BREEN,  superintendent  of  the 
northeast  side  of  Portage  Township,  is  a  suc- 
cessful general  farmer,  residing  on  his  val- 
uable farm  of  thirty-seven  acres,  which  was 
formerly  owned  by  John  McCausland,  a  prom- 
inent pioneer  settler,  and  his  father-in-law. 
Mr.  Breen  was  born  at  Akron,  Ohio,  April  1, 
1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Patrick  and  Mary 
(O'Neil)  Breen.  Patrick  Breen  was  born  in 
Ireland,  where  hds  father  died  when  he  was 
about  si.x  years  old.  Shortly  afterward  the 
widowed  mother  came  to  America  with  her 
two  sons,  James  and  Patrick,  settling  at  Xenia, 
Ohio,  where  Patrick's  mother  died.  When 
a  young  man  he  came  to  Akron  and  entered 
a  powder  mill  in  that  city,  having  learned  the 
business  at  Xenia.  He  was  married  at  Akron 
to  Mary  O'Neil,  a  native  of  that  city;  her 
father  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  Patrick  and 
Mary  Breen  had  three  children,  namely: 
James  P.,  Lydia  and  John.  Lydia  married 
Harvey  Sharp,  also  of  Akron.  WTien  James 
P.  Breen  was  six  years  of  age,  his  father  was 
killed  by  an  explosion  in  the  powder  mill. 
His  mother  subsequently  married  James  Glen- 
nan,  of  which  union  there  were  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Edward,  William  and  Joseph, 
the  latter  of  whom  lives  at  Akron.  Edward 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years,  and 
William  died  aged  fifteen  years.  The  mother 
survived  until  1871. 

James  P.  Breen  was  deprived  of  his  moth- 
er's care  and  affection  when  he  was  a  boy  of 
twelve  years.  He  remained  at  home  with  his 
srtepfather  until  he  was  fifteen,  attending 
.school  and  assisting  in  oaring  for  the  family, 
as  he  began  work  as  a  teamster  when  he  was 
only  a  boy  of  a  dozen  years.  For  about  ten 
years  he  followed  teaming  and  then  entered 
the  Schumacher  flour  mills,  where  he  worked 
for  eight  years.  Shortly  after  his  marriage 
he  came  to  live  on  the  McCausland  home- 
stead, acquiring  forty-nine  acres,  and  he  has 
follciwed   farmins;  ever  since.     Recentlv  five 


acres  were  sold  to  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Rail- 
road, and  the  remainder  of  the  land  is  very 
valuable. 

In  November,  1884,  Mr.  Breen  was  married 
to  Mary  McCausland,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the 
late  John  McCausland.  The  family  is  a  very 
prominent  and  old-established  one  of  Summit 
County,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Breen  have  had  seven 
children,  all  of  whom  survive,  except  the  sec- 
ond, Mary,  who  died  aged  six  years.  Those 
living  are:  John,  who  holds  a  good  position 
with  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company  as  travel- 
ing salesman;  and  Bertha,  Loretto,  Charles, 
Leo  and  Francis,  who  are  at  present  students. 

Mr.  Breen  is  a  good  citizen  and  takes  a  deep 
interest  in  all  that  concerns  Portage  Town- 
.ship.  He  is  one  of  the  three  township  super- 
intendents and  looks  carefully  after  public 
improvements  and  private  interests  through 
that  portion  over  which  he  has  jurisdiction. 
He  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

JOHN  A.  KEMPEL,  proprietor  of  the  large 
department  and  grocery  store  at  Nos.  633-635 
South  Main  Street,  Akron,  is  one  of  the  na- 
tives of  this  busy  and  prospering  city  who 
has  assisted  in  its  commercial  development 
and  enjoys  a  large  amount  of  its  prosperity. 
Mr.  Kempel  was  born  in  this  city  February 
26,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Adam  Kempel,  who 
was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  who  came 
to  Summit  County  in  1842,  subsequently  be- 
coming a  leading  business  man  of  Akron. 

John  A.  Kempel  was  only  nine  years  old 
when  he  first  .started  to  work  in  a  local  shoe- 
maker shop,  assisting  his  father,  and  when 
he  was  thirteen  he  became  blacksmith's  helper 
in  the  Buckeye  shops,  where  he  remained  un- 
til he  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  One  trade 
is  about  all  the  ordinarv  man  learns,  but 
Mr.  Kempel  went  from  the  blacksmith's  shop 
to  the  chainmaker,  and  learned  that  trade  and 
worked  at  it  until  he  was  thirty-six  years  old, 
\-isit1ng  various  parts  of  the  country  as  his 
work  demanded.  After  this  he  worked  for  two 
years  in  the  knife  works,  gaining  a  working 
knowledge  of  another  self-supporting  trade, 
but  in  189.S  ho  embarked  in  business  for  him- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


self  in  the  grocery  line.  As  a  merchant  he 
prospered,  and  in  1903  he  added  a  regular 
department  line  of  goods.  He  owns  consid- 
erable valuable  business  property,  and  in  1895 
erected  a  brick  building  22  by  140  feet,  two 
stories  in  height,  on  South  Main  Street.  In 
1900  he  built  the  City  Laundry  building,  20 
by  200  feet,  which  he  sold  to  Lawrence  Hal- 
ter, and  in  1903,  he  built  a  two-story  brick 
adjoining  his  first  building  both  of  these  being 
utilized  by  Mr.  Kempel  for  his  large  stock. 
Mr.  Kempel  is  gradually  retiring  from  the 
active  management  of  the  business,  in  which 
he  has  met  with  such  deserved  success.  He  is 
a  stockholder  in  the  Great  Western  Cereal 
Company,  is  proprietor  of  the  Magic  Cereal 
Cofifee  Company  and  is  principal  owner  of 
Grand\'iew  allotment  of  Barberton.  In  1883, 
Mr.  Kempel  was  married  (first)  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  Eldora  Willis,  of  New  Brighton, 
Pennsylvania,  who  died  in  1884,  leaving  one 
son.  George  A.,  who  is  with  the  Sherwood- 
Potter  Company,  of  New  Brighton.  Mr. 
Kempel  was  married  (second)  September  1, 
1887,  to  Rosa  Berg,  who  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, and  they  have  two  children,  Dorothy 
and  Lawrence,  the  former  of  whom  will  grad- 
uate in  the  class  of  1908,  at  St.  Mary's  Acad- 
emy, Notre  Dame,  Indiana.  ^Ir.  Kempel  is 
a  member  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul's  Catholic 
Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  of  St.  Joseph's  Society,  of  the  Cath- 
olic Mutual  Benefit  Association  and  of  St. 
Bernard's  club. 

CHARLES  E.  HELD,  M.  D.,  who  stands 
very  high  among  Akron's  physicians  and  sur- 
geons, and  occupies  the  chair  of  pathology  at 
the  Akron  City  Hospital,  was  bom  at  Akron, 
Ohio,  in  1869,  but  was  taken  to  Portage  Coun- 
ty by  his  parents  when  a  babe  of  one  year. 

After  completing  a  liberal  education,  which 
included  attendance  in  the  schools  of  Clin- 
ton, a  period  at  Mt.  Union  College  and  one  at 
Wooster  University.  Dr.  Held  went  into  the 
educational  field,  beginning  to  teach  in 
Wayne  County,  and  seven  years  later  he 
taught  his  last  .school  at  St.  Thomas,  North 
Dakota,  where  he  had  charge  of  the  schools  of 


that  place.  In  the  meanwhile,  his  leisure  had 
been  given  to  the  study  of  medicine  and  later 
he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the 
Western  Reserve  University,  and  after  gradua- 
tion he  served  for  fifteen  months  as  an  interne 
at  the  Lakeside  Hospital,  Cleveland.  On 
May  1,  1899,  he  returned  to  his  native  city, 
locating  here  for  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. With  the  exception  of  periods  when  he 
has  been  doing  post-graduate  work  at  Cleve- 
land, Dr.  Held  has  seldom  left  his  patients, 
and  he  has  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  He 
keeps  in  close  touch  -with  all  modern  advance- 
ment in  his  science  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Summit  County  Sixth  Councilor  District,  the 
Ohio  State  and  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation. His  social  connection  is  with  the 
Celsus  club  of  Akron.  Fraternally,  he  is  a 
Mason,  a  Woodman  and  a  Maceabee. 

In  1902  Dr.  Held  was  married  to  Nettie 
Burt,  of  Breckville,  Ohio,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Burt.  Dr.  Held  is  a  member  of  the 
Wabash  Avenue  Church  of  Christ,  of  which 
he  "is  a  trustee,  and  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  School. 

JAMES  W.  BROWN,  secretary  of  the  I.  S. 
Myers  Company,  at  Akron,  leaders  in  the 
clothing  line,  is  one  of  the  city's  active  busi- 
ness men  and  has  been  identified  with  this 
concern  for  many  years,  both  before  and  since 
its  incorporation.  He  was  bom  at  Morris 
Run,  Penn.sylvania,  in  1871,  and  is  a  son  of 
the  late  William  R.  BroTvn. 

James  W.  Brown  was  eight  years  old  when 
his  father  brought  the  family  to  Akron,  and 
he  was  reared  and  educated  in  this  city,  and 
as  the  whole  of  his  business  life  has  been  con- 
nected with  her  enterprises,  he  may  be  re- 
garded almost  in  the  light  of  a  native  son. 
After  lea\ang  school  he  was  employed  for  a 
short  time  by  the  Diamond  Match  Company, 
and  following  this  for  eight  years  was  with 
the  New  York  Clothing  House.  Afterwards 
he  entered  the  employ  of  Myers.  Ganyard  & 
Stump,  which  firm  was  .succeeded  by  Ganyard 
&  Myers,  and  thi=,  in  turn,  was  siicceeded  by 
I.  S.  Myers  &  Company.  In  1899  he  became 
a  member  of  the  firm  and  when  the  business 


758 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


was  ineoi'i>orateid,  February  17,  1904,  he  'be- 
came secretai'y.  The  other  officers  are:  I.  S. 
Myers,  president  and  manager ;  T.  J.  Stebick, 
vice-president;  and  M.  F.  Rhodes,  treasurer. 
In  1896  Mr.  Brown  was  married  to  Mar- 
garet A.  Frangen,  of  Doylestown,  Ohio,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Gertrude  M.  Mr.  Brown 
is  identified  with  a  number  of  the  leading  frar 
ternities.  He  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason  and 
also  belongs  to  the  Maccabees  and  the  A.  I.  U. 

FRANK  WALTZ,  a  highly  esteemed,  re- 
tired citizen  of  Johnson's  Corners,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  the  owner  of  a  tract  of 
thirty-six  and  one-half  acres  in  Norton  Town- 
ship, is  one  of  the  township's  most  venerable 
residents  and  a  survivor  of  the  great  Civil 
War.  Mr.  Waltz  was  born  February  11,  1831, 
in  Chippewa  Township,  Wayne  County,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  son  of  David  and  Lydia  (Baughman) 
Waltz. 

David  Waltz,  who  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Waltz, 
removed  from  Trumbull  County  to  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  and  in  about  1847  to  Norton 
Township,  Summit  County,  M'here  he  pur- 
chased a  property  now  known  as  the  J.  C. 
Baughman  farm.  This  he  later  sold  and  re- 
moved to  Wadsworth,  where  he  bought  a 
farm,  and  subsequently  he  went  to  Sharon, 
Medina  County,  Ohio.  Here,  however,  he  re- 
mained Ics-  than  a  year,  returning  to  Wads- 
worth,  wlirrc  tlic  remainder  nf  Ids  life  was 
.spent. 

After  hi.«  marriage,  Frank  Waltz  went  to 
housekeeping  on  his  father's  farm  in  Norton 
Town,ship,  whence,  in  18B2,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Twenty-ninth  Regiment,  Ohio  ^'^^olunteer  In- 
fantry, being  vnth  the  Twentieth  Army  Coi-ps 
most  of  the  time,  under  General  Gary.  He 
enlisted  as  a  musician,  and  served  as  such  for 
two  years,  and  t«n  months  under  Sherman, 
participating  in  the  siesie  of  .\tlanta,  and  the 
March  to  the  Sea,  and  being  mustered  out  at 
Washingt.on,  District  of  Columbia.  He  was  a 
brave  and  faithful  soldier,  and  his  war  record 
is  one  which  any  man  might  well  be  ]iroud 
of.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  .Tohnson's 
Corners  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness for  eight  vears.     He  afterwards  moved 


to  his  father's  farm  in  Wadsworth,  whence 
he  went  to  the  farm  in  Sharon,  remaining 
there  six  years.  Subsequently  he  purchased  a 
tract  of  eighty-three  and  one-half  acres  in 
Chippewa  Township,  Wayne  County,  Ohio, 
to  which  he  moved,  having  sold  his  eighty- 
acre  farm  in  Sharon.  For  about  eighteen  years 
he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in 
Chippe^'a  Township,  and  at  the  end  of  this 
time  located  in  Doylestown,  where  he  carried 
on  a  grocery  business  for  five  years,  selling  out 
in  1900  to  again  locate  at  Johnson's  Corners. 
In  1904  Mr.  Waltz  sold  his  farm  in  Chippewa 
Township,  and  since  that  time  he  has  lived 
retired.  In  addition  to  his  home  at  Johnson's 
Corners,  Mr.  Waltz  is  the  owner  of  a  thirty- 
six  and  one-half  acre  tract  in  Norton  Town- 
ship. 

In  1862  Mr.  Waltz  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Hoffman,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John  Hoffman, 
the  blacksmith  of  Johnson's  Corners,  and  to 
this  imion  there  were  born  two  children — 
Harry  and  Albert.  Harry,  born  June  19,1870, 
who  conducts  a  store  at  the  Corners,  mar- 
ried Nina  Schondle  in  1900,  and  they  have 
one  child.  Alberta,  born  October  1,  1902. 
Albert,  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years,  eight 
months  and  ten  days.  Mr.  Waltz  has  served 
as  town.ship  trustee  in  both  Sharon  Township, 
]\Iedina  County  and  Chippewa  Township, 
Wayne  County. 

]Mr.  Frank  Waltz's  wife,  Elizabeth,  died 
February  27,  1906,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years  and  eleven  months. 

WILLIAM  FRANKLIN  AVERTLL,  pro- 
jirit^tor  of  the  Spring  Brook  Farm  Dairy,  lo- 
cated at  No.  970  West  Exchange  Avenue,  Ak- 
ron, was  born  in  Copley  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  March  1,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  'and  Margaret  (Welker)  Averill. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Averill  died  when  he  was 
aliout.  eight  years  old  and  he  was  reared  by  his 
mother,  remaining  at  home  in  Copley  until 
January  1,  188,5,  when  he  was  married  to 
Emma  Rotzum,  who  is  a  daugliter  of  Adam 
and  Eliza  Botzuni.  For  one  year  after  mar- 
riage Mr.  and  Mrs.  Averill  remained  in  Cop- 
lev,  where  he  still  owns  100  acres  of  land,  on 


HON.  ELI  CONN,  A.  .M.,  M.  1). 


AND    REPRESEiNTATIVE    CITIZENS 


761 


which  his  dairy  farm  is  situated,  and  then 
moved  to  Northampton  Township  for  one 
year,  coming  to  his  present  home  September 
22,  1887.  At  that  time  his  place  was  located 
in  Portage  Township,  but  has  since  been  ab- 
sorbed into  Akron.  In  1900  he  erected  his 
substantial  barn  and  recently  has  remodeled 
his  house,  making  of  it  a  handsome,  modern 
residence.  Up  to  1903,  when  he  retired,  Mr. 
-Vverill  was  mainly  interested  in  a  lumber 
business,  in  partnei-ship  with  A.  V.  Bennage, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Bennage  &  Averill. 
The  firm  bought  timber,  and  owning  a  port- 
able sawmill,  they  furnished  lumber  to  con- 
tractors and  shipbuilders  in  the  rough.  They 
shipped  large  cargoes  of  lumber  to  Cleveland, 
Buffalo,  Tonawanda,  Lorain  and  other  points. 
This  firm  carried  on  this  lousiness  for  seven- 
teen years.  In  1903  Mr.  Averill  retired  in  or- 
der to  give  his  attention  to  farming  and  dairj-- 
ing.  He  operates  two  milk  routes  and  pur- 
chases milk  by  wholesale.  This  industry  is  an 
important  one  in  this  section. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Averill  have  had  two  children, 
namely:     Lilian  and  Frank. 

Lilian,  who  residas  with  her  parents,  on 
January  1,  1907,  married  Clarence  Brown, 
w'ho  is  interested  in  the  dairy  business  with 
Mr.  Averill.  Frank,  a  bright  and  promising 
child,  was  snatched  away  by  death  in  April, 
1904.  at  the  age  of  eight  years,  five  months 
and  five  days. 

HON.  ELI  CONN,  A.  M..  M.  D.,  of  Akron, 
now  living  retired  from  active  pursuits,  was 
formerly  a  member  of  the  Ohio  State  Senate, 
representing  Summit  County,  and  for  many 
years  was  one  of  the  leading  physicians  and 
surgeons  of  Akron.  As  another  claim  to  hon- 
orable distinction,  he  is  a  veteran  of  the  great 
Civil  War,  to  which  he  gave  four  years  of 
his  young  manhood.  Dr.  Conn  was  born 
June  10,  1838,  in  Butler  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth 
fFerguson)  Conn. 

Dr.  Conn  comes  of  Irish  and  Scotch  an- 
cestry. His  father  was  born  in  Ireland,  while 
his  mother,  who  was  of  Scotch  descent,  was 
born     in     Pennsylvania.     Joseph  Conn  and 


Elizabeth  Ferguson  were  married  in  Pennsyl- 
\ania,  where  they  continued  to  live  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives,  the  former  dying  when 
his  son  Eli  was  fourteen  years  old,  and  the 
latter  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two 
years. 

Eli  Conn  was  primarily  educated  in  the 
district  schools  of  Butler  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  was  engaged  in  teaching  when  the 
Kebellion  broke  out.  In  1861  he  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  the  102nd  Regiment,  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteer  Infantry,  which  became  a 
part  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac ;  and  during 
the  whole  progress  of  the  war  he  served  with 
courage  and  fidelity,  participating  in  thirty- 
two  severe  battles,  and  innumerable  skir- 
mishes, and  enduring  all  the  necessary  hard- 
ships in  army  life.  With  great  good  fortune 
he  survived  them  all,  and  when  his  country 
no  longer  needed  his  services,  he  received  an 
honorable  discharge  and  returned  to  the  paths 
of  peace.  He  had  been  first  lieutenant  of 
his  company..  He  then  set  about  completing 
his  education,  in  1865  entering  Baldwin  Col- 
lege, at  Berea,  Ohio,  where  he  was  graduated 
in  1868.  He  then  attended  the  Cleveland  Medi- 
cal School  for  two  terms,  receiving  therefrom 
his  degree  of  M.  D.  Subsequently  Baldwin  Col- 
lege, his  alma  mater,  conferred  upon  him  the 
degree  of  A.  M.  Dr.  Conn  entered  into  prac- 
tice in  Butler  County,  Pennsylvania,  but  was 
shortly  afterward  elected  probate  judge,  and 
served  four  years  in  that  office.  In  1880  he 
came  to  Akron,  and  in  1882  was  elected 
health  officer  of  this  city,  in  which  capacity 
he  served  two  years.  In  1896,  in  recognition 
of  the  qualities  he  possessed  which  go  to  make 
a  statesman.  Dr.  Conn  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  from  Summit  County,  and  during 
his  term  of  service  fulfilled  every  expectation 
of  his  friends.  From  the  time  he  located  in 
Akron  until  1897  he  continued  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  medicine.  Pro- 
fessionally as  well  as  socially  he  is  a  man  of 
liigh  standing.  He  is  an  able  writer  for  the 
medical  press,  and  is  frequently  called  upon 
to  discuss  important  questions  at  the  meetings 
of  the  various  medical  associations  to  which 
he  belongs. 


762 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Dr.  Conn  wa^;  married  in  1869  to  Helen 
Kingsbury,  who  was  born  at  Medina,  Ohio. 
They  have  four  children :  Ellwood  K.,  Maud 
J.,  Mary  A.  and  Helen  E.  The  family  home 
is  at  No.  740  South  Main  Street.  Politically 
Dr.  Conn  is  a  Republican. 

W.  L.  KELLER,  M.  D.,  physician  and  sur- 
geon at  Akron,  was  born  in  1872,  at  Alliance, 
Ohio,  and  has  been  a  resident  .of  Akron  for 
the  past  five  years,  during  which  time  he  has 
built  up  a  large  practice  and  gained  the  friend- 
ship and  confidence  of  many  of  his  fellow- 
citizens.  Dr.  Keller  aittended  the  schools  of 
Alliance  and,  after  graduating  from  the  Al- 
liance High  School,  entered  Mt.  Union  Col- 
lege, yvhere  he  was  graduated  B.  S.,  in  the  class 
of  1896.  For  the  succeeding  five  years  he 
taught  school,  in  the  meanwhile  directing  his 
reading  and  study  to  medicine,  and  subse- 
quently he  entered  the  -medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Cincinnati,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1901.  For  two  years  before  com- 
ing to  Akron  he  practiced  in  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, Ohio.  Dr.  Keller  may  be  found  at  his 
well-appointed  office  at  No.  335  South  Main 
Street.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Summit  Coun- 
ty, the  Sixth  Councilor  DL-itriet,  and  the  Ohio 
State  Medical  Societies.  In  1902  Dr.  Keller 
was  married  at  Canton,  Ohio,  to  Edith  E.  Mc- 
Conkey.  who  is  a  daughter  of  Dr.  W.  J.  Mc- 
Conkey,  re-iiding  on  North  Walnut  Street, 
Canton.  Fraternally,  Dr.  Keller  is  a  Mason. 
He  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

LOUIS  J.  WISE,  M.  D.,  Perhaps  no  city 
in  Ohio  has  a  more  notable  body  of  medical 
men  than  has  Akron,  they  being,  as  a  whole, 
educated  and  enthusiastic  men  of  science. 
Among  these.  Dr.  Louis  J.  Wise  occupies  a 
leading  place  and,  although  one  of  the 
younger  members  of  the  profes.sion,  has  been 
exceedingly  successful  as  a  practitioner. 

Dr.  Wise  was  born  in  1878,  in  Suffield, 
Ohio.  After  completing  the  public  school 
course  there  he  entered  Notre  Dame  Univer-. 
sity  at  South  Bond,  Indiana,  and  subsequent- 
ly Starling  Medical  College,  from  which  he 


was  graduated  in  1901,  with  his  medical  de- 
gree. He  practiced  for  a  short  time  at  St. 
•Joseph,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  and  then  came 
to  Akron.  He  belongs  to  the  leading  medi- 
cal organizations  of  the  state,  including  the 
Summit  County  Sixth  Councilor  District, 
and  the  Ohio  State,  and  is  also  a  member  of 
the  American  Medical  Association.  Dr.  Wise 
belongs  also  to  the  Summit  County  Physi- 
cian's club.  Dr.  W^ise  is  a  member  of  St. 
Bernard's  Catholic  Church.  He  belongs  also 
to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  to  the  Cath- 
olic Mutual  Benefit  Association. 

FRED  HUNSICKER,  who  is  carrying  on 
agricultural  operations  on  his  fine  farm  of  160 
acres  in  Northampton  Township,  Sumjnit 
County,  Ohio,  was  born  March  2,  1874,  in 
Akron,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Jacob  and 
Rebecca  (Fritz)  Hunsicker. 

John  Jacob  Hunsicker  was  born  in  1842  in 
Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
When  about  sixteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Hun- 
sicker came  to  Loyal  Oak,  Ohio,  and  there 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  which  he  fol- 
lowed imtdl  his  last  illness.  He  was  a  Thirty- 
second  Degree  Mason,  and  was  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  first  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Ak- 
ron, being  presented  with  a  medal  just  be- 
fore his  death  as  being  one  of  the  four  oldest 
Odd  Fellows  in  that  city.  Mr.  Hunsicker  was 
a  Republican,  with  independent  inclinations. 
He  married  Rebecca  Fritz,  a  daughter  of  Solo- 
mon Fritz,  who  was  a  native  of  Clarion  Coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania.  Four  children  were  born 
to  this  union,  and  three  of  these  grew  to  ma- 
turity: Horace,  who  is  a  member  of  the 
Pouchot-Hunsicker  Company,  married  Flora 
E.  Yost,  a  daughter  of  Charlas  Yost,  of  Akron, 
where  he  resides;  Sadie  C,  who  is  the  wife 
of  L.  E.  Smith  and  resides  at  Greentown, 
Ohio ;  and  Fred.  John  Jacob  Hun«icker  died 
in  1904,  aged  .sixty-two  years.  His  widow, 
who  lives  in  Akron,  is  fifty-eight  years  old. 
She  is  a  member  of  Grace  Reformed  Church 
of  Akron,  believing  in  the  faith  in  which  her 
husband  died. 

Fred  Hunsicker  received  his  education  in 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


763 


the  common  and  High  schools  of  his  native 
locahty,  and  as  a  young  man  learned  the 
trade  of  lithographer,  which  he  followed  for 
fifteen  years.  He  then  gave  it  up,  resigning 
the  position  of  foreman  of  the  commercial  en- 
graving department  of  the  Werner  Company, 
which  he  had  held  for  three  years.  In  1904 
he  engaged  in  farming  on  his  present  tract, 
of  which  he  cultivates  about  100  acres,  rais- 
ing wheat,  oats,  corn  and  hay,  each  of  which 
crops  he  markets  a  portion.  He  keeps  on  an 
average  of  twenty-four  head  of  cattle,  which 
he  fattens  and  butchers  himself  for  private 
customers,  whose  demand  is  greater  than  he 
can  accommodate.  He  has  always  been  indus- 
trious and  hard^'orkdng,  and  his  farm  pre- 
sents one  of  the  best  appearances  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  township. 

Mr.  Hunsicker  was  married  to  Sarah  Jane 
Stevenson,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Frazer,  and  Rachel  Stevenson,  of  Akron.  Four 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  name- 
ly: Thomas  Jacob,  Horace  Irving,  Hiram 
Robert,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr. 
Hunsicker  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  he 
has  never  been  an  officeseeker.  With  his 
family  he  attends  Grace  Reformed  Church,  of 
Akron. 

LAWRENCE  HALTER,  proprietor  of  the 
City  Laundry,  ha?  been  actively  engaged  in 
business  here  since  December,  1898,  coming 
from  Chicago,  where  he  had  filled  a  respon- 
sible position  with  a  large  manufacturing  con- 
cern. Mr.  Halter  was  born  in  1867,  in  South- 
eastern Mi.ssouri,  where  he  was  reared  and 
educated,  pa.ssing  his  life  up  to  twenty  years 
on  a  farm. 

In  February,  1888,  Mr.  Halter  came  first  to 
Akron,  where  he  formed  many  plea.«ant  ties 
during  his  residence  of  sixteen  months,  when 
he  was  employed  by  the  Goodrich  Company. 
He  then  returned  to  St.  Louis,  which  he  had 
pre\nously  visited  and  where  he  entered  the 
street  railway  servnce,  going  then  to  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  was  employed  in  the  same 
line  of  industry,  and  from  there  to  Chicago. 
In  the  la.st  named  city  he  entered  the  manu- 
fncturiiig  firm  of  Morgan  &  Wright,  .starting 


in  the  shops  and  working  up  until  within 
three  years  he  was  made  foreman  of  the  me- 
chanical molding  department,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  continued  therefor  three  years 
longer. 

In  1898,  when  Mr.  Halter  returned  to  Ak- 
ron, he  purchased  a  small  place  at  his  pres- 
ent location  and  at  first  carried  on  a  hand 
laundry.  This  he  has  developed  until  he  has 
now  one  of  the  best  equipped  laundry  plants 
in  the  city.  Mr.  Halter  is  established  in  the 
building  at  No.  637  South  Main  Street,  where 
he  has  a  frontage  of  20  by  110  feet,  with  rear 
dimensions  of  28  by  90  feet.  He  makes  use 
of  the  best  laundry  methods  known  and  has 
installed  all  kinds  of  improved  machinery. 
He  is  interested  in  other  business  enterprises 
and  is  a  director  in  the  German-American 
Building  and  Loan  Association. 

In  1894  Mr.  Halter  was  married  to  Lottie 
J.  Bernard,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  five 
children:  Lottie  L.,  Herbert  B.,  Helen,  Ger- 
trude and  Beatrice.  Mr.  Halter  and  faimily 
belong  to  St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  order  of  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus, the  Pathfinders,  and  of  the  German 
club.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  Mr. 
Halter  is  numbered  with  the  city's  successful 
citizens. 

T.  J.  STEBICK,  vice-president  of  the  I.  S. 
Myers  Company,  clothiers  and  leaders  in  this 
line  at  Akron,  was  horn  in  this  city  in  1872, 
and  is  a  son  of  George  Stebick,  who  was  born 
in  Germany  and  has  been  a  respected  resident 
of  Akron  for  more  than  thirty  years. 

T.  J.  Stebick  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  city  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years 
entered  the  employ  of  Ganyard  &  Myers,  and 
has  been  identified  with  thL^  house  ever  since. 
The  original  firm  was  succeeded  by  I.  S.  Myers 
&  Company,  and  February  17,  1904,  it  was 
incorporated  as  The  I.  S.  Myers  Company, 
the  officers  of  which  are :  I.  S.  Myers,  presi- 
dent and  manager;  T.  J.  Stebick,  vice-pres- 
ident; J.  W.  Brown,  secretary;  and  M.  Y. 
Rhodes,  treasurer. 

Mr.  Stebick  is  a  member  of  St.  Bernard's 
Catholic  Church.     He  belongs  to  the  order  of 


764 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Knights  of  Columbus  aud  to  the  Forresters. 
His  standing  both  socially  and  in  business  is 
very  high  and  he  is  justly  regarded  as  a  good 
and  representative  citizen  of  Akron. 

GERALD  S.  WORK,  department  mana- 
ger of  the  widely  known  B.  F.  Goodrich 
Company,  of  Akron,  manufactures  of  rubber 
tires,  was  born  in  this  city  in  1880,  a  son  of 
Alanson  Work.  He  was  reared  in  Akron,  bis 
literary  education  being  completed  at  St. 
Paul's  school,  Concord,  N.  H.,  and  at  Yale 
College,  where  he  spent  one  year,  leaving  the 
college  in  June,  1900.  In  the  same  year  he 
entered  the  office  of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Com- 
pany and  in  the  following  January  became 
manager  of  the  company's  Department  No.  1. 
Mr.  Work  is  a  prominent  figure  both  in  the 
business  and  social  world  of  Akron.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Akron  Club,  the  Portage 
Country  Club,  the  Walton  Fish  and  Gun  Club 
and  the  Automobile  Club  of  Akron.  Few  are 
more  ready  than  he  to  lend  their  aid  in  sup- 
port of  any  practical  movement  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  material  prosperity  and  so- 
cial elevation  of  the  community. 

ALBERT  ALLEN  wa.s  long  one  of  the 
leading  and  successful  business  men  of  iVk- 
ron.  He  was  born  March  12,  1827,  in  Cov- 
entry Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and 
was  a  son  of  Levi  and  Phebe  (Spicer)   .Mien. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Allen  had  settled  in 
Coventry  Township  in  1811  land  he  grew  up 
amid  pioneer  surroundings.  Instead  of  turn- 
ing his  attention  to  agricultural  piirsuits 
M'hen  he  reached  his  majority,  he  learned  the 
millwright's  trade  and  worked  at  the  same 
for  nine  years.  In  1856  he  was  given  the 
contract  for  converting  the  old  Perkins 
woolen  mill  into  a  flouring  mill  and  when  it 
was  completed  he  was  retained  in  (he  employ 
of  the  firm  of  Perkins  &  Company.  Later, 
in  partnership  with  Alexander  H.  Commins, 
he  bought  the  Stone  mill,  and  under  the  firm 
name  of  Commins  &  Allen  a  large  amount  of 
business  was  done.  Mr.  Commins  died  in 
1880,  leaving  his  entire  estate  in  the  hands 
of  Albert  Allen,  his  will  beins;  such  that  Mr. 


Allen  had  the  disposition  of  till  the  prop- 
erty without  bonds.  The  firm  name  of  Com- 
mins &  Allen  was  continued  until  the  busi- 
ness was  merged  into  the  F.  Schumacher 
Milling  Company,  in  1886.  Mr.  Allen  be- 
came vice-president  of  this  company  and  one 
of  its  directors  and  continued  his  interest  un- 
til his  death,  which  occurred  September  25, 
1888,  wihen  he  was  over  sixty-one  years  of 
age. 

Mr.  Allen  never  married.  His  only  sister, 
Cynthia  Allen,  cared  for  his  home,  and  young 
life  was  introduced  in  the  person  of  his  niece, 
Minnie  E.  Allen,  who  subsequently  became 
the  wife  of  Henry  M.  Stone,  now  a  resident 
of  Denver,  Colorado.  At  the  time  of  his 
death,  Mr.  Allen's  large  estate  was  shown 
and  its  wise  provisions  made  public.  To  his 
devoted  sister  was  given  a  large  portion,  while 
educational  institutions  and  religious  bodies 
were  remembered  with  the  justice  of  a  con- 
scientious man.  Like  all  other  members  of 
his  family,  he  was  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
the  Disciples  Church. 

F.  DATON  VOGAN,  of  the  prominent 
business  firm  of  Tifft  &  A^'ogan,  carriage  deal- 
ers and  also  dealers  in  all  kinds  of  agricul- 
tural implements,  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  is  num- 
bered with  the  representative  men  of  this 
place.  Mr.  Vogan  was  born  at  Princeton. 
Lawrence  County,  Pennsylvania,  March  18. 
1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  E.  and  Clarissa 
f  Allen)  Vogan. 

Joseph  E.  Vogan  was  a  native  of  Venango 
Cotmly,  Pennsylvajiia,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  a  resident  of  Newcastle.  He  w^as  a 
member  of  the  fire  department  in  that  town 
and  it  was  in  answering  a  call  of  duty  that 
ho  was  accidentally  killed.  He  was  a  stanch 
Republican,  and  for  a  number  of  years  had 
held  the  position  of  policeman  and  street  com- 
missioner. Fraternally  he  was  connected  with 
the  United  Workmen.  He  married  Clarisra 
Allen,  who  died  in  April.  1905,  when  within 
a  few  days  of  being  seventy-two  years  of  age. 
They  had  two  children,  namely:  F.  Daton 
and  Olive,  now  deceased,  who  married  Albert 
T>indsey.  of  Yotingstnwn. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


765 


F.  Daton  "\^ogan  spent  his  boj'hood  in  New- 
castle, and  then  went  to  Youngstown,  wliere 
he  learned  the  trade  of  horse-shoer,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Newcastle  and  formed 
a  partnership  with  William  Evans,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Evans  &  Vogan,  and  they  op- 
erated a  blacksmith  shop  for  some  years.  Sub- 
sequently, Mr.  Vogan  sold  out  and  in  18S1 
he  came  to  Cuyalioga  Falls  and  entered  into 
business  with  Robert  Tryon,  now  of  Akron, 
under  the  firm  naime  of  Vogan  &  Tryon. 
This  connection  lasted  several  years,  when 
Mr.  ^"ogan  bought  his  partner's  interest  and 
conducted  the  busine&s  alone  until  1885,  when 
he  added  buggy  dealing  to  his  other  busi- 
ness, continuing  to  prosper  as  formerly.  On 
January  26,  1896,  he  entered  into  partner- 
ship \\-ith  Smith  D.  Tifft,  and  together  they 
have  established  the  largest  house  of  its  kind 
in  this  .section  of  Ohio.  Both  partners  are 
capable  business  men  and  possess  the  quali- 
ties which  command  the  confidence  of  the 
buying  public. 

Mr.  Vogan  married  ]Mary  C.  Weidner, 
daughter  of  Jacob  AVeidner,  of  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  and  they  have  two  children — Florence 
M.  and  Kathryn  Ruth.  Mrs.  Vogan  is  a  de- 
voted member  of  the  ]\Iethodi.*t  Episcopal 
Church,  in  which  religious  body  Mr.  Vogan 
was  reared  by  his  parents.  Politically  he  is 
a  Republican,  but  with  him  business  comes 
first  and  he  has  found  no  time  to  accept  po- 
litical office.  He  is  a  member  of  Star  Lodge, 
No.  187,  F.  &  A.  M. 

OHIO  C.  BARBER,  president  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Akron,  was  born  at  Akron, 
April  20,  1841.  and  is  a  son  of  George  and 
Eliza  (Smith)  Barber. 

George  Barber  was  born  January  27.  1805 
in  Hartford.  Connecticut,  but  was  reared  in 
Onondaga  County,  New  York,  where  he 
learned  the  coopering  business.  When  about 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  came  to  Ohio, 
in  the  capacity  of  peddler  of  clocks,  his  main 
idea,  hon-ever,  being  to  select  a  favorable  lo- 
cation for  his  business,  and  this  he  found  at 
the  village  which  was  then  known  as  Middle- 
bury.    He  worked  as  a  cooper  until  1847,  and 


then  embarked  in  the  match  manufacturing 
business,  being  one  of  its  pioneers  in  this  ter- 
ritory. Business  facilities  were  then  far  from 
perfect  and,  although  Mr.  Barber's  enterprise 
was  eminently  successful,  he  decided  to  enter 
into  another  line  for  a  time,  and  embarked 
in  hotel-keeping.  One  year  later,  however, 
he  resumed  his  match  manufacturing,  which 
he  continued  as  long  as  he  found  it  profit- 
able. This  business  may  be  described  as  the 
nucleus  of  the  great  combination  of  capital 
now  known  as  the  Diamond  Match  Company, 
of  which  bis  .son,  Ohio  C,  is  the  president. 
On  April  1,  1835,  George  Barber  was  mar- 
ried to  Eliza  Smith,  who  was  born  at  Cantnn, 
Ohio,  January  15,  1817.  Of  their  eight  chil- 
dren, but  two  survive:  Ohio  C.  and  Mrs. 
John  K.  Robinson.  The  death  of  Mr.  Barber 
occurred  April  12,  1879. 

Ohio  C.  Barber  as  early  as  the  age  of  six- 
teen years  became  associated  unth  his  father 
in  the  match  business,  in  1862  assuming  en- 
tire management.  In  1868  the  busina«s  was 
organized  as  the  Barber  Match  Company, 
with  George  Barber  as  president,  Ohio  C.  Bar- 
ber as  secretary  and  treasurer  and  .John  K. 
Robinson  as  general  agent.  In  1881  the 
great  corporation  known  as  the  Diamond 
Match  Company  came  into  existence,  through 
the  combination  of  twenty-eight  match  com- 
panies, its  capital  then  "  being  $6,000,000. 
Ohio  C.  Barber  was  the  first  vice  president 
and  was  made  president  in  1888.  Mr.  Barber 
has  been  and  still  is  deeply  interested  in  many- 
great  enterprises,  representing  wide  and  varied 
interests.  He  has  always  been  one  of  the 
most  enterpri,sing  citizens  of  Akron,  and.  with 
all  his  vast  outside  interests,  has  ne^"er  been 
indifferent  to  her  welfare.  On  October  10, 
1865,  Mr.  Barber  wa-;  married  to  Laura  L. 
Brown,  and  they  have  had  two  children,  one 
of  whom,  Anna  Laura,  .still  survives. 

HORACE  HUNSTCKER,  treasurer  of  the 
Pouchot-Hunsicker  Company,  one  of  Akron's 
large  business  enterprises,  was  bom  at  Ak- 
ron, Ohio,  in  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
Jacob  Hunsicker.  a  carpenter  and  builder, 
who  came,  in  1862.  to  Akron,  where  he  died 


766 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


in  1904.  Horace  Hunsicker  was  reared  and 
educated  at  Akron  and  in  boyhood  started  to 
learn  the  first  principles  of  the  carpenter's 
trade,  wliich,  however,  he  never  completed. 
After  spending  several  seasons  on  the  farm, 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  firm  of  Jahamt 
&  Weber,  where  he  continued  for  eight  years. 
When  the  company  of  Morgan  &  Pouchot 
was  organized,  he  became  a  member  of  that 
firm,  which  was  succeeded  by  the  Pouchot- 
Hunsicker  Company.  He  has  been  treasurer 
of  this  organization  ever  since  he  became  a 
member  of  the  original  firm.  His  business 
acumen  and  enterprising  methods  have  been 
just  so  many  assets  to  the  concern.  Person- 
ally, he  is  a  man  of  honorable  life  and  of 
high  social  standing. 

On  March  4,  1896.  Mr.  Hunsicker  was 
married  to  Flora  E.  Yost,  of  Akron,  and 
they  have  two  children — Edna  Rebecca  and 
Sarah  Alberta.  Mr.  Hunsicker  is  a  member 
of  Grace  Reformed  Church.  Fratemally,  he 
is  a  Mason. 

DAVID  C.  LONG,  a  general  farmer  and 
dairyman,  who  resides  on  his  first-class  farm 
of  forty-four  acres,  which  is  situated  near 
Fairlawn,  in  Portage  Township,  came  to 
Summit  County  in  1867.  He  was  born  in 
Clearfield  County,  Pennsylvania,  February  8, 
1849,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Magdalena 
(Arnold)   Long. 

David  C.  Long  spent  his  boyhood  in  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  was  partly  educated,  and 
he  attended  a  select  school  in  Green  Town- 
ship, after  reaching  Summit  Coimty,  his  par- 
ents living  there  for  one  year.  His  father 
then  purchased  the  farm  on  which  Mr.  Long 
resides,  moving  onto  it  in  1873.  The  father 
died  on  this  farm  in  September,  1892,  his 
wife  having  passed  away  in  1874.  They  had 
eleven  children,  of  whom  David  C.  was  the 
seventh  son. 

In  1879  David  C.  Long  was  married  to 
Lydia  Staver,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Elias 
Staver,  an  Evangelical  minister  located  at 
Greensburg.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Long  have  had 
four  children:  Ralph,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  thirteen  years;  Leo,  residing  at  Akron,  who 


married  Clai'a  Robinett,  and  Harry  and 
George,  both  valuable  assistants  to  their 
father.  Mr.  Long  and  his  family  belong  to 
the  West  Side  Congregational  Church  at  Ak- 
ron. He  takes  an  active  interest  in  public 
matters  and  leu'ds  has  aid  and  influence  in 
promoting  the  best  interests  of  the  township 
of  which  he  is  a  representative  citizen.  In 
politics  a  Republican,  Mr.  Long  served  as  as- 
sessor of  Portage  Township  for  four  years  and 
at  present  is  one  of  the  township  trustees. 

JOHN  W.  WALSH,  whose  fine  estate  of 
ninety-five  acres  can  scarcely  be  excelled  in 
Summit  County  for  beauty  of  location  or  ex- 
tensive improvements,  has  here  made  stock- 
raising  a  science  and  farming  a  hobby.  Mr. 
Walsh  was  born  in  Cuyahoga  Falls  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  August  18, 
1854,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Rose  (Car- 
lin)  Walsh. 

William  Walsh  was  born  in  County  Cork. 
Ireland,  came  to  America  in  1848,  and  died 
at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio,  March  28.  1904, 
aged  seventy-six  years.  In  Ireland  he  learned 
the  trade  of  shoemaker,  which  he  intended 
to  follow  after  locating  in  the  United  States, 
but  circumstances  diverted  him  to  the  paper- 
making  industry,  which  he  followed  for  some 
forty  years  at  the  Falls,  being  an  active  man 
lip  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  married 
Rose  Carlin,  whom  he  survived,  her  death 
taking  place  January  23,  1901,  when  she  had 
attained  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  They 
had  eight  children,  naanely:  Mary,  who 
married  Jacob  Donaldson,  residing  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls;  John  W..  Richard  E.,  who  is  de- 
ceased; Rose  A.,  residing  with  her  brother, 
John  W. ;  Thomas  F.,  Isabelle  A.,  deceased; 
Cornelius  M.,  who  is  connected  with  the 
WaLsh  Milling  Company,  and  Margaret  E., 
residing  with  her  brother,  John  W.  The 
family  was  reared  in  the  Roman  Catholic 
faith. 

John  W.  Walsh  obtained  his  education  in 
the  common  and  High  Schools  of  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  after  which  he  spent  seven  years  in  the 
Hanford  Brothers'  paper  mills.  At  the  end 
of  thi«  time  he  entered  the  regiilar  army,  be- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


coining  a  member  of  Company  E,  Second 
U.  S.  Infantry.  He  remained  in  the  service 
for  five  years,  being  successively  under  the 
command  of  General  Miles,  General  Wheaton 
and  General  Howard.  He  reached  Idaho,  in 
August,  1877,  and  for  one  year  was  engaged 
in  the  campaign  against  the  Nez  Perce  In- 
dians. After  leaving  the  army  Mr.  AVaJsh 
continued  to  live  in  the  West  for  five  years 
more.  He  went  to  Washington  and  there  em- 
barked in  a  saw-mill  business  which  he  ex- 
panded into  a  flourishing  industry,  requiring 
him  to  employ  a  force  of  twenty  men.  This 
business  he  continued  until  1889,  when  his 
thoughts  turned  to  the  East  and  to  the  sec- 
tion in  which  he  was  born,  resulting  in  his 
coming  back  to  look  over  the  business  situa- 
tion here.  He  has  never  since  left  this  fa- 
vored part  of  the  country. 

Shortly  after  his  return  to  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
Mr.  Walsh  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Cuy- 
ahoga Paper  Company,  which  later  became 
the  Walsh  Paper  Company,  and  he  continued 
to  manage  this  business  until  May  19,  1902. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  purchased  the  Howe 
farm,  his  present  estate,  and  resided  in  the 
old  homestead  until  the  completion  of  his 
magnificent  residence,  which,  without  doubt, 
is  the  finest  rural  home  in  Summit  County. 
The  building  of  this  home  was  commenced 
in  1899  and  -was  completed  in  1901.  It  is 
solidly  constructed  of  brick  and  its  stately  ex- 
terior is  matched  by  its  fine  interior  finish 
and  rich  furnishings.  Every  modem  com-' 
fort  and  convenience  made  po.ssible  by  the 
use  of  money  and  the  exercise  of  good  taste, 
have  been  introduced  to  make  this  a  home  in 
every  sense  of  the  word.  The  house  has  a 
beautiful  setting,  including  a  wide,  grassy 
lawn,  noble  shade  trees  and  flowering  shrubs. 
There  is  about  the  entire  place  a  harmony 
of  details  that  is  pleasant  to  contemplate  and 
must  have  been  a  joy  to  plan. 

On  this  beautiful  farm  is  to  be  found  a 
herd  of  some  of  the  finest  cattle  in  Summit 
County.  They  include  Aberdeen,  Angus  and 
Holstein,  with  a  few  Jerseys.  Mr.  Walsh 
owns  a  Polled-An.gus  bull,  a  splendid  speci- 
men, which  took  the  prize  at  the  Sunamit 


County  fair  in  1905.  He  makes  farming 
only  a  side  issue,  enjoying  it  more  as  a  hobby 
than  as  an  occupation  for  profit.  He  has  two 
silos  and  raises  his  own  feed.  Mr.  Walsh  here 
also  is  able  to  indulge  his  love  of  fine  dogs 
and  owns  a  number  of  blooded  Shepherd  and 
French  bull  dogs,  of  the  test  strains.  It  is 
scarcely  necessary  to  add,  in  a  work  which 
belongs  especially  to  a  section  in  which  he  is 
.-o  well  known,  that  Mr.  Walsh  is  a  genial, 
companionable  man,  big-hearted  and  gener- 
ous, benevolent  and  charitable.  Although  he 
is  an  admirer  and  strong  supporter  of  the 
present  Chief  Executive  of  the  Nation,  he  was 
reared  a  Democrat  and  still  adheres  to  the 
old  principles  of  that  party.  He  is  a  mem- 
})er  of  St.  Joseph'.*  Catholic  Church  of  Cuya- 
hoga Falls. 

WILLIAM  .M.  METZLER,  assistant  gen- 
eral .superintendent  of  the  Diamond  Rubber 
(,^ompany,  at-  Akron,  was  l)orn  in  this  city 
in  1860,  and  is  a  .son  of  the  late  Chri,stnpher 
Metzler,  who  was  born  in  German^^  and  who 
came  to  Akron  in  1840.  For  a  number  of 
years  Christopher  Metzler  was  turnkey  at  the 
Summit  County  Jail,  and  for  eighteen  years 
he  was  a  mail  carrier.  He  was  a  widely  re- 
spected citizen.     His  death  occurred  in  1881. 

After  finishing  school  William  M.  Metzler, 
with  the  healthy  sentiment  which  inspires 
American  youths  to  seek  to  become  self-sup- 
]>orting,  entered  the  Merrill  Pottery  Works, 
where  he  continued  one  year.  He  then  was 
vnth  the  Baker  McMillan  Company  for  three 
years,  going  from  their  employ  to  that  of 
the  Buckeye  Mower  &  Reaper  Works,  where 
he  remained  for  three  years.  He  then  spent 
seven  years  with  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Com- 
pany. For  the  five  following  years  he  was 
wiih  the  Eastern  Rubber  Company,  at  Tren- 
ton, New  Jersey,  as  superintendent,  and  then 
returned  to  Akron,  where  he  became  assistant 
superintendent  of  the  Diamond  Rubber  Com- 
pany, a  po.sition  he  held  until  1904,  when  he 
was  advanced  to  assistant  general  superin- 
tendent. Mr.  Metzler  has  climbed  to  his  pres- 
ent responsible  position  step  by  step,  show- 
ing industrs'  and  capacity  at  every  point,  and 


768 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


is  a  typical  successful  business  man  of  the 
day,  one  well  up  in  technical  knowledge  as 
well  as  trained  along  executive  lines.  He  has 
other  business  interests  and  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Northwestern  Rubber  Company,  of 
Liverpool,   England. 

In  1881  Mr.  Metzler  married  Rosa  Jones, 
who  was  born  at  Kent,  Ohio,  and  they  have 
four  children,  namely;  David  A.,  who  is 
assistant  superintendent  of  the  Alkali  Rub- 
ber Company;  William  J.,  who  is  general 
foreman  of  the  hose  room  of  the  Diamond 
Rubber  Compajiy;  Mary,  who  is  a  student  in 
the  Akron  High  School,  and  Ethel,  who  is  a 
.student  in  the  Sacred  Heart  Academy.  Mr. 
Metzler  and  family  belong  to  St.  Vincent's 
Catholic  Church.  His  fraternal  associations 
are  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  the 
Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Association. 

HARRY  F.  BLACKBURN,  assistant  cash- 
ier of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Akron, 
was  born  in  Hudson,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
in  1871,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Black- 
burn, who  located  at  Hudson  in  1856,  where 
he  now  lives  a  retired  life.  His  former  occu- 
paition  was  farming. 

Harry  F.  Blackburn  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  section,  and  in  1889  came 
to  Akron,  where  he  was  engaged  as  book- 
keeper in  the  roofing  business  with  the  ficm 
of  Akers  &  Harpham  until  1893,  when  lie 
entered  the  First  National  Bank  at  Akron, 
as  a  clerk.  His  faithfulness  and  fidelity  soon 
caused  advancement  and  by  1902  he  was 
made  assistant  cashier  of  this  firmly  estab- 
lished financial  institution.  He  has  other 
busine.ss  connections,  also  being  treasurer  of 
the  Burt.  Manufacturing  Company,  and  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  Akron  Manufactur- 
ing Company. 

Mr.  Blackburn  enlisted  in  1893  in  Com- 
pany B,  Eighth  Regiment,  Ohio  National 
Guards,  and  was  promoted  from  the  position 
of  a  private  through  all  the  ranks  to  a  cap- 
taincy. At  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  with 
Spain,  he  went  out  as  first  lieutenant  of  Com- 
pany B,  being  mustered  in  May  13,  1898,  at 
Columbus,    from    which    point   the   regiment 


was  sent  to  Falls  Church,  Virginia,  and  on 
July  4th  following  left  for  New  York  city. 
There  the  Eighth  Regiment  took  transports 
for  Cuba,  reaching  the  island  in  time  to  take 
part  in  the  closing  up  of  the  Santiago  cam- 
paign. After  three  weeks  in  Cuba,  during 
which  period  the  company  showed  the  valor 
justly  attributed  to  American  soldiers,  it  was 
tran.sported  to  Montauk  Point,  reaching  there 
on  August  26th.  Mr.  Blackburn  was  given 
a  furlough  home  and  was  mustered  out  of 
the  service  November  21,  1898.  Subse- 
quently he  was  appointed  regimental  adju- 
tant and  held  this  rank  until  he  retired  quite 
recently,  having  no  cause  to  feel  anything 
)3ut  pride  in  his  military  record. 

In  1899  Mr.  Blackburn  was  married  to 
Clara  Schaeffer,  who  is  a  daughter  of  George 
(t.  Schaeffer,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  four 
children — Grace  A.,  Metta  Aleen,  Helen  and 
Harryette.  With  his  family  Mr.  Blackburn 
is  connected  with  Trinity  Lutheran  Church. 
Mr.  Blackburn  is  master  of  Adoniram  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Akron,  and  is  captain  gen- 
eral of  Akron  Commandery.  He  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter,  Council 
and  Commandery  at  Akron,  and  with  Lake 
Erie  Consistory  and  Alkoran  Shrine,  at  Cleve- 
land. He  belongs  also  to  the  Knights  of 
Pythias. 

CHARLES  BOUTON,  of  the  firm  of 
Charles  Bouton  &  Son,  proprietors  of  the 
Champion  Evaporator  Company,  manufac- 
turers of  the  Champion  Evaporator  for  ma- 
ple, sorghum,  cider  and  fruit  jellies  and 
sugar-makers'  supplies,  at  Hudson,  was  born 
at  Concord,  Lake  County,  Ohio.  December 
3.  1829,  and  is  a  son  of  Seth  and  Sallie 
(Poole)   Bouton. 

The  Bouton  family  is  of  French  extraction 
and  its  founders  in  America  came  to  the 
United  States  with  General  Ivafayette.  during 
the  Revolutionary  War.  Seth  Bouton  was 
bom  in  the  State  of  New  York  and  there  mar- 
ried Sallie  Poole,  who  came  of  English  an- 
cestors. Their  surviving  children  are: 
Charles,  Lyman  H.,  residing  at  Perry,  Jeffer- 
son   County,   Kansas;   .Tane,   who   married   a 


CHARLES  Tl'TTLE  PARKS 


AND    EEPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


771 


Mr.  Hawkins,  and  Elizabeth,  who  married  a 
Mr.  McCloughry,  both  residing  at  Blue  Is- 
land, Illinois.  In  1836,  Seth  Bouton  moved 
to  Boston  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
and  built  a  log  house  in  the  woods  between 
Hudson  and  Peninsula.  Later  he  and  wife 
removed  to  Blue  Island,  Illinois,  where  both 
died. 

Charles  Bouton  was  seven  years  of  age 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Summit 
County,  and  he  assisted  his  father  to  clear 
up  the  farm,  to  the  extent  of  his  strength, 
remaining  at  home  until  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age.  .  He  then  went  to  live  with 
Lawson  Waterman,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  twenty-two  years  of  age,  with  Mr.  AVat- 
erman  engaging  in  the  construction  of  canal 
boats.  When  he  was  nineteen  years  old  he 
was  capable  of  building  boats  himself.  AVhen 
the  excitement  spread  through  the  country  on 
account  of  the  discovery  of  large  deposits  of 
gold  in  California,  Mr.  Bouton  made  the  trip 
westward  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
but  returned  in  1854,  overcome  by  home- 
sickness. He  married  soon  after  and  re- 
sumed boat  building  at  Peninsula.  Later  he 
bought  a  canal  boat  and  engaged  in  boat- 
ing for  five  years.  He  then  engaged  with 
his  father-in-law  in  running  a  dry  dock  and 
boatrbuilding,  under  the  firm  name  of  John- 
son &  Bouton — a  business  that  flouri.shed  un- 
til 1873,  Mr.  Bouton  having  continued  it 
alone  from  1866,  when  his  father-in-law  died. 

On  April  15,  1874,  Mr.  Bouton  came  to 
Hudson  and  bought  the  old  Mansion  House 
and  also  started  a  livery  business,  conducting 
the  hotel  untiil  1883  and  the  livery  business 
until  1886.  In  this  year  he  acquired  a 
financial  interest  in  the  business  of  G.  H. 
Grim  &  Company,  which  had  commenced 
the  manufacture  of  evaporators  some  years 
previously,  and  in  1888  the  business  was  in- 
corporated as  the  G.  H.  Grim  Manufacturing 
Company  and  was  so  conducted  until  Mr. 
Bouton  purchased,  in  1895.  Since  then  he 
ha?  operated  the  business  under  its  present 
style.  Rebuilding  and  improvement  of  the 
plant  was  made  in  1905,  and  a  large  amount 
of  business  is  carried  on,  the  territorv  extend- 


ing from  Central  New  York  through  a  large 
part  of  the  West. 

Mr.  Bouton  served  as  township  assessor. 

On  April  5,  1854,  Mr.  Bouton  was  mar- 
ried to  Helen  A.  Johnson,  who  was  born  at 
Boston  Village,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and 
who  died  May  29,  1872.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Henry  Johnson,  who  was  long  a  prominent 
man  in  this  section.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren :  Lillian,  Lawson  W.  and  Clarence  R. 
Lillian,  now  deceased,  married  R.  K.  Pelton, 
of  Cleveland,  and  they  had  two  children — 
Mrs.  Helen  Williams,  who  has  one  daugh- 
ter, Ruth,  and  Roy.  Lawson  W.  died  at  Gal- 
veston, Texas,  in  1904,  and  is  buried  with  his 
mother,  at  Peninsula.  Clarence  R.,  who  is 
associated  with  his  father  in  business,  mar- 
ried Oma  Coyle  and  has  one  child — Dar- 
lene.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Hudson  Vil- 
lage School  Board. 

Charles  Bouton  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  has 
served  both  as  township  trustee  of  Boston 
Township  and  as  a  member  of  the  School 
Board.  He  belongs  to  Hudson  Lodge,  No. 
510,  F.  &  A.  M.,  his  son  being  also  identified 
with  the  same  body. 

CHARLES  TUTTLE  PARKS,  funeral  di- 
rector, located  at  No.  17  High  Street,  Akron, 
also  official  undertaker  for  the  Harrison 
Burial  Association  of  Akron,  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial men  of  this  city.  He  is  a  survivor  of 
the  great  Civil  War,  in  which  he  served  for 
four  years.  Mr.  Parks  was  born  October  27, 
1844,  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  a  son  of 
George  and  Ruth  (Tuttle)  Parks.  He  was 
only  a  schoolboy  when  he  answered  the  call 
for  soldiers  to  suppress  the  Rebellion,  enlist- 
ing April  27,  1861,  in  Company  C,  16th  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which  he  served  four 
months.  When  this  regiment  went  out  it  was 
generally  believed  that  a  few  months  would 
.«ee  the  end  of  the  war,  but  this  hope  was  soon 
dispelled,  and  after  the  close  of  his  first  term 
of  service.  Mr.  Parks  felt  it  his  duty  to  re-enter 
the  ranks  and  continue  his  service  in  behalf 
of  the  Union.  He  was  a  member  of  Com- 
pany H,  16th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  for 
over  three  vears,  making  a  total  of  four  vears 


HISTORY    OF    SUMIMIT    COUNTY 


of  army  service.  He  bears  a  token  of  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg  in  the  absence  of  a  fin- 
ger of  his  right  hand. 

After  returning  from  the  army,  Mr.  Parks 
engaged  for  some  seven  years  in  a  lumber 
business  at  Wooster,  Ohio.  In  1874  he  opened 
an  undertaking  establishment  at  Wooster, 
where  he  remained  until  1880.  He  then  came 
to  Akron,  and  was  here  connected  with  the 
Buckeye  works  for  eight  years.  Subsequently 
he  took  a  complete  course  in  the  embalming 
department  of  the  Western  Reserve  Univer- 
sity at  Cleveland,  and  then  resumed  undertak- 
ing at  Akron.  He  has  a  modern,  well- 
equipped  establishment  and  has  gained  an 
excellent  reputation  in  his  line  of  business. 

The  Harrison  Burial  Association  of  Akron, 
of  which  Mr.  Parks  is  official  undertaker,  has 
owned  its  burial  grounds  for  the  past  .'ix 
years.  The  president  of  the  association  is 
John  Sowers,  county  recorder;  vice-president 
is  B.  F.  Clark,  ex-county  recorder,  and  its 
secretary  and  treasurer  is  E.  J.  Jenkins.  The 
organization  has  a  large  membership  and 
commands  the  confidence  of  the  general  pub- 
lic. As  official  undertaker  Mr.  Parks  gives 
ambulance  service  both  day  and  night. 

Mr.  Parks  was  married  in  1865  to  Mar- 
garet Curry,  of  Wooster,  who  died  in  1891. 
He  was  married  (second)  in  1893  to  Leora 
Allyn,  of  Akron.  Mrs.  Parks  is  also  a  gradu- 
ated embalmer,  probably  the  only  one  of  her 
sex  in  this  vicinity  to  have  taken  a  course  of 
this  kind.  Her  husband  finds  her  a  valuable 
assistant.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parks  reside  at  No. 
200  Cole  Avenue.  Politically  Mr.  Parks  is 
identified  with  the  Republican  party.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias.  Odd  Fel- 
low, and  Woodman. 

A.  H.  MARKS,  who,  as  vice  president  and 
superintendent  of  the  Diamond  Rubber 
Company,  occupies  a  very  prominent  place 
in  the  business  world  at  Akron,  belongs  to 
a  rather  notable  body  of  young  men  of  af- 
fairs, who  are  prominent  in  a  number  of  the 
great  indu'tries  of  this  city.  Mr.  Marks  was 
born  in  1874,  at  Lynn,  Massachusetts. 

After  completing  the  High  School  course 


at  Lynn,  Mr.  Marks  entered  Harvard  Col- 
lege. Later  he  became  associated  with  the 
Boston  Wire  Hose  and  Rubber  Company, 
with  whom  he  remained  for  two  years  as  as- 
sistant chemist.  For  one  year  subsequently 
he  was  with  the  Revere  Rubber  Company, 
at  Chelsea,  Massachusetts,  as  chief  chemist, 
leaving  there  to  come  to  Akron  as  vice  presi- 
dent and  superintendent  of  the  Diamond 
Rubber  Company.  He  is  identified  mth 
other  rubber  interests,  being  president  of  and 
a  director  in  the  Alkali  Rubber  Company, 
occupying  also  the  same  relations  with  the 
Northwestern  Rubber  Company,  of  Liverpool, 
England,  and  also  with  the  Pan-American 
Crude  Rubber  Company. 

In  October,  1896,  Mr.  Marks  was  married 
to  Florence  B.  Whitney,  and  they  have  one 
child.  Robert  Whitney.  Mr,  and  Mrs.  Marks 
belong  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  is  connected  with  a  number  of  social  or- 
ganizations, among  them  being  the  Portage 
Country  Club,  of  Akron;  the  Union  Club, 
of  Cleveland ;  the  Hermit  Club,  of  Cleveland, 
and  the  Eastern  Yacht  Club,  of  Marblehead, 
Massachusetts.     Fraternally,  he  is  a  Mason. 

ALBERT  E.  ROACH,  who  fills  the  im- 
portant office  of  paymaster  for  the  B.  F.  Good- 
rich Company,  of  Akron,  has  been  a  resident 
of  this  city  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury and  is  a  well-known  and  highly  regarded 
citizen.  He  was  born  at  Twinsburg,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Moses  N. 
Roach.  The  Roach  family  came  to  Ohio 
from  Vermont  in  the  person  of  James  Roaoh, 
grandfather  of  Albert  E.,  and  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  at  Twinsburg.  Moses  N. 
Roach  was  born  in  1829.  at  Twinsburg,  where 
he  died  in  1886,  having  spent  almost  his 
whole  life  at  that  place. 

Albert  E.  Roach  was  reared  at  Twinsburg, 
attended  Bissell  Institute,  and  took  a  course 
at  the  Western  Reserve  Seminary,  at  West 
Farmingfon,  after  which  he  went  into  the 
railroad  business.  For  ten  years  he  was  con- 
nected vnth  the  Valley  Railroad,  and  for  nine 
years  with  the  C.  A.  &  C.  Railroad.  In  1900 
he  entered  the  office  of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


Company  in  his  present  capacity,  which  is 
one  of  great  responsibility,  entailing  the  ac- 
curate handling  of  large  sums  of  money  for 
the  army  of  employes,  incidentally  adding 
greatly  to  the  business  of  Akron  and  to  the 
comfort  of  many  of  her  citizens. 

On  May  13,  1885,  Mr.  Roach  was  married 
to  Agnes  M.  Meikle,  the  ceremony  taking 
place  at  Unadilla,  Nebraska.  They  have  three 
children— Ethel  M.,  Elizabeth  M.  and  Al- 
berta. Mr.  Roach  and  family  are  affiliated 
with  the  Universalist  Church.  For  the  past 
fifteen  years  Mr.  Roach  has  been  secretary  of 
Akron  Lodge,  No.  83,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  be- 
longs also  to  the  Chapter  and  Council  at  Ak- 
ron. His  social  relations  are  with  the  Ma- 
sonic Club  and  he  was  one  of  the  promoters 
of  the  Portage  Path  Canoe  Club. 

CHARLES  A.  WEIDNER.  purchasing 
agent  of  the  Falls  Rivet  and  Machine  Com- 
pany, at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  has  been  identified 
■with  this  important  industry  for  many  years. 
Mr.  Weidner  was  born  at  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  June  29,  1857,  and 
is  a  son  of  Jacob  F.  and  Caroline  (Hess) 
Weidner. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Weidner  was  born  in 
Wertemberg,  G«rmany,  January  18,  1827. 
and  was  only  eight  days  old  when  he  was 
bereft  of  his  mother.  He  was  reared  under 
the  careful  but  strict  super\'ision  of  his  father 
and  was  taught  the  trade  of  cooper.  In  1849 
he  emigrated  to  America,  and  after  spending 
one  year  in  Cleveland,  came  to  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  in  March,  1850.  Here  he  went  into  a 
cooperage  business  which,  during  the  Civil 
War,  was  a  very  thriving  one,  and  which  he 
carried  on  as  long  as  it  was  profitable,  retiring 
some  years  prior  to  his  death,  December  8, 
1900.  He  was  active  at  one  time  in  politics 
and  served  on  the  City  Council.  On  August 
9,  1853,  he  was  married  to  Catherine  Anna 
Hess,  at  Vermillion,  Ohio,  who  was  bom  in 
Hessen,  Germany,  July  13,  1832,  and  was 
brought  to  America  by  her  parents  when  four 
years  old.  There  were  five  children  born  to 
this  marriage,  namely:  Elizabeth,  now  de- 
ceased, who  was  the  wife  of  E.  E.  Pierce,  of 


New  Brighton,  Pennsylvania;  Charles  A., 
whose  name  begins  this  sketch ;  Mary  C,  who 
married  F.  D.  Vogan,  residing  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls;  George  F.,  residing  at  Columbus,  and 
Nellie  G.,  who  married  C.  E.  Wilsdorf,  resid- 
ing at  Cleveland.  The  mother  of  this  family 
died  April  8,  1905.  Both  she  and  husband 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  of  which  he  was  treasurer  for  many 
years. 

Charles  A.  Weidner  was  educated  in  the 
common  and  High  Schools  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls.  In  1875  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Falls  Rivet  Company,  where  he  remained 
about  ten  years,  and  then  for  several  years 
was  otherwise  engaged,  in  1887  re-entering 
the  employ  of  the  same  company.  For  the 
past  fourteen  years,  Mr.  Weidner  has  been 
connected  with  the  offices  of  this  company, 
and  for  the  past  three  years  he  has  been  pur- 
chasing agent,  a  position  which  carries  with 
it  large  responsibilities,  and  the  holding  of 
which  indicates  the  high  degree  of  confidence 
placed  in  him  by  his  employers. 

Mr.  Weidner  married  Elae  C.  Smith,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  William  M.  Smith,  of  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  and  they  have  one  son,  Harry 
C.  In  politics  Mr.  AVeidner  is  a  Republican, 
and  for  ten  years  he  served  as  city  clerk. 

E.  A.  LAWTON,  superintendent  of  the 
Akron  Water  Works  Company,  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  city  for  a  period  covering 
forty  years.  He  is  of  New  England  birth, 
born  at  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts,  Septem- 
ber 30,  1836,  and  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  place.  WTien  nineteen  years  of 
age  Mr.  Lawton  went  to  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
where  he  secured  work  as  a  machinist  and 
lake  engineer.  He  remained  in  that  city  for 
about  twelve  years,  coming  then  to  Akron  and 
entering  the  employ  of  the  Brewster  Coal 
Company  as  locomotive  engineer,  and  thus 
continuing  for  thirteen  years.  In  1880,  he 
became  superintendent  and  engineer  of  the 
Akron  Water  Works  Company,  a  responsible 
position  in  which  he  has  continued  until  the 
present  time.  Mr.  Lawton  is  a  ver\'  capable 
man  in  his  line.    Since  locating  at  Akron  he 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


has  sought  to  fulfil  the  duties  of  a  good  citi- 
zen and  has  worked  for  improvements  of  a 
public  nature,  aiming  to  advance  the  general 
welfare.  For  four  yeai's  he  was  a  member  of 
the  City  Council  from  the  Fifth  Ward. 

At  Cleveland,  Ohio,  Mr.  Lawton  was  mai'- 
ried  to  Mary  Cox,  who  died  in  1894.  The 
surviving  children  are  the  following:  Han- 
nah Ida,  residing  at  home;  Alfred,  who  is  a 
locomotive  engineer  employed  on  the  Pan- 
ama Canal ;  Emma,  who  is  the  wife  of  John 
Engelhardt,  of  Atlanta,  Georgia;  Edward, 
who  is  a  member  of  the  Cleveland  Fire  De- 
partment; Lottie,  who  married  John  Dona- 
hue, residing  in  Chicago;  Charles,  residing  at 
Akron,  and  Abbie,  who  married  John  Metz- 
ler,  in  the  employ  of  the  Diamond  Rubber 
Company.  Mr.  Lawton  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

FRED  E.  SMITH,  president  of  the  South 
Akron  Banking  Company,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Akron  for  the  past  thirty  years,  and 
is  prominently  identified  with  many  of  her 
leading  interests.  He  was  born  in  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  September  4,  1857,  came  to 
Akron  in  1877,  and  in  point  of  service  is 
the  oldest  banker  still  active  in  the  business 
in  this  city. 

Mr.  Smith  was  reared  in  Portage  County 
through  boyhood  and  attended  the  common 
schools  and  later  the  Akron  schools  and  Hi- 
ram College.  When  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  started  out  on  the  road  as  salesman  and 
collector  for  a  Cleveland  firm,  traveling  for 
three  years  over  Ohio  and  the  northea.stern 
States.  He  then  came  to  Akron,  where  he 
was  connected  with  a  millinery  store  for  three 
months,  and  then  was  engaged  for  three  years 
in  a  real  estate  and  insurance  business  with 
John  H.  Alible.  Since  then  Mr.  Smith  has 
been  continuously  connected  with  the  bank- 
ing business.  For  thirteen  years  he  was  vice 
president  and  cashier  of  the  Second  National 
Bank.  The  South  Akron  Bank  was  organized 
in  May,  1906,  and  Mr.  Smith  has  been  its 
president  since.  The  banking  institutions  of 
Akron  have  an  established  reputation 
tbrnughont  the  Stale,  and  the  South  Akron 


Bank  is  no  exception,  Mr.  Smith's  name  lend- 
ing it  assurance  of  stability  and  fidelity.  On 
account  of  the  confidence  felt  by  his  fellow- 
citiizens,  he  is  frequently  called  upon  to  act 
as  receiver,  and  satisfactorily  performed  the 
duties  of  this  position  for  the  Aultman-Mil- 
ler  and  other  companies. 

In  1882,  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Addie 
E.  Tuttle,  w^ho  is  a  daughter  of  Seth  Tuttle, 
who,  for  forty  years  was  identified  with  the 
Taplen  Rice  Stove  and  Furnace  Company. 
^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  three  children,  viz: 
Jessie  M.,  who  is  the  wife  of  H.  M.  Eaton, 
residing  at  Akron,  and  Howard  R.  and  Ger- 
trude M.,  who  are  students  in  the  Akron 
High  School. 

Mr.  Smith  belongs  to  numerous  fraternal, 
benevolent  and  business  organizations,  and 
has  been  frequently  elected  treasurer  of  the 
same.  He  takes  a  patriot's  interest  in  public 
affairs  and  has  often  been  honored  by  elec- 
tion to  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility. 
He  has  served  both  as  city  treasurer  and  a'^ 
a  member  of  the  board  of  Education,  also  as 
county  treasurer.  Personally,  he  is  a  man 
held  in  very  high  esteem.  His  public  spirit 
has  helped  the  city  and  his  benevolence  has 
frequently  prompted  him  to  extend  a  help- 
ing hand  to  those  less  fortunate  than  him- 
self. 

FRED  G.  ZELLER,  a  prominent  stock 
farmer  of  Northampton  Township,  where  he 
owns  186  acres  of  land,  and  has  150  under 
cultivation,  was  born  at  Fremont,  Ohio,  No- 
vember 19,  1881,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and 
Lenora  (Sharp)  Zeller. 

George  Zeller,  residing  on  a  fine  farm  of 
ninety-five  acres,  in  Portage  Township,  was 
born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  March  19,  1852, 
and  is  a  son  of  AVilliam  Zeller,  who  came  to 
Akron,  Summit  County,  in  1860.  He  was 
a  saddler  by  trade  and  followed  this  for  a 
numbpT  of  years  in  both  Greentown  and 
Ifniontown,  Ohio.  He  married  a  daughter 
of  William  Wise,  of  Stark  County,  and  she 
died  in  1888,  aged  sixty-two  years.  AVilliam 
Zeller  died  March  2.  1907.  aged  eighty-two 
years.    He  had  acquired  considerable  property 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


and  presented  his  grandson,  Fred  G.,  with 
his  farm,  when  the  latter  was  twenty  years  of 
age.  George  Zeller  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  old  and 
then  entered  the  Buckeye  shops  at  Akron, 
where  he  worked  for  some  years  as  a  steam- 
fitter.  In  1895  he  resumed  farming,  pur- 
chasing the  property  on  which  he  has  resided 
ever  since.  In  1896  his  barn  was  destroyed 
by  fire,  and  in  1897  he  replaced  it  by  one 
of  the  most  substantial  structures  in  Portage 
Township,  with  dimensions  of  70  by  40  feet, 
with  18-foot  posts.  George  Zeller  carries  on 
a  general  farming  line,  raising  wheat,  corn 
and  oats,  keeps  a  dozen  head  of  cattle  and 
ships  his  milk  to  Akron.  Formerly  he  raised 
hogs  quite  extensively,  but  does  not  take 
much  interest  in  this  industry-  at  present. 

George  Zeller  married  Lenora  Sharp,  of 
Akron,  and  they  have  had  three  children,  the 
two  survivors  being:  Fred  G.  and  Clara,  the 
latter  residing  at  home.  Mr.  Zeller,  like  hi.-: 
father,  has  been  a  supporter  of  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party,  since  he  reached 
maturity. 

Fred  G.  Zeller  was  educated  in  the  schools 
at  Akron.  He  has  been  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  ever  since  he  took  possession 
of  his  farm,  which  he  operated  first  as  a  dairy 
farm.  He  realized,  however,  that  there  was 
more  money  to  be  made  on  his  land  in  stock- 
raising  and  now  gives  the  larger  part  of  hi^ 
attention  to  buying  calves,  pigs  and  sheep, 
which  he  fattens  for  market.  His  main 
crops  are  hay,  oats,  com  and  wheat.  He  is 
an  enterprising  young  man  with  modem 
ideas  and  progressive  methods  and  occupies 
a  recognized  position  among  the  agricultur- 
ists of  his  section. 

Mr.  Zeller  married  Emma  Gartley,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  Gartley,  of  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Esther 
Lenora,  bom  .July  .31,  1906.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Zeller  is  somewhat  independent,  with  a  lean- 
ing toward  Republicanism. 

•TOHN  W.  FRANK,  county  commisioner  of 
Summit  County,  and  one  of  its  leading  citi- 
zens, resides    on  his    valuable    and    well-im- 


proved farm  of  200  acres,  situated  in  Portage 
Township.  Mr.  Frank  was  born  near  the  vil- 
lage of  Uniontowu,  Lake  Township,  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  November  29,  1838,  and  is  a 
son  of  George  Jacob  and  Eva  (Weimer) 
Frank. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Frank  were  both  bom 
in  Germany,  the  father  in  Wurttenberg  and 
the  mother  in  Alsace-Loraine.  George  Jacob 
learned  the  cabinet-maker's  trade  and  also 
that  of  house  carpenter.  When  he  reached 
military  age,  he  entered  the  German  army 
and  served  out  his  necessary  term  and  was 
in  Alsace-Loraine  when  he  was  discharged. 
It  was  there  he  met  the  lady  who  became  his 
wife,  and  after  their  marriage  they  settled 
near  her  home  and  continued  to  live  there 
until  1837,  when  they  came  to  America, 
bringing  their  five  children.  One  daughter 
died  at  Havre,  France,  while  the  party  was 
awaiting  the  sailing  of  their  vessel.  It  took 
them  a  long  time  to  reach  Buffalo,  New  York, 
from  which  point  they  went  to  Cleveland  and 
then  on  down  the  canal  to  Stark  County, 
where  George  Jacob  Frank  bought  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres,  the  same  on  which  John  W. 
Frank  was  born. 

John  W.  Frank  remained  on  the  home 
farm  until  he  was  seventeen  years  old  and 
then  entered  on  an  apprenticeship  to  the  car- 
penter's trade.  He  also  learned  cabinet  mak- 
ing, following  this  business  for  eight  years. 
His  mother  died  in  1870,  and  in  1872,  the 
father  sold  the  farm  and  subsequently  lived 
until  his  death,  in  1884,  with  his  son,  George 
Frank,  at  Uniontown.  On  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Civil  War,  John  W.  Frank  started  on 
his  way  to  Indiana,  where  he  anticipated  find- 
ing work  at  his  trade,  and  as  he  happened  to 
be  at  Wabash,  he  attended  a  great  war  meet- 
ing held  there  that  night,  and  when  he 
reached  Marshall  County,  his  intended  des- 
tination, he  found  war  excitement  prevail- 
ing. He  worked  there  for  several  months, 
however,  but  on  September  10,  1861,  he  fol- 
lowed the  example  of  the  majority  of  the 
young  men  of  the  neighborhood,  and  enlisted 
in  the  Ninth  Illinois  Cavalry,  made  up  from 


77(5 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


both  Indiana  and  Illinois,  Mr.  Frank  belong- 
ing to  an   Indiana  organization. 

Almost  immediately  after  enlisting,  Mr. 
Frank  was  appointed  corporal  of  his  com- 
pany, and  during  his  fifteen  months  of  service 
he  performed  every  duty  with  cheerfulness 
and  bravery.  The  cavalry  was  called  on  to 
do  a  great  deal  of  scouting  in  Arkansas,  and 
many  of  the  regiment  took  sick  at  Helena, 
Mr.  Frank  among  the  number.  Three  boat- 
loads of  sick  were  sent  up  the  Mississippi 
River  to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  landing  there  ten 
days  later,  Mr.  Frank,  at  this  time  being  un- 
able to  walk.  He  was  prostrated  for  ten 
weeks  in  a  hospital,  his  brother  George  assist- 
ing in  his  nursing  for  seven  weeks,  and  finally 
taking  him  home,  where  good  care  finally  re- 
stored him  to  health.  He  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Keokuk  as  orderly  sergeant  hav- 
ing received  several  promotions. 

Mr.  Frank  came  to  Akron  in  1863  and 
worked  several  month  at  his  trade,  and  from 
his  marriage  in  October,  1863,  until  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  he  lived  in  Uniontown.  At 
this  time  his  wife,  who  was  a  very  capable 
young  woman  and  for  many  years  a  teacher, 
took  charge  of  the  Uniontown  schools,  teach- 
ing through  the  summer,  while  Mr.  Frank  be- 
came bookkeeper  for  a  merchant  in  this  vil- 
lage. In  the  fall  of  1864  they  returned  to  the 
Frank  farm  and  lived  there  for  the  following 
eight  years,  in  the  spring  of  1873,  moving  to 
the  farm  on  which  they  now  live.  At  that 
time,  Mr.  Frank  bought  116  acres,  which 
he  devoted  to  general  farming,  but  as  he 
gradually  added  more  land  he  went  into  stock- 
raising.  For  many  subsequent  years  he  dealt 
largely  in  sheep,  feeding  and  shipping,  at 
times  as  many  as  500  head.  He  is  one  of  the 
township's  mo.st  substantial  men  and  useful 
citizens. 

On  October  27,  1863,  Mr.  Frank  was  mar- 
ried to  Margaret  F.  Thompson,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Thompson.  She  was 
born  in  Stark  Coimty,  Ohio,  but  was  reared 
at  Springfield  I^ake,  Summit  County.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Frank  have  four  children,  namely: 
Elta  Lorena,  residing  at  home;  Charles  Wal- 
ter,  township    clerk    of    Portage    Township, 


manages  the  home  farm;  Margaret  Leora,  re- 
siding at  home;  and  John  Clarence,  residing 
at  Barberton,  is  purchiising  agent  for  the 
Sterling  Boiler  Works. 

Politically,  Mr.  Frank  is  a  Democrat  and 
he  has  been  active  in  public  affairs  for  many 
years.  Prior  to  removing  from  Stark 
County,  he  was  a  trustee  and  treasurer  of 
Lake  Township,  and  since  coming  to  Portage 
Township  has  been  its  clerk  for  two 
terms.  In  1906  he  was  elected  county  com- 
missioner, a  just  tribute  to  Mr.  Frank's  promi- 
nence in  this  section.  He  holds  membership 
with  Buckley  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public. With  his  family,  he  belongs  to  the 
West  Congregational  Church  at  Akron. 

ARTHUR  W.  SCUDDER,  postmaster  at 
Fairlawn,  resides  on  his  well-improved  farm 
of  eighty  acres,  in  Portage  Township,  where 
he  is  a  well-known  and  much  respected  citi- 
zen. He  was  born  in  Copley  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  November  1,  1844,  and  is 
a  son  of  Walter  and  Catherine  M.  (Stim.son) 
Scudder. 

Walter  Scudder,  father  of  Arthur  W.,  was 
born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  where  he  was 
reared,  educated  and  married.  In  the  spring 
of  1844,  with  his  wife  and  two  children,  he 
started  in  a  two-ox  wagon,  for  Ohio.  He  lo- 
cated at  Copley  Center,  where  he  followed  his 
trade  of  shoemaker  for  many  years.  He  then 
purchased  a  farm  near  Montrose,  but  not  hav- 
ing been  accustomed  to  an  agricultural  life, 
in  three  years  he  sold  his  farm  and  returned 
to  Copley  Center,  where  he  resumed  work  at 
his  trade.  In  1854  he  again  tried  farming, 
purchasing  a  farm  of  118  acres,  south  of 
Copley,  on  which  he  lived  until  1883,  when 
he  sold  out  and  removed  to  Akron,  where  he 
died  in  1896.  Mrs.  Scudder  died  on  the  farm 
south  of  Copley,  in  July,  1868.  They  had 
four  children :  Thurlow,  Emogene,  Arthur 
W.  and  Carlton  R.  The  eldest  son  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Civil  War,  serving  throe  years  as 
a  member  of  Company  H,  104th  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  after  which  he  was 
janitor  for  Grace  School  at  Akron,  for  many 
vears.     At  the  time  of  his  death,  he  left  manv 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


Til 


friends  to  mourn  his  loss.  Emogene  married 
A.  C.  Francisco,  residing  at  Copley.  Carl- 
ton R.  is  a  resident  of  Barberton. 

Arthur  W.  Scudder  was  reared  in  Copley 
Township  and  attended  the  district  schools. 
When  but  nineteen  years  of  age  he  left  home 
to  enter  the  Federal  army,  enlisting  for  three 
years  in  Battery  A,  First  Ohio  Light  Artil- 
lery. His  contract  was  dated  February  14, 
1864,  and  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  was  honorably  discharged  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  reaching  home  July  31,  1865.  He  was 
with  Sherman's  army  in  its  march  to  the 
sea  and  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Atlanta, 
where  his  battery  was  used  for  skirmishing 
purposes.  He  was  a  brave  soldier,  as  his 
record  testifies  and  never  evaded  a  duty.  He 
had  thus  performed  a  man's  part  in  life  be- 
fore he  had  reached  man's  estate. 

Mr.  Scudder  then  returned  to  the  home 
farm  and  attended  one  term  of  school,  and 
during  the  winter  of  1865-6  he  taught  school. 
His  marriage  followed,  to  Maria  A.  Stirk,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Henry  Stirk,  formerly  of 
Pennsylvania,  but  later  of  Wayne  County, 
Ohio.  They  have  four  children,  namely: 
Carlton  H.,  who  married  Mary  Porcher,  owns 
a  general  store  at  Boneta,  Medina  County, 
and  ha.s  two  children — GJrace  and  Thurlow 
Frederick ;  .James  Thurlow,  who  married 
Harriet  Quirk,  has  one  son.  Quirk  Thurlow, 
purchased  his  father's  store  in  February, 
1907,  and  is  assistant  postmaster  at  Fairlawn; 
Orville  E.,  who  married  Viva  Baxter,  resides 
at  AlvTon,  where  he  is  manager  of  the  North 
Howard  Street  Mi.ssion,  being  inclined  toward 
a  religious  life:  and  Marv  Belle,  who  married 
Clyde  E.  Orton. 

After  their  marriage,  in  1868,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Scudder  went  to  live  in  a  small  hoase 
situated  on  his  father's  farm,  but  in  the  spring 
of  the  following  year,  they  moved  to  a  farm 
in  Wayne  County,  and  later  to  a  farm  near 
Lodi.  In  1870,  Mr.  Scudder  bought  a  farm 
in  Medina  County,  not  far  from  Chatham. 
.\bout  one  year  later  he  sold  this  farm  and 
moved  to  Copley,  where  he  lived  until  May, 
1872,  when  he  bought  his  present  farm.  A 
man  of  excellent  business  judgment,  he  has  al- 


ways been  able  to  make  his  enteiprises  paying 
ones.  For  a  number  of  years  he  operated  three 
milk  depots  at  Akron,  having  at  one  time 
twenty-six  head  of  cows.  In  1891  he  moved  to 
the  pleasant  little  hamlet  then  known  as  Fair- 
view,  and  it  was  through  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Scudder  that  the  place  was  renamed.  Fair- 
lawn,  there  being  another  Fairview  in  the 
State.  He  went  into  a  mercantile  business 
in  the  village  and  was  the  first  postmaster, 
which  office  he  retains,  although  he  is  no 
longer  in  business.  He  operated  the  store 
now  owned  by  his  son,  at  Boneta,  for  a  time, 
as  well  as  the  one  at  Fairlawn. 

Mr.  Scudder  is  a  member  of  Buckley  Post, 
No.  12,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  come  of  military  ancestry. 
His  grandfather,  R.  R.  Stimson,  was  a  soldier 
in  the  War  of  1812,  enlisting  August  28, 
1814,  as  a  fifer  in  Capt.  Jenks  Pullen's  com- 
pany. First  New  York  militia,  and  was  dis- 
charged November  1,  1814.  Joseph  Fox,  the 
great-grandfather  of  Mrs.  Scudder  was  com- 
missioned a  captain  in  Col.  David  Henley's 
regiment  of  Continental  troops,  June  29, 
1777,  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  later 
was  transferred  to  the  Sixteenth  Massachu- 
setts and  afterwards  to  the  Ninth  Massachu- 
setts Regiment. 

JOSEPH  WIGLEY,  of  the  firm  of  Hunt  & 
Wigley,  general  contractors  at  Akron,  is  an 
old  established  resident  of  this  city.  He  was 
born  in  Staffordshire,  England,  in  1859,  and 
came  to  America  in  1882. 

Mr.  Wigley  had  attended  school  and  had 
also  learned  the  building  trade  in  his  own 
country  before  emigrating,  and  after  settling 
at  Akron  he  worked  at  his  trade  exclusively 
until  1886,  when  he  went  into  general  con- 
tracting. The  firm  of  Wigley  Brothers  for  a 
number  of  years  was  the  leading  one  of  Sum- 
mit County.  In  1901,  Mr.  Wigley  formed  a 
partnership  with  W.  H.  Hunt,  under  the  .«tyle 
of  Hunt  &  Wigley.  which  continues.  The 
firm  does  general  contracting,  -building,  pav- 
ing, sewer  building  and  like  work.  The  fine 
pressed  brick  building  they  erected  in  Akron 
in  1907.  is  two  stories  in  height,  dimensions 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


of  100  by  47  feet,  and  is  one  of  the  ornaments 
to  the  section  of  the  city  in  which  it  stands. 
The  firm  leased  it  to  the  Clinton  Milling  Com- 
pany for  a  term  of  five  years,  with  the  priv- 
ilege of  renewing  the  lease. 

Mr.  AVigley  was  married  in  1899,  to  Agnes 
Cooper,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren :      Florence   Agnes   and  Edward  John. 

Mr.  Wiglcy  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  city  affairs. 

WILLIAM  F.  HAUPT,  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  Loyal  Oak,  was  born  in 
Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania,  Febru- 
ary 19,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  Christian  and 
Elizabeth  (Edelman)  Haupt. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Haupt  were  both  na- 
tives of  Northampton  County,  and  both  died 
there,  the  father  in  1853  and  the  mother  in 
1876. 

Christian  Haupt  was  a  farmer  during  all 
his  mature  years,  he  departed  this  life  at  the 
age  of  forty-two.  William  F.  being  then  only 
five  years  of  age,  was  I'eared  and  educated  in 
his  native  county,  where  he  lived  with  his 
widowed  mother  until  he  was  eighteen  years 
old.  In  1865  he  came  to  Norton  Town.'^hip. 
Soon  after  he  learned  the  stone-mason's  trade, 
and  followed  that  occupation  for  a  number 
of  years,  after  which  he  took  up  farming. 

In  1869  he  was  united  in  marriage  to*Ellen 
Cecelia  Lerch.  daughter  of  Peter  and  Rebecca 
(Schweitzer)  Lerch.  Mr.?.  Haupt  was  also  a 
native  of  Northampton  County,  Pennsylva- 
nia, born  August  4,  1848.  Her  parents  em- 
igrated to 'this  state  (Ohio)  in  the  spring  of 
1849,  making  the  journey  in  wagons,  and  lo- 
cating in  Copley  Town.ship,  Mrs.  Haupt  be- 
ing only  nine  months  old  at  the  time.  Two 
sons  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haupt — 
Howard  W.  and  Clinton  F. — both  residents 
of  Akron. 

William  F.  Plaupt  was  one  of  the  three  or- 
ganizers of  the  Norton  Mutual  Fire  Associa- 
tion, in  the  interest  of  which  he  worked  .«ome 
of  his  time  for  six  years  as  agent  and  direct- 
or, without  compensation.  Many  meetings 
were  held  at  his  residence  imtil  it  was  fullv 


organized,  and  is  now  the  only  surviving 
charter  member.  The  said  association  has 
now  an  insured  capital  of  $4,000,000.  He 
is  identified  with  the  Lutheran  Church  of 
Loyal  Oak,  has  held  church  and  township  of- 
fices and  is  in  every  way  a  worthy  and  reliable 
citizen  and  is  now  living  a  retired  life. 

HORACE  G.  CANFIELD,  who  conducts 
a  job  printing  establishment  at  Akron,  was 
born  November  19,  1830,  and  has  resided  in 
this  city  since  1842,  when  his  parents  came 
here  from  Medina,  Ohio.  In  boyhood,  Mr. 
Canfield  attended  school  but  the  larger  part 
of  his  education  he  secured  in  the  printing 
office,  he  beginning  to  set  type  in  his  father's 
establishment,  before  he  was  eight  years  old. 
He  is  a  printer  by  inheritance,  both  his  father 
and  grandfather  having  been  practical  print- 
ers. His  father,  Horace  Canfield,  settled  in 
Cuyahoga  Falls  in  1833,  where  he  established 
the  newspaper,  the  Ohio  Review,  and  later 
had  papers  at  Cleveland,  the  Cleveland  Com- 
mercial Advertiser,  and  Medina,  The  Watch- 
tower,  coming  to  Akron,  in  1842,  where  he 
published  his  last  paper. 

Horace  G.  Canfield  learned  the  printer's 
trade  from  the  ground  up,  and  has  made  a 
specialty  of  job  printing. 

He  was  foreman  of  the  Beacon  from  1855 
to  1866,  at  which  time  he  purchased  a  one- 
third  interest,  Mr.  S.  A.  Lane  also  purchas- 
ing a  third  interest.  Shortly  after  A.  L. 
Paine  and  D.  J.  Long  purchased  the  remain- 
ing third  of  Messrs.  Beebe  and  Elkins.  The 
firm  name  was  then  changed  to  Lane,  Can- 
field  &  Company.  Thinking  Akron  about 
large  enough  to  support  a  daily  paper,  he  is- 
sued the  Daily  Beacon  with  S.  A.  Lane  as 
editor,  H.  G.  Canfield,  business  manager,  and 
Paine  and  Long  in  charge  of  the  job  and 
news  departments.  Tliis  was  the  first  success- 
ful launching  of  a  daily  newspaper  in  Akron. 
Under  the  above-described  management  it 
flourished  until  it  was  sold  out  about  four 
years  later. 

During  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Canfield  served 
in  Company  F,  164th  Regiment.  Ohio  \  ol- 
untoer  Infantry,  for  100  davs,  his  rocjiment 


RICHARD  FREEMAN  PALMER 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


781 


being  stationed  through  thii  time,  at  Fort 
Cocoran.  Ho  is  a  member  of  Buckley  Post, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  Akrou  Lodge, 
No.  83,  F.  ifc  A.  M.,  and  Nemo  Lodge,  I.  0. 
O.  F. 

On  October  12,  l6o~,  Mr.  Canfield  was  mar- 
ried to  Jennie  Galbraith,  and  they  have  four 
children,  namely:  Etta  M.  and  Hattie  G., 
both  residing  at  home;  Jessie  W.,  who  is  chief 
clerk  and  stenograijher  in  the  ottice  of  the 
State  Fire  Marshal,  at  Columbus;  and  Dr. 
Charles  H.,  residing  at  Island  Pond,  Ver- 
mont, where  he  i.s  in  the  Government  service 
as  a  meat  inspector. 

Politically,  Mr.  Canfield  is  now  a  Democrat, 
having  been  formerly  a  Fremont  and  Lincoln 
voter.  For  forty-five  years  he  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  he  has 
earned  the  ''fifty-year  badge"  as  a  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  captain  of  the  degree 
staft'  in  tlie  auxiliary  order  of  Rebecca.  Mr. 
Canfield  has  a  little  private  museum  in 
which  he  has  collected  a  number  of  old  family 
treasurers,  among  which  is  his  great-grand- 
father's diploma,  issued  in  1772,  by  Yale  Col- 
lege, and  a  tiny  shoe  which  was  once  worn  by 
his  great-great-grandmother.  He  is  one  of 
Akron's  best  known  citizens. 

RICHARD    FREEMAN    PALMER,    who 

for  some  years  has  lived  at  Akron  retired 
from  active  participation  in  business,  was 
formerly  identified  Mith  some  of  the  city's 
large  industrial  enterprises,  and  owns  a  large 
amount  of  real  estate  within  it.s  boundaries. 
Mr.  Palmer  was  born  at  Akron,  Ohio,  IMarch 
13.  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  Jo-seph  and  Eliza 
(Freeman")   Palmer. 

Joseph  Palmer  was  born  in  England  and 
came  to  Akron  in  1836.  Pie  was  a  millwright 
bv  trade  and  the  work  that  brought  him  to 
this  .section  was  the  building  of  the  locks  in 
the  Ohio  Canal.  Later  he  a.ssi.sted  in  build- 
ing the  Cascade  mill,  and  was  identified  with 
that  mill  for  eisbteen  vears.  In  1854  he 
moved  to  a  farm  in  Medina  County,  on  which 
he  lived  until  the  death  nf  his  wife.  He  then 
returned  to  Akron,  making  hi~  home  with  his 
«on,  Richard. 


Richard  F.  Palmer  was  little  more  than  a 
school-boy  when  he  found  occupation  as  a 
driver  on  the  canal,  and  he  continued  to  work 
as  such  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age. 
About  that  time  he  entered  the  high  school, 
where  he  remained  until  President  Lincoln's 
call,  in  1861,  for  75,000  troops,  when  he  en- 
listed for  service  in  the  Union  Ai-my.  He  was 
for  three  months  a  member  of  Company  G, 
19th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  being  stationed 
during  this  time  mainly  in  West  Virginia. 
For  the  following  two  years  he  ran  a  station- 
ary engine  and  then,  in  February,  1885,  re- 
enlisted,  entering  Company  I,  188th  Ohio 
\'olunteer  Infantry.  During  this  second  term 
of  service,  which  covered  a  year,  he  was  lo- 
cated in  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  After  be- 
ing mustered  out  of  the  army  the  second  time, 
Mr.  Palmer  then  bought  a  canal  boat  and 
operated  on  the  canal  for  some  three  years. 
In  1872  he  found  employment  in  the  oflice 
of  the  Akron  Iron  Company,  remaining  there 
two  years.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of 
Anltman,  ^Miller  &  Company,  becoming  their 
general  agent,  with  headquarters  at  Tiffin, 
Ohio,  being  in  their  employ  for  twenty-seven 
years.  Since  1897  Mr.  Palmer  has  lived  re- 
tired from  active  business  life,  but  he  has 
many  congenial  interests  to  occupy  his  atten- 
tion. 

^Ir.  Palmer  was  married  June  9,  1862,  to 
Frances  E.  Field,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Asa 
Field.  Mrs.  Palmer  died  April  26.  1898, 
leaving  three  sons  and  an  adopted  daughter. 
The  eldest  son,  Frank  L..  is  a  resident  of  Pitts- 
burg. J.  Dwight,  residing  in  Akron,  is  one 
of  the  city's  representative  men  and  has  just 
been  elected  a  member  of  the  City  Council. 
J.  Asa.  the  third  son,  is  secretary  of  the  Burt 
^lanufacturing  Company,  of  Akron.  Mar- 
garet, the  daughter  by  adoption,  is  the  wife 
of  Willis  Bacon,  an  attorney  of  Tiffin,  Ohio. 
Mr.  Palmer  has  always  taken  a  laudaV)le 
interest  in  (he  nublic  matters  concerning  the 
development  of  his  citv.  Years  ago  he  ser^'ed 
on  the  Citv  Council,  in  1871  and  1872.  At 
present  be  is  a  member  of  the  Summit 
County  Court  House  Building  Commission. 
,ju:^t  completing  the  erection  of  a  $400,000.00 


782 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


court  house.  For  maay  years  he  has  been 
Ijrominent  in  Masonry  and  is  the  present  emi- 
nent commander  of  Akron  Commandery,  and 
served  seven  years  as  prelate.  He  has  twice 
been  commander  of  Buckley  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

PRESTON  D.  STRATTON,  the  founder 
and  Past  Supreme  President  of  the  benefi- 
ciary order  of  the  Protected  Home  Circle, 
with  offices  in  the  Everett  Building,  Akron, 
was  born  in  Mahoning  Countv,  Ohio,  Decem- 
ber 28,  1852. 

Mr.  Stratton  had  an  early  agricultural 
training  and  country  schooling,  but  com- 
pleted his  education  at  Mt.  Union  College, 
leaving  sooner  than  he  had  proposed,  on  ac- 
count of  the  death  of  his  father,  following 
which  he  taught  school  for  six  terms.  It  was 
in  1886  that  he  originated  the  central  idea 
and  wrote  out  the  plan  for  the  Protected 
Home  Circle,, organizing  at  Sharon,  Pennsyl- 
vania, with  an  initial  membership  of  twenty- 
nine  persons.  Mr.  Stratton  would  scarcely  be 
blamed  if  he  evinced  some  pride  at  the  growth 
of  the  order,  it  now  having  a  membership  of 
more  than  65,000.  The  organizaton  has  paid 
out  during  its  twenty-one  years  of  existence, 
more  than  $4,000,000,  in  death  benefits,  and 
ha-s  a  reserve  fund  of  $1,000,000.  In  addi- 
tion in  1894,  the  order  erected  a  fine  temple 
at  a  cost  of  $50,000,  which  with  equipment 
is  now  worth  $100,000.  This  magnificient 
structure  is  located  at  Sharon.  Mr.  Stratton 
served  for  eight  years  as  Supreme  Secretary 
and  for  seven  years  as  Supreme  President  and 
is  now  Past  Supreme  President  in  charge  of 
the  work  in  the  State  of  Ohio. 

In  addition  to  the  fraternal  relations  exist- 
ing between  him  and  so  many  of  his  fellow- 
citizens,  in  the  order  he  founded,  he  is  actively 
associated  in  other  fraternities,  being  a  Past 
Grand  in  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  a  member 
of  the  National  Union,  Ben  Hur,  K.  &  L.  of 
Honor,  and  of  the  Foresters.  Mr.  Stratton 
has  always  been  recognized  as  a  good  citizen 
since  locating  at  Akron,  and  he  was  selected 
for  the  head  of  the  Law  and  Order  League, 
serving  as  its  president  during  its  term  of 
usefulnes.~.     Llis  political  sympathies  are  with 


the  Republican  party.  As  he  is  a  fine 
sijcaker,  his  voice  was  frecpiently  heard  dur- 
ing the  camijaign  preceding  the  first  election 
of  President  McKinley. 

In  1877,  Mr.  Stratton  was  married  to  Mary 
E.  Protheroe,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Francis 
Protheroe,  the  latter  of  whom  was  bOrn  in 
Wales  and  came  to  America  and  settled  in 
Goshen  Township,  Mahoning  County,  in 
young  manhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stratton 
have  three  children :  Florence  E.,  who  is  a 
graduate  of .  the  College  of  Commerce,  at 
Sharon,  Pennsylvania,  is  her  father's  private 
secretary  and  stenographer;  Delbert  P.,  who 
is  assistant  manager  of  the  billing  department 
of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  is  a  graduate 
of  tlie  Akron  High  School;  and  Raymond  F., 
is  a  student. 

Mr.  Stratton  is  one  of  the  leading  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Akron,  in  which  he 
is  a  deacon,  and  is  also  president  of  the  Men's 
club. 

WILLIAM  A.  DICE,  a  practical  farmer 
of  Franklin  Township,  who  operates  an  excel- 
lent tract  of  seventy-four  acres,  was  born  Oc- 
tober 27,  1859,  on"^the  old  Grill  farm  north 
of  Clinton,  Franklin  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Jeremiah  and 
Caroline   (Dissinger)   Dice. 

.leremiah  Dice  was  born  in  Chambersburg, 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  son  of  Michael  Dice, 
a  substantial  farmer  of  Franklin  County. 
There  were  nine  children  in  Michael  Dice's 
family,  but  Jeremiah  was  the  only  one  to 
come  West,  he  settling  north  of  Manchester, 
Franklin  Township,  when  about  tw-enty-one 
years  of  age.  On  first  engaging  in  farming 
here  he  rented  land,  but  later  purchased  two 
fine  farms  which  aggregated  about  250  acres, 
and  here  he  died  in  1904,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three  years;  his  widow,  who  survives 
him,  is  seventy-two  years  old.  Jeremiah  Dice 
was  married  in  Franklin  Township,  to  Caro- 
line Dissinger,  who  is  a  sister  of  Dr.  Dissinger, 
of  Canal  Fulton,  and  daughter  of  John  Dis- 
singer, who  came  to  Ohio  from  Pennsylvania 
by  wagon  and  settled  north  of  Manchester  on 
a  farm  now  owned  bv  William  A.  Dice  and 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


783 


other  lieirs.  On  this  property  Mrs.  Dice  was 
born.  Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dice,  namely:  John;  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried M.  Waltz;  William  Albert;  Alma,  who 
married  L.  W.  Baughman;  Elton;  Emma, 
who  married  Thomas  Sours;  and  Marvin,  all 
living  in  Summit  County,  Ohio. 

William  A.  Dice  spent  his  boyhood  days  on 
the  old  home  place  north  of  Manchester,  at- 
tending District  School  No.  1,  and  working  at 
farming.  He  purchased  a  part  of  his  present 
farm  from  Henry  D.  Dailey,  and  has  here 
carried  on  general  farming  very  successfully. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  has  shown 
interest  in  the  success  of  his  party  in  this 
section. 

On  November  12,  1881,  Mr.  Dice  was  mar- 
ried to  Elizabeth  Diiiley,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Henry  D.  and  Mary  (Rhodes)  Dailey,  early 
settlers  in  this  section.  Henry  D.  Dailey,  who 
was  the  original  owner  of  W.  A.  Dice's  pres- 
ent farm,  which  he  helped  to  clear,  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-eight  years,  while  his 
widow,  who  survives  him,  is  in  her  eighty- 
second  year.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dice  have  two 
children :  Henry,  attending  Wooster  Col- 
lege, who  taught  school  for  five  years  in  the 
count}',  and  is  engaged  to  teach  in  the 
grammar  grades  in  19G7 ;  and  Hazel,  also  a 
student  at  Wooster  College,  who  will  teach  at 
Barberton,   Fi'anklin  Township. 

WALTER  R.  WOLFSPERGER,  electrical 
contractor,  with  offices  at  No.  575  East 
E.xchange  Street,  Akron,  has  been  established 
in  business  for  himself  in  this  city  for  the  past 
six  years,  prior  to  which  he  was  connected 
with  the  electrical  work  of  a  number  of  the 
largest  institutions  in  this  section.  He  was 
born  in  1878.  at  Canal  Fulton,  Stark  Countv, 
Ohio. 

Mr.  Wolfsperger  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  at  Canal  Fulton,  where  he  lived  until 
fourteen  years  of  age,  and  earned  his  first 
money  by  working  in  the  coal  mines  in  Stark 
County.  In  1893,  he  came  to  Akron  and  for 
about  five  years  was  more  or  less  continuously 
employed  in  the  shops  connected  with  the 
various  rubber  industries.     In  1807,  ho  wont 


to  Massillon,  where  he  was  connected  with 
the  Massillon  Light,  Lleat  &  Power  Company 
until  1900,  when  he  returned  to  Akron  and 
for  the  succeeding  eight  months,  did  the  elec- 
trical work  for  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company. 
He  was  then  employed  by  an  electrical  con- 
tractor up  to  1901,  when  he  embarked  in 
business  for  himself.  Mr.  Wolfsperger's  skill 
has  been  exercised  in  behalf  of  a  number  of 
the  large  institutions  of  Akron.  He  has  done 
the  electrical  work  for  some  years  for  Buchtel 
College,  in  its  Women's  dormitory,  the  resi- 
dence of  E.  R.  Held,  the  Crisp  Block,  the 
Bergen  Iron  Company's  new  plant,  the  Baker- 
McMillan  plant,  and  a  number  of  others. 
Mr.  Wolfsperger's  business  has  inci'eased  600 
per  cent  over  the  first  year,  a  record  which 
tells'  its  own  story. 

In  1899,  Mr.  Wolfsperger  was  married  to 
Louise  Anna  Shopbell,  who  was  born  at  Mas- 
sillon, Ohio,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Rhea  and  Walter.  Politically,  Mr.  Wolfs- 
perger is  a  Democrat.  Fraternally,  he  is 
connected  with  the  order  of  Eagles,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  White  Anchor  Relief 
Association. 

SIMON  P.  LUDWICK,  a  substantial  citi- 
zen and  well-known  agriculturist  of  Summit 
County,  who  owns  and  operates  a  farm  of 
seventy-eight  acres  in  Franklin  Township, 
was  born  in  an  old  log  hou^e  in  Franklin 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  October  28, 
1844,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary 
(Dick)   Ludwick. 

George  Ludwick,  his  grandfather,  and  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania,  was  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  Franklin  Township,  and  entered  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Frank  Cox,  which  he 
cleared  from  the  woods.  There  his  death 
occurred,  as  did  also  that  of  his  wife.  Among 
the  children  of  George  Ludwick  was  Samuel, 
the  father  of  Simon  P:  He  was  also  bom  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  brought  to  Ohio  by  his 
parents,  the  remainder  of  his  life  being  .spent 
farming  in  Franklin  Township.  Mr.  Lud- 
wick purchased  the  old  home  farm  and  re- 
placed the  old  log  house  with  bne  of  stone, 
which   is  <{]]]  standing,  and  bore  ho  died  in 


784 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


about  1855,  at  the  age  uf  fifty-three  yeaK. 
Samuel  Ludwick  married  Mary  Dick,  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Dick  and  she  survived  her  hus- 
band one  year.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ludwick  had 
eleven  children,  as  follows:  George,  residing 
in  Michigan;  Eve,  who  married  Solomon  Se- 
crist;  Barbara,  who  married  Isaac  Snyder; 
Rachel,  who  became  the  wife  of  Martin  Grill ; 
Mary,  who  married  Daniel  Haring;  Samuel; 
Rebecca,  who  married  H.  Snyder;  Simon 
Peter;  Jemima,  who  married  H.  Surfass; 
Anna,  and  Amos.  Of  the  foregoing,  Eve, 
Barbara,  Mary,  Rebecca,  Anna  and  Amos  are 
deceased  the  last  mentioned  passing  away  in 
his  fourteenth  year. 

Simon  P.  Ludwick  received  a  somewhat 
limited  education,  his  parents  dying  when  he 
was  still  a  lad.  However,  he  made  the  best 
of  his  opportunities  and  being  an  ambitious 
youth,  he  managed  to  secure  a  meager  educa- 
tion. His  young  manhood  was  spent  in 
M'orking  on  the  neighboring  farms,  and  when 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  started  to  do  thresh- 
ing, becoming  a  partner  with  his  brother 
Samuel  in  this  business  on  reaching  his 
twenty-first  year.  He  was  also  associated 
with  Martin  Grill  and  other  partners,  and 
for  one  year  had  charge  of  the  business  alone, 
operating  the  old  style  horse-power  machine. 
After  fourteen  successful  seasons  spent  in 
■threshing,  Mr.  Ludwick,  in  1875,  purchased 
his  present  farm  from  the  George  Baughman 
heirs,  and  replaced  the  old  buildings  below  the 
hill  with  his  present  large  eight-room  frame 
house,  substantial  barns  and  new  outbuildings. 
Mr.  Ludwick  is  one  of  Summit  County's  self- 
made  men,  and  as  .such  is  honored  and  es- 
teemed by  all  who  know  him.  He  ha.s  always 
been  industrious,  biit  in  later  years  has  found 
time  for  travel,  and  has  visited  brothers  in  Il- 
linois and  Michigan. 

In  March,  1872,  Mr;  Ludwick  was  married 
to  Lucetta  Baughman,  daughter  of  George 
Baughman,  and  six  children  were  born  to 
this  union:  Samantha;  Mirtie,  who  married 
Calvin  Stump;  Percy;  Lottie,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  two  years;  Leeman;  and  Bertha. 
Mr.  Ludwick,  with  his  family,  belongs  to  the 


Reformed    (Jluirch.      In    political    matter.-    he 
is  a  Democrat. 

SOLOMON  KEPLER,  residing  on  his 
well-improved  farm  in  Green  Township,  is 
one  of  the  large  land-owners  of  this  section, 
his  possessions  amounting  to  over  400  acres, 
which  are  situated  in  both  Green  and  Frank- 
lin Townships.  He  was  born  August  28, 
1840,  on  his  j^resent  farm  in  Green  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
Jacob  A.  and  Christina  (Hushberger)  Kepler. 

Jacob  A.  Kepler  was  born  near  East  Lib- 
erty, Ohio,  to  which  place  his  father,  Andrew 
Kepler,  had  come  from  Pennsylvania  as  a 
pioneer,  and  where  his  death  occurred. 
Jacob  A.  Kepler  grew  to  manhood  on  his 
father's  farm,  but  after  his  marriage  removed 
to  a  farm  on  the  east  side  of  Turkeyfoot  Lake, 
where  he  erected  a  log  cabin  in  the  wilderness, 
Here  Mr.  Kepler  cleared  a  farm  of  200  acres, 
and  this  was  his  home  for  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
two  years.  Mrs.  Kepler  survived  her  hus- 
band for  a  long  period,  being  eighty-one  years 
old  at  the  time  of  her  death.  Jacob  A.  Kep- 
ler was  married  to  Christina  Hushberger,  who 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  them 
there  were  born  eight  children,  four  of  whom 
grew  to  maturity,  namely:  Elizabeth,  who  is 
the  widow  of  J.  R.  Neal ;  Adam ;  Sophia,  who 
married  H.  Swaggert,  and  Solomon. 

Solomon  Kepler  attended  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  locality,  and  has  been 
since  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  His 
fine  farm,  which  is  a  part  of  the  old  home- 
stead, includes  a  large  house  and  substantial 
barns,  built  by  Mr.  Kepler  himself,  and  the 
large,  productive  orchard  planted  by  him. 
He  is  in  very  comfortable  circumstances,  and 
in  later  years  has  devoted  some  time  to  travel, 
visiting  the  home  of  his  ancestors  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  going  as  far  West  as  California. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  served 
as  township  trustee  and  as  school  director. 

In  1861  Mr.  Kepler  was  married,  first,  to 
Elizabeth  Garst,  and  their  children  were: 
Samuel,  who  died  in  infancy:  Oliver,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  six  years;  Belle,  who  mar- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


785 


ried  E.  Rex,  and  has  two  children — Howard 
and  Edith;  Amanda,  wife  of  N.  Foust,  with 
live  children — Clarence,  Jacob,  Samuel,  Oran 
and  William ;  and  Mabel,  who  married  M. 
Grove,  and  has  two  children — Willard  V.,  and 
a  baby  girl  unnamed.  After  the  death  of  his 
tir<t  wife  Mr.  Kepler  was  married,  second 
to  Ilattie  Herring,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Her- 
ring. Of  this  union  there  were  born  seven 
children — Andrew,  Aaron,  Solomon,  Elsie, 
William,  Florence  and  Blanche. 

ALBERT  G.  DURSTFNE,  a  highly  re- 
spected citizen  and  retii'ed  farmer,  residing  on 
his  farm  of  eighty  acres,  which  is  situated  in 
Franklin  Township,  was  born  in  an  old  log 
house  that  stood  on  the  present  farm,  in  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  April  1,  1855,  and  is  a  son 
of  Abraham  S.  and  Susanna  (Swartz)  Dur- 
stine. 

The  Durstine  family,  which  is  an  old  one 
in  America,  was  established  in  Bucks  County, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1660,  by  Michael  Durstine, 
who  emigrated  from  Alsace,  France.  The 
grandfather  of  Albert  G.  Durstine  was  Abra- 
ham Durstine,  who  was  the  founder  of  the 
family  in  Ohio.  He  was  born  in  Bucks 
County,  Pennsylvania,  February  9,  1800,  and 
was  a  son  of  Jacob  Durstine,  who  lived  on  the 
farm  on  which  the  original  Durstine  settled, 
and  which  is  still  a  possession  of  the  family. 
The.  grandparents  of  Albert  G.  came  in 
pioneer  fashion  to  Holmes  County,  Ohio, 
l^ringing  as  many  of  their  possessions  as  they 
could.  Later,  the  family  moved  to  Wayne 
County,  but  prior  to  his  death,  Abraham 
Durstine  returned  to  Holmes  County  and 
died  at  Smithville,  in  March,  1878.  The 
death  of  his  first  wife  had  preceded  his  own 
by  twenty-four  years,  and  he  contracted  a 
second  marriage  with  a  member  of  the  Guiley 
family,  who  died  without  issue.  The  chil- 
dren of  the  first  marriage  were :  Jacob,  John, 
.\braham  S.,  Catherine,  Mary  and  Sarah. 

Abaham  S.  Durstine  was  born  in  Holmes 
County,  Ohio,  in  1828,  and  died  in  1887. 
When  he  reached  manhood  he  married  Su- 
sanna Swartz,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Elizabeth  (Thornton)  Swartz.     She  died 


in  1902,  aged  seventy-four  years.  The  Swartz 
family  came  to  Summit  County  from  Lancas- 
ter, Pennsylvania,  when  Mrs.  Durstine  wa^ 
eight  years  old.  Her  father  helped  to  build 
the  Reservoir  and  he  donated  sixteen  acres  of 
the  necessary  amount  of  land.  Abraham  S. 
Durstine,  in  1853,  bought  the  present  farm  of 
his  son  Albert,  from  Daniel  Deihel,  and  he 
resided  on  the  place  for  the  rest  of  life. 
They  had  two  children,  Albert  and  Ellen. 
The  latter,  who  married  Isaac  Carmany,  is 
now  deceased. 

Albert  G.  Dui'stine  was  given  a  district 
school  education,  but  much  of  his  youth  was 
spent  in  working  on  the  faiun  and  also,  oc- 
casionally, at  the  carpenter's  trade.  This  fine 
old  farm  has  always  been  his  real  home,  and 
ho  has  never  been  absent  from  it  with  the  ex- 
ception of  three  years. 

On  October  12,  1875,  Mr.  Durstine  was 
married  to  Maria  Rhodes,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Frederick  and  Margaret  (Snyder)  Rhodes, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Edward,  who  man- 
ages the  home  farm.  The  latter  married 
INIabel  Reynolds,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Ransom 
and  Hannah  (Fosnacht)  Reynolds,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Otis  Nathan.  This  promis- 
ing little  grandson  of  Mr.  Durstine  was  born 
February  18,  1900,  just  100  years,  to  the 
day,  after  the  birth  of  Abraham  Durstine, 
his  great-great-grandfather.  The  Durstines 
are  a  prominent  family  in  Franklin  Township. 

F.  B.  GOODMAN,  one  of  Akron's  represent- 
ative business  men,  who  has  been  a  resident 
of  this  city  for  the  past  twenty-seven  years, 
fills  the  important  position  of  assistant  man- 
ager of  the  M.  O'Neil  Company,  which  is  a 
leading  mercantile  house  of  this  section  of 
Ohio,  its  stability  as  well  as  its  volume  of  busi- 
ness giving  it  this  prominence. 

Mr.  Goodman  was  born  at  Atwat^r,  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  June  6,  1854,  and  was  there 
reared.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Henry  Good- 
man, who  was  a  substantial  farmer  of  Portage 
County.  After  leaving  school,  Mr.  Goodman 
was  employed  in  a  general  mercantile  store  in 
his  native  county  for  five  years.  He  then 
went  to  Alliance  and  was  a  salesman  for  the 


786 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


mereantOe  firm  of  Wann  &  Warren,  of  that 
city,  for  three  j'eaxs.  For  the  following  three 
}-ears,  Mr.  Goodman  was  in  a  general  mercan- 
tile business  for  himself,  in  Stark  County, 
and  in  1880,  he  came  to  Akron  and  entered 
the  employ  of  the  mercantile  house  of  O'Neil 
&  Dyas,  with  which  he  continued  until  the 
death  of  Mr.  Dyas.  About  this  time  the 
business  was  incorporated  as. The  M.  O'Neil 
Company,  Mr.  Goodman  remaining  with  the 
firm,  and  since  this  period  being  assistant 
manager.  For  over  a  quarter  of  a  century 
he  has  been  connected  with  this  house,  and 
his  fidelity  to  its  welfare,  and  co-operation  in 
its  policy  of  fair  dealing  with  the  public, 
liave  made  him  a  noteworthy  factor  in  its  suc- 
cess. Mr.  Goodman  was  married  in  1880  to 
Anna  Martin,  of  Stark  County,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Walter,  who  has  charge  of  the  house- 
furnishing  department  of  the  M.  O'Neil  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Goodman  is  a  member  of  the  En- 
glish Lutheran  Church. 

MAHLON  S.  LONG,  senior  member  of  the 
Long  &  Taylor  Company,  a  leading  business 
house  of  Akron,  was  born  at  Spring  Creek, 
Warren  County,  Pennsylvania,, in  1867,  and 
is  a  son  of  Joshua  W.  and  Matilda  H.  Long. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Long  removed  from 
Warren  County,  Pennsylvania,  to  Mentor, 
Ohio,  when  he  was  a  babe  of  six  months. 
His  father  resides  at  Newton  Falls,  Ohio,  on  . 
a  farm  in  that  vicinity,  and  is  now  retired 
from  active  life.  Fonnerly  he  followed  black- 
smithing  and  carriage-making.  In  1861,  he 
enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  AVar,  enter- 
ing Company  F,  19th  Regiment,  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  but  one  year  later  was  hon- 
orably discharged  on  account  of  disability. 

Mahlon  S.  Long  spent  his  boyhood  and 
youth  at  Mentor  and  Toledo.  In  1881  he 
went  to  Newton  Falls,  and  was  graduated  from 
the  Newton  Falls  High  School  in  1885.  After 
teaching  school  for  one  year  at  the  latter 
place,  he  entered  Mt.  Union  College,  and  af- 
ter two  terms  there,  he  went  to  work  in  the 
basket  factory  at  Newton  Falls.  Twelve 
months  later  he  went  from  that  place  to  Chi- 
cago.   Mr.  Long  remained  in  the  metropolis 


of  the  middle  west  for  a  period  of  five  years, 
mainly  engaged  as  a  salesman  with  a  large 
cigar  firm.  In  May,  1892,  he  .came  to  Ak- 
ron and  engaged  m  shipping  clerk  with  what 
is  nOiW  the  Standard  Oilcloth  Company.  He 
continued  with  this  firm  for  a  year  and  a 
half.  The  panic  of  1893  caused  many  of  the 
employes  to  be  laid  ofi'  by  this  house,  he 
among  the  munber,  and  he  fell  back  on  his 
old  work  of  basket-making.  He  continued 
making  grape  baskets  during  the  following 
fall,  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  and  returned  to 
Akron  on  the  first  of  the  following 
October,  determined  to  go  into  business 
for  himself  and  be  independent  of  the 
ups  and  downs  of  more  ambitious  concerns. 
He  had  a  little  capital  and  this  he  invested  in 
a  small  cigar  store,  on  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent magnificent  new  modern  building. 

W^ith  small  capital,  few  resources  and  ac- 
tive competition,  Mr.  Long  found  the  first 
three  years  hard  ones  to  push  through,  but 
Ijy  working  fifteen  hours  a  day,  and  careful 
management,  with  honest  and  courteous  treat- 
ment for  every  one,  he  built  up  a  constantly 
increasing  trade.  He  found  it  necessary,  ere 
long,  to  increase  his  space  by  adding  another 
room.  Later,  when  it  proved  impossible  to 
still  further  add  to  the  building  he  occupied, 
as  his  business  demanded,  he  resolved  to  pur- 
chase this  piece  of  property  then  for  sale,  at 
the  point  of  the  intersection  of  Main  and 
Howard  Streets,  and  he  acquired  it  in  1898. 
Its  flatiron  shape,  86  feet  lying  on  Main 
Street  and  92  feet  on  Howard  Street,  60  feet 
wide  at  one  end  and  9  feet  at  the  other,  de- 
termined the  name  of  the  magnificent  build- 
ing, the  erection  of  which  was  commenced  in 
July,  1906. 

In  1895,  H.  H.  Taylor  became  associated 
with  Mr.  Long  and  the  firm  name  became 
M.  S.  Long  &  Company.  On  account  of  in- 
creasing business  the  first  change  was  made 
to  an  additional  store  at  Nos.  20-22  South 
Main  Street,  with  dimensions  of  30  by  102  1-2 
foet,  which  they  subsequently  bought.  On 
this  land  the  firm  built  a  brick  structure,  with 
three  stories  and  basement,  occupying  two 
store  rooms,  one  as  a  candv  and  ice  cream 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


dcpartiuuiit  and  llie  other  with  a  general  line 
of  cigars,  stationery,  athletic  goods  and  iiews- 
l^pers.  The  entire  basement  is  used  for  a 
candy  factory,  a  very  complete  plant  here  be- 
ing installed,  where  are  manufactured  choice 
candies  and  "Purity"  ice  cream  for  retail  and 
line  family  trade.  In  July,  1907,  they  began 
the  erection  of  the  finest  business  block  and 
offic-e  building  in  the  city  of  Akron.  It  is 
seven  stories  in  height,  with  basement  and 
sub-basement.  Since  the  completion  of  the 
building  the  Long  &  Taylor  Company  occu- 
])}•  the  entire  lower  floor  and  part  of  the  base- 
ment with  two  similar  stores  to  the  ones  at 
20  and  22  South  Main  Street.  The  Long  & 
Taylor  Company  was  incorporated  in  1902, 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $65,000,  with  II.  H. 
Taylor  as  president  and  M.  S.  Long  as  treas- 
urer and  general  manager.  The  main  business 
of  the  company  is  conducted  here,  but  the  old 
quarters  at  Nos.  20-22  South  Main  Street  are 
also  utilized.  The  magnificent  llatiron  build- 
ing is  a  Source  of  pride  to  every  citizen  of 
Akron  and  it  must  Ix;  particularly  so  to  Mr. 
Long,  who,  as  no  other  can,  realizes  the  strug- 
gles he  went  through  in  order  that  the  pres- 
rut  great  enterprise  became  a  fact. 

In  1891  i\Ir.  Long  was  married  to  Marion 
E.  Taylor,  and  they  have  two  children:  Ger- 
trude M.  and  Robert  II.  T. 

Mr.  Long  is  a  32nd  degree  Mason  and  be- 
longs to  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter  and  Com- 
mandcry  at  Akron,  and  to  Lake  Erie  Consis- 
tory and  Al  Koran  Temple  A.  A.  0.  N.  M.  S. 
at  Cleveland.  During  his  residence  in  Chi- 
cago he  was  very  active  in  the  order  of  the 
)  Sons  of  Veterans,  and  at  one  time  was  com- 
manding otficer  of  Camp  No,  1.  of  that  city. 

.TOHN  GRILL,  a  succe.'^sful  agriculturist 
of  Franklin  Township,  residing  on  his  160- 
acre  farm,  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in 
Franklin  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
Februarv  4,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Loah   (Snyder)   Grill. 

John  Grill,  his  paternal  grandfatlier,  was 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  from  which  state 
lie  came  to  Ohio  in  1840,  settling  fir.«t  in 
Stark  Countv.     After  a  residence  there  of  one 


year,  he  came  tu  Sunnnil  County,  and  set- 
tled on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Charles 
Young  in  Franklin  Township,  which  at  that 
time  was  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  tim- 
ber. After  clearing  oti'  the  timber,  he  erected 
an  old-fashioned  "up  and  down"  sawmill, 
which  he  operated  until  his  death  at  the  age 
of  seven ty-tive  years.  His  widow,  Mary,  sur- 
vived him  for  some  years.  The  children  of 
John  and  Mary  Grill  were:  David,  William, 
John,  Daniel,  Martin,  Philip,  Lydia,  Sarah, 
Catherine  and  Marj^  of  whom  the  only  pres- 
ent survivors  are:     Daniel,  Martin  and  Mary. 

John  Grill,  father  of  John  Grill  of  Frank- 
lin Township,  was  also  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
accompanied  his  father  to  Oliio  in  1840,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  worked  in  his  father's 
sawmill,  later  becoming  the  owner  of  a  mill. 
He  was  married  in  Franklin  Township  to 
Leah  Snyder,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Frederick  Snyder,  her  father  being  a 
native  of  Germany.  Mr.  Grill  died  when 
eighty-three  years  old,  in  1905,  his  wife  hav- 
ing passed  away  in  1897  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren :  Levi,  Eliza  Jane,  who  married  George 
Huber;  Alfred;  Amanda,  who  married  Noah 
Fraze;  Emma,  who  married  David  Johnson; 
John;  and  William. 

.John  Grill  received  his  education  in  the 
district  school,  and  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  until  after  his  marriage.  He  then  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Akron  Electric  Rail- 
road as  conductor,  a  position  in  which  he 
.served  for  seven  years.  Mr.  Grill  then  re- 
turned to  the  farm  of  his  father,  but  in  1903 
located  on  his  present  property,  which  he  had 
purchased  in  the  spring  of  1902  from  the  Wil- 
liam Woods  heirs.  In  March,  1891,  Mr.  Grill 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Caroline 
Fetzer. 

LEONARD  ROBINSON,  a  highly  re- 
spected retired  farmer  of  Richfield  Township, 
residing  on  his  grain  and  dairy  farm  of 
seventy-four  acres,  was  born  in  '\''irgil  Tow^n- 
ship,  Cortland  County,  New  York,  May  21. 
1837,  and  is  a  son  of  Luman  B.  and  Mary 
(Sweet)  Robinson. 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


The  parents  of  Mr.  Robinson  were  al^o  na- 
tives of  New  York.  Tlie  father  came  to  Ak- 
ron in  1846  where  lie  followed  the  carpenter 
trade  until  within  five  years  of  his  death, 
when  he  moved  to  a  farm  in  Copley  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  where  he  died  in  1856. 
He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  imd  prior 
to  the  Civil  War  was  in  sympathy  with  the 
Abolition  movement.  He  married  Mary  Sweet 
and  they  had  thirteen  children,  eleven  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity,  namely :  Levi,  who 
is  deceased;  Lewis;  Lydia,  who  is  the  widow 
of  Jerome  Wellman,  of  Akron ;  Lyman,  resid- 
ing at  Edinburg,  Ohio;  Leonard;  Lucina, 
deceased,  who  married  Daniel  Allen,  also  de- 
ceased; Lester,  residing  in  Iowa;  Laura,  who 
married  John  Mann,  residing  ait  Akron; 
Louisa,  who  is  the  widow  of  Norman  Smith, 
residing  in  Copley;  Lavina,  deceased,  who 
married  George  Tream;  and  Alonzo,  who  is 
deceased. 

Leonard  Robmson  attended  school  at  Ak- 
ron, and  learned  the  carpenter  trade  with  his 
father.  He  easily  learned  other  trades,  being 
a  natural  mechanic,  and  for  twenty  years  was 
employed  as  stationary  engineer  at  various 
points,  at  one  time  working  in  this  capacity 
in  the  old  Allen  barrel  factory.  He  worked 
also  in  the  pinery  swamp  in  Copley,  and  for 
six  years  was  engineer  at  the  clay  mills  of 
Middlebury.  In  the  spring  of  1888,  he  came 
to  his  present  farm,  which  he  conducted  as 
a  grain  and  dairy  farm  wntil  his  retirement 
from  business  activity. 

Mr.  Robinson  married  Mary  Swinehart, ' 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a 
daughter. of  John  Swincjliart.  They  had  four 
children  born  to  them,  namely:  Henry,  re- 
siding at  Cuyahoga  Falls ;  Mary,  who  married 
Charles  Webb;  Rosa,  who  married  Charles 
Howe,  who  operates  Mr.  Robinson's  farm; 
and  William,  residing  at  Shinrock,  Erie 
County,  Ohio. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Mr.  Robinson 
was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  at  the  close 
of  the  war  was  given  a  land  warrant  for  160 
acres,  but  he  never  took  advantage  of  this 
claim. 


A.  H.  NOAH,  treasurer  of  the  Diamond 
Rubber  Company,  at  Akron,  has  numerous 
other  important  business  connections  here 
and  is  a  representative  of  lai'ge  interests.  Mr. 
Noali  was  born  in  1858,  in  Summit  County, 
Ohio. 

Mr.  Noah  was  educated  in  the  local  schools 
and  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  and  later  engaged  in 
teaching  for  three  years.  In  1886  he  organ- 
ized the  Akron  Building  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion, and  continued  secretary  of  the  same  for 
ten  years,  becoming  also  well  known  in  the 
abstract  and  title  business,  as  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Wilcox  and  Noah.  In  September, 
1897,  Mr.  Noah  became  general  manager  of 
the  Diamond  Rubber  Company,  and  when 
the  business  was  reorganized,  he  accepted  the 
position  of  treasurer.  He  is  also  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Bruner,  Goodhue,  Cooke  Com- 
pany ;  is  a  director  in  the  Akron  Building  and 
Loan  Association  and  the  Jahant  Heating 
Companj',  and  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Pan-American  Rubber  Company.  He  is 
an  active,  public-spirited  citizen,  and  has 
served  on  the  Akron  library  board. 

In  1880  Mr.  Noah  was  married  to  Kittie 
B.  McGill,  of  Urbana,  Ohio,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Robert  H.,  who  is  a  student  in  the 
public  schools.  Mr.  Noah  is  a  vestryman  of 
St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Noah  is  a  32nd  degree  Mason  and  is 
a  prominent  Odd  Fellow.  Lie  is  a  member 
of  the  Portage  Country  Club. 

JOHN  J.  STARR,  secretary  of  the  Robin- 
son Clay  Product  Company,  one  of  Akron's 
most  important  industries,  is  a  native  of  this 
city,  born  here  in  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  Jona- 
than Starr  and  a  grandson  of  Jonathan  Starr. 

The  grandfather  of  Mr.  Starr  was  a  native 
of  Connecticut.  He  came  to  Summit  County 
in  1813,  became  a  man  of  substance  and 
prominence  and  was  a  member  of  the  first 
board  of  Summit  County  commissioners.  He 
owned  large  bodies  of  land  in  Copley  Town- 
ship, and  there  he  reared  his  family,  his  son 
Jonathan  being  born  there  in  1831. 

John  J.  Starr  was  reared  and  educated  at 
Akron.    When  fifteen  vears  of  a2;e  he  entered 


R.  A.  MAY 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


791 


the  eujploy  of  the  E.  li.  Merrill  Pottery  Com- 
pany aud  he  hsui  worked  himself  steadily  up- 
ward through  the  grades  of  promotion  until 
lie  has  become  secretai'y  of  one  of  the  lai'gest 
pottery  concerns  in  the  United  States. 

In  1892  Mr.  Starr  was  married  to  Adelaide 
Akers,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Alfred  Akers, 
i)f  Akron,  and  they  have  four  children, 
namely:     lieleu,  Anna,  Miriam  and  Plarriet. 

Mr.  Starr  is  a  32nd  degree  Mason  and  be- 
longs to  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter,  Council  and 
Commandery  at  Akron  and  to  Lake  Erie  Con- 
.-istory  of  Cleveland. 

R.  A.  MAY,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
May  and  Fiebeger,  which  after  twenty-seven 
years  of  partnership  was  formed  into  a  stock 
company — the  May-Fiebeger  Company — of 
which  Mr.  May  is  principal  stockholder,  has, 
after  over  forty  years  of  active  business  man- 
agement, retired  from  active  service. 

Mr.  May  was  born  near  the  borders  of  Sax- 
ony, and  came  to  America  with  his  parents 
when  a  child,  settling  in  Akron  and  remain- 
ing there  ever  since.  His  education  was  ac- 
quired in  the  public  schools  of  this  city  and 
also,  being  a  lover  of  books,  through  much 
personal  study.  AVhen  a  young  boy,  while  vis- 
iting an  uncle  in  Columbus,  Mr.  May  learned 
the  tinner's  trade.  He  worked  one  year  for 
John  B.  Cramer,  and  then  entered  into  part- 
nership with  his  employer,  forming  the  firm 
of  Cramer  and  May,  successors  of  J.  B.  Cra- 
mer, who  succeeded  Rockwell  and  Cramer, 
successors  to  Justus  Rockwell.  Justus  Rock- 
well succeeded  H.  0.  Hampson  and  Hampson 
succeeded  Russell  Gale,  who  owned  the  first 
tin  shop  and  stove  store  in  Akron,  even  clear- 
ing away  the  bushes  on  what  is  now  the 
northwest  corner  of  Howard  and  Market 
Streets,  where  he  built  his  store. 

"While  with  Cramer  and  May,  Mr.  May 
started  the  first  galvanized  iron  cornice  busi- 
ness in  Akron,  being  pioneer.s  of  cornice  work 
in  this  vicinity  and  extending  their  business 
rast  into  New  York  State  and  west  into  In- 
diana. The  galvanized  iron  fronts  on  the 
buildings  of  May  and  Fiebeger  on  North 
Hownrd  Street  are  a  sample  of  his  work. 


When  architecture  changed,  so  that  stone 
could  be  used  to  replace  galvanized  cornices, 
Mr.  May  saw  that  galvanized  cornices  would 
be  gradually  displaced,  and  bent  his  energies 
to  the  heating  and  ventilating  business,  being 
the  pioneer  of  the  furnace  business  in  Akron. 
He  studied  heating  in  all  its  various  forms, 
and  the  burning  of  various  kinds  of  fuel, 
and  invented  the  air  blast,  the  process  of  ad- 
mitting air  into  and  over  the  fire,  which 
made  the  burning  of  soft  coal  successful,  and 
revolutionized  the  burning  of  soft  coal  in  fur- 
naces and  stoves.  All  the  so-called  blast  fur- 
naces of  every  description  that  are  in  use  to- 
day have  sprung  from  this. 

Mr.  May  also  patented  the  two-way  diving 
flue  and  numerous  other  devices,  which  made 
furnaces  so  successful  that  they  are  now  sold 
in  every  soft  coal  state  in  the  United  States 
and  are  sent  to  foreign  countries.  Some  of 
the  most  successful  furnace  manufacturers, 
salesmen  and  workmen  in  his  line  have 
sprung  from  his  employ.  Among  them, 
Frank  Fiebeger  of  the  firm  of  The  May-Fie- 
beger Company,  William  Clerkin  of  the  Tap- 
lin.  Rice,  Clerkin  Company,  and  George 
Maag,  of  the  Twentieth  Century  Company. 

For  forty  years  he  continued  in  the  same 
line  of  business,  continually  increasing  the 
plant  and  always  keeping  up  the  highest 
standard  and  enjoying  the  confidence  of  the 
business  world.  His  motto  always  was, 
"Nothing  succeeds  like  success." 

Mr.  May  was  married  twice.  In  1872  he 
married  Miss  Susan  Rhodes  of  Randolph, 
Ohio.  The  children  born  to  this  union  were : 
Mary  L.,  Louis  R.,  Helen  C,  Frank  G.,  and 
Rosalia  A. 

In  the  spring  of  1894  Mr.  May  lost  his  first 
wife,  and  in  the  fall  of  1899  he  married  his 
present  wife,  Mis.s  Elizabeth  M.  Rou.ssert,  of 
Akron.  Mr.  May  has  always  been  a  member 
of  St.  Bernard's  German  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  and  is  highly  respected  by  all  its 
member.-.  After  over  forty  years  of  strenu- 
ous business  life,  Mr.  May  has  for  the  present 
retired  to  become  acquainted  with  his  family 
and  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labor. 


79^ 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


SAMUEL  IIAMMETT  PEICKETT,  resid- 
ing on  his  valuable  farm  of  110  acres,  situ- 
ated in  Richfield  Township,  is  a  representa- 
tive citizen  and  on  several  occasions  has  served 
as  township  trustee.  He  was  born  near  Mar- 
ion, Wayne  County,  NeW  York,  January  6, 
1829,  and  is  a  son  of  SamutJ  and  Hannah 
Ann  (Allen)  Prickett. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Prickett  was  born  at  Med- 
ford,  New  Jersey,  and  his  parents  were  John 
and  Sybilla(Hammett)  Prickett.  They  lived  to 
be  over  ninety  years  of  age.  Samuel  Prickett 
was  well  educated  for  his  day  and  for  nearly 
fifty  years  he  kept  a  diary,  in  which  is  re- 
flected not  only  family  happenings,  but  often 
pictures  of  passing  events  of  importance.  Af- 
ter some  years  of  marriage,  he  moved  to  New 
York,  with  his  wife  and  three  children,  re- 
maining in  that  state  for  seven  years,  and 
then  came  to  Ohio.  He  reached  Richfield 
Township,  June  8,  1834,  where  he  purchased 
200  acres  of  land  and  developed  the  same  into 
a  grain  and  stock  farm.  In  early  days  he  was 
a  Whig,  later  a  Republican.  He  died  in 
1886,  aged  over  eighty-eight  years.  He  mar- 
ried Hannah  Ann  Allen  and  they  had  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Franklin,  who  is  deceased; 
Caroline,  who  is  the  widow  of  Samuel  Clark, 
of  Richfield ;  and  John,  Hannah  Ann,  Allen 
S.  and  Aaron,  all  deceased;  and  Samuel.  The 
parents  of  Mr.  Prickett  were  reared  in  the 
Society  of  Friends,  but  attended  the  Congre- 
gational  Church  in  Richfield  Township. 

Samuel  H.  Prickett  was  young  when  his 
parents  came  to  Richfield  Township,  and  he 
obtained  his  education  in  the  district  schools 
of  this  neighborhood.  He  remained  on  the 
home  farm  until  in  November,  1854,  when 
he  went  to  California,  where  he  became  in- 
terested in  a  claim,  and  remained,  variously 
engaged,  in  that  state  until  1864.  In  the  year 
following  his  return  to  Richfield  Township, 
he  purchased  hLs  present  farm  and  has  de- 
voted himself  to  its  cultivation  and  improve- 
ment. ]\Ir.  Prickett  cultivates  about  eighty 
acres  and  keeps  from  100  to  200  sheep.  He 
is  a  member  of  Richfield  Grange. 

Mr.  Prickett  married  Ann  Amelia  Garth- 
waite,  who  left  one  daughter,  Edith,  at  death. 


He  married  (second)  Edith  Welton,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  Welton,  of  Richfield 
Township,  and  they  have  two  children ;  Dana 
Welton  and  Marion  Louise. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Prickett  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party.  In  addition  to  serv- 
ing as  township  trustee,  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  School  Board,  and  at  all  times  has 
been  a'  citizen  actively  interested  in  all  move- 
ments beneficial  to  this  section. 

GEORGE  H.  LODGE,  assistant  treasurer 
of  The  Silver  Lake  Park  Company,  of  Silver 
Lake,  Summit  County,  was  born  at  Newburg, 
Ohio,  November  30,  1875,  and  is  a  son  of 
Ralph  Hugh  and  Julia  A.  (Plum)  Lodge. 

Mr.  Lodge  can  trace  his  remote  ancestors 
to  a  Huguenot  family  that  found  refuge  in 
England,  and  to  those  members  who  later  ac- 
companied William  Penn  to  Pennsylvania. 
On  land  granted  to  a  Lodge,  by  the  great  col- 
onizer, the  grandfather  of  George  H.  Lodge, 
whose  name  the  latter  bears,  was  born  in  1801, 
and  he  was  reared  in  New  Jersey  and  prob- 
ably was  still  residing  there  in  1829,  when  he 
married  Rebecca  Smith.  With  his  wife  he 
came  to  Ohio,  about  that  time,  settling  on  a 
Small  farm  in  Stow  Township,  Summit 
County.  In  1836  he  assisted  in  the  material 
development  of  what  is  now  Monroe  Falls, 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  that  village  all  his 
children  were  born.  They  were  as  follows: 
Emma,  George  H.,  Mary,  Cornelia,  and  Caro- 
line, the  eldest  being  Ralph  Hugh  the  father 
of  George  H.  In  1846  the  family  moved  to 
Cleveland,  and  in  1848,  settled  on  what  was 
then  known  as  the  Leonard  Case  farm,  and 
in  1855  removed  to  a  tract  of  100  acres,  which 
is  now  a  busy  part  of  that  city. 

Ralph  Hugh  Lodge  was  born  August  3, 
1830,  at  Monroe  Falls,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
and  as  the  eldest  son  assisted  his  father  in  all 
his  enterprises,  in  1872  assuming  the  man- 
agement of  the  farm  on  which  the  family 
resided  for  seventeen  years.  He  purchased 
property  and  engaged  for  a  time  in  a  mer- 
cantile business,  but  the  real  occupation  of  his 
life  was  the  developing  of  what  is  known  as 
The  Silver  Lake  Park,  and  in  this  great  en- 


AND    REPKESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


793 


teiprise  he  wa^s  ablj'  assisted  by  his  sons.  The 
property  came  into  hi^  i^ossessioii  in  1874, 
and  he  toolc  up  his  residence  on  this  ground 
in  April,  1876,  and  lived  there  until  his  death, 
May  22,  1907. 

On  April  7,  1869  Ralph  Hugh  Lodge  wiis 
married  to  Julia  A.  Plum  of  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
and  nine  of  their  ten  children  still  survive, 
namely :  Edward  Ballard,  a  physician,  re- 
siding at  Cleveland;  Mrs.  Duncan  B.  Woloott, 
residing  at  Kent,  Ohio;  Mrs.  William  R.  Ir- 
vin,  residing  at  Cuyahoga  Falls;  and  Lillian 
P.,  William  R.,  George  H.,  Louis  B.,  Laura 
C.  and  Ralph  H.  residing  at  Silver  Lake  Park. 

George  H.  Lodge  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  leaving  the  High 
School  to  enter  the  preparatory  school  of 
Oberlin  College,  subsequently  took  a  course 
at  the  Hammel  Business  College,  of  Akron, 
and  since  completing  his  education  has  been 
identified  with  the  Silver  Lake  Amusement 
Park.  He  has  charge  of  the  outside  work, 
attending  to  the  erection  of  new  buildings 
and  making  substantial  improvements  which 
still  further  enhance  the  beauty  and  comfort 
of  this  celebrated  resort. 

Mr.  Lodge  married  Florence  Adelia  Call, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  Augustus  Call, 
of  Stow  Township,  Summit  County.  Mrs. 
Lodge  is  a  member  of.  tlie  Congregational 
Church  at  Hudson. 

Politically  Mr.  Lodge  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  served  as  a  deputy  sheriff  since  the  elec- 
tion of  Sheriff  Barker.  He  belongs  to  Star 
Lodge,  No.  187,  F.  &  A.  M. 

C.  B.  RAYMOND,  secretary  of  the  B.  F. 
Goodrich  Company,  at  Akron,  is  a  native  of 
this  city,  where  he  was  born  February  12, 
1868,  and  he  has  been  identified  with  some 
of  its  lai'ge  business  enterprises  ever  since  he 
returned  from  college. 

Mr.  Raymond  completed  the  High  School 
course  at  Akron  and  then  entered  Amherst 
College  where  he  was  graduated  in  1888,  with 
the  degree  of  B.  S.  Very  soon  afterward,  he 
was  made  secretan*  of  the  Akron  Woolen  and 
Felt  Company,  with  which  he  continued  until 
April,  1891.  Avhen  he  came  with  the  Good- 


rich Hard  Rubber  Company  and  in  1898, 
when  the  American  Hard  Rubber  Com- 
pany was  organized  here  he  became  man- 
ager of  the  Akron  plant,  remaining  in 
that  position  until  April,  1905,  when  he  was 
made  assistant  secretary  of  the  B.  F.  Good- 
rich Company.  In  1906  he  became  secretary 
of  the  company  and  has  remained  in  that 
capacity  until  the  present.  Mr.  Raymond  is 
connected  \\dth  other  successful  business  con- 
cerns, being  a  director  of  the  American  Hard 
Rubber  Company,  a  director  of  the  Second 
National  Bank,  and  a  director  of  the  Hard- 
ware and  Supply  Company  of  Akron.  He  is 
a  trustee  of  the  Akron  City  Hospital,  a  vestry- 
man of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church  and  a 
director  of  the  Portage  Country  Club.  For 
one  term  he  sen'ed  as  a  member  of  the  Akron 
Board  of  Education. 

In  1890  Mr.  Raymond  was  married  to 
Mary  Perkins,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Col.  G. 
T.  Perkins,  and  they  have  three  children,  viz. : 
Mary  Perkins,  George  Perkins  and  Charles 
Goodrich. 

EARL  JAMES  GRUBB,  proprietor  of  Elm- 
dale  Farm,  in  Stow  Township,  is  the  manu- 
facturer of  the  w^ll-known  Elmdale  Creamery- 
butter,  carrying  on  general  farming,  dairying 
and  poultry  raising  quite  extensively.  Mr. 
Grubb  was  born  in  Stow  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  August  15,  1878,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  William  and  Alice  (Garrison)  Grubb. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Grubb  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania September  15,  1845,  and  died  No- 
vember 11,  1896.  He  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade  and  followed  it,  in  addition  to  farming, 
all  his  active  life  except  during  his  term  of 
two  years  in  the  service  of  his  countrj-.  He 
enlisted  when  very  young  in  Company  K. 
151st  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.and 
saw  much  hard  service.  A  brother  was  killed 
during  the  war  but  John  William  survived, 
but  only  to  suffer  from  exposure  then  endured 
all  his  remaining  life.  He  identified  himself 
with  the  Grand  Army  po.st  at  Kent.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  order  known  as  the  Knights 
of  Honor.  John  William  Grubb  married 
Alice  Garrison,  who  vias  a  daughter  of  James 


794 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Garrison,  of  Franklin  Township,  Portage 
County,  and  they  had  the  following  children : 
AVilliam  Edward,  residing  at  Kent ;  Ernest 
Franklin,  residing  at  Akron;  Grace  E.,  who 
married  William  Samuels,  i-esiding  at  Akron ; 
Earl  James;  and  Lela  Ellen,  who  died  aged 
twenty-two  years.  John  William  Grubb  was 
a  consistent  member  of  the  DLsciples  Church, 
at  Kent,  in  avhich  he  ser\'ed  as  deacon. 

John  Grubb,  the  grandfather  of  Earl 
James,  was  the  first  of  the  family  to  own  the 
farm  which  the  grandson  now  possesses.  He 
came  from  Pennsylvania  and  married  Han- 
nah Sorrick,  of  Stark  County.  They  reared 
a  large  family.  John  Grubb  carried  on  farm- 
ing and  also  worked  as  a  stone-mason. 

Earl  James  Grubb  spent  seven  years  of  his 
early  life,  at  Brecksville,  in  Cuyahoga  Couniy, 
where  he  attended  school,  and  he  spent  three 
subsequent  years  in  the  Kent  High  School, 
obtaining  means  to  complete  his  education, 
by  working  in  a  meat  market.  Mr.  Grubb 
has  practically  taken  care  of  himself  since 
he  was  twelve  years  of  age.  After  leaving 
school  he  ran  a  meat  market  for  one  year  at 
Mantua  Station,  and  later  worked  in  a  Kent 
market  house  for  a  year,  when  he  turned  his 
attention  to  farming.  His  first  rented  place 
was  the  old  Hoover  farm,  after  which  he 
bought  a  milk  route,  selling  his  product  at 
Kent,  which  industry  he  continued  for  three 
years.  During  the  last  year  he  was  also 
manager  of  the  Crescent  Po-ultry  Farm  at 
Kent.  He  disposed  of  his  business  at  Kent, 
and  April  15,  1904,  he  purchased  his  present 
farm,  consisting  of  eighty -two  and  one-half 
acres.  He  winters  about  thirty-five  head  of 
cattle,  raises  his  own  for  dairy  purposes,  and 
every  season  has  a  fine  lot  of  hogs,  a  cross 
between  the  Chester  White  and  the  Berkshire, 
which  Mr.  Grubb  thinks  can  not  be  excelled. 
He  raises  corn,  oats,  hay  and  wheat  and  mar- 
kets all  he  does  not  use  for  himself.  He  also 
makes  a  specialty  of  poultry,  raising  broilers 
for  the  market,  and  has  made  a  great  success 
of  this  whole  industry.  He  has  made  a  scien- 
tific study  of  this  business  and  has  constructed 
buildings  for  his  poultry  where  they  are  as 
comfortable  in  Avinter  as  in  summer.  The  out- 


lay has  paid  well,  as  on  several  occasions,  in 
the  depth  of  winter,  from  102  hens,  he  has 
gathered  ninety-three  eggs,  wliile  the  average 
is  from  five  to  seven  dozen  a  day.  Mr.  Ginabb 
has  a  fine  silo  on  his  land  with  dimensions 
of  11  by  11  feet,  with  round  corners,  which 
is  28  feet  in  depth. 

Mr.  Grubb's  hajjpy  family  includes  wife 
and  two  children.  He  married  Mary  Lappin, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Marvin  and  Olive  Lap- 
pin.  ]Mrs.  Grubb  was  born  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship, Portage  County.  The  two  children  are 
named  Gordon  Glee,  who  was  born  February 
28,  1903,  and  Naundas  Mildred,  who  was  born 
March  14  1907.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grubb  belong 
to  the  Disciples  Chiu'ch  at  Kent.  Politically 
Mr.  Grubb  is  a  Republican,  but  he  is  no  seek- 
er for  office.  He  belongs  to  the  order  of  the 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security,  at  Kent. 

C.  R.  QUINE,  treasurer  and  general  man- 
agtr  of  the  Akron  Clutch  Company,  and  sec- 
retary of  the  Colonial  Sign  and  Insulator 
Company,  was  born  in  1879,  at  Akron,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  son  of  Robert  S.  Quine,  of  this  city. 

After  completing  his  education  Mr.  Quine 
was  connected  with  newspaper  work  for  a 
short  period  and  then  became  associated  with 
the  Colonial  Sign  and  Insulator  Company. 
For  the  past  two  years  he  has  been  treasurer 
and  general  manager  of  the  Akron  Clutch 
Company,  which  was  organized  for  the  manu- 
facture of  friction  clutches.  The  company 
is  now  building  a  finely-equipped  plant  on 
Sweitzer  Avenue,  and  preparations  are  being 
made  to  greatly  enlarge  the  present  capacity 
in  order  to  meet  the  growing  demand. 

In  1905,  Mr.  Quine  was  married  to  Hattie 
Van  Orman,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the  late 
J.  H.  Van  Orman,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Robert  C.  Mr.  Quine  belongs  to  the  Akron 
lodge  of  Odd  Fellows. 

H.  A.  AVEST,  one  of  Akron's  able  young 
business  men,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Enterprise  Manufacturing  Company,  of  this 
city,  was  born  in  1872,  in  Portage  County, 
Ohio,  and  is  a  .son  of  the  late  Robert  and 
Marv  (Alexander)  West. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


795 


Mr.  Weii  was  brought  to  Akron  in  child- 
hood and  was  reared  and  educated  here,  gradu- 
ating from  the  public  schools  in  1890.  He 
then  became  connected  with  the  official  force 
of  the  old  Akron  Iron  Company,  and  re- 
mained four  yeai's  in  the  Akron  and  New 
York  citj'  offices,  and  from  there  went  to  the 
Whitman-Barnes  Manufacturing  Company 
for  seven  year^,  after  which  he  accepted  his 
present  official  position  with  the  Enterprise 
-Manufacturing  Company. 

In  1897  Mr.  West  vrsxs  married  to  Ida  JI. 
Pflueger,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  E.  F. 
Pflueger.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Disciple 
Church.     Fraternally  Mr.  West  Ls  a  Mason. 

CHARLES  SENN,  superintendent  of  the 
Monroe  Falls  Paper  Company,  at  Monroe 
Falls,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  since. 
1889.  He  was  born  at  New  Philadelphia, 
Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  June  10,  1860,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  B.  and  Anna  (Sherrick) 
Senn. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Senn  were  both  born  in 
the  Canton  of  Berne,  Switzerland.  The  father 
was  a  coal  miner  both  in  his  own  land  and 
after  he  settled  in  Tu-scarawas  County,  and 
also  engaged  in  farming  after  coming  to  the 
United  States.  Early  in  the  Civil  War  he  en- 
tered the  army  as  a  private  in  the  151st  Regi- 
,  ment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  died  in 
1832.  The  mother  continued  to  live  on  the 
home  farm  until  about  1868,  when,  with  her 
four  children,  she  moved  to  Ma5.sillon. 
I  In  the  public  schools  of  Massillon,  Charles 

Senn  obtained  hLs  education,  and  learned  his 
business  of  paper-making  in  the  works  of  the 
^lassillon  Paper  Company.  He  was  about 
eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  started  out 
from  home  and  worked  in  various  paper  mills, 
during  this  time  gaining  a  great  deal  of  viseful 
information  concerning  the  details  of  his 
trade.  This  determination  to  perfect  himself 
has  resulted  in  a  complete  knowledge  of  the 
art  of  paper  manufacture.  In  1889,  he  came 
to  Monroe  Falls  to  take  charge  of  the  plant 
of  the  Cleveland  Paper  Company.  The  Mon- 
roe Falls  Paper  Company  is  the  successor  of 
the  Cleveland  Paper  Company.    It  was  incor- 


porated in  1899,  with  John  Silk  of  Massillon, 
jjresident;  Charles  Silk,  vice  president;  F.  B. 
Silk,  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  Charles 
Senn,  superintendent.  With  double  shifts 
working,  the  output  is  twelve  tons  of  paper 
daily,  employment  being  given  thirty-five 
men.  The  product  goes  all  over  the  country 
and  consists  of  light  and  dark  rag  wrapping 
paper;  absorbent  fly  paper;  red  express;  dead- 
ening felt  paper  and  caipet  lining.  Sales  are 
made  direct  to -the  trade  and  also  through  job- 
bers. The  enterprise  is  a  very  prosperous  one 
and  under  Mr.  Senn's  expei'ienced  supervision 
the  greatest  amount  of  product  is  obtained  at 
the  least  possible  expense,  quality  considered. 
Jlr.  Senn  married  Mary  Elizabeth  Dixon, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Dixon,  formerly 
of  Massillon,  Ohio,  but  for  the  past  fifteen 
years  a  resident  of  jNIonroe  Falls.  They  have 
four  children :  Hazel,  who  married  Claude 
Kepler,  residing  at  Monroe  Falls;  and  Ada, 
Maude  and  Karl,  residing  at  home.  The  fam- 
ily belong  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
at  Monroe  Falls,  of  which  Mr.  Senn  has  been 
an  official  member  for  a  number  of  years. 
Politically  he  is  in  sympathy  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  but  takes  only  a  good  citizen's 
interest  in  elections.  He  belongs  to  Pavonia 
Lodge,  No.  301,  Knights  of  Pythia*. 

LEWIS  S.  PALMER,  one  of  Stow  Town- 
ship's leading  citizens  and  large  landowners, 
was  born  in  Green  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio.  October  29,  1857,  and  is  a  son 
of  .Josiah  and  Margaret   (Stephens)   Palmer. 

Jacob  Palmer,  the  grandfather,  Avas  a  na- 
■tive  of  Conneoticut.  In  1833  he  moved  with 
his  family  to  Virginia,  where,  with  a  brother, 
he  purchased  500  acres  of  land.  The  untime- 
ly death  of  a  son.  about  this  time,  disheart- 
ened Mr.  Palmer,  and  he  .«old  his  interest  in 
the  ^'irginia  property  and  removed  to  Mary- 
land and  from  there  to  Stark  County,  Ohio. 
Hi?  son,  Josiah  Palmer,  who  became  the  fath- 
er of  Lewis  S.,  was  bom  in  Connecticut,  in 
1824,  and  was  twelve  years  of  age  when  he 
came  to  Ohio.  In  1853  he  purchased  a  small 
farm  in  Green  Township,  but  later  removed 
to  Springfield  Township,  where  he  carried  on 


im 


I-IISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


farming  from  1869  until  his  death,  in  1895, 
when  he  was  aged  seventy-one  years.  He  was 
a  Democrat  in  poUtics,  and  on  numerous  oc- 
casions his  fellow-citizens  elected  him  to  of- 
fice. Mr.  Palmer  was  married  to  Margaret 
Stephens,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Steph- 
ens, of  Jerseyshore,  Pennsylvania,  and  to 
ithem  were  born  eight  children,  namely;  Al- 
bert, who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years ; 
William,  who  resides  in  Springfield  Town- 
ship ;  Cecelia  Jane,  deceased,  who  was  the  wiie 
of  Charles  McColgan,  of  Stow  Township; 
Catherine,  deceased,  who  married  David  Bru- 
baker,  of  Barberton,  Ohio;  Charles,  who  re- 
sides in  Lake  Township,  Stark  County ;  Lewis 
S. ;  Thomas  who  is  a  resident  of  Springfield 
Township ;  and  Marcus,  who  is  deceased.  Mrs. 
Palmer  died  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine 
years,  in  the  faith  of  the  German  Reformed 
Church,  in  which  her  husband  was  a  deacon. 
Lewis  S.  Palmer  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Green  Township,  and  until 
he  was  twelve  years  of  age  lived  on  the  home 
farm.  He  then  accompanied  the  family  to 
Springfield  Township,  and  he  assisted  in  cul- 
itivating  the  home  farm  until  1880,  when  he 
engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account  on  a 
tract  east  of  Monroe  Falls,  which  he  purchased 
in  1903.  In  addition  to  this  farm,  which 
consists  of  107  acres,  he  owns  a  tract  of  thirty 
,acres,  which  he  bought  in  1884,  and  the  Sin- 
gleton farm  of  148  acres,  in  Streetsboro, 
which  he  secured  in  1898.  Two  of  these 
farms  he  rents,  having  fifty-two  acres  under 
cultivation  on  his  own  account.  In  1874-5, 
when  the  Valley  Railroad  was  under  construc- 
tion. Mr.  Palmer  worked  as  a  foreman  for  E. 
A.  McChesney.  In  the  spring  of  1899  he 
purchased  a  portable  sawmill,  which  he  has 
operated  throughout  this  section,  sawing  on 
an  average  of  500,000  feet  annually,  and 
since  1892  he  has  operated  a  threshing  ma- 
chine, giving  three  men  employment.  Mr. 
Palmer  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  al- 
though he  is  not  inclined  to  have  political 
aspirations,  he  has  served  his  tow-nship  as  as- 
sesor.  He  belongs  to  the  order  of  Eagles  at 
Kent.     Among  his  most  cherished  possessions 


is  an  old  musket,  which  one  of  his  paternal 
ancestors  carried  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

Mr.  Palmer  was  married  to  Almeda  E. 
Swinehart,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Levi  Swine- 
hart,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Stow  Township. 
Eight  children  have  been  born  to  this  union, 
as  follows:  Nelson,  Maude,  Bertha,  Blanche, 
Chauncey,  Ira,  Coy  and  Elmo.  Chauncey 
died  agea  ten  years. 

BENJAMIN  F.  CLARK,  deputy  county  re- 
corder of  Summit  County  and  adjutant  of 
Buckley  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Akron,  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  city  since  1871,  and  for  eight- 
een years  was  connected  with  the  Beacon- 
Journal.  Mr.  Clark  was  born  in  Libson, 
Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  January  24,  1841, 
and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  George  Callhoun  and 
Susan  Atchison   (Lee)    Clark. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Clark  was  a  minister  in 
the  Christian  Church.  His  mother  was  a  first 
cousin  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  and  possessed 
much  of  the  beauty  and  dignity  of  the  ladies 
of  that  old  Virginia  family.  As  a  minister  sub- 
ject to  the  commands  of  church  councils,  Rev. 
George  Clark  was  obliged  frequently  to  change 
his  place  of  residence,  and  when  his  son  was 
about  three  years  of  age,  he  was  stationed  in 
Trumbull  County.  As  soon  as  Benjamin  was 
old  enough  he  was  placed  at  school  at  Massil- 
lon.  and  was  under  the  instmction  of  that 
great  educator.  Prof.  T.  W.  Harvey,  later 
State  School  commissioner,  and  under  him 
was  graduated  in  18o9.  He  then  read  medi- 
cine for  two  years  with  Dr.  Metz,  of  Massil- 
lon,  but  when  the  Civil  War  became  a  cer- 
tainty, he  decided  to  put  aside  his  personal 
ambitions  and  enter  info  the  .sen'ice  of  his 
country. 

In  August,  1861,  Mr.  Clark  became  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  H,  Sixteenth  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  which  was  mustered  into  service  at 
Camp  Tiffin,  at  Wooster,  and  after  a  season 
of  drilling  went  to  Cumberland  Gap.  The 
soldiers  were  put  on  skirmish  duty  for  a  time, 
the  first  fight  in  which  the  Sixteenth  Regi- 
ment was  engaged  being  at  Tazewell,  Tennes- 
see. Great  events  followed  and  Mr.  Clark, 
with  his  comrades  were  soon  in  the  thickest 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


of  the  VicLsburg  movements.  After  passing 
safely  through  tlie  siege  of  Vicksburg,  he  was 
severely  wounded  by  a  shell  in  the  charge  at 
Chickashaw  Bayou,  which  sent  him  first  to  a 
hospital,  later  to  his  home  as  hopelessly  in- 
jured and  led  to  his  discharge  from  the  sen'ice. 
However,  he  was  not  through  with  military 
life,  and  as  soon  as  he  unexpectedly  recuper- 
ated, he  re-enlisted,  entering  Company  B,  Mc- 
Laughlin's Cavalry,  Sherman's  Brigade, 
which  was  organized  by  John  Sherman.  This 
regiment  took  part  in  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
followed  General  Stoneman  into  Georgia,  and 
after  the  fall  of  Atlanta  still  pursued  the 
enemy^  but,  in  turn,  were  themselves 
l^ursued  by  the  desperate  Confederates. 
The  latter  overtook  them  and  forced  an  entire 
surrender  of  all  that  part  of  the  raiding  Un- 
ion Army,  with  the  exception  of  the  brigade 
to  which  Mr.  Clark  was  attached.  It  refused 
to  surrender  and  attempted  to  cut  its  way  out 
from  Sunshine  Church,  to  liberty,  but  suf- 
fered capture.  Mr.  Clark  was  confined  for 
seven  months  in  the  terrible  prison  pen  at 
Andersonville.  but  survived  its  terror.-;,  and 
at  last  was  taken  to  Savannah,  paroled,  and 
then  sent  to  a  hospital  at  Annapolis,  Mary- 
land. Two  weeks  later  he  was  sent  to  his 
home  at  Wooster,  but,  in  his  weakened  state 
the  change  and  excitement  were  too  much  for 
him  and  he  suffered  a  relapse.  For  three 
weeks  he  lay  unconscious,  and  he  owes  to  the 
untiring,  tender  and  loving  care  of  his  moth- 
er, hLs  subsequent  recovery,  although  the 
strain  was  too  heavy  upon  her  and  in  return- 
ing to  life's  activities  through  her  devotion, 
he  was  obliged  to  part  with  her  forever. 

Mr.  Clark  remained  at  home  only  as  long 
a.s  absolutely  necessary  and  then  rejoined  his 
regiment,  which  v.'as  then  at  Salisbury,  North 
Caroline,  receiving  a  perfect  ovation  from 
liis  admiring  comrades.  His  regiment  was 
merged  with  the  Fifth  Ohio  Cavalrj',  and  af- 
ter his  return  he  participated  only  in  the  bat-  ■• 
tie  of  Goldsboro,  North  Carolina.  The  work 
of  the  regiment  was  mainly  railway  and  pro- 
\ost  duty  until  Mr.  Clark  was  honorably  dis- 
charged, in  the  fall  of  1865,  at  Charlotteville, 
North  Carolina. 


After  his  final  retui'u  to  \A'ooster,  Mr.  Clark 
was  emijloyed  as  a  printer  at  Wooster  and 
other  points  until  1871,  when  he  came  to  Ak- 
ron and  entered  the  Beacon- Journal  office, 
where  he  worked  at  the  case  for  eight  years, 
and  then  took  a  position  on  the  editorial 
force.  It  was  while  he  was  connected  with 
newspaper  work  that  he  wrote  his  volume 
which  he  called  the  story  of  his  life  in  Ander- 
sonville Prison.  In  1891-  he  was  elected 
county  recorder  of  Summit  County,  and  in 
1894  he  was  re-elected,  serving  in  the  office 
for  six  years  and  eight  months,  following 
which  he  was  interested  in  some  Youngstown 
enterprises  and  became  inspector  for  the  East- 
ern Ohio  Gas  Company,  of  Akron,  a  position 
he  resigned,  when  he  became  deputy  recorder. 

On  May  1,  1866,  Mr.  Clark  was  married  to 
Caroline  Foltz,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Moses 
Foltz,  of  Wayne  County,  Ohio.  They  have 
three  surviving  children  namely :  Cora  Alice, 
who  is  the  wife  of  H.  S.  Bnmdon,  of  Cleve- 
land; George  K.,  a  machinist,  residing  at  Ak- 
ron: and  William  K.,  also  of  Akron. 

Mr.  Clark  is  a  member  of  the  First  Chris- 
tian Church.  Fraternally  he  is  an  Odd  Fel- 
low. I'or  many  years  he  has  been  very  ac- 
tive in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

CHARLES  A.  DIXON,  M.  D.,  physician 
and  surgeon,  with  offices  at  No.  634  South 
Main  Street,  Akron,  has  been  a  resident  of 
this  city  for  the  past  thirteen  years,  and  Ls 
an  eminent  representative  of  the  Homeo- 
pathic School  of  Medicine,  in  Summit 
County.  He  was  born  in  December,  1871,  in 
Genesee  Countj',  New  York. 

Dr.  Dixon  was  educated  at  Batavia,  New 
York,  graduating  from  the  High  School  and 
from  Devoe  College,  and  subsequently,  in 
1894,  from  the  Cleveland  INIedical  College,  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  located  immediately  at 
Akron,  where  he  now  enjoys  a  large  and  lu- 
crative practice.  He  is  president  of  the  Sum- 
mit County  Homeopathic  Clinical  Society  and 
member  of  the  Northeastern  Homeopathic 
Medical  Society,  the  State  Homeopathic  Med- 
ical 'Society  and  the  Summit  County  Medical 
Club.     He  is  a  clase  student  and  enthusiastic 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


scientific  investigator  and  liis  numerous  papers 
are  listened  to  with  interest  and  profit  by  the 
members  of  the  various  professdonal  organi- 
zations in  which  they  are  read.  He  is  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  Summit  County  Medical 
club.  Dr.  Dixon  is  a  Thirty-second  Degree 
Mason,  belonging  to  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chap- 
ter, Council  and  Commandery,  at  Akron,  and 
to  Lake  Erie  Consistory  and  Alkoran  Shrine, 
at  Cleveland,  being  an  official  in  the  leaser 
branches.  He  belongs  also  to  the  Masonic 
Club,  am  exclusive  organization  at  Akron. 

Z.  F.  CHAMBERLIN,  Avho  is  .serving  in 
his  second  term  as  a  member  of  tlie  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Summit  County  Infirmary, 
was  born  in  Hudson  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  August  1,  1840,  and  is  a  son 
of  Horace  and  Ann  (Post)  Chamberlin. 

Horace  Chamberlin  was  one  of  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  Summit  County,  He 
was  born  in  Hudson  Township,  in  1818,  and 
died  on  his  way  home  from  the  Centennial 
Expo.sition,  in  1876,  at  Cleveland.  By  pro- 
fession he  was  n  lawyer  but  he  never  prac- 
ticed. His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Zina  Post, 
one  of  the  inost  prominent  pioneers  of  early 
days,  in  Hudson  Township.  The  six  children 
of  Horace  Chamberlin  and  wife  were:  F.  A. 
Chamberlin,  of  Newburgh,  Ohio,  now  living 
retired;  E.  A.  Chamberlin,  residing  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls;  H.  A.  Chamberlin,  residing  in 
Twinsburg  Township;  W.  E.,  residing  in 
Twinsburg  Township;  Delos,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  Z.  F.,  subject  of  this  sketch,  who 
is  the  eldest  of  the  family. 

Z.  F.  Chamberlin  was  reared  in  hi-  native 
township  and  was  educated  at  Bissell  Insti- 
tute at  Twinsburg,  since  which  he  has  been 
extensively  interested  in  farming,  stockrais- 
ing  and  dairying,  operating  150  acres  of  land. 
He  has  always  been  more  or  less  active  in 
politics,  and  for  .six  years  was  trustee  of 
Northfield  Township.  He  succeeded  his 
father  as  a  director  in  the  Summit  County 
Agricultural  Society,  serving  nine  years  as 
the  latter  had  done,  and  is  succeeded  in  the 
office  by  his  son,  H.  E. 

Mr.  Cliamberlin  married  Sarah  A.  Pax.son, 


who  is  a  daughter  of  Hcston  C.  Pax.son,  and 
thej'  have  one  child,  Harmon  E,  The  latter 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  later 
at  Cleveland,  and  is  a  Avell  informed  young 
man.  He  is  a  leading  member  of  the  order 
of  Maccabees  in  this  section  and  belongs  to 
tlic  Macedonian  Village  -Council.  He  mar- 
ried Jennie  Brower,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Brower,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Reginald  Brower  and  Marie  Lenore. 

The  Chamberlins  have  always  been  ranked 
with  the  progressive,  intelligent  and  substan- 
tial people  of  Summit  County,  They  have 
owned  lands  and  stock,  and  as  they  prospered 
in  their  own  material  affairs,  have  lent  their 
influence  to  assist  in  movements  to  benefit 
others. 

B.  F.  IIARBAUGH,  one  of  Akron's  repre- 
sentative business  men,  dealing  in  pianos  and 
musical  instruments,  at  No.  175  East  Market 
Street,  was  born  at  New  Pittsburg,  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  in  1854,  and  has  been  estab- 
lished in  this  city  since  1902. 

Mr.  Harbaugh  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Wayne  County,  and  early  in  life,  in  spite 
of  his  musical  talents,  had  to  work  on  a  farm 
and  also  in  a  hardware  store  at  Orr^-ille,  Ohio. 
In  the  meanwhile,  as  opportunity  was  af- 
forded him,  he  cultivated  his  musical  gifts 
and  secured  work  as  a  teacher  of  vocal  and 
instrumental  music  and  as  band  instructor. 
Eventually  he  engaged  in  the  sale  of  musical 
instruments,  and  handled  these,  especially 
pianos,  at  Orrville,  for  twelve  years  prior  to 
coming  to  Akron.  Mr.  Harbaugh  handles 
four  of  the  best  makes  of  pianos,  including 
the  A.  B.  Chase,  the  Packard,  the  Schiller 
and  the  Winter,  making  a  specialty  of  the 
A.  B.  Chase  and  Winter  Piano  Players,  and 
his  stock  includes  everything  relating  to 
music. 

Mr.  Harbaugh  was  married  February  26. 
1879,  to.Sevilla  Mowrer,  and  they  have  the 
following  children :  Ernest  M.,  who  is  asso- 
ciated in  business  with  his  father;  Emily 
Alice,  Otto  C,  who  is  a  drau2:htsman  with  the 
Northern  Ohio  Traction  and  Light  Comiiany 
of  Akron,  and  Ethel  Thav  and  Edna  :Mav. 


RICHARD  B.  WALKER 


AND    REPRESEx\TATIVE    CITIZENS 


801 


^\'ith  his  fajiiily  he  belongs  to  Trinity  Lu- 
theran Church  and  is  a  memher  of  the  offi- 
cial board  of  this  organization.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Haxbaugh  is  identified  with  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Masons,  being  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar. 

RICHARD  B.  WALKER,  president  of  the 
Akron  Abstract  Company  and  vice-president 
of  the  Permanent  Savings  and  Loan  Com- 
pany, and  a  member  of  its  directing  board, 
was  the  pioneer  merchant  in  this  city  in  the 
line  of  agricultural  implements  and  supplies. 
Mr.  Walker  was  born  August  11,  1825,  at 
Belchertown,  Massachusetts.  His  education 
was  secured  in  the  common  schools,  and  his 
business  training. was  along  mercantile  lines. 
In  1852  he  came  to  Akron  and  opened  the 
first  store  for  the  handling  of  agricultural  im- 
plements and  supplies.  Later  he  enlarged  his 
business  to  take  in  tin  and  hardware  and  car- 
ried on  business  until  18')2,  when  he  became 
general  agent  and  traveling  representative  for 
Aultman,  Miller  and  Company,  managing  the 
sales  for  them  of  the  Buckeye  Mowers  and 
Harvesters.  In  1902  he  retired  from  business 
activity. 

On  January  18,  1852,  Mr.  AValker  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  E.  Jenney,  who  was  born  at 
Hardwick,  Massachusetts,  and  they  have  had 
four  children,  namely:  William,  who  is  book- 
keeper for  the  firm  of  Standard  Sewing  Ma- 
chine Company,  at  Cleveland ;  George,  a  grad- 
uate of  Yale  College,  who  is  serving  as  United 
States  district  attorney  for  the  Southern  Dis- 
trict of  Indian  Territory;  Charles,  who  is  de- 
ceased; and  Arthur  H.,  who  is  a  resident  of 
London,  England.  Mrs.  Walker  died  Sep- 
tember 3,  1908. 

In  political  sentiment,  Mr.  Walker  has  al- 
ways been  a  Republican,  and  in  earlier  years 
he  filled  a  number  of  important  offices  in 
Akron  and  in  Sunuuit  County.  He  served 
in  the  City  Council  for  two  terms,  at  an  early 
day,  before  hogs  and  cattle  were  restrained 
from  running  at  large.  For  nine  successive 
years  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  County 
Infirmary  Board  and  to  his  efl'icient  efforts 
in  behalf  of  the  countv's  unfortunates  mast 


be  credited  the  erection  of  the  present  modern 
and  magnificent  infirmary  buildings,  which 
compare  favorably  with  those  of  other  coun- 
ties. For  thirty  years  he  served  as  a  deacon 
in  the  Congregational  Church.  Mr.  Walker's 
present  residence  is  at  No.  166  Fir  Street. 

CHARLES  N.  GAYLORD,  one  of  Stow 
Township's  most  substantial  men  and  leading 
citizens,  largely  intereated  in  the  dairy  indus- 
try, was  born  on  the  valuable  farm  on  which 
he  lives,  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  March  14, 
1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Sylvester  and  Julia  Ann 
(North)   Gaylord. 

The  Gaylord  family  descended  from  the 
English  Puritans  who  settled  in  Connecticut 
in  colonial  days.  Jonathan  Gaylord,  the 
grandfather  of  Charles  N.,  was  born  in  Upper 
Middletown,  Connecticut.  He  married  Martha 
Thomas,  who  was  born  at  Haddam,  Connecti- 
cut, and  they  had  the  following  children: 
■Isaac,  Eliza,  Mary  A.,  Joshua  and  Sylvester, 
all  born  in  Connecticut,  and  Eli  and  Martha, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  Ohio. 

Jonathan  Gaylord  came  with  wife  and  chil- 
dren to  the  Western  Reserve  in  1809,  among 
the  large  body  of  homeseekers  ivho  migrated 
thither  about  that  time  from  the  East.  He 
started  on  the  first  day  of  June,  1809,  his 
possessions  drawn  by  yokes  of  oxen.  Captain 
Stow  and  family  being  of  the  same  party. 
Jonathan  Gaylord  brought  his  father  and 
mother,  Jonathan  and  Elizabeth  (Goodham) 
with  him,  and  the  following  brothers  and  sis- 
ters also  accompanied  the  daring  pioneer  who 
was  venturing  into  these  wild  regions:  Wil- 
liam, Betsey,  Abia  and  Margaret.  To  the 
larger  number  of  the  travelers,  that  was  in- 
deed a  memorable  journey.  All  of  those  who 
were  able  to  walk  traveled  in  that  primative 
way,  for  on  many  occasions  streams  had  to 
be  forded  and  thoroughfares  cut  through  the 
dense  forests.  After  forty-one  days  of  advance 
the  little  cavalcade  reached  the  desired  destin- 
ation and  settled  in  the  southern  part  of  Stow 
Township.  A  part  of  the  land  which  his 
grandfather  and  great-grandfather  looked  on 
and  called  good,  is  now  the  property  of  Char- 
les N.  Gaylord,  although  in  its  present  state  of 


802 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


cultivatiou  aud  improvement,  it  little  resem- 
bles the  landscape  that  then  greeted  their 
eyes.  They  were  practical  men,  however,  and 
they  were  able  to  value  the  timber  and  under- 
stand the  quality  of  the  soil. 

Jonathan  Gaylord  acquired  here  200  acres 
of  forest  land,  on  which  he  built  first  a  log 
cabin,  in  which  the  family  lived  for  some 
years,  which  was  replaced  by  a  substantial 
frame  house.  With  the  assistance  of  his  sons 
he  cleared  this  immense  body  of  land,  but  was 
not  permitted  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  hii,  labor 
into  old  age.  He  was  active  and  industrious 
beyond  his  strength,  and  when  farm  work  did 
not  press,  it  was  his  cu.stom  to  wallc  the  whole 
distance  to  Cleveland  and  return,  doing  work 
in  the  shipyards  of  that  then  village.  He  was 
stricken,  probably  mth  an  affection  of  the 
heai"t,  while  on  one  of  these  trips,  when  not 
more  than  in  middle  age.  Both  he  and  wife 
belonged  to  the  Presbj-terian  faith. 

Sylvester  Gaylord,  father  of  Charles  N.," 
was  nine  months  old  when  brought  by  his 
parents  to  the  Western  Reserve.  He  attended 
the  district  schools  and  learned  at  Cleveland 
to  be  a  carpenter  and  builder,  and  was  a 
young  man  of  siich  steadiness  of  character 
that  when  only  twenty  years  of  age,  he  began 
business  for  himself.  He  worked  at  his  trade 
and  lived  on  a  part  of  the  homestead  farm  in 
Stow  Township  which  he  purchased  and 
which  Charles  N.  now  owns.  He  was  a  man 
of  sterling  character  and  wa.s  trusted  and  re- 
spected by  all  who  knew  him.  Politically  a 
Republican,  he  was  ofiFered  by  that  party 
many  local  offices  and  wa.s  elected  township 
tnistee  on  several  occasions.  Hi.?  death  took 
place  .Tune  17,  1889. 

In  1830,  Sylvester  Gaylord  married  (first) 
Ruth  Nickerson,  who  wa.s  born  near  Cape 
Cod,  in  Massachusetts.  She  was  of  English 
descent  and  her  parents  were  among  the  pio- 
neer settlers  in  Stow  Township,  her  father 
keeping  one  of  the  early  inns  at  Stow  Corners. 
There  were  two  children  born  to  this  mar- 
riage: Helen.  decea.«ed;  and  Sylvester,  re- 
siding at  Stow  Corners.  The  first  •nnfe  of  Mr. 
Gaylord  died  in  18?>8,  and  he  was  married 
(.second)   April  2ft.  1«r!0.  to  .Tulia  A.  North, 


who  was  a  daughter  of  Selah  and  Anna  (Ne- 
well) North.  The  children  born  to  this  union 
were  the  following;  Lucy,  who  is  the  widow 
of  Linas  E.  Burr,  residing  at  Cameron,  Mis- 
souri; William,  residing  at  Cleveland;  Julia, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Willard  W.  Wetmore,  re- 
siding in  Stow  Township ;  Charlotte,  who  mar- 
ried for  her  first  husband  Dr.  Charles  Hen- 
sliaw,  aud  her  second  marriage  was  to  James 
L.  Banning,  residing  at  Stow  Corners;  and 
Charles  N. 

Charles  N.  Gaylord  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Monroe  Falls  and  spent  three  years 
in  the  Tallmadge  Academy.  He  then  en- 
tered the  paper  mills  at  Monroe  Falls,  where 
he  worked  for  some  twelve  years,  after  which 
he  rented  the  farm  from  his  father,  and  has 
been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  ever 
since.  The  homestead  farm  was  the  property 
of  his  mother  until  her  death  and  he  con- 
tinued to  rent  it  until  the  settlement  of  the 
estate,  when  he  purchased  it  together  with 
seventy  adjoining  acres.  During  this  whole 
period  he  has  operated  a  dairy,  keeping  about 
twenty-five  cows.  During  nine  months  of  the 
year  his  milk  goes  to  tlie  Co-operative  Cream- 
ery at  Stow,  of  which  enterprise  he  was  one 
of  the  organizers,  and  of  which  he  is  a  direct- 
or as  well  as  a  heavy  stockholder.  In  1899, 
he  embarked  in  a  new  industry  on  his  farm, 
this  being  the  making  of  ice  cream  by  whole- 
sale, and  this  dainty  he  sells  all  through  this 
section,  having  the  important  contract  of  sup- 
plying Silver  Lake  Park.  He  has  well-equip- 
ped quarters  and  utilizes  a  steam  engine  for 
power,  Mr.  Gaylord  raises  corn,  oats  and  po- 
tatoes. His  interests  are  many  and  varied, 
and  he  keeps  a  firm  hand  on  all. 

Mr.  Gaylord  married  Iaicv  Southmayd,  a 
member  of  an  old  and  important  family,  and 
they  have  two  children:  Howard  S.  and 
Stanley  G.  Mrs.  Gaylord  is  a  daughter  of  the 
late  William  and  Martha  (Wilson)  South- 
mayd. 

The  paternal  grandmother  of  Mrs.  Gaylord 
was  Clarissa  (Rice)  Gaylord,  who  was  born 
February  Ci.  180.5,  and  died  March  14.  1879. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Captain  Rice  and  was 
the  first  white  child  born  in  Stow  Township. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


803 


She  became  the  second  wife  of  Erastus  South- 
mayd,  who  was  born  at  Middletown,  Connec- 
ticut, March  29,  1787.  He  came  to  the  West- 
ern Reserve  a  single  man  and  was  married 
(first)  to  Annie  Wetmore,  in  1822,  who  died 
after  the  birth  of  three  children:  Charles, 
Lucy  and  Leonard.  In  1827,  he  married 
Clarissa  Rice,  and  they  had  four  children: 
Walter,  William,  Horace  and  Heurj-.  Eras- 
tus Southmayd  owned  a  good  farm  situated 
one-half  mile  north  of  Stow  Center,  which  he 
cleared  from  the  forest,  and  for  some  years 
he  also  kept  a  hotel  at  Stow  Corners.  He  died 
on  this  farm  October  16,  1866.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Disciples  Church. 

William  Southmayd,  father  of  Mrs.  Gay- . 
lord,  was  one  of  the  best-known  citizens  of 
Smnmit  County.  He  was  a  farmer  and  school 
teacher,  following  the  latter  profession  for 
sixteen  years  consecutively  in  his  native 
county.  For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the 
infirmary  directors  and  held  political  posi- 
tions of  various  kinds,  sending  as  clerk  and  as 
treasurer  of  Stow  Township,  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket,  for  a  long  period.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  School  Board,  and  was  an  elder 
in  the  Disciples  Church.  His  last  years  were 
passed  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  where  he  died  De- 
cember 8.  1887,  aged  fifty-seven  years.  On 
November  4,  1852,  he  married  Martha  Wil- 
son, who  was  born  at  Pompey.  Onondaga 
County.  New  York.  December  27,  1831,  and 
wa«  a  daughter  of  Dariu?  and  Temperance 
("Cha^e)  Wilson.  Darius  Wilson  moved  to 
the  Western  Reser\'e  in  1835  and  settled  in 
Medina  County,  Ohio,  where  he  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-four  years. 

Politically  Mr.  Gaylord  is  a  Republican. 
He  served  one  term  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  several  terms  as  township  trustee.  For  four 
years  he  has  been  president  of  the  Summit 
County  Horticultural  Society,  for  two  years 
president  of  the  Farmers'  Institute  of  Summit 
County,  and  secretary  of  this  organization  for 
two  years,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the 
School  Board  for  a  long  period.  He  belongs 
tr)  Pavonia  Lodge.  No.  301.  Knights  of  Py- 
thia=.  at  Cuyahoga  Falls.  He  is  a  deacon  in 
the  Disciples  Church. 


G.  C.  DONALDSON,  manager  of  the  Pitts- 
burg Coal  Company,  at  Akron,  has  a  large 
territory  to  cover  in  the  interests  of  this  im- 
mense concern,  with  w^hich  he  has  been  iden- 
tified since  1900.  He  was  born  at  Girard, 
Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  in  1872,  where  he 
secured  his  schooling. 

When  sixteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Donaldson 
went  to  Cleveland  and  entered  the  employ  of 
Pickands,  Mather  &  Company,  with  whom 
he  continued  for  eight  years,  after  which  he 
was  three  years  with  the  Canada  Life  Insur- 
ance Company.  For  a  short  time,  Mr.  Don- 
aldson was  employed  as  a  special  agent  by 
the  Erie  Railroad,  and  then  entered  upon  his 
present  connection  with  the  Pittsburg  Coal 
Company.  Until  1904  he  traveled  in  its  in- 
terest through  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Michigan, 
and  then  was  stationed  at  Akron  and  placed 
i  n  charge  of  all  the  business  in  Ohio  west  and 
.-outh  of  Warren,  Ohio. 

On  October  9,  1902,  Mr.  Donaldson  was 
married  to  Anna  Grace  Dunbar,  of  Steuben- 
ville,  Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Donaldson  are 
members  of  the  Presb\i,erian  Church  of  Ak- 
ron. Mr.  Donaldson  is  a  talented  musician 
and  is  treasurer  of  the  Tuesday  Musical  Club, 
Akron's  leading  mu.sical  organization. 

SAMUEL  F.  ZILIOX,  president  and  gen- 
eral manager  of  the  Commercial  Printing 
Company,  of  Akron,  has  specialized  in  his 
line  of  work  for  many  years,  and  has  been 
at  the  head  of  his  present  enterprise  since  its 
incorporation  in  1896.  He  was  born  at  Mill- 
ville.  Butler  County.  Ohio,  in  1864,  and  was 
educated  mainly  at  Hamilton. 

When  a  lad  of  fifteen  years  Mr.  Ziliox  en- 
tered the  printing  office  of  Jacob  H.  Long,  at 
Hamilton,  where  he  remained  two  years,  then 
spent  a  short  time  at  Urbana,  only  to  return 
to  Hamilton,  where  he  was  connected  with 
the  Hamilton  Democrat  as  superintendent  and 
business  manager  until  May,  1889.  For  a 
short  period  he  was  a  member  of  the  adver- 
tising staff  of  the  St.  Louis  Chronicle,  then 
was  identified  with  the  Laning  Publishing 
Company,  of  Norwalk,  Ohio.  In  Febmary, 
1891,  he  came  to  Akron  and  was  in  charge 


804 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


of  the  job  depai-tment  of  The  Akron  Print- 
ing and  Publishing  Company  until  March, 
1896,  when,  with  others,  he  organized  the 
Commercial  Printing  Company.  This  con- 
cern was  incorporated  in  1898,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $20,000,  which  has  been  increased 
to  $75,000.  The  officers  of  the  company  are: 
S.  F.  Ziliox,  president  and  manager;  D.  W. 
Bowman,  vice  president;  F.  A.  Lane,  treas- 
urer and  general  superintendent,  and  W.  E. 
Young,  secretary  and  assistant  superintend- 
ent. 

In  1904  Mr.  Ziliox  was  married  to  Kath- 
eryn  Aydelotte,  of  Hamilton,  Ohio.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ziliox  are  members  of  St.  Paul's  Epis- 
copal Church.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Elks,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Elks  club. 

FREDERICK  KUHLKE,  one  of  Akron's 
sul)stantial  bu.sdness  men,  who  conducts  one 
of  the  leading  bakeries  in  the  city,  ha.s  been 
identified  with  Akron's  development  for  the 
past  forty-one  years.  lie  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1846,  and  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  own  land. 

In  1864  Mr.  Kuhlke  came  to  America  and 
for  two  years  he  worked  in  a  grocery  store 
in  New  York  City,  and  then  came  to  Akron. 
Not  being  able  to  secure  employment  in  a 
grocery  at  that  time,  Mr.  Kuhlke  worked  on 
the  Ohio  Canal  and  at  various  things  which 
an  active,  industrious  young  man  is  able  to 
secure,  in  the  meanwhile  making  friends  for 
him.'*e]f  and  accumulating  enough  capital  to 
go  into  bu.siness  in  1882.  In  1886  he  first 
engaged  in  the  bakery  business,  having  a 
partner  for  a  .space  of  six  weeks,  after  which 
he  continued  alone.  He  proved  himself  a 
good  manager  and  accumulated  considerable 
money,  but  in  the  panic  of  1893  he  sastained 
losses  which  made  it  necessary  for  him  to 
begin  all  over  again. 

Mr.  Kuhlke  proved  that  he  possesses  the 
periseverance  and  courage  which  iLSually  be- 
long to  his  countrymen,  by  setting  to  work 
immediately  to  repair  his  losses.  He  met 
with  .such  success  that  by  1904  he  was  able 
to  con.sitruct  liis  present  plant,  consisting  of 


a  two-story  brick  building,  46  by  56  feet  and 
basement,  located  at  No.  830-2-4  South 
Broadway.  Mr.  Kuhlke  conducts  a  first-class 
bakery,  having  sixteen  employes  and  running 
seven  wagons.  His  sales-rooms  and  office  are 
located  at  No.  27  East  Exchange  Street. 

In  1869  Mr.  Kuhlke  was  married  at  Akron 
to  Mary  Bramer,  and  they  have  two  surviv- 
ing children — George,  who  is  a  salesman  for 
the  bakery,  and  Carl,  who  is  foreman  of  the 
business.  One  son,  HermaTi,  died  in  1894, 
aged  twenty-four  yeai-s,  and  his  only  daugh- 
ter, Meta,  died  also  in  1894,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years. 

Mr.  Kuhlke  has  taken  more  or  less  inte^rest 
in  politics  and  has  frequently  shown  his  pub- 
lic spirit.  Since  1869  he  has  been  identified 
with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  has  twice  been 
sent  as  a  representative  to  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  Ohio,  which  is  no  slight  honor.  He  be- 
longs to  various  German  societies  of  a  l>ene- 
ficiary  and  social  nature,  including  the  Lie- 
dertafel. 

J.  L.  SHIREY,  M.  D.,  an  old-established 
physician  and  .surgeon  of  Akron  and  a  promi- 
nent and  respected  citizen,  was  born  at  Han- 
over, Harrison  Coimty,  Ohio,  June  20,  1853. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  years  Dr.  Shirey  went 
to  Indiana,  and  was  educated  at  Dover  Hill, 
in  that  State,  and  at  Carroll  ton,  Ohio.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  commenced  the  study 
of  medicine  and  spent  one  term  in  the  Ohio 
Medical  College,  at  Cincinnati,  and  then  en- 
tered Starling  Medical  College,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1885,  locating  for  practice  at 
Tippecanoe,  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  from 
which  place  he  came  to  Akron,  in  1887.  He 
ha.s  been  in  the  active  practice  of  medicine 
and  surgery  in  this  city  ever  since,  and  claims 
a  large  amount  of  tJie  legitimate  business  of 
the  profession.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sum- 
mit County  and  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical 
Societies,  and  keejis  thoroughly  posted  on  all 
subjects  relating  to  the  advance  of  medical 
science. 

In  1881  Dr.  Shirey  was  married  to  Anna 
Spiker,  of  Harrison  County,  and  they  have 
one  daughter,   Pearl  K.     She  married  Burt 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


805 


I).  Grief,  who  is  superintendent  of  the  largest 
sugar  plantation  in  the  world,  which  is  lo- 
cated in  Porto  Rico. 

Dr.  Shirey  is  an  active  politician  and  is  a 
stanch  Republican.  He  is  a  citizen  of  great 
public  spirit  and  takes  pride  in  the  progress 
and  welfare  of  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

ANDREW  HARPER  ALLEN,  a  well- 
known  re.?ident  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  now  li\ing 
retired  in  his  pleasant  home  on  Sackett  Street, 
was  born  at  Pond  Creek,  Bureau  County,  Illi- 
nois, August  18,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert 
Henry  and  Mary  Phylura  (Cochran)  Allen. 

The  Allen  family  in  Summit  County,  came 
from  Scotch  and  Irish  ancestors.  John  Al- 
len, the  great-grandfather  of  Andrew  H.,  was 
born  in  County  Antrini,  Ireland,  where  he 
died,  leaving  a  fajuily  of  six  children.  George 
Allen,  his  third  son,  born  in  County  Antrim, 
in  1799,  married  Elizabeth  Harper,  and  they 
came  to  America  in  1832,  settling  first  at 
Lee,  Ma.ssachusetts,  and  in  1836,  coming  to 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio.  He  followed  paper- 
making  almost  all  his  active  life.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  industry  and  prudence  and  in- 
vested in  land  in  Summit  County,  which  be- 
came very  valuable,  a  part  of  his  eighty-acre 
farm  being  now  included  in  the  city  of  Cuya- 
hoga Falls.  He  had  ten  children,  namely; 
Jane,  Andrew  H.,  John  M.,  Robert  H.,  Wil- 
liam A..  George  L.,  Julia,  Mary  Alexander 
and  the  first  Mary,  who  died  in  infancy  while 
the  family  was  cro.ssing  the  Atlantic  ocean. 

Robert  Henry  Allen,  father  of  Andrew  H., 
was  born  December  25,  1882,  at  Lee,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  came  to  Cuyahoga  Falls  with  his 
father,  in  1836.  For  twenty  years  after  reach- 
ing maturity  he  was  engaged  in  the  carriage- 
making  trade  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  but  in  1874 
he  moved  to  a  farm  which  was  situated  in 
Stow  Township,  on  which  he  lived  until 
1882.  He  then  moved  to  Akron,  where  he  re- 
sumed work  at  his  trade  of  carriage  manu- 
facture, but  one  year  later  be  discontinued  it, 
and  bought  a  farm  of  170  acres  in  Stow 
Town.ship,  to  which  he  moved.  He  now 
turned  his  attention   to  acquiring  land   and 


continued  to  add  one  parcel  to  another  until 
his  possessions  aggregate  600  acres.  He  was 
a  man  of  exceptional  business  faculty,  but  he 
gained  his  ample  fortune  without  dishonesty, 
mainly  through  his  steady  perseverance  and 
frugality. 

On  October  5,  1855,  Mr.  Allen  married 
.Mary  Phylura  Cochran,  who  was  born  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  July  18,  1837,  a  daughter 
of  John  M.  and  Jane  (Semple)  Cochran. 
Both  the  Cochran  and  the  Semples  were  old 
colonial  families  of  Scotch-Irish  lineage  that 
had  generations  of  honest  ancestors  behind 
them.  John  M.  Cochran  was  born  in  1775, 
at  Calcutta,  Ohio,  and  in  1814  was  married 
to  Jane  Semple,  who  was  born  in  County 
Tyrone,  Ireland,  but  who  had  been  reared  in 
Beaver  County,  Pennsylvania,  where  her 
father,  James  Semple  had  settled,  being  an 
early  teacher  in  that  locality.  The  children 
of  Robert  Henry  and  Mary  P.  Allen  were: 
.Vndrew  H.,  Maria,  William  A.  and  Arthur 
M.  Mrs.  Allen  ls  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Ejiiscopal  Church.  Mr.  Allen  was  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  wa«  one  of 
its  founders  in  Summit  County.  He  died 
May  5,  1902,  aged  sixty-nine  years. 

Andrew  Harper  Allen's  parents  resided 
only  one  year  at  Pond  Creek,  moving  then 
to  Cuyahoga  Falls,  where  he  was  reared  and 
educated.  After  completing  the  High  School 
course,  he  learned  the  trade  of  wagon-maker 
with  his  father  and  uncle.  After  finishing 
his  apprenticeship  with  the  firm  of  W.  A, 
Allen  &  Company,  he  was  married  and  moved 
to  Lafayette,  Indiana,  where  he  worked  for 
about  a  year.  He  w-as  then  in  partnership 
with  John  Spafford,  at.  Akron,  for  a  year, 
and  for  another  year  with  John  Agne,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Allen  &  Agne.  doing 
bu.siness  enough  to  encourage  him  to  organize 
the  Allen  Wagon  Company.  This  enterprise 
was  entirely  successful  and  Mr.  Allen  car- 
ried it  on  for  some  years,  .giving  employment 
to  thirty  people  in  his  works.  After  dispas- 
ing  of  his  interests  in  this  concern,  in  part- 
nersliip  with  his  father  he  piirchased  the  old 
Galloway  farm,  and  on  it  was  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  dairving  for  five  years. 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


After  retiring  from  the  fai'm  Mr.  Allen  went 
to  the  Goodrich  Rubber  Company  as  a  mill- 
wright and  pattern-maker,  where  he  contin- 
ued for  five  years.  He  then  started  a  pattern 
shop  of  his  own,  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  which  he 
continued  to  operate,  with  two  assistants,  un- 
til the  spring  of  1907.  Mr.  Allen  then  retired 
from  active  business  life,  being  able  to  look 
back  over  a  useful  and  prosperous  career  of 
many  years. 

Mr.  Allen  was  married,  first,  to  Ora  War- 
ner, who  was  a  daughter  of  William  Warner, 
of  Mogadore.  She  died  in  1897,  aged  thirty- 
seven  years.  Her  three  surviving  children 
are:  Walter  M.,  residing  at  Akron;  Edna 
Grace,  who  married  E.  0.  Hale,  residing  at 
Akron,  and  S.  Blanche,  who  married  F.  F. 
Bingham,  and  resides  at  Bedford,  Indiana. 
Mr.  Allen  was  married,  second,  to  Emma 
Willgohs,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Charles 
F.  Willgohs,  of  Doylestown.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Allen  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 
In  political  sentiment,  Mr.  Allen  is  a  Demo- 
crat. He  has  been  identified  with  much  of 
the  development  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  at  all 
times  performing  his  fiill  duty  to  the  com- 
munity as  becomes  a  worthy  citizen. 

FREDERICK  C.  WOOD,  a  well  known 
business  citizen  of  Akron,  treasurer  of  the 
Akron  Auto  Garage,  was  bom  in  1873,  at 
Peninsula,  Boston  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Frederick  Wood. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Wood  was  born  in  Ire- 
land, in  1828,  and  emigrated  to  America  and 
settled  in  Boston  Township,  in  1835.  For 
fifty  years  he  was  engaged  in  business  at 
Peninsula,  being  a  pioneer  merchant  of  the 
place,  and  was  prominent  in  the  town's  de- 
velopment. At  the  age  of  .seventy-nine  years 
he  still  survives,  enjoying  life,  and  resides 
with  his  son  at  Akron. 

Frederick  C.  Wood  entered  his  father's 
store  as  a  clerk  in  early  youth,  and  for  twelve 
years  was  a  partner  with  his  father,  the  firm 
style  being  F.  Wood  &  Son.  In  the  fall  of 
1899  he  came  to  Akron  and  engaged  in  a 
clothing  business  for  six  years,  and  in  1905 
he  became  associated  with    the   Youngstown 


Telegrwta,  but  subsequently  sold  his  interest 
;uid  returned  to  Akron.  Since  then  he  has 
been  identified  with  automobile  interests.  He 
bought  a  partnership  in  an  established  auto- 
mobile concern  at  Akron  and  the  business  was 
incorporated  as  the  Akron  Auto  Garage  Com- 
pany, with  a  capital  stock  of  $25,000.  The 
president  and  manager  of  the  company  is  An- 
drew Auble,  and  Frederick  C.  Wood  is  secre- 
tary and  treasurer.  Scarcely  any  business  is 
showing  a  more  healthy  growth  than  is  the 
automobile. 

In  1896  Mr.  Wood  was  married  to  Clara 
Brown,  of  Sharon  Center,  Medina  County,  and 
they  have  two  children:  Charlotte  Josephine, 
and  Frederick  Southmayd.  The  name  of 
Southmayd  came  from  the  youth's  seventh 
greatrgraudfather,  Rev.  John  Southmayd,  who 
was  presented  with  a.  home  by  the  citizens  of 
Waterbury,  Connecticut,  in  recognition  of  his 
.services  in  the  Pequot  War. 

Mr.  Wood  has  been  active  in  politics  since 
early  manhood  and  he  was  elected  treasurer 
of  Boston  Township  when  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  serving  two  terms.  For  four  years  he 
was  postmaster  at  Peninsula,  serving  under 
the  late  President  McKinley,  and  being  reap- 
pointed by  President  Roosevelt,  resigning  the 
office  when  he  came  to  Akron.  He  is  still  in- 
terested in  public  affairs,  but  holds  no  office, 
devoting  the  main  part  of  his  time  to  busi- 
ness. At  present,  with  Mr.  Auble,  he  is  erect- 
ing a  fine  brick  and  cement  building,  110  feet 
by  70  feet,  on  Buchtel  Avenue,  to  be  utilized 
as  a  garage. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Wood  belongs  to  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  the  Modern  Woodmen,  and 
is  a  council  member  of  the  Knights  of 
P>i;hias.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been 
connected  with  the  Episcopal  Church  of  Our 
Savior,  and  is  serving  on  the  board  of  vestry- 
men. Recently,  with  Rev.  Atwater  and 
Frederick  Work,  he  planned  and  carried  out 
a  mo-st  delightful  trip.  The  gentlemen  took 
fifty  Sunday  school  pupils  whom  they  had 
formed  into  a  quasi-military  organization,  to 
Wn,«hington  city,  where  the  party  called  on 
President  Roosevelt,  whose  pleasure  at  seeing 
the  lads  in  Rough  Rider  costumes,  probably 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


807 


equaled  their  pride  in  the  same.  The  whole 
trip  will  long  be  remembered  by  all  who  took 
part  in  it. 

THE  KELLER  BRICK  COMPANY,  of 
Portage  Township,  manufacturers  of  wire-cut 
building  brick,  and  shippers  of  the  same  to 
all  parts  of  Ohio,  consists  of  three  brothers, 
namely:  William  F.,  Frederick  W.  and 
Charles,  all  practical  business  men  and  val- 
uable citizens.  This  business  was  established 
in  1890  as  a  partnership  and  was  thus  con- 
tinued until  December  12,  1900,  when  it  was 
incorporated  and  has  since  been  known  as 
the  Keller  Brick  Company.  The  officers  are: 
Frederick  W.  Keller,  president,  and  William 
F.  Keller,  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  plant 
is  equipped  with  the  most  modern  machinery 
for  the  making  of  brick,  and  its  capacity  is 
40,000  daily.  Coal  is  the  fuel  used,  and  em- 
ployment is  given  to  thirty  experienced  work- 
men. 

William  F.  Keller  was  born  December  7, 
1862,  at  Berlin,  Germany,  and  is  a  son  of 
Gottfried  and  Elizabeth  (Haller)  Keller.  The 
father  was  born  in  Berlin  and  died  at  Wooster, 
Ohio,  in  1899,  aged  sixty-five  years.  He  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1865  and,  after  living 
for  some  years  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
went  to  Canada,  where  he  followed  his  trade 
of  mason  and  quarryman.  In  1887  he  set- 
tled at  Wooster,  Ohio,  and  continued  to  work 
at  his  trade  during  the  rest  of  his  active  life. 
He  had  thirteen  children,  of  whom  the  three 
sons  already  named,  Frank,  and  two  daugh- 
ters, are  living,  namely :  Mary,  who  married 
James  Lennon,  residing  at  Akron ;  and  Kath- 
erine,  who  married  Harry  Ingersol,  also  re- 
siding at  Akron.  Seven  children  died  young. 
The  three  brothers  who  are  in  business  to- 
gether— Frederick  W.,  Charles  and  William 
F. — were  married  to  three  sisters.  Frederick 
W.  married  Sarah  M.  Seigfried;  Charles  mar- 
ried Jennie  Siegfried,  and  William  F.  mar- 
ried Hattie  L.  Seigfried. 

William  F.  Keller's  education  was  obtained 
in  the  public  schools  at  Wooster.  When 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  Akron,  where 
he  followed  teaming  and  other  occupations  for 


a  time.  In  1880  he  went  to  work  in  a  brick- 
yard, learning  the  trade  with  Arthur  Bartges, 
and  later  he  worked  for  the  Cooper  Brick 
Company.  In  1890  he  decided  to  go  into  busi- 
ness for  himself,  and,  in  partnership  with  his 
brothers,  leased  the  present  plant.  The  busi- 
ness has  constantly  increased  and  has  been  ex- 
panded into  one  of  the  large  and  prospering 
concerns  of  Portage  Township. 

Mr.  Keller,  as  above  noted,  married  Hattie 
L.  Seigfried,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Sieg- 
fried, of  Akron,  and  they  have  five  children, 
namely:  Pearl,  who  is  bookkeeper  for  the 
Keller  Brick  Company,  and  wife  of  Albert 
Phelps,  who  is  employed  by  the  firm;  and 
Earl  L.,  Claude,  Helen  and  Ada.  Mrs.  Kel- 
ler is  a  member  of  Trinity  Reformed  Church 
of  Akron.  In  politics,  Mr.  Keller  is  a  Repub- 
lican. •  Fraternally,  he  is  connected  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen. 

FREDERICK  WOOD,  a  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Akron,  and  a  pioneer  resident  of 
Summit  County,  whose  business  life  at  Penin- 
.-ula  covered  more  than  fifty  years,  was  born 
in  County  Wicklow,  Ireland,  in  1828,  his  par- 
ents being  Nesbitt  and  Eliza  (Morton)  AVood. 

In  1835  the  parents  of  Mr.  Wood  came  to 
America  with  their  children.  They  lived  for 
two  years  in  Michigan  and  then  removed  to 
Ohio,  settling  in  Boston  Township,  Summit 
County.  There  the  father  died  in  1863  and 
was  survived  five  years  by  his  wife. 

From  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  when  he 
entered  into  business,  until  his  final  retire- 
ment, Mr.  Wood's  whole  life  was  given  to 
mercantile  pursuits.  After  several  years  of 
training  in  the  stores  of  the  village  of  Bos- 
ton, in  1853  Mr.  Wood  embarked  in  business 
for  himself  at  Peninsula,  with  which  place  he 
was  identified  for  over  a  half  century.  He 
served  in  many  of  the  township  and  town  of- 
fices, for  over  twenty  years  was  postmaster, 
and  was  the  promoter  and  backer  of  many  of 
the  successful  enterprises  of  the  place.  For 
twenty  years  or  more  he  operated  a  stone 
quarry  in  Boston  Township.  With  his  re- 
tirement from  active  business  life  and  removal 
to  Akron  he  severed  many  ties  at  Peninsula. 


808 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


In  1854  Mr.  Wood  was  married  to  Ghax- 
lotte  M.  Baxnhart,  who  was  born  June  19, 
1836,  at  Peninsula,  wliere  she  died  October  22, 
1890.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Rhoda  (Bronson)  Barnhart,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  New  York  and  became  a 
resident  of  Peninsula  in  1833.  He  died  Jan- 
uary 26,  1874,  one  of  Summit  County's  most 
respected  citizens.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Wood 
was  born  in  Connecticut,  in  1800,  and  she  was 
a  daughter  of  Hermon  and  Molly  (Hickox) 
Bronson.  There  were  four  children  born  to 
Frederick  Wood  and  wife,  namely:  Anna  C, 
Stella  A.,  Minnie  E.  and  Frederick  C.  The 
eldest  daughter  died  in  womanhood  and 
the  third  daughter  died  in  infaincy.  Stella 
A.  married  H.  L.  Cross,  of  Cleveland  and  they 
have  three  children.  Frederick  C.  is  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Akron.  An  adopted  daughter 
of  Mr.  Wood,  Mrs.  Julia  E.  Moody,  resides  in 
the  old  Wood  homestead  at  Peninsula. 

Mr.  A\'ood  has  been  a  member  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church  since  boyhood  and,  with  his 
wife,  was  very  active  in  church  work  for  years, 
the  latter  being  organist  and  leader  of  the 
choir.  She  was  a  lady  of  many  accomplish- 
ments and  lovely  character  and  her  death  was 
a  loss,  not  only  to  her  family,  but  to  her 
church  and  community.  Mr.  Wood  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

EDWARD  COATES,  a  successful  business 
citizen  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  who  has  shown  en- 
terprise and  ability,  not  only  in  one  trade,  but 
in  several,  carries  on  two  distinct  industries 
on  his  property  at  the  north  end  of  Second 
Street  in  this  city.  His  greenhousas  cover  a 
large  space  and  his  florist  business  is  flourish- 
ing, while  he  has  had  his  own  blacksmith  shop 
in  operation  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr.  Coates 
was  born  at  Simcoe,  County  Norfolk,  Ontario, 
Dominion  of  Canada,  November  8,  1856,  and 
is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Jane  (Alderson) 
Coates. 

Thomas  Coates  was  born  at  Richmond, 
Yorkshire,  England,  in  1819.  and  died  in 
1883.  He  was  a  carriage-maker  by  trade,  and 
after  emigrating  to  Canada,  settled  at  Simcoe, 
where  he  did  a  large  business  and  gained  an 


extended  reputation  as  a  carriage  and  wagon 
manufacturer.  He  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness about  eight  years  before  his  death.  In 
the  management  of  municipal  affairs  at  Sim- 
coe he  was  very  prominent,  holding  numer- 
ous responsible  offices,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  acting  mayor.  His  children  were: 
Joseph,  residing  at  Simcoe;  Maria,  who  mar- 
ried Francis  Hurt;  Thomas,  residing  at  Sim- 
coe ;  Edward,  and  George.  Maria  and  George 
are  both  deceased.  The  family  was  reared  in 
the  faith  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 

Edward  Coates  attended  the  common 
schools  and  during  his  vacations  he  learned 
the  wood-working  trade  with  his  father,  and 
by  the  time  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  he 
had  a  working  knowledge  of  wagon-making. 
He  then  learned  carriage-ironing  and  for  sev- 
eral years  was  thus  employed  in  some  of  the 
best  shops  at  Simcoe.  Following  this  he 
formed  a  partnersliip  with  his  brother  Joseph 
under  the  firm  name  of  J.  &  E.  Coates,  for  the 
manufacture  of  wagons  and  carriages,  and  the 
firm  also  engaged  in  undertaking.  Edward 
Coates  continued  as  a  member  of  this  firm  un- 
til 1880,  when  he  withdrew  to  give  his  entire 
attention  to  horseshoeing.  For  some  years 
])revious  he  had  had  considerable  practice  in 
this  line,  and  had  acquired  enough  skill  to 
make  him  feel  confident  of  success.  After 
securing  a  diploma  from  the  Toronto  Veteri- 
nary College  as  a  horse  farrier,  he  opened  a 
shop  at  Simcoe. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1883  IMr.  Coates  came 
to  Cuyalioga  Falls  and  started  into  business 
for  himself,  at  Northampton.  Shortly  after- 
ward he  removed  to  Miuiroe  Falls,  where  he 
remained  until  1885,  wlien  he  returned  to 
Cuyahoga  Falls  and  entered  into  partnership 
with  Joseph  Jones,  under  the  firm  name  of 
.Tones  &  Coates,  in  the  business  of  horseshoe- 
ing and  general  repairing.  Several  yeaRs  later 
Mr.  Coates  bought  the  interest  of  Mr.  Jones 
and  continued  alone  until  1899,  when  he  pur- 
cha.«ed  the  business  of  F.  D.  Vogan.  and  after 
that  was  the  only  proprietor  and  operator  of 
a  shop  of  this  kind  at  Cuyahoga  Falls  for  four 
years.  Mr.  Coates  prospered  so  well  that  he 
decided  to  expand  his  facilities  and,  accord- 


All,  I',,   w  im;.\  I',  i; 


AND    REPEESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


811 


ingl}',  moved  to  his  present  site  on  Second 
Street,  building  his  present  commodious  and 
well-equipped  shop.  He  still  3oes  a  very  large 
business  in  this  line. 

In  his  boyhood  Mr.  Coates  had  worked  at 
times  in  a  florist's  establishment,  and  finding 
the  work  congenial,  had  subsequently  re- 
solved, now  that  he  had  the  time,  to 
take  up  floriculture  as  a  husines.-;.  In 
1904  he  built  his  first  greenhouse,  a  stnic- 
ture  14  by  60  feet,  intending  to  i-un  it  as  a 
kind  of  side  issue,  but  he  succeeded  so  well 
and  his  trade  increased  so  rapidly  that  in  1905 
he  built  another  greenhouse,  20  by  60  feet  ui 
dimensions,  and  he  now  devotes  about  three 
acres  to  plants  and  flowers.  He  deals  mainly 
in  bedding  plants  and  finds  a  ready  local  mar- 
ket for  all  ho  can  produce.  Beginning  this 
business  more  for  recreation  than  for  profit, 
Mr.  Coates  has  developed  it  into  something 
very  important  and  remunerative. 

Mr.  Coates  was  married  to  Mary  A.  Mon- 
teith,  who  is  a  daughter  of  \^'illiam  Monteith, 
of  Simcoe,  Ontario,  but  who  was  born  in 
County  Donegal.  Ireland.  They  have  two 
children.  Edward  M.,  residing  at  Cleveland, 
and  Ruth  M.  The  family  belong  to  St.  John's 
Episcopal  Church,  in  which  Mr.  Coates  has 
ser\-ed  two  terms  as  a  member  of  the  vestry. 
His  fraternal  connections  are  with  the  Na- 
tional Union,  being  secretary  of  the  local 
council,  and  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  being  a  chai"ter  member  of  the  or- 
ganization at  Cuyahoga  Falls. 

PAUL  E.  WERNER,  founder,  president 
and  general  manager  of  the  Werner  Company, 
at  Akron,  book  manufacturers,  lithograph- 
ers, printers  and  engi-avers,  and  also  publish- 
ers of  the  New  AVerner  Edition  of  the  Ency- 
clopaedia Brittannica.  has  been  in  active  busi- 
ness life  in  this  city  for  a  great  many  years. 
Mr.  Werner  was  born  in  1850,  in  Wurtem- 
berg,  Germany,  a  kingdom  that  has  con- 
tributed to  America  some  of  her  leading  citi- 
zens, and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1867. 

Mr.  Werner  came  to  Akron  as  a  boy  of  sev- 
enteen years  and  imtil  1874  he  was  employed 
in    clerienl    pn.=ition-   with     different   business 


firms,  in  the  meanwhile  preparing  himself 
and  laying  the  foundations  tor  a  business  of 
his  own.  In  the  above  mentioned  year  he 
purchased  the  Akron  Germania,  and  in  four 
years  had  made  such  progress  that  he  felt 
justified  in  enlai-ging  his  scope  of  operations, 
ui  1878  founding  the  Sunday  Gazette,  and 
also  the  Akron  Tribune,  daily  and  weekly. 
The  management  of  all  these  journals  he  kept 
in  his  own  hands  until  1884.  Pressure  of 
'dher  busine.ss  then  induced  Mr. Werner  to  dis- 
pose of  his  newspapers,  and  he  then  turned 
his  entire  attention  to  general  printing,  bind- 
ing and  engraving.  In  1888  Mr.  Werner  or- 
ganized a  stock  company  which  was  the  fore- 
runner of  the  present  great  book  factory, 
which  represents,  in  a  special  degree,  the  de- 
velopment of  the  ideas  and  the  persevering 
industry  and  foresight  of  its  founder. 

Among  the  many  prospering  business  en- 
terprises of  Akron  few  are  more  widely 
known,  and  still  fewer  are  of  equal  import- 
ance to  t^iis  section  than  the  Werner  Com- 
pany, the  officers  of  which  are  men  of  capital, 
public  spirit  and  unblemished  integrity.  They 
are;  Paul  E.  Werner,  president  and  general 
manager;  R.  M.  Werner,  vice-president  and 
a.~sistant  treasurer;  C.  I.  Bruner,  treasurer; 
Karl  Kendig,  secretary;  H.  M.  Huddleston, 
assistant  secretary;  and  Edward  P.  Werner, 
general  superintendent. 

The  Werner  Company  is  by  far  the  largest 
and  most  complete  book  factory  on  the  Amer- 
ican Continent.  It  comprises  under  one  roof, 
so  to  speak,  and  vmder  one  management,  all 
the  graphic  arts  and  trades.  It  furnishes  di- 
rectlv  and  indirecth'  the  material  means  of 
livelihood  for  from  4,000  to  5,000  Akron  in- 
habitants. The  great  majority  of  the  em- 
ployees of  the  Werner  Company  are  skilled  in 
trades  and  arts  and  receive  high  compensa- 
tion. During  the  year  1906  the  works  of  the 
Werner  Company  were  in  unintermpted  oper- 
ation and  a  great  part  of  the  time  were  run- 
ning thirteen  hours  daily.  In  order  to  form 
an  idea  nf  the  magnitude  of  this  great  in- 
dustrv  the  following  will  be  of  interest:  Dtir- 
ing  that  year  this  companv  purchased  and  re- 
ceived   raw  material     and     shipped    finished 


812 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


products  representing  the  full  capacity  of 
1,200  railroad  cars.  The  products  included 
more  than  3,000,000  of  large  books;  more 
than  15,000,000  of  large  and  finely-illustrated 
catalogs  made  for  the  largest  manufacturing 
concerns  of  this  country,  and  millions  of  other 
printed,  lithographed  and  engraved  articles. 
If  the  boolcs  alone  which  were  manufactured 
by  the  Werner  Company  last  year  were  laid 
on  one  pile  alone,  one  on  top  of  the  other, 
this  pile  would  reach  ninety-six  miles  into 
the  air.  If  these  books  were  laid  side  by  side, 
they  would  constitute  a  line  500  miles  long. 

The  raw  materials  consumed  during  the 
past  year  comprise  3,500  different  kinds,  the 
largest  consumption  being  in  paper,  cloth, 
leather,  gold  and  ink.  A  little  calculation 
will  show  how  immense  has  been  the  output. 
If  the  paper  consumed  for  only  the  past  year 
were  laid  in  sheets,  side  by  side,  they  would 
reach  around  the  world  four  times.  The 
binders'  cloth  consumed  for  this  period  meas- 
ured 5,000,000  square  feet.  The  different 
kinds  of  leather  consumed  required  the  skins 
of  25,000  cattle,  30,000  sheep,  and  36,000 
Persian  and  Morocco  goats.  Over  3,000,000 
leaves  of  gold  were  consumed. 

While  the  principal  product  of  this  factory 
is  books,  the  Werner  Company  has  a  world- 
wide reputation  for  furnishing  fine  commer- 
cial work,  typographic  as  well  as  lithographic, 
and  catalogs  of  every  description,  and  of  this 
particular  kind  of  product  it  makes  more  than 
any  other  concern  in  the  United  States. 

President  Werner  of  the  above  company 
has  numerous  other  interests  in  city  and 
county  and  has  been  the  encourager  of  many 
of  the  enterprises  which  needed  a  helping 
hand  when  getting  established.  He  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Klages  Coal  and  Ice  Company,  is 
president  of  the  Akron  Germania  Company, 
and  also  of  the  German-American  Company. 

On  February  22,  1873.  Mr.  Werner  was 
married  to  Lucj'^  Anna  Denaple.  and  they 
have  three  sons — Edward  Paul.  Frank 
Albert  and  "Richard  Marvin.  All  three  were 
educated  at  Kenyon  Military  Academy,  at 
Gambier,  Ohio,  subsequently  attended  schools 
in  the  East,  and  finally  completed  their  gen- 


eral educations  in  Germany.  Edward  Paul, 
who  is  the  general  superintendent  of  the 
Werner  CompaRy,  was  married  in  1901  to 
Harriet  Poehlman,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren: Frank  Albert,  residing  at  Berlin,  Ger- 
many, has  made  a  reputation,  at  the  age  of 
thirty  years,  as  a  portrait  artist ;  and  Richard 
Marvin,  who  is  vice-president  and  assistant 
treasurer  of  the  Werner  Company,  married 
Eda  R.  Hyndman,  and  they  have  one  child. 
Their  home  is  at  No.  282  West  Market  Street. 
Although  Mr.  AVerner's  life  has  been  main- 
ly devoted  to  his  large  business  interests,  he  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  foremost  public- 
spirited  men  in  the  community.  His  influ- 
ence is  felt  in  the  furtherance  of  educational 
and  philanthropic  movements  at  Akron. 

T.  DWIGHT  PAUL,  assistant  state  engi- 
neer, was  born  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio,  July 
21,  1848.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Hosea  Paul, 
who  was  a  pioneer  citizen  and  sun'eyor.  Hosea 
Paul  was  born  at  Northfield,  Vermont,  April 
6,  1809.  In  1834  he  removed  to  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  where  he  afterward  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace  and  mayor.  He  located  several 
of  the  first  railroads  in  this  section,  and  waa 
county  surveyor  for  many  years.  During 
1863-4  he  served  as  an  assistant  engineer  in 
the  United  States  Engineer  Corps  department 
of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  His  death 
in  1870  was  hastened  by  hardships  endured 
in  his  war  service.  He  was  noted  for  his 
mgged  honesty,  and  for  his  outspoken  opposi- 
tion to  slavery  and  intemperance,  when  it  re- 
quired courage  to  express  such  sentiments. 

T.  Dwight  Paul  was  educated  in.  the  public 
schools  at  Cuyahoga  Falls  and  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Polytechnic  College  at  Philadelphia.  He 
was  married  in  1877  to  Emeline  Owens,  of 
Armstrong's  Mills.  Belmont  County,  Ohio. 
Two  children  were  born  to  them :  Ethel,  who 
died  in  1900,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years, 
and  Frank  D.  Paul,  a  graduate  of  the  Ohio 
State  University,  who  is  now  a  mechanical  en- 
gineer at  Cleveland.  They  have  two  foster 
children,  Theresa  and  Lewis  Paul,  whom  they 
took  to  raise  upon  the  death  of  their  daughter. 

Mr.  Paul  served  one  year  ss  county  surveyor 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZENS 


813 


by  appointment  and  for  three  years  was  resi- 
dent engineer  of  the  Public,  Works  of  Ohio, 
and  for  one  year  was  United  States  deputy 
mineral  surveyor,  of  Montana.  He  was  chief 
engineer  of  the  B.  Z.  &  C.  R.  R.  in  1S75-6, 
building  the  same  from  Bellaire  to  Woodsfield, 
Ohio.  He  has  sened  as  division  engineer  of 
the  Canada  Southern,  Chicago,  Lakeshore  & 
Western,  the  Chicago  &  Erie,  the  Union  Pa- 
cific, and  other  railroads,  in  Canada,  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Michigan.  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Idaho, 
Montana  and  AVashington. 

In  1902-3  he  was  engineer  in  charge  of  con- 
struction of  the  Akron  &  Barberton  Belt  Rail- 
road. In  1894-5  he  had  charge  of  the  field 
work  of  the  survey  of  a  proposed  ship  canal 
through  Ohio  for  the  United  States  govern- 
ment. 

Mr.  Paul  served  in  the  Akron  City  Coun- 
cil from  1898  to  1901.  He  twice  prevented 
the  Akron  Street  Railroad  from  obtaining  an 
extension  of  their  franchise  on  a  5-cent  fare 
basis,  and  compelled  a  basis  of  twenty-five 
tickets  for  one  (1)  dollar.  He  was  very  large- 
ly instrumental  in  securing  independent  tele- 
phone service  for  Akron.  He  made  a  remark- 
able record  in  opposition  to  all  franchise  ag- 
gression, and  to  all  forms  of  hasty  or  secret 
legislation,  often  voting  alone  in  his  opposi- 
tion. Mr.  Paul  has  still  work  to  do  before  his 
history  closes,  and  his  friends  believe  it  will 
not  be  unimportant. 

WARD  B.  MIDDLETON,  physician  and 
surgeon  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  proprietor  of 
"The  Elms,"  a  private  hospital,  is  an  eminent 
member  of  his  profession,  for  which  he  pre- 
pared by  long  courses  of  study  in  the  most  ad- 
vanced scientific  schools  of  the  country.  Dr. 
Middleton  was  born  in  Jackson  Township, 
Coshocton  County,  Ohio.  October  24,  1858, 
and  is  a  son  of  Jesse  and  Susan  A.  (Titus) 
Middleton.  Ignatius  Middleton,  the  paternal 
grandfather  of  Dr.  Middleton,  was  bom  in 
South  Carolina,  where  he  owned  a  large  plan- 
tation and  was  one  of  a  distinguished  family, 
his  uncle,  .\rthur  Middleton,  being  one  of 
the  .signers  of  the  Declarntion  of  Independ- 
ence. 


Jesse  Middleton,  father  of  Dr.  Middleton. 
was  born  in  South  Carolina  and  was  a  son  of 
Ignatius  and  Sarah  (Loomis)  Middleton.  He 
died  in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  in  1886, 
aged  seventy-six  years.  He  had  long  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  married 
Susan  A.  Titus,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Tim- 
othy Titus,  of  Harrison  County,  and  she  re- 
sides at  Roscoe,  Ohio,  being  now  in  her  eighty- 
sixth  year.  They  had  five  children,  namely: 
William  C,  residing  on  the  old  homestead; 
Caroline,  who  married  John  Norris  and  resides 
in  Coshocton  County;  Frances  L.,  who  mar- 
ried Henry  Ash  and  resides  at  Roscoe,  Ohio; 
Bessie  (deceased),  who  married  Dr.  G.  S. 
Morris,  of  Arkansas  City,  Kansas;  Ward  B., 
the  youngest,  who-se  name  begins  this  sketch. 
Jesse  Middleton  and  his  wife  were  early  pro- 
moters of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Coshoc- 
ton County. 

In  boyhood  Dr.  Middleton  attended  first  the 
local  schools  and  later  the  Normal  school  at 
Ada,  and  a  school  at  Cannonsburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  taught  school  for  seven  years,  dur- 
ing which  period  he  entered  upon  the  study 
of  medicine,  beginning  to  read  in  1880  under 
Dr.  W.  C.  Frew,  of  Coshocton.  He  subse- 
quently entered  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio, 
at  Cincinnati,  where  he  was  graduated  March 
5,  1885.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion at  Roscoe,  where  he  remained  for  eigh- 
teen months,  then  practiced  for  one  year  at 
Newark,  after  which  he  became  examining 
surgeon  for  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad, 
for  four  years  residing  at  Pittsburg,  and  for 
the  latter  four  years  of  this  connection  at 
Akron.  Dr.  Middleton  retired  from  railroad 
practice  in  1899,  since  which  time  he  has 
mainly  devoted  himself  to  surgery,  residing 
at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  where,  in  Februarv%  1905, 
he  opened  his  private  hospital.  This  medi- 
cal retreat  which  he  has  named  "The  Elms" 
is  a  modern  institution,  beautifully  located 
and  thoroughly  equipped,  with  accommoda- 
tions for  ten  patients,  all  of  whom  come  di- 
rectly under  Dr.  IMiddleton's  personal  care. 

Dr.  Middleton  is  a  member  of  the  Summit 
Countv  Medical   Societv  and  the  American 


814 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Medical  Association.  He  keeps  closely  in 
touch  with  the  progress  of  his  profession  and 
iiiiikes  use  of  such  perfected  apparatus  as  his 
own  knowledge  and  experience  have  proved  to 
be  of  value.  In  1898  he  passed  three  months 
in  the  New  York  Polyclinic  Hospital,  doing 
post-graduate  work  in  surgery  and  gynecol- 
ogy ;  in  the  fall  of  1899  he  spent  three  weeks 
in  the  Chicago  Clinical  School ;  in  the  fall  of 
1900  he  took  a  special  course  in  gynecology 
ait  the  Mary  Thompson  Hospital,  Chicago,  un- 
der Dr.  Byron  Robinson,  and  at  the  same  time 
he  took  an  operative  course  in  the  post-grad- 
uat«  school  in  the  same  city,  which  he  has  vis- 
ited since. 

Dr.  Middleton  married  Clara  R.  Wood,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  H.  H.  Wood,  of  Coshocton 
County,  and  they  have  two  children,  namely: 
Louise  A.  and  Margaret  L.  Dr.  Middleton  is 
nominally  identified  with  the  Democratic 
party,  but  is  practically  independent  in 
political  action.  He  is  affiliated  Avith  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

HARRY  W.  HAROLD,  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial retired  residents  of  Akron,  where  he 
has  lived  for  the  past  twenty-seven  years,  was 
born  at  Maidstone,  County  Kent,  England,  in 
1829. 

Prior  to  coming  to  America  in  1859, 
Mr.  Harold  had  been  well  educated  in 
an  English  school,  and  had  already  served  for 
twelve  years  in  the  British  army.  He  located 
at  Oxford,  Worcester  County,  Massachusetts, 
from  which  place  lie  enlisted  in  1861  for  serv- 
ice in  the  Civil  War  in  Company  E,  Fifteenth 
Regiment,  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Infantry. 
On  accoimt  of  his  previous  military  expe- 
rience, he  was  made  drill  master  of  Company 
E,  in  which  he  held  the  rank  of  sergeant.  The 
regiment  was  stationed  in  Virginia  during  the 
term  of  Mr.  Harold's  service,  and  it  partici- 
pated in  numerous  hai'd  battles. 

After  his  honoraible  discharge  from  the 
army,  which  came  in  1863,  on  account  of  ill- 
ness, Mr.  Harold  returned  to  Massachusetts, 
and  shortly  afterward  went  to  work  in  the 
government  armory  at  Springfield,  where  he 
remained  for  two  vears.    This  was  followed  bv 


a  A'isit  to  his  old  home  in  England,  and,  after 
returning  to  America,  he  was  engaged  for 
thre«  years  in  a  cutlery  business  in  Beaver 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  then  came  to 
Ohio,  and  for  five  years  carried  on  a  gun  and 
cutlery  business  at  Alliance.  Four  years  of 
farming  in  Lee  County,  Illinois,  followed,  and 
then  Mr.  Harold  lived  one  year  at  Canton, 
Ohio,  coming  from  there  to  Akron.  For  three 
and  one-half  years  he  was  superintendent  of 
the  Akron  Cutlery  Works,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged* in  a  gunsmith  business  for  himself, 
continuing  until  1900,  when  he  retired  from 
;dl  kinds  of  business.  As  recreation  he  does 
quite  a  little  bit  of  gardening  on  his  pleasant 
grounds  at  No.  318  Carroll  Street.  He  owns 
(ither  property  at  Akron. 

In  1866  Mr.  Harold  was  married  to  Anna 
Proudley, :  and  they  have  one  child,  Charles 
B.,  who  is  bookkeeper  for  the  Star  Drilling 
A\'orks.  With  his  family,  Mr.  Harold  belongs 
to  the  Episcopal  Church.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  has  never  lost  his  interest  in 
military  affairs  and  enjoys  attending  the  re- 
unions of  his  old  regiment.  During  and  since 
the  Civil  War  he  has  been  interested  in  the 
philanthropic  work  carried  on  by  Clara  Bar- 
ton, of  the  Red  Cross  Society,  for  whom  he 
has  the  greatest  veneration  and  with  whom  he 
carries  on  a  friendly  correspondence. 

THE  LOOMIS  HARDWARE  COMPANY, 

(ine  of  the  oldest  business  firms  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  which  was  established  in  1864  and  in- 
corporated in  1895,  does  the  largest  business 
in  its  line  in  Summit  County.  Its  main 
founder  was  L.  W.  Loomis,  the  late  father  of 
the  present  proprietors,  Byron  H.  and  Ining 
L.  Loomis,  who  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  progress  and  development  of  this 
section  for  very  many  years.  L.  W.  Loomis 
was  born  January  11,  1836,  at  Nelson,  Madi- 
son County,  New  York,  and  was  the  eldest 
of  a  family  of  eleven  children  born  to  his 
parents,  who  were  William  and  Emeline 
(Thomas)  Loomis. 

L.  W.  Loomis  was  five  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  moved  to  Wyoming  Coimty,  New 
York,  and  he  remained  on  his  father's  farm 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


815 


until  he  had  reached  his  inajoritj-,  when  he 
started  out  for  himself.  His  capital  of  $10  he 
used  in  preparing  to  go  out  on  the  road  as  a 
tin  peddler  for  the  firm  of  Smith  &  Harring- 
ton, of  Waterloo,  New  York,  and  he  was  in 
the  employ  of  this  house  when  he  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  Civil  War,  entering  Company 
G,  Thirteenth  Regiment,  New  York  Volun- 
teer Infantrj'.  During  the  two  years  he  was 
in  the  army  he  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Yorktown,  Hanover  Court  House,  Ball's 
Bluff  and  other  engagements  of  more  or  less 
importance,  and  was  honorabh'  discharged  at 
Canandaigua,  New  York,  February  6,  1864. 

After  his  return  from  the  army,  Mr. 
Loomis  resumed  work  for  his  old  employers, 
until  Febniary,  1864,  when,  with  his  brother, 
Horace  E.  Loomis,  he  came  to  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  and,  in  partnership  with  his  former 
firm,  established  the  business  which  is  now 
known  as  the  Loomis  Hardware  Company. 
Mr.  Loomis  and  brother  contributed  ten  tin- 
ware wagons  and  they  had  a  half  interest  m 
the  business.  In  March,  1865,  L.  W.  Loomis 
bought  his  brother's  interest,  and  in  1868  he 
became  the  sole  owner  of  the  business.  He 
found  a  market  all  over  the  country,  and  for 
twenty  years  kept  up  the  peddling  business  in 
seasonable  time,  replacing  the  tinware  with  a 
hardware  stock. 

On  .Tune  10,  1895,  the  Loomis  Hardware 
Company  was  incorporated  by  L.  W.,  Byron 
H.  and  In'ing  L.  Loomis.  This  business  has 
been  since  expanded  into  one  of  the  largesit 
in  the  county.  The  store  at  Cuyahoga  Falls 
is  stocked  with  everything  in  the  line  of  hard- 
ware, including  kitchen  furnishings  and 
ranges.  The  tinware  department  has  been 
resumed,  and  they  have  a  special  trade  which 
takes  their  manufactured  goods. 

"\ATien  Mr.  Loomis  came  to  Cuyahoga  Falls 
in  1864,  he  found  a  town  with  a  population 
of  1.500.  with  few  signs  of  improvements  of 
a  public  character.  It  was  through  his  per- 
sonal efforts  that  a  petition  was  circulated 
which  resulted  in  the  incorporation  of  the 
town.  He  was  a  man  of  great  enterpri-e  and 
remarkable  foresight.  In  1879,  in  partner- 
.«hip  with  H.  E.  Parks,  he  opened  up  High 


Bridge  Glen,  which  became  a  very  popular 
public  resort,  and  during  Mr.  Loomis'  man- 
agement a  pavilion  costing  $3,500  was  erected. 
From  the  time  of  its  organization  until  his 
death  Mr.  Loomis  was  president  of  the  Falls 
Savings  and  Loan  ^^ociation.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Repubhcan,  and  no  man  was  ever  better 
qualified  for  civic  office,  but  the  only  office  he 
would  accept  was  that  of  councilman.  For 
many  years  he  was  connected  with  Howard 
Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows. 

On  June  3,  1864,  Mr.  Loomis  was  married 
to  Jane  Curtiss-,  who  w^as  a  daughter  of  Chaun- 
cey  Curtiss,  of  Canandaigua,  New  York,  and 
they  had  five  children,  three  of  whom  reached 
maturity,  namely:  Lillian  M.,  born  March 
21,  1865,  who  died  August  31,  1898 ;  Byron 
H.,  who  was  born  September  18,  1868;  and 
Ir\'ing  L..  who  was  born  August  21,  1871; 
Mrs.  Jane  Loomis,  mother  of  these  children, 
died  May  26,  1895. 

Byron  H.  Loomis  was  reared  and  educated 
at  Cuyahoga  Falls  and  has  been  connected 
with  his  present  enterprise  during  the  whole 
of  his  business  life.  He  is  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Loomis  Hardware  Company. 

Irving  L.  Loomis,  who  is  president  and  gen- 
eral manager  of  the  Loomis  Hardware  Com- 
pany, like  his  brother,  passed  through  the 
Cuyahoga  Falls  High  School  and  then  en- 
tered the  present  business,  working  for  five 
years  in  the  tinshop.  On  March  23,  1895,  he 
was  married  (first)  to  Mabelle  Campbell,  a 
daughter  of  C.  A.  Campbell,  of  Hudson.  She 
died  November  7,  1897,  leaving  one  son,  Carl 
C.  Mr.  Loomis  was  married  (second).  No- 
vember 24,  1898,  to  Clara  L.  Nelson,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Chester  Nelson,  of  Tallmadge. 
Mr.  Loomis  belongs  to  Star  Lodge,  No.  187, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
in  which  he  is  pa«t  commander,  being  also  a 
member  of  the  Uniformed  Rank  of  Cuyahoga 
Company,  No.  84. 

F.  H.  MASON,  first  vice-president  of  the 
B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  at  Akron,  has  been 
a  resident  of  this  city  for  twenty-eight  years 
and  is  prominently  and  officially  connected 
with  many  of  the  important  business  enter- 


816 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


prises  which  have  made  its  name  known  in  all 
parte  of  the  world.  Mr.  Mason  was  born  iu 
1852  at  Littleton,  New  Hampshire. 

In  early  life  the  parents  of  Mr.  Mason  re- 
moved to  Vermont,  where  he  was  reaxed  and 
educated,  but  young  manhood  found  him  in 
the  oil  fields  of  Pennsylvania,  and  later  on  in 
the  mining  regions  of  California.  There  he 
gained  a  large  amount  of  practical  knowledge, 
combined  with  beneficial  experience.  In  1879 
he  came  to  Akron  and  entered  the  works  of 
the  Goodrich  Company  as  a  general  employe, 
but  was  shortly  made  foreman,  then  assistant 
superintendent  and  later  superintendent  and 
general  manager.  On  January  1,  1907,  he  suc- 
ceeded B.  G.  Work  as  first  vice-president  of 
this  company.  He  owns  .stock  in  a  number 
of  other  successful  enterprises,  and  is  presi- 
dent also  of  the  Bridgewater  Machine  Com- 
pany, and  is  on  the  directing  board  of  the 
Thomas  Phillips  Company. 

In  1876  Mr.  Mason  was  married  to  May  L. 
Dexter,  of  Bangor,  Maine,  and  they  have  two 
daughters:  Mrs.  H.  K.  Rayman,  whose  hus- 
band is  connected  with  the  B.  F.  Goodrich 
Company;  and  Mrs.  Frank  C.  Howland,  who 
is  connected  with  the  Thomas  Phillips  Pipe 
Company,  of  Akron. 

Mr.  Mason  is  a  member  of  the  First  Congre- 
gational Church  at  Akron. 

JAMES  LYONS,  one  of  the  venerable  resi- 
dents of  Northfield  Town.ship,  Summit  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  who,  despite  his  years,  is  known 
as  one  of  this  section's  most  capable  and  ener- 
getic agriculturists,  was  born  in  18B4,  in  Aber- 
deenshire. Scotland,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Martha  (Sangster)   Lyons. 

Mr.  Lyons  remained  on  his  father's  farm 
until  reaching  his  majority,  when  he  emi- 
grajted  to  America,  and  settled  in  Bedford, 
Ohio,  being  employed  there  for  two  years  on 
the  Cleveland  and  Pittsburg  Railroad.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  In  1864  he  came  to  Northfield 
Township  and  purchased  his  present  fine  farm 
of  160  acres,  of  which  he  cultivates  about  100 
acres,  keeping  two  men  constantly  and  extra 
hands  during  han^est  tame.     In  the  past  he 


has  paid  particular  attention  to  dairying, 
milking  on  an  average  of  twenty-five  cows 
and  shipping  milk  to  Cleveland,  but  because 
of  the  difficulty  so  universally  experienced  in 
securing  competent  farm  help  in  these  days, 
he  has  decided  to  give  up  dairying,  and,  there- 
fore, keeps  but  sixteen  cows,  giving  his  en- 
tire time  to  feeding  cattle  for  the  market. 

Mr.  Lyons  was  married  to  Betsey  Freeman, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  John  Freeman,  of  Solon, 
Ohio,  and  who  was  bom  on  the  voyage  from 
Scotland  to  America  in  1836.  Of  this  union 
there  have  been  born  four  children :  Ann 
(decea.sed),  who  was  the  wiie  of  Fred  Aldrich, 
of  Cleveland,  and  has  two  children:  Ellen, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Leon  Kellogg,  reared  five 
children;  (one.  Hazel,  died  in  September, 
1907,  in  her  thirteenth  year)  ;  George,  the 
only  son  of  his  parents,  died  in  1900,  aged 
twenty-eight  years;  and  Margaret,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Frank  Gossman,  of  Macedonia.  They 
reared  four  children:  Bertha,  Ralph,  Jennie 
and  an  infant,  deceased. 

James  Lyons  is  one  of  Northfield  Town- 
ship's prudent,  observing  and  public-spirited 
citizens,  and  stands  deservedly  high  in  the  es- 
teem of  his  fellow-townsmen.  Although  never 
an  office-seeker,  he  is  a  stanch  Republican  and 
has  sensed  several  terms  as  supervisor.  With 
his  family  he  attends  the  United  Presbyte- 
rian Church. 

T,  L.  FIRESTONE,  proprietor  of  the  Em- 
pire Hotel,  the  leading  hostelry  at  Akron,  has 
been  a  resident  of  this  city  for  the  past  thirty- 
eight  years.  He  was  born  at  Fredericksburg, 
Wayne  County,  Ohio,  in  1846,  where  he 
lived  until  twelve  years  of  age,  when  his 
mother  died  and  he  went  to  live  with  his 
uncle  at  Newark,  Ohio. 

His  education  was  completed  in  the  New- 
ark schools  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
entered  the  Federal  army.  His  fiLrst  enlist- 
ment for  six  months  was  in  Company  E, 
]29th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  regi- 
ment was  raised  at  Cleveland.  After  the  close 
of  his  first  enlistment  he  remained  at  home 
for  two  weeks  and  then  re-enli.sted,  entering 
Company  H,  102d  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


811 


for  a  term  of  three  years,  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  During  his  first  period 
in  the  army  he  was  a  member  of  Cox's  Divi- 
sion, Burnside's  Corps.  He  was  present  when 
Cumberland  Gap  was  taken,  in  1863,  and  went 
through  the  entire  Knoxville  campaign.  Dur- 
ing liis  second  period  he  was  in  the  Twentieth 
Army  Corps,  and  his  service  w^as  mainly  in 
Tennessee  and  Alabama,  the  command  to 
which  he  was  attached  following  and  inter- 
cepting the  Confederate,  General  Hood,  when- 
ever it  was  possible.  During  the  first  enlist- 
ment he  served  as  a  private,  and  during 
the  second  held  the  rank  of  corporal.  He  was 
honorably  discharged  August  12,  1865. 

After  Mr.  Firestone  returned  home  he 
learned  the  turner's  trade,  at  Fredericksburg, 
and  -  after  coming  to  Akron,  in  1869,  he 
worked  as  a  turner,  being  connected  for  ten 
years  with  the  W.  B.  Doyle  Company.  For 
one  and  one-half  years  he  was  employed  by 
the  Simon  Hankey  Company,  and  later,  for 
the  same  period,  by  the  Baker-McMillan  Com- 
pany. In  1882  he  returned  to  his  old  home 
in  Fredericksburg,  where  he  engaged  in  a 
lumber  business  and  planing  mill  for  eight 
and  one-half  years,  and  subsequently  worked 
with  the  Gobeille  Pattern  Company,  of  Cleve- 
land, for  one  year,  and  with  the  firm  of  Slatei 
and  Taft  for  one  year.  Mr.  Firestone  then 
returned  to  Akron  and  was  associated  with 
Andrew  Jackson  in  a  lumber  business,  later 
was  with  the  Akron  Gymnasium  Company  for 
a  year,  and  was  with  Hiram  Henry  for  one 
and  one-half  years.  After  retiring  from  that 
line  of  work,  Mr.  Firestone  went  into  the 
hotel  business,  for  ten  years  having  charge 
of  the  Windsor  Hotel.  In  June,  1906,  he  took 
charge  of  the  Empire  Hotel,  the  leading  one 
at  Akron. 

In  1874  Mr.  Firestone  was  married  to  NeUie 
Hanson,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Peter  Hanson, 
and  they  have  one  son,  G.  Forrest.  The  lat- 
ter was  born  at  Akron  in  1876,  and  after 
graduating  from  the  Akron  High  School, 
spent  one  term  at  Buchtel  College,  and  three 
years  in  the  law  department  of  the  University 
of  Michigan,  graduating  at  the  latter  institu- 
tion in  1898.    Since  then  he  has  been  in  the 


active  practice  of  law  at  Akron  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Summit  County  Bar  Association. 
In  1904  he  was  married  to  Ruth  E.  Loomis, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  H.  E.  Loomis,  of  Akron. 
He  belongs  to  the  Delta  Tau  Delta  college  frar 
ternity,  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason  and  a 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows. 

T.  L.  Firestone  is  a  valued  member  of 
Buckley  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

THOMAS  PORTER  RITCHIE,  a  repre- 
.«entatlve  agriculturist  of  Stow  Township,  who 
resides  on  his  110-acre  farm,  was  born  on  his 
present  property  in  Stow  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  November  27,  1859,  and  is  a 
son  of  George  Grier  and  Katherine  (Shannon) 
Ritchie. 

William  Ritchie,  the  grandfather  of 
Thomas  P.,  was  a  native  of  County  Donegal, 
Ireland,  and  died  in  1825,  when  compara- 
tively a  young  man.  He  left  a  widow,  for- 
merly Isabella  Grier.  and  in  1834  she  came 
to  America  with  her  children,  settling  first  in 
Hudson  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
and  later  removing  to  Boston  Township, 
where  she  died.  In  Ireland  Mr.  Ritchie's 
family  belonged  to  the  Church  of  the  Cove- 
nant, but  after  coming  to  America  they  be- 
came members  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church.  Five  children  were  born  to  William 
Ritchie  and  his  wife,  namely:  William, 
Martha,  Margaret,  George  G.  and  Alexander. 

George  Grier  Ritchie  was  born  in  London- 
deny,  Ireland,  in  February,  1823,  and  was 
eleven  years  old  when  the  family  came  to 
America.  With  his  brother,  Alexander,  who 
now  resides  at  Akron,  he  purchased  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Thomas  P.  Ritchie,  then  a 
tract  of  200  acres.  Later  he  became  the  pur- 
chaser of  this  property  and  added,  from  time 
to  time,  until  he  was  the  owner  of  312  acres. 
Mr.  Ritchie  was  engaged  in  sheep  raising 
principally  imtil  the  cheese  industry  became 
more,  profitable,  when  he  engaged  in  dairy 
farming,  and  at  one  time  kept  as  many  as  fifty 
cows.  He  was  a  Prohibitionist  and  a  great 
Abolitionist,  and,  although  physical  infirm- 
ity prevented  him  from  ser\"ing  in  the  Union 
ranks  during  the  Civil  War,  he  gave  $500  to 


818 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


the  cause.  George  G.  Ritchie  married  Kaith- 
erine  Shannon,  who  was  born  in  Holmes 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Shannon.  Six  children  were  born  to  this  un- 
ion :  Maria,  who  married  Charles  Ritchie,  of 
Weyauwega,  Wisconsin;  Thomas  Porter;  W. 
Shannon,  who  resides  at  Corona,  California; 
James,  who  resides  in  Stow  Township;  Mary, 
who  married  Will  Sauder,  of  Ravenna,  Ohio; 
and  George,  who  resides  at  Columbus,  Ohio. 
Mrs.  Ritchie  is  a  member  of  the  Seventh  Day 
Adventist  Church,  while  her  children  are  con- 
nected with  the  United  Presbyterian. 

Thomas  Porter  Ritchie  grew  up  on  the 
homestead,  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  With  the  exception  of  two  years 
spent  on  an  Iowa  farm,  he  has  always  resided 
here,  and  he  now  raises  hay,  wheat,  oats  and 
corn,  on  about  fifty  acres.  He  keeps  nine 
cows,  and  is  also  engaged  in  dealing  in  calves, 
which  he  buys  all  over  the  country,  shipping 
them  to  Cleveland.  Mr.  Ritchie  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  but  he  has  never  sought  office. 

Mr.  Ritchie  was  married  to  Carrie  Deming, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  George  Deming,  of  Du- 
rant,  Iowa,  and  they  have  six  children,  name- 
ly: J.  Clayton,  Leland  A.,  Carlton  W.,  George 
Deming,  Nathan  L.  and  Clark  G. 

E.  S.  DAY,  vice-president  of  the  National 
City  Bank  of  Akron,  and  a  prominent  busi- 
ness citizen  here  of  thirty  years  standing,  was 
born  in  1852,  at  Bingiianilon.  New  York, 
and  to  his  native  state  he  owes  his  liberal  edu- 
cation. 

Prior  to  coming  to  Akron,  in  1877,  Mr. 
Day  was  interested  in  busine.'v';  at  Binglia.ni- 
ton,  and  since  coming  to  this  section  has  been 
engaged  in  the  wholesale  liquor  business,  in 
point  of  years  being  the  oldest  merchant  in 
the  citv.  He  has  done  an  extensive  business 
in  dealing  in  real  estate  and  is  a  large  prop- 
erty owner.  For  the  pa.^t  five  years  he  has 
been  vice-president  of  the  National  City  Bank, 
and  he  is  on  the  directing  board  of  the  Cen- 
tral Savings  Bank.  His  other  interests  here 
are  varied  and  numerous. 

In  the  state  of  New  York  Mr.  Day  was  mar- 
ried to  Lizzie  Foster,  and  their  children  are: 


Rose,  who  maiTied  Will  Chriiity;  and  Maud, 
^vho  mariied  George  jMemmer. 

Mr.  Day  is  a  ^ood  citizen  in  all  that  the 
word  implies.  He  has  been  closely  identified 
with  the  material  growth  of  Akron  and  her 
enterprises  and  has  always  been  concerned  in 
promoting  her  best  interests.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

B.  G.  WORK,  president  of  the  B.  F.  Good- 
rich Company,  of  Akron,  which  controls  one 
of  the  largest  manufacturing  plants  in  this 
section  of  the  state,  was  born  in  the  state  of 
New  York,  in  1868. 

Mr.  Work's  boyhood,  up  to  twelve  years,  was 
spent  in  his  native  place,  and  there  his  pre- 
liminary education  was  secured.  In  1880  he 
came  to  Akron  and  subsequently  attended 
Williston  Seminary,  at  Easthampton,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  then  entered  Yale  College.  After 
completing  his  education  he  took  up  practical 
work  with  the  Goodrich  Company,  starting  in 
as  a  clerk  and  climbing  step  by  step  until  he 
became  superintendent  of  the  plant  and  served 
as  such  for  twelve  years,  when  he  succeeded 
Mr.  Corson  as  vice  president,  and  on  January 
1,  1907,  he  succeeded  Col.  George  T.  Perkins 
as  president. 

In  June,  1900,  Mr.  Work  was  married  to 
Marian  Sawyer,  of  New  York  city,  and  they 
liave  one  son,  Bertram. 

EDWARD  RUSSELL  PECK,  one  of  the 
well  known  and  highly  esteemed  residents  of 
Stow  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  who 
owns  a  fine  farm  of  125  acres,  was  born  Oc- 
tober 7,  1836,  in  Hudson  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  William  Hall 
and  Lydia  (Bradley)  Peck. 

Rufus  Peck,  the  grandfather  of  Edward 
Ru.ssell,  was  born  in  Newtown,  Connecticut, 
but  in  his  later  years  removed  to  Street.sboro, 
Ohio,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  March 
6,  1848.  He  married  Sallie  Hall,  and  to  them 
were  born  the  following  children :  Chloe,  who 
married  Abel  Dibble;  Lvman,  born  Decem- 
ber 26,  1801;  William  Hall,  born  .July  23, 
1803;  John  N.,  born  March  15,  1805;  Nancy 
P.,  born  .Tuly  20,     1809.     married     George 


.\M08  A.  ROTHROCK 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


8ai 


Bradley;  Clara,  bora  March  1,  1810,  mar- 
ried (first)  Jacob  Mayhew,  and  (second)  John 
Foster;  Sarah  Ann,  born  May  30,  1812;  Rus- 
sell, born  October  7,  1814 ;  Henry,  bom  June 
17,  1817;  Nathan,  born  July  17,  1819;  and 
Horace,  born  March  2,  1822. 

William  HaJl  Peck  was  born  in  Newtown, 
Connecticut,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of 
carpenter,  but  on  coming  to  Ohio,  in  1834,  he 
purchased  a  farm  in  Hud^son  Township,  on 
which  he  resided  until  his  death.  He  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  was  a  ca)>tain  in  the 
state  militia.  Mr.  Peck  was  married  to  Lydia 
Bradley,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Brad- 
ley, and  they  had  four  children  :  Sarah  Ann, 
who  married  E.  S.  Beardsley,  of  Cleveland, 
Oliio;  Stephen,  born  in  1834,  who  died  in 
1869;  Edward  Russell;  and  Joseph,  who  died 
in  Cleveland.  Mrs.  Peck  pa&-«ed  away  in  1869 
at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 

Edward  Russell  Peck  was  reared  in  Hudson 
Township,  and,  in  1863,  he  purchased  the 
home  farm,  on  which  he  resided  several  years. 
In  1860  he  bought  his  present  property,  a 
tract  of  125  acres,  on  which  he  has  since  car- 
ried on  general  and  dairy  farming,  and  in 
1894  erected  a  fine  residence.  He  is  known 
as  one  of  the  township's  good,  practical  farm- 
ers, and  as  a  citizen  his  reputation  is  beyond 
reproach. 

Mr.  Peck  was  married  to  Maria  Y.  Talcott, 
daughter  of  Hezekiah  and  Betsey  Talcott, 
residents  of  Stow  Township,  and  their  chil- 
dren are  the  following:  Nora,  who  married 
J.  D.  Ritchie,  lives  in  Akron ;  William  H., 
born  September  20,  1869,  resides  at  home; 
and  Gertrude  L.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Warner 
Huchison,  resides  in  Chicago. 

AMOS  A.  ROTHROCK,  farmer  and  town- 
ship trustee  of  Portage  Township,  spent 
twenty-nine  years  as  an  educator,  teaching 
with  much  success  in  diff'erent  sections.  He 
was  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio.  November 
3,  1851.  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Cath- 
arine  (Stauffcr)   Rothrock. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Rothrock  were  both 
born  near  Lebanon.  Pennsylvania,  but  were 
married   in    Stark   County,   Ohio.      In    1853 


they  moved  to  Copley  Township,  Summit 
County,  where  Samuel  Rothrock  bought  a 
farm  of  160  acres.  On  this  place  he  died  in 
1870.     His  widow  survived  until  1901. 

Amos  A.  Rothrock  was  reared  on  the  farm 
in  Copley  Township.  He  was  a  studious  boy 
and  in  the  local  schools  prepared  himself  for 
teaching.  Before  he  entered  upon  his  uni- 
versity career,  he  had  already  taught  the  dis- 
trict schools  for  nine  winters,  devoting  his 
summers  to  work  on  the  farm.  He  then  en- 
tered Otterbein  University,  near  Columbus, 
(^hio.  where  he  completed  his  education  June 
11,  1885.  Four  years  of  training  at  college 
liad  prepared  him  for  a  prominent  place  in 
the  educational  field,  and  when  he  was  of- 
fered the  superintendency  of  the  Mogadore 
schools,  he  accepted  and  remained  for  one 
year.  After  an  interval  of  one  year  at  Dover 
Academy  he  spent  another  year  at  Mogadore. 
He  then  taught  for  two  years  at  West  Rich- 
field, one  year  in  the  Akron  High  School, 
and  two  years  in  the  Copley  High  School, 
and  then  spent  two  more  years  at  Mogadore. 
A  period  of  twenty-nine  years  is  a  long  time, 
but  it  has  been  a  season  of  great  enjoyment 
to  Mr.  Rothrock  and  of  inestimable  benefit 
to  those  who  have  come  under  his  instruc- 
tion, and  it  is  with  pleasure  that  he  sees  so 
many  of  his  old  pupils  occupying  positions 
nf  responsibility  and  prominence  in  different 
walks  of  life. 

In  1901,  Mr.  Rothrock  retired  from  edu- 
cational work  and  moved  to  his  finely-im- 
proved farm  at  Fairlawn,  just  west  of  Akron. 
He  then  resumed  farming  for  the  first  time 
.'iince  his  youth.  He  takes  an  active  interest 
in  local  affairs,  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
having  been  passed  in  this  section,  perhaps  all 
of  it,  with  the  exception  of  a  year  during 
which  he  was  principal  of  Dover  Academy, 
which  is  situated  within  100  miles  of  Chi- 
cago, Illinois.  He  is  known  to  all  his  fel- 
low citizens  and  has  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 
Politically  he  is  a  Repxiblican  and  is  now 
serving  his  third  term  as  township  trustee. 

In  1892  Mr.  Rothrock  was  married,  first, 
to  Ada  Swigart,  of  West  Richfield,  and  they 
had  one  son.  Stanlev.  who  was  born  in  Por- 


822 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


tage  County,  Ohio,  October  17,  1898.  Mrs. 
Rothrock  died  in  February,  1904,  and  Mr. 
Rothrock  was  married,  second,  in  April, 
1905,  to  Harriet  E.  Stone.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  M^oodland  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  Akron.  He  is  a  man  of  sterling  charac- 
ter and  in  every  sense  a  representative  citizen. 

J.  FRANK  TEEPLE,  one  of  Akron's  well 
known  business  men,  who  does  a  large  real  es- 
tate and  collection  business,  with  offices  in 
the  Walsh  Block,  was  born  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship, Summit  Couty,  Ohio,  in  1866,  and  is  a 
son  of  Aaron  Teeple,  who  was  a  substantial 
citizen  of  that  section. 

J.  Frank  Teeple  was  mainly  educated  in  a 
select  school  at  Copley,  and  this  was  supple- 
mented by  a  business  course  under  0.  S.  War- 
ner, after  which  he  became  interested  in  the 
grocery  line,  in  which  he  continued  for  six- 
teen years,  during  nine  of  these  for  other 
parties  and  seven  years  for  himself.  After 
selling  out  his  grocery  interests,  Mr.  Teeple 
started  a  collection  agency  and  also  went  into 
the  real  estate  business,  having  a  valuable 
allotment  on  West  Market  Street.  He  handles 
a  considerable  amount  of  his  own  property, 
and  among  his  fellow  citizens  is  considered  a 
man  of  his  word  and  of  most  excellent  busi- 
ness judgment. 

In  February,  1892,  Mr.  Teeple  was  mar- 
ried to  Minnie  M.  Howes.  He  is  a  first-class 
citizen  and  takes  an  active  part  in  all  local 
affairs,  lending  his  influence  in  .support  of 
public-spirited  measures  on  all  occasions.  He 
is  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen. 

A.  W.  BENNAGE,  a  leading  business  citi- 
zen of  Akron,  and  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
George  A.  Botzum  Company,  dealers  in  dry 
goods  and  ready-to-wear  garments,  has  been 
a  resident  of  this  city  for  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury and  belongs  to  an  old  pioneer  family  of 
the  county.  He  was  born  in  Bath  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  in  1861,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Mary  fWhitted)  Bennage. 

The  late  John  Bennage  was  a  son  of  Jacob 
Bennage,  who  settled  near  Mogadore,  about 


1828.  During  the  early  business  life  of  John 
Bennage,  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufactur- 
ing of  stoneware,  but  after  settling  in  Bath 
Township,  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  had 
ten  children,  and  eight  of  these  still  sur- 
vive. 

A.  W.  Bennage  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Bath  Township  and  remained  on  the  home 
farm  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  when 
he  went  into  the  lumber  business,  and  bought 
and  cut  timber  through  Ohio  and  Michigan, 
and  manufactured  Imnber  for  twenty-three 
years.  He  was  in  partnership  with  W.  F. 
Averill,  under  the  firm  name  of  Bennage  & 
Averill  for  seventeen  years.  In  1904  Mr. 
Bennage  became  associated  with  George  A. 
Botzum,  in  the  establishing  of  the  firm  of  the 
George  A.  Botzum  Company,  which  occupies 
a  prominent  place  in  the  commercial  activities 
of  Akron. 

In  1880  Mr.  Bennage  was  married  to 
Sarah  Averill,  who  was  born  in  Copley  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  Averill. 

Mr.  Bennage  is  one  of  Akron's  representa- 
tive citizens  and  has  been  identified  with  many 
of  the  movements  which  have  encouraged  her 
growth  and  increased  her  prestige. 

JAMES  B.  PAULUS,  general  farmer  and 
dairyman,  residing  on  his  farm  of  eighty 
acres,  situated  in  Stow  Township,  was  born  in 
SufReld  Township,  Portage  County,  Ohio. 
April  10,  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Rebecca  (Brouse)  Paulus. 

The  Paulus  family  came  originally  to  Ohio 
from  Pennsylvania,  and  the  grandfather  of 
James  B.  settled  in  Portage  County,  a  little 
east  of  Mogadore,  at  a  place  called  Horse- 
heaven,  and  there  William  Paulus  was  reared 
and  there  followed  the  trade  of  blacksmith. 
For  forty  years  he  served  acceptably  as  a 
justice  of  the  peace  and  from  his  business  and 
the  just  emoluments  of  office,  he  accumulated 
a  competency  and  retired  at  the  age  of  fifty 
years.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat.  Fra- 
ternally, he  was  a  Mason.  He  married  Re- 
becca Brouse,  who  was  born  in  Stark  County, 
and  they  had  the  following  children :    Mary, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


823 


deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  George  Geth- 
maii,  residing  at  Kent;  Urias,  who  died  in  the 
army  during  the  Civil  War,  having  enlisted 
at  tlie  age  of  seventeen  years;  Isaac,  residing 
at  Canton,  Ohio;  James  B.  and  Jane,  twins, 
the  latter  of  whom  married  Louis  Newbax,  of 
Akron;  Jefferson,  residing  at  Kent;  Chloe, 
who  married  Daniel  Swartz,  residing  in  Suf- 
field  Township,  Portage  County.  The  father 
of  the  above  family  died  in  May,  1895,  and 
the  mother  in  December,  1905,  the  former 
aged  seventy  years,  and  the  latter,  seventy- 
nine  years.  The  mother  of  Mr.  Paulus  was 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Lutheran  Re- 
formed Church. 

James  B.  Paulus  grew  up  on  the  home  farm 
and  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  more  or  less 
regularly  attended  the  district  schools,  then 
hired  out  af  farm  work  by  the  month.  When 
he  was  twenty  years  old  he  rented  a  farm  in 
Suffield  Township,  which  he  operated  for  two 
year.5,  when  he  married,  and  in  1875,  came  to 
Stow  Township,  Summit  County.  He  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  of  Horace  Moon,  and 
has  all  of  it  under  cultivation,  together  with 
fifty-five  additional  acres,  which  he  rents.  He 
raises  his  own  grain  and  hay,  and  for  some 
years  devoted  a  great  deal  of  space  to  pota- 
toes. He  runs  a  dairy  business  with  four- 
teen cows,  disposing  of  his  milk  at  Kent,  and 
he  also  keeps  about  five  head  of  horses.  Mr. 
Paulus  has  done  a  great  deal  of  improving  on 
this  property.  He  found  no  better  accommo- 
dations than  an  old  log  cabin  and  in  the  first 
year  he  built  a  part  of  his  present  comfortable 
residence,  which  he  completed  in  1904,  in  the 
meanwhile  erecting  substantial  barns  and 
putting  up  good  fences. 

Mr.  Paulus  was  married  to  Caroline  Hively, 
who  died  July  15,  1907.  She  was  a  most  es- 
timable lady,  a  devoted  wife  and  mother  and 
a  kind  friend  to  all  who  brought  their  trou- 
bles to  her.  She  was  the  mother  of  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  Charles,  deceased;  Ada,  who 
died  aged  twenty^hree  years;  Edwin,  who 
died  aged  fourteen  years ;  Willard,  residing  at 
home;  Theresa,  deceased,  who  married  Henry 
Brown :  and  Edna,  residing  at  homo. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Paulus  is  identified  with  the 


Democratic  party.  He  is  not  an  oflBce-seeker, 
but  consents  to  serve  in  local  positions  when 
called  upon,  and  for  many  terms  has  been 
township  supervisor. 

JACOB  LAPP,  proprietor  of  the  Lapp 
cooperage  plant,  located  at  No.  1120  East  Mar- 
ket Street,  is  a  representative  citizen  of  Ak- 
ron, where  he  has  lived  since  1870.  He  was 
born  in  1843,  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mar- 
garet Lapp. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Lapp,  who  was  born  in 
Germany,  emigrated  to  America,  and  in  1840 
settled  at  Cuyalioga  Falls,  where  he  carried  on 
a  cooperage  business.  Of  his  seven  children 
the  six  survivors  are  as  follows:  John  and 
Jacob,  both  residing  at  Akron ;  Louisa,  wife 
of  Ezra  Spellman,  of  Akron ;  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  William  Eves,  residing  at  Akron ;  William, 
a  resident  of  Akron ;  and  Hattie  (Mrs.  Doug- 
lass), also  residing  at  Akron. 

Jacob  Lapp  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  place,  and  learned  the 
trade  of  cooper,  working  for  many  years  ac- 
cording to  the  methods  in  vogue  before  coop- 
erage machinery  was  invented.  He  made 
many  of  the  barrels  formerly  used  by  the 
Standard  Oil  Company.  Later  he  associated 
his  son  with  him  in  business  and  in  1883  they 
established  the  plant  at  its  present  location 
in  Akron,  where  a  very  large  business  is  now 
carried  on.  Staves  are  shipped  to  this  plant  by 
the  carload  from  all  parts  of  the  United 
States.  Mr.  Lapp  owns  a  stave  factory  him- 
self, which  is  situated  at  AVoodside.  He  also 
owns  four  other  cooper  shops  located  in  Orr- 
ville,  one  in  Columbus,  another  in  Toledo, 
and  still  another  in  Kent,  Ohio.  These  sev- 
eral plants  give  employment  to  about  100 
men.  Barrels  of  all  kinds  are  manufactured, 
and  the  name  of  Lapp  gives  evidence  of  their 
superior  quality. 

On  July  8,  1863,  Mr.  Lapp  was  married  to 
Frances  E.  Rice  and  they  have  the  follow- 
ing children:  Fred  M.,  who  is  associated  in 
business  with  his  father,  married  Sarah  Roth- 
rock,  and  has  two  children.  Harry  and  Clay- 
tiLs;  Harry  J.,  managing  a  branch  cooper  shop 


824 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


at  Toledo,  mai'ried  Elizabeth  Furness;  Alma 
and  Grace  E.,  both  residing  in  Akron,  the 
former  of  whom  is  the  wife  of  August 
Manthey,  a  molder  by  occupation;  and  the 
latter,  wife  of  Charles  Smith,  captain  of  Fire 
Department  No.  2,  of  Akron. 

Fraternally,  Jacob  Lapp  is  an  Odd  Follow, 
while  Fred  M.  is  identified  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  They  both  are  men  of  high  stand- 
ing commercially  and  belong  to  the  progres- 
sive, reliable  class  of  citizens  to  which  Akron 
owes  much  of  its  prosperity. 

HARRY  BROWN  MILLS,  proprietor  of 
the  Kleanit  Manufacturing  Company,  at  Ak- 
ron, is  one  of  the  city's  native  successful  busi- 
ness men  and  representative  citizens.  He  was 
born  in  1867,  at  Akron,  Ohio,  and  belongs 
to  a  old  pioneer  family  of  this  section. 

Ithel  Mills,  the  grandfather  of  Harry  B., 
was  born  in  New  York,  and  was  a  pioneer  of 
resourceful  and  enterprising  character.  He 
located  in  Summit  County  at  a  very  early  day 
and  he  built  the  old  county  court-house.  He 
married  Emily  Spioer,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Major  Minor  Spicer,  who  was  the  first  set- 
tler of  Akron,  a.nd  one  of  Summit  County's 
prominent  men  in  his  day.  The  late  William 
H.  Mills,  the  father  of'H.  B.,  was  born  at 
Akron,  where  his  life  AA-as  spent.  He  mar- 
ried Alice  S.  Brown,  a  daughter  of  Charles 
W.  Brown,  the  Browns  being  also  old  Summit 
County  settlers. 

Harry  B.  Mills  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  place.  Early  in  his  business  ca- 
reer he  conducted  a  grocery,  but  for  the  past 
sixteien  years  he  has  been  intere-^ted  in  his 
present  manufacturing  business.  The  introduc- 
tion of  his  product,  Kleanit,  met  with  success 
from  the  start,  and  in  face  of  all  competition, 
has  been  accepted  as  the  best  article  of  its 
kind  ever  piit  on  the  market.  It  has  reqiiired 
comparatively  little  advertising,  proving  its 
merits  wherever  used.  Mr.  Mills  has  a  con- 
stantly increasing  business  which  now  extends 
over  a  large  territo^^^  He  is  located  at  No. 
1009  South  High  Street,  Akron. 

In  1890  Mr.  Mills  was  married  to  Carrie  L. 
Smith,  who  was  born  at  Clintou,  Ohio.    Her 


father  was  George  Smith,  a  well-known  citi- 
zen of  that  section.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  have 
three  children — Ruth,  Paul  and  Mildred.  Mr. 
Mills  belongs  to  the  First  Christian  Church  at 
Akron. 

CHARLES  EDAVARD  HANSON,  resid- 
ing on  his  finely-improved  farm  of  124  acres, 
in  Stow  Township,  is  one  of  this  section's  \v]t- 
rosentalive  agriculturists.  Mr.  Hanson  wa- 
born  August  24,  185').  in  Hudson  Town.ship. 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Rich- 
ard and  Susanna  (Briggs)   Hanson. 

Richard  Hanson  was  born  August  10,  1827, 
in  the  town  of  Whapwood,  Lincolnshire,  Eng- 
land, and  was  there  married.  He  came  to  this 
country  with  his  children,  and  immediately 
afterward  engaged  in  the  wagon-making  busi- 
nass,  with  his  brother  Charles,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Hanson  Brothers,  later  becoming  sole 
proprietor.  Subsequently  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  Stow  Town-^hip.  which  he  cultivated 
until  his  retirement  from  active  farm  work, 
when  he  removed  to  Hudson  Township,  and 
there  his  death  occurred  in  his  seventy-fifth 
year.  Originally  a  Whig,  Mr.  Hanson  later 
became  a  Republican,  but  he  never  aspired 
to  political  office.  He  was  married  to  Susan- 
na Briggs,  who  was  born  in  1828,  and  to 
them  there  were  born  the  following  chil- 
dren: Charles  Edward;  Richard  and  Hewson, 
of  Stow  Town.ship :  Thomas  Henry,  of  Hud- 
son Township ;  William  George  and  Jamas, 
of  Stow  Township ;  Mary  Susanna  and  Char- 
lotte, both  of  Hudson  Township;  and  Albert 
David.  The  family  belong  to  the  Episcopal 
Church. 

Charlfts  Edward  Hanson  resided  in  Hudson 
Township  imtil  he  was  eleven  years  old,  at 
which  time  his  parents  came  to  Stow  Town- 
ship, and  here  he  worked  on  the  farm  until 
1880,  at  which  time  he  purchased  his  present 
124-acre  tract,  which  he  has  cultivated  to  the 
present  time.  He  also  manages  twenty-four 
acres  helonging  to  his  .sister-in-law.  He  de- 
votes considerable  attention  to  cattle-raising 
and  has  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  head.  He 
ships  milk  to  the  condensing  milk  factory, 
at  Kent,  Ohio.   .Mr.  Hanson  recentlv  remod- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


825 


clod  bLs  home,  vvbicli  now  includes  twelve 
roon:is  and  a  bath,  and  built  his  present  barns, 
one  being  a  combined  horse-barn  and  wagon- 
house  30  by  60  feet,  with  18-foot  posts,  and 
the  other  58  by  60  feet,  with'  22-foot  posts, 
for  his  stock,  and,  in  addition,  has  a  fine 
granary,  20  by  28  feet.  He  keeps  his  build- 
ings in  the  best  of  condition,  and  his  farm  in 
general  presents  a  fine  appearance. 

Mr.  Hanson  was  married  to  Orrie  Stewart, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Catherine 
Stewart,  of  Stow  Township.  She  died  in  1896, 
aged  thirty-eight  years,  having  been  the 
mother  of  .six  children,  namely:  Rose  E., 
Zena,  Charles  Frederick,  Abigail  I.,  Thomas 
S.  and  Eddie,  the  latter  of  whom  died  aged 
seven  yeare.  In  his  political  views.  Mr.  Han- 
son is  a  Republican,  and  he  has  filled  the  of- 
fices of  school  director  and  supervisor,  and 
been  township  trustee  for  sixteen  years. 

JULIUS  OSCAR  WILLIAMSON,  one  of 
Stow  Town.ship's  leading  citizens,  resides  on 
his  well-equi]iped  farm  of  186  aci^s,  which 
he  devotes  to  general  farming  and  dairying. 
Mr.  Williamson  was  born  in  Stow  Town.^hiji. 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  on  the  fann  he  now 
owns,  March  14,  1846.  and  is  a  .son  of  Pal- 
mer and  Amy  (Horton)  W'illiamson. 

Palmer  W'illiamson  was  born  in  Westches- 
ter County.  New  York.  October  9,  1802,  and 
died  April  30,  1883.  From  the  age  of  six- 
teen years  he  was  entirely  dependent  upon 
his  own  efforts,  and  from  poverty  and  through 
many  hardships  he  climbed  to  affluence  also, 
and  gained  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all 
who  came  within  his  .sphere.  In  his  youth  he 
worked  on  the  docks  and  engaged  in  lumber-^ 
ing.  In  1823  he  secured  a  position  as  ship- 
fiing  clerk  at  Poughkeepsie.  where  he  con- 
tinued for  three  years,  doing  tlie  hardest  kind 
i>f  dock  work.  After  his  marriage  in  1827, 
he  settled  down  to  farming  and  this  contin- 
ued his  main  occupation  during  the  rest  of 
liis  life.  Prior  to  coming  to  Ohio  he  kept  a 
tavern  for  one  year  at  Goslien,  New  York.  In 
the  .spring  of  1831,  he  brought  his  family 
to  Tallmadge  Township,  Ohio,  but  three  years 
iMter  settled  in  Stow  Township,  where  he  in- 


vested his  capital  in  a  farm  of  eighty  acres. 
With  the  help  of  a  frugal,  industrious  wife, 
he  achieved  success  and.  became  a  man  of 
ample  fortune.  His  life  proved  the  value 
of  industry,  temperance  and  perseverance,  and 
wiiile  it  presented  no  heroic  qualities,  its  un- 
selfishness and  general  well-doing  left  its 
lieneficient  influence  on  his  family  and  com- 
munity." 

In  1827  Palmer  Williamson  was  married 
t<j  Amy  Horton  and  they  had  the  following 
children:  Mary,  Horton,  Bradner,  Susan, 
.Tane,  Aldrette  and  Julius  Oscar.  The  mother 
(lied  September  27,  1879,  aged  seventy-six 
years. 

Julius  Oscar  Williamson  found  life  much 
ia.<ier  in  his  lioyhood  than  did  his  father,  and 
he  was  afforded  fair  opportunities  in  the  way 
of  education.  After  graduating  from  the  High 
School  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  he  attended  Hiram 
("ollege,  and  for  the  subsequent  eight  years 
taught  school  through  the  winter  seasons,  and 
ga\e  hfs  father  assistance  on  his  farm  and  in 
tiie  dairy  during  the  summers.  In  1865  he 
riilisted  for  servdce  in  the  Civil  War,  enter- 
ing Comi^any  D,  198th  Regiment,  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  contracting  for  two  years, 
hut  actually  serving  but  five  weeks,  on  ac- 
count of  the  happy  termination  of  the  great 
struggle,  and  he  was  honorably  discharged  on 
May  8,  1865. 

Mr.  Williamson  is  an  intelligent,  practical 
farmer  and  dairyman,  who  successfully  em- 
})loys  modern  meithods  in  the  conduct  of  his 
business.  His  dairy  requires  twenty  cows  to 
keep  up  the  necessarj^  supply  of  milk,  and  he 
devotes  from  eighteen  to  twenty  acres  of  his 
land  to  corn,  the  same  to  wheat,  and  from  fif- 
teen to  twenty  acres  to  oats,  and  some  six 
acres  to  potatoes.  His  silo  is  fourteen  feet 
square.  His  dwelling  is  substantial  and  every- 
thing about  the  farm  gives  testimony  to  care- 
ful management.  Formerly  Air.  William-'on 
was  a  member  of  the  local  Grange,  and  has 
always  been  interested  in  the  agricultural  do- 
velopment  of  his  section. 

On  February  21.  1875,  Mr.  Williamson 
was  married  to  Rozetta  Z.  White,  who  is  a 
dausrhter  of  H.  J.   White,  of  Ravenna,  and 


826 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT   COUNTY 


the  have  had  six  children,  namely :  Henry  J., 
residing  at  Stow  Corners,  married  Ruth  Gay- 
lord,  of  Stow,  and  they  have  three  children, 
Valda,  H.  Julius  and  Gaylord;  Homer  E., 
operating  the  home  farm  with  his  father,  mar- 
ried Alice  Nickerson,  of  Stow,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Arlene;  Don  P.,  residing  at  Stow 
Corners,  married  Jessie  Durbin;  Arba  G.,  re- 
siding at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania;  and  Earl 
C.  and  Amy  A.,  residing  at  home.  The  fam- 
ily belong  to  the  Church  of  Christ,  in  which 
Mr.  Williamson  is  an  elder,  and  formerly 
was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School.  He 
is  a  thoughtful  man  who  casts  his  vote  as 
his  judgment  advises.  For  many  years  he 
has  held  local  office,  serving  as  township  trus- 
tee and  supervisor  and  also  as  a  useful  mem- 
ber of  the  School  Board.  His  father  was  a 
Mason,  having  joined  the  fraternity  in  New 
York,  but  Mr.  Williamson  is  not  identified 
with  any  secret  society. 

W.  LEWIS  SHOEMAKER,  president  of 
the  Day  Drug  Company,  a  large  retail  drug 
organization  of  Akron,  is  one  of  the  leading 
business  men  of  the  city.  He  was  born  Oc- 
tober 10,  1869,  in  Lancaster  County,  Penn- 
sylvania. At  the  age  of  twenty-three  years 
he  left  the  home  farm  on  which  he  had  been 
reared  and  began  work  as  clerk  in  a  drug 
store,  being  thus  employed  first  at  Cumber- 
land, Maryland,  and  later  at  Wheeling,  West 
Virginia.  In  April,  1899,  Mr.  Shoemaker 
came  to  Akron  and  engaged  in  a  drug  busi- 
ness. In  November,  1905,  The  Day  Drug 
Company  was  incorporated,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $15,000.  Its  officers  are:  W.  Lewis 
Shoemaker,  president  and  treasurer,  and  Sal- 
lie  B.  Shoemaker,  secretary,  which  officials, 
together  with  Mark  Gair  and  Scott  House- 
keeper, constitute  a  board  of  directors.  The 
business,  entirely  retail,  is  in  a  very  prosper- 
ous condition.  In  addition  to  his  drug  inter- 
ests, Mr.  Shoemaker  is  a  stockholder  and  a 
director  in  the  Dollar  Savings  Bank,  and  is 
also  interested  in  Akron  real  estate.  In  De- 
cember, 1890,  Mr.  Shoemaker  was  married 
to  Sallie  Bradley,  of  Lancaster  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  they  have  two  daughters,  Mary 


and  Blanche.  Mr.  Shoemaker  is  a  Knight 
Templar  Mason  and  belongs  to  the  Masonic 
club. 

LUCIUS  C.  MILES,  vice-president  of  the 
Goodyear  Tire  and  Rubber  Company,  is  a 
leading  citizen  of  Akron,  whose  activities 
have  been  directed  along  both  business  and 
political  lines.  He  was  born  at  Brookline, 
Massachusetts. 

In  1870  Mr.  Miles  came  to  Akron  and  com- 
pleted his  education  in  the  Akron  High 
School.  He  entered  into  busines  in  partner- 
ship with  Charles  Dick,  and  they  dealt  in 
grain  for  a  period  of  six  years.  He  became 
identified  with  other  business  enterprises  and 
subsequently  was  elected  president  of  the  Ak- 
ron Cereal  Company,  which  was  merged  with 
the  Great  Western  Cereal  Company  in  1901. 
Mr.  Miles  is  on  the  directing  board  of  the 
above  company,  and  is  also  vice-president  of 
the  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rubber  Company. 

Mr.  Miles  married  Harriet  M.  Seiberling, 
who  is"  a  daughter  of  John  F.  Seiberling.  Mr. 
Miles  has  been  an  active  citizen  and  to  such 
a  degree  that  in  1895,  he  was  elected  treas- 
urer of  Akron  and  of  Summit  County,  was 
re-elected  in  1896,  and  served  for  four  years. 
Personally  he  is  a  man  of  business  honor  and 
of  social  standing. 

CHARLES  S.  SPANGLER,  a  representa- 
tive business  man  of  Clinton,  Ohio,  who  is 
dealing  in  general  merchandise,  was  born  on 
the  old  Spangler  home  farm  in  Franklin 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  April  24, 
1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Caroline 
(Smith)  Spangler. 

David  Spangler,  the  grandfather  of  Char- 
les S.,  came  to  Ohio  from  Adams  County, 
Pennsylvania,  with  his  vnie,  Elizabeth 
(Boety)  Spangler.  and  settled  north  of  Clin- 
ton on  a  farm  still  in  possession  of  the  fam- 
ily, where  the  rest  of  their  lives  was  spent. 
Their  children  were:  Joseph,  John,  David, 
Ephraim,  Henr\^  Jane  and  Elizabeth. 

Jo.=eph  Spangler  father  of  Charles  S.,  was 
born  on  the  home  place  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship,  and   grew^  up  on  the  farm  which  he 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


827 


helped  to  clear.  Mr.  Spangler  now  lives  a 
retired  life  at  Akron,  but  still  owns  a  farm  in 
Franklin  Township.  He  was  married,  first, 
to  Caroline  Smith,  a  native  of  Franklin  Town- 
ship and  daughter  of  Daniel  Smith,  who  came 
from  Pennsylvania  and  settled  as  a  pioneer 
in  Ohio.  There  were  ten  children  born  to 
Joseph  and  Caroline  Spangler,  of  whom  six 
died  in  infancy.  Those  who  reached  mature 
years  were:  Adam  G. ;  John,  now  deceased; 
Charles  S. ;  and  Jennie  C,  who  married  0. 
W.  Baum.  After  Mrs.  Spangler's  death,  Mr. 
Spangler  married  for  his  secozid  wife  Adeline 
Hoy,  who  was  born  in  South  Perry,  Hocking 
County,  Ohio.  Three  children  were  born  of 
this  union — David  E.,  Irving  H.,  and  Joseph 
G. 

Charles  S.  Spangler  attended  the  district 
schools  in  boyhood,  and  worked  on  his  fath- 
er's farm  until  1893,  when  he  located  in  Clin- 
ton and  went  into  partnership  with  P.  M. 
Frase  in  a  general  store.  After  ten  years  of 
successful  business  dealings  this  partnership 
was  dissolved,  Mr.  Spangler  purchasing  Mr. 
Frase's  interesdis,  and  since  that  time  he  has 
carried  on  the  business  alone.  Here  he  han- 
dles a  fine  line  of  general  stock,  while  at 
Turkeyfoot  Lake,  where  he  established  a 
branch  store  in  1906,  he  carries  fancy  and 
staple  groceries. 

On  October  3,  1881,  Mr.  Spangler  was  mar- 
ried to  Eleanor  H.  Whitmyer,  who  was  born 
in  Franklin  Township,  on  her  father's  farm, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  George  and  Elizabeth 
(Haring)  Whitmyer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spang- 
ler have  been  the  parents  of  four  children — 
G.  Howard,  a  graduate  of  Buchtel  College; 
Clinton  Grover;  Charles  Russell;  and  Eliza- 
beth Beatrice.  Mr.  Spangler  is  a  member  of 
the  order  of  Maccabees,  and  in  politics  is 
a  Democrat.  He  belongs  to  the  Christian 
Church,  in  which  he  is  an  elder,  and  his  son 
Howard  deacon  and  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  School.    ■ 

LUTHER  KESLEY  RANNEY,  fruit 
grower  and  farmer,  residing  on  his  highly- 
cultivated  farm  of  fifty  acres,  in  Boston  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  Au- 


gust 19,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Luther  B.  and 
Caroline   (Clapp)   Ranney. 

The  Ranney  family  Ls  one  of  the  oldest  in 
.America  and  has  produced  many  famous  men 
and  women.  The  ancestral  line  may  be 
traced  to  one  Thomas  Raney,  who  came  to 
the  colonies  from  Scotland,  subsequent  mem- 
bers adding  the  other  letteis  which  make  the 
name  as  it  now  stands.  The  original  settler, 
Thomas  had  a  son,  also  Thomas,  whose  son 
Nathaniel,  was  the  great-great-grandfather  of 
Luther  Kelsey  Ranney.  Nathaniel  Ranney 
(1)  died  in  1766. 

Nathaniel  Ranney  (2),  the  great-grand- 
father, died  in  1800,  leaving  a  son.  Comfort 
Ranney,  who  came  as  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers to  Boston  Township,  Summit  Comity, 
Ohio,  from  a  place  which  is  now  known  as 
Cromwell,  Connecticut.  Luther  K.  Ranney 
has  in  his  po.ssession  a  wooden  bottle,  holding 
a  gallon  of  liquid,  which  was  made  in  the  days 
of  the  French  and  Indian  Wars,  which  was 
carried  by  Comfort  Ranney,  and  which  his 
father  had  used  during  the  Revolutionary 
War.  It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion  the  great 
General  Washington  accepted  a  draught  from 
its  contents. 

Comfort  Ranney  was  born  March  20,  178S. 
His  wife,  Betsey  Hubbard,  to  whom  he  was 
married  in  1808,  accompanied  him  to  Ohio. 
He  was  a  ship-builder  by  trade.  He  located 
first  at  Hudson,  but  soon  afterward  removed 
lo  Cleveland,  where  he  later  acquired  a  large 
amount  of  land  which  subsequently  became 
valuable,  but,  unfortunately  for  his  descend- 
ants, not  before  it  had  passed  out  of  his  pos- 
session. He  returned  to  Hudson  and  operated 
a  sawmill,  and  after  it  was  destroyed  by  fire, 
in  1820,  he  moved  to  Boston  Township,  pur- 
chasing the  farm  on  which  Euther  K.  Ranney 
resides.  He  died  July  14,  1823.  His  widow 
subsequently  married  William  Collier,  and 
died  January  4,  1868,  aged  seventy-eight 
years.  There  were  two  sons  born  to  her 
.second  marriage,  M.  J.  and  Fred  M.  Collier, 
both  of  whom  made  brilliant  records  during 
the  Civil  War.     Both  are  deceased. 

When  Comfort  Ranney  died,  it  seemed 
necessary  to  part  vnth  the  homestead  farm. 


828 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


This  loss  was  keenly  felt  by  his  son,  Luther  B. 
Kanney,  who  was  then  a  youth  of  fourteen 
years.  He  determined  to  regain  possession  of 
the  old  home  and  immediately  accepted  a 
proposition  made  by  a  neighboring  farmer 
named  Deacon  Hudson.  This  was  that  Mr. 
iianney  should  receive  the  sum  of  five  dol- 
lars a  month  for  his  service  for  a  specified 
time,  while  Mr.  Hudson  should  take  up  a 
pending  mortgage  and  thus  give  Mr.  Ranney's 
mother,  brothers  and  sisters  a  home.  Mr. 
Ranney  continued  to  work  for  Mr.  Hudson 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  gradu- 
ally being  able  to  command  more  pay,  and  he 
lived  to  see  his  commendable  ambition  satis- 
fied, becoming  the  proud  owner  of  the  old 
farm  on  the  State  road.  While  in  Mr.  Hud- 
son's employ,  he  hauled  a  portion  of  the  brick 
for  building  the  Western  Reserve  College. 

The  farm  now  contains  eighty  acres,  Mr. 
Ranney  having  added  a  few  acres  to  the  orig- 
inal tract  after  it  came  into  his  possession. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  firmness  and  determin- 
ation. Naturally  gifted  with  a  fine  under- 
standing, he  would  doubtless  have  made  his 
mai'k  had  he  been  afforded  educational  ad- 
vantages. As  it  was,  he  overcame  difficul- 
ties that  would  have  discouraged  an  ordinary 
man,  took  a  leading  part  in  the  life  of  his 
community,  and  tis  an  exemplary  Christian, 
set  an  example.  He  never  united  with  aii\-  re- 
ligious body,  but  was  a  great  student  of  the 
Bible,  reading  it  with  a  broad  sense  of  its 
meaning,  such  as  he  could  never  find  included 
in  the  tenents  of  any  church.  In  all  things 
moral  and  temperate  he  was  praiseworthy,  and 
so  lived  that  his  fellow-citizens  commended 
him  and  pointed  him  out  as  an  example  to 
the  rising  generation,  fn  his  political  life 
he  supported  measures  and  candidates  who 
could  show  their  substantial  claims  to  recog- 
nition, but  in  no  sense  was  he  ever  a  politi- 
cian, and  the  only  office  he  ever  held  was  that 
of  township  trustee.  He  was  born  November 
28,  1809. 

In  1833,  Luther  B.  Ranney  was  married 
(first)  to  Salley  M.  Carter,  who  died  July  29, 
1846,  leaving  the  following  children:  Martha, 
who  died  aged  eighteen  years;  Mary  deceased, 


married  Willis  Leach;  Comfort,  residing  at 
Lansing,  Michigan ;  Harriet  Sophia,  who  died 
m  1907,  was  the  second  wife  of  Willis  Leach; 
and  Sarah  M.,  residing  with  her  half-brother, 
Luther  K.  Ranney.  On  April  6,  1847,  Lu- 
ther B.  Ranney  was  married  (second)  to  Caro- 
line Clapp,  who  was  born  May  3,  1821,  and 
died  May  26,  1895.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  Richard  and  Anna  (Alvord) 
Clapp,  of  Northampton,  Massachusetts. 
There  were  three  children  born  to  the  second 
union,  namely:  Julia  Ann,  who  married 
John  Criss,  residing  at  South  Frankfort, 
Michigan;  Luther  Kelsey ;  and  Carrie  M.,  who 
married  William  H.  Evans,  residing  at  Akron. 
The  family  always  has  resided  on  the  farm, 
with  the  exception  of  three  years  when  they 
lived  at  Akron,  coming  to  the  city  in  order 
tc  provide  better  educational  facilities  for  the 
children.  During  the  early  western  gold  dis- 
coveries, in  1850,  Luther  B.  Ranney  went  to 
California  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
and  was  absent  for  four  years,  engaged  in  min- 
ing, and  met  with  success. 

Luther  Kelsey  Ranney  attended  the  dis- 
tiict  schools  until  ho  was  seventeen  years  old, 
w  hen  he  accompanied  tine  family  to  Akron, 
where. he  entered  the  preparatory  department 
of  Buchtel  College.  There  he  worked  hard, 
crowding  the  studies  of  three  years  so  that  he 
completed  the  preparatory'  course  m  two  years. 
He  then  enticed  the  classical  department  of 
the  college^  taking  the  course  but  not  com- 
pleting it.  at  the  same  time  doing  a  large 
amount  of  extra  Avork  on  the  farm.  He  was 
especially  proficient  in  Greek  and  Latin,  and 
this  led  the  faculty  to  urge  on  him  the  project 
of  fitting  himself  for  a  profe.ssorship  in- lan- 
guages. Mr.  Ranney  would  have  found  in 
professional  life,  especially  in  this  line,  much 
that  was  congenial,  l>ut  he  had  to  consider  the 
failing  health  of  his  parents  and  the  need  they 
bad  of  his  strength,  judgment,  and  .services 
on  the  farm,  and  he  speedily  settled  the  mat- 
ter, by  putting  aside  his  own  personal  desires, 
and  returning  to  Boston  Township. 

On  the  homestead  farm  he  carries  on  a 
general  line  of  agriculture  and  makes  the 
growing  of  fruit  a  specialty.     His  peach  or- 


MR.  AND  MRS.  JOHN  T.  FISHER 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


831 


chards  have  partiuularly  iiilertibted  hiin,  and 
he  raises  a  large  amount  of  all  vaz'ieties  of 
iino  fruit  and  beiTies.  His  fruit  stock  has 
been  scieutiticailj'  selected,  and  under  his  fos- 
tering care  produces  in  abundance.  Foi-nierly, 
he  did  some  trucking.  He  keeps  about  hf  teen 
head  of  cattle  and  ships  his  milk  to  Cleveland. 
Mr.  Ranney  married  Mary  M.  Ozman,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Abraham  Neumau  Ozman, 
oJ'  Boston  Township,  and  they  had  three  chil- 
dren :  Luther  Carroll,  Neuman  Clinton  and 
Caroline  Eliza.  Mrs.  Ranney  wa^  formerly 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church  at 
Hudson  and  a  leader  in  Sunday-school  work. 
Her  death,  which  occurred  July  27,  1897,  re- 
moved a  woman  of  most  lovely  Christian  char- 
acter from  her  home  and  counnunity.  Polit- 
ically, Mr.  Ranney  is  an  Independent  Demo 
crat.  He  retains  his  membership  in  the  Delta 
Tau  Delta  Greek  letter  fraternitj'  of  Buchtel 
College.  He  has  a  magniticient  library  of 
over  1,0U0  carefully  selected  volumes,  and 
when  other  interests  fail,  Mr.  Ranney  can  gen- 
erally be  found  finding  plea^iure  and  recrea- 
tion in  his  books,  toward  which  his  natural  in- 
clinations have  always  led. 

JOHN  T.  FISHER,  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Fisher  Brothers,  lumber  dealers  and  manu- 
facturers of  doors,  Siish  and  blinds,  at  Akron, 
was  born  in  Portage  County,  Ohio,  in  1859, 
where  he  was  reared  and  secured  a  district 
school  education.  In  early  manhood  Mr. 
Fisher  learned  the  carpenter  trade  and  learned 
it  so  thoroughly  that  for  twenty-six  years  his 
work  was  in  demand  in  every  section  he  lived 
in,  and  it  has  all  stood  the  test  of  time.  Pie 
became  a  somewhat  noted  builder  of  bank 
barns,  his  record  being  of  sixty-two  of  these 
substantial  structures.  The  one  he  erected 
for  AV.  G.  Hays  &  Son,  near  Ravenna,  was 
200  feet  long  and  50  wide,  with  32-foot  posts, 
being  the  largest  barn  ever  built  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country.  He  also  erected  numer- 
ous residences  of  different  styles  of  archi- 
tecture. For  four  years  he  was  interested  in 
n  lumber  business  at  Kent  and  came  to  Ak- 
ron in  1901,  where,  in  a.ssocinfion  with  his 
brother   Philip,    his    partner,    he   erected    the 


planing  mill  and  lumber  plant  at  No.  945 
South  Pligh  Street.  The  firm  of  Fisher 
Brotliers  do  an  extensive  business  and  person- 
ally they  stand  high  in  public  esteem. 

In  1887  Mr.  Fisher  wius  married  to  Mary 
.Knapp,  of  Suffield,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  and 
they  have  three  children,  namely:  Jennie, 
Edith  and  Esther.  The  eldest  daughter  was 
educated  in  the  schools  at  Kent  and  Akron, 
and  after  graduating  from  the  Akron  Busi- 
ness College,  became  bookkeeper  for  the  firm 
of  Fisher  Brothers  and  is  a  very  capable 
young  lady.  Mr.  Fisher  and  family  belong 
to  St.  Bernard's  Church. 

LUCIUS  V.  BIERCE.  wlio  has  resided  on 
iiis  valuable  farm  of  over  100  acres,  situated  in 
Tallmadge  Township,  for  the  past  thirty-two 
years,  is  a  member  of  a  family  which  has  made 
tlio  name  one  of  distinction  in  Ohio,  ever  since 
it  journeyed  down  the  Connecticut  Valley 
t(i  the  Western  Reserve.  Lucius  V.  Bierce 
was  born  June  2_,  1827,  in  Athens  County, 
Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Harriet 
(Hineman)  Bierce. 

For  seven  years  the  grandfather  of  lAieius 
y.  Bierce  fought  in  the  Patriot  army,  in  the 
Revolutionary'  AVar.  The  first  of  the  family 
concerning  whom  reliable  records  have  been 
found,  was  James  Bierce,  who  was  born  in 
England  prior  to  1730,  and  who  emi- 
grated and  settled  at  Halifax,  Plymouth 
County,  Massachusetts,  his  son,  Hezekiah 
Bierce  being  born  on  May  25th  of  that  year. 
The  latter  married  Deborah  Sturtevant,  who 
was  born  January  23,  1732,  and  they  were  the 
great-grandparents  of  Lucius  A^.  Bierce. 

AA^illiam  Bierce,  son  of  Hezekiah  and  Deb- 
orah Bierce,  was  born  at  Plymouth,  Massa- 
chu.se tts,  March  26,  1753,  and  he  married 
Abigail  Bell,  who  was  born  October  2,  1754. 
In  April,  1775,  AVilliam  Bierce  enlisted  in  the 
Continental  army,  in  which  he  served  until 
honorably  discharged  in  November,  1783.  He 
V)elonged  to  Colonel  Herman  Swift's  regiment 
of  Connecticut  troops  sent  immediately  after 
his  enlistment,  to  Ticonderoga.  This  was 
thou  considered,  as  if  tndy  was.  an  ontpo.«t 
of  civilization,  and  with  the  rank  of  orderlv 


832 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT   COUNTY 


sergeant,  William  Bierce  did  good  service  here 
as  at  other  points,  participating  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Monmouth,  White  Plains  and  Fort 
George,  and  starving  with  his  comrades 
through  the  dreadful  winter  at  Valley  Forge. 
^0  better  proof  of  the  strenuous  life  these 
patriots  led  in  those  stormy  times,  can  be 
found  than  the  fact  that  when  Sergeant  Bierce 
left  the  army,  every  superior  officer  of  his 
company  had  either  been  killed  or  died  from 
hardship.  Another  unhappy  condition  was 
that  the  soldiers  were  paid  in  money  that  at 
the  end  of  the  war  was  not  negotiable,  and 
for  his  seven  years  of  faithful  service,  Wil- 
liam Bierce  found  himself  possessed  of  a  bunch 
of  script,  of  no  use  except  as  playthings  for 
his  children.  He  came  to  Nelson,  Ohio,  an 
old  man,  and  his  death  occurred  there.  Early 
in  life  he  was  a  miller.  His  grandson,  Lucius 
"V.  Bierce,  preserves  the  old  veteran's  powder 
horn,  of  which  he  made  good  use  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  in  1775,  and  which  he  carried  during 
his  seven  years  of  service.  Mr.  Bierce  also 
treasures  a  title  deed  to  property,  which  was 
given  his  grandfather  in  1803,  which  bears 
the  signature  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  of  James 
Madison,  Secretary  of  State. 

The  children  born  to  William  and  Abigail 
Bierce  were  the  following:  Lueretia.  who  was 
born  July  30,  1787,  died  March  10,  1847,  and 
became  the  mother  of  Judge  Robert  F.  Paine, 
of  Cleveland;  Hannah,  who  was  born  March 
2,  1789,  married  Jeremiah  Fuller  and  died 
at  Nelson,  Portage  County,  where  they  lived; 
Columbus,  who  was  born  at  Litchfield,  Con- 
necticut, March  8,  1791,  became  a  physician, 
and  moved  to  Athens,  Ohio,  and  later  to  Cir- 
cleville,  in  Pickaway  County,  where  he  died; 
William,  father  of  Lucius  V.,  was  born  in 
Connecticut,  in  1793 ;  Lucinda,  who  was  born 
December  20,  1796,  married  Dr.  Hopkins,  of 
Nelson,  Ohio,  where  she  died ;  Marcus  Aure- 
lius,  who  was  born  in  Litchfield  County, 
Connecticut,  August  16,  1799,  settled  at  Nel- 
son, Portage  County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  a 
merchant,  but  died  in  Indiana,  and  is  sur- 
vived by  a  son,  Ambrose  Bierce,  who  is  an  au- 
thor, and  Lucius  V.,  who  became  so  promi- 


nent in  military  life  and  so  distinguished  a 
citizen  of  Ohio. 

General  Bierce  was  bom  in  the  family 
home  at  Cornwall,  Litchfield  County,  Con- 
necticut, August  4,  1801,  from  which  place 
he  moved  to  Athens,  Ohio,  where  he  entered 
the  Ohio  University,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  September  11, 1822.  He  then  went 
to  the  South,  starting  for  South  Carolina,  Oc- 
tober 9,  1822,  carrying  his  grip-sack  in  which, 
along  with  his  clothing  and  small  necessities, 
he  had  a  splendid  letter  of  indorsement  to 
Robert  J.  Fennel,  a  lawyer  at  Yorkville,  under 
whom  he  began  the  study  of  law,  after  he 
had  recovered  from  his  long  walk  to  that 
point.  In  1823,  he  was  admitted  to  practice 
by  the  Supreme  Court  of  Alabama,  to  which 
State  he  had  subsequently  removed,  and  the 
whole  course  of  his  life  might -have  been  dif- 
ferent had  he  not  listened  to  the  entreaties  of 
his  father  to  return  and  comfort  the  latter's 
declining  years.  Again  strapping  the  grip- 
sack on  his  shoulders,  the  young  man  started 
on  his  homeward  trip  of  1,800  miles,  and 
reached  Ravenna,  Portage  Count}',  in  time  to 
be  admitted  to  the  Ohio  bar  in  1824.  In 
1825,  he  was  appointed  district  attorney,  an 
office  he  creditably  filled  for  eleven  years, 
when  he  removed  his  activities  to  Akron. 
During  1837-8  he  was  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  militaiy  operations  along  the 
border  and  had  command  of  the  forces  at  Fort 
Maiden.  He  then  returned  to  Akron  and  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  law  until  the  Mexican 
War  broke  out,  in  which  he  took  an  active 
part.  Aside  from  his  military  record,  had 
well-deserved  notoriety  for  professional  ability 
and  literary  accomplishment.  One  of  the  valu- 
able results  of  his  .studi&s  is  found  in  the  two 
volumes  of  Digest  cases  which  he  compiled 
and  arranged  in  alphapetical  order.  He  also 
wrote  a  comprehensive  hi.story  of  the  ^Veste^n 
Reserve.  He  was  an  authority  on  historical 
matters  and  this  interest  has  descended  to  his 
nephew,  Lucius  V.,  who  has  been  identified, 
with  the  Tallmadge  Historical  Society  since 
its  organization,  in  1858,  has  filled  all  its  of- 
fices and  is  the  only  surviving  member  of  its 
body    of    organizers.      General    Bierce    was 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZENS 


833 


prominent  politically  and  served  as  mayor  of 
Akron  until  he  declined  to  longer  hold  the 
office.  As  early  as  1853,  he  was  elected  grand 
master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Masons,  in 
Ohio. 

William  Bierce,  father  of  Lucius  V.,  was 
married  (first)  in  1818,  at  Athens,  to  Lucinda 
Culver,  and  they  had  two  children:  Mary  N., 
who  was  born  July  30, 1820,  married  Derastus 
Harper,  and  died  when  more  than  eighty 
years  of  age ;  and  James  Culver,  who  was  born 
in  1822,  and  resides  in  California.  The 
second  wife  of  William  Bierce  was  Harriet 
Hindman  and  they  had  two  children,  Eliza- 
beth L.  and  Lucius  V.  Elizabeth  L.  Bierce 
was  born  in  1825,  and  is  a  resident  of  Tall- 
madge.  She  survives  her  husband,  the  late 
Spaulding  Beach,  vnth  two  children,  Edward 
E.  and  Jessie.  The  latter  resides  with  her 
mother.  The  former,  Edward  E.  Beach,  is 
manager  of  the  Baldwin  Piano  Factory,  at 
Chicago  Heights,  Illinois. 

Lucius  V.  Bierce  came  from  Athens  County, 
Ohio,  to  Portage  County,  when  two  years  of 
age.  His  education  was  secured  in  the  schools 
of  Ravenna,  and  in  1843,  he  came  to  Tall- 
madge,  where  he  completed  his  education 
under  Gov.  Sidney  Edgerlon.  Later  he 
learned  the  carriage-trimming  trade,  com- 
mencing his  apprenticeship  in  the  Oviatt, 
Sperry  Carriage  Works,  but  in  1875,  he  turned 
his  attention  to  farming,  settling  then  on  his 
present  property,  removing  from  Tallmadge 
Center,  where  he  had  previously  lived.  He 
has  long  been  one  of  the  township's  leading 
citizens,  taking  an  active  part  in  its  educa- 
tional, religious  and  political  life.  In  his 
early  years  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  for  the 
whole  life  of  the  Republican  party,  has  up- 
held its  principles.  At  various  times  he  has 
served  in  township  offices  and  always  to  the 
satisfaction  of  his  fellow-citizens. 

Mr.  Bierce  was  married  (first)  to  Delia 
Robinson,  December  11,  1850,  who  died  No- 
vember 15,  1856.  They  had  two  children, 
Alice  Delia  and  Edmond  Lucius,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  born  November  3,  1856,  and  died 
June  4,  1857.  Alice  Delia  Bierce  was  bom 
December  4.  1851,  and  subsequently  was  mar- 


ried to  A.  E.  Lyman,  of  the  Lyman  Lum- 
ber Company,  of  Akron.  They  have  one  son, 
Lucius  Bierce  Lyman,  who  married  Laverne 
Bishop,  of  Medina  County,  Ohio,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Richard. 

Lucius  V.  Bierce  was  married  (second)  to 
Harriet  H.  Camp,  who  can  claim  kindred 
with  a  number  of  the  oldest  and  most  promi- 
nent families  of  New  England.  Mrs.  Bierce 
was  born  in  Tallmadge  Township,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Martin  and  Sallie  (Coe)  Camp. 
Martin  Camp  was  born  at  New  Preston,  Litch- 
field County,  Connecticut,  October  6,  1791, 
and  came  to  Tallmadge  in  1815.  He  resided 
at  the  home  of  his  uncle,  Asaph  Whittlesey. 
He  purchased  200  acres  of  land  northeast  of 
Tallmadge,  which  became  very  valuable.  On 
March  28,  1816,  he  married  Sallie  Coe,  who 
was  born  at  Granville,  Massachusetts,  and  ac- 
companied her  family  who  settled  at  Charles- 
ton, Ohio.  She  was  a  teacher  at  Charleston 
and  Tallmadge  Center.  This  ,  marriage  was 
the  first  one  celebrated  at  Charleston,  Portage 
County,  Ohio. 

Tracing  the  Coe  branch  of  Mrs.  Bierce's 
ancestry,  it  is  found  that  Robert  Coe  lived  at 
Litchfield  at  a  very  early  date  and  died  at 
Jamaica,  New  York,  after  1687.  He  was 
a  native  of  England,  where  he  was  born  in 
1596.  His  wife  Anna  was  born  in  England 
in  1591  and  died  prior  to  1674,  at  Jamaica, 
New  York.  They  had  three  sons:  John, 
born  in  1626;  Robert,  born  in  1627,  and 
Benjamin,  born  in  1629.  In  June,  1634, 
they  settled  at  Watertown,  Massachusetts,  and 
in  1635  removed  to  Wethersfield,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1641,  to  Stamford,  in  1644,  to  Hemp- 
stead, New  York,  and  in  1652,  to  Newton, 
New  York,  where  the  son  John  settled.  Ben- 
jamin settled  at  Jamaica,  New  York,  and 
there  Robert  Coe  went  in  1656.  Robert,  the 
second  son,  left  his  father  at  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut, in  1644,  and  went  to  Stratford, 
where  he  married  Hannah  Mitchell.  Their 
son,  John  Coe  (3),  married  Mary  Hanley  and 
lived  at  Stratford,  where  their  fourth  son, 
Ephraim  Coe,  was  born.  He  removed  to  Dur- 
ham, Connecticut,  and  later  to  Middletown. 
He  married  Hannah   Miller  and  their  son, 


834 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


fcamuel  Coe,  married  Hope  Hubbard. and  they 
lemoved  to  Granville,  Massachusette.  Their 
aoii,  Capt.  David  Coe,  was  born  March  3,  1761, 
and  died  July  '24,  1824.  Captain  Coe  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  married 
Sarah  Pratt,  and  in  1818,  settled  at  Charles- 
town,  where  she  died  in  July,  1828.  Martin 
Camp  died  January  14,  1872,  his  wife  having 
passed  away  September  17,  1850.  They  were 
pioneers  in  all  the  civilizing  movements  which 
benefitted  the  community. 

The  children  of  Martin  Camp  and  wife 
were:  Heman  Coe,  now  aged  eighty-four 
years,  who  resides  at  Mentor,  Ohio,  married 
Samantha  Clark,  of  Lake  County;  Henry 
Newton,  aged  eighty-one  years,  married  Celia 
Wright,  daughter  of  Amos  C.  Wright,  and  re- 
sides with  a  daughter  at  Detroit,  Michigan; 
Leroy,  aged  seventy-nine  years,  married  Har- 
riet Scott,  of  Tallmadge,  and  they  reside  "at 
Cleveland ;  Mary  Whittlesey,  born  in  1818, 
married  Orestes  "NA^right  of  Tallmadge,  and 
died  in  February,  1883;  Sarah  C,  born  in 
1821,  married  John  Emery,  of  Philadelphia, 
and  died  October  29,  1895 ;  and  Harriet  H., 
the  youngest  of  the  family,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Lucius  V.  Bierce. 

The  children  born  to  the  second  marriage 
of  Lucius  V.  Bierce  are  the  following,  all 
prominent  members  of  the  communities  in 
v.'hich  the  circumstances  of  life  have  placed 
them:  Antoinette,  born  June  28,  1861,  mar- 
ried Harry  D.  Reed  of  Weeping  Water.  Ne- 
braska, and  they  have  three  children,  Donald, 
Robert  and  Helen  ;  Wallace  Camp,  born  Sep- 
tember 5,  1863,  married  Mollie  Hoge,  of 
Kearney,  Nebraska,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren, Alice,  Bruce  and  Marion;  Flora  Eliza- 
beth, born  March  27,  1868,  married  Thoma.s 
J.  Dee,  of  Chicago;  Fannie  Louise,  born 
April  26,  1872,  married  Carlton  B.  Skinner, 
of  Tallmadge,  who  died  October  27,  1900, 
leaving  one  daughter,  Charlotte  Bierce  and 
Henry  Newell,  born  July  30,  1874,  unmar- 
ried. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bierce  have  been  mem- 
bers of  tlie  Congregational  Church  for  the 
past  fifty  years  and  they  are  widely  known 
for  their    practical    Christianity.     Since    he 


was  twenty-two  years  of  age,  Mr.  Bierce  has 
been  connected  with  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  local  Grange 
snice  its  organization. 

II.  J.  EMERMAN,  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  H.  J.  Emerman  and  Company,  of 
Akron,  wholesale  dealers  in  iron,  steel  and 
metals,  was  born  in  Germany,  in  1880,  and 
is  a  son  of  Benjamin  Emerman. 

The  father  of  JNlr.  Emerman  engaged  in  a 
clothing  business  at  Akron,  after  coming  to 
the  United  States.  Later  he  removed  his  busi- 
ness interests  to  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and 
makes  his  home  at  Cleveland.  H.  J.  Emer- 
man attended  school  at  Akron,  after  which  he 
was  engaged  for  eighteen  months  as  a  clerk 
m  a  grocery  store,  following  which  he  served 
in  the  same  capacity  in  liis  father's  clothing 
store  for  tw'o  years.  He  then  became  a  clerk 
for  Emerman  Brothers,  who  conducted  a  scrap 
iron  business,  and  he  continued  eight  years 
m  that  postition  with  the  same  firm.  W^hen 
new  yards  were  opened  at  Cleveland,  H.  J. 
lOmennan  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Akron 
Ijranch,  and  in  1904,  the  old  firm  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  present  one.  Mr.  Emerman  is 
interested  in  other  Akron  enterprises. 

On  February  16,  1904,  Mr.  Emerman  was 
married  to  Bertha  B.  Louer,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Meyer  Louer.  Mr.  Louer  is  now  a  resident 
of  Omaha,  Nebraska,  but  for  a  number  of 
years  he  was  in  the  clothing  business  at 
Akron.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emerman  have  one 
son,  Walter.  They  are  members  of  High 
Street  Temple,  of  the  Akron  Hebrew  Congre- 
gation. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Emerman  is  identified 
with  the  Masons  and  the  Elks.  Socially,  he 
l)e]on.gs  to  the  Kirkwood  club. 

FRANK  BUTLER,  wlio.,  m  partnership 
with  his  brother,  John  Butler,  has  been  culti- 
vatin,g  their  excellent  farm  of  150  acres,  in 
Boston  Township,  since  1870,  is  one  of  the 
loading  agriculturists  of  this  section,  and  is 
a  son  of  Thomas  and  Catherine  (Brennan) 
Butler. 

Thomas  Butler  was  born  in  Countv  Wex- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


835 


ford,  Ireland,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of 
mason.  After  his  marriage,  he  came  to 
America  and  with  his  wife  eight  months  later 
settled  near  Botzum,  Northampton  Township, 
Summit  County.  He  worked  at  first  on  the 
old  Clinton  Air  Line  Railroad,  but  later  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  sixty  acres,  in  Northampton 
Township.  He  was  a  very  capable  and  indus- 
trious workman  and  built  nearly  all  of  the 
brick  houses  in  his  neighborhood,  plastered 
himdreds  of  structures  and  built  over  150 
cellars  in  Peninsula  alone.  He  married 
Catherine  Brennan  and  they  had  eight  chil- 
dren, namely:  Frank,  John,  Elizabeth, 
Mary,  Sarah,  Martha,  Catherine  and  Chris- 
topher. 

Frank  Butler  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Boston  Township,  and  in  his  youth 
did  much  work  in  the  woods  at  lumbering, 
this  being  a  heavily  timbered  region  at  that 
time.  In  the  spring  of  1864,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  B,  188th  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  his  services  continued  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  His  brother  John  Butler 
served  in  Company  E,  124th  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Chicamauga,  Lookout  Mountain 
and  Missionary  Ridge.  While  on  the  march 
from  Missionary  Ridge  to  Knoxville,  he  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Confederates  and  was 
sent  to  Richmond,  from  whence  he  was  re- 
moved to  the  prison  at  Belle  Island,  where  he 
was  kept  for  four  months.  It  is  stating  the 
truth  to  say  that  while  there,  John  Butler  was 
nearly  starved  to  death.  He  owes  his  life  to 
a  comrade,  whose  loyal  friendship  and  per- 
sLstent  entreaty  secured  recognition  from 
some  Confederate  officers  of  ^Ir.  Butler's  piti- 
able condition.  Both  Frank  and  John  But- 
ler were  brave  and  gallant  .soldiers,  the  cheer- 
ful, faithful,  hard-fighting  kind  of  men  that 
made  the  Northern  forces  invincible.-  Their 
war  records  are  such  as  any  man  might  well 
be  proud  to  acknowledge. 

In  1870,  the  Butler  brothers  purchased  their 
present  farm,  of  which  seventy-five  acres  are 
under  cultivation,  being  devoted  to  hay, 
wheat,  corn  and  oat.«,  in  addition  to  which  is 
an  apple  orchard  of  100  trees.     In  1877,  a  fine 


residence  was  built  by  Frank  Butler,  a  sub- 
staiatial  structure  having  ten  rooms.  Mr.  But- 
ler is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

LOUIS  R.  MAY,  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Frantz-Body  Company,  one  of  Akron's 
large  and  important  manufacturing  concerns, 
was  born  in  1876,  at  Akron,  and  is  a  son  of 
R.  A.  May,  of  this  city. 

Mr.  May's  happy  boyhood  was  spent  in 
studj'  and  play,  in  his  native  city,  where  he 
completed  the  High  School  course  prior  to 
taking  a  commercial  course  in  a  business  col- 
lege at  Buft'alo,  New  York,  and  later  a  general 
literary  course  at  Buehtel  College.  For  seven 
years  he  was  connected  with  the  Citizens  Na- 
tional Bank,  and  when  it  was  consolidated, 
with  the  Second  National  Bank,  he  remained 
with  the  new  organization  for  one  year,  and 
then  came  to  the  Frantz-Body  Manufacturing 
Company,  with  which  he  has  been  identified 
ever  since,  becoming  secretary  and  treasurer 
at  the  time  of  its  reorganization,  in  1904. 

In  January,  1905,  Mr.  May  was  married  to 
Gertnide  Wanamaker,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Hon.  R.  M.  Wanamaker,  of  Akron. 

Mr.  May  stands  deservedly  high  among  the 
business  men  of  Akron. 

JAMES  SULLIVAN,  a  representative  citi- 
zen of  Boston  Township,  who  owns  an  unu- 
sually fine  farm,  consisting  of  151  acres,  was 
born  in  County  Clare,  Ireland,  August  14, 
1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Bridget 
(Ryan)  Sullivan. 

Michael  Sullivan,  who  was  also  a  native  of 
County  Clare,  Ireland,  came  to  America  in 
1850,  bringing  his  family  with  him,  and  in 
1853  he  purchased  his  first  farm,  which  was 
in  Twinsl)urg  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio.  In  1865,  he  removed  to  a  farm  on  the 
State  Road,  in  Boston  Township,  where  his 
death  occurred  when  he  was  over  eighty  years 
of  age.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He 
married  Bridget  Ryan,  who  was  also  born  in 
County  Clare,  Ireland,  in  1825,  and  died  in 
1 889.  They  had  five  children :  James ; 
John,  who  is  deceased;  Delia,  who  resides  at 
J  Fudson :     Lawrence,    who    lives    in    Boston 


836 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Township;  and  Agnes,  who  also  resides  at 
Hudson. 

James  Sullivan  went  to  school  a  part  of  a 
term  in  Boston  Township,  and  the  balance  of 
his  education  was  obtained  at  Twinsburg.  He 
remained  on  his  father's  farm  until  twenty- 
six  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  was  mar- 
ried. Two  years  before  marriage  he  pur- 
chased a  fann,  with  his  brother  Lawrence,  but 
in  1886  he  sold  his  interest  to  his  brother, 
and  purchased  his  present  property.  At  that 
time  the  land  seemed  barren,  for  not  even  a 
tree  was  growing  on  it,  but  Mr.  Sullivan  soon 
changed  its  appearance.  He  set  out  all  of  the 
beautiful  shade  trees  which  now  are  so  thrifty, 
built  an  addition  to  the  home  then  standings 
improved  all  the  buildings,  and  has  a  substan- 
tial barn  32x102  feet,  with  18-foot  posts,  and 
built  a  silo  16x32x32  feet.  He  has  made 
this  one  of  the  best  farms  in  Boston  Town- 
ship. He  cultivates  about  sixty-five  acres, 
raising  wheat,  corn,  oats  and  hay,  and  keeps 
about  thirty  head  of  cattle,  disposing  of  his 
milk  at  Cleveland.  Mr.  Sullivan  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics.  He  is  a  member,  of  the 
Grange  at  Darrowville.  For  the  greater  part 
of  the  past  twenty  years  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Eudcation  in  Boston 
Township. 

Mr.  Sullivan  was  married  to  Mary  McGuire, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  John  McGuire,  of  Solon, 
Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio.  They  have  five 
children,  namely:  Charles  A.,  who  resides 
in  Hudson  Township,  has  one  child,  Mil- 
dred; Hugh  A.,  who  resides  in  Hudson  Town- 
ship; Laura,  who  married  H.  0.  Robinson,  of 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  has  one  child,  Gladys  Mary; 
Elsie,  who  married  H.  A.  Wolcott  of  Mace- 
donia, Ohio;  and  Lawrence  C,  who  lives  at 
home.  Mrs.  Sullivan  is  a  member  of  St. 
Mary's  Catholic  Church,  and  is  active  in 
church  and  charitable  work. 

CAPTAIN  ADAM  BOTZUM,  one  of  the 
grand  old  men  of  Northampton  Township, 
resided  there  for  nearly  a  half  century.  He 
was  born  October  25,  1830,  in  Strasiburg, 
Germany,  and  died  in  Summit  County,  Ohio, 


October  15,   1907,  and  is    a    son    of    John 
George  and  Katherine  (Dragaser)  Botzum. 

John  George  Botzum  was  born  in  Germany 
in  1796,  a  son  of  John  Botzum.  He  mar- 
ried Katherine  Dragaser,  who  was  born  in 
1796,  in  the  village  of  Urmmerspach,  Ger- 
many, whose  parents  removed  to  Poland 
when  she  was  seven  years  old,  and  whom  she 
never  saw  again,  she  making  her  home  with 
relatives  until  her  marriage.  In  1836,  John 
George  Botzum  and  his  family  left  home  and 
traveled  by  ox-team  to  the  nearest  seaport, 
where  they  took  passage  on  the  vessel 
Princessa  for  the  United  States,  arriving  at 
New  York,  November  17,  1836.  Here  they 
met  an  agent  who  persuaded  Mr.  Botzum  to 
agree  to  go  to  South  America,  where  he  was 
told  that  a  fortune  awaited  him,  but  before 
arrangements  were  completed,  Mr.  Botzum 
discovered  from  the  authorities  that  it  was 
merely  a  scheme  to  get  Mr.  Botzum  and  his 
family  to  that  country  to  be  sold  into  slavery. 
Soon  after  the  family  took  passage  on  a  flat- 
boat  to  Albany,  went  thence  by  canal  to  Buf- 
falo and  by  lake  to  Cleveland,  where  they 
,  stopped  for  a  time  on  account  of  illness  in  the 
family,  and  on  resuming  their  journey 
traveled  upon  an  open  flat-boat  to  Niles,  from 
whence  they  made  their  way  to  Ghent.  Bath 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio.  There 
Mr.  Botzum  secured  his  first  employment, 
being  engaged  at  digging  on  a  mill  race,  at 
fifty  cents  per  day.  There  the  family  con- 
tinued to  reside  for  two  years,  and  while  Mr. 
Botzum  worked  at  digging,  his  wife  went  out 
into  the  wheat-fields,  her  gleaning  the  first 
season  being  eight  bushels  of  nice  wheat.  The 
family  then  removed  to  Niles,  where  they  re- 
mained for  four  years,  and  by  the  .strictast 
economy  and  frugalty  were  able  at  this 
time  to  purchase  a  farm  in  Northampton 
Township,  where  Mr.  Botzum  continued  to  live 
until  his  death  in  1855.  He  and  his  wife 
were  faithful  members  of  the  Catholic  denomi- 
nation, and  Mr.  Botzum  assisted  to  build  the 
first  church  of  that  faith  in  Akron.  John 
George  and  Katherine  (Dragaser)  Botzum 
had  the  follomng  children :  Michael :  Susan, 
who     was     the     wife     of     George     Neiberg; 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


837 


Nicholas;  George;  Adam;  Katherine,  who  is 
the  widow  of  Conrad  Buills  ot  Centralia,  Illi- 
nois; John  A.,  and  Conrad,  who  reside,3  at 
Akron.  Michael,  Susan,  Nicholas,  George 
and  John  A.  are  deceased. 

Captain  Adam  Botzum  wad  six  years  old 
when  the  family  came  to  America,  aiid  until 
seventeen  years  of  age  he  made  his  home  with 
his  parents.  At  this  time  he  became  a  driver 
on  the  Ohio  Canal,  an  occupation  he  continued 
to  follow  for  twenty  years.  In  1855  he  built 
the  canal-boat  Germany,  which  he  sold  in 
1860,  and  he  built  the  boat  Democrat,  which 
he  sold  two  years  later.  In  1861,  he  quit  the 
canal  and  located  on  the  farm,  which  he  had 
purchased  three  years  previously.  Mr.  Bot- 
zum engaged  in  general  farming  from  that 
time  until  his  death,  his  eighty  acres  of  fine, 
fertile  land  being  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
and  yielding  good  crops.  He  marketed 
wheat,  corn  and  potatoes,  while  for  his  own 
use  he  raised  hay  and  oats.  He  kept  about 
seven  head  of  cattle,  and  he  also  fattened 
calves  and  hogs  for  the  market. 

On  June  22,  1857,  Captain  Botzum  was 
married  to  Eliza  Seeley,  who  was  a  resident 
of  Cleveland.  Ohio,  and  she  sui'vives,  as  do 
also  their  six  children:  George  A.,  who  re- 
sides at  Akron;  Emma,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Frank  Averill,  of  Akron;  Frank,  who  also 
resides  at  Akron;  Stella,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Clyde  Bookwalter,  of  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana; 
Lida,  who  resides  at  home;  and  Lillian,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Charles  Worth,  of  Akron. 

The  late  Captain  Botzum  was  a  Democrat 
in  political  faith  and  from  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  until  his  death,  he  never  missed 
casting  his  vote  believing  that  every  good  citi- 
zen should  exercise  this  privilege.  He  was 
frequently  sent  as  a  delegate  to  conventions 
of  his  party  and  frequently  was  elected  to 
township  offices.  He  served  for  eight  years 
aa  township  trustee  and  for  many  years  as 
school  director.  In.  religious  belief  he  was 
liberal-minded,  depending  largely  on  the  vir- 
tues included  in  looking  after  the  welfare  of 
his  family  and  doing  his  full  duty  to  his 
neighborhood,  his  state  and  his  countrv. 


DANIEL  McGARRY,  of  the  firm  of  Mo- 
Garry  &  McGowan,  general  contractors,  at  Ak- 
ron, was  born  in  Ireland,  in  1861,  and  came 
to  Akron  in  1873,  where  he  obtained  his  edu- 
cation in  the  parochial  schools. 

Mr.  McGarry  learned  the  brick-layer'a 
trade  and  worked  for  six  years  at  brick-lay- 
ing before  entering  into  general  contracting. 
For  the  past  twelve  years  he  has  been  at  the 
head  of  the  firm  of  McGarry  &  McGowan, 
which  has  done  a  large  part  of  the  important 
work  on  the  Ohio  Canal,  and  a  great  amount 
of  street  paving,  concrete  laying  and  sewer 
building,  at  Akron.  A  large  contract  which 
this  firm  is  engaged  in  filling  at  the  present 
writing  (1907)  is  the  putting  in  of  ten  and 
one-half  miles  of  sewer,  at  Ravenna,  Ohio. 
Mr.  McGarry  owns  an  interest  in  the  Storer 
Land  Company. 

In  1884  Mr.  McGarry  was  married  to  Mar- 
garet McGowan,  and  they  have  six  children, 
namely:  Stephen,  who  is  engaged  in  news- 
paper work  at  San  Antonio,  Texas;  James, 
who  is  associated  with  his  father;  Arthur, 
who  is  a  student  at  Holy  Cross  College;  and 
Belle,  Elizabeth  and  Madge.  Mr.  McGarry 
and  his  family  belong  to  St.  Vincent's  Catho- 
lic Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  and  the  Catholic  Mutual  Bene- 
fit Association.  Formerly,  Mr.  McGarry  took 
considerable  interest  in  politics  and  at  one 
time  was  a  member  of  the  city  board  of  com- 
missioners, but  in  later  j-ears  he  has  not  been 
active  in  public  life. 

NICHOLAS  KNAPP,  trustee  of  Boston 
Township  and  a  prominent  agriculturist  who 
resides  on  his  valuable  farm  of  286  acres,  was 
born  in  Rheinfalz,  Hessen-Cassel,  Germany, 
Augu.st  28,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Barbara   (Knapp")   Knapp. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Knapp  was  born  in  the 
same  place  as  his  son  and  came  from  there 
to  America  in  1844,  the  voyage  lasting  sixty- 
five  davs  from  Liverpool  to  New  York,  joining 
some  friends  who  had  previously  located  in 
Portage  County.  Peter  Knapp  acquired  a 
farm  in  Suffield  Township  some  five  years 
after  locating  in  Ohio,  on  which  he  lived  for 


838 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT   COUNTY 


the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occur- 
ring in  October,  1856,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five 
years,  his  wife,  liaving  died  in  May,  1856, 
aged  sixty  yeare.  Ahhough  she  was  named 
Knapp  before  her  marriage,  she  was  no  rela- 
tive of  Peter  Knapp.  They  had  twelve  chil- 
dren. 

Nicholas  lynapp  was  the  youngest  of  the 
family  that  accompanied  their  parents  in  an 
old  sailing  ship  across  the  ocean  to  New  York. 
In  those  days  Ohio  was  reached  by  a  still 
further  voyage  up  the  Hudson  River  to  Al- 
bany, across  New  York  by  the  Erie  Canal, 
over  the  lake  to  Cleveland  and  by  way  of  the 
Ohio  Canal  to  Portage  County.  The  father 
died  when  Nicholas  was  thirteen  years  of  age 
and  thus  he  had  fewer  advantages  than  many 
boys  who  had  parents  to  provide  for  them 
into  manhood.  He  was  strong  and  industri- 
ous and  won  the  favor  of  neighboring  farm- 
ers, for  whom  he  worked  by  the  month  until 
1859.  In  the  early  part  of  that  year  he 
hired  himself  to  a  farmer  in  Brimfield  Town- 
ship, where  he  had  every  rea.son  to  think  hft 
would  find  a  good  home  and  continued  em- 
ployment, but  the  great  frost  of  that  year 
destroyed  the  crops  and  the  farmer  had  no 
further  use  for  his  services.  He  then  went 
to  Ravenna,  where  he  found  work  in  a  glass 
factory  at  six  dollar's  a  month,  and  boarded 
himself,  and  remained  there  during  one  sum- 
mer and  in  the  fall  he  secured  a  better  op- 
portunity, doing  chores  for  his  Vioard.  after 
work  in  the  factory  was  done.  In  the  fol- 
lowing spring  he  retm-ned  to  work  again  by 
the  month,  in  Suffield  Township,  and  in  the 
next  year  he  foimd  a  home  with  his  brother, 
with  whom  he  remained  until  1861. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War,  Mr. 
Knapp  -^'as  on(>  of  the  first  young  men  to 
enlist  in  Battery  A,  First  Ohio  Light  Artil- 
lery, which  wa.'*  sent  to  the  western  depart- 
ment of  the  army,  and  he  served  with  faith- 
fulness for  four  years,  lacking  but  twelve  days. 
He  participated  in  many  engagements  and 
went  through  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  al- 
though almost  constantly  exposed  to  danger. 
was  able  to  return  from  his  military  service 
unharmed.    It  was  left  for  times  of  peace  and 


m  pursuance  of  the  quietest  of  avocations, 
that  Mr.  Knapp  experienced  an  injury  which 
lost  him  his  good  left  arm.  By  the  accidental 
overturning  of  a  hay  wagon,  he  was  caught 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  injury  was  so  ser- 
ious that  no  mending  of  the  shattered  bones 
was  possible.  This  accident  occurred  in 
1891.  Mr.  Knapp  has  borne  this  affliction 
with  fortitude  very  remarkable. 

Mr.  Knapp  remained  in  Sufiield  Township 
after  his  return  from  the  army  until  1874, 
when  he  moved  to  Stow  Township,  in  Sum- 
mit County,  Avhere  he  purchased  a  farm  and 
lived  on  it  until  1878,  removing  then  to  an- 
other in  Franklin  Township,  on  -which  he 
lived  until  1888.  In  this  year  he  bought 
186  acres  of  his  present  farm  in  Boston  Town- 
ship, to  which  he  added  the  second  100  acres 
in  1907.  About  150  acres  of  this  land  is 
under  cultivation  and  he  raises  hay,  wheat, 
corn,  oats  and  potatoes,  marketing  from  300 
to  500  bushels  of  the  tubers  in  a  season.  He 
keeps  twenty  head  of  cattle  and  sells  his  milk 
to  the  Peninsula  Creamery,  and  has  eight  head 
of  horses.  In  1890  he  erected  his  present 
comfortable  residence. 

Mr.  Kna]ip  married  Elizabeth  Pero,  for  his 
first  wife,  who  died  February  22,  1873,  aged 
thirty-two  years.  She  had  two  children: 
Karl,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years; 
and  Park,  of  Portage  County.  Mr.  Knapp 
was  married  (second)  to  Louisa  Pero,  who 
was  a  cousin  of  his  first  wife.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Nichola  Pero.  To  this  marriage 
seven  children  have  been  born,  five  of  whom 
reached  maturity,  namely:  Charles  E.,  Pearl 
Ellen,  Albert,  Ralph  H.,'and  Orrin  P.  Pearl 
Ellen  is  deceased.  She  was  the  wife  of  Abra- 
ham Tischer,  residing  at  Shalersville. 

For  some  years  past  Mr.  Knapp  ha.«  been 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party.  Form- 
erly he  voted  for  both  Abraham  Lincoln  and 
General  Grant.  For  the  past  three  years  he 
has  been  a  trustee  of  Boston  Township,  his 
re-election  to  this  ofiice  taking  place  on  No- 
vember 5.  1907.  While  residing  in  Suffield 
Township,  he  served  five  years  in  the  office 
of  constable.  He  belongs  to  Northampton 
Grange,   and  to   the  Maccabees.   No.   56,  at 


GEORGE  W.  PLUjVIER 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


841 


Peninsula.  Mr.  Knapp  is  recognized  as  a 
man  of  excellent  business  judgment.  His 
many  sterling  traits  of  character  have  won 
him  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow- 
citizens. 


ness  interests  of  Akron,  and  George  A.  also 
of  Akron.  Mr.  Plumer  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  was 
a  trustee  for  many  years.  He  is  a  Thirty-sec- 
ond Degree  Mason. 


GEORGE  W.  PLUMER,  a  retired  citi- 
zen of  Akron,  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War,  for  many  years  was  closely  identified 
with  the  business  and  financial  interests  of 
this  city.  He  was  born  at  Franklin,  Ve- 
nango County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1840,  and  is 
a  son  of  Hon.  B.  A.  Plumer,  formerly  a 
prominent  merchant  in  "Western  Pennsylva- 
nia, where  he  was  elected  to  responsible  of- 
fices, serving  for  a  long  period  a.s  a  judge  of 
the  courts  of  Venango  County. 

George  W.  Plumer  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  place,  and  for  a  number 
of  years  was  engaged  in  the  hardware  trade 
at  Franklin.  In  1887  he  came  to  Akron  and 
went  into  the  furniture  business  in  partner- 
ship with  B.  L.  Dodge,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Dodge  and  Plumber,  which  a.ssociation  con- 
tinued until  1899.  He  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  Security  Savings  Bank  and 
continued  as  its  president  until  January, 
1907,  when  this  bank  was  sold  to  the  Peo- 
ple's Savings  Bank.  Mr.  Plumer  owns  stock 
in  a  number  of  Akron  enterprises  and  also 
has  busine.=s  interests  in  Pennsylvania. 

In  1862  Mr.  Plumer  entered  the  Union 
armj'  as  second  lieutenant  of  Company  E, 
121st  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, in  which  he  performed  the  duties  of 
a  good  soldier,  both  on  the  march  and  in 
battle,  for  two  years,  and  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  first  lieutenant.  He  is  a'  valued 
member  of  Buckley  Post,  G.  A.  R..  and  of 
the  Loyal  Legion. 

In  1867  Mr.  Plumer  was  married  to  -Ten- 
nie  M.  AVhitaker.  who  is  a  daughter  of  Al- 
bert P.  Whitaker,  one  of  the  prominent 
journalists  of  Western  Pennsylvania  for  half 
a  century.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Plumer  have  three 
children,  namelv:  Marv  Plumer.  who  mar- 
ried Dr.  F.  H.  Lyder,  D.  D.  S.,  of  Akron; 
Lida  Plumer,  who  married  S.  H.  Kohler, 
who  is  prominently  connected  with  the  busi- 


LEVI  MADISON  LEESER,  who  owns  and 
operates  a  tract  of  106  acres  of  excellent  land 
in  Green  Townshij),  is  a  leading  agriculturist 
of  this  section.  He  was  born  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Jackson  Township,  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Sarah  (Buch 
tel)   Leeser. 

Abraham  Leeser,.  grandfather  of  Levi  M., 
came  .from  Pennsylvania  to  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  and  entered  a  tract  of  land  there  in 
1815,  on  which  the  rest  of  his  life  was  passed. 
He  was  the  father  of  six  children :  John, 
Catherine,  Elizabeth,  Peter,  Samuel  and 
Nathan.  Catherine  became  the  wife  of  Rev. 
J.  Eby. 

Peter  Leeser  was  born  in  Lawrence  Town- 
ship, Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  like  his  fath- 
er, cultivated  land  during  all  his  active  years. 
He  died  in  Jackson  Township  in  1892,  aged 
sixty-seven  years.  Peter  Leeser  was  married 
to  Sarah  Buchtel,  who  was  born  in  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John 
Buchtel,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this 
county.  Mrs.  Leeser  resides  at  Green.sburg. 
Five  children  were  born  to  Peter  Leeser  and 
wife,  namely :  Catherine,  who  survives  her 
husband,  Samuel  Devies;  Eva;  Levi  Madison; 
Alma,  who  married  Jasper  Fry;  and  John  R. 

Levi  M.  Leeser  attended  the  district  schools 
in  his  home  neighborhood  and  spent  his 
youth  on  his  father's  farm.  One  year  after 
bis  marriage  he  removed  to  his  present  farm, 
and  this  property  he  purchased  in  1894,  from 
liLs  father-in-law's  heirs.  He  has  here  en- 
gaged in  general  farming,  and  has  been  more 
than  ordinarily  successful. 

On  January  27,  1881,  Mr.  Leeser  was  mar- 
ried to  Emma  Long,  who  was  born  on  the 
present  Leeser  farm,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Christian  and  Anna  (Heiss)  Long.  Mr.  and 
^frs.  Long,  who  are  now  deceased,  were  mar- 
ried in  Pennsylvania,  and  with  two  children 
made  the    long    trip    overland    to    Summit 


842 


HISTORY    OF    SUMxMIT    COUNTY 


Oounty,  Ohio.  To  Mr.  and  Mk.  Leeser  there 
have  been  born  four  children :  Maude,  who 
is  stenographer  at  the  Mount  Pleasant  Hos- 
pital, Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa;  Mamie,  who 
died  in  infancy;  and  Raj'  and  Wihna. 

Mr.  Leeser  is  a  member  of  the  Junior  Order 
of  United  American  Mechanics.  With  his 
family  he  attends  the  United  Evangelical 
Church.  Like  his  father,  he  is  a  Republican 
in  politics  and  has  been  one  of  tlw  nio.st  act- 
ive workers  in  that  party's  ranks  in  Green 
Township,  where  he  has  served  as  trustee  and 
school  director,  and  fills  the  latter  office  at 
the  present  time. 

D.  W.  KENDIG,  a  well-known  citizen  of 
Akron,  who  has  been  finance  clerk  of  the  city 
postoffice  for  the  past  three  years  under  Post- 
master Ebright,  was  born  near  Dayton,  Mont- 
gomery County,  Ohio,  October  16,  1846. 

Mr.  Kendig  attended  the  district  schools 
through  boyhood  and  later  entered  Wittenberg 
College.  He  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he 
enlisted  in  Company  H,  Eighth  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  1862,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  great  stiniggle,  his  field  of 
action  being  mainly  West  Virginia.  The 
Kendig  family  was  one  of  marked  loyalty, 
three  of  his  brothers  also  becoming  soldiers 
in  the  Federal  Army.  One  of  these,  Lee, 
enlisted  in  the  Sixteenth  Ohio  Regiment, 
Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was  one  of  the 
first  regiments  to  answer  the  call  for  troops, 
and  he  died  in  the  service.  Benjamin,  a  sec- 
ond brother,  was  a  member  of  the  161st  Reg- 
iment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  he  ac- 
companied General  Sherman's  army  to  the 
sea,  and  since  the  close  of  his  military  life 
has  resided  in  Indian  Territory.  The  third 
brother,  Simon,  now  deceased,  wa.^  in  the 
100-day  service  in  Ohio. 

Shortly  after  his  return  from  the  army, 
Mr.  Kendig  went  to  Missouri,  where  he  re- 
mained for  several  years,  and  after  he  came 
back  to  Ohio,  he  was  engaged  in  business  at 
Mansfield  for  fifteen  years.  He  came  then  to 
Akron,  where  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
Erie  Railroad  for  one  year,  connected  with 
the  freight  department.     For  the  four  follow- 


ing years  he  was  engaged  in  the  retail  coal 
business,  after  which  he  became  interested 
in  life  insurance,  and  for  the  next  fifteen 
years  he  represented  some  of  the  best  life 
companies  of  the  country.  Since  closing  out 
his  insurance  interests,  he  has  been  an  official 
in  the  Akron  postoffice. 

In  1869  Mr.  Kendig  was  married  at  Mans- 
field, Ohio,  to  Frances  E.  Creigh,  of  that  city, 
who  died  June  22,  1905.  They  had  three 
children,  viz. :  Karl,  residing  at  Akron,  who 
is  secretary  of  the  Werner  Company;  Lee, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years,  was 
associated  with  the  Akron  Iron  Company  for 
five  years,  at  New  York  City;  and  Katherine, 
residing  at  home. 

Mr.  Kendig  is  more  or  less  active  in  politics 
and  supports  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a 
member  of  Buckley  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  is  a 
Master  Ma.son.  He  belongs  to  the  First  Con- 
gregational Clnu-ch  at  Akron. 

URIAS  GARMAN,  whose  fine  farm  lies  on 
the  old  Portage  Path  Indian  Trail  road,  in 
Portage  Township,  about  one-half  mile  north 
of  the  city  limits  of  Akron,  was  born  in  Me- 
dina County,  Ohio,  March  27,  1853,  and  is 
a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Esther  (Clause)  Gar- 
man. 

Benjamin  Garman  and  his  wife  were  both 
born  and  reared  in  Lehigh  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  after  their  marriage  they  came  to 
Medina  County,  Ohio,  driving  the  long  dis- 
tance with  a  one-horse  wagon.  They  settled 
on  a  farm  of  115  acres,  in  two  tracts,  in 
Homer  Township,  and  this  land  Mr.  Garman 
cultivated  and  improved  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  the  course  of  time  he  decided  to 
remove  to  Summit  County,  and  on  April  1, 
1862,  settled  on  .a  farm  of  151  acres,  in  Por- 
tage Township,  a  portion  of  which  is  included 
in  the  farm  of  Urias  Garman.  He  was  ac- 
companied to  Portage  Township  by  his  seven 
children,  who  were  the  following:  Alfred, 
who  resides  on  a  farm  of  twenty-five  acres  in 
Portage  Township,  married  Julia  A.  Norton 
and  has  four  children;  Rose,  who  is  the 
widow  of  Louis  Esselburn ;  Elizabeth,  who 
married  J.  F.  Weygandt;  Sarah,  who  died  in 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


843 


1906,  wa5  the  widow  of  Louis  Andrews; 
Ui'ias,  of  Portage  Township;  Irene,  who  mar- 
ried Mandus  Baughman,  resides  in  Akron; 
and  Mrs.  ^lary  Starks,  resides  in  Akron. 

For  several  year's  after  moving  to  Portage 
Township,  Benjamin  Garman  and  his  sons 
did  general  farming,  and  then  he  went  into 
the  stone  business,  in  partnership  with  his 
eldest  son,  having  excellent  quarries  on  the 
land.  After  he  retired,  Alfred  and  Urias 
Garman  carried  on  the  business  for  some 
years.  They  also  embai'ked  together  in  a 
dairy  business,  which  they  conducted  for  six 
years.  Benjamin  Garman  died  in  1890,  and 
his  widow  survived  until  December,  1902. 

Urias  Garman  has  lived  on  his  present 
farm  since  he  was  nine  years  old.  He  at- 
tended the  district  schools  through  boyhood 
and  subsequent  reading  and  mingling  with 
the  world  has  made  him  one  of  the  township's 
well-informed  men.  He  carries  on  a  general 
line  of  farming  and  meets  w^ith  the  success 
that  usually  attends  industry  and  the  follow- 
ing of  excellent  methods.  For  about  nine 
years  he  woi'ked  in  the  rubber  shops  of  Ak- 
ron, otherwise  his  whole  attention  has  been 
given  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In  the  spring 
of  1876  he  erected  the  large  frame  residence 
which  is  a  home  of  attractiveness  and  is  full 
of  comforts. 

In  October,  1875,  Mr.  Garman  was  married 
to  ilary  Rogers,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Susan  (Heberly)  Rogers,  and  they  have 
five  children,  namely:  Frank,  -n'ho  married 
Allie  Buss,  has  two  children,  Ralph  and 
Mary,  and  he  is  a  carpenter  and  contractor; 
Susan,  w^ho  married  John  Gammeter,  of  Ak- 
ron; Millie,  who  married  Ralph  Hogan.  has 
one  child,  Garman;  and  Allie  and  Marjorie, 
both  reside  at  home. 

CHARLES  MERRIMAN,  M.  D.,  formerly 
a  prominent  physician  and  surgeon  of  Ak- 
ron, now  lives  retired  on  his  farm  in  Portage 
Township,  which  is  situated  on  the  Merri- 
man  road,  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile 
northwest  of  the  city  limits.  Dr.  Merriman 
was  born  in  Massachusetts.  Mav  21.  1829,  and 


is  a  son  of  Charles  and  liai-riet  (Allis)  Mer- 
riman. 

Dr.  Merriman's  parents  left  Berkshire 
County,  Massachusetts,  with  their  possessions 
packed  in  wagons,  and  reached  Ohio  May  21, 
1835,  and  came  to  Summit  County  a  few 
weeks  later,  settling  on  the  fann  in  Portage 
Township,  on  which  the  son  now  lives.  The 
father  invested  his  money  in  372  acres  of 
land,  which  then  was  covered  with  native 
timber. 

On  this  farm  young  Charles  Merriman 
grew  to  manhood,  assisting  his  father  to  clear 
a  large  ptu't  of  it  and  put  it  under  cultiva- 
tion. He  attended  the  country  schools  and 
when  sixteen  years  of  age  taught  a  term  of 
school  in  Bath  Township,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year,  two  terms  at  Greensburg.  He  con- 
tinued his  own  education  at  Akron  and  Tall- 
madge,  and  had  academic  training 'at  West 
Farmington,  in  Trumbull  County.  When  he 
made  up  his  mind  to  study  medicine,  he 
placed  himself  under  the  tuition  of  Dr.  Wil- 
liam T.  Huntington,  with  whom  he  read  for 
two  and  one-half  years,  and  in- the  fall  of 
1849  he  attended  the  lecture  course  at  the 
Cleveland  Medical  School.  During  his  ab- 
sence, his  preceptor.  Dr.  Huntington,  died 
and  he  spent  the  summer  and  the  following 
winter  under  Dr.  Ackley,  surgeon  of  the  med- 
ical department  of  the  Western  Reserve  Uni- 
versity. He  W'OS  graduated  at  this  college, 
in  1858,  having  returned  for  his  third  course 
during  the  winter  of  1857-8.  Prior  to  this, 
however,  he  had  studied  and  to  some  degree 
practiced,  with  his  uncle,  Dr.  Andrus  Merri- 
man, in  Geauga,  now  Lake  County,  and  in 
1851  he  went  to  Brownsville,  Kentucky.  He 
remained  there  until  the  latter  part  of  the 
winter  of  1853,  having  a  third  interest  in  the 
medical  practice  of  Dr.  Tra  H.  Keller.  He 
gained  other  medical  instruction  and  practice 
at  the  Transylvania  Medical  College,  at  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  and  at  Dr.  McDowell's  col- 
lege, at  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 

In  looking  over  the  country  for  a  place  to 
enter  upon  practice.  Dr.  Merriman  noted  that 
there  was  no  physician  established  at  Hills- 
l)orough,  .Jefferson  Coimty.  Missouri,  and  he 


844 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


located  there  until  the  fall  of  1857,  when  he 
returned  for  his  la:!-t  course  of  lectures.  He 
practiced  one  year  at  Peninsula,  and  then 
settled  at  Montrose,  Summit  County,  where 
he  remained  from  the  spring  of  1859  until 
1873,  when  he  came  to  Akron.  This  city 
was  but  a  semblance  of  what  it  has  since  be- 
come, and  the  best  location  the  young  doctor 
could  secure  was  a  small  office  in  Hall's  Block, 
where  he  remained  for  several  years.  He 
moved  from  there  to  rooms  over  the  City  drug 
store  and  later  established  his  office  in  his 
comfortable  home  on  West  Market  Street. 
When  he  retired  he  sold  his  residence  to  Paul 
E.  AVerner.  His  practice  covered  a  period  of 
fifty-three  years  and  was  one  of  unusual  suc- 
cess.    Dr.  Merriman  is  held  in  high  esteem. 

In  1856,  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  Dr.  Mer- 
riman was  married  in  Lavinia  P.  !Myers,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Gertrude  (Rob- 
inson)  Myers. 

.JOSEPH  KENDALL,  who  has  been  di- 
rector of  the  Akron  City  Infirmary  for  more 
than  twenty  years,  was  born  March  15,  1828, 
in  England,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Ak- 
ron since  1862. 

The  death  of  his  father  when  he  was  young, 
made  his  boyhood  one  of  many  hardships. 
For  three  years  he  tended  the  flocks  of  a 
hard-hearted  .«hepherd,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  his  home,  with  whom  he  Avas  obliged  to 
remain  until  he  had  completed  the  period  for 
which  he  was  bound.  In  1848,  being  then 
twenty  years  of  age,  he  determined  to  make 
his  way  to  America,  in  £)rder  to  better  his 
condition,  and  he  crosse'd  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
in  one  of  the  old  sailing  vessels  of  the  day, 
which  required  nine  -weeks  to  make  the  voy- 
age. He  landed  at  New  Orleans,  and  in 
search  of  work  Mr.  Kendall  went  up  the  Mis- 
sissippi River,  and  at  Evansville,  Indiana, 
he  found  employment,  mainly  along  the 
river,  which  furnished  him  with  .support  and 
enabled  him  to  save  a  little  money,  with 
which  he  came  to  Akron  in  1862.  Here  he 
engaged  for  twenty-five  years  in  the  metal 
business  and  then  went  into  dealing  in  hay 
and  the  wholesale  buying   and   shijiping  of 


grain.  In  the  meanwhile  he  had  built  up  an 
honorable  business  reputation  and  had  gained 
influential  friends.  When  the  Akron  City 
Infirmary  was  opened,  Mr.  Kendall  was 
selected  its  director,  and  so  capable  and  so 
honest  has  been  his  administration  of  the  of- 
fice that  a  change  has  never  been  suggested. 
He  is  the  oldest  officeholder  in  the  city,  in 
point  of  continuous  service.  It  is  a  matter 
of  justifiaye  pride  with  Mr.  Kendall  that  in 
all  this  time  not  a  single  bill  he  has  ever  con- 
tracted for  public  use,  has  been  questioned  by 
the  board  of  directors  of  this  institution. 

In  1864  Mr.  Kendall  was  married  to 
Frances  Booth,  of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania, 
who  died  in  May,  1887.  They  had  two  chil- 
dren, Elizabeth  and  Ruth.  Ruth  resides  at 
home,  tenderly  caring  for  her  father.  Eliza- 
beth died  in  1905. .  She  was  a  noble  woman, 
and  was  deeply  interested  in  Sunday-school 
work.  Mr.  Kendall  was  reared  in  the  Episco- 
pal Church,  but  for  many  years  has  been  an 
attendant  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

SCOTT  H.  MERRIMAN,  whose  fine  truck 
fai'm  of  sixteen  acres  is  situated  on  the  Merri- 
man road,  about  two  miles  northwest  of  Ak- 
ron, was  born  in  the  old  stone  house  in  T\diich 
his  father  still  resides,  located  on  West  Mar- 
ket Street,  Akron,  August  8,  1863.  His  par- 
ents were  Wells  and  Alberta  Merriman. 

Wells  Merriman  was  born  across  the  road 
from  the  farm  which  Scott  H.  now  owns,  in 
Portage  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  a  brother  of  Dr. 
Charles  Merriman.  During  his  younger 
years,  Wells  Merriman  engaged  in  farming, 
then  learned  the  machinist  trade  and  for 
twenty-five  years  was  employed  in  the  stove 
works  of  the  Taplin-Rice  Company.  He  built 
the  old  stone  house  on  West  Market  Street, 
in  which  he  lives,  and  which  was  then  sur- 
rounded by  seven  acres  of  land  which  was 
used  as  a  truck  farm.  The  old  hoiise  is  a 
landmark  in  that  part  of  the  encroaching 
cit.y.  He  was  married  twice  and  the  children 
of  his  first  union  were:  Grove,  residing  at 
Akron ;  Forrest,  residing  at  Minneapolis, 
Ottawa  County,  Kansas;  and  Scott  IL,  resid- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


Sib 


iug  in  Portage  Township.  The  mother  of 
these  children  died  when  her  youngest  son 
was  small. '  To  his  second  marriage,  Wells 
Merriman  had  three  children:  Jesse,  Mrs. 
Hattio  Bechtol  and  Ruby,  wife  of  Royal 
Scott. 

Scott  H.  Merriman  was  reared  in  the  old 
home  on  West  Market  Street,  Akron,  and 
helped  to  cultivate  the  garden  which  is  now 
covered  with  structures.  He  spent  twelve 
years,  after  completing  his  education,  in  the 
packing  business  and  in  operating  a  hotel, 
at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  but  in  1889  he  returned 
to  Summit  County  and  settled  on  his  present 
farm.  Mr.  Merriman  has  made  a  success  of 
the  trucking  business.  He  raises  large  crops 
of  the  choicest  vegetables  that  can  be  grown 
in  this  climate  and  sells  by  wholesale. 

At  Omaha,  Nebra.ska,  Mr.  Merriman  was 
married  to  Gertrude  Finney,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  L.  A.  and  Sarah  (Oakley)  Finney. 
They  have  four  children :  Claude  and  Byron, 
both  born  in  Nebraska,  and  Albert  and  Dor- 
othy, born  in  Summit  County.  Mr.  Merri- 
man is  not  active  in  politics,  merely  show- 
ing the  interest  of  a  good  citizen  in  public 
matters.  He  takes  great  pleasure  in  improv- 
ing his  tidy  little  farm  and  a  plenteous  re- 
turn is  made  him  for  his  careful  cultivation. 

JOHN  WOLF,  superintendent  of  the  Mar- 
ket House  at  Akron,  was  formerly  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  for  many  years  in 
this  city  and  established  a  name  for  biisiness 
ability  and  strict  integrity.  Mr.  Wolf  was 
born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  January  25,  1837, 
and  was  a  boy  of  fourteen  years  when  he  came 
to  America. 

For  two  years  prior  to  coming  to  Akron, 
Mr.  Wolf  was  a  clerk  in  a  dry  goods  store  at 
Aurora,  Indiana,  and  after  reaching  this  city, 
in  1853,  he  continued  in  the  same  capacity. 
In  1863  he  became  a  member  of  the  M.  W. 
Henry  Company,  at  Akron.  In  1870,  the 
firm  of  Wolf,  Church  &  Beck  was  organized, 
which  continued  to  do  business  until  1883, 
when  Mr.  Beck  retired,  the  firm  of  Wolf  & 
Church  continuing  until  1887,  when  Mr. 
Wolf  became  sole  proprietor.    He  retired  from 


the  mercantile  "business  in  1893,  and  for  some 
years  devoted  his  attention  to  looking  after 
the  real  estate  of  the  Wolf  family.  For  the 
past  three  years  he  has  been  superintendent  of 
the  Akron  Market  House,  and  has  proven 
himself  a  careful  and  efficient  officer. 

In  1864  Mr.  Wolf  was  married  to  Anna 
Howe,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Richard 
Howe,  who  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of 
Akron,  and  who  was  a  valuable  assistant  in 
the  building  of  the  Ohio  Canal.  Two  sons 
were  born  to  this  marriage,  Charles  R.  and 
Harry  Howe,  both  of  whom  are  prominent 
business  men,  the  former  being  purchasing 
agent  for  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  and 
the  latter,  president  of  a  brick  company  at 
Muncie,  Indiana. 

Politically,  Mr.  Wolf  is  a  Republican  and 
he  has  always  been  a  patriotic  supporter  of 
the  government.  During  the  Civil  War  he 
served  in  the  100-day  service,'  as  a  member 
of  Company  F,  164th  Regiment,  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  during*  his  period  of 
army  service  was  located  at  Fort  Cochran, 
AVashington,  D.  C.  He  is  a  member  of  Buck- 
ley Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Mr. 
Wolf  was  formerlv  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

NATHANIEL  PETTITT.  Among  the 
many  valuable  farms  arid  hospitable  homes 
in  the  environs  of  Akron,  that  owned  and 
occupied  by  Nathaniel  Pettitt  deserves  spe- 
cial mention  in  connection  with  its  respected 
and  esteemed  owner.  It  lies  on  the  Merriman 
road,  about  two  and  one-half  miles  northwest 
of  the  city  limits  and  has  been  occupied  by 
Mr.  Pettitt  for  forty-four  years.  He  was  born 
in  Bedford  County,  Pennsylvania,  January  1, 
1823,  and  is  a  son  of  Claarles  and  Isabella 
(Karr)   Pettitt. 

Charles  Pettitt  was  born  in  New  Jersey  and 
was  a  son  of  John  Pettitt,  who  moved  to  Mary- 
land when  Charles  was  five  years  old.  Later 
he  moved  to  Bedford  County,  Pennsylvania. 
Charles  Pettitt  engaged  in  farming  in  Bedford 
County,  Pennsylvania,  until  1837,  when 
he  came  to  Ohio  and  rented  a  farm 
whicli     was     in     Copley     Township,     then 


J  46 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


in  Medina  County.  This  farm  belonged  to 
his  brother,  Rev.  John  Pettitt,  who  had  come 
to  this  section  in  1830,  and  was  the  pioneer 
founder  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Ak- 
ron. Some  years  later  Charles  Pettitt  bought 
this  farm  but  sold  it  in  1854,  and  purchased 
another  of  150  acres,  which  was  situated  in 
Portage  Township,  subsequently  selling  it 
also.  Charles  Pettitt  died  in  1867,  aged 
seventy-seven  years.  He  married  Isabella 
Karr,  who  died  in  1863,  aged  seventy-three 
years.  They  were  i>eople  who  were  held  in 
esteem  and  affection  by  their  neighbors. 

Nathaniel  Pettitt  lived  on  the  farm  in  Cop- 
ley Township  until  he  w'as  thirty-one  j'ears  of 
age.  He  attended  the  district  schools  in  hiB 
boyhood  and  was  trained  by  a  strict  father 
to  be  a  good  farmer.  Pie  assisted  in  clearing 
up  the  land  and  as  the  country  was  not  very 
well  settled  at  that  time,  experienced  hard- 
ships which  the  present  generation  would 
probably  consider  luisupportable.  With  his 
brother,  John  Pettitt,  he  rented  the  farm  now 
OTvned  by  Aaron  Teeple,  at  Fairlawn,  where 
he  stayed  two  years  and  then  bought  the  farm 
now  owned  by  the  Benjamin  Garman  heirs, 
on  which  he  lived  for  seven  years  and  then 
bought  his  present  farm.  Mr.  Pettitt  found 
a  great  deal  of  clearing  had  to  be  done  and 
after  that  was  completed  he  started  improve- 
ments, and  has  a  very  valuable  property. 

On  February  9,  1854,  Nathaniel  Pettitt  was 
married  to  Rachel  Ann  Jones,  who  was  born 
near  Sharon  Center,  Medina  County,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Foster) 
Jones.  Her  father  was  born  in  Maryland 
and  her  mother  in  New  York  and  they  were 
married  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio.  They 
moved  to  Sharon  when  Mrs.  Pettitt  was  small 
and  later  to  Copley  Township,  Summit 
County,  where  she  was  reared.  Her  mother 
lived  to  be  a  venerable  lady,  surviving  for 
ninety  years,  passing  the  last  eleven  years 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pettitt,  where  she  died  in 
1896.  Her  husband  died  in  1867.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pettitt  were  born  seven  children, 
namely:  Mary  Alice,  who  married  Charles 
Brown;  Charles  Nathaniel,  who  operates  the 
farm;  Milton  Howard;  Myron  Grant;  Emma, 


who  married  Daniel  Frederick;  Elsie,  who 
married  A^inton  Hardy ;  and  Homer,  residing 
at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pettitt  have  been 
blessed  in  their  children  and  they  have  four- 
teen grandchildren. 

A.  II.  STALL,  M.  I).,  physician  and  sur- 
geon, at  Barberton,  has  one  of  the  best 
equipped  ofhces  and  most  complete  medical 
libraries  in  Summit  County.  Pie  was  born 
July  7,  1876,  at  Hudson,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Hiram  and  Jennie  (Gal: 
loway)  Stall. 

The  father  of  Dr.  Stall  died  when  he  was 
a  child  of  three  years,  after  which  his  mother 
moved  to  Montrose,  Summit  County,  and  he 
attended  the  common  and  High  School  in 
Copley  Township,  following  which  he  spent 
one  session  at  Mt.  Union  College,  at  Alliance, 
and  also  attended  the  Ohio  Normal  University 
at  Ada  for  one  term.  When  eighteen  years 
of  age  he  began  to  teach  school,  and  con- 
tinued in  educational  work  through  the  town- 
ship for  the  succeeding  three  years,  in  the 
meantime  preparing  himself,  by  preliminary 
medical  study,  for  entering  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  Western  Reserve  University, 
where  he  was  graduated  June  13,  1901,  with 
his  medical  degree. 

By  June  16,  1901,  Dr.  Stall  was  established 
as  assistant  to  Dr.  E.  A.  Bellford,  at  Barber- 
ton,  with  whom  he  remained  until  March, 
1903,  T\hen  he  located  at  Johnson's  Corners, 
in  Norton  Township,  where  he  was  made 
health  officer,  having  previously  served  in  that 
office  at  Barberton.  He  remained  in  that  vil- 
lage until  July,  1906,  when  he  returned  to 
Barberton,  locating  on  the  corner  of  Baird 
and  Fourth  Streets.  Dr.  Stall  is  an  enthu- 
siast in  his  profession  and  keeps  fully  abreast 
of  the  times,  continually  adding  to  his  valu- 
able equipment  of  surgical  instruments  and 
making  additions  to  h'is  already  large  scien- 
tific library.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association  and  the  Summit 
County,  the  Ohio  State  and  the  Barberton 
Medical  Societies. 

On  December  24,  1904,  Dr.  Stall  was  mar- 
ried to  Edna  Prange,  who  is  a  daughter  of 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


847 


Herman  Prange,  who  is  superintendent  of  the 
McNeil  Boiler  \\'orkSj  of  South  Akron.  They 
had  one  son,  Arthur,  who  died  August  18, 
190l],  aged  eleven  months,  and  they  have  a 
daughter,  IMargaret,  who  was  born  June  22, 
1907. 

Dr.  Stall  i.s  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity and  retains  his  connection  with  his 
college  society,  the  Sigma  Alpha  Epsilon  and 
the  medical  fraternity  society  Nu  Sigma  Nu. 
He  is  to  some  degree  interested  in  politics 
and  since  1904  ha.s  been  township  clerk  of 
Norton  Townsliip. 

.JONATHAN  HALE,  a  pioneer  settler  of 
Summit  County,  was  a  member  of  an  hon- 
orable old  New  England  family  and  the  name 
is  still  one  of  note  in  many  sections,  espe- 
cially in  the  vicinitj'  of  Ghxstonbury,  Connec- 
ticut, where  he  was  born,  April  23,  1777, 
while  the  country  was  engaged  in  the  arduous 
.struggle  of  the  Revolutionary  AVar. 

In  the  summer  of  1810,  Jonathan  Hale 
penetrated  to  Bath  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  being  the  first  actual  settler, 
Mr.  Hale  trading  property  in  Glastonbury, 
Connecticut,  for  500  acres,  valued  at  $1,200, 
with  Thomas  and  Lucinda  Bull,  also  purchas- 
ing the  interest  of  a  squatter  who  had  located 
on  the  land  to  await  newcomers;  Later  in 
the  year  he  was  joined  by  other  members  of 
liis  family,  and  thus  the  Hales  w^ere  estab- 
lished in  what  wa.s  then  a  wilderness  of  the 
"Western  Reserve.  Indians  were  so  numerous 
and  unfriendly  that  when  Jonathan  Hale  was 
drafted  for  the  War  of  1812,  he  was  released 
on  account  of  the  dangers  that  would  sur- 
round his  helpless  family  in  his.  absence. 

On  July  11,  1802,  Mr.  Hale  was  married 
(first)  to  Mercy  S.  Piper,  who  died  May  14, 
1829.  He  was  married  (second)  November 
2,  1830.  to  Sarah  Cozad  Mather.  The  chil- 
dren of  the  first  marriage  were:  Sophronia, 
William,  Pamela,  Andrew,  Abigail  and  James 
M.  Those  of  the  second  marriage  were :  Jon- 
athan D..  Mercy  A.  and  Samuel  C. 

Mr.  Hale  was  an  active  citizen  and  did  his 
full  duty  in  promoting  the  progre.«.s  of  the 
communitv  in  which  he  lived.  It  was  throuirh 


his  influence  and  from  his  suggestion  that 
the  township  was  given  its  name.  He  died  in 
Bath  Township,  May  14,  1854. 

ABNER  L.  CALDAVELL,  general  farmer 
and  formerly  township  trustee  of  Portage 
Township,  owns  thirty  acres  of  land  which  is 
liighly  valuable  on  accovuit  of  its  clo^e  prox- 
imity to  Akron,  on  the  north,  he  having  al- 
ready sold  forty  acres  for  building  puiposes, 
the  Caldwell  School  building  having  been 
erected  on  it.  Mr.  Caldwell  was  "born  at 
Springfield,  Indiana,  January  13,  1839,  and  is 
a  son  of  Tarlton  and  Julia  Ann  (A'rooman) 
Caldwell. 

In  1841  the  parents  of  Air.  Caldwell  moved 
to  Missouri,  where  they  remained  for  eight 
yeaa-s  and  then  removed  to  California,  where 
the  father  worked  in  the  gold  mines  for 
twenty  years.  He  acquired  a  mine  of  his  own 
and  after  he  gave  up  the  hard  life  of  a  miner, 
he  settled  on  a  large  rai\ch  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia and  on  that  both  he  and  hi.s  wife  died. 

Up  to  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  Abner  L. 
(Jaldwell  had  few  educational  advantages, 
during  these  early  years  being  called  on  to  as- 
sist his  father.  After  that,  however,  the  family 
was  in  easy  circumstances  and  in  1857  he  re- 
turned to  Ohio  and  entered  the  preparatory 
.school  at  Hudson,  where  he  remained  two 
years  and  then  went  back  to  California.  Air. 
Caldwell  made  five  trips  across  the  Isthmus  of 
I'anama.  As  may  be  judged,  he  takes  a  great 
deal  of  intercut  in  the  progi"es6  of  the  Govern- 
ment work  at  that  point,  at  present.  His  rem- 
iniscences of  those  early  trips  are  very  in- 
teresiting. 

In  1861,  Mr.  Caldwell  was  married  to  Alary 
Pitkin,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Judge 
S.  II.  Pitkin,  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of 
Summit  County  and  a  man  of  great  promi- 
nence. Judge  Pitkin  owned  186  acres  of  land 
in  Portage  Township,  to  which  lie  retired  after 
serving  as  probate  judge.  He  died  at  Akron. 
Air.  and  Airs.  Caldwell  were  married  at  Hud- 
son. AVhile  attending  school  at  Hudson  he 
l)oarded  in  the  family  of  Judge  Pitkin.  After 
(lieir  marriage.  Air.  and  Airs.  Caldwell  lived 
five  vears  in  Californa  and  then  returned  to 


8-18 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Summit.  County,  residing  with  Judge  Pitkin, 
on  the  present  farm,  for  a  time,  but  subse- 
quently erecting  a  residence  of  tlieir  own. 

jNIr.  Caldwell  has  taken  some  interest  in 
politics  and,  as  one  of  the  reliable  and  sub- 
stantial citizens,  has  been  offered  many  posi- 
tions of  responsibilitj',  but  he  has  declined  all 
but  that  of  township  trustee,  in  which  he  has 
served  several  terms. 

DANIEL  HOLIBAUGH,  general  farmer, 
residing  on  his  excellent  farm  of  sixty-three 
acres,  which  is  favorably  located  just  outside 
the  city  limits  of  East  Akron,  was  born  at  Mul- 
berry, Stark  County,  Ohio,  March  28,  1831, 
and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Lydia  (Hosier) 
Holibaugh. 

Daniel  Holibaugh  was  reared  in  Stark 
County  assisting  his  father  on  the  home  farm 
and  attending  the  district  schools.  His  par- 
ents both  died  in  Stark  County,  the  father  in 
1879,  aged  'seventy-nine  years,  and  the 
mother,  in  1886,  at  the  same  age. 

On  October  22,  1857,  Daniel  Holibaugh 
was  married  at  Canton,  Ohio,  by  Rev.  P.  A. 
Ilerbruck,  to  Mary  Brumbaugh,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  David  and  Mary  (Zelier)  Brum- 
baugh. ■  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Holibaugh  died 
when  she  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  Her  father 
continued  to  live  in  Stark  County  for  a  few 
years  and  then  removed  to  Akron,  where  he 
.subsecj[ueutly  married  the  mother  of  Judge 
J.  A.  Kohler.  Mr.  Brumbaugh  was  a  caipen- 
ter  and  cabinet-maker  and  later  a  farmer. 
He  died  at  Akron. 

After  marriage,  Daniel  Holibaugh  and  wife 
lived  on  the  old  Holibaugh  homestead  in 
Stark  County,  for  twelve  years.  In  1869, 
they  bought  111  acres  of  land  in  Portage 
'I'ownship,  sixty-three  of  which  they  still  own. 
and  in  February,  1870,  -they  settled  on  it.  In 
the  same  year  Mr.  Holil)augh  built  his  sub- 
stantial barn  and  in  the  following  year  his 
comfortal)le  residence,  and  each  year  since 
he  has  done  more  improving.  He  carried  on 
a  general  farming  line  and  kept  from  five  to 
ten  head  of  cattle.  On  acount  of  his  land  be- 
ing so  well  located,  Mr.  Holil)augh  has  been 
able  to  sell  as  much  as  he  has  cared  to  part 


with,  at  good  prices,  for  town  lot  sites,  and  in 
1907,  he  sold  six  acres  to  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Railroad,  the  new  branch  passing  through  the 
land  in  such  a  way  that  the  residence  had  to 
be  moved.  Mr.  Holibaugh  is  rather  proud  of 
his  orchards  as  he  set  out  every  tree  himself. 

As  Mr.  Holibaugh  and  wife  had  on  chil- 
dren of  their  own,  they  decided  to  adopt  a 
child  and  found  a  beautiful  little  daughter, 
in  Jennie  E.  Ringer.  She  was  motherless  and 
was  the  child  of  Louis  and  Matilda  (Royer) 
Ringer.  She  was  taken  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Holibaugh  when  aged  four  aod  one-half  years 
and  was  reared  as  their  own  until  her  mar- 
riage, in  young  womanhood,  to  "William  E. 
Hale.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hale  have  had  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  Jessie  May,  who  married  Ora 
Rowh,  has  one  cliild,  Cirace  Lucile;  Harvey 
C. ;  Alvin  F. ;  Frank,  who  died  aged  ten 
weeks;  and  Lenora. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Llolibaugh  are  consistent 
members  of  Trinity  Reformed  Church,  of 
North  Hill.  He  has  served  both  as  deacon 
and  elder  in  this  church.  They  are  most 
e.^timable  people,  kind,  ho.spitable  and  chari- 
table, and  they  have  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 

jMcCAUSLAND  BROTHERS,  leading 
brick  manufacturers  in  Portage  Town.ship, 
and  general  farmers,  owning  ninety  acres  of 
valuable  land,  succeeded  their  father,  who 
was  the  founder  of  the  business,  in  1885. 
The  firm  is  made  up  of  John  J.  and  James  C. 
McCausland,  sons  of  the  late  John  McCaus- 
lan-d. 

John  McCausland  was  a  son  of  James  Mc- 
Causland, and  he  was  born  in  Ireland,  where 
he  remained  until  1848,  when  he  came  to 
America.  The  aged  fatlier  subsequently 
came  from  Ireland  and  died  in  the  home  of 
his  son.  For  several  yeai-s  he  worked  in  the 
agricultural  districts  as  a  farm  hand  and  after 
coming  to  Portage  Townshij),  Summit  County, 
rented  the  old  Simon  Perkins  farm,  now 
known  as  the  Fouse  farm,  and  then  liought 
seventy- five  acres  of  the  present  home  farm. 
To  this  he  added  until  he  had  180  acres.  He 
continued  to  farm  after  1871.  when  he  started 
his  brick  business,  in  which  his  sons  were  prac- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


851 


tically  brought,  up.  John  McCausland  built 
two  brick  houses  ou  his  farm,  the  one  in  which 
lie  resided  until  his  death,  being  now  the  prop- 
erty of  James  Breen.  He  had  commenced 
the  erection  of  the  large  brick  residence,  in 
which  his  sons  live,  but  did  not  survive  to  see 
it  completed.  His  death  occurred  in  Novem- 
beXj  1884.  He  was  a  man  of  great  business 
enterprise  and  succeeded  in  whatever  work  he 
undertook. 

John  McCausland  married  Mary  McQuil- 
lan, who  was  a  daughter  of  Charles  McQuil- 
lan. She  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to 
America  in  young  womanhood.  She  died  on 
Decoration  Day,  189-1.  They  had  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  James  C,  Margaret,  John  J., 
and  Mary,  who  married  James  Breen.  Two 
children  died  as  infants. 

The  two  sons  of  John  McCausland,  as  stated 
above,  succeeded  to  tlieir  father's  interests  and 
have  continued  together  as  they  have  been 
since  boyhood.  The  older  brother,  James  C, 
has  never  married.  John  J.  McCausland  mar- 
ried Anna  M.  Doran,  who  was  reared  at  Akron 
and  is  a  daughter  of  William  Doran.  They 
have  three  children :  Leo,  aged  twelve  years ; 
Helen,  aged  eleven  years;  -and  Mary,  aged 
four  years.  John  J.  McCausland  ha.s  served 
two  terms  as  township  treasurer  and  enjoys  the 
full  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens.  Both 
brothers  are  members  of  St.  Vincent  Catholic 
Church  and  belong  to  the  order  of  Knights  of 
Columbus. 

The  McCausland  Brothers'  brick  plant  has 
a  capacity  of  about  4,000,000  building  brick, 
and  during  the  six  months  in  the  year  that 
it  is  running,  employment  is  given  to  about 
twenty-five  men.  It  is  one  of  the  best  estab- 
lished industries  of  Portage  Township  and  its 
ownei-s  are  among  the  representative  citizens. 

AULTMAN  BROTHERS,  bankers  and 
■  lirokers,  with  offices  in  the  Hamilton  Build- 
ing, Akron,  and  with  additional  offices  at 
Toledo  and  Cleveland,  manage  and  control 
many  large  financial  interests  in  this  section 
of  Ohio.  The  firm  is  made  up  of  William 
J.  and  George  W.  Aultman. 

William  J.  Aultman  was  born  at  Orrvillo. 


Wayne  County,  Ohio,  in  1875,  in  which  place 
he  w'as  reared  and  educated,  and  wliere  he 
was  engaged  for  two  years  in  the  bicycle 
business.  Then  coming  to  Akron,  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company, 
Avith  whom  he  remained  for  five  years.  In 
1892  the  firm  of  Aultman  Brothers  was 
founded  for  dealing  in  mining  stock,  and 
they  have  since  handled  the  most  success- 
ful stocks  of  this  kind  in  this  section  of 
Ohio.  They  carry  on  a  banking  and  brok- 
erage business  and  their  standing  a?  business 
men  is  very  high.  In  1902  William  J.  Ault- 
man was  married  to  Ella  Hostettler,  of  Orr- 
villc,  Ohio,  and  they  have  one  child,  Gar- 
nett  Marie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aultman  are 
members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Akron. 

George  W.  Aultman,  of  Aultman  Broth- 
ers, was  born  at  Orrville,  Wayne  County, 
Ohio,  in  1877.  After  leaving  school  he 
worked  for  three  years  at  dentistry,  later  went 
into  the  bicycle  business,  and  in  1890  came 
to  Akron.  For  eighteen  months  he  was  con- 
nected wdth  the  Goodrich  Company,  and  for 
the  same  length  of  time  with  the  Diamond 
Rubber  Company  He  then  became  associated 
with  his  brother,  William  J.,  in  the  brokerage 
business,  making  mining  a  specialty.  In 
June,  1907,  George  W.  Aultman  was  mar- 
ried to  Edith  McGurry,  of  Toledo,  Ohio.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Aultman  belong  to  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church. 

The  material  success  which  has  attended 
this  firm  of  enterprLsing  young  men  is  some- 
what remarkable.  Both  had  practical  busi- 
ness experience  and  with  their  ambition  stim- 
ulated by  enlarged  opportunities,  they  found 
themselves  qualified  to  accept  new  responsi- 
bilities and  have  rapidly  built  up  a  large 
and  important' business. 

OTTO  N.  HARTER,  president  of  the  Ak- 
ron Pure  Milk  Company,  with  business  loca- 
tion at  No.  265  Bowery  Street,  Akron,  was 
born  April  4,  1866,  at  New  Beriin,  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Jeremiah  Ilixr- 
ter. 

0.  N.  Harfer  was  twelve  years  of  age  w-hen 


852 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


his  parents  moved  to  Western  Star,  Summit 
County,  where  he  completed  his  education 
and  then  entered  into  a  milk  and  butter  bus- 
iness. For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Harter  Brothers,  dealers 
in  dairy  products.  In  April,  1904,  when  the 
Akron  Pure  Milk  Company  was  reorganized 
and  incorporated,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $10,- 
000,  which  put  it  on  a  firm  foundation,  0. 
N.  Harter  became  president,  A.  II.  Harter, 
vice-president,  and  A.  G.  Teeple,  secretary 
and  treasurer.  The  Akron  quarters  are  com- 
modious a.nd  sanitary.  They  have  their  but- 
ter manufacturing  plant  at  Killbuck,  Holmes 
County,  where  fine  creamery  Ijutter  is  pro- 
duced which  finds  a  ready  market  on  account 
of  its  superior  excellence.  Employment  is 
given  by  this  company  to  twenty-five  people. 
In  partnership  with  J.  M.  Sumner,  Mr.  Bar- 
ter organized  the  Sumner  Company,  exclusive 
dealers  in  dairy  products,  but  he  has  disposed 
of  his  interest  in  this  concern.  Other  enter- 
prises of  considerable  importance  claim  a  part 
of  his  attention  and  he  is  a  stockholder  in 
several  banks. 

On  June  15,  1893,  Mr.  Harter  was  married 
to  Rose  M.  Spidle,  of  Akron,  and  they  have 
five  children,  namely:  Frederick  S.,  Flora 
C,  Bessie  May,  Bert  H.  and  Harry  Lee. 

Mr.  Harter  is  a  good,  solid  citizen,  taking 
an  interest  in  all  that  concerns  the  real  wel- 
fare of  the  country,  but  he  has  never  devoted 
much  time  to  politics. 

GEORGE  HART  ROOT,  a  leading  citizen 
of  Tallmadge  Township,  was  born  May  21, 
1833,  on  the  farm  and  m  the  same  house  in 
which  he  lives,  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  Cole  and  Lydia  (Hart)  Root. 

The  Root  family  is  of  English  extraction 
and  of  Puritan  ancestry.  John  Root,  the 
settler,  came  from  Badby,  England,  to  Farm- 
mgton,  Connecticut,  with  the  first  settlers  of 
the  place,  in  1640.  His  father  being  decea.sed, 
he  was  adopted  by  a  wealthy  uncle,  the  latter 
of  wliom  was  a  zealous  supporter  of  the  great 
Protector.  He  insisted  that  his  nephew,  John 
Root,  espouse  Cromwell's  cause  against  King 
Charles  I.  but  the  niephew  was  of  a  peaceable 


disposition  and  chose  rather  to  ca^t  in  his  lot 
with  the  little  band  of  Puritans  then  on  the 
verge  of  emigrating  to  the  free  land  across  the 
Atlantic  Ocean. 

In  the  settlement  at  Farmington,  John 
Root  became  a  man  of  affairs  and  of  much 
prominence.  About  1640,  he  married  Mary 
Kilbourn,  who  was  born  in  1619,  at  Wood 
Button,  England,  and  died  in  Connecticut, 
in  1697,  aged  seventy-eight  years.  Her  par- 
ents were  Thomas  and  Frances  Kilbourn. 
She  came  to  the  Colonies  in  the  good  ship 
Increase,  in  1635.  John  Root,  the  settler, 
died  in  1684,  aged  seventy-six  years. 

The  family  record  then  goes  to  Ezekiol 
Root,  who  was  born  at  Farmington,  Con- 
nccti  October  18,  1764,  and  was  mar- 
ried February  17,  1786,  to  Cynthia  Cole, 
of  Kensington,  Connecticut.  She  died  at 
Tallmadge,  Ohio,  March  9,  1853.  Ezekiel 
Root  died  in  1825,  aged  sixty  years.  He 
served  for  eight  years  dn  the  Patriot  army 
during  the  Revolutionary  troubles  and  for 
three  years  after  the'  close  of  the  war  he  was 
an  orderly  sergeant  at  West  Poijit  He  ciied 
at  Farmington,  in  1825.  The  children  of 
Ezekiel  Root  and  wife  w^ere  Horace,  George, 
Fannie,  John  Cole,  Cynthia  and  Hiram. 

Horace  Root,  the  eldest  son,  was  never  mar- 
ried. He  was  born  January  8,  1787.  Just 
prjor  to  the  War  of  1812,  he  was  visiting 
i^aston,  Massachusetts,  and  while  there  was 
pressed  on  board  one  of  the  British  ships  of 
war  and  suffered  the  .same  shameful  treatment 
then  accorded  all  Americans.  It  became  so 
imbearable  that  with  three  companions  he  re- 
solved to  attempt  to  swim  ashore,  although 
the  distance  w\as  three  miles.  With  one  of 
liis  fellow  sufferers  he  was  successful,  and  soon 
after  joined  the  rank.?  of  the  American  army. 
He  took  part  in  the  battle  at  Lundy's  Lane, 
where  Gen.  Winfield  Scott  won  his  first  pro- 
motion, and  was  with  his  regiment  on  the 
land  near  where  Commodore  Perry  won  his 
victory  on  Lake  Erie.  He  assisted  in  digging 
the  Erie  Canal.  His  death  .took  place  in 
Ohio.  George  Root,  the  second  son,  was  Iborn 
at  Farmington,  Connecticut,  February  13, 
1791 .     He  war;  a  merchant  and  moved  to  Mil- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


853 


ledgeville,  Georgia,  where  he  died,  ;is  did  his 
wife  and  two  children.  Fannie  Root  was 
born  at  Farmington,  April  5,  1793,  and  died 
at  Freedom,  Ohio.  John  Cole  Root,  was  born 
at  Farmington,  October  18,  1795.  Cynthia 
Root  was  born  at  Farmington,  March  20, 
1798,  and  died  in  Ohio.  Hiram,  deceased, 
was  born  at  Farmington,  August  29,  1800. 

John  Cole  Root  came  intolTallmadge,  Ohio, 
in  1828,  and  purchased  the  farm  of  sixty- 
three  acres  on  which  his  son,  George  Hart 
Root  resides,  on  which  he  lived  until  his 
death,  December  20,  1862.  He  was  married 
at  New  Briton,  Connecticut,  November  29, 
1819,  to  Lydia  Hart,  who  was  born  there. 
May  13,  1796,  and  died  in  Tallmadge,  March 
9,  1876.  Her  father  died  in  Connecticut  but 
her  mother  came  to  Summit  County  soon  after 
the  Roots  came,  and  she  died  at  St.  Mar}''s, 
in  Auglaize  County.  John  Cole  Root  and 
wife  had  but  one  child,  George  Hart. 

George  Hart  Root  grew  up  on  the  farm  on 
which  he  was  born  and  gave  his  father  all 
needed  assistance  in  clearing  and  Cultivating 
the  property.  He  was  given  excellent  educa- 
tional advantages,  including  a  district  school 
training,  a  season  at  the  Tallmadge  Academy 
and  one  year  at  Oberlin  College.  After  leav- 
ing school  he  engaged  in  teaching  during  the 
winters  for  a  time  and  taught  six  months  at 
Akron.  He  then  accepted  employment  with 
the  Cleveland  Construction  Company  and  as- 
sisted in  the  building  of  electric  railways  from 
Akron  to  Cleveland,  and  also  the  IS^iagara 
Falls  Railway,  and  later  aided  in  the  building 
of  the  line  running  from  Cleveland  to  Wil- 
loughby.  For  a  time  he  worked  on  the  line 
from  Lima  to  Piqua,  as  commdssarj'^  of  the 
construction  camp,  and  was  considered  a  very 
useful  man  in  that  department.  He  has  long 
since  done  little  but  look  after  his  farming 
interests,  and  has  now  reached  a  time  in  his 
life  when  the  labors  of  this  industry  can  be 
easily  shifted  to  younger  shoulders. 

Mr.  Root  was  maiTied  at  Tallmadge,  Oc- 
tober 7,  1856,  to  Marie  Phoebe  Upson,  who 
was  born  in  Tallmadge,  September  30.  1838, 
and  they  have  had  the  following  children : 
Ella  Evelync :  who  wa~  born  in   Tallmadge. 


July  14,  1859 ;  Eddie  Harland,  who  was  born 
June  28,  1862,  died  in  December  of  the  same 
year;  and  Frank  Lewis,  who  was  born  March 
7,  1868.  Ella  E.,  the  eldest  daughter,  was 
married  to  Edward  L.  Hinman,  October  7, 
1879,  who  is  a  farmer  residing  near  Ravenna, 
Ohio,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hinman  have  children 
as  follows:  Helen  ilarie,  born  in  Tallmadge, 
Ohio,  March  28,  1881;  Lewis  Edward,  born 
at  Ravenna,  Ohio,  October  15,  1885 ;  Florence 
Jennie,  born  September  19,  1888,  and  Mabel 
Harriet,  born  January  16,  1891. 

Frank  Lewis  Root  wa.s  married  in  Tall- 
madge, June  12,  1896,  to  Olive  A.  Skinner, 
also  of  Talldiadge,  and  their  four  children 
liear  the  following  names:  Charles  Edward, 
born  in  Tallmadge,  April  8,  1898;  Gilbert 
Hart,  born  February  8,  1900;  Marion  Phoebe, 
born  September  10,  1902;  and  Frank  Oliver, 
born  October  10,  1905.  Fi-ank  Lewis  attended 
the  public  schools  of  Tallmadge  and  the  West- 
ern ReseiTe  Academy,  and  took  a  course  in  the 
Reserve  Academy,  and  took  a  course  in  the 
Spencerian  Business  College  at  Cleveland. 
He  is  engaged  in  farming  and  is  also  the  rural 
mail  route  carrier  in  Tallmadge. 

Both  Mr.  Root  and  son  are  stanch  Re- 
publicans and  both  are  men  of  the  highest 
personal  standing  in  the  community.  Mr. 
Root  has  always  taken  as  active  interest  in  the 
development  of  the  township's  resources  and 
has  devoted  time,  labor  and  means  to  many 
public-spirited  enteiprises.  He  has  been  a 
warm  friend  of  the  public  schools,  in  which 
both  he  and  his  children  enjoyed  advantages. 
During  a  part  of  his  earlier  life  he  taught  pen- 
manship and  although  the  winters  of  seventy- 
four  years  have  pa.ssed  over  his  head  and 
bodily  afflictions  have  fallen  on  him,  his  hand 
is  steady  enough  to  pen  letters  that  show  little 
trace  of  weakness,  and  which  may  be  placed 
.«ide  by  side  with  those  of  a  younger  genera- 
tion, to  the  latter's  discredit. 

GEORGE  C.  STANFORD,  one  of  the  rep- 
resentative men  of  Boston  Township,  who  is 
carrying  on  agricultural  operations  on  his  fine . 
farm  of  300  acres,  was  born  April  18,  1839, 


854 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Catherine  (Carter) 
Stanford. 

James  Stanford,  the  great-grandfather  of 
George  C.  Stanford,  was  a  native  of  Ii-eland 
and  his  wife  of  Pennsylvania,  and  they  set- 
tled at  Bristol,  Beaver  County,  Pennsylvania, 
in  1802.  They  remained  there  for  about 
three  years,  and  then  moved  to  Jackson  Town- 
ship, Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  where  they  re- 
sided for  one  year.  About  this  time  James 
Stanford  joined  a  surveying  party  which  was 
appointed  to  locate  and  survey  what  is  now 
Boston  Township,  and  when  the  survey  was 
completed,  in  1806,  he  brought  his  family  to 
Sujnmit  County  and  located  on  1S9  acres  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  Cuyahoga  River.  In  the 
following  j'ear  he  traded  lands  with  Alfred 
.  Wolcott,  securing  then  a  part  of  the  farm  now 
occupied  by  George  C.  Stanford,  and  here  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  It  was  James 
Stanford  who  suggested  the  name  of  Boston 
Township,  and  its  acceptance  happily  ended 
a  disputed  question.  His  son,  Andrew  John- 
son Stanford,  was  the  first  white  child  born 
in  Boston  Township. 

George  Stanford,  father  of  George  C,  was 
born  at  Bristol,  Beaver  County,  Pennsylvania, 
October  9,  1800,  and  died  March  3,  1883.  He 
was  a  prominent  Whig  and  was  a  justice  of 
the  peace  for  many  years.  On  January  17, 
1828,  he  was  married  to  Catherine  Carter,  who 
was  born  in  1809,  and  died  December  20, 
1872.  She  was  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  Carter.  They  had  eight  children : 
Emily,  who  died  in  infancy;  James  M.  and 
Ellen,  both  of  whom  died  when  about  twenty 
years  of  age;  William  Irwin,  who  died  in 
childhood;  Perkins  W.,  who  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate in  the  Second  Regiment,  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Cavalry,  was  promoted  to  be  sergeant  of 
Company  A,  was  taken  prisoner  in  1864,  and 
died  at  Andersonville;  Eliza,  who  died  when 
three  years  of  age;  George  C. ;  and  Catherine, 
who  is  deceased. 

George  C.  Stanford  went  to  school  in  the 
second  schoolhousc  which  was  erected  in  this 
district,  and  he  has  always  lived  on  his  pres- 
ent farm,  which  now  comprises  300  acres,  100 
of  which  arc  under  cultivation,  being  devoted 


principally  to  wheat  and  hay.  Mr.  Stanford 
has  a  fine  silo,  19x20  feet,  26  feet  high.  In 
former  years  he  kept  from  twenty-five  to 
thirty  head  of  cattle,  but  he  now  keeps  only 
ten  or  twelve  cows,  and  has  a  flock  of  sixty- 
five  sheep.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  he  has  sei-ved  as  a  delegate  to  county  con- 
ventions. He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace 
and  was  re-elected,  but  resigned  before  the  ex- 
piration of  his  second  term.  For  three  years 
he  has  been  township  assessor.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Meridian  Sun  Lodge  No.  226,  and  Sum- 
mit Royal  Arch  Chapter  No.  74  of  Masons. 

Mr.  Stanford  was  married  to  Eliza  Lida 
Wefmore,  daughter  of  William  Wetmore,  of 
Peninsula,  and  to  this  union  there  were  born 
three  children:  Ellen,  Perkins  W.,  and  Clay- 
ton J.  The  only  daughter  was  born  Febru- 
ary 6,  1871,  and  married  Edgar  E.  Jobe.  She 
lives  with  her  father,  and  has  one  child,  Cur- 
tis A.,  who  was  born  January  17,  1905.  Per- 
kins W.,  who  was  born  May  2,  1874,  resided 
in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  for  eight  years, 
where  he  received  the  main  part  of  his  school- 
ing. He  enlisted  in  Company  D,  158th  Regi- 
ment, during  the  Spanish-American  AVar,  but 
was  never  called  on  to  leave  the  country.  He 
is  a  general  merchant  at  Boston  village,  and 
is  postmaster.  He  married  Stella  Morgan, 
and  has  two  children,  namely,  George  J.,  born 
December  7,  1904,  and  Dorothy,  born  June 
-19,  1906.  Clayton  J.,  who  was  born  August 
4,  1877,  married  Catherine  E.  Coonrad,  of 
Brecksville,  Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mi's.  Stanford  are 
members  of  the  Methodist. Episcopal  Church, 
of  whicli  Mr.  Stanford  is  trustee  and  steward, 
in  addition  to  having  been  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday-school  for  many  years.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Summit  County  Agri- 
cultural Society  for  a  long  period. 

F.  B.  LIVERMORE,  M.D.,  a  leading 
physician  and  surgeon,  at  Barberton,  for- 
merly demon-strator  of  Anatomy  at  the  Cleve- 
land University  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  has 
Vjeen  located  at  this  place  since  October,  1899. 
Dr.  Livermore  was  born  at  Port  Henry,  New 
York,  December  28,  1871,  and  is  n  son  of  R. 
F.  and  Eliza  Hester  (Bates)  Livermore. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


In  1878,  the  parents  of  Dr.  Liverinore  re- 
moved from  Port  Henry  to  Corry,  Pennsyl- 
\ania,  where  his  father  embarked  in  a  whole- 
sale and  retail  dry  goods  business.  There 
Dr.  Liverinore  was  educated,  and  after  gradu- 
ating from  the  Corry  High  School,  he  entered 
Allegheny  College,  at  Meadville,  where  he  took 
;:  preparatory  course  in  medicine,  following 
which  he  entered  the  Cleveland  University  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery,  at  Olev'eland,  Ohio, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduted  with 
his  degree,  in  March,  1895.  While  Dr.  Liver- 
more  pjracticed  at  Cleveland,  he  held  the  chair 
of  demonstrator  in  Anatomy  in  his  alma 
mater,  and  was  also  one  of  the  physicians  at- 
tached to  the  Huron  Street  Hospital,  in  that 
city.  The  trainhig  of  two  years  which  he  en- 
joyed in  hospital  work  was  of  inestimable 
benefit,  giving  him  an  opportunity  to  study 
diseases  and  injuries  in  a  practical  way.  In 
October,  1899,  Dr.  Livermore  came  to  Bax- 
berton,  and  although  a  number  of  other  prac- 
titioners of  excellent  repute  are  located  at  thi^ 
point,  he  has  built  up  a  most  satisfactory 
practice  and  in  large  degree  enjoys  the  confi- 
dence and  support  of  the  leading  citizens. 

In  1895,  Dr.  Livermore  was  married  to 
Minnie  A.  Creel,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin Creel,  of  Parkersburg,  "West  Virginia. 

Fraternally,  Dr.  Livermore  is  connected 
with  the  Maccabees  and  the  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias, while  also  retaining  membership  with  his 
college  fraternity,  the  Delta  Tau  Delta.  Pro- 
fessionally, he  is  a  member  of  the  Cleveland 
Medical  Association  and  the  Summit  County 
Clinical  Association. 

A.  R.  LODWICK,  president  of  The  Lod- 
wick  Company,  leaders  in  the  grocery  line  at 
-Vkron.  with  business  location  at  No.  10  East 
Market  Street,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city 
for  thirty-three  years  and  during  the  whole 
period  of  his  eommercial  life  has  l>een  identi- 
fied with  grocery  interests.  Mr.  Lodwick  was 
lorn  in  1870,  at  Clinton,  Missouri,  and  was 
four  years  old  when  his  parents  brought  him 
to  Akron. 

In  the  schools  of  Akron.  Mr.  Lodwick  se- 
cured his  education.     His  father  was  engaged 


in  the  grocery  business  and  very  early  the  son 
l)ecame  his  a.ssistant  and  learned  all  the  prac- 
tical details  by  the  time  he  was  ready  to  as- 
sume the  responsibility  of  conducting  a  busi- 
ness of  his  own.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
was  one  of  the  stockholders  in  the  Tanner 
Comi^any,  grocers,  at  Akron,  which  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1907  by  the  Lodwick  Company. 
The  latter  was  incorporated  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $10,000,  with  these  officers:  A.  R. 
Lodwick,  president;  A.  M.  Lodwick,  vice- 
president;  and  I.  A.  Lodwick,  .secretary  and 
tieasurer. 

In  April,  1901,  Mr.  Lodwick  was  married 
to  Lilian  Douglas  who  was  born  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Lodwick  is  affiliated  with  a  number  of 
the  leading  fraternal  organizations.  He  is 
a  32nd  degree  Jlason,  and  belongs  to  the  F>lue 
Lodge,  Chapter,  Council  and  Commandery  at 
Akron,  to  Lake  Erie  Consist-ory  at  Cleveland. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  the  Protected  Home  Circle 
and  the  National  Association  of  Letter  Car- 
riers. He  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  club. 
He  is  not  an  active  politician  but  always  takes 
a  good  citizen's  interest  in  public  affairs,  he 
gives  liberally  to  charity  and  his  civic  pride 
is  shown  in  the  support  he  lends  to  public- 
spirited  enterprises. 

WILLIAM   AMOS   MANSFIELD,    M.D.. 

physician  and  surgeon,  at  Barberton,  where 
he  has  been  established  since  1900,  is  one  of 
the  leading  medical  men  of  Summit  County. 
He  wiis  born  at  Ravenna,  Muskegon  County, 
Michigan,  February  28,  1859,  and  is  a  son 
of  A.  J.  and  Ann  ^Ellithorpe)  Mansfield. 

The  father  of  Dr.  Mansfield  was  born  in 
Canada  and  was  a  son  of  Harry  Mansfield, 
who  was  born  near  Plattsburg,  New  York, 
and  was  a  son  of  an  Englishman,  who  had 
settled  very  early  in  that  city.  The  mother 
of  Dr.  Mansfield  was  l)orn  near  Toronto, 
Canada,  where  her  English  parents  had  set- 
tled. For  a  number  of  years  the  father  of 
Dr.  Mansfield  was  prominently  identified  with 
the  lumber  industry  in  Canada.  He  began 
a     manufacturing     business     near     Toronto 


856 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUiSITY 


shortly  after  liis  marriage,  but  subsequently 
removed  to  Muskegon  County,  Michigan, 
where  he  bought  large  tracts  of  lumber  and 
continued  in  the  lumbering  business,  and  the 
furniture  manufacturing  business,  until  his 
death,  in  1906,  the  death  of  his  wife  having 
immediately  preceded  his  own. 

Dr.  Mansfield  was  reared  in  Muskegon 
County,  Michigan,  and  first  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools  near  his  home  and  then  entered 
Bryant  and  Stratton's  Business  College,  at 
Buffalo,  New  York,  where  he  took  a  two- 
years  course.  Equipped  with  a  first-cla-ss  com- 
mercial education,  he  then  went  to  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  and  for  two  years  Avas  a  stu- 
dent in  the  Emerson  College  of  Oratory  and 
Dramatic  Art,  graduating  from  that  well- 
known  institution,  May  3,  1889.  From  prob- 
a.ble  succe&s  in  business  and  celebrity  on  the 
stage,  he  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  sci- 
ence of  medicine  and  entered  the  Cleveland 
Universit}^  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  graduat- 
ing in  the  class  of  1895.  For  the  succeeding 
five  years  he  practiced  his  profession  in  the 
city  of  Cleveland  and  then  came  to  the  pros- 
pering town  of  Barberton,  where  he  has  be- 
come a  leading  citizen.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Summit  County  Medical  Club,  and  is  an 
enthu.siast  in  his  profession.  His  fine  office 
is  equipped  with  modern  appliances  of  all 
kinds,  including  an  expensive  X-ray  machine, 
and  he  keeps  thoroughly  in  touch  with  medi- 
cal progress.  He  served  one  term  as  health 
officer  of  Barberton,  liaving  been  appointtd 
by  the  village  council. 

In  1893,  Dr.  Mansfield  was  married  to 
Lenno  Mowry,  and  they  have  two  children : 
EUithorpe  and  Marie.  Dr.  Mansfield  is 
prominent  in  fraternal  life,  belonging  to  ti:c 
Masons,  the  Elks  and  the  Knights  of  Fythias. 

WILLIAM  HENRY  MIDDLETON,  resid- 
ing on  a  very  valuable  farm  of  over  200  acres, 
which  he  acquired  in  1882,  is  one  of  the  sub- 
.stantial  agriculturists  and  leading  citizens  of 
Hudson  Township.  He  was  born.  May  19, 
1856,  in  County  Kent,  England,  and  is  a  son 
of  James  and  Mary  Ann  (Grigsby)  Middle- 
ton. 


Both  parents  of  Mr.  Middleton  wer_>  born 
in  County  Kent,  England,  and  in  1869  they 
came  to  America  with  their  seven  children. 
Tlie  voyage  was  one  of  danger  and  disaster. 
The  family  set  sail  in  the  vessel  the  City  of 
Hudson,  which  was  wrecked  on  the  banks  of 
New  Foundland  and  drifted  backward  help- 
lessly, for  500  miles,  with  three  feet  of  water 
in  the  hold.  The  captain  had  lost  all  hope 
of  saving  his  passengers,  but  fortunately  kq^t 
up  their  courage  when  he  lost  his  own,  and 
finally  help  came  and  in  the  course  of  time  the 
Middleton  family  reached  East  Cleveland  in 
safety.  The  father  was  a  brick-layer  by 
trade.  He  died  August  4,  1906,  aged  seventy- 
five  years.  The  mother  of  William  H.  Mid- 
dleton died  December  21,  1878.  The  father 
was  married  (second)  January  7,  1880,  to 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Pincombe.  The  children  born 
to  his  first  marriage  were  as  follows:  Wil- 
liam H. ;  George,  residing  at  Mayfield  Heights, 
Cleveland;  Sarah  Jane,  who  died  October  12, 
1905;  Alfred  who  died  April  12,  1883;  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  George  Lintern,  died  in 
1894,  at  Cleveland;  James,  residing  at  Cleve- 
land'; Charles,  residing  in  Hudson  Township ; 
and  Hattie,  who  married  Julian  Scott,  resid- 
ing on  the  Streetsboro  road  in  Hudson  Town- 
ship. 

Wilham  H.  Middleton  resided  at  East  Cleve- 
land and  at  Glenville  for  about  two  years, 
and  started  a  milk  route  which  he  continued 
until  1884,  when  he  came  to  his  present  farm. 
He  bought  over  202  acres  and  has  since  added 
about  twenty-seven  acres.  He  operates  his 
farm  mainly  as  a  dairy  farm  and  ships  his 
milk  to  Cleveland. 

On  August  31,  1875,  Mr.  Middleton  was 
married  to  Sarah  Ann  Pincombe,  who  was 
born  at  Plymouth,  England,  and  was  ten  years 
old  when  her  parents  AVilliam  and  Elizabeth 
(Rockey)  Pincombe,  crossed  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  The  father  went  back  to  England 
and  died  there.  The  mother,  later  in  life, 
became  the  second  wife  of  the  father  of  Mr. 
Middleton,  and  died  on  the  present  farm  in 
an  adjoining  house,  December  3,  1894.  The 
Pincombes  had  three  children  to  grow  to  ma- 
turitv.    namelv:       Elizabeth,     who     married 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


857 


John  Lintern.  reading  at  Cleveland;  Selina, 
■who  married  W.  B.  Hopkins,  residing  at  Cleve- 
land ;  and  Sarah  Ann,  who  married  Mr.  Mid- 
dleton.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Middleton  have  five 
children,  a.s  follows;  May  Elizabeth,  who 
married  W.  S.  Mills,  residuig  at  Twinsburg, 
has  two  children,  Florence  Elizabeth  and 
Winnifred  Ann;  William,  residing  in  Hud- 
son Township,  married  Pearl  Beardsley; 
Emanuel  Alfred,  residing  in  Bedford,  mar- 
ried Emma  Po^t,  of  Macedonia;  and  Blanche 
"Winnifred  and  Bert  Eli,  both  residing  at 
home.  Mr.  Middleton  and  family  belong  to 
the  Congregational  Church  at  Hudson.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  Middleton  is 
a  tApe  of  self-made  man  and  enjoys  the  posi- 
tion in  which  he  finds  him.self,  in  middle  life, 
because  through  his  own  efforts  he  has 
brought  his  prosperity  about. 

ELMER  ROBINSON,  residing  on  his  valu- 
able farm  of  ninety  acres,  situated  in  Bath 
Township,  where  he  is  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  dairying,  is  one  of  the  substan- 
tial men  and  reliable  citizens  of  this  section. 
Mr.  Robinson  was  born  in  Wayne  County. 
( )liio.  October  6,  1835,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert 
;ind  Sai'ali  (Clapper)  Robinson. 

The  grandparents  of  Mr.  Robinson  were 
James  and  Sarah  (Yates)  Robinson,  who  were 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.  James  Robinson 
was  a  cigar-maker  by  trade,  but  after  moving 
to  Missouri  in  1869,  he  followed  farming. 
His  children  were:  John  and  Robert,  both 
f  of  whom  are  deceased;  Jacob,  residing  in 
'  Missouri ;  Benjamin,  residing  in  Wayne 
County;  Joseph  and  Abraham,  both,  of  whom 
are  deceased:  Katherine,  residing  in  Missouri; 
and  Elizabeth,  who  is  decea-ed. 

Robert  Robinson,  father  of  Elmer,  was  born 
at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  October  2.  1839, 
*  and  died  in  Bath  Town.-hip,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  July  30,  1900.  He  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Mis.souri,  where  lie  lived  for  two 
years  and  then  came  to  Bath  Township,  where 
lie  passed  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  man 
nf  education  and  taught  school  in  Missouri 
:ind  later  in  Wavne  Countv.     He  was  a  stanch 


Republican  and  was  elected  a  director  of  the 
Summit  County  Infirmary,  to  which  position 
he  was  re-elected,  and  was  the  only  member  of 
his  party  who  gained  popular  recognition  at 
that  time  in  this  section.  He  died  while  serv'- 
ing  in  his  second  term.  His  widow  still  sur- 
vives and  resides  on  the  home  farm  in  Bath 
Township.  The  children  of  Robert  Robinson 
and  wife  were:  AUie,  who  married  Charles 
H.  Francisco,  residing  in  Copley  Township; 
Elmer  C,  Mettie,  who  married  Andrew 
Harris,  residing  in  Copley  Township, 
Edward,  who  married  Lottie  Leiby,  resides  in 
Sharon  Township;  Irene,  deceased,  who  mar- 
ried James  Myers;  and  Vera,  Avho  mamed 
Earl  Rockwell,  residing  on  the  old  home  in 
Bath  Township. 

Elmer  Robinson  M-as  reared  on  the  home- 
.stead  farm  and  obtained  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Bath  Township.  He  remained  as- 
sisting his  father  until  his  marriage,  when  he 
puichased  his  present  farm,  where  he  has 
made  all  the  improvements,  including  the 
building  of  the  substantial  residence  and 
farm  stnictures.  He  is  a  man  of  practical 
ideas  and  thoroughly  understands  how  to 
make  every  part  of  his  land  produce  satisfac- 
torily, in  other  words,  he  is  a  successful  agri- 
culturi.st. 

In  18S6,  Mr.  Robinson  was  married  to 
Alpha  L.  Miller,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Ral.<- 
man  and  Sarah  (Hershey)  Miller,  former 
residents  of  Bath  Township,  where  the  former 
died  in  1897,  and  the  latter  in  1899.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Robinson  have  had  four  children, 
namely:  Glenn,  who  died  aged  eight  years; 
Pearl;  Wayne;  and  a  babe  that  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

Mr.  Roliiiison  is  a  member  of  the  East 
Granger  Disciples  Church,  in  which  he  is  one 
of  the  deacons,  and  is  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school.  Politically  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  is  serving  in  his  fifth  year  as  town- 
ship trustee.  He  is  one  of  the  directors  in 
the  Farmers'  Mutual  Cyclone  Association, 
and  the  Bath  Horse  Protective  Association, 
and  is  president  of  the  latter  organization. 
He  is  aiuember  of  the  Grange  of  Bafli  Cen- 
ter. 


858 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


IRA  L.  UNDERWOOD,  residing  on  Lis 
valuable  farm  of  152  acres,  situated  on  tlie 
township  line  road,  between  Bath  and  Rieh- 
field,  in  Bath  Township,  was  born  in  Granger 
Township^  Medina  County,  Ohio,  February 
18,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Han- 
nah (Dunsha)  Underwood  and  a  grandson 
of  Henrj^  Underwood. 

The  Underwood  ancestors  came  to  New 
York  from  Scotland.  The  grandfather  was 
born  in  New  York  and  came  to  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  prior  to  the  birth  of  liis  son, 
Henry  Underwood,  who  was  a  boy  when  his 
parents  settled  in  Granger  Township,  Medina 
County.  He  died  in  Medina  County,  but 
his  widow  sui^v-ived  some  years  and  died  on  the 
farm  of  her  son  Ira  L.,  in  Bath  Township. 

Ira  L.  Underwood  was  reared  in  Granger 
Township,  remaining  at  home  until  his 
twenty-first  year,  when  he  came  to  Bath  Town- 
ship, where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1900, 
he  came  to  his  present  property,  which  is  a 
finely  improved  tract  of  lancl,  and  here  he  has 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  dairying, 
keeping  about  twenty  cows.  Mr.  Underwood 
also  owns  a  small  tract  of  seven  acres  in  Ghent. 
He  is  very  well  known  in  his  vicinity,  and  his 
fellow-townsmen  elected  him  assessor  for  two 
terms. 

In  1881  Mr.  Underwood  was  married  to 
Louisa  jNIiller,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Ralseman 
jililler,  and  to  this  imion  there  have  been 
born  two  children:  Edith:  and  Miller  H.. 
who  married  Opal  Fulmer. 

SMITH  D.  TIFFT.  .senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Tifft  and  Vogan,  dealers  in  carriages 
and  agricultural  implements,  at  Cuyahoga 
J'alls,  is  a  leading  citizen  and  representative 
Inisiness  man  of  this  section  of  Summit 
County.  He  was  born  in  Norton  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  March  16,  1840,  a,nd 
is  a  .son  of  John  D.  and  Anna  (Bangs)  Tifft. 

John  D.  Tifft,  father  of  Smith  D.,  was  born 
in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  died  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  in  1876,  aged  seventy  years.  He 
remained  on  the  home  farm  until  he  reached 
maturity  and  then  came  to  Ohio,  securing 
work  at  Cleveland,  where  he  a.ssisted  in  clear- 


ing the  virgin  forest  from  the  present  sites  of 
the  beautiful  Wilson  and  Euclid  avenues  of 
that  city.  After  -two  years  at  Cleveland, 
about  1840,  he  settled  at  Johnson's  Corners, 
near  the  present  site  of  Barberton,  and  in  the 
fall  following  the  birth  of  his  son.  Smith  D., 
he  came  to  Cuyahoga  Falls.  Here  he  kept 
a  livery  stable  and  also  engaged  in  a  meat 
business.  The  year  1847  he  spent  in  Chicago, 
but  returned  to  Cuyahoga  Falls,  where  he  be- 
came one  of  the  substantial  citizens,  during 
the  following  seven  or  eight  yeare.  An  un- 
lucky speculation  in  hogs  caused  his  business 
failure  and  from  then  to  the  close  of  his  life, 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  immerous 
patents  and  machines,  of  which  he  was  the 
inventor.  He  first  patented  a  fanning  mill, 
for  cleaning  grain,  his  rights  to  which  he  sub- 
sequently sold.  Later  he  patented  and  sold 
his  rights  to  a  certain  kind  of  fence  and  still 
later,  he  patented  an  invalid's  spring  bed,  also 
selling  his  rights  in  this  valuable  invention. 
All  of  his  inventions  were  of  such  recognized 
utility  that  they  came  into  general  use,  and 
before  his  death  he  had  become  again  a  man 
of  ample  means.  Early  in  life  he  was  a 
Whig,  but  after  1852  he  was  identified  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  was  a  man  of  Ster- 
ling character  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
was  a  member  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist 
Church. 

The  mother  of  Smith  D.  Tilft  was  liorn  in 
Vermont  and  died  in  1884.  She  was  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  all  of 
whom  were  remarkably  long-lived,  only  two 
dying  before  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years, 
and  .several  living  to  be  over  ninety.  The 
four  children  of  John  D.  Tifft  and  wife  lo 
reach  maturity  were:  Smith  D. ;  Eliza  ^L 
(deceased),  who  married  W.  A.  Allen,  of 
Akron ;  Horace,  residing  in  ihe  Soldier's 
Home  at  Dayton,  who  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War,  and  Alice,  who  married  Charles  Hawn, 
of  CuyaJioga  Falls.  The  mother  of  this 
family  was  a  consi.stent  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Epi.scopal  Church  through  life. 

Smith  D.  Tifft  was  educated  in  the  common 
and  High  Schools  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  en- 
tered into  business  on  his  own  account  in  the 


GEORCIE  T.  BISHOP 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


861 


meat  and  cattle  industry,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued for  eleven  years.  From  1867  until 
1869,  Mr.  Tifft  was  in  partnership  with  W.  A. 
Taylor,  speculating  in  cattle,  after  which  he 
became  the  "Co."  of  the  then  well-known  car- 
riage and  wagon  shop  of  ^^^  A.  Allen  &  Co. 
He  continued  with  this  firm  for  nine  years 
and  then  sold  out  to  his  partner  and  resumed 
speculating  in  cattle.  Some  six  months  later 
he  started  a  meat  market  and  continued  in 
the  meat  business  until  1885,  when  he  traded 
it  for  a  farm,  which  he  operated  for  one  year. 
He  left  farming  in  order  to  go  out  on  the 
road  as  the  traveling  representative  for  the 
milling  concern  of  Howe  &  Company.  Mr. 
Tifft  i-emained  with  the  above  firm  until  1891, 
when  he  engaged  in  an  agricultural  imple- 
ment business  beginning  in  a  modest  way  and 
conducting  it  alone  until  January  26,  1896, 
T.'hen  he  entered  into  partnership  with  F.  D. 
Vogan.  The  firm  of  Tifft  &  Vogan  has  pros- 
pered from  the  first  and  has  desei"ved  the 
name  of  being  the  first  lousiness  house  at  this 
place,  to  handle  "everything  for  the  fai'mer." 
The  bu-siness  ha.s  increa.?ed  to  such  proportions 
that  it  won  the  prize — a  check  for  $100 — 
vhich  was  offered  by  the  International  Har- 
vester Company,  of  Cleveland,  for  handling 
the  largest  volume  of  business  of  that  com- 
pany's products,  through  a  certain  area.  This 
could  not  have  c-ome  about  without  excellent 
business  management  and  a  fine  equality  of 
goods.  Mr.  Tifft  is  interested  in  other  en- 
terprises which  contribute  to  the  prosperity 
and  good  name  of  Cuyahoga  Falls.  He  was 
one  of  fhe  organizers  of  the  Falls  Sa^^ngs  and 
Loan  Association  and  has  been  its  president 
for  the  past  eighteen  months.  He  is  also  a 
director  of  the  Cuyahoga  Falls  Savings  Bank. 
On  January  29,  1863,  Mr.  Tifft  was  mar- 
ried to  Julia  E.  Allen,  a  daughter  of  George 
Allen,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls.  For  forty  years 
Mrs.  Tifft  has  been  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Episcopal  Church,  and  Mr.  Tifft  is  a  liberal 
contributor  to  its  various  beneficent  enterprises. 
Politically,  Mr.  Tifft  is  a  Republican,  and  he 
served  as  village  clerk  for  six  years.  In  1863, 
he  united  with  the  Masons  and  is  a  member  of 
Star  Lodge,  No.  187,  at  Cuyahoga  Falls. 


GEORGE  T.  BISHOP,  formerly  president 
of  the  Northern  Texas  Traction  Company, 
and  president  of  the  Washington,  Baltimore 
&  Annapolis  Street  Railway,  for  many  years 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  electric 
railways  and  has  also  been  concerned  in 
other  important  business  enterprises,  but 
since  1901  he  has  made  his  summer  home 
on  his  farm  in  the  township  where  his  boy- 
hood was  spent.  Mr.  Bishop  was  born  at 
Ravenna,  Ohio,  October  11,  1864,  and  is  a 
son  of  Clark  Benjamin  and  Arvilla  (Taylor) 
Bishop. 

Mr.  Bishop's  American  ancestors  were  of 
New  England  birth  and  training.  His  great- 
grandfather, Benjamin  Bishop,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  Lafayette's  visit  to  America,  in  1824, 
took  that  Revolutionary  hero  and  friend  of 
Washington  from  Burlington,  Vermont,  to 
Montpelier,  that  State,  in  a  coach  drawn  by 
four  white  horses,   with   outriders. 

Mr.  Bishop's  grandfather,  Orin  Azro 
Bi.shop,  was  born  at  Richmond,  Vermont. 
He  married  Celina  Lillie,  who,  like  himself, 
graduated  at  the  Jericho  Academy,  at  Jeri- 
cho, Vermont,  and  who  after  her  graduation 
taught  school.  In  1831,  after  their  marriage, 
they  came  to  Northfield  Township,  where 
life  mast  have  .seemed  crude  and  hard  in 
those  early  days.  Here  Grandfather  Bishop 
erected  a  log  cabin  west  of  Northfield  Center, 
and  in  1838  built  a  tavern  or  public  house, 
which  still  stands,  as  a  landmark,  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  Square  at  Northfield 
Center.  This  was  the  first  tavern  in  North- 
field  Township,  a  commodious  two-story  build- 
ing which  was  quite  a  notable  building  in 
its  prime,  and  was  conducted  under  the  name 
of  the  Washington  Inn.  By  the  premature 
discharge  of  a  cannon,  on  training  day,  Mr. 
Bishop  was  so  injured  that  he  died  one  year 
after  the  accident.  His  three  children  were: 
Clark  B.,  George  L.  and  Orin  Azro. 

Clark  Benjamin  was  born  September  12, 
1833,  in  the  little  log  cabin  home  in  North- 
field,  and  was  reared  to  his  father's  pursuits. 
.After  his  marriage  he  removed  to  Ravenna, 
Ohio,  where  he  engaged  with  his  father-in- 
law,  in  conducting  a  hotel,  and  during  the 


862 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Civil  War  they  operated  the  Exchange  Ho- 
tel, but  in  1866  Mr.  Bishop  took  charge  of 
the  American  House,  in  Cleveland.  Return- 
ing to  Northfield  in  1873  he  purchased  the 
farm  one  and  one-fourth  miles  west  of  North- 
field  Center,  returning  to  the  quiet  of  coun- 
try life  as  a  means  of  regaining  his  health. 
Eight  years  on  the  farm  restored  him  to  his 
former  robustness  and  on  his  son  George  T. 
Bishop's  seventeenth  birthday,  he  returned 
to  Cleveland.  He  died  April  3,  1899.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Northfield  Township,  he 
served  in  public  offices  and  was  a  representa- 
tive man  of  his  section.  Politically,  he  was 
identified  with  the  Republican  party.  He 
was  a  member  of  Summit  Lodge,  No.  281, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Twinsburg. 

On  September  17,  1862,  he  married  Ar- 
villa  Taylor,  who  died  February  3,  1904. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Timothy  Taylor,  of 
Twinsburg.  They  had  two  sons,  George  T. 
and  Hal  F.,  the  latter  now  residing  at  Cleve- 
land. 

George  T.  Bishop's  boyhood  was  mainly 
passed  in  Northfield  Township.  In  his  sev- 
enteenth year  he  accompanied  his  father  to 
Cleveland,  and  in  the  following  year  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southern  Railroad,  in  the  traffic  department. 
He  was  connected  with  the  steam  railroad 
business  until  1895.  during  the  last  few  years 
being  general  agent  of  the  Toledo,  St.  Louis 
&  Kansas  City  Railroad.  In  the  above  men- 
tioned year  he  became  interested  in  financing 
and  building  electric  railroads.  He  was 
president  of  the  Northern  Texas  Traction 
Company,  which  built  and  financed  the  pio- 
neer interurban  electric  railway  of  Texas,  the 
line  connecting  Dallas  and  Fort  Worth. 
After  disposing  of  his  interests  in  Texas,  Mr. 
Bishop  became  interested  in  other  sections 
and,  as  mentioned  above,  fills  the  office  of 
president  of  a  very  important  electric  line, 
which  has  great  future  possibilities.  He  is 
a  director  of  the  Cleveland  Trust  Company 
and  is  concerned  in  a  number  of  other  en- 
terprise.s  in  diff^erent  sections. 

In  1901  Mr.  Bishop  gave  way  to  a  natural 
impulse  in  turning  to  the  home  of  his  child- 


hood, purchasing  the  old  Baum  property  and 
converting  it  into  an  elegant  summer  home. 
Mr.  Bishop  has  not  spared  expense  in  im- 
proving the  old  place  and  his  improvements 
include  making  over  the  public  highway  in 
the  vicinity.  Mr.  Bishop  received  a  hearty 
welcome  from  his  fellow  citizens  of  North- 
field  Township.  He  has  named  his  place 
Sagamore  Summit,  the  latter  part  of  the 
name  being  suggested  by  its  natural  elevation, 
which  is  among  the  highest  in  Ohio,  and 
the  former  coming  from  the  beautiful  stream 
of  water  named  Sagamore  Creek,  which  has 
its  rise  on  his  farm.  The  Common  Council 
of  Macedonia,  in  recognition  of  his  public- 
spirted  entei-prise  in  repairing  the  highway, 
\oted  that  henceforth  it  should  bear  the  name 
of  Sagamore  Road. 

Mr.  Bishop  owns  some  of  the  finest  Jer- 
sey stock  in  this  section  of  Ohio,  taking  a 
great  deal  of  interest  in  it,  but  not  engaging 
in  farming  to  any  extent. 

Mr.  Bishop  married  Anna  L.  Swearer,  who 
i.s  a  daughter  of  Alfred  Swearer,  of  Browns- 
ville. He  is  affiliated  with  the  Republican 
]iarty  but  is  not  active.  He  is  prominent  in 
Masonry,  belonging  to  Tyrian  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  Cleveland;  Webb  Chapter,  R.  A. 
M. ;  Oriental  Commandery,  K.  T. ;  Lake  Erie 
Consistory,  and  Al  Koran  Temple  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine. 

THOMAS  BLACKBURN,  a  well-known 
citizen  and  retired  farmer  of  Hudson  Town- 
ship, was  born  October  9.  1833,  near  Gains- 
borough, on  the  River  Trent,  Lincolnshire, 
I'ngland,  and  is  a  son  of  William  Blackburn, 
who  died  during  the  Civil  War. 

Thomas  Blackburn  came  to  America  in 
1858  and  located  at  Peninsula,  with  his 
brother  John,  who  had  come  to  America  four 
years  previously.  In  September,  1861,  he  en- 
listed for  seiwice  in  the  Civil  War,  entering 
Battery  D,  First  Ohio  Light  Artillery,  under 
Captain  Conkle,  and  after  the  clo.se  of  his 
first  enlistment,  he  re-enlisted  in  1863,  and 
was  honorably  discharged  July  15,  1865. 
His  first  service  was  in  the  Western  armv  but 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZENS 


863 


after  the  Atlanta  campaign,  he  was  connected 
with  the  Southern  force. 

After  his  return  from  his  military  ser- 
vice Mr.  Blackburn  rejoined  his  brother 
at  Peninsula,  and  in  the  following  year 
was  married  and  then  settled  on  a  farm 
which  was  owned  by  his  father,  in  Hudson 
Township.  It  contained  sixty-six  acres  and 
he  rented  the  estate  for  five  years,  and  culti- 
vated it  antil  six  years  since.  To  the  original 
tract  he  added  sixty-eight  acres,  and  to  this 
his  son  has  added  eighty  more,  making  215 
acres.  It  is  well  stocked,  and  under  the  care- 
ful management  of  Mr.  Blackburn  and  son, 
has  been  developed  into  a  fine  place.  The 
aged  mother  lived  with  Mr.  Blackburn  until 
her  death,  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years, 
during  the  latter  part  of  her  long  life  being 
blind.  Mr.  Blackburn  has  two  brothers, 
namely:  John,  who  lives  near  Peninsula; 
and  Henry,  who  lives  at  Cleveland. 

On  April  10,  1868,  Mr.  Blackburn  was 
married  to  Hannah  Cowlej^,  who  was  also  born 
in  England,  being  four  years  of  age  when  her 
parents  brought  her  to  America.  They  w'ere 
Joseph  .James  and  Hannah  (Hunt)  Cowley. 
Her  father  settled  at  Middlebury,  where  he 
carried  on  a  blacksmith  business.  Mr.  and 
Mr.?.  Blackburn  have  had  six  children,  as  fol- 
low.? :  Florence  J.,  Harry  James,  Lotta,  Mary 
Edna,  and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  Flor- 
ence J.  married  Frederick  Stauffer  and  at  her 
death,  January  6,  1903,  left  two  children: 
Alice  and  Louise.  Harry  James  married 
Clara  Shaffer,  and  they  have  four  children : 
Grace  Augusta,  Meta  Aileen.  Helen  and  Har- 
net.  On  May  13,  1898,  he  enlisted  for  three 
years  as  first  lieutenant  of  Company  B,  Eighth 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  under 
General  Shafter  at  Santiago,  Cuba  and  was 
honorably  discharged  at  Wooster,  Ohio,  No- 
vember 21,  1898.  Prior  to  the  Spanish- 
American  War  he  had  been  a  member  of  the 
Ohio  National  Guards,  entering  April  23, 
1893.  in  the  following  July  was  made  corporal, 
on  May  12,  1894.  sergeant,  on  .Tune  first, 
1896.  second  lieutenant,  and  first  lieutenant, 
July  15,  1896.  After  the  close  of  the  Span- 
i.^h-American   War  he  retained   his  commis- 


sion as  fii'st  lieutenant,  and  in  September, 
1899,  he  was  elected  captain  and  so  continued 
until  he  resigned  his  commission  in  1902, 
when  he  was  honorably  discharged.  He  is 
bookkeeper  in  the  First  National  Bank  at 
Akron.  Mr.  Blackburn's  second  daughter, 
Lotta,  married  R.  E.  Miller,  and  they  reside 
in  Hudson  and  have  one  daughter,  Claire 
Louise. 

In  politics,  Thomas  Hudson  is  a  Repub- 
lican. For  twelve  yeaxs  he  served  as  a  trustee 
of  Hudson  Township  and  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  public  affairs.  He  is  a  member  and 
liberal  supporter  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  He  belongs  to  W.  T.  Sherman  Post, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  Mrs.  Black- 
tiui-n  is  serving  her  fifth  year  as  president  of 
the  Woman's  Relief  Corps. 

L.  H.  OVIATT,  county  commissioner  of 
Summit  County,  residing  at  Hudson  and 
awning  farming  and  cattle  interests  near 
Hudson,  has  his  official  residence  in  the 
Court  House  at  Akron.  He  was  born  in  Por- 
tage Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  in 
1860,  and  is  a  son  of  Salmon  F.  Oviatt. 

The  grandfather  of  Mr.  Oviatt  was  Benja- 
min Oviatt,  who,  with  his  brother,  Herman 
Oviatt,  came  to  Ohio  from  Connecticut,  and 
settled  near  Hudson,  Summit  County,  in 
1802,  when  this  whole  country  was  a  wilder- 
ness. Benjamn  Oviatt  resided  there  until 
1847,  w'hen  he  removed  to  Twinsburg  Town- 
ship, where  he  lived  until  his  death.  Salmon 
Oviatt,  father  of  L.  H.,  resided  at  Hudson, 
where  he  was  born  in  1827,  until  his  father 
moved  to  Twinsburg  Township,  and  he  still 
re.sides  on  the  same  farm,  having  reached  the 
age  of  eighty  years.  He  has  long  been  a 
prominent  citizen  of  that  section, 

L.  H.  Oviatt  was  reared  and  educated  at 
Twinsburg  and  subsequently  became  an  ex- 
tensive farmer  and  cattle  raiser.  Ever  since 
a^ttaining  manhood  he  had  been  active  in 
politics,  and  has  served  in  all  the  important 
township  offices,  having  been  a  member  of 
the  School  Board.  a.ssessor  and  trustee.  In 
the  fall  of  1901,  Mr.  Oviatt  was  first  elected 
countv  commissioner,  and  assumed  the  duties 


864 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


of  the  office  in  the  fall  of  1902.  His  re- 
election took  place  in  the  fall  of  1904.  Mr. 
Oviatt  has  been  chairman  of  the  building 
commission  for  the  erection  of  the  Court 
House,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Sunmiit 
County  Agi'icultural  Socity. 

Mr.  Oviatt  was  married  in  September,  1881, 
to  Nina  E.  Slocum,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John 
Slocum,  who  was  born  in  New  York  and  be- 
came later  a  resident  of  Akron.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Oviatt  have  two  children:  Ida,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Silas  E.  Sawyer,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  a  grocery  busines.s  at  Falls  Junction, 
Ohio,  and  Fayette  L.,  residing  at  home.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Oviatt  are  members  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church  at  Twinsburg.  Mr.  Oviatt 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

KENT  A.  FULMER,  a  representative  citi- 
zen of  Bath  Town.ship,  who  owns  forty  acres 
of  excellent  farming  land  one  mile  east  of 
Hammond's  Corners,  was  born  in  Sharon 
Township,  Medina  County,  Ohio,  February 
27,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Matilda 
(High)   Fulmer. 

Jacob  Fulmer  was  born  in  Northumberland 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  as  a  young  man  re- 
moved to  Wayne  County.  Ohio,  subsequently 
going  to  Sharon,  Medina  County,  where  for 
thirty  years  he  was  in  the  potash  business. 
He  then  engaged  in  farming,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  in  1892,  owned  a  tract  of  sev- 
enty-one acre.*,  in  Sharon  Township.  Mr. 
Fulmer  was  married  to  Matilda  High,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Hettie  (Whis- 
tler) High,  the  former  of  whom  was  an  uncle 
of  County  Treasurer  U.  G.  High,  of  Sum- 
mit County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fulmer  had  the 
following  children :  Ida  E..  who  married 
William  Wagar;  Norman  Ij.,  Kent  A.,  Jen- 
nie E.,  who  married  Alexander  Steese;  Abbie, 
who  married  Harland  Ganyard,  and  one  child 
which  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Fulmer  was 
married  (second)  to  Andrew  Kaskey,  who 
died  in  1903.  Mrs.  Ka.skey  now  makes  her 
home  with  her  son,  Kent  A. 

Kent  A.  Fulmer  was  reared  in  Sharon 
ToAvnship,  where  he  carried  on  farming  until 
he  attained  his  majority,   at  which  time  he 


went  to  .Vkron,  where,  for  three  years,  he 
worked  in  the  boiler  works.  He  then  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Goodrich  Rubber  Company, 
with  which  he  remained  seven  years,  after 
which  he  worked  one  year  at  the  Diamond 
Rubber  Works,  and  for  three  years  more,  he 
was  employed  at  the  Whitman-Barnes  Rub- 
ber Works.  In  1900  he  purchased  his  pres- 
ent fai'm,  buying  fi-om  Jeff  Mull,  and  here 
he  has  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  quite 
successfully,  and  in  addition  thereto  performs 
the  duties  of  constable  of  Bath  Township, 
having  been  elected  to  that  office  in  1901,  on 
the  Republican  ticket.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees. 

In  January,  1884,  Mr.  Fulmer  was  mar- 
ried to  Annie  Ritchie,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
George  Ritchie,  and  they  have  one  child. 
Opal,  who  married  Miller  Underwood. 

CHARLES  BOLTZ,  a  well  known  citizen 
of  Bath  Township,  who  owns  178  acres  of 
fine  farming  land  located  about  one  mile 
east  and  one-half  mile  south  of  Hammond's 
Cornel's,  was  born  Jvme  19,  1866.  ju.st  south 
of  Ghent,  Bath  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  W.  and  Elizabeth 
(Sheets)   Boltz. 

Peter  W.  Boltz  was  born  and  reared  in 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  married.  After 
the  birth  of  three  children,  Mr.  Boltz  came 
to  Ohio  and  settled  first  in  Bath  Township, 
where  he  engaged  in  work  by  the  day.  I^ater 
he  rented  the  present  property  of  J.  Hershey, 
in  West  Bath,  and  there  resided  for  eighteen 
years,  but  at  the  end  of  this  time  removed 
to  William  Hardy's  place,  one-half  mile  east 
of  Botzum,  in  Northampton  Township,  rent- 
ing this  farm  for  three  years.  The  next  year 
was  spent  on  the  W.  B.  Doyle  farm  in  Port- 
age Township,  and  the  family  then  removed 
to  a  farm  of  sixty-seven  acres  near  Harris 
Mill,  in  Bath  Township,  which  Mr.  Boltz  had 
purchased  in  the  previous  year.  The  house 
on  this  farm  burned  down  while  Mr.  Boltz 
was  sick,  and  he  was  removed  to  the  old  Wil- 
liam Barker  farm,  where  he  died  while  his 
own  house  was  in  course  of  being  rebuilt. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boltz  were  the  parents  of  eleven 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


865 


children,  all  al'  wLoin  but  unu  are  living, 
namely:  ^Vmelia,  who  is  the  widow  of  W. 
Bennage;  Thomas,  who  resides  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls ;  Jane,  who  is  the  wife  of  Alfred  Cai-ver, 
of  Akron;  Charles,  Sadie,  who  is  the  wife  of 
George  Snyder;  John,  who  lives  at  Akron; 
Albert,  who  resides  in  Bath  Township;  Sher- 
man and  Sheridan,  twins,  and  Carl.  Clara 
died  when  eleven  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Boltz 
still  sun'ives  and  makes  her  home  in  Bath 
Township. 

Charles  Boltz  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  section  and  until  marriage  re- 
sided at  home.  After  this,  he  and  his  wife 
went  to  housekeeping  on  a  rented  farm  in 
Northampton  Township,  where  they  resided 
for  one  yeai",  then  removed  to  a  farm  in  Bath 
Township,  which  they  rented  for  two  years, 
and  subsequently  located  on  the  old  Stephen 
Dales  farm  in  Copley  Township.  After  two 
years  on  this  place,  they  lived  at  Hammond's 
Corners,  for  a  year,  and  then  came  to  the 
pi'esent  farm.  Mr.  Boltz  rented  a  large  part 
of  the  farm  for  five  yeai's  before  he  purchased 
it,  and  to  the  original  tract,  he  subsequently 
added  sixty-three  acres  which  adjoined  it. 
bringing  it  up  to  178  acres.  He  carries  on 
general  farming  and  dairjdng,  keeping  from 
ten  to  twenty  cows. 

In  1890  Mr.  Boltz  man-ied  Lydia  Myers, 
and  they  have  three  children,  namely:  Edith, 
Harley  and  Irma. 

BURT  DONCASTER,  funeral  director  at 
Hudson,  was  born  in  Tallmadge,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  August  1,  1865,  and  is  a  son 
of  James  and  Louise  (Collins)  Doncaster. 

The  gTandparents  of  Mr.  Doncaster  were 
William  and  Hannah  (Darley)  Doncaster, 
who  Avere  born  and  married  in  Lincolnshire, 
England.  After  coming  to  America  they  lo- 
cated at  Streetsboro,  Portage  County,  Ohio, 
Vnit  later  moved  to  Hamden,  Geauga  County. 
The  grandfather  met  an  accidental  death  at 
Chardon. 

James  Doncaster.  father  of  Burt,  wa«  born 
July  20,  1836,  in  Streetsboro  Township,  Por- 
tage County,  and  died  at  Hudson,  March  30, 
1906.     He  learned  carriage-making  at  Tall- 


madge and  followed  this  trade  after  coming 
to  Hudson,  together  with  undertaking,  be- 
coming a  member  of  the  firm  of  Wadhams  & 
Doncaster,  in  1871,  later  buying  Mr.  Wad- 
ham's  interest.  He  married  Louise  Collins, 
who  was  born  at  Brimfield,  Summit  County, 
August  7,  1837,  who  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Collins,  who  came  to  Ohio  from  Pennsylva- 
nia. The  two  children  born  to  this  marriage 
are :  Burt  and  Grace,  the  latter  of  whom  was 
born  July  13,  1867,  and  both  reside  at  Plud- 
son.  James  Doncaster  was  a  Republican  in 
his  political  views  and  frequently  filled  public 
office,  serving  many  years  as  township  trustee, 
also  iis  a.ssessor,  and  for  thirty  years  was  su- 
perintendent of  the  Hudson  cemetery.  He 
belonged  to  Hudson  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Burt  Doncaster  was  two  years  old  when  his 
parents  came  to  Hudson,  where  he  acquired 
a  common  school  education.  He  became  an 
employe  of  the  Adams  Express  Company  and 
remained  with  them  for  twenty  years,  during 
one  year  of  that  period  living  at  Cleveland, 
and  during  three  and  one-half  years  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls.  He  succeeded  his  father  in  the 
undertaking  business,  and  later  attended  an 
embalming  school  at  Sandusky.  Mr.  Don- 
caster has  well-equipped  quarters  and  is  pre- 
pared to  answer  every  call  in  his  line  of  busi- 
ness. 

On  October  23,  1887,  Mr.  Doncaster  was 
married  to  Nellie  Scott,  who  was  born  at 
Bedford  and  is  a  daughter  of  De  Witt  Clin- 
ton and  Adlantha  (Acker)  Scott.  They  have 
four  children:  Hazel,  born  January  12, 
1889:  Harlev.  born  Februarv  3,  1891;  Lena 
Rose,  born  .June  22,  1898,  and  Clarine  Mil- 
dred, born  June  30,  1902.  Mr.  Doncaster  is 
a  Republican. 

HORACE  LAWRENCE  DEACON,  resid- 
ing on  the  old  home  farm,  in  Hudson  Town- 
ship. Summit  County.  Ohio,  on  which  he  was 
born  May  1,  1833,  is  one  of  the  representa- 
tive citizens  of  this  section.  His  parents  were 
•Tohn  and  Julia  Ann  (Lawrence)  Deacon. 

The  grandfather  of  Mr.  Deacon  was  Mar- 
maduke  Deacon,  who  was  born  in  Ireland. 
In  1805  he  came  from  Washington  County, 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT   COUNTY 


Pennsylvania,  to  Summit  County,  Ohio,  buy- 
ing 160  acres  of  land  in  Hudson  Township, 
which  was  a  portion  of  the  present  home 
farm.  To  his  original  purchase  he  added, 
buying  from  the  Connecticut  Land  Company, 
and  he  became  a  large  owner  of  valuable 
lands  in  this  section.  His  wife,  Mary  Carter, 
died  in  July,  1806,  in  the  little  log  cabin 
which  had  been  completed  in  the  previous 
April.  She  left  motherless .  the  little  four- 
year-old  son,  John,  who  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania. He  grew  to  sturdy  manhood  and 
cultivated  101  acres  of  the  land  now  owned 
by  his  grandson,  L.  W.  Deacon.  John  Dea- 
con married  Julia  Ann  Lawrence,  who  was 
born  at  Seabrook,  Connecticut,  in  1813,  and 
was  a  daughter  of  Martin  Lawrence,  who 
came  to  Hudson  Township  in  1817.  They 
had  the  following  children:  Horace  Law- 
rence, John  Wesley,  formerly  a  resident  of 
Hudson  Township,  where  he  died  aged  sixty 
years;  Mrs.  Caroline  Campbell,  who  is  de- 
ceased; David,  residing  at  Hudson;  Mrs. 
Emily  Slubaugh,  widow,  residing  at  Cleve- 
land; Cyrus  B.,  who  died  at  Hudson;  Ed- 
mund, residing  in  Bath  Township;  Louis; 
Lucinda,  who  is  deceased ;  Frederick,  residing 
at  Akron,  and  Louisa,  who  married  John 
Musson. 

Horace  L.  Deacon  spent  his  childhood  in 
the  old  log  house  which  was  built  by  his 
grandfather.  On  this  land  he  has  continued 
to  carry  on  agricultural  pursuits,  and  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  excellent  farmers  of  Hudson 
Township.  He  lived  for  a  short  time  in 
Boston  Township,  but  his  home  has  mainly 
been  in  the  vicinity  of  his  birth.  On  May 
12,  1863,  he  was  married  to  Electa  Johnson, 
who  was  born  in  Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Clark  and  Polly  (Ferris) 
Johnson.  Her  grandfather  came  from  Penn- 
sylvania. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deacon  have  three 
children:  Emma,  who  married  Frank  Oviatt, 
residing  in  Northfield  Township,  have  two 
children,  Cliff  and  Opal;  Julia  May,  who 
married  Van  Nostram,  residing  in  Northfield 
Township,  have  two  children,  Mildred  and 
Arleen,  and  Lawrence,  who  married  Beatrice 
Delia  Van  Nostram,  has  had  two  children, 


Harold  Lawrence,  deceased,  and  Kenneth 
Samuel.  In  politics,  Mr.  Deacon  is  an  inde- 
pendent voter. 

JOHN  KEMERY,  a  well-known  resident 
of  Bath  Township,  who  owns  a  fine  160-acre 
farm,  was  born  March  1,  1842,  in  Wayne 
Township,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son 
of  Daniel  and  Susanna  (Yergin)  Kemery. 

Daniel  Kemery  came  to  Wayne  County, 
Ohio,  from  New  York,  and  was  here  married. 
He  rented  farming  land  in  Wayne  Town- 
ship, on  which  he  lived  until  his  death  in 
1850.  He  left  a  widow  and  five  children, 
namely:  Catherine,  deceased,  who  was  the 
wife  of  Benjamin  Allman ;  David,  who  died 
in  the  fall  of  1906 ;  Caroline,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Jared  Sheldon ;  John  and  Samantha  Jane, 
who  married  Silas  Payne,  of  Richfield. 

John  Kemery  was  about  eight  years  of  age 
when  his  father  died,  and  the  oldest  of  the 
children  was  not  more  than  fourteen.  Both 
he  and  his  brother,  David,  were  put  out  to 
work  for  neighboring  farmers  at  an  early 
age.  In  1851  the  mother  removed  to  Rich- 
field Township,  where  she  owned  a  tract  of 
fifteen  acres,  and  there  John  Kemery  was 
principally  reared.  The  mother  died  in  Rich- 
field Township  in  1883.  Prior  to  his  mar- 
riage, Mr.  Kemery  was  engaged  in  the  lum- 
ber business  and  in  operating  a  sawmill,  but 
afterward  settled  on  a  farm  he  bought  in 
Richfield  Township,  from  which  he  removed 
in  1882  to  his  present  property,  this  being 
purchased  in  partnership  with  Israel  Baum- 
gardner,  whom  he  later  bought  out.  Mr. 
Kemery  has  made  many  improvements,  in- 
cluding the  erection  of  all  the  buildings,  the 
clearing  of  about  fifty  acres  and  setting  out 
of  trees.  He  has  one  of  the  best  cultivated 
farms  in  the  town.'^hip  and  has  been  very 
successful  in  his  farming  and  dairying  in- 
dustries. In  1900  Mr.  Kemery  served  as  real 
estate  appaiser  of  Bath  Township. 

Mr.  Kemery  was  married  in  Richfield,  in 
1865,  to  Mary  A.  Peach,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  David  and  Elizabeth  Peach,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Melvin  Orlando,  who  was  born  Au- 
gust 31.  18<56.     He  is  engaged  in  farming 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


867 


the  home  place.     He  married  Anna  Snyder, 
•who   is   a   daughter   of   Isaac    and   Pauhne 
(Powell)  Snyder. 

WILLIAM  F.  MILLER,  general  farmer 
and  stockraiser  of '  Bath  Township,  who  re- 
sides on  his  well-improved  property  of  fifty- 
two  acres,  was  born  September  6,  1853,  at 
Canton,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  David  and 
Mary  (Killinger)  Miller. 

David  Miller  was  born  in  Lebanon  County, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  reared,  and 
shortly  after  his  marriage  he  came  to  Can- 
ton, Ohio,  where  he  worked  at  shoemaking 
and  also  carried  on  farmmg.  In  1856  he  re- 
moved to  Copley  Township,  Summit  County, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres, 
one  mile  north  of  Copley,  on  which  he  re- 
sided until  retiring  from  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  1875,  when  he  removed  to  Copley 
Center,  and  there  his  death  occurred  in  April, 
1904,  aged  ninety-four  years.  His  wife  had 
died  in  August,  1876.  They  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children:  Mahlon,  who  died 
an  infant  at  Canton,  Ohio;  Alice,  who  mar- 
ried Albertus'  Kellar,  of  Portage  County, 
Ohio;  Caroline,  who  is  the  widow  of  Urias 
Miller,  lives  at  Battle  Creek,  Michigan ;  Eliza- 
beth, who  is  the  wife  of  William  Vickers, 
who  is  a  farmer  of  Fulton  County,  Michigan, 
and  William  F. 

William  F.  Miller  was  reared  in  Copley 
Township,  and  all  of  his  mature  life  has  been 
spent  in  farming,  with  the  exception  of  six 
years,  when  he  was  engaged  in  teaming  at 
Akron.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
married,  when  he  rented  a  farm  in  Copley 
Township  for  one  year,  and  then  removed 
to  Richfield  Township,  to  what  was  first  called 
Baldi^an's,  and  later  Miller's  Corners,  just 
across  the  Bath  Township  line.  He  purchased 
a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  1877,  but  in  1893, 
removed  to  Akron,  where  he  lived  for  six 
years,  and  then  returned  to  his  farm  for  an 
equal  period.  In  1905  Mr.  Miller  sold  that 
farm  and  purchased  his  present  one. 

In  1876  Mr.  Miller  was  married  to  Mary 
Goodman,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Mary    (Jackson)    Goodman.     She  was  born 


and  reared  in  Pennsylvania,  and  moved  to 
Copley  when  about  twelve  yeai^  of  age,  at 
which  place  the  father  died  in  1888.  Her 
mother  still  lives  at  Copley.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Miller  the  following  children  have  been 
born:  Clarence,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  months;  Marcia,  who  died  when 
twenty-five  years  old,  was  the  wife  of  Harry 
Brock,  and  left  one  child,  Clarence  Brock, 
who  lives  mth  Mr.  Miller;  Earl,  who  is  a 
shipping  clerk  for  a  large  Cleveland  shoe 
house,  married  Gertrude  Vallen;  Maude  and 
Dana,  who  live  at  home,  and  Leta,  who  died 
at  Akron,  aged  si.x  years. 

PHILIP  J.  HEINTZ,  a  highly  esteemed 
resident  of  Bath  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  owns  and  operates  ninety-six 
and  three-quarters  acres  of  excellent  farming 
land,  was  born  in  Germany,  Januai-y  20,  1839, 
and  is  a  son  of  Philip  and  Mary  (Baird) 
Heintz. 

Philip  J.  Heintz  was  six  and  one-half  years 
old  when  his  parents  left  Germany  for 
America,  and  on  June  15,  1845,  the  family 
arrived  at  Akron,  Ohio.  One  month  later 
they  removed  to  Coventry  Township,  where 
the  father  had  purchased  a  farm  of  fifty  acres. 
On  this  farm  the  parents  of  Mr.  Heintz  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

Philip  J.  Heintz  was  the  next  to  the  oldest 
and  is  now  the  oldest  living,  of  a  family  of. 
eleven  children.  He  was  reared  in  Coventry 
Township  and  was  trained  to  be  a  farmer 
on  the  home  place,  on  which  he  remained 
until  March,  1878.  On  Thanksgiving  Day, 
1877,  he  purchased  his  present  property,  to 
which  he  moved  when  he  left  the  homestead. 
He  erected  the  house  and  barn,  and  after  the 
destruction  of  the  barn  by  fire  in  July,  1892, 
he  built  his  present  substantial  one,  which  is 
38x66  feet  in  dimensions. 

On  November  23,  1865,  Mr.  Heintz  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Hendricks, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Jesse  Hendricks.  She 
was  reared  in  Pennsylvania,  and  when  the 
other  members  of  her  family  removed-  to 
Iowa,  she  accompanied  her  sister  to  Akron. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heintz  have  one  child :  Henry, 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT   COUNTY 


who  wa.s  born  August  20,  1809.  Jk'  is  un- 
iiiiirrifd  and  helps  his  father  to  operate  tlie 
farm. 

EDWARD  E.  ROGERS,  one  of  HucLion's 
prominent  citizen.s.  who  has  been  identified 
with  its  important  interests  during  a  long 
and  useful  life,  was  born  in  Hudson  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  January  14, 
1836.  He  is  a  son  of  Norman  and  Minerva 
(Lusk)  Rogers,  and  a  grandson  of  Henry  and 
Mary  (Day)  Rogers,  who  came  from  Massa- 
chusetts and  settled  in  Deerfield  Township, 
Portage  County,  in  1800. 

Norman  Rogers  was  born  at  West  Spring- 
field, Massachusetts,  and  he  was  twelve  yeais 
of  age  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Deerfield  Township,  where  he  lived  four  years 
and  then  came  to  Hudson  Township.  He 
became  a  man  of  influence  here  and  for  a 
number  of  terms  served  as  a  justice  of  the 
peace.  In  early  political  life,  he  was  a 
Whig,  but  later  became  affiliated  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  died  in  1862.  He  mar- 
ried Minerva  Lusk,  who  was  born  in  New- 
York  and  died  in  1839.  She  was  a  "daughter 
of  Capt.  Amos  Lusk,  who  was  an  officer  in 
the  War  of  1812,  and  his  wife,  Mary  (Adams) 
Lusk,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  cousin  of  John 
Quincy  Adams.  They  had  a  farm  two  miles 
northeast  of  Hudson.  They  reared  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  Amos,  who  died  aged  eighty 
years,  residing  at  that  time  in  Michigan ; 
Laura,  who  died  in  1877 ;  Mary,  who  died  in 
1895;  Horace,  who  died  in  1894:  and  Ed- 
ward E.  The  late  Horace  Rogers  resided 
with  his  brother  Edward  until  his  death.  He 
was  a  well-known  artist  and  the  work  of  his 
pen  and  pencil  may  be  seen  in  the  old  atlas 
of  Summit  County. 

Dr.  Rogers  has  passed  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  in  Hudson  and  is  one  of  her  most 
highly  esteemed  citizens.  From  the  local 
schools  he  attended  a  preparatory  course  in 
the  Western  Resen-e,  and  when  twenty-four 
years  of  age  began  the  study  of  dentistry, 
which  he  practiced  for  a  short  period  in  Me- 
dina County,  but  afterward  returned  to  Hud- 
son.    Occasionally,  Dr.  Rogers  still  practices, 


but  to  no  great  extent.  For  some  thirty 
years,  he  has  also  been  interested  in  a  fire  and 
accident  insurance  business,  repjreseuting 
some  of  the  leading  organizations  of  the 
country.  Dr.  Rogers  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party  and  has  been  a  leading  and 
influential  factor  for  many  years.  He  served 
two  terms  as  mayor  of  Hudson,  for  twenty- 
five  years  was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  for 
over  that  time  served  as  township     clerk. 

On  March  13,  1867,  Dr.  Rogers  was  mar- 
riwl  to  Catherine  A.  Whedon,  who  was  born  in 
the  residence  which  the  family  occupies,  at 
Hudson,  in  which  she  has  lived  all  her  life. 
Her  parents  were  John  B.  and  Catherine 
(Wells)  Whedon,  the  latter  of  whom  was 
horn  in  Connecticut,  and  the  former  in  Ohio. 
Her  father  built  the  present  residence  and  a 
drug  store  adjacent,  the  latter  of  which  he 
conducted  for  many  years.  Mrs.  Rogers  is 
an  accomplished  pianist  and  for  a  number 
of  years  taught  instrumental  music.  They 
have  two  daughters,  Elizabeth  Minerva  and 
Catherine  Wells,  both  residing  at  home.  The 
former  has  been  a  teacher  in  the  State  insti- 
tution for  the  Feeble-minded,  at  Columbus. 
The  latter  has  been  a  stenographer  at  Cleve- 
land. Dr.  Rogers  and  family  belong  to  the 
Episcopal  Church. 

COULSON  MONROE  FOSTER,  general 
farmer  and  representative  citizen  of  Twine- 
burg  Township,  w'here  he  operates  a  large 
farm,  owning  135  1-4  acres,  was  born  in  Bos- 
ton Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio.  May 
13,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  Edwin  Francis  and 
Ann  Elizabeth  (Deisman)  Foster. 

Pardon  Foster,  the  grandfathcT.  came  to 
Summit  County  from  Rochester,  New  York, 
when  Edwin  Francis  was  nine  years  of  age. 
The  latter  grew  to  manhood  here  and  ac- 
quired a  large  amount  of  land  in  Summit 
County,  one  farm  of  seventy-five  acres,  one 
of  128  acres,  a  third  of  135  acres,  and  still 
another  of  180  acres. 

Coulson  M.  Foster  attended  excellent  schools 
through  boyhood  and  even  into  manhood, 
enjoying  advantages  at  Boston,  Oak  Hill  and 
Brandvwine.     He  remained   with   his  father 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZENS 


S71 


until  almost  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  then 
spent  ten  yeai"s  working  by  the  month,  after 
which  he  came  to  his  present  farm,  which 
he  purchased  of  his  sister.  This  property  he 
has  managed  very  successfully,  and  in  addi- 
tion has  bought  a  number  of  timber  tracts 
which  he  has  cleared  and  sold.  Mr.  Foster 
has  had  accident  and  sickness  to  contend  with, 
and  has  overcome  many  difficulties  which 
would  have  completely  discouraged  a  less 
brave  and  cheerful  man,  but  in  .spite  of  all 
these  drawbacks  he  has  prospered. 

On  December  31,  1876,  Mr.  Foster  was 
married  (fii-st)  to  Polly  Maria  Carter,  who 
died  October  4,  1904,  after  many  years  of  in- 
validism. Two  children  were  born  to  this 
macriage,  namely;  Martin  Monroe,  residing 
at  Cleveland,  married  Blanche  Strickler;  and 
Edna  Anna,  resdddng  in  Bedford,  who  married 
George  Strickler  and  has  two  children,  Nettie 
and  William.  Mr.  Foster  wa.-  married  (sec- 
ond) to  Rosanna  Schuerman.  who  was  born 
in  Gennany. 

In  politics  Mr.  Fo.ster  is  a  Republican. 

CHARLES  E.  THOMAS,  vice  president 
and  secretary  of  the  Moody  &  Thomas  Mill- 
ing Company,  at  Peninsula,  and  treasurer  of 
both  Boston  Township  and  Peninsula  cor- 
poration, is  a  leading  citizen  of  this  section 
of  Summit  County.  He  was  born  in  01m- 
stead  Township,  Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio, 
March  14,  1861.  and  is  a  son  of  George  C. 
and  Rhoda  M.   (Burrington)   Thomas. 

George  C.  Thomas  was  born  in  Bangor 
Township,  Franklin  County,  New  York,  and 
died  in  1902.  aged  seventy-eight  years.  In 
early  manhood  he  came  to  Cuyahoga  County, 
Ohio,  and  worked  for  a  number  of  years  in 
n  sawmill,  then  rented  a  mill  and  also  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Middlebiiry.  Later  he  dis- 
posed of  hi?  first  farm  and  bought  the  farm 
in  Olmstead  Township  on  which  his  son, 
Charles  E.  was  born.  Here  he  also  conducted 
ii  flour  mill.  In  1881,  in  partnership  with 
his  son  Oscar,  under  the  firm  name  of  George 
Thomas  &  Son.  he  purcha.sed  the  Peninsula 
mill,  which  he  operated  until  ISS,*!,  when  the 
property  was  purchased  by  Moody  &  Thomas. 


Mr.  Thomas  then  retired  to  his  farm  in  Olm- 
stead Township,  where  the  remainder  of  his 
life  was  spent.  He  was  a  man  of  local  con- 
sequence, a  Republican  in  his  political  faith, 
and  for  yeai-s  held  township  offices.  He 
married  Rhoda  M.  Burrington,  who  died  in 
1887,  aged  fifty-live  years.  She  was  a  con- 
.>istent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
They  had  four  children:  Oscar,  residing  at 
Peninsula;  Hattie,  who  married  George  Yes- 
berger,  residing  in  Olmstead  Township; 
Charles  E.,  and  Edna,  who  married  Sumner 
Ryder,   residing  at  Cleveland. 

Charles  E.  Thomas  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  of  Olmstead  Township.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  went  to  Cleve- 
land and  entered  into  a  flour  and  feed  busi- 
ness with  Chandler  R.  Jloody,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Moody  &  Thomas.  He  made  his 
home  at  Cleveland  until  the  firm  purchased 
the  Peninsula  mill  in  1885,  since  which  time 
he  has  resided  at  Peninsula. 

The  Peninsula  Mills  stand  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Cuyahoga  River,  where  there  is 
a  natural  fall  of  about  six  feet.  Taking  ad- 
vantage of  this,  Harmon  Bronson,  in  1832, 
tunneled  through  the  rock  and  secured  a 
good  water  power  of  considerable  volume 
without  building  a  dam.  This  mill,  erected 
in  1832,  remained  standing  until  1902.  In 
1849  the  mill  came  into  the  possession  of 
H.  V.  Bronson,  son  of  the  founder,  who  op- 
erated it  until  1863,  when  it  was  sold  to 
Pomeroy  &  Fisher,  who  operated  it  for  three 
years.  Afterwards  it  changed  hands  several 
times  until,  in  1872,  it  was  bought  by  W.  F. 
i-  C.  E.  Bois,  who  sold  it  in  1881  to  George 
Thomas  &  Son. 

In  the  following  year  it  was  completely 
remodeled,  the  new  finn  putting  in  a  full 
line  of  rollers,  this  being  the  first  mill  in 
Northern  Ohio  to  adopt  the  roller  system. 
In  188.5.  as  noted  above.  Moody  &  Thomas 
secured  the  mill  and  operated  it  continuously 
until  1902.  when,  as  their  large  and  increas- 
ing trade  had  outgrown  the  capacity  of  tho 
old  mill,  it  was  razed  and  the  present  fine 
structure  took  its  place.  This  fine  mill,  witli 
it~  modern  equipments,  was  ready  for  opera- 


8';2 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


tion  by  the  beginning  of  1903.  At  this  time 
the  firm  erected  a  concrete  dam  across  the 
neck  of  the  peninsula,  increasing  the  fall  of 
the  stream  to  nine  feet,  in  thi?  way  securing 
ample  power  to  operate  the  new  plant.  A 
corporation  was  also  formed  to  succeed  to  the 
old  partnership,  the  officers  being:  0.  R. 
Moody,  president  and  treasurer,  and  0.  E. 
Thomas,  vice  president  and  secretary.  In 
addition  to  the  Peninsula  property,  the  com- 
pany owns  a  large  warehouse  and  elevator 
at  Cleveland,  where  an  immense  business  is 
done  in  flour,  feed,  baled  hay  and  straw,  and 
from  there  the  product  of  their  mill  is  dis- 
tributed all  over  the  city. 

The  Peninsula  mill  and  elevator  are  two 
buildings  in  one  and  stand  on  a  stone  foun- 
dation. The  dimensions  of  the  mill  house 
are  38  by  48  feet,  three  stories  above  the 
basement.  The  elevator  part  is  38  by  24 
feet,  while  the  wheat  bins  have  a  capacity  of 
25,000  bushels.  The  power  for  the  wheat 
mill  is  furnished  by  a  48-inch  Little  Giant 
water-wheel,  and  the  power  for  the  elevator 
and  feed  side  by  a  36-inch  wheel  of  the  same 
make.  The  construction  is  such  that  the 
power  of  these  wheels  can  be  united  at  any 
time.  The  mill  machinery  is  all  of  the  latest 
and  most  modern  type,  heating  is  done  by  a 
steam  system  and  power  transmission  is  so 
arranged  that  by  throwing  clutches  in  or  out, 
any  part  of  the  mill  can  be  stopped  and 
started  without  affecting  the  rest. 

In  addition  to  his  large  interests  as  above 
stated,  Mr.  Thomas  owns  a  fine  stock  farm 
of  140  acres,  which  he  purchased  in  1905 
of  Horace  Beers.  He  has  about  one-half  of 
the  farm  under  cultivation,  but  makes  a 
specialty  of  raising  Duroc  red  swine.  He 
also  raises  horses  and  cattle  for  market,  keep- 
ing about  twenty-one  head  of  cattle  at  all 
times.  He  personally  supervises  operations 
but  has  two  trained  men  to  look  after  his 
farm  and  stock  business.  It  is  a  fine  prop- 
erty and  his  industries  there  would  be  an 
ample  fortune  for  a  man  without  additional 
enterprises. 

Mr.  Thomas  married  Georgia  Johnson, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Adair  H.  Johnson,  a 


vvell-known  resident  of  Peninsula.  They 
have  had  three  children,  the  two  survivors 
being  Amy  and  Henry.  Mrs.  Thomas  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
In  politics  Mr.  Thomas  is  an  ardent  Re- 
publican and  on  many  occasions  has  been 
elected  to  office  on  that  ticket.  He  has  fre- 
quently served  as  trustee  of  Boston  Town- 
ship, and  for  a  decade  has  been  treasurer 
both  of  the  township  and  of  the  town.  He 
belongs  to  Rising  Sun  Lodge,  No.  266,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  of  Richfield;  also  to  General  Sheri- 
dan Lodge,  K.  P.,  of  Hudson;  to  the  Elks, 
at  Akron,  and  to  the  Maccabees  at  Peninsula. 

HENRY  MYERS,  residing  on  his  valuable 
farm  of  159  acres,  situated  in  Hudson  Town- 
ship, is  a  representative  citizen  of  this  sec- 
tion and  is  a  man  who  in  a  large  degree  com- 
mands the  respect  and  enjoys  the  esteem  of 
bis  fellow  citizens.  He  was  born  in  Luzerne 
County,  Pennsylvania,  October  19,  1832,  and 
is  a  son  of  Philip  and  Margaret  (Erode) 
Myers. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Myers  was  born  in 
Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
a  son  of  John  Myers,  who  was  born  at  New- 
ark, New  Jersey.  The  grandfather  had  two 
brothers  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  both  of 
whom  were  killed  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker 
Hill.  Philip  J.  Myers  owned  a  farm  of  some 
300  acres  in  Northampton  County  and  subse- 
quently operated  a  store  in  Luzerne  County. 
Henry  Myers  has  one  brother  and  four  sisters. 
The  former  resides  in  the  old  home  neighbor- 
hood. His  sisters  are:  Mrs.  Christiana 
Lutsey,  residing  at  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin; 
Mrs.  Maria  Spade,  residing  at  Dorrance, 
Luzerne  County;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Jones,  re- 
siding at  Scranton,  Pennsylvania;  and  Mrs. 
Priscilla  Jones,  residing  in  Slocum  Township, 
Luzerne  County. 

When  he  was  about  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  Mr.  Myers  went  to  Shalersville,  where  he 
was  clerk  in  a  hotel  for  three  months,  and 
then  bought  a  farm  adjoining  his  wife's  prop- 
erty in  Freedom  Township,  and  engaged  in 
farming.  For  two  years,  while  living  in  Lu- 
zerne County,  he  was  fireman  on  the  railroad, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


873 


and  he  was  the  first  fireman  and  his  brother 
George  was  the  first  engineer  that  ever  ran  a 
train  over  that  part  of  the  Pennsylvania 
system.  He  subsequently  sold  both  farms 
and  came  to  Hudson,  and  bought  a  farm  of 
102  acres  for  a  son  who  was  educated  in  the 
Western  Reserve  College.  In  1902,  he  sold 
his  own  farm  of  seventy-two  acres. 

On  June  20,  1857,  Mr.  Myers  was  married 
to  Ruth  Ann  Woodruff,  with  whom,  in  1907, 
he  has  had  the  privilege  of  celebrating  their 
Golden  Wedding.  Mrs.  Myers  was  born  at 
Farmington,  Hartford  County,  Connecticut, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Col.  Daniel  AVoodruff, 
who  served  as  an  officer  in  the  War  of  1812, 
as  coast  guard  in  Connecticut.  A  cannon  ball 
fired  during  that  time  is  preserved  in  the 
family,  its  mission  to  the  fort  having  been 
the  killing  of  Col.  Woodruff  and  his  brave 
men,  which  fortunately  it  did  not  accomplish. 
He  lived  to  establish  a  home  fii-st  in  Hud- 
son and  later  in  Freedom  Township,  to 
which  he  moved  in  the  spring  of  1840,  where 
he  died  in  1855.  He  married  Sarah  Ann 
Mills,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut.  Colonel 
Woodruff  was  county  surveyor  of  Portage 
County,  before  Summit  was  divided  from 
Portage.  Mrs.  Myers  is  the  only  living  cousin 
of  John  Brown,  of  immortal  fame.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Myers  have  one  son,  Daniel  Woodruff. 
He  was  born  in  Freedom  Township,  and  was 
a  student  in  the  Western  Reserve  College  be- 
fore it  was  moved  to  Cleveland.  Daniel  W. 
Myers  was  married  (first)  to  Lelia  J.  Bediant, 
and  they  had  four  children :  Maud  Eliza  and 
Mabel  Anna,  twins,  and  Marian  and  Daniel 
AVoodruff,  Jr.  Mr.  Myers  was  married 
(second)  to  Carris  P.  Downing,  and  their  one 
little  daughter,  Margaret  Janette,  died  aged 
three  months  and  one  day. 

Henry  Myers  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  has  served  as  supervisor  of  his  district. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church 
at  Freedom,  and  is  a  liberal  supporter  of 
church  and  educational  movements. 

T.  S.  MYERS,  county  treasurer  of  Summit 
County,  elect,  is  president  of  the  I.  S.  Myers 
Company,  one  of  the  leading  clothing  houses 


at  Akron,  in  which  city  he  has  maintained 
his  home  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
He  was  born  in  Green  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  in  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter 
and  Jlary  (Stump)  Myers. 

Peter  Myei-s  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
in  Stark  County,  just  across  the  line  of  Sum- 
mit County.  In  1860  he  moved  to  Green 
Township,  Summit  County,  of  which  town- 
ship he  later  became  a  prominent  citizen,  serv- 
ing as  one  of  its  trustees.  He  was  a  self-made 
man  and  was  very  highly  esteemed.  The 
mother  of  I.  S.  Myers  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Stump,  who  came  with  his  wagons  across  the 
wild  country  from  Pennsylvania,  and  settled 
in  Franklin  Township,  -  Summit  County,  in 
1832.  He  was  one  of  the  newly-settled  re- 
gion's most  reliable  and  substantial  men. 

I.  S.  Myers  remained  on  the  home  farm, 
assisting  with  the  farm  work  and  in  the  mean- 
tice  acquiring  a  good  education  in  the  local 
schools,  where  he  began  teaching  at  the  age 
of  seventeen,  when  he  came  to  Akron  and  en- 
gaged as  a  clerk  in  a  clothing  store  until 
1893.  He  then  embarked  in  a  clothing  busi- 
ness for  himself,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Myers,  Ganyard  &  Stump,  which  firm  con- 
tinued for  one  year,  when  Mr.  Stump  sold  his 
inteiest  and  the  firm  name  became  Ganyard  & 
Myers,  until  1900,  when  Mr.  Myers  bought 
his  partner's  interest.  In  1902  the  firm  of  the 
I.  S.  Myers  Company  was  incorporated,  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $55,000,  with  I.  S.  Myers 
as  president.  This  is  an  extensive  business 
and  its  method  are  along  modern  line.  A 
branch  store  is  operated  at  Wadsworth,  which 
is  also  doing  well.  The  firm  deals  in  clothing 
and  manufactures  hats,  having  both  a  -large 
wholesale  and  retail  trade,  and  gives  constant 
employment  to  from  twenty-eight  to  thirty 
people.  A  marked  feature  of  its  management 
is  that  all  employes  who  have  continued  with 
the  firm  for  a  certain  length  of  time,  have  a 
financial  interest  in  the  company,  this  liberal 
policy  resulting  in  a  better  feeling  and  more 
satisfactory  results  than  seem  to  prevail  in 
many  large  concerns  where  different  methods 
are  followed.  The  Wadsworth  store  is  a  fine 
concrete  structure,  114  by  80  feet  in  dimen- 


874 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


sions,  while  their  ^Vkron  establishment  is  a 
three-story  building,  30  by  100  feet,  with  a 
basement.  Mr.  Myers  is  also  the  owner  of  a 
plant  for  the  manufacture  of  concrete  blocks. 

In  the  fall  of  190a  Mr.  Myers  was  elected 
to  the  important  office  of  county  treasurer, 
and  a  better  selection  could  scarcely  have  been 
found.  He  is  a  man  of  great  business  faculty, 
has  proven  himself  an  able  financier  in  his 
own  affairs,  and  commands  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens  for  his  pergonal 
high  character.  He  assumes  the  duties  of  the 
office  in  September,  1907. 

In  1887,  Mr.  Myers  was  married  to  Mary 
Sisler,  of  Manchester,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the 
late  John  Sisler.  They  have  one  daughter, 
Ruth,  who  is  a  student  at  Painesville,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Myers  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Elks.'^  both  at  Akron. 

G.  E.  GARDNER,  M.  D.,  an  experienced 
physician  and  surgeon,  who  has  be«n  engaged 
in  practice  at  Barberton  since  the  autumn  of 
1905,  coming  to  this  place  from  a  field  of 
successful  professional  work  in  Wayne 
County,  ^\■as  born  near  Danville,  Knox 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Breckler)   Gardner. 

Dr.  Gardner  spent  his  boyhood  on  his  fath- 
er's farm  and  obtained  his  primary  education 
in  the  country  schools.  His  inclinations  did 
not  lead  him  in  the  direction  of  an  agricul- 
tural life  and  as  soon  as  the  opportunity  of- 
fered he  began  the  study  of  medicine,  reading 
for  two  years  with  Dr.  Black,  a  physician  lo- 
cated in  the  village  of  Democracy,  near  Dan- 
ville, and  two  years  more,  with  Dr.  William 
Balmer,  at  Mt.  Vernon,  during  this  time  also 
attending  the  Normal  School  at  Danville.  Dr. 
Gardner  entered  Starling  Medical  College, 
where  he  was  graduated  April  5.  1891.  His 
high  medical  standing  brought  him  the  ap- 
pointment of  house  physician  of  St.  Francis 
Hospital,  at  Columbus,  where  he  served  one 
year,  and  this  was  followed  by  a  year  at  St. 
Anthony's  Hospital.  He  thus  gained  what 
every  young  medical  man  desires,  hospital 
ftractice  and  experience,  before  entering  upon 
regular  professional  work. 


In  May,  1893,  Dr.  Gardner  took  up  his 
practice  at  Doylestown,  Ohio,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1905,  when  he  came  to  Barber- 
ton.  In  1896  he  was  elected  county  coroner 
of  Wayne  County,  on  the  Democratic  ticket, 
and  served  two  years  in  that  office.  He  has 
met  with  a  hearty  reception  at  Bai'berton,  has 
gained  the  confidence  of  the  community  and 
has  a  satisfactory  professional  connection. 
His  offices  are  located  on  the  corner  of  Baird 
and  Fourth  Streets,  Barberton. 

On  September  29,  1897,  Dr.  Gai'dner  was 
married  to  Abbie  M.  Trotter,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  Trotter,  of  Doylestown,  Wayne 
Count3^  They  have  two  children,  Mary  and 
Geraldine.  Dr.  Gardner  and  family  belong 
to  St.  Augustine  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  of  the 
Elks,  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John,  and  of  the 
Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Association. 

HARVEY  A.  SNYDER,  M.  D.,  physician 
and  surgeon,  at  Barberton,  was  born  in  Cov- 
entry Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  G.  and  Susanna  (Kepler) 
Snyder. 

Dr.  Snyder  had  the  advantage  of  country 
rearing,  remaining  through  boyhood  and 
youth  on  his  father's  farm  in  Coventry  Town- 
ship. After  completing  the  common  school 
course,  he  taught  three  terms  in  his  native 
township  and  then  entered  Heidelberg  Col- 
lege, at  Tiffin,  and  was  graduated  in  the  clas- 
sical department  in  1896,  when  he  resumed 
educational  work.  For  two  yeare  he  served 
as  school  superintendent  at  Bonner's  Ferry, 
Idaho,  and  for  the  same  length  of  time  filled 
the  same  office  at  Kirkland,  Washington. 
Prior  to  going  to  Washington,  Dr.  Snyder 
had  commenced  his  medical  studies  in  the 
Pacific  Coast  Medical  School,  now  known  as 
the  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  during  this 
period  teaching  medical  Latin  in  the  institu- 
tution.  In  1908,  he  entered  the  senior  class 
of  the  Cleveland  Medical  College,  and  was 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1904.  Prior  to  lo- 
cating at  Barberton,  lie  sen'ed'as  an  interne 
at  the  Huron  Street  Hospital,  Cleveland, 
where  he  gained  valuable  experience.     He  is 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


875 


an  active  member  of  the  Northern  Ohio  Medi- 
cal Society. 

Dr.  Snyder's  fraternal  connections  are  with 
the  Masons,  the  Knights  of  Pythian  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen,  and  is  examining  physi- 
cian for  the  latter  organization. 

On  September  5,  1907,  Dr.  Snyder  was 
married  to  Bessie  Banning  of  Stow  Corners, 
a  daughter  of  J.  H.  Banning,  a  resident  of 
that  place. 

H.  B.  MANTON,  treasurer  of  the  Robinson 
Claj'  Product  Company,  with  which  he  has 
been  identified  ever  since  leaving  school,  was 
born  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  in  1867,  and 
is  a  son  of  the  late  James  B.  Manton,  who  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  this  industry. 

M.  B.  Manton  was  reared  and  educated  at 
Akron,  graduating  from  the  Akron  High 
School  in  1886,  immediately  becoming  book- 
keeper for  plant  No.  4,  of  the  Robin.'«on 
Brothers  Company.  In  1891.  he  was  made 
secretary  of  the  Crown  Fire  Clay  Comjmny, 
at  Canal  Dover,  Ohio,  which  office  he  held  un- 
til 1894,  when  he  came  to  the  main  office 
and  held  official  postition  in  the  different  de- 
partments. When  all  the  plants  were  merge-d 
under  the  style  of  the  Robinson  Clay  Product 
Company,  in  1902,  Mr.  "Manton  was  made 
treasurer.  He  is  interested  in  other  enter- 
prises and  is  a  director  of  the  Second  National 
Bank. 

In  1892  Mr.  Manton  was  married  to  Mary 
B.  Seiberling,  and  they  have  two  children: 
Margaret  and  Harriet.  Mr.  Manton  and 
family  belong  to  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  he  is  a  member  of  its  Board 
of  Trustees.  He  belongs  to  the  Portage 
Country  club. 

H.  H.  GIBBS,  secretary,  treasurer  and  gen- 
eral manager  of  The  Buckeye  Sewer  Pipe 
Company,  and  secretary  and  treasurer  of  The 
Summit  Sewer  Pipe  Company,  at  Akron, 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  since  he  was 
ten  years  of  age.  He  was  born  at  East  Liver- 
pool, Ohio,  in  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  A. 
and  Eliza    (Parker)   Gibbs. 


The  late  Henry  A.  Gibbs  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut, October  4,  1834,  and  while  he  was 
a  boy,  after  several  removals,  his  parents  set- 
tled at  East  Livei-pool,  Ohio,  where  Henry 
attended  school  and  worked  in  the  pottery 
shops,  first  assisting  his  father  and  later  mak- 
ing the  manufacture  of  pottery  the  main  busi- 
ness of  his  life.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he 
was  associated  with  a  number  of  Akron's  lead- 
ing business  enterprises  and  was  a  man  of 
large  means  which  he  had  accumulated  hon- 
estly through  the  avenues  of  trade.  In  1862, 
Henry  A.  Gibbs  enlisted  in  the  115th  Regi- 
ment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  During  his  term 
of  service,  while  sick  in  a  hospital,  a  mistake 
was  made  in  the  administration  of  his  medi- 
cine on  one  occasion  which  produced  gastric 
troubles  from  which  he  never  recovered  and 
which,  in  all  probability  hastened  hLs  death. 
He  w'as  an  honored  member  of  Buckley  Post, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Akron.  He 
was  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  at  East 
Liverpool.  Mr.  Gibbs  was  a  resident  of 
Akron  for  about  thirty-six  years,  during  a 
part  of  this  time  being  employed  in  the  Whit- 
more-Robinson  factorj'.  Later,  when  he 
found  that  the  William  Shenkle  property  was 
about  to  prove  a  failing  investment,  he  showed 
his  business  acumen  by  purchasing  the  prop- 
erty, with  his  sons,  and  until  his  death  the 
business  was  operated  as  the  Ohio  Stoneware 
Company. 

On  March  8,  1856,  Mr.  Gibbs  was  married 
to  Mrs.  Eliza  Parker,  a  young  widow  and  a 
resident  of  East  Liverpool,  who  had  two  chil- 
dren: George  Parker,  who  is  president  and 
general  manager  of  the  Ohio  Stoneware  Com- 
pany, and  Mrs.  Charles  Chapman,  of  Akron. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibbs  had  two  sons,  E.  H.  and 
H.  H. 

H.  H.  Gibbs  was  reared  and  educated  at 
Akron  and  when  he  entered  into  business  it 
was  in  the  capacity  of  bookkeeper  for  the 
Strawboard  Company,  with  which  he  re- 
mained one  year  and  for  two  years  was  as- 
sociated thus  with  the  Akron' Goal  and  Iron 
Company,   of  Buchtel.   Ohio.     In   1882,   he 


876 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT   COUNTY 


became  bookkeeper  for  the  Buckeye  Sewer 
Pipe  Company,  of  which  he  is  now  so  im- 
portant a  part,  and  great  credit  is  due  him  for 
the  strength  which  has  been  introduced  into 
this  business  organization.  He  is  vice- 
president  of  the  Central  Savings  and  Trust 
Company;  is  a  director  in  the  Permanent 
Savings  and  Loan  Company ;  a  director  in  the 
Cleveland-Akron  Bag  Company,  which  was 
consolidated  with  the  Akron  Paper  Company, 
of  which  he  was  one  of  the  prime  movers.  In 
July,  1889,  Mr.  Gibbs,  with  other  members  of 
the  family,  organized  The  Summit  Sewer 
Pipe  Company. 

In  1883,  Mr.  Gibbs  was  married  to  Elanor 
Lucretia  Baldwin,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Joseph  A.  Baldwin.  Mr.  Gibbs  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Congregational  Church. 

JOHN  WINFIELD  ESSIG,  one  of  the  en- 
terprising young  agriculturists  of  Green 
Township,  where  he  is  cultivating  140  acres 
of  excellent  farming  land,  was  born  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Plain  Township,  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  November  7,  1880,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  A.  and  Julia  (Oberlin)  Essig. 

Adam  Essig,  the  great-grandfather  of  John 
W.,  secured  land  from  the  Government,  in 
Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  his  son,  Jacob  E. 
Essig,  the  grandfather,  settled  on  it  as  one  of 
the  early  pioneers.  The  children  of  Jacob 
E.  Essig  were:  Sarah,  John  A.,  Ida,  Simon, 
Curtis,  Charles  and  two  who  died  in  infancy. 
Sarah  married  H.  Bender,  of  Michigan  and 
Ida  married  Cahdn  Firestone,  of  Stark 
County. 

John  A.  Essing  was  born  in  Plain  Town- 
ship, Stark  Count}',  Ohio,  and  has  been  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  all  of  his  ma- 
ture life.  He  now  resides  on  his  148-acre 
farm  in  Jackson  Township,  Stark  County, 
and  he  is  also  a  part-owner  of  the  farm 
operated  by  his  son  John  W.,  his  daughter 
Bertha  also  having  an  interest  in  this  prop- 
erty. Mr.  Essig  wa.s  married  to  .Julia  Ober- 
lin, who  is  a  daughter  of  John  Oberlin.  He 
came  to  Ohio  from  Pennsylvania,  when  Mrs. 
Essig  was  six  months  old,  and  died  in  this  sec- 


tion. Eight  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Essig,  namely:  Henry  B.,  of 
Green  Township,  married  Clara  Swartz; 
Bertha,  residing  with  her  brother,  John  W. ; 
L.  Etta,  who  married  H.  A.  Hartong,  resides 
at  Zion  City,  Illinois ;  John  Winfield ;  Magda- 
lena,  living  at  home;  and  Walter  J.;  Nancy 
0.;  and  William  S. 

John  Winfield  Essig  received  a  common 
school  education,  and  was  reared  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits.  In  the  spring  of  1904,  with 
his  sister.  Miss  Bertha  Essig,  he  came  to  their 
present  home,  which  their  father  had  bought 
of  the  Samuel  Wise  heirs,  and  here  he  has 
carried  on  general  farming  and  as  he  is  enter- 
prising and  industrious,  his  land  has  proved 
very  productive.  In  political  matters  Mr. 
Essig  is  a  Democrat.  Both  Mr.  Essig  and 
sister  belong  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 

SAMUEL  HARING,  a  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Green  Township,  who  is  engaged  in 
general  farming,  owns  147  acres  situated 
about  one  mile  south  of  East  Liberty.  He 
was  born  December  2,  1844,  in  Green  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
Louis  and  Margaret  (Kepler)  Haring. 

Louis  Haring  came  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Ohio  with  his  parents  in  boyhood  and  they 
settled  in  the  woods  of  Green  Township. 
Here  he  grew  to  manhood  and  married  Mar- 
garet Kepler,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
Kepler,  who  came  to  Green  Township  in 
1809,  where  one  of  his  brothers  had  settled 
one  year  before,  Mr.  Kepler  and  his  brother 
being  the  first  settlers  in  what  is  now  known 
as  Green  Township.  They  entered  320  acres 
of  land  lying  one  mile  north  by  one-half  mile 
east  and  west,  and  this  they  divided  length- 
wise, Andrew  taking  the  east  half,  and  on 
this  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  spent. 
The  Keplei-s  were  friendly  with  the  Indians, 
who  often  came  to  the  home  of  Andrew  for 
food,  for  which  they  gave  him  lead,  which 
they  found  around  Turkeyfoot  Lake.  The 
old  log  barn  which  was  erected  by  Andrew 
Kepler  is  still  standing,  and  is  still  in  use  and 
in    good   condition,   being;  one  of  the 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


877 


baxns  in  Summit  OounU'.  After  marriage 
Louis  Haring  and  his  wife  went  to  housekeep- 
ing on  a  farm  one  and  one-half  miles  south 
of  the  present  farm  of  Samuel  Haring,  and 
here  were  born  all  of  their  seven  children,  all 
of  whom  are  now  deceased  with  the  exception 
of  Mrs.  Leah  Bittler  and  Samuel. 

Samuel  Haring  came  to  the  farm  which  he 
now  owns  when  ten  years  of  age,  and  here  he 
has  practically  been  located  ever  since.  He 
now  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  has  a  well-improved,  fertile  prop- 
erty. Mr.  Haring  was  married  to  Rebecca  A. 
Wise,  who  was  born  in  Green  Township,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  William  Wise,  one  of  Summit 
County's  early  pioneers.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Haring  there  were  born  eleven  children, 
namely :  Parvin,  who  lives  in  Akron ;  Orvin, 
■who  lives  at  Manchester,  Ohio;  Hattie,  who 
married  Solomon  Kepler  of  Green  Town- 
ship ;  Minnie,  who  married  J.  0.  Wagoner 
of  Akron ;  Samuel,  who  lived  at  Turkeyfoot 
Lake;  Ida  C,  who  married  George  Cesdorf; 
Celia  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years ; 
William,  who  lives  at  home;  Cassie,  who  mar- 
ried Samuel  D.  Wolt:  Hiram,  living  in 
Franklin  Township;  and  Clara  A.,  who  mar- 
ried Nelson  Miller. 

FRANK  WARNER,  residing  on  the  old 
Warner  home  place  of  ninety  acres,  which  is 
situated  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Green 
Township,  is  a  leading  citizen  of  his  com- 
munity. Mr.  Warner  was  bom  July  28, 
1867,  in  Summit  County  Ohio,  in  the  old  log 
house  that  formerly  stood  on  his  present  farm, 
and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  (Thornton) 
Warner. 

Samuel  Warner,  father  of  Frank,  was  bom 
in  Coventry  Township,  Summit  County,  in 
1829.  his  parents  having  settled  there  when 
they  came  from  Pennsylvania.  Samuel  wa<5 
the  fifth  in  a  family  of  eight  children,  the 
other?  being:  John,  William.  Jacob,  Adam, 
Abraham,  Solomon  and  Daniel.  Samuel 
Warner  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm  and 
assisted  to  clear  it  of  the  heavy  timber  which 
then  covered  it,  doing  the  work  with  teams  of 


strong  oxen.  He  married  Sarah  Thornton, 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  died  in 
1900,  aged  sixty-three  years.  After  mar- 
riage, Samuel  Warner  and  wife  settled  on  the 
present  farm,  which  had  belonged  to  the 
Thorntons  in  early  days,  and  found  domestic 
happiness  living  in  the  old  log  house  that 
.stood  for  many  years.  During  the  strength 
of  youth  and  manhood,  Samuel  Warner  was  a 
very  industrious  man,  carrying  on  his  farm- 
ing and  stockraising  and  also  threshing 
through  the  country,  having  one  of  the  old- 
time  horse-power  machines,  which  were  then 
considered  entirely  adequate.  He  resides 
■ndth  his  son  Frank  but  owns  a  farm  of  sixty 
acres  separate  from  the  one  under  considera- 
tion. Six  of  his  large  family  of  children 
reached  maturity,  as  follows.  Harriet ;  Marj', 
who  married  Henry  Hauff;  Ellen,  who  mar- 
ried Grant  Stahl;  William;  Frank;  and 
Martha,  who  married  Harvey  Rex. 

Frank  Warner  may  be  said  to  have  spent 
his  whole  life  on  his  present  farm  for  here 
his  main  interests  have  always  centered. 
After  leaving  school  he  w^orked  for  a  time  in 
the  rubber  factories  at  Akron  and  the  sewer 
pipe  works  at  Barberton,  but  shortly  returned 
10  the  life  which  makes  a  man  independent, 
that  of  a  farmer.  He  has  a  fine  property 
and  he  has  placed  it 'under  an  excellent  state 
of  cultivation.  There  is  a  natural  lake  on  the 
land  which  but  adds  to  its  value,  and  the 
beautiful  shade  trees  around  the  residence 
make   most   attractive   surroundings. 

Mr.  Warner  married  Bessie  Carmany,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Louisa 
(Bower)  Carmany,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren, Marie  and  Gertrude.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Warner  belong  to  the  Evangelical  Church. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Republican  and  for  three 
years  he  sen'ed  as  township  constable. 

AMI  CORVIN  GOUGLAR.  general  farmer 
and  good  citizen -of  Green  Town.ship,  residing 
on  his  valuable  farm  of  eighty  acres,  which  is 
situated  one  mile  south  of  East  Liberty,  be- 
longs to  an  old  Penn,sylvania  family  which 
was  established  in  Ohio  by  his  grandfather. 


878 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Ami  C.  Gougler  was  born  iii  Green  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  October  8,  1869, 
and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Clarissa  (Har- 
tong)  Gougler. 

Samuel  Gougler  was  a  small  boy  when  he 
accompanied  his  father,  John  Gougler,  to 
Green  Township,  who  settled  on  the  farm 
which  is  now  owned  by  Henry  Obelen. 
Later,  John  Gougler  moved  to  Springfield 
Townsnip,  where  he  died  aged  eighty-six 
years.  His  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  War 
of  1812.  The  children  of  John  Gougler  were 
the  following:  George,  Samuel,  Betsey  and 
Elias,  all  deceased  except  Betsey,  who  married 
Jacob  King.  Samuel  Gougler  spent  the 
great  of  his  life  in  Green  Township,  his 
occupation  being  farming,  and  before  he 
died,  in  October,  1903,  he  divided  his  large 
estate  of  460  acres,  situated  in  this  township, 
so  that  each  of  his  five  children  received  a 
farm.  His  first  ^^^fe  and  their  one  child  died 
early.  His  second  marriage  was  to  Clarissa 
Hartong,  who  still'  survives,  residing  at 
Greensburg,  where  Mr.  Gougler  had  lived  re- 
tired for  six  years  prior  to  his  demise.  The 
children  born  to  the  second  union  are:  Ed- 
ward, residing  in  Green  Township  on  his 
farm;  Monroe,  also  residing  on  a  farm 
in  Green  Township;  Corella,  who  married 
John   Foltz;   Anna  and  Clinton. 

Ami  Corvin  Gougler  attended  the  district 
schools  and  assisted  on  the  home  farm,  and 
has  made  agricultural  work  his  business  in 
life.  Like  his  sister  and  brothers,  he  received 
his  farm  from  his  father,  who  also  erected 
the  fine  brick  house  and  substantial  barn.  In 
February.  1897,  Mr.  Gougler  was  married  to 
Clara  Renninger.  who  is  a  daughter  of  Frank 
and  Catherine  (Reese)  Renninger.  The 
Renninger  family  is  an  old  and  well-known 
one  in  Coventry  Township.  The  parents  of 
Mrs.  Gougler  now  reside  at  Akron.  Mv.  and 
Mrs.  Gougler  belong  to  the  Evangelical 
Church. 

JERRY  J.  GARMAN.  an  honored  old 
veteran  of  the  great  Civil  War,  who  is  post- 
mast'Cr  at  Inland,    conducts   a  general   mer- 


chandise business  at  this  point.  He  wa-s  bom 
on  the  corner  where  his  store  now  stand?,  in 
Greensburg,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  Septem- 
ber 3,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Eliza- 
beth  (Husburger)   Garman. 

Jacob  Garman  was  born  in  Lancaster 
County,  Pennsylvsmia,  and  when  a  young 
man  came  mth  his  parents  to  Ohio.  He  seit- 
tled  in  what  is  now  Green  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  then  a  part,  of  Stark  County,  but 
later  removed  to  a  hotel  that  stood  on  the 
present  site  of  J.  J.  Garman's  store.  This 
hotel  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1841.  Mr. 
Garman  was  a  skilled  carpenter,  and  helped 
to  build  the  brick  hotel  near  the  Little  Reser- 
voir, which  is  still  standing.  He  spent  his 
latter  years  on  a  farm  near  Greensburg,  where 
he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  Mr. 
Garman  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Husburger, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  John  Husbvu-ger,  and 
she  survived  her  husband  for  some  time,  dy- 
ing at  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eight  children :  William ;  Mar- 
garet, who  married  E.  Foster;  Harry;  Jerry 
J. ;  Frank,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years;  Catherine,  who  married  John  Souers; 
Samuel,  who  died  when  seventeen  years  old; 
and  Jacob. 

Jerry  J.  Gannan  spent  his  boyhood  days  on 
liis  father's  farm,  and  attended  school,  first 
in  the  old  log  district  schoolhouse,  and  later 
a  small  brick  school-house.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  he  went  to  Canton  and  com- 
menced work  in  the  Aultman  Harvester  Com- 
pany, but  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War, 
in  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  F.  Fourth 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  Captain  ^^'allace, 
and  .served  throughout  the  war.  Through- 
out the  long  and  bitter  stniggle  Mr.  Garman 
.sensed  his  country  faithfully  and  cheerfully, 
and  his  gallantry  in  action  soon  won  him 
the  rank  of  sergeant  and  later  that  of  captain, 
the  rank  he  held  when  the  war  ended.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  Captain  Garman  enlisted 
with  the  rank  of  sergeant  in  Troop  M.  Second 
United  States  Cavalry,  and  .served  three  years 
in  this  company.  After  having  .served  in  the 
military  of  his  country  for  so    long    a    time 


A.  P.  JAHANT 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


881 


Mr.  Ganiian  then  returned  to  civil  life  and 
began  work  for  the  Union  Pacific  Telegraph 
Company.  He  put  in  the  first  office  equip- 
ment at  Cheyenne,  Utah,  which  was  installed 
in  a  tent.  After  three  year.~  spent  in  the  em- 
ploy of  this  company  he  returned  to  Greens- 
burg,  and  for  some  time  afterward  worked  in 
the  Buckeye  Works  at  Akron,  also  at  Canton, 
Ohio.  In  1870,  he  settled  at  Green.sburg, 
where  he  ha.s  since  remained,  for  the  first  five 
years  conducting  a  hotel,  and  then  embark- 
ing in  the  mercantile  business.  On  May  12, 
1897,  Mr.  Garman  was  appointed  postmaster 
ait  Inland  by  the  late  President  McKinley. 

Mr.  Garman  was  married  in  July,  1870,  to 
Leah  Harsherger,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren :  Mayme,  who  married  John  Haider- 
man,  of  Akron ;  and  Kirk,  who  married  Ger- 
trude France,  of  Akron.  The  latter  has  two 
children,  George  and  Maiy.  Mr.  Garman  is 
a  Republican. 

A.  P.  JAHANT,  proprietor  of  the  Jahant 
Electric  Company,  whose  plant  is  located  at 
No.  121  South  Howard  Street,  belongs  to  an 
old  French  family  which  has  been  estab- 
lished in  Summit  County  for  a  period  of 
100  years.    He  was  born  in  Akron,  in  1881. 

A.  Jahant,  the  father  of  A.  P.  Jahant, 
wa.s  born  in  1845,  in  Coventry  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Fran- 
cis Jahant,  who  was  one  of  the  very  early 
settlers  here,  coming  to  this  county  directly 
from  France.  He  brought  all  his  effects  with 
him  and  engaged  in  farming  as  a  means  of 
livelihood.  At  that  time  Canton  was  a  small 
village  and  Akron  still  smaller.  A.  Jahant 
was  a  boy  when  he  came  to  Akron,  where, 
for  many  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  furnaces. 

A.  P.  Jahant  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  city,  and  his  interests  remain  cen- 
tered here.  From  boyhood  he  has  been  in- 
terested in  experimental  electricity,  gradu- 
ally acquiring  the  knowledge  which  enables 
him  to  safely  and  efficiently  harness  this 
mysterious  element.  He  organized  the  Ja- 
hant Electric  Company,  of  which  he  is  sole 


owner.  He  deals  in  all  kinds  of  electrical 
appliances  and  does  electrical  contracting 
and  repairing. 

Mr.  Jahant  was  married  September  4, 
1907,  to  Miss  Lena  M.  Henry,  of  Akron, 
Ohio. 

Mr.  Jahant  is  a  member  of  St.  Vincent's 
Catholic  Church  and  he  belongs  to  the  order 
of  Knights  of  Columbus. 

JAMES  T.  FLOWER,  proprietor  of  the 
Flower  Mantel  Company,  of  Akron,  was  bom 
in  this  city  in  1865,  and  is  a  .son  of  the  late 
James  Flower,  who  was  formerly  a  prominent 
merchant  here,  where  he  settled  in  1837. 
James  Flower  was  born  in  Sheffield.  England, 
and  died  at  Akron,  in  1877. 

James  T.  Flower  was  reared  at  Akron  and 
obtained  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  city,  after  which  he  started  to  learn  Ms 
present  business,  entering  the  employ  of  the 
Akron  Cabinet  Company.  Later  he  em- 
barked in  business  for  himself,  continuing 
until  1896,  when  the  Flower  Mantel  Company 
was  organized.  After  fourteen  months,  Mr. 
Flower  bought  the  interest  of  his  partners 
and  since  that  time  has  been  sole  proprietor 
and  is  the  leading  mantel  dealer  ait  Akron. 
He  deals  also  in  tile  and  marble  flooring,  and 
keeps  a  fine  stock  continually  on  hand  at  his 
place  of  business  on  South  High  Street. 

In  1889,  Mr.  Flower  was  married  to  Ella 
Rothrock,  who  was  born  in  Copley  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  they  have  three 
children :  Esther  E.,  James  T.  and  Rachel 
S.  With  his  family,  Mr.  Flower  belong  to 
St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church. 

Politically,  Mr.  Flower  is  a  Republican  and 
in  1901  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  School 
Board  on  which  he  has  served  ever  since. 
He  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  belongs  also 
to  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

WILLIAM  ALLEN  McCLELLAN,  who  is 

engaged  in  a  general  contracting  and  manu- 
facturing business  at  Akron,  with  plant  lo- 
cated at  No.  273  Water  Street,  was  bom  in 
Springfield  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 


882 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT.  COUNTY 


December  30,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
McClellan,  who  settled  in  Springfield  Town- 
ship in  1818. 

The  McClellan  family  has  long  been  one 
of  prominence  in  Summit  County  and  its 
name  frequently  appears  on  the  old  records 
which  tell  the  story  of  how  Springfield 
Township  was  changed  from  primeval  condi- 
tions to  its  present  fertility  and  civilization. 
William  McClellan  married  Jane  File  and 
they  had  three  children,  namely:  Robert  A., 
Elizabeth  Jane,  who  married  Urias  Cramer, 
residing  at  Wichita,  Kansas;  and  W.  A.,  re- 
siding at  Akron. 

W.  A.  McClellan  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm,  where  he  remained  until  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years,  in  the  meanwhile  obtain- 
ing his  education  in  the  schools  at  Mogadore 
and  at  Westminster  College,  New  Wilming- 
ton, Pennsylvania.  For  several  years  prior  to 
coming  to  Akron,  in  1864,  he  taught  school 
during  the  winter  seasons,  but  after  reacliing 
this  city  he  learned  the  carpenter  trade,  at 
which  he  has  worked  ever  since.  In  1872, 
he  began  contracting  and  may  be  called  the 
dean  of  the  contracting  guild  in  this  city. 
For  twenty-seven  years  he  has  operated  his 
own  factory  on  Water  Street,  and  many  of 
the  most  substantial  buildings  of  Akron  have 
been  erected  under  his  supervision.  He  is  a 
stockholder  and  director  in  the  People's  Sav- 
ings Bank,  of  Akron,  and  he  own  2,300  acres 
of  land  in  Cuba.  He  has  ever  been  a  man  of 
personal  enterprise  and  is  numbered  with  the 
city's  capitalists. 

On  June  28,  1871,  Mr.  McClellan  was  mar- 
ried to  Alice  R.  Russell.  liVaternally  he  is 
a  Mason  and  belongs  to  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chap- 
ter and  Commandery  at  Akron,  and  for  years 
was  treasurer  and  a  director  of  the  Masonic 
Temple. 

J.  D.  SLATER,  a  thoroughly  representative 
business  man  of  Akron,  president  of  the  Lim- 
bert-Smith  Plumbing  Company  and  superin- 
tendent of  the  Star  Rubber  Company,  has 
been  a  resident  of  Akron  for  the  past  twenty- 
three  years,  but  he  was  born  at  London,  Eng- 


land, and  was  eight  years  old  when  his  par- 
ents came  to  America. 

Mr.  Slater  was  reared  and  educated  at  New- 
ton, Kansas,  where  he  resided  until  the  age 
of  twenty  years,  when  he  came  to  Akron 
For  eight  years  thereafter  he  worked  in  the 
Smith  Chemical  plant,  for  the  next  six  years 
was  employed  by  the  Aultman-Miller  Com- 
pany, and  then  embarked  in  business  for  him- 
self. In  partnership  with  J.  W.  Miller  he 
organized  the  Faultless  Rubber  Company,  of 
which  he  was  superintendent  until  December 
15,  1906,  when  the  plant  was  removed  to  Ash- 
land, Ohio,  Mr.  Slater  selling  his  interest  in 
it  at  this  time.  Returning  from  a  winter  in 
California,  in  March,  1907,  he  re-entered  the 
business  field  at  Akron.  In  association  with 
H.  A.  Hine,  J.  W.  Miller,  D.  B.  Duff,  of 
Cleveland,  S.  E.  Duff,  of  Beaver,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  others,  he  organized  the  Star  Rub- 
ber Company,  an  organization  still  in  its  in- 
fancy, but  with  every  indication  of  healthy 
growth  and  lasting  importance.  A  fine  plant 
has  just  been  erected  near  that  of  the  Fire- 
stone Rubber  Company,  on  a  tract  covering 
three  and  one-half  acres.  The  company  is 
capitalized  at  .$100,000,  and  its  officers  are: 
S.  E.  Duff,  president ;  J.  W.  Miller,  vice  presi- 
dent; H.  A.  Hine,  secretary  and  treasurer; 
and  J.  D.  Slater,  superintendent.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  Star  Rubber  Company  is  the  man- 
ufacturing of  druggists'  sundries  in  the  rub- 
ber line.  Mr.  Slater  has  other  interests  and 
is  president  of  the  Limbert-Smith  Plumbing 
Company,  also  an  important  busine^  enter- 
prise of  Akron. 

In  September,  1895,  Mr.  Slater  was  married 
to  Sarah  A.  Hall,  a  lady  born  and  reared  in 
Akron,  a  daughter  of  John  W.  Hall.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Slater  have  one  son,  Ernest  C.  Slater. 

JAMES  W.  ORR,  treasurer  and  manager 
of  the  Christy  Steel  Company,  at  Akron,  has 
been  associated  with  large  manufacturing 
concerns  in  this  city  ever  since  he  left  col- 
lege. He  was  born  at  Akron,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  A.  Orr,  a  prominent  journalist  of 
this  city. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


James  W.  Orr  prepared  for  an  active  busi- 
ness life  by  attending  the  public  schools  until 
he  was  graduated  from  the  Akron  High 
School,  and  later  the  Hammel  Commercial 
College.  He  secured  employment  first  with 
D.  H.  McBride  &  Company,  and  second,  with 
F.  D.  Kridler,  remaining  one  year  with  each 
firm,  and  then  became  bookkeeper  for  the 
Franz  Building  Company  for  two  years,  for 
three  subsequent  years  was  associated  with 
the  Barberton  Pottery  Company,  and  later 
with  the  Sterling  Boiler  Company,  and  came 
from  the  latter  to  the  Christy  Steel  Company 
as  treasurer  and  general  manager.  Step  by 
step  Mr.  Orr  has  steadily  advanced  until  he 
has  secured  very  substantial  standing  among 
the  business  men  of  this  great  manufactur- 
ing city. 

Mr.  Orr  was  reared  a  Catholic  and  is  a  con- 
sistent member  of  St.  Mary's  Church.  He 
belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  one  of 
the  most  influential  fraternal  organizations  in 
America. 

JOSEPH  E.  WESENER,  a  resident  of 
Akron  for  more  than  sixty  years,  and  for  a 
large  part  of  that  time  a  prominent  factor  in 
its  business  world,  was  born  May  7,  1827, 
at  Frankfort,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  one  of  a 
family  of  twelve  children  born  to  his  parents, 
who  were  Christopher  and  Charlotte  Wesener. 

The  Wesener  family  settled  at  Canton, 
Ohio,  in  1840,  and  there  Joseph  E.  Wesener 
was  employed  as  a  clerk  until  1846,  when  he 
came  to  Akron,  making  the  trip  on  horseback. 
He  resumed  clerking  here,  and  by  1850,  he 
had  accoumulated  enough  capital  to  become 
a  partner  with  the  late  Allen  Hibbard  and 
Gibbons  J.  Ackley,  in  a  general  mercantile 
business,  their  place  on  Howard  street  be- 
ing known  as  the  Old  Green  Store.  In  1851, 
they  lost  by  fire,  and  in  the  following  year  Mr. 
Wesener  embarked  in  business  for  himself. 
He  later  admitted  Cornelius  A.  Brouse  and 
David  Wahl  to  partnership,  and  continued 
in  the  general  mercantile  line,  with  some 
specialties,  until  1878.  when  Mr.  Wesener 
retired  from  this  firm. 


In  1880,  in  partnership  with  Albert  C.  Loh- 
man,  he  opened  up  a  dry  goods  business  in 
the  Academy  of  Music  Building,  where  the" 
Everett  Building  now  stands,  and  they  con- 
ducted the  leading  store  of  its  kind  in  Akron 
until  1882,  when  Mr.  Wesener  sold  his  in- 
terest. For  over  forty  years  Mr.  Wesener 
was  one  of  the  prominent  wool-buyers  in  this 
part  of  Ohio.  He  became  a  man  of  large 
capital  and  has  been  a  generous  distributor  of 
the  same.  He  formerly -owned  considerable 
valuable  real  estate,  including  a  beautiful 
summer  home  and  a  fine  farm  adjacent  to 
Akron,  which  have  all  been  disposed  of. 

Ever  since  becoming  a  resident  of  Akron, 
Mr.  Wesener  has  been  anxious  to  promote  her 
best  interests.  In  early  days  he  was  an  active 
member  of  the  fire  department,  one  of  the 
most  important  organizations  a  town  could 
have,  when  much  wood  was  employed  in  its 
construction,  and  he  can  recall  100  nights 
when  he  responded  to  the  alarm  and  that  on 
eighteen  occasions  he  was  seriously  burned. 
He  has  been  a  liberal  contributor  to  both  pub- 
lic and  private  benevolent  objects,  gave  gen- 
erously to  the  Memorial  Chapel,  and  pre- 
sented the  tower  bell  and  clock  to  the  First 
Congregational  Church. 

Oh  September  8,  1849,  Mr.  Wesener  was 
married  (first)  to  Philura  Spalding,  who  died 
July  6,  1852.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Judge 
Rufus  Spalding.  The  three  children  of  this 
union  all  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Wesener  was 
married  (second)  to  Anna  J.  Hopkins,  who 
died  January  1,  1876.  On  September  5, 
1876,  Mr.  Wesener  was  married  (third)  to 
Alphonsine  D.  C'e  Chevier.  They  have  four 
children :  Joseph  E.,  Marj'  A.,  Anna  C,  de- 
ceased, and  Henry  Huntington.  The  beau- 
tiful family  home  is  situated  at  No.  22  Nelson 
Place.  Mr.  Wesener  lived  for  over  fifty  years 
at  No.  129  North  High  Street,  the  former 
home  of  Judge  Spalding. 

Politicaly,  Mr.  Wesener  is  a  Republican. 
In  1851  he  served  on  the  Board  of  Infirraarv 
directors  of  Summit  County,  and  in  1855 
and  1856,  he  was  village  recorder,  but  for 
many  years  past  he  has  taken  no  active  in- 


884 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


terest  in  politics.     The  family  belong  to  the 
Episcopal  Church. 

JOHN  B.  CAMPBELL,  president  and 
manager  of  the  McNeil  Boiler  Company,  at 
Akron,  has  been  identified  with  Akron  en- 
terprises and  interests  since  1873.  He  was 
born  at  Clinton,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  in 
July,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  John  D.  Camp- 
bell. 

Mr.  Campbell  beai-s  a  distinctive  Scottish 
name  and  is  of  Scotch  parentage,  hLs  father 
having  been  born  in  the  Highland.?.  The 
latter  came  to  Summit  County  about  1832, 
and  subsequently-  was  superintendent  of  the 
old  Chippewa  coal  mines.  He  now  lives  re- 
tired, at  the  home  of  his  .son,  John  B.,  having 
reached  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 

J.  B.  Campbell  completed  his  education  in 
the  Akron  High  School  and  then  became  an 
employe  of  the  Akron  Sewer  Pipe  Company, 
for  one  year.  He  then  came  to  the  McNeil 
Boiler  Works,  where,  from  rivet  driver  he 
worked  up,  step  by  step,  until  he  has  become 
president  and  genei'al  manager  of  this  large 
industry.  He  is  interested  in  otiier  basiness 
enteiprises,  and  is  a  member  of  the  l>oard  of 
directors  of  the  Akron  Base  Ball  club. 

On  September  15,  1886,  Mr.  Campbell  was 
married  to  Margaret  M.  Berger,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Alexander  Berger.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Campbell  are  members  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church  at  Akron. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Campbell  is  a  32nd  de- 
gree Mason,  an  Odd  Fellow  and  an  Elk. 

JACOB  LAUBY,  general  farmer  and 
trucker,  who  cultivates  seventy-one  acres  of 
land  in  Green  Township,  was  born  on  his 
father's  place  east  of  Greensburg,  Green 
Township.  Summit  County,  Ohio,  April  27, 
1851,  and  is  a  son  of  John  A.  and  Elizabeth 
(Steib)  Lauby. 

John  A.  Lauby  was  born  in  Germany,  and 
there  learned  the  weaving  trade.  He  came  to 
America  in  1839,  settling  near  Canal  Fulton, 
Ohio,  but  two  years  later  removed  to  Green 
Township,  Siunniit  County,    where    he    con- 


tinued to  follow  his  trade  until  his  death  in 
November,  1867.  In  his  native  country  he 
was  married  to  Elizabeth  Steib,  who  died  in 
1898,  and  they  had  the  following  children: 
John  G. ;  Caroline,  deceased,  who  was  the  wife 
of  S.  Yearick ;  Henry,  who  is  deceased ;  Levi ; 
Jacob;  and  Louisa,  who  married  J.  Hum- 
bert. 

Jacob  Lauby  was  eleven  years  old  when  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  his  present  home  in 
Green  Township,  then  a  wild  tract  of  laud  on 
which  was  situated  a  log  hoase,  with  three 
windows.  This  property  he  helped  to  clear 
and  has  cut  down  white  oak  trees  that  meas- 
ured five  feet  across  the  stump.  He  attended 
the  district  school,  and  when  he  reached  man- 
hood, he  learned' the  mason's  trade,  which  he 
followed  for  some  time,  during  which  he  as- 
sisted to  build  eight  school-houses  and  many 
dwellings  in  this  section. 

Until  his  marriage,  he  resided  at  home, 
but  since  then  has  been  engaged  on  his  own 
account,  having  purchased  his  property  from 
his  father's  other  heirs.  He  carries  on  gen- 
eral fai'ming  and  raises  early  vegetables  for 
a  trucking  businei^s,  finding  ready  sale  for  all 
he  can  produce,  at  Canton.  He  has  replaced 
all  the  original  buildings  on  the  farm  and  has 
made  many  improvements. 

In  March,  1883,  Mr.  Lauby  was  married  to 
Mrs.  Ellen  Goodyear,  who  was  born  at  Green- 
town,  Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  is  the  widow 
of  Charles  Goodyear.  She  had  one  daughter. 
Pearl,  who  married  ^l.  Marker  of  Barberton, 
Ohio,  and  they  have  three  children,  Marie, 
Ray  Benton,  and  Daisy  Belle.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lauby: 
Dora  Alice,  and  AValter  Edwin.  The  former 
married  Thomas  Gross,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Roy  Edwin.  Walter  Edwin  is  a  school 
teacher.  In  politics,  Mr.  Lauby  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. With  his  family,  he  attends  the  Lu- 
theran Church. 

JOHN  A.  WARNER,  residing  on  his  ex- 
cellent farm  of  fifty  acres,  which  is  situated 
in  Coventry  Town.ship,  is  a  member  of  one  of 
the  pioneer  families  of  this  section.     He  was 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


885 


born  in  Coventry  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  December  5,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Adam 
K.  and  Elizabeth   (Renninger)   Warner. 

Adam  K.  Warner  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  was  brought  to  Ohio  in  infancy 
by  his  parents,  Henry  and  Mary  Wai-ner,  who 
settled  at  a  very  early  day  in  Coventry  Town- 
ship. For  a  number  of  years  they  lived  in 
the  same  old  log  hoase,  which  had  been  their 
earliest  home.  On  one  occasion  the  other 
membei-s  of  the  family  returned  to  find  the 
aged  father  sleeping  his  last  sleep,  in  his  old 
arm  chair.  He  was  the  father  of  eight  stal- 
wart sons,  all  of  whom  became  leading  men 
in  Summit  County,  and  all  survive,  with  the 
exception  of  Adam  K.  and  Daniel.  They 
were  named  as  follows:  John,  Abraham, 
Solomon,  William,  Samuel,  Daniel,  Adam  K. 
and  Jacob.  Two  of  the  above,  William  and 
Jacob,  served  in  the  Union  army  during  the 
Civil  War  and  are  members  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic. 

Adam  K.  Warner  assisted  his  father  and 
brothers  to  clear  off  the  farm  and  with  the 
latter  attended  the  old  log  school-house  where 
they  learned  to  read  and  write.  In  early 
manhood  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Ren- 
ninger, who  was  born  in  Coventry  Township 
and  died  here  in  1895,  aged  sixty-six  years. 
She  was  the  eldast  of  eight  children  born  to 
her  parents,  John  and  Mary  Renninger,  who 
journeyed  to  Ohio  from  Pennsylvania',  with 
an  ox  team.  They  settled  in  the  woods  in 
Coventry  Township  and,  like  other  early  set- 
tlers, cut  'down  many  dollars'  worth  of  valu- 
able timber  in  clearing  up  their  land.  John 
Renninger  died  on  hLs  farm  in  advanced  age. 
His  widow  died  at  the  home  of  a  daughter, 
Mrs.  Weaver,  at  Loyal  Oak.  The  Renninger 
children  were:  Elizabeth,  Catherine.  Rebec- 
ca, Mary,  Susan,  Solomon,  George  and  John. 
They  have  numerous  descendants  and  it  is 
a  pleasant  custom  mth  them  to  hold  family 
reunions  at  stated  times.  Adam  K.  Warner 
died  in  1897,  aged'  seventy-two  years.  The 
children  of  Adam  K.  Warner  and  wife  were: 
Henry,  who  is  decea.«ied ;  John  A. ;  Mariah, 
-who  married  D.  Rothrock:  Jane,  who  married 


R.  A.  Messner;  Levina,  who  married  Frank 
Bowers;  and  George  and  Frank. 

John  A.  Warner  attended  the  district 
school  in  boyhood  and  was  well  grounded  in 
reading,  writing  and  arithmetic,  the  founda- 
tion stones  of  all  book  learning,  but  he  be- 
gan hard  work  on  the  farm  when  but  twelve 
years  old,  even  then  being  able  to  handle  a 
plow  very  effectively.  Although  he  has  car- 
ried on  farming  for  many  years,  he  has  a 
natural  talent  for  working  with  machinery, 
and  when  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he 
learned  wagon-making  and  conducted  a  shop 
of  his  own  at  East  Liberty,  until  1874.  He 
then  turned  his  attention  to  the  threshing  bus- 
iness, and  he  operated  a  threshing  machine 
and  a  steam  sawmill  up  to  recent  years.  He 
was  one  of  the  early  threshers  traveling 
through  this  section  and  was  a  very  capable 
and  successful  one.  In  1894  he  purchased 
his  present  farm  from  George  Shutt,  since 
when  he  has  carried  on  general  farming  and 
has  done  many  dollars'  worth  of  improving 
on  his  valuable  property. 

On  December  21,  1871,  Mr.  Warner  was 
married  to  Hattie  0.  Rininger,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Christian  and  Rachel  Rininger, 
who  reared  a  family  of  seven  children,  name- 
ly: Lucinda,  Mary,  William,  Christina, 
Maria,  Hattie  0.  and  Sadie.  The  father  of 
Mrs.  Warner  died  in  Green  Township,  aged 
seventy-five  years,  and  the  mother,  aged 
sixty-two  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warner  have  had  three  chil- 
dren, namely;  Ofie,  who  died  aged  two  yeai-s 
and  five  months;  Chloe,  who  married  Byron 
Bowers,  residing  near  Mr.  Warner,  has  three 
children,  Ralph,  Howard  and  Myron;  and 
Ru.sj*ell  Glen,  who  resides  with  his  father. 
The  Warners  are  Democrats.  They  belong 
to  the  Evangelical  Church. 

C.  A.  KEMPEL,  one  of  Akron's  substan- 
tial citizens  and  representative  men  of  busi- 
ness, who  is  engaged  in  a  general  mercantile 
line  at  No.  2<34  Wooster  Avenue,  was  born  at 
Akron,  Ohio,  in  I860,  and  is  a  son  of  the 
late  George  Kempel. 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


The  father  of  Mr.  Kempel  was  bom  in  Ger- 
many and  came  to  Akron  in  boyhood.  In 
1849,  when  twenty  years  of  age,  he  was  one 
of  a  party  of  forty  miners  who  left  Akron 
and  went  to  California,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years.  He  then  came  back  to  Ak- 
ron and  subsequently  married  Barbara  Ho- 
noddle.  They  had  five  children,  the  three 
survivors  being:  F.  J.,  residing  at  Ashtabula 
Harbor;  C.  A.  and  George,  both  living  at  Ak- 
ron. For  some  years  the  father  of  the  above 
family  engaged  in  a  shoe  business  at  Akron 
and  later  in  a  brewery  business,  continuing 
in  the  latter  until  within  two  years  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1867.  He  was  a 
well-known  citizen. 

C.  A.  Kempel  learned  the  tinning  trade 
after  leaving  school  and  followed  it  for  four 
years  and  then  went  into  the  grocery  business. 
This  he  developed,  gradually  adding  to  his 
stock,  until  now  he  operates  a  general  mer- 
cantile store  and  for  the  past  twenty-one  years 
has  been  at  his  present  location.  He  erected 
his  present  building,  a  commodious  structure 
with  dimensions  of  38  by  57  feet. 

In  1885  Mr.  Kempel  was  married  to  Louise 
M.  Fricker,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the  late 
John  Fricker  of  Akron.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kem- 
pel have  the  following  children :  Frank,  who 
is  a  student  at  Canisius  College,  at  Buffalo; 
and  Caroline,  Karl,  Florence,  Ernest,  Freda 
and  Augustine,  residing  at  home.  The  fam- 
ily belong  to  St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church. 

R.  H.  DUNCAN,  general  farmer,  residing 
in  Northfield  Township,  was  in  Londonderry 
Township,  Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  March  13, 
1858,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  Jane 
(Karr)  Duncan. 

Adam  Duncan,  the  grandfather,  was  an 
early  settled  in  Guernsey  County.  John 
Duncan,  father  of  R.  H.,  continued  to  live 
on  the  home  farm  until  1878,  when  he  moved 
to  Adams  Township,  where  he  resided  until 
his  death,  in  1905,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one 
years.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  character 
and  on  account  of  his  judgment  and  reliabil- 
ity was  frequently  elected  to  township  offices. 


He  married  a  daughter  of  Robert  Karr,  of 
Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  and  they  had  the 
following  children :  R.  H. ;  Martha,  de- 
ceased, who  married  Charles  Jackson,  of  Mich- 
igan; Mrs.  Kenney,  residing  in  Minnesota; 
Laura,  deceased,  who  married  James  Dew- 
huirst,  of  Huron,  Ohio;  Andrew  Calvin,  re- 
siding on  the  home  farm  in  Adams  Town- 
ship ;  and  James  Boyd,  residing  at  Cleveland. 
The  mother  of  the  above  family  died  in  1871. 
She  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church.  John  Duncan  was 
married  (second)  to  Helen  Francy,  but  no 
children  were  born  to  this  union. 

R.  H.  Duncan  was  reared  in  the  comfort- 
able old  home  and  in  boyhood  attended  the 
district  schools.  He  was  nineteen  years  of 
age  when,  as  his  services  were  not  needed  on 
the  home  farm,  he  started  out  for  himself, 
coming  to  Summit  County.  He  found  re- 
munerative work  as  a  farm  hand  for  five 
yeare,  after  which  he  rented  a  farm  for  two 
years  and  in  1885,  he  operated  a  creamery, 
at  New  Concord. 

In  January,  1886,  Mr.  Duncan  married 
Lillis  Means,  who  is  a  daughter  of  A.  S. 
Means,  of  Northfield  Township,  and  in  April 
of  that  year  settled  on  the  Wilson  farm  which 
he  rented  and  operated  for  the  following 
thirteen  years.  In  December,  1898,  he  came 
to  the  present  farm  which  formerly  belonged 
to  his  father-in-law.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duncan 
have  two  children :  John  Andrew  and  Lois. 
The  family  belong  to  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

CHARLES  D.  HARDY,  a  well-known  res- 
ident of  Northampton  Township,  who  fol- 
lows an  agricultural  life,  cultivating  a  large 
body  of  land,  was  born  in  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  April  23,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Norton 
Rice  and  Mary  Rebecca   (Belden)   Hardy. 

Norton  Rice  Hardy  was  born  in  Northamp- 
ton Township,  where  he  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools.  When  twenty 
years  old  he  went  to  California  by  way  of  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  where  he  remained  for 
one  year,  engaging  in  mining,  and  was  for- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


887 


tunate  enough  to  locate  a  paying  mine  near 
Georgetown,  from  which  he  took  considerable 
gold.  Upon  the  urgent  solicitation  of  his 
mother,  who  grieved  over  his  absence,  he 
started  home  after  a  year  of  mining,  leaving 
prospective  wealth  behind.  On  the  return 
trip,  during  a  terrible  storm,  one  of  the  steam- 
er's shafts  broke,  and  even  the  officers  gave 
the  ship  up  for  lost,  but  good  seamanship 
enabled  it  to  weather  the  storm,  and  after 
repairs  were  made  it  completed  the  voyage. 
On  his  return  home  Mr.  Hardy  purchased  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  his  youngest  son,  Nor- 
ton, and  later  he  purchased  one-half  of  the 
old  homestead,  on  which  he  lived  until  1872. 
He  also  bought  and  remodeled  the  residence 
at  No.  22  West  Street,  AkrOn,  where  he  lived 
retired  from  then  until  his  death.  His  widow 
returned  to  the  farm,  where  she  resided  ten 
years,  but  after  her  son's  marriage  she  again 
made  her  home  in  Akron.  Mr.  Hardy  was 
a  Republican  in  politics,  and  he  served  as 
township  trastee.  Near  the  close  of  the  Civil 
War,  he  served  100  days  in  the  Home  Guards 
at  Cleveland.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  at  Akron. 

Mr.  Hardj'  was  married  to  Mary  Sophia 
Belden,  who  was  born  in  Boston  Township, 
Summit  County,  Julj'  27,  1842,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Champion  and  Mary  (Pratt)  Bel- 
den, natives  of  Quincy,  Massachusetts.  Mrs. 
Hardy's  parents  came  to  Boston  Township, 
Summit  County,  with  their  two  eldest  chil- 
dren, and  the  father  died  when  she  was  a 
small  child.  Their  children  were:  Daniel 
Chester,  Champion  Edson,  Charles  Wright 
and  Mary  Sophia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hardy  had 
three  children :  Lilly  Rebecca,  Norton  Rice 
and  Charles  D-  Mrs.  Hardy  is  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 

Charles  D.  Hardy  began  his  education  in 
Northampton  Township  and  finished  it  at  Ak- 
ron, and  then  returned  to  the  homestead  to 
take  charge,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  He 
has  continued  here  ever  since,  renting  the 
property  from  the  heirs  of  the  estate.  It  con- 
tains 360  acres,  Mr.  Hardy  operating  about 
250  acres  of  this,   and  he  owns  270   acres. 


which  he  rents  out.  He  gives  special  atten- 
tion to  his  large  dairy,  keeps  on  an  average 
twenty-five  cows,  and  sells  his  milk  to  the 
Akron  Pure  Milk  Company.  He  has  a  circu- 
lar silo  12x30  feet,  raises  from  300  to  400 
bushels  of  wheat,  and  in  addition  to  what  he 
uses  for  his  stock,  markets  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  tons  of  hay.  Mr.  Hardy  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  his  political  principles,  and  has  served 
as  township  trustee  for  two  terms  and  a  num- 
ber of  years  as  supervisor. 

Mr.  Hardy  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Mary  Leona  Carter,  who  was  born  in  Portage 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Carter,  an  agriculturist 
of  that  section.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hardy 
there  have  been  born  two  children,  namely: 
Margerj'  R.  and  Daniel  C. 

CAPT.  GURDEN  P.  HARRINGTON, 
postmaster  at  Everett,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
a  mercantile  business,  is  a  leading  citizen  of 
Boston  Township.  He  was  born  in  North- 
ampton Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
August  16,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of  .Jeremiah  and 
Hannah  (Thompson)  Harrington. 

The  grandfather,  Abraham  Harrington, 
was  the  founder  of  the  family  in  Ohio,  com- 
ing from  Massachusetts  and  settling  in  iSTorth- 
ampton  Township,  Summit  County.  Jere- 
miah Harrington  was  born  in  Massachusetts, 
accompanied  his  father  to  Ohio  and  died  in 
1842,  aged  thirty-two  years.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  lived  on  what  is  known  as  the 
Botzirm  farm,  in  Northampton  Township.  He 
married  Hannah  Thompson,  who  was  born 
in  Massachusetts,  and  was  one  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children.  Her  father,  Robert  Thomp- 
son, came  to  Summit  County,  where  he  fol- 
lowed shoemaking,  being  a  traveling  work- 
man, carrying  his  kit  of  tools  from  one  house- 
hold to  the  other,  as  was  the  early  custom. 
Jeremiah  Harrington  and  wife  had  four  chil- 
dren :  Amanda,  deceased ;  Gurden  P. ;  Betsey, 
who  married  Nathaniel  Point,  of  Boston 
Township,  both  deceased ;  and  Russell  M.,  de- 
ceased. Mrs.  Harrington  contracted  a  second 
marriage,  with    Walter    Hawkins,  and  they 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


had  one  son,  Perry  W.,  who  resddes  with  Cap- 
tain Harrington. 

The  father  of  Captain  Harrington  died 
when  he  was  four  years  old  and  he  was  taken 
into  the  family  of  his  uncle,  Dudley  Thomp- 
son. Mr.  Thompson  shortly  afterward  re- 
moved from  Northampton  Township  to  Kent 
County,  Michigan,  settling  near  Grand 
Rapids,  and  there  his  nephew  was  reared  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  was  about 
eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  returned  to 
Boston  Township  and  began  to  work  on  the 
canal,  beginning  as  a  driver  and  continuing 
on  the  water  until  he  became  commander  of 
several  boats.  For  a  number  of  years  no  man 
was  better  or  more  favorably  known  to  canal 
men  than  was  Captain  Harrington.  He 
purchased  the  Ararat,  when  it  was  new,  which 
he  ran  for  a  long  time,  and  he  was  captain  of 
the  Mtna,  in  the  Akron  and  Cleveland  trade. 
He  commanded  a  boat  during  the  big  wheat 
trade  in  1862,  and  continued  until  1867.  For 
ten  years  afterward  he  had  charge  of  a  gang 
of  men  who  made  repairs  on  the  canal. 

After  leaving  active  work  on  the  water. 
Captain  Harrington  worked  at  wagon-mak- 
ing for  several  years  at  Everett,  but  in  1880 
he  embarked  in  his  present  mercantile  enter- 
prise. He  owns  a  first-class  general  store, 
which  is  eqviipped  with  modern  fixtures,  cash 
register  and  other  improved  methods  of  do- 
ing business,  and  he  carries  a  very  complete 
and  well-selected  stock  of  seasonable  goods. 
In  1889  he  was  appointed  postmaster  and  has 
continued  in  office  ever  since.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  his  political  preference,  but  dis- 
claims being  anything  of  a  politician. 

For  a  number  of  years  Captain  HaiTingion 
has  been  identified  with  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, and  is  a  member  of  Meridian  Sun  Lodge, 
No.  266,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Richfield,  and  North 
Star  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  of  Bedford.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Disciples  Church.  Captain  Har- 
rington has  never  married. 

CHARLES  E.  BISHOP,  a  highly  esteemed 
citizen  of  Peninsula,  residing  on  a  fine  farm 
of  250  acres,  160  of  which  are  under  cultiva- 


tion, was  born  in  York  Township,  Medina 
County,  Ohio,  October  27,  1849,  and  is  a  son 
of  Zephaniah  and  Ellen  M.  (Waterman) 
Bishop. 

The  grandparents  of  Charles  E.  Bishop 
were  John  and  Jane  (Wilson)  Bishop,  who 
came  to  York  Township  from  the  state  of 
New  York,  where  they  lived  during  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives.  John  Bishop  died  in 
1863,  aged  seventy-five  years.  Of  his  chil- 
dren, Zephaniah,  father  of  Charles  E.  Bishop, 
was  born  in  New  York  and  was  eight  years 
old  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Ohio. 
The  family  home  had  probably  been  at 
W'hitehall,  near  Lake  Champlain,  but  many 
of  the  old  family  records  have  been  lost  and 
some  points  cannot  be  clearly  established. 
This  is  the  case  with  many  of  the  old  fam- 
ilies whose  ancestors  became  pioneers  in  a 
far  distant  locality  from  the  original  home. 

Zephaniah  Bi.shop  attended  the  old  Mallet 
Creek  school.  With  the  exception  of  ten  years, 
which  he  spent  in  Litchfield  Township,  his 
whole  life  was  passed  in  York  Township, 
where  he  owned  125  acres  of  land,  on  which 
he  carried  on  general  farming  and  sheep-rais- 
ing. In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  and 
he  held  various  township  offices.  He  married 
a  daughter  of  Elisha  Waterman,  who,  for 
many  years  was  one  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  Medina  County,  Ohio.  The  latter  was  a 
soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  was  a  son 
of  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  served 
through  the  whole  seven  years  of  that  war.  In 
1843  Elisha  Waterman  brought  his  family 
from  Otsego  County,  New  York,  to  York 
Township,  Medina  County,  Ohio.  He  mar- 
ried Diana  Young  and  they  had  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Lawson,  Onesimus,  Marietta 
and  Ellen.  The  family  of  Zephaniah  Bishop 
and  wife  consisted  of  three  children,  namely: 
Charles  E.,  Henry  and  Frederick,  the 
latter  of  whom  died  at  the  age  of  five 
years.  The  parents  were  members  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church.  Zephaniah  Biship 
died  Januars^  11,  1901,  and  his  widow  died 
vSeptember  30,  1907,  having  reached  the  age 
of  seventy-nine  years.   . 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


891 


Charles  E.  Bishop  attended  the  schools  of 
Litchfield  and  York  Townships,  more  or  less 
regularly,  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age, 
after  which  he  came  to  Peninsula  and  entered 
the  employ  of  his  uncle,  the  late  Lawson 
Waterman,  for  whom  he  worked  for  seven 
years  by  the  month.  Since  that  time  he  has 
had  entire  control  of  the  farm,  the  manage- 
ment of  which  requires  the  work  of  himself 
and  son,  with  the  assistance  of  two  capable 
men.  The  great  jdeld  of  grain  from  the  farm 
is  used  in  the  feeding  of  the  stock,  as  each 
year  some  stock  is  fattened  and  marketed. 
About  twenty  cows  are  kept  and  many  Po- 
land China  hogs.  The  apple  orchard  covers 
about  six  acres  and  produces  choice  fruit. 
This  land  is  valuable  in  many  way.s.  There 
are  two  fine  sandstone  quarries,  one  of  which 
was  sold  to  the  Cleveland  Stone  Company  in 
1897,  while  the  other  is  leased  to  the  Inde- 
pendent Stone  Company,  also  of  Cleveland". 
Mr.  Bishop's  residence  was  built  in  1852,  by 
his  uncle,  and  is  yet  one  of  the  finest  in  thi.s 
section.  It  is  situated  on  an  elevation  which 
commands  a  beautiful  view  and  is  suri-ounded 
by  a  well-kept  sloping  lawn,  shaded  by  trees. 

Mr.  Bishop  married  Catherine  A.  Boodey, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Merrill  Boodey,  of  Pen- 
insula, and  they  have  one  son,  Fred. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Bishop  is  nominally  a  Re- 
publican, but,  like  many  thoughtful  men  of 
the  times,  resei-\es  the  right  to  vote  independ- 
ently on  many  questions.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  Meriden  Sun  Lodge,  No.  266, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Richfield. 

For  some  years  Mr.  Bishop  has  given  a 
great  deal  of  attention  to  promoting  athletics 
at  Peninsula,  especially  the  great  national 
game  of  ba.^e  ball.  For  the  past  five  years 
he  has  managed  the  ball  team  at  this  point, 
w^hich  is  made  up  entirely  of  local  players 
and  it  ha.'^  developed  considerable  talent.  He 
is  a  broad-minded,  genial  man,  one  whom  it 
is  pleasant  to  know,  and  one  who  enjoys  wide 
popularity  in  the  community  where  he  ha.« 
pas-ed   the   nio.<t   important  years  of  his  life. 


GEORGE  HEINTZ,  general  farmer,  resid- 
ing on  his  well-improved  farm  of  fifty  acres, 
situated  in  Coventry  Township,  about  two 
miles  south  of  the  city  limits  of  South  Ak- 
ron, was  born  in  an  old  log  house,  on  his 
present  farm,  January  28,  1847,  and  is  a  son 
of  Phillip  and  Mary   (Beard)   Heiutz. 

Phillip  Heintz,  father  of  George,  was  born 
in  Germany,  in  1810,  and  went  to  school 
until  it  was  time  to  learn  a  self-supporting 
trade,  when  he  chose  that  of  weaver,  although 
he  was  apt  in  almost  any  kind  of  mechanical 
work.  He  then  served  his  allotted  time  in 
the  Germany  army.  He  married  Mary 
Beard  and  after  the  birth  of  four  children, 
they  decided  to  emigrate  to  America.  They 
took  passage  in  a  sailing  vessel  March  15, 
1845,  and  spent  forty  days  in  covering  the 
di;stance  which  the  ocean  steamers  of  the 
jiresent  day  cover  in  seven  days.  They 
landed  safely,  however,  and  in  a  few^  weeks 
were  settled  on  the  farm  w^hich  George  Heintz 
now  owns.  At  the  time  they  came  here  the 
land  vias  not  very  attractive,  as  a  large 
amount  of  timber  was  still  standing  and 
burnt  stumps  marked  the  spots  where  the 
trees  had  been  cut,  but  the  ground  was  fer- 
tile, and  with  industry  the  land  was  developed 
into  an  excellent  farm.  An  old  log  house 
was  on  the  place,  in  which  the  family  took 
up  their  residence,  and  here  the  father  died 
in  1876,  aged  sixty-six  years.  His  wife,  who 
was  born  in  1812,  survived  to  the  age  of 
eighty-four.  After  coming  to  America  the 
family  was  increased  by  the  birth  of  five  more 
children.  Those  born  in  Germany  were: 
Catherine,  who  married  Philip  Laubert.: 
Philip  J.,  Louise,  deceased,  who  married 
Frank  Knapp,  and  John.  Those  who  were 
born  in  America  were:  George,  subject  of 
this  sketch:  Mrs.  Esther  Glass.  Mary,  who 
married  Unas  Cramer;  Lena,  who  married 
Eli  Pcatro,  and  Matilda,  who  married  Walter 
Sherbondy. 

George  Heintz  grew  up  on  the  old  farm 
and  began  farm  work  while  still  young,  in 
the  meanwhile  going  to  school  as  opportunity 
afforded.  He  then  learned  the  potter's  trade, 
which    proved    remunerative,    and    in    eight 


892 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


.  years  he  made  enough  to  purchase  the  old 
homestead  from  the  other  heira.  This  was 
in  1878,  and  ten  years  later  he  tore  down 
the  old  log  house  and  erected  his  present 
comfortable  nine-room  frame  residence.  Not 
stopping  there,  he  made  many  other  substan- 
tial improvements  which  have  added  to  the 
value  of  his  property.  Beautiful  shade  trees 
and  green  lawn  make  it  very  attractive.  Mr. 
Heintz  also  owns  property  in  Akron. 

On  November  15,  1877,  Mr.  Heintz  was 
married  to  Mary  M.  Beck,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Greorge  and  Catherine  (Blose)  Beck.  Mrs. 
Heintz's  parents  came  from  Germany  about 
1845,  but  she  was  born  in  America,  her  par- 
ents having  been  married  in  the  United 
States.  Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Heintz,  namely:  George  Philip, 
who  died  in  April,  1897,  aged  eighteen  years; 
William  A.,  who  married  Theresa  Canfield, 
and  Ernest  Walter,  Adella  and  Earl  Forest. 
Mrs.  Heintz  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Catherine,  who  married  F. 
Schultz;  Christiana,  deceased,  who  married 
William  Gayer;  Mary;  Carry,  who  married 
William  Thornton,  and  John  and  George. 
George  Beck  and  wife  died  in  Coventry 
Township.  Mr.  Heintz  and  family  belong  to 
the  German  Reformed  Church.  They  are 
kind,  industrious  and  worthy  people  who  en- 
joy the  esteem  of  the  community  in  which 
they  lived  so  long. 

LAWSON  WATERMAN.  Few  citizens  of 
Peninsula,  Summit  County,  passed  off  the 
stage  of  life  followed  with  more  sincere  ex- 
pressions of  respect  and  esteem,  or  left  be- 
hind a  better  record  of  a  useful,  blameless  life 
than  did  Lawson  Waterman,  who  was  born  at 
Decatur,  Otsego  County,  New  York,  January 
21,  1811,  and  died  after  a  short  illness.  Sep- 
tember 21,  1892. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  went  to 
Rochester,  New  York,  where  he  found  em- 
ployment in  a  ship  yard,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing summer  went  on  the  lakes  as  a  sailor,  a 
calling  he  followed  for  several  yeare.  In 
1836  he  moved  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he 
met  Angeline  C.   Roger,   whom  he  married 


October  24,  1840.  She  was  born  April  11, 
1821,  in  Kingsville,  Geauga  County,  Ohio, 
and  died  on  the  home  place  at  Peninsula, 
January  12,  1906.  They  had  two  children, 
George  Lawson,  and  a  child  that  died  in  in- 
fancy. George  Lawson  Waterman  was  a  gal- 
lant soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  and  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  He  died 
September  19,  1863,  from  a  wound  received 
while  quelling  a  mob,  at  Dayton,  Ohio. 

The  parents  of  Lawson  Waterman  were 
Elisha  and  Diana  (Young)  Waterman. 
Elisha  was  a  son  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier, 
who  served  through  the  entire  seven  years, 
settling  at  Decatur,  Otsego  County,  New  York, 
where  Elisha  was  born.  In  1791  he  married 
Diana  Young,  who  was  born  at  Decatur,  New 
York,  and  was  a  daughter  of  a  Revolutionary 
soldier,  the  wife  of  a  soldier  of  the  War  of 
1812,  and  the  grandmother  of  an  officer  in 
the  Civil  War.  She  was  a  woman  of  noble 
character  and  impressed  herself  on  her  chil- 
dren. Elisha  Waterman  enlisted  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  War  of  1812,  and  was  taken  prispn- 
er  by  the  British  at  the  battle  of  Queenstown, 
but  was  soon  released  on  parole  and  eventu- 
ally discharged.  He  had  four  children: 
Lawson,  Onesimus,  Marietta  and  Ellen.  In 
1843  he  brought  his  family  to  Ohio  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  in  York  Township,  Medina 
County,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years  and  his  wife  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
six  years. 

After  marrage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawson  Water, 
man  came  to  Peninsula  and  for  many  years 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  of  canal 
boats,  and  prospered  because  of  his  energy, 
prudence  and  upright  dealing,  amassing  a 
modest  but  honest  fortune.  He  was  a  man 
of  sterling  character,  charitable  to  a  fault,  be- 
stowing benefits  in  a  quiet  way  and  always 
giving  a  petitioner  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 
His  friends  were  numbered  only  by  those 
who  had  come  to  his  acquaintance.  His  pass- 
ing away  was  that  of  going  to  sleep  and  when 
he  was  no  more,  the  community  in  which  his 
kind  and  exemplary  life  had  been  led.  had 
lost  a  good  man. 

Politically  he  was  a  Democrat,  for  a  num- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZENS 


893 


ber  of  yeaa^  was  postmaster  at  Peninsula  and 
served  in  town  aiid  township  offices.  He  be- 
longed to  Meridian  Lodge,  No.  266,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  West  Richfield. 

NORMAN  WISE,  millwright  for  the 
Cleveland-Akron  Bay  Company  at  Boston 
Mill,  in  Boston  Township,  was  born  at  East 
Liberty,  Green  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  April  26,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
J.  and  Mary  A.  (Bower)  Wise. 

William  J.  Wise  was  born  January  6,  1840, 
and  for  many  years  carried  on  agricultural 
pursuits  in  Tallmadge  Township,  where  he 
still  owns  a  large  farm,  although  he  is  now 
retired  from  active  pursuits  and  is  living  a 
quiet  life  at  Akron.  He  was  married  to  Mary 
A.  Bower,  who  was  the  daughter  of  John 
Bower,  of  Newheim,  and  they  had  two  sons 
and  four  daughters,  Norman  being  the  eldest 
child.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wise  were  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Norman  Wise  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Green  Township,  and  when  he  was 
sixteen  years  old  left  the  home  farm  and  went 
to  Cuyahoga  Falls,  where  he  began  to  learn 
the  trade  of  machinist,  in  the  plant  of  Tur- 
ner* Vaughn  and  Taylor.  Later  he  went  to 
Cleveland,  where  he  followed  his  trade  in  dif- 
ferent shops,  and  subsequently  went  from 
place  to  place,  both  in  the  East  and  West,  gain- 
ing varied  and  valuable  experience.  In  1887, 
when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Cleveland 
Paper  Bag  Company,  Mr.  Wise's  ability  was 
recognized,  and  he  held  a  prominent  position 
with  that  firm  for  three  years,  when  he  went 
to  the  Taylor  and  Boggis  Foundry  Company, 
and  was  in  charge  of  their  machinery  for  ten 
and  one-half  years.  In  the  spring  of  1900, 
Mr.  Wise  came  to  his  present  position,  to  in- 
stall the  machinery  of  the  paper  mill,  the 
erection  of  the  building  having  been  started 
in  the  fall  of  1899.  To  gain  some  idea  of 
the  machinery  which  comes  under  Mr.  Wise's 
care,  one  need  only  glance  at  the  following 
equipment  of  the  plant:  one  84-inch  paper 
machine,  one  124-inch  paper  machine,  four 
rotary  boilers,  two  rope  cutters,  two  dusters, 


a  devil-picker,  one  60-horse-power  engine  and 
coating  machine,  seven  boilers,  two  feed  water 
pumps,  one  fire  pump  with  a  capacity  of  750 
gallons  per  minute,  one  supply  pump  with  a 
capacity  of  1,000  gallons  per  minute,  one 
rotary  pump  with  a  capacity  of  550  to  600 
gallons  per  minute,  two  water  wheels  manu- 
factured by  the  Dayton  Globe  Iron  Works 
with  a  capacity  of  400  horse-power,  a  1,000- 
horse-power  cross  compound  Hamilton  Cor- 
liss engine,  one  Snyder  Hughes  condenser, 
1,398  feet  of  pipe  line,  composed  of  6,  8,  10 
and  12  inch  pipe  to  a  dam  in  the  woods  near 
the  mill,  which  has  a  twelve-foot  head  of 
water  and  delivers  water  at  a  pressure  of 
twenty-eight  pounds,  and  a  4,600-gallon  fire 
tank  at  an  elevation  of  120  feet,  the  plant 
being  supplied  with  automatic  sprinklers 
throughout.  The  plant  has  a  machine  ship 
equipped  with  drills,  lathes  and  all  other  ma- 
chinery necessary  to  make  repairs  on  equip- 
ment, and  Mr.  Wise  has  the  services  of  com- 
petent assistants. 

Mr.  Wise  was  married  to  Rose  Wolfe,  who 
is  the  daughter  of  Adam  Wolfe,  of  Cleveland, 
and  they  have  three  children:  Daisy  G., 
Norman  and  Marion.  In  political  matters 
Mr.  Wise  is  a  Republican.  In  1901  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  of  Boston  Town- 
ship, and  he  is  now  serving  his  second  term, 
which  continues  until  1910.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education  since 
1905.  Fraternally  Mr.  Wise  is  connected 
with  Pavonia  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  of 
Cuyahoga  Falls. 

ALLEN  WELTON,  formerly  a  very  prom- 
inent citizen  of  Boston  Township,  where  he 
carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  on  a  large 
body  of  land  which  once  aggregated  300  acres, 
was  born  July  18,  1809,  in  Vermont. 

Mr.  Welton  was  given  but  limited  educa- 
tional opportunities  in  his  youth,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  his  fortunes  fluctuated.  As 
a  young  man  he  began  to  clerk  in  a  store 
in  his  native  state,  and  later  went  to  New 
York.  There  he  was  variously  employed, 
finally  acquiring  a  wood  yard  and  on  one  oc- 


894 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


casion  he  chopped  400  cords  of  wood,  only 
to  see  it  swept  away  by  the  sudden  uprising 
of  a  river.  Prom  New  York  he  tlien  went  to 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  which  city  was  but  a  small 
village,  and  from  there  to  Bedford,  and 
shortly  afterward  to  Boston  Township,  south 
of  Peninsula.  He  settled  on  the  farm  on  Oak 
Hill,  now  owned  by  his  widow,  which  was 
then  covered  with  timber  and  this  he  cleared 
and  cultivated  in  the  course  of  years,  accu- 
mulating 300  acres.  A  large  part  of  this  land 
has  since  been  sold,  the  farm  now  containing 
187  acres.  For  a  niunber  of  years  Mr.  Wel- 
ton  conducted  a  dairy,  and  at  one  time  milked 
forty  cows.  He  was  a  man  of  many  practi- 
cal ideas  and  began  making  cheese  at  home, 
the  industry  soon  growing  to  such  proportions 
that  he  built  a  cheese  factorj',  which  wiis  the 
first  one  in  Summit  County,  and  later  oper- 
ated another  factory  at  Bath,  which  his  son 
Frank  helped  him  to  conduct.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Dairy- 
men's Association. 

Mr.  Welton  was  married  (first)  in  New 
York,  to  Sarah  Strieker,  and  they  had  five 
children,  namely:  Francis,  who  is  deceased; 
George  W.,  who  lives  at  Akron ;  William  H. 
H.,  also  a  resident  of  Akron;  John  N. ;  and 
Ellen  E.,  who  is  the  widow  of  Andrew  Oz- 
mun,  of  Bath  Township.  On  March  17, 
1852,  Mr.  Welton  was  married  (second)  to 
Louise  Thompson,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Mills 
and  Catherine  (Allen)  Thompson,  who  was 
born  at  Hudson,  Ohio,  January  14,  1831. 
The  following  children  were  born  to  this 
marriage:  Frank  E.,  who  is  a  railroad  con- 
ductor, residing  at  Akron,  married  Ella  Han- 
cock, and  they  have  had  three  children,  Park 
and  Harry,  living,  and  Clara,  deceased;  Cora 
A.,  who  married  Walter  Hunt,  who  carries 
on  the  home  farm,  has  one  son,  Elwin  Wel- 
ton ;  Emma  C,  who  married  Ira  O.  France, 
residing  at  Akron;  Hattie  J.,  who  married 
Bert  Lee.  residing  in  Boston  Township,  has 
one  child,  Chester;  Ira  Glenn,  residing  at 
home;  and  Jessie  and  Alice,  both  of  whom 
are  deceased. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Welton 


was  the  first  physician  to  settle  in  Summit 
County.  Mills  Thompson,  her  father,  was 
born  at  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  but  at  the 
time  of  his  mari'iage  he  lived  at  Akron.  Dui 
ing  the  building  of  the  Ohio  Canal,  he  was 
an  overseer  of  a  part  of  the  work  for  a  time, 
but  his  life  was  mainly  spent  as  an  agricul- 
turist. 

Allen  Welton  made  two  trips  to  Kentucky 
and  Nashville,  Tennessee,  to  visit  his  sons, 
who  contracted  serious  illness  during  their 
service  in  the  Civil  War,  and  on  one  of  these 
trips  brought  his  son  John  home  with  him. 
He  had  many  thrilling  experiences,  and  on 
a  number  of  occasions  narrowly  escaped  cap- 
ture by  roving  bands  of  guerrillas.  A  stanch 
Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Welton  was  often 
elected  to  positions  of  trust,  and  served  as 
county  commissioner  and  township  trustee. 
During  his  long  and  useful  life  he  was  very 
active  in  church  and  charitable  movements, 
and  was  the  founder  of  the  Congregational 
Sunday-school,  which  is  still  in  existence  in 
the  neighborhood  of  his  former  home. 

EDWARD  ROEPKE,  a  highly  esteemed 
retired  farmer  of  Portage  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  whose  comfortable  home 
is  on  the  Dayton  Street  extension,  just  across 
from  the  new  Caldwell  school,  was  born  No- 
vember 10,  1841,  in  Zemmen,  Prussia,  and 
i.<  a  son  of  William  and  Frederica  (Dittben- 
ner)   Roepke. 

Edward  Roepke  was  reared  to  manhood  in 
his  native  country.  During  his  youth  he 
worked  as  a  hired  man  on  a  farm,  receiving 
twenty-two  dollars  per  year  and  his  board, 
and  also  spent  two  years  as  a  waiter  in  a  pri- 
vate house  in  Berlin,  for  which  service  he  re- 
ceived four  dollars  per  month,  his  board  and 
washng. 

When  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  with 
Ills  parents  and  their  other  children,  Mr. 
Roepke  started  for  America,  from  Hamburg,, 
Germany,  in  the  sailing  vessel  Wnshington, 
and  after  a  voyage  of  fourteen  weeks  landed 
at  Quebec,  Canada,  in  September,  1862,  In 
April,  1863,  they  removed  to  Ottawa,  where 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


895 


the  men  of  the  family  endeavored  to  secure 
employment  on  the  new  Government  bnild- 
ings  being  erected  there,  but  faiHng  in  this 
they  came  to  Akron,  Ohio,  Mr.  Roepke  liav- 
ing  seen  in  an  advertisement  that  men  were 
needed  in  the  construction  of  the  Atlantic 
and  Great  Western  Railroad.  On  arriving  in 
this  city  difficulty  with  the  language  embar- 
ra.ssed  them  as  none  of  the  family  could  read 
or  write  in  English,  nor  could  they  speak  or 
understand  it  with  the  exception  of  an  oc- 
casional common  word.  They  already  had 
suffered  misfortune.  Their  passage  had  been 
paid  to  Akron  by  way  of  Oswego  and  Cleve- 
land, but  between  Hudson  and  Akron  they 
lost  all  of  their  belongings,  even  their  bed- 
ding and  household  effects,  which  they  had 
brought  that  far  from  Germany,  and  their 
sole  possessions  were  the  clothes  they  wore. 
However,  here  the  father  and  five  sons  found 
work,  each  receiving  eleven  shillings  per  day 
for  eleven  hours'  labor.  After  three  months, 
they  entered  the  employ  of  George  Wolven 
as  quarrymen,  and  here  their  w'ages  were  one 
dollar  and  fifty  cents  for  ten  houre'  work, 
and  tliey  continued  for  two  years  working  in 
the  quaiTies.  In  1864,  Albert  Roepke.  the 
second  eldest  brother,  enlisted  in  the  Sixth 
Ohio  Cavalrv%  and  served  nine  months  in  the 
Federal  Army,  and  as  in  addition  to  his 
monthly  salary  of  sixteen  dollars  he  received 
a  bounty  of  $.500.  he  felt  almost  rich,  and 
hastened  to  better  the  family  fortunes.  With 
this  sum  four-  acres  of  land  were  purchased 
in  Akron,  on  which  was  situated  a  stone 
quarry,  and  Edward  and  Albert  Roepke  and 
a  half-brother,  William  Moss),  engaged  in 
business,  the  firm  going  into  debt  for  an  ad- 
ditional $500.  The  stone  quarry  was  oper- 
ated for  five  years,  stone  selling  at  one  dol- 
lar per  load,  and  at  the  end  of  this  time  they 
engaged  in  contracting,  and  Edward  Roepke 
was  made  superintendent  of  the  business, 
which  proved  verv  successful.  Later  this  land 
was  sold  off  in  lots  and  Edward  Roepke  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  108  acres  in  Portage  Town- 
ship, on  which  he  built  a  fine  house  and  barn 
and  engaged  in  general  agricultural  pursuits. 


although  he  still  contiiuied  his  contract ing 
operations,  and  did  much  road  construction 
work  for  the  county.  In  1900,  Mr.  Roepke 
sold  his  farm  and  took  a  trip  to  California, 
where  he  remained  several  months.  After  re- 
turning to  Akron,  he  went  to  Detroit,  Michi- 
gan, where  he  spent  three  summers,  his  win- 
ters being  passed  in  Florida.  In  November, 
1905,  the  present  Mrs.  Roepke  purchased 
from  Robert  Turner  the  lot  on  which  thoy 
now  reside,  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  Jlr. 
Roepke  erected  here  a  beautiful  home,  in 
which  they  have  since  lived. 

In  1864  Mr.  Roepke  was  married  (first)  to 
Caroline  Myers,  who  died  in  1894.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  Ernest  Myers.  To  this  union 
there  were  born  eleven  children,  as  follows: 
Charles,  who  lives  at  Akron ;  Rosa,  who  is  the 
wife  of  John  H.  Rice,  of  Mansfield,  Ohio; 
Edward  A.,  who  is  in  the  fertilizing  business 
at  Akron ;  Emma,  who  married  Richard  Dohl, 
a  stove  and  furnace  merchant  of  Ravenna, 
Ohio;  William,  whose  death  occurred  Au- 
gust 81,  1905;  Clara,  who  is  the  wife  of  L.  B. 
Jennings,  a  baker,  of  Ravenna,  Ohio;  George, 
who  for  three  years  was  a  member  of  the 
United  Statas  Anny  in  the  Philippines;  John, 
who  lives  at  Ravenna,  Ohio;  ilary,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Adam  Fichter,  an  architect  of 
Akron;  Ida,  who  is  a  stenographer  at  Mans- 
field, Ohio ;  and  Harry,  who  also  resides  in 
Mansfield.  In  1905  Mr.  Roepke  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Henrietta  Huge. 

Mr.  Roepke  has  been  much  interested  in 
public  matters  in  his  township,  and  for  nine- 
teen years  served  on  the  School  Board,  and 
for  four  years  in  the  office  of  road  superin- 
tendent. He  is  a  Republican  and  is  Town- 
ship Committeeman  of  his  party.  He  is  an 
excellent  example  of  a  self-made  man. 

JOHN  M.  FOUSE,  general  farmer  and 
well-known  citizen,  residing  on  his  valuable 
farm  of  twenty-five  acres,  which  is  situated 
on  Dan  Street,  ju.st  east  of  the  city  limits  of 
Akron,  and  in  Portage  Town.ship,  was  born 
in  Lake  Township,  Stark  County,  Ohio,  Oc- 


896 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


tober  7,  1851.  He  is  a  son  of  Frederick  and 
Elizabeth   (Gaerte)   Fouse. 

Frederick  Fouse  was  born  on  the  old  Foiise 
homestead  in  Stark  County,  which  his  father, 
John  Fouse,  bought  from  the  Government, 
when  he  came  as  a  young  man  pioneering  in 
Lake  Township.  He  was  a  native  of  Blair 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  died  on  the  farm 
he  had  worked  so  hard  to  secure  and  improve 
when  his  son  Frederick  was  three  months 
old.  His  widow  remained  on  the  farm  which 
consisted  of  140  acres,  where  she  reared  her 
two  children,  Frederick  and  Savilla,  the  lat- 
ter of  whom  later  married  Isaac  Madlem.  and 
is  now  deceased.  Grandmother  Fouse  subse- 
quently came  to  Portage  Township,  where 
she  lived  until  her  death,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven  yeai's.. 

As  soon  as  Frederick  Fouse  attained  suf- 
ficient strength  and  judgment  he  took  upon 
himself  the  mafiagement  of  the  farm  and 
when  he  reached  manhood,  he  married  Eliza- 
beth Gaerte,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Gaerte  and  was  reared  in  Lake  Township. 
All  of  their  nine  children  were  born  and 
reared  on  the  Stark  County  farm,  as  follows: 
Malinda,  who  married  Philip  Fulmer,  resides 
in  Portage  County;  John  M.,  of  Portage 
Township;  Reuben,  Jacob,  Edward  P.,  Mil- 
ton W.,  Fernando  and  William  F.,  all  reside 
in  Portage  Township;  and  Ira,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-seven  years. 

In  1873,  Frederick  Fouse  sold  the  farm  in 
Stark  County  and  bought  107  acres  in  Sum- 
mit County,  John  M.  Fouse's  farm  being  a 
part  of  this  tract.  Mr.  Fouse  lived  on  his 
new  purchase  until  his  death  in  January, 
1884.  He  erected  new  buildings  and  im- 
proved his  land  in  many  ways.  His  widow 
survived  until  April,  1904.  They  were  worthy 
people  in  every  way  and  enjoyed  the  esteem 
of  all  who  knew  them. 

John  M.  Fouse  was  trained  in  agricvdtural 
pursuits  from  his  boyhood  and  has  never 
turned  his  attention  to  any  degree  to  an>i.hing 
else.  For  twenty-eight  years  he  was  in  the 
milk  business  and  had  an  Akron  route,  but 
in  January,  1907,  he  discontinued  his  dairv. 


He  married  Susan  Royer,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Abraham  Royer,  of  Stark  County,  and  they 
have  a  fine,  intelligent  family  of  ten  children, 
namely:  Bertha,  Aquilla,  Austin  J.,  Fred- 
erick, Clarence,  Claude,  Mabel,  Floyd,  Gladys 
and  Elva.  The  eldest  son,  Aquilla  Fouse, 
married  Edna  Sprague,  and  they  have  three 
children :     Ruth,  Helen  and  Harold. 

When  the  home  farm  was  divided  at  the 
time  of  the  father's  death,  John  M.  Fouse 
purchased  twenty-five  acres  of  the  land,  which 
is  exceedingly  valuable  on  account  of  being 
so  desirable  for  city  building  extension,  to- 
gether with  the  buildings,  the  substantial 
barn  having  been  put  up  in  1880,  and  the 
fine  frame  dwelling,  in  1881. 

Mr.  Fouse  is  one  of  the  recognized  lead- 
ing men  of  the  township  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education  together  with  the 
folloT\ang  prominent  citizens:  John  Mc- 
Dowell, president,  Roland  Koplin,  W.  W. 
Washburn  and  Abner  Caldwell.  Mr.  Fouse 
belongs  to  the  order  of  Pathfinders. 

FRANK  A.  WILCOX,  capitalist,  who  has 
been  a  resident  of  Akron  since  1882,  is  exten- 
sively engaged  in  a  general  contracting  and 
real  estate  business  here  and  is  identified  with 
a  large  number  of  the  successful  enterprises 
from  which  the  city  has  gained  its  name  as 
an  important  commercial  center.  He  was 
born  at  Richfield,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
May  17,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  J.  C.  Wil- 
cox, one  of  the  county's  pioneers. 

Frank  A.  Wilcox  remained  at  Richfield 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  securing 
his  preparatory  education  there,  and  then  en- 
tered Oberlin  College.  Here  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1878,  and  immediately  afterward  be- 
gan the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  T.  E. 
Burton,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  After  one  year 
there  he  accepted  the  position  of  superintend- 
ent of  the  schools  of  Glenville,  which  he 
filled  for  three  years.  Mr.  Wlicox  then 
bought  the  abstract  books  of  Summit  County 
and  from  1882  to  1898,  he  did  the  abstract, 
real  estate  and  insurance  business  which  is 
now  controlled  bv  the  firm  of  Bruner.  Good- 


AND    EEPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


897 


hue  &  Cook,  being  associated  the  most  of  the 
time  with  A.  H.  Noah.  He  still  retains  an 
interest  in  the  business.  He  was  then  secre- 
taoy  of  the  India  Rubber  Company  for  one 
year,  and  in  1899  took  charge  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Rubber  Company,  serving  as  vice- 
president,  treasurer  and  general  manager.  He 
remained  with  this  company  until  March  1, 
1907,  and  is  still  on  its  board  of  directors. 
Mr.  Wilcox  is  now  engaged  in  a  general  con- 
tracting and  real  estate  business.  His  large 
real  estate  interests  occupy  much  of  his  time. 
He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Akron  Selle  Com- 
pany and  in  other  concerns,  being  treasurer 
and  general  manager  of  the  Arcturus  Lithia 
Springs  Company. 

In  1893,  Mr.  Wilcox  was  married  to  Delia 
M.  Doyle,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Wil- 
liam B.  Doyle.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilcox  lost  an 
interesting  little  son,  Doyle,  who  died  at  Erie, 
Pennsylvania,  aged  but  six  years.  They  have 
one  daughter,  Margaret,  and  an  adopted 
daughter,  Elizabeth  L. 

While  residing  at  Glenville,  Mr.  Wilcox 
served  as  a  member  of  the  City  Council,  and 
from  1885  until  1887,  he  served  on  the  Akron 
City  Council.  He  was  the  founder  of  the 
order  of  Maccabees  at  Akron  and  is  past  mas- 
ter of  the  order  here,  and  he  is  also  past  grand 
of  Akron  Lodge,  No.  547,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and 
was  sent  as  a  representative  to  the  Grand  En- 
campment of  the  state  of  Ohio.  He  belongs 
also  to  the  Akron  lodge  of  Elks.  At  Jean- 
nette,  Pennsylvania,  he  united  with  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church.  Akron  has  few  more 
progressive,  enterprising  and  public-spirited 
citizens  than  Mr.  Wilcox. 

CLINT  W.  KLINE,  Clerk  of  Courts,  was 
born  in  Green  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  January  14,  1860 ;  he  is  the  sepond  son 
of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Chisnell)  Kline,  now 
living  in  Greensburg,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Kline  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
and  obtained  the  usual  country  school  edu- 
cation :  subsequent  to  this  he  was  a  student 
in  the  Akron  High  School,  and  was  a  student 
at  Buchtel  college  and  also  at  Hiram  college. 


At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  began  teaching 
country  schools,  which  profession  he  followed 
for  seven  years,  after  which  he  took  a  course 
in  stenography  at  Springfield,  Ohio. 

In  1885  he  came  to  Akron  and  engaged  in 
the  retail  grocery  business  with  his  brother, 
Oliver  J.  Kline,  under  the  firm  name  of  Kline 
Bros.,  which  partnership  continued  until  1903 
when  Mr.  Kline  entered  upon  his  duties  as 
Clerk  of  Courts,  thus  terminating  the  partner- 
ship. 

Mr.  Kline  has  always  been  a  Republican 
and  has  always  been  active  in  local  politics, 
having  served  as  chairman  of  the  Republican 
City  Central  Committee  for  a  number  of 
years  and  vice-chairman  of  the  Summit 
County  Executive  Committee.  In  1895  he 
was  elected  to  the  Board  of  Education  from 
the  famous  Old  Fourth  ward,  the  Democratic 
stronghold  of  the  city,  in  which  capacity  he 
served  during  1895  and  1896;  he  did  not 
stand  for  re-election,  having  received  the  Re- 
publican nomination  for  member  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  Ohio. 

Mr.  Kline  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Clerk 
of  Courts  at  the  election  of  1902  and  assumed 
his  duties  as  such  in  1903 ;  in  1905  he  was  re- 
elected to  a  second  term,  which  will  expire 
in  August,  1909.  Mr.  Kline  is  connected 
with  a  number  of  our  banking  institutions 
and  is  vice-president  of  The  Dime  Savings 
Bank.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  in  a  number 
of  Akron's  flourishing  enterprises. 

In  1886  Mr.  Kline  was  married  to  Minnie 
E.  Burnham,  a  popular  teacher  of  the  Akron 
public  school;  they  have  two  children.  Vera 
B.  and  Helen  B.  Mr.  Kline  is  prominent  in 
fraternal  matters,  affiliating  with  a  great 
many  fraternal  bodies. 

CHARLES  TSCHANTZ,  a  highly  es- 
teemed citizen  of  Portage  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  who  resides  on  the  old 
Good  farm  and  is  engaged  in  farming  and 
dairying,  was  born  September  21,  1855,  in 
Switzerland,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Chris- 
tina Tschantz,  both  of  whom  died  in  the  old 
countrv.     Charles  Tschantz  was  reared  in  his 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


native  country,  where  he  received  a  good  edu- 
cation, his  father  being  a  school  teacher,  and 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  yeai's  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica, locating  at  once  on  the  farm  of  Abe 
Mosier  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio.  After  re- 
maining there  for  two  years  Mr.  Tschantz 
removed  to  Beaver  County,  Pennsylvania, 
where  for  two  years  he  worked  in  a  dairy, 
and  subsequently  went  to  Putnam  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  lived  for  seven  years.  After 
his  marriage,  Mr.  Tschantz  went  to  Ashta- 
bula, Ohio,  where  he  continued  to  reside  for 
six  years,  and  in  1897  located  on  the  old 
Sacket  farm  in  Copley  Township.  Two  years 
later  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  in  Cop- 
ley, where  he  resided  for  three  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  purchased  a  residence 
and  ten  building  lots  in  Akron.  Mr.  Tschantz 
removed  to  his  present  home  in  1899,  and  in 
1905  purchased  thirty  acres  of  land,  which 
he  farms  in  connection  with  the  298  acres 
that  he  rents  from  Edward  Good.  He  makes 
a  specialty  of  dairying,  having  for  this  pur- 
pose a  herd  of  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  finely 
bred  cattle. 

Mr.  Tschantz  was  man-ied  in  Putman 
County,  Ohio,  to  Anna  Vungunton,  and  to 
this  union  there  have  been  born  seven  chil- 
dren: Lena,  who  married  Allen  Wright; 
William,  who  married  Margaret  Hodgson, 
and  has  one  child,  Buelah  Margaret;  Otto, 
who  resides  in  Oregon ;  .Tohn,  also  a  resident 
of  Oregon  ;  Charles,  who  lives  at  home ;  Anna, 
who  is  a  stenographer  of  Akron;  and  Lizzie. 
With  his  family  Mr.  Tschantz  attends  the 
Christian  Church. 

C.  H.  PALMER,  who  is  identified  with  a 
number  of  Akron's  greatest  business  enter- 
prises, is  still  in  the  .vigor  of  middle  age,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  1850,  in  old  Middlebury, 
now-  Akron,  and  is  a  son  of  Albert  and  Ann 
Elizabeth  (Hoyc)   Palmer. 

Stephen  Palmer,  the  grandfather  of  C.  H.. 
was  one  of  the  earliest  manufacturers  of 
this  section.  He  established  a  fanning  mill 
factory  which  his  son,  Albert  Palmer,  con- 
tinued to  operate  until  about  1850,  in  which 


year  he  to  went  to  Tennessee,  where,  for  a 
time  he  was  engaged  in  the  same  business. 
In  early  manhood,  Albert  Palmer  was  a 
school  teacher.  He  still  survives,  and  resides 
at  Akron,  having  reached  hLs  eighty-third 
year,  while  his  wife  has  rounded  out  her 
seventy-seventh. 

C.  H.  Palmer  was  educated  at  Kingsville 
Academy.  He  was  only  twelve  years  old 
when  he  was  sent  out  on  his  father's  wagon, 
to  sell  matches,  and  thus  from  boyhood  he 
has  been  connected  with  the  great  corporation 
now  known  as  the  Diamond  Match  Company. 
From  the  humble  position  of  match  boy,  Mr. 
Palmer,  through  diligence  and  industry 
worked  his  way  up,  step  by  .9tep,  through  the 
different  grades  of  service  until  he  now  occu- 
pies the  responsible  positions  of  vice-president 
and  general  superintendent  of  the  Diamond 
Match  Company,  as  well  as  a  director  in  the 
same.  Mr.  Palmer  is  largely  interested  in 
many  other  flourishing  enterprises  of  this 
prosperous  city  and  section.  He  is  president 
and  director  of  the  Granite  Clay  Company; 
trea.surer  and  a  director  of  the  Akron  Smok- 
ing Pipe  Company ;  a  director  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Akron ;  a  director  of  the  Bar- 
berton  Savings  Bank,  at  Barberton,  and  other 
concerns  of  less  magnitude. 

In  1876,  Mr.  Palmer  was  married  to  Ma- 
rion Peckham,  who  wa.s  born,  reared  and  edu- 
cated at  Middlebury,  and  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  H.  Peckham,  one  of  the  earlie.st  set- 
tlers at  Tallmadge,  Summit  County.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Palmer  have  one  son,  Thomas  A., 
who  is  manager  of  the  Barberton  branch  of 
the  Diamond  Match  factory,  and  vice-presi- 
dent and  a  director  of  the  Granite  Clay  Com- 
pany. He  was  educated  at  Case's  School  of 
Applied  Science.  Mr.  Palmer  is  a  member 
and  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  First  Church 
of  Christ,  at  Akron. 

WILLIS  G.  MARSHALL,  a  well-known 
citizen  and  general  farmer  of  Norton  Town- 
.ship,  residing  on  his  farm  which  lies  one-half 
mile  north  of  Johnson's  Corners  and  about 
one-half   mile  south    of  Norton   Center,   was 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


899 


born  on  this  farm,  in  .Sununit  County,  Ohio, 
March  2,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  G.  and 
Louisa   (Vickers)    Marshall. 

Robert  Marshall  was  born  in  Perry  County, 
Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Mar- 
shall. He  came  to  Sununit  Covnity  a.s  a 
young  man  and  after  his  marriage  Ixnight  the 
farm  on  which  Willis  G.  resides.  Both  he 
and  wife  died  on  this  farm.  They  had 
twleve  children,  Willis  G.  being  the  youngest 
of  the  family. 

Willis  G.  ilarshall  wa.s  reared  on  thi.s  fine 
old  farm  and  went  to  school  at  Norton  Center. 
In  1878  he  was  married  to  Mary  S.  Betz,  a 
daughter  of  Alvin  D.  Betz,  and  she  was  reared 
within  a  half  mile  of  the  farm  on  which  Mr. 
Marshall  grew  up.  They  have  three  children 
—Roy  G.,  Leonard  E.,  ^md  Nellie  M.  The 
eldest  son  is  foreman  of  the  hose  room  of  the 
Rubber  Products  Company,  at  Barbert-on.  He 
married  Mabel  Cooper  and  they  have  three 
.children— Ethel  M.,  Cloyd  C,  and  Ruth  I. 
Leonard,  the  second  son,  is  also  employed  in 
the  Rubber  WorlvS.  He  married  Doxie 
Tawney.  Miss  NelHe  resides  at  home.  Both 
sons  have  built  and  are  living  on  the  place, 
which  is  now  the  West  corporation  limit  of 
Barberton. 

Following  his  marriage.  Mr.  Marshall  lived 
for  two  years  at  Norton  Center,  and  then 
ino\'ed  to  a  farm  south  of  Johnson's  Corners, 
on  which  he  remained  for  four  yeai-s.  He 
then  moved  to  Wayne  County,  for  a  three 
years'  residence.  He  moved  back  to  Norton 
for  one  year  and  then  returned  to  Wayne 
County,  where  he  remained  for  fourteen 
years.  In  the  .spring  of  1902,  he  bought  the 
old  home  farm  and  has  carried  on  agriculture 
here  ever  since.  For  three  years  he  also  car- 
ried on  a  dairy,  but  has  discontinued  that  in- 
dui5try.  The  family  is  one  that  is  very  highly 
respected  in  this  neighborhood. 

IRVIN  R.  MANTON,  superintendent  of 
factory  No.  3,  Robinson  Clay  Product  Com- 
pany, at  Akron,  has  been  connected  with  this 
large  business  enterprise  ever  since  he  com- 
pleted his   education,    and   his  industry,   ca- 


{)acity  and  fidelity  have  contributed  in  full 
measia-e  to  the  success  of  the  concern.  He 
was  born  at  Akron,  Ohio,  January  24,  1874, 
and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Akron, 
with  three  years  of  instruction  at  Saltsburg, 
Pennsylvania.  After  completing  his  school 
studies  he  entered  the  factory  of  the  Robin- 
son Clay  Product  Company,  of  which  he  has 
been  superintendent  for  the  past  four  years. 
He  has  engaged  rather  extensively,  also,  in 
the  breeding  of  fine  horses,  at  present  own- 
ing about  fifteen  head,  they  possessing  quali- 
ties which  make  them  exceedingly  valuable. 
On  April  5,  1898,  Mr.  Manton  was  mar- 
ried to  Fredericka  Wickdal  Hurxthal,  a 
member  of  one  of  the  old  and  substantial 
families  of  Canton,  Ohio.  They  have  one 
child,  Laona.  Mr.  Manton  is  a  member  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church.  He  has  nu- 
merous social  connections,  being  a  member  of 
the  Portage  Country  Club,  the  Canton  Coun- 
try Club,  and  the  Gentlemen's  Driving  Club 
of  Akron. 

IRVING  C.  RANKIN,  M.D.,  specialist  in 
surgery  and  diseases  of  women,  is  a  leading 
practitioner  at  Akron.  He  was  born  at 
Akron,  Ohio,  -in  1871,  and  is  a  .son  of  George 
T.  Rankin. 

Following  his  graduation  from  the  Akron 
High  School,  in  1888,  Dr.  Rankin  entered  the 
Syracuse  University,  where  he  was  graduated 
in  1892  with  his  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Phi- 
losophy. He  received  his  Master's  Degree 
in  1894.  In  1895  he  was  graduated  from  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  after  serving  one  year  as 
an  interne  in  the  Allegheny  General  Hos- 
pital, at  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  he  located 
at  Akron,  in  1896.  He  has  been  in  con- 
tinuous practice  in  this  city  ever  since,  with 
the  exception  of  a  part  of  the  year  1904, 
which  he  spent  at  Berlin  and  Vienna,  tak- 
ing a  post  graduate  course  in  the  famous 
medical  institutions  of  those  cites.  Dr. 
Rankin  is  gynecologist  of  the  Akron  Hos- 
pital, and  surgeon  for  a  number  of  the  large 
industries  of  this  city,   notably,   the  Quaker 


900 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Oats  Company,  the'  Northern  Ohio  Traction 
and  Light  Company,  and  the  Taplin  and  Rice 
Company.  He  also  carries  on  a  general  prac- 
tice. He  is  a  member  of  the  Summit  County, 
the  Ohio  State,  the  Cleveland,  and  the  North 
Eastern  Medical  Societies.  For  three  of  the 
eleven  years  in  which  he  has  been  engaged 
in  practice  at  Akron,  Dr.  Rankin  served  as 
city  physician.  On  November  1,  1898,  Dr. 
Rankin  was  mariied  to  Lena  J.  Schreuder,  of 
Syracuse,  New  York.  Dr.  Rankin  retains 
membership  in  his  Greek  letter  college  frater- 
nity, the  D.  K.  E.;  also  belongs  to  the  Ma- 
sonic order. 

JOHN  "W.  PAYNE,  city  engineer  at 
Akron,  was  born  at  Port  Clinton,  Ottawa 
County,  Ohio,  in  1857,  and  like  many  other 
men  now  in  professional  life,  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools  and  was  reared  on  the 
paternal  farm. 

When  Mr.  Payne  decided  to  adopte  civil  en- 
gineering as  his  profession  he  entered  the  en- 
gineering department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  was  graduated 
in  2883,  with  his  degree  of  a  working  Bache- 
lor of  Science.  Following  his  departure  from 
the  university,  he  worked  for  the  Govern- 
ment, for  two  years,  on  the  Mississippi  River 
survey,  and  for  two  years  on  the  Missouri 
River.  The  death  of  his  brother,  who  had 
been  in  the  dry  goods  business  at  Port  Clin- 
ton, recalled  him  to  that  city  and  he  took 
charge  of  that  business,  removing  to  Akron, 
Ohio,  in  1887,  and  disposed  of  it  in  1894. 
In  1892,  he  first  began  work  in  the  city  en- 
gineer's office  as  assistant,  and  continued  in 
that  capacity  until  1899,  when  he  was  made 
city  engineer,  an  office  he  has  filled  evei- 
since. 

In  1886,  Mr.  Payne  was  married  to  Martha 
A.  Orchard,  of  Lima,  Ohio,  and  they  have  two 
children,  "William  A.  and  Mildred.  The  latr- 
ter  resides  at  home.  William  A.  Payne  is 
a  student  in  the  engineering  department  of 
the  University  of  Michigan.  Mr.  Payne  and 
family  belong  to  the  Woodland  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee. 


He  has  been  prominent  for  a  number  of 
years,  in  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Encampment,  and  belongs  also  to 
the  Pathfinders.  Formerly  he  was  president 
of  the  Ohio  Engineering  Society  and  still  re- 
tains his  membership. 

ELMER  I.  McCAMAN,  whose  excellent 
farm  of  100  acres  is  situated  in  Coventry 
Township,  about  two  and  one-half  miles 
southeast  of  Barberton,  is  a  native  of  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  was  born  on  the  banks  of 
Long  Lake,  in  Coventry  Township,  August 
30,  1871.  He  is  a  son  of  Elihu  and  Louisa 
W.  (Foust)  McCaman. 

Isaac  McCaman,  the  grandfather  of  Elmer 
I.,  was  the  founder  of  this  family  in  Ohio. 
He  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  America 
accompanied  by  two  brothers,  one  of  whom 
settled  first  in  Maryland,  while  the  other,  with 
Isaac,  settled  in  Virginia.  In  a  short  time, 
Isaac  McCaman  pushed  north  to  Ohio  and  set- 
tled near  what  is  now  the  town  of  Uniontown, 
where  he  died  aged  forty-five  years.  His 
widow  survives  him  into  old  age  and  died  at 
Akron.  Of  their  large  family  there  are  two 
survivors,  namely :  Percilla,  who  is  the  widow 
of  Adam  Cormany,  and  Lucinda,  who  is  the 
Widow  Gruber,  residing  at  Akron. 

Elihu  McCaman  was  reared  on  the  farm 
on  which  his  father  had  located  and  through 
youth  assisted  in  clearing  the  same.  In 
young  manhood  he  bought  the  3Iary  Ellen, 
a  tidy  little  canal  boat,  on  which  he  and  his 
mother  lived  for  a  number  of  years,  during 
which  time  he  followed  a  profitable  business 
on  the  water.  After  his  marriage  he  retired 
from  the  canal  and  disposed  of  his  boat,  fol- 
lowing agricultural  pursuits  in  Coventry 
Township  until  his  death,  in  December,  1899, 
when  sixty-eight  years  of  age.  In  middle 
life  he  married  the  widow  of  Michael  Dixon, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  George  and  Nellie 
Foust.  One  of  the  three  children  of  her  first 
marriage  still  survives,  Delilah,  who  married 
Levi  Gaugler.  Two  children  were  born  to 
her  marriage  with  Elihu  McCaman :  Elmer 
I.,  and  Ella  J.,  the  latter  of  whom  married 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZENS 


901 


Charles  Rhodenburger  and  is  deceased.  By 
a  second  marriage,  to  Orange  Cook,  one  child 
was  born,  George  L.  The  mother  of  Mr.  Mc- 
Caman  resides  at  Barberton. 

Elmer  I.  McCaman  was  nine  years  old 
when  his  parents  moved  to  the  farm  in  the 
southwest  corner  of  Coventry  Township, 
where  he  went  to  the  old  District  No.  9  school, 
after  which  he  worked  in  the  shops  at  Barber- 
ton  until  his  marriage.  After  this  event,  he 
went  into  a  sawmill  business  with  his  half- 
brother,  George  Cook,  and  was  a  partner  in 
the  G.  L.  Cook  Lumber  Company,  of  Barber- 
ton,  which  engaged  in  business  there  for  four 
years.  Mr.  McCaman  then  sold  his  interest 
to  Mr.  Cook,  and  in  1904,  he  bought  his 
present  excellent  farm,  from  the  Dickerhoof 
heirs.  The  property  was  improved  to  some 
degree,  but  Mr.  McCaman  has  added  to  the 
value  of  the  land  very  materially,  by  his  care- 
ful cultivation  and  excellent  agricultural 
methods. 

Mr.  McCaman  was  married  February  13, 
1895,  to  Clara  N.  Stefifee  ,who  is  a  daughter  of 
Amos  and  Alice  (Fairbanks)  Steffee.  They 
have  five  children,  namely:  Carrie,  Ellery, 
Edwin,  Forest,  Orwin,  and  Sadie  B.  Mrs. 
McCaman  is  the  eldest  of  her  parents'  family 
of  four  children,  the  others  being:  Leon, 
Blanche,  and  Almira,  the  latter  of  whom  died 
young.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  McCaman  died 
March  26,  1907,  aged  fifty-four  years,  but 
the  father  still  survives.  The  maternal 
grandfather,  Edwin  Fairbanks,  was  a  native 
of  New  York  and  was  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers in  Copley  Township. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCaman  are  members  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church  at  Lock  wood 
Corners,  in  which  he  is  one  of  the  stewards. 
He  is  a  Democrat.  Formally  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  at  Barberton. 

HIRAM    HANCHETT     WALLACE,     a 

highly  esteemed  citizen  of  Northfield  Town- 
ship, was  engaged  in  farming  for  many  years 
but  is  now  retired  from  active  management 
of  his  farms,  though  still  residing  in  a  com- 
modious residence  which  he  built  on  one  of 


them  several  years  ago.  He  is  the  second  son 
of  the  late  James  W.  and  Adeline  (Hanchett) 
Wallace  and  was  born  February  18,  1843,  in 
Northfield  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio. 
This  branch  of  the  Wallace  family  became 
American  through  Robert  Wallace,  the  great- 
great-grandfather  of  Hiram,  who  removed 
from  Scotland  early  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury to  Londonberry,  Ireland,  and  thence  to 
Londonderry,  New  Hampshire.  To  Robert 
was  born  James,  and  to  James  came  two  sons, 
George  and  Robert,  not  mentioning  the  nu- 
merous collateral  branches.  These  brothers, 
George  and  Robert,  having  the  spirit  of  ad- 
venture in  them,  and  perhaps  being  restive 
under  the  strict  New  England  discipline  of 
those  days,  put  good  axes  over  their  broad 
shoulders  and  fat  bags  of  beans  on  their  backs, 
and,  leaving  their  native  town  of  Ackworth, 
New  Hampshire,  directed  their  foot-steps  west- 
ward. By  aid  of  the  axe  they  supplemented 
the  provender  in  the  bags  and  after  traversing 
some  six  hundred  miles  of  sparcely  settled 
country  they  reached  Youngstown,  Ohio, 
where  they  were  engaged  by  a  Mr.  Samuel 
Menough  to  chop  wood  at  twelve  and  one-half 
cents  per  coid.  The  two  brothers  must  have 
done  more  than  chop  well,  for  George  cap- 
tured the  hand  of  Mr.  Menough's  daughter 
Harriet,  and  her  sister  became  Robert's  wife. 

In  1806  George  Wallace  removed  to 
Cleveland  and  purchased  twelve  acres  of  land 
on  what  is  now  Superior  Avenue  N.  W.,  run- 
ning from  the  site  of  the  old  Weddell  House 
(the  present  Rockefeller  Building)  to  the 
river,  and  built  thereon  a  log  hotel  building. 
It  is  said  that  Mr.  Wallace  paid  three  hundred 
dollars  for  this  land  which,  with  improve- 
ments at  the  present  time,  is  worth  millions. 

In  the  latter  year  Mr.  Wallace  removed 
with  his  family  to  the  southern  part  of  North- 
field  Township  to  escape  the  malarious  air 
of  Cleveland  and  to  develop  a  fine  water-power 
on  a  beautiful  stream  to  which  Mrs.  Wallace 
gave  the  name  of  Brandywine. 

Here  George  Wallace  purchased  a  largo 
tract  of  land  and  built  and  operated  a  grist- 
mill, saw-mill,  woolen-mill  and  a  distillery, 


902 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


making  Brandywine  the  greate.st  business 
point  between  Cleveland  and  Pittsburg.  He 
remained  active  in  his  many  enterprises  until 
his  death  in  1846,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three. 
Though  not  a  church  member  he  was  a  liberal 
supporter  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  his 
day-book  now  in  possession  of  his  grand-son 
Hiram,  .showing  among  other  items  the  entry 
of  ten  gallons  of  whiskey  armually  towards 
the  minister's  stipend ;  the  good  liquor  of  that 
day  and  locality  being  known  as  "Brandy- 
wine  currency."  He  left  four  children: 
James  AVaugh,  George  Young,  who  was  one  of 
the  early  sheriffs  of  Portage  County,  Eme- 
line,  and  Perkins,  a  physician. 

James  W.  Wallace,  father  of  Hiram,  be- 
came one  of  the  most  widely  known  and  uni- 
versally respected  of  the  older  residents  of 
Smnmit  County.  Born  in  Youngstown,  No- 
vember 27,  1803,  he  Avas  three  years  of  age 
M-hen  the  family  removed  to  Cleveland  and 
began  the  limited  school  curriculum  of  the 
time.  Early  in  life  he  was  intrusted  with 
business  interests  by  his  father,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  managing  alone  the  general  store  at 
Brandywine  with  its  large  and  varied  stock  of 
goods.  About  1825,  in  company  with  his 
brother  George  Y.,  he  took  immediate  charge 
of  the  different  branches  of  the  Brandywine 
business  including  a  twelve  hundred  acre 
farm  on  which  were  kept  2,000  to  2,500  sheep, 
seventy  to  seventy-five  head  of  cattle  and  ten 
to  fifteen  horses.  As  an  index  to  the  time  it 
is  interesting  to  note  that  the  total  tax  on  this 
property  was  then  but  five  dollars.  Later,  m 
a.ssociation  with  his  father,  he  built  many 
miles  of  the  Ohio  Canal  and  the  aqueduct  at 
Roscoe.  Large  tracts  of  the  AVestern  Reserve 
were  faaniliax  to  him,  as  for  years  he  was  the 
representative  of  the  Land  Company  which 
(iriginally  owned  tliat  section  of  Ohio.  This 
together  with  his  otJier  diversified  interests, 
brought  him  ^Aade  acquaintance  in  the  ter- 
ritory between  Cleveland  and  Pittsburg.  His 
unfailing  courtesy  to  all,  combined  with  just 
but  considerate  business  methods,  made  him 
the  grand  old  man  of  the  time  and  section. 

On  September  8,  1836,  Mr.  Wallace  mar- 


ried Adeline  Hanchett,  daughter  of  lliraui 
and  Mary  Hanchett.  Previous  to  1841  Mr. 
Hanchett  built  the  "Lady  of  the  Lake,"  the 
first  good  vessel  built  on  Lake  Erie,  wliich  is 
said  to  have  paid  for  herself  in  two  trips  to 
and  from  Buffalo.  From  this  union  there 
were  seven  children:  George,  deceased; 
Hiram  Hanchett,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Mary,  wife  of  Mr.  Lorin  Bliss,  treasurer  of 
Northfield  Township;  AA^arner  AA^,  a  retired 
farmer  of  Lexington,  Ky. ;  Leonard  C.  a  re- 
tired farmer  of  Macedonia,  Ohio;  Jo.seph, 
who  died  in  infancy ;  Margaret  Stanhope, 
wife  of  Mr.  II.  R.  P.  Hamilton,  architect, 
Cleveland.  After  residing  for  several  years 
in  the  .substantial  homestead  built  liy  the 
head  of  the  family  and  overlooking  the  Fails 
of  the  Brandywine,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  AVallace  re- 
moved, in  1870,  to  Maple  Mound  on  the  road 
leading  from  Macedonia  to  Hudson  where  in 
comfortable  retirement,  with  childi'en  and 
grandchildren  about  them,  they  enjoyed  their 
later  years,  Mrs.  AA'allace  living  until  March 
15,  1885,  and  her  husband  until  September 
28,  1887,  their  lives  fully  rounded  in  all 
relation,s  of  the  home,  the  world  and  the 
church. 

Their  second  son,  Hiram  Hanchett  Wal- 
lace, received  his  education  in  the  Northfield 
public  schools  and  at  AVestern  Reserve  Col- 
lege, and  remained  at  the  home  in  Brandy- 
wine until  his  marriage  Decemljcr  18, 
1867,  to  Marianna  Mearns,  daughter  of  Air. 
John  Mearns  of  Cecil  County,  Maryland.  To 
them  were  born :  Adeline  Rebecca,  now 
deceased ;  Belle  Alearns,'  who  became  the  wife 
of  Air.  Clark  Dillow  of  Brecksville  and  is 
deceased,  leaving  two  children,  James  Hiram 
and  Elizabeth;  Anna  AVaugh,  married  to  the 
Rev.  Mr.  AVm.  T.  Hammond  of  Northeast, 
Maryland,  both  deceased,  leaving  a  daughter, 
Rebecca;  Alargaret,  deceased;  George  H.,  an 
intelligent  farmer  of  Northfield  who  married 
Miss  Emma  Rudgers  of  Brecksville  and  has 
an  infant  daughter;  Schuyler  J.,  a  promising 
young  attorney  of  Cleveland;  Harvey  Bald- 
win, a.s.sistant  manager  of  a  large  manufactur- 
ing concern  in    Detroit,    who    married    Miss 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


903 


Olive  Snyder,  and  also  has  an  infant  daugh- 
ter; Marianna  Mearns,  who  since  infancy 
has  been  as  a  daughter  to  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Lorin 
Bliss,  Mrs.  Wallace  dying  February  18, 
1887,  shortly  after  childbirth. 

In  1891  Mr.  Wallace  married  (second) 
Mary  Jane,  daughter  of  the  late  Mr.  James 
Fayen^veather  of  Boston  Township. 

Soon  after  his  firet  marriage  ]\Ir.  Wallace 
settled  in  Pocahontas  County,  luwa,  in  the 
same  neighborhood  as  his  brother  George, 
where  he  fanned  extensively  until  1879,  when 
he  sold  hL->  holdings  and,  returning  to  North- 
field,  bought  the  Proctor  farm.  Lot  04.  In 
1885  he  increased  his  acreage  by  the  purchase 
of  the- Boyd  farm,  Lot  Ho.  and  on  a  .-igluly 
eminence  well  removed  from  the  public  high- 
ways, he  erected  hLs  present  handsome  resi- 
dence, which  was  completed  in  1891.  Beau- 
tiful shade  trees,  fruitful  orchards,  well  kept 
gardens,  a  large  barn  with  the  lusual  outbuild- 
ings, and  an  inexhaustible  pure  water  supply, 
on  an  automatic  system,  make  evident  the 
thrift  and  comfort  which  prevail.  His  farms, 
through  intelligent  care  and  foresight,  have 
been  kept  up  to  the  high  standard  which 
might  be  expected  and  are  now  managed  by 
his  first  son  who  resides  in  the  substantial 
brick  dwelling  built  sixty  years  ago  by  Mr. 
Daniel  Proctor. 

Mr.  Wallace's  religious  training  and  be- 
liefs are  Presbyterian,  of  which  church  he  is 
a  supporter;  his  politics  are  Republican  and 
he  has  served  .several  terms  as  township  trus- 
tee in  Iowa  and  for  years  he  was  a  leading 
spirit  in  the  Northfield  Board  of  Education 
which  has  brought  to  a  high  standard  the 
schools  that  he  attended  as  a  child.  Natu- 
rally Mr.  Wallace  is  widely  known  and  enjoys 
an  enviable  reputation  in  the  esteem  of  his 
extended  acquaintance. 

WILLIAM  JACOB  FRYMAN,  general 
farmer  and  stockraiser,  owns  ninety-one 
acres  of  excellent  farming  land  in  Bath  Town- 
ship, which  has  been  his  home  for  the  past 
twenty  years.  He  was  Ijorn  January  In.  18B1, 
in  Copley  Township.  Summit  Covnity,  Ohio. 


and  is  a  son  of  Joel  and  Mary  Jane  (Simons) 
Fryman. 

Daniel  Fryman,  the  grandfather  of  Wil- 
liam J.,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
came  from  that  State  on  foot,  with  his  dog 
and  gun,  and  continued  his  walk  through 
Sunmiit  County  to  Medina  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  later  spent  many  years  on  his  farm 
south  of  \\^xdsworth.  He  subsequently  re- 
turned to  Summit  County  and  settled  in  Cop- 
lev  Township,  where  ho  died  in  October, 
1874. 

Joel  Fryman  was  born  and  reared  in  Me- 
dina County,  Ohio,  and  in  early  manhood 
came  to  Copley  Township,  Summit  County, 
where  he  was  married.  In  1870,  he  went  to 
Williams  Countj',  Ohio,  but  after  three  years 
returned  to  Summit  County  and  purchased  a 
farm  in  Portage  Township,  where  he  and 
his  wife  still  live.  He  was  married  to  Mary 
Jane  Simons,  who  was  born  at  Lockwood'.^' 
Corners,  in  Coventrj'  Township,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Henry  Simons,  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, who  secured  the  fii'st  marriage  license 
taken  out  in  Summit  County,  Ohio.  He  set- 
tled in  Coventry  Township  at  an  early  day, 
and  there  became  the  owner  of  a  large  tract 
of  land.  Mrs.  Fryman's  mother  died  when 
she  was  five  years  old,  and  she  went  to  live 
with  here  uncle,  William  Carpenter,  and  was 
known  on  this  account  as  Mary  Jane  Carpen- 
ter. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fryman  there  were 
boi-n  eight  children :  Sarah,  who  is  the  wife 
(jf  Frank  Swift ;  William  J. ;  Arvella,  who 
married  Thomas  Carter;  Mary,  who  died 
when  three  years  old;  Ella,  who  married 
Heiu-y  Moeler;  Plomer;  Frank,  who  died 
when  thirteen  years  old;  and  Cora,  who  died 
aged  about  one  year. 

Until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  Wilhani 
Jacob  Fryman  remained  on  the  home  farm  in 
Portage  Township,  and  he  then  started  to 
work  as  a  farm  liand.  In  Febinjary,  1895, 
he  bougtit  two-thirds  of  a  farm  of  116  acres, 
formerly  the  McMillan  property,  which  is  lo- 
cated one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Montrose, 
but  as  there  was  a  dispute  as  to  the  title,  he 
was  obliged  to  repurchase  it.     He  cultivates 


904 


■HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


the  whole  116  acres  and  in  addition  forty-six 
acres  belonging  to  his  father-in-law,  Norton 
Hubbard,  whose  home  is  almost  across  the 
road  from  Mr.  Fryman's,  in  Copley  Town- 
ship. Mr.  Fryman  has  engaged  very  exten- 
sively in  raising  draft  horses,  and  a  number 
of  fine  animals  belonging  to  him  are  in  the 
service  of  the  Akron  Fire  Department,  the 
Lyman  Lumber  Company  and  the  Akron 
breweries. 

On  December  27,  1883,  Mr.  Fryman  was 
married  to  Lena  Hubbard,  who  was  born  in 
Copley  Township,  on  a  farm  in  sight  of  her 
present  home,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Norton 
and  Harriet  (Miller)  Hubbard.  The  mother 
of  Mrs.  Fryman  died  December  30,  1888, 
and  her  father  November  4,  1907.  Norton 
Hubbard  was  born  at  Batavia,  New  York,  and 
on  Christmas  night,  1830,  was  brought  by 
his  uncle  to  Copley  Township  and  they  set- 
tled in  a  little  log  cabin.  He  lived  in  Sum- 
mit County  for  seventy-seven  years  and  was 
one  of  its  most  highly  esteemed  citizens.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fryman  one  child  was  bom: 
Eex,  who  resides  at  home. 

Mr.  Fryrnan  is  a  member  of  the  National 
Protective  Legion,  to  which  all  of  the  family 
belong.  He  is  a  deacon  in  the  Church  of 
Christ  at  Copley. 

PHILANDER  D.  HALL,  JR.,  capitalist 
and  traveler,  who  owns  a  vast  amount  of  valu- 
able realty  in  and  about  Akron  and  is  identi- 
fied with  a  number  of  the  city's  prosperous 
enterprises,  was  born  at  Bridgeport,  Connecti- 
cut, July  10,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Lorenzo 
and  Mary  J.  (Hubbell)  Hall. 

The  late  Lorenzo  Hall  was  one  of  the  early 
merchants  of  Akron  and  for  years  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Hall  Brother,  a  name  that 
for  a  long  period  stood  for  business  acumen 
and  commercial  integrity.  Lorenzo  Hall  ac- 
quired a  large  fortune  and  became  one  of 
Akron's  most  valuable  citizens.  He  died 
January  9, 1892.  He  married  Mary  J.  Hubbel, 
and  they  had  two  sons,  Frank  L.  and  Phi- 
lander D.,  Jr.,  The  former  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing attorneys  of  the  city  of  New  York.     He 


was  a  student  in  the  office  of  David  Dudley 
Field,  in  New  York,  and  is  a  graduate  of  Yale 
College  and  of  the  Law  School  of  Columbia 
College. 

Philander  D.  Hall,  J.,  who  bears  the  hon- 
ored name  of  his  uncle,  the  late  Philander 
D.  Hall,  was  four  years  of  age  when  his  father 
came  to  Akron.  He  was  reared  in  this  city, 
attended  first  the  primary  and  then  the  High 
School  here,  and  then  became  a  student  in  the 
Columbia  preparatory  school,  of  New  York 
city.  He  continued  there  for  two  years  and 
completed  his  education  at  Strasberg,  Ger- 
many, where  he  took  a  special  course.  Upon 
his  return  to  his  native  land,  he  engaged  in  a 
wholesale  hardware  business  at  San  Francisco, 
for  a  period  and  then  came  to  Akron  and  took 
charge  of  the  Hall  Brothers  store,  which  he 
managed  for  five  years,  or  until  the  death  of 
his  venerable  uncle.  After  selling  the  store, 
Mr.  Hall  was  engaged  for  a  considerable  time 
in  looking  after  the  large  amount  of  real  estate 
which  had  come  into  his  possession.  He  is 
interested  in  the  Colonna  Tire  and  Rubber 
Company,  and  the  Swinehardt  Rubber  Com- 
pany, and  is  a  stockholder  in  a  number  of  like 
concerns.  He  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
National  City  Bank  of  Akron  and  has  in- 
terests in  New  York.  During  the  past  year, 
Mr.  Hall  has  been  a  resident  of  London,  Eng- 
land, where  he  has  represented  the  Firestone 
Rubber  Tire  Company.  He  has  spent  much 
time  in  travel  and  is  familiar  with  various 
parts  of  Europe,  having  but  recently  returned 
from  visiting  France  and  Italy. 

On  June  28,  1894,  Mr.  Hall  was  married 
to  Eva  M.  Grant,  of  Cleveland,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Frank  Hurlburt.  Mr.  Hall 
was  reared  in  the  Episcopal  Church  and  is  a 
vestryman  of  the  Church  of  Our  Savior  at 
Akron. 

E.  C.  SHAW,  general  manager  of  works 
of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  at  Akron, 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  wide-awake  city 
since  1893,  and  is  numbered  with  her  suc- 
cessful business  men.  Mr.  Shaw  was  born  in 
1863,  at  Buffalo,  New  York. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


905 


After  receiving  au  excellent  public  school 
training  in  his  native  city,  Mr.  Shaw  entered 
Yale  College,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1886.  Upon  his  return  to  Buffalo, 
he  engaged  in  an  electric  light  business  until 
1893,  when  he  came  to  Akron  to  take  charge 
of  the  Akron  Electric  Light  Company,  re- 
maining with  that  organization  for  that  year 
and  in  1894  coming  to  the  B.  F.  Goodrich 
Company  in  the  capacity  of  a  mechanical  and 
electrical  engineer.  Mr.  Shaw  soon  became 
assistant  superintendent  of  this  great  concern, 
later  was  made  superintendent,  and  since 
January  1,  1907,  has  been  general  manager  of 
works  of  a  company  whose  products  are  of 
world-wide  fame.  In  1897,  Mr.  Shaw  was 
married  to  Jennie  L.  Bond,  of  New  York 
city.  He  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason,  and 
is  a  popular  member  of  the  Poi-tage  Country 
club. 

ISAAC  LEIBY,  one  of  Copley  Township's 
most  respected  citizens,  owns  a  valuable  farm 
of  131  1-2  acres,  which  has  been  managed 
by  his  son  since  Mr.  Leiby  retired  from  active 
life.  He  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in 
Columbia  County,  Pennsylvania,  November 
10,  1821,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
Leiby. 

Mr.  Leiby  comes  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch 
stock,  of  people  noted  for  their  industry  and 
honesty.  His  father  was  also  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  engaged  in  farming  and  dis- 
tilling. He  servived  his  wife  and  lived  to 
the  unusual  age  of  ninety  years.  They  had 
a  family  of  thirteen  children,  and  all  but  one 
of  these  reached  maturity  and  all  have  passed 
to  their  final  reward  except  Isaac,  and  his  sis- 
ter Emeline,  who  married  Charles  Krum. 

Isaac  Leiby  worked  with  his  father  until 
he  was  about  twenty  years  old  and  then 
learned  the  carpenter  trade.  He  has  worked 
at  this  more  or  less  all  his  life  and  even  at 
the  age  of  eighty-six  years  can  do  a  good  piece 
of  work  in  this  line.  He  had  very  little 
chance  to  go  to  school  in  his  boyhood  and 
never  learned  the  English  language  until  he 
was  grown,  the  Pennsylvania  Dutch  dialect 


being  used  entirely  in  the  neighborhood  in 
which  he  lived.  When  he  was  twenty-five 
years  old  he  was  married  to  Mary  Heimbaug, 
and  about  two  year  later,  with  his  wife  and 
two  little  ones,  the  youngest  but  a  few  weeks 
old,  he  started  in  a  one-horse  wagon,  with  the 
intention  of  acquiring  land  and  settling  in 
Norton  Township,  Summit  County,-  Ohio, 
both  of  which  he  accomplished.  When  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Leiby  reached  Akron  they  found  a 
small  village,  which  then  had  no  railroad 
connection,  and  the  houses  then  standing  were 
not  of  the  kind  Mr.  Leiby  afterward  built  all 
through  this  section. 

Mr.  Leiby  came  to  Summit  County  a  poor 
but  honest,  temperate  and  industrious  man, 
and  it  was  not  very  long  after  he  settled 
here  that  he  bought  his  first  tract  of  land, 
twenty  acres,  from  a  ilr.  Myers,  and  then 
forty  acres  from  S.  J.  Spake,  and  to  this 
he  soon  added  thirteen  and  one-eighth  acres, 
bought  of  David  Miller.  From  time  to  time, 
as  a  good  piece  of  land  came  upon  the  mar- 
ket, he  bought  until  he  owned  141  1-2  acres. 
Recently  he  has  sold  ten  acres.  W^hen  hfi 
settled  here  he  lived  for  a  short  time  in  the 
log  house  that  was  standing,  but  before  long 
put  up  the  nice  residence  which  has  stood  for 
fifty  years.  Its  construction  w^as  so  substan- 
tial that  no  repairs  have  been  necessary  until 
recently,  when  Mr.  Leiby  put  down  a  ne^y 
porch  floor,  and  it  was  well  done. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Leiby  died  September  14, 
1899.  They  had  seven  children,  as  follows; 
Leander,  who  married  Amanda  Houghlan; 
Charles,  who  married  Mary  Miller;  Henry, 
who  married  Jennie  Jones;  Aaron,  who  man- 
ages the  home  farm ;  Lovena  C. ;  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  L.  Squires ;  and  Samantha 
Jane,  who  married  W.  Stonebrook. 

In  politics  Mr.  Leiby  and  his  son  Aaron  axe 
both  stanch  Democrats.  During  the  time  he 
served  as  road  supervisor,  the  township  prof- 
ited by  his  good  judgment  and  close  attention 
to  the  work  in  hand.  He  is  a  leading  mem- 
ber of  the  Reformed  Church  in  his  neigh- 
borhood, in  which  he  has  served  as  deacon  for 
many  years  and  elder  for  the  past  five  years. 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


W.  A.  SACKETT,  M.D.,  a  prominent 
medical  practitioner  at  Akron,  was  born  in 
Copley  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  in 
1866,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  William  C. 
Sackett,  a  well-known  citizen. 

William  C.  Sackett  was  born  at  Warren, 
Connecticut,  in  October,  1827,  and  died  in 
Summit  County,  in  November,  1902.  He 
was  a  son  of  Aaron  and  Huldah  Camilla 
(Tanner)  Sackett,  and  was  ten  year  old  when 
his  parents  emigrated  to  Tallmadge  Town- 
ship, Summit  County.  He  was  a  representa- 
tive man  of  his  section,  deeply  interested  in 
its  development  and  evinced  public  spirit  and 
enterprise.  In  1851  he  went  to  California. 
later  to  Oregon,  and  after  four  j'ears  in  the 
far  W^est,  he  returned  to  Ohio.  Here  he  pur- 
cha'ied  a  large  farm  from  George  Sackett, 
his  brother,  and  carried  on  extensive  agricul- 
tural pursuits  until  1893,  when  he  moved 
to  a  farm  in  Portage  Township.  Here  he 
continued  to  reside  until  1898,  removing  then 
to  a  farm  he  bought  in  Coventry  Township, 
where  his  death  occurred.  For  a  period  of 
five  years  he  w;as  president  of  the  Summit 
County  Agricultural  Society.  On  March  18, 
1857,  he  married  Harriet  L.  Galbraith,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Henry  H.  and  Ann  (Lang- 
worthy)   Galbraith. 

Dr.  W.  A.  Sackett  graduated  from  the 
Akron  High  School  in  1885,  and  from  Ober- 
lin  College,  in  1890,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B. 
In  1893  he  was  graduated  from  the  iVIedical 
Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  the  A.  M.  degree  has  since  been 
conferred  on  him  by  Oberlin  College.  Dr. 
Sackett  immediately  located  at  Akron,  where 
he  has  met  with  hearty  recognition.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Summit  County,  the  Ohio 
State  Sixth  Councilor  District  and  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association. 

Until  her  lamented  death  in  Janu.ary,  1906, 
the  venerable  mother  of  Dr.  Sackett  resided 
upon  the  farm  in  Coventry  Township.  She 
was  born  at  Mogadore,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
July  25,  1837,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Galbraith,  who  was  born  near  Belfast,  Ireland. 
He  came  to  Canada  in  bovhood  and  in  1836 


to  Summit  County,  where  he  became  a  well- 
known  citizen.  He  survived  until  1893. 
Fraternally,  Dr.  Sackett  l-<  a  Mason.  Ke- 
ligiously,  he  is  a  member  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church. 

S.  A.  KEPLER,  dairyman,  and  owner  of 
forty-three  acres  of  excellent  farming  land, 
situated  in  Coventry  Township,  five  miles 
south  of  Akron,  was  born  December  9,  1864, 
on  the  home  farm,  in  the  old  log  house  situ- 
ated on  the  hill,  in  Coventry  Township. 
Summit  County,  Ohio.  His  parents  are 
Samuel  and  Susanna  (Swigart)  Kepler. 

Samuel  Kepler  was  born  in  Green  Town- 
shil).  Sununit  County.  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
Jacob  Kepler,  who  owned  nuich  land  in  Green 
Township  and  also  worked  as  a  mechanic. 
Samuel  was  the  eldest  son  of  Jacob,  and  on 
him  fell  many  of  the  heavy  duties  of  the  farm. 
In  early  manhood  he  was  married  to  SiLsanna 
Swigart,  who  was  one  of  a  family  of  fifteen 
children  born  to  George  Swigart,  who  lived 
in  Franklin  Township,  Summit  County. 
Samuel  Kepler  and  wife  had  seven  children, 
namely:  Uriah,  residing  in  Kansas;  Anuh, 
the  widow  of  H.  C.  Preyer,  residing  at  Cleve- 
land; Jacob,  residing  at  Barberton;  Samuel 
Adam;  Minnie,  who  married  Dr.  Roden- 
tjaugh,  residing  at  Barberton;  and  Jefferson 
and  Rahama,  both  of  whom  died  young,  of 
scarlet  fever.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kepler  reside 
in  a  fine  large  residence,  at  No.  56  South 
Broadway^  Akron,  moving  there  after  .selling 
a  farm  of  19(5  acres.  He  still  owns  138  acres 
in  Coventry  Township. 

Samuel  Adam  Kepler  grew  up  on  the  old 
home  place  and  attended  District  School  No 
6,  when  home  duties  were  not  too  pressing. 
He  remained  assisting  his  father  until  1888, 
and  when  he  married  he  bought  his  present 
farm  from  his  father.  At  that  time  there 
were  no  buildings  on  the  place  and  all  the 
improvements,  house,  barns  and  other  struc- 
tures he  has  put  here.  His  barns,  where  his 
milk  is  handled,  are  model  buildings,  with 
cement  floors  and  with  every  convenience  and 
sanitary  condition  required  in  modern  days. 


J.  R.  CAMPBELL 


AND    KEPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


909 


Hi^  dairy  products  are  fir.~t-clasri  in  t-very  par- 
ticular and  meet  with  ready  i^ale. 

On  September  23,  1893,  Mr.  Kepler  was 
married  to  Maggie  B.  Grubb,  who  wa.s  born  at 
Manchester,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Ro.<e  (Mills) 
Grubb.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Kepler  is  de- 
ceased. The  mother  rasides  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kepler.  For  twenty  years  she  was  ma- 
tron of  the  Summit  County  Children's  Home. 
They  had  sL\  children:  Harry,  residing  at 
Beaver  Falls,  Pennsylvania;  Edwin,  residing 
at  Paine,  Ohio,  where  he  is  a  physician : 
Maggie  B. ;  Catherine,  who  married  E.  Baum- 
gardner;  Artie;  and  Elma,  who  married 
Charles  Adams. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kepler  have  one  son,  Chester 
Sterling. 

In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Kepler  be- 
longs to  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Barberton.  and 
he  is  prominent  as  a  Knight  of  Pythias,  hav- 
ing twice  represented  his  lodge  at  Sandusky 
and  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  order  at  Colum- 
bus. He  is  one  of  the  substantial  men  and 
successful  agriculturi.sts  of  Coventrv  Town- 
ship. 

J.  R.  CAMPBELL,  who  is  interested  in  a 
real  estate  and  insurance  business,  with  of- 
fices in  the  Arcade  Building,  Akron,  is  a  sur- 
vivor of  the  Civil  War,  having  spent  several 
years  in  the  sei"vice  of  his  country.  Mr. 
Campbell  was  born  in  Green  Township, 
Wayne  County,  Ohio,  December  15,  1843, 
and  L<  a  son  of  John  Campbell,  who  formerly 
conducted  a  tannery  at  Smithville,  Wayne 
County. 

J.  R.  Campbell  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  place,  where  he  learned  the 
tanning  busines.*.  On  August  fi,  1862,  he  en- 
listed in  the  Union  army  for  three  years,  en- 
tering Company  H,  102nd  Regiment,  0.  V. 
I.  In  February,  1863,  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged on  account  of  disability,  but  in  May, 
1864,  he  re-enlisted,  becoming  a  member  of 
Company  A.  169th  Regiment,  0.  V.  I.,  and 
was  stationed  at  Fort  Ethan  Allen,  Virginia, 
until    the   expiration    of   his   second    term    of 


service,  when  he  was  again  honorably  dis- 
charged. He  returned  to  his  home  and  be- 
gan work  as  a  tanner,  his  father  purchasing 
a  tannery  at  Smithville.  ThLs  plant  Mr. 
Ca.mi)bell  purchased  of  his  father  in  1872, 
Init  the  venture  proved  disastrous  on  account 
of  the  panic  of  1873.  In  1879  he  came  to 
.\kron,  and  being  without  capital,  went  to 
work  for  James  Christy  &  Sous  for  $1.25  a 
day,  pending  better  business  pros{>ects.  For 
,-i.\  months  he  lived  frugally  and  economic- 
ally, when  things  took  a  turn  for  the  better, 
and  now  Mr.  Campbell  owns  property  val- 
ued at  $6,000.  In  his  case,  energy,  patience 
and  perseverance  brought  a  sure  reward.  For 
( leven  years  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  mal- 
leable department  of  the  Whitman-Barnes 
Company,  and  in  1897  he  was  elected  justice 
of  the  peace,  in  w^hich  oltice  he  served  nine 
years,  or  three  terms.  He  made  an  excellent 
(ifticer  and  was  noted  for  his  wise  decisions 
and  incorruptible  judicial  attitude  on  all  oc- 
casions. Since  retiring  from  that  office  he 
has  devoted  himself  to  the  real  estate  and  in- 
surance business,  and  although  competition 
is  keen  at  Akron,  he  has  had  no  trouble  in 
securing  a  large  part  of  the  businet*s  along 
these  lines.  He  has  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  beneficiary  order  of  Royal 
Arcanum  for  a  number  of  years,  and  has 
done  much  to  build  up  that  organization  in 
this  section. 

In  1867  Mr.  Campbell  was  married  to  Mary 
M.  Bacheman,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
Bacheman,  a  minister  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  and  they  have  three  children, 
namely:  Arietta  C,  Homer  C.  and  Carrie 
M.  The  latter  is  the  widow  of  Robert  E. 
Patterson,  and  resides  at  home.  The  older 
daughter  is  the  wife  of  C.  F.  Tobey,  residing 
at  Cleveland.  Homer  C.  Campbell,  a  practic- 
ing attorney  at  Cleveland,  graduated  with 
second  honors  at  the  Akron  High  School 
and  later  at  the  Adelbert  Law  School. 

Mr.  Campbell  is  a  member  of  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Akron  and 
has  been  identified  with  its  Charity  Associa- 
tion. He  is  serving  in  his  twelfth  year  as 
chaplain  of  Buckley  Post,  G.  A.  R..  ha«!  been 


910 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


all  through  the  chairs  of  the  organization, 
and  was  commander  in  1895.  He  is  serving 
also  as  secretary  of  the  county  board  of  the 
Soldiers'  Relief  Commission. 

WILLIAM  SOUERS,  a  prominent  citizen 
and  retired  agriculturist  of  Summit  County, 
who  resides  in  his  beautiful  home  at  Ken- 
more,  was  born  May  16,  1841,  in  Franklin 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son 
of  David  and  Catherine  (Smith)  Souers. 

Phillip  Souers,  the  grandfather  of  William 
Souers,  brought  his  family  from  Pennsyl- 
vania to  Green  Township,  Summit  County, 
and  settled  as  a  pioneer  in  the  woods,  where 
he  lived  for  about  forty  years,  clearing  a 
small  farm  and  pursuing  the  carpenter  trade. 
In  his  later  years  he  removed  to  Roanoke, 
Indiana,  near  Fort  Wayne,  where  he  died  at 
the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety  years.  His  first 
wife  having  died  in  Green  Township  in 
1851,  Phillip  Souers  was  married  a  second 
time  in  Indiana.  To  the  first  union  there 
were  bom  five  children:  David;  Allen; 
Sarah,  who  married  Daniel  Wiltrout;  Mary, 
who  married  George  Weston;  and  Elhanon, 
all  now  deceased. 

David  Souers,  father  of  William,  was  just 
a  boy  when  the  trip  to  Ohio  was  made  in 
wagons,  and  his  youth  was  spent  in  helping 
his  father  to  clear  the  home  farm.  When 
still  a  young  man  he  learned  the  carpenter 
trade,  at  which  he  worked  until  his  marriage, 
when  he  bought  a  farm  of  about  eighty  acres 
in  Franklin  Township,  which  he  sold  after  a 
number  of  years,  in  1857,  buying  120  acres 
of  land  from  John  R.  Buchtel.  This  land, 
now  known  as  the  Cobern  Allotment,  cost  him 
fifty  dollars  per  acre,  and  here  he  carried 
on  operations  for  three  years,  when  he  traded 
it  off  and  removed  to  the  Reservoir  farm  in 
Coventry  Township,  where  his  death  occurred 
September  29,  1888,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years,  his  widow  surviving  him  until 
April  17,  1892,  when  she  died  aged  seventy- 
seven  years.  In  1840,  Mr.  Souers  was  mar- 
ried to  Catherine  Smith,  whose  family  also 
came  from  the  East,  and  to  this  union  there 


were  born  six  children:  William;  Daniel, 
who  resides  in  Akron;  Ellen,  the  widow  of 
Daniel  Warner;  Sanford,  who  is  deceased; 
Frank,  who  lives  at  Akron ;  and  Charles  who 
is  a  resident  of  Coventry. 

William  Souers  was  bom  in  one  of  the 
first  frame  houses  erected  in  this  section  of 
Franklin  Township,  and  grew  up  on  the 
farm,  where  most  of  his  boyhood  was  spent. 
He  attended  the  district  school,  which  was 
situated  about  four  miles  from  his  home,  and 
also  worked  for  some  time  at  New  Portage. 
He  lived  with  his  father  until  thirty-one 
years  of  age,  when  he  rented  the  farm  where 
Kenmore  is  now  located,  a  tract  of  seventy- 
five  acres,  from  George  Strawhecker.  After 
living  there  about  ten  years,  Mr.  Souers  pur- 
chased the  farm  at  ninety  dollars  per  acre, 
and  here  he  continued  to  operate  another  ten 
years,  when  he  sold  the  property  to  W.  A. 
Johnson  for  about  $12,000,  and  removed  to 
his  beautiful  residence  in  Kenmore,  where  he 
and  his  wife  have  since  lived  in  quiet  retire- 
ment. At  the  time  Mr.  Souers  first  located 
on  this  property  it  was  a  barren  waste  of 
land,  and  he  has  seen  it  grow  into  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  sections  of  Coventry  Town- 
ship, the  town  of  Kenmore.  In  business 
circles  Mr.  Souers  is  regarded  as  a  man  of 
good  judgment  and  clear  insight,  while  as  a 
citizen  and  as  a  neighbor  he  is  held  in  high 
esteem.  In  political  life  he  is  a  Republican, 
but  he  has  sought  no  political  preferment. 
With  his  family  he  belongs  to  the  Evangelical 
Church  at  Kenmore,  in  which  he  is  class 
leader. 

William  Souers  was  married  in  1864,  to 
Susan  Weaver,  who  was  born  in  Coventry 
Township,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  E. 
and  Rebecca  (Renninger)  Weaver,  the 
former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and 
the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs 
Souers  there  have  been  born  four  children, 
namely:  One  who  died  in  infancy;  John, 
who  died  when  twelve  years  old ;  George, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  nine  years;  and 
Mary,  who  married  Aaron  Faylor,  and  resides 
at  Akron.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Faylor  have  one 
child,  Ray. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZENS 


911 


FRED  W.  WOLF,  dealer  in  staple  and 
fancy  groceries  and  smoked  meats,  who  has 
an  excellent  business  location  at  No.  41  Ad- 
ams Street,  Akron,  was  bom  in  1867,  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  was  brought  to  Akron 
in  his  infancy,  where  he  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated, graduating  from  the  Akron  High 
School  in  1885. 

Following  his  graduation,  Mr.  Wolf  be- 
came identified  with  a  business  house,  the 
Whitman  &  Barnes  Company,  with  which 
he  remained  for  thirteen  years,  during  five 
years  of  this  period  being  employed  at  the 
branch  conducted  at  West  Pullman,  Chicago, 
After  leaving  West  Pullman,  Mr.  Wolf  en- 
gaged, in  1899,  in  a  grocery  business  at 
Akron  and  purchased  the  stock  of  Mr.  Ely 
and  isubsequently  the  property  at  No.  41 
Adams  Street,  a  building  two  stories  high, 
with  basement,  its  dimensions  being  22x60 
feet.  In  the  rear  he  has  a  warehouse  which 
is  24x30  feet.  Business  men  generally  con- 
sidered it  an  excellent  investment.  Mr.  Wolf 
is  also  one  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Aladdin 
Rubber  Company,  the  Tyler  Wholesale  Com- 
pany, the  Akron  Brewing  Company,  and 
others.  In  1890^  Mr.  Wolf  was  married  to 
Helena  McMullen,  of  Akron,  and  they  have 
three  children:  Cecelia,  Howard  and  Ralph. 
Mr.  Wolf  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  Blue 
Lodge,  Chapter,  Council,  and  Commandery, 
and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  club. 

WILIAM  M.  VANDERSALL,  who  owns  a 
valuable  farm  of  ninety-four  acres  in  Co- 
ventry Township,  situated  about  five  miles 
south  of  Akron,  belongs  to  an  old  pioneer 
family  of  this  section  and  was  bom  in  Green 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  June  8, 
1851.  He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Susanna 
(Yearick)   Vandersall. 

Samuel  Vandersall  was  born  in  Lancaster 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  son  of 
Jacob  Vandersall,  who  was  born  in  Germany 
and  sailed  for  America,  in  childhood,  with 
his  parents.  They  were  unfortunate  in  their 
choice  of  a  sailing  vessel,  as  it  lost  its  course 
and  before  landing  was  made,  many  of  the 


poor  emigrants  star\'ed  to  death.  Perhaps 
this  would  have  been  the  fate  of  the  Vander- 
sall family  had  not  Jacob  found  a  place  in  the 
hold  of  the  vessel  where  rats  had  a  nest  and 
at  night  when  the  rodents  came  out,  he  would 
catch  them  and  thus  provide  food  which  kept 
the  party  from  starving.  The  Vandersalls 
settled  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania, 
and  Jacob  Vandersall,  the  grandfather  of 
William  M.  became  a  preacher  there  in  the 
Evangelical  Church  and  preached  also  after 
he  came  to  Stark  County,  Ohio.  He  had 
the  following  children:  Jacob,  John,  David, 
Samuel,  Mary  A.,  Catherine  and  Elizabeth. 

On  the  Stark  County  farm,  Samuel  Van- 
dersall grew  to  manhood,  helping  to  clear  the 
land  and  also  learning  the  wagon-making 
trade,  having  a  shop  of  his  own  for  several 
years.  After  his  marriage  he  moved  to  Sum- 
mit County  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Green 
Township,  on  which  he  lived  for  forty-five 
yeare,  his  death  taking  place  there  in  1892, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years.  He  was 
married  January  21,  1834,  to  Susanna  Year- 
ick, who  was  born  on  her  father's  farm  m 
Green  Township  and  who  still  sundves,  now 
being  the  oldest  woman  in  that  township,  hav- 
ing passed  her  ninety-second  birthday,  June 
17,  1907.  She  has  often  told  her  children  of 
her  girlhood,  when  she  used  to  pasture  the 
cows  on  the  site  of  the  present  great  reservoir. 
The  children  of  Samuel  and  Susanna  Vander- 
sall were  the  following:  John,  residing  on 
his  farm  of  160  acres  in  Coventry  Township ; 
Mary,  who  married  George  Gougler;  Abra- 
ham, at  present  preaching  at  Wellsville,  Ohio, 
in  the  Evangelical  Church;  Simon,  an  Evan- 
gelical preacher,  residing  at  Salem.  Oregon; 
Sarah,  residing  on  the  old  homestead  with 
her  venerable  mother ;  Joseph ;  Elias  Wesley ; 
William  Madison,-  Cornelius,  who  is  deceased; 
and  Daniel  0. 

William  M.  Vandersall  grew  to  manhood 
on  his  father's  farm  in  Green  Township  and 
obtained  a  good  education  for  the  time  and 
locality,  attending  the  district  schools  and  a 
private  school  at  Greensburg.  He  was,  how- 
ever, expected  to  do  his  share  of  farm  work 


912 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  thus  he  was  trained  both  physically  aii'l 
mentally.  Shortly  after  his  marriage  he  j air- 
chased  his  present  farm,  from  William 
Shutt,  his  father-in-law.  For  a  few  years  he 
lived  with  his  family  on  his  father's  farm 
and  for  two  years  at  Pleasant  Valley,  and  then 
returned  to  this  farm  wliere  he  has  remained 
ever  since.  He  has  always  carried  on  a 
general  line  of  farming  and  is  numbered  with 
the  township's  successful  men. 

On  September  1,  1876,  Mr.  Vandersall  was 
married  to  Samantha  Shutt,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Susan  (Cook)  Shutt. 
They  have  had  five  children,  namely :  Clara 
E.,  who  is  a  successful  and  valued  teacher  in 
the  public  schools  of  Akron;  Herman  M., 
who  is  a  carpenter;  Gomer,  who  died  aged 
fourteen  months;  Laura  C,  residing  at  Ken- 
more  ;  and  Ora,  residing  at  home.  Mr. 
Vandersall  and  family  belong  to  the  Evan- 
gelical Church  at  Kenmore,  and  at  various 
times  he  has  served  in  church  offices.  He 
is. one  of  the  sterling  men  of  the  town.ship 
and  he  and  family  are  all  held  in  great  es- 
teem. 

CHARLES  SWITZER,  one  of  Sunnnit 
County's  mast  substantial  citizens  whose  mag- 
nificent farm  of  over  200  acres  is  situated  in 
the  southeastern  corner  of  Coventry  Town- 
ship, was  born  August  28,  1822,  in  York 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  son  of  An- 
drew and  Eva  (Stumer)  Switzer. 

The  grandpai'ents  of  Charles  Switzer,  who 
spelled  the  name  Schweitzer,  came  from  Ger- 
many and  settled  in  York  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  they  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  They  had  two  sons,  the  young- 
est of  whom  was  Andrew,  the  father  of 
Charles.  Andrew  Schweitzer  grew  up  on  the 
farm  in  York  County,  Pennsylvania,  bu]t 
about  twelve  yeai's  after  marriage  removed 
with  his  wife  and  five  children  to  Indiana 
County,  Pennsylvania,  where  they  settled  on 
a  rented  farm.  In  about  1832-3  the  family 
went,  to  Portage  County,  Ohio,  making  the 
journey  by  four-horse  team  and  wagon,  and 
liere  Mr.  Schweitzer  purchased  a  farm  of  sev- 


rnty-llve  acre,-^,  four  acres  of  which  were 
cleared  and  a  log  house  built  thereon.  With 
the  lielp  of  his  children  he  cleared  this  prop- 
erty, and  here  made  his  home  until  after  the 
death  of  his  first  wife,  when  he  removed  to 
Greensburg,  Ohio,  .south  of  East  Liberty,  and 
here  his  death  occurred  in  his  eighty-second 
\"ear.  Andrew  Schweitzer  was  married  (first) 
to  Eva  Sturmer,  whose  parents  had  also  come 
from  Germany  to,  York  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  she  was  born.  She  died  on  the 
Portage  County  farm  in  her  fifty-sec- 
ond year,  having  been  the  mother  of 
six  children :  Elizabeth,  who  married  a 
Mr.  Hilderbrand;  Christiana,  who  mar- 
ried George  Enders,  lives  in  Califor- 
nia, aged  ninety-three  years;  Catherine, 
who  married  Adam  Yerick ;  John,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  ten  years;  Charles;  and  Sarah, 
who  married  Franklin  Tousley.  Mr. 
Schweitzer  was  married  (second)  at  Greens- 
burg, Ohio,  to  Barbara  Sweitzer,  who  survived 
him  ten  years. 

Charles  Switzer  had  to  contend  early  in 
life  with  a  lack  of  educational  opportunities, 
as  his  services  were  demanded  on  the  home 
farm,  first  in  York  County,  Pennsylvania, 
and  later  in  Indiana  County,  even  before  he 
had  reached  his  tenth  year.  In  his  native 
State  he  received  about-  one  month's  school- 
ing, and  after  the  family  located  in  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  he  attended  school  for  short 
periods  at  odd  times,  and  later  received  about 
two  and  one-half  months'  educational  train- 
ing in  Sunnnit  County.  When  about  twenty 
years  of  age  Mr.  Switzer  left  home  to  make 
his  own  way,  going  to  East  Liberty,  Ohio, 
where  he  worked  for  John  Castitter  at  farm- 
ing, receiving  twelve  dollars  i:>er  month  and 
his  board,  which  were  considered  very  high 
wages  in  that  day.  He  continued  with  Mr. 
Castitter  for  two  summers  and  then  spent 
one  season  in  the  employ  of  Adam  Yerrick. 
After  his  mariage,  Mr.  Switzer  rented  a  part 
of  his  present  property,  which  was  then  owned 
liy  his  father-in-law,  John  Tousley,  and  here 
he  has  made  his  home  ever  since.  By  1853, 
he  had  accumulated  enough  capital  to  enable 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


913 


him  to  j)urclia.'^e  tliis  exi-ellent  i(roi)erty,  a 
tract  of  over  200  acres,  and  here  he  erected 
a  large  eight-room  frame  hourie,  a  substantial 
barn  and  good  outbuildings.  Although  re- 
tired from  active  pureuits  for  the  past  twenty 
years,  Mr.  Switzer  still  superintends  the  opera- 
tion of  his  farm,  which  is  conceded  to  be  one 
of  the  finest  in  Ihiii  section  of  the  county. 
In  1880,  a  fine  vein  of  <?oal  was  discovered 
on  a  part  of  this  property,  and  for  twelve  years 
it  was  mined  by  the  Todd  Stanbaugh  Com- 
pany.. iSIr.  S\\atzer  has  been  a  stock  holder 
in  the  People's  Savings  Bank  since  that  insti- 
tution's organization,  and  is  a  stock  holder 
and  director  in  the  Dime  Savings  Bank  at 
Akron. 

On  October  6,  1844,  Charles  Switzer  was 
married  to  Rebecca  Tousley,  who  was  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Rebecca  Tousley,  and 
to  this  union  there  were  born  five  children, 
namely:  John  A.,  who  married  Anna  Leach; 
Joel  B.,  who  married  Mary  Yerick;  Orlando, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years:  Almira, 
who  married  John  Brown ;  and  Daniel  Scott, 
who  married  Mazie  Stoolberrv'.  The  mother 
of  these  children  died  in  1862.  aged  thirty- 
seven  veal's.  In  October,  1884,  Mr.  S'vvitzcr 
wa-:  man-ied  (second)  to  Lydia  j\I.  Boone,  who 
was  the  daughter  of  George  Boone.  Here 
death  occurred  in  April,  1904,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-two  years. 

Mr.  Switzer  is  a  Republican.  He  has  al- 
ways taken  an  interest  in  the  affairs 
of  his  community  and  has  l>een  found  at  the 
head  of  movements  calculated  to  be  of  public 
benefit  although  he  has  never  .-nought  political 
office. 

WILLIAM  F.  LAUBACH,  treasurer  and 
general  manager  of  the  Akron  People's  Tele- 
phone Company,  was  born  at  .'Vllentown. 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  four  years  old  when 
his  parents  moved  to  Ix)yal  Oak,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  received  his  early 
educational  training.  Later  he  attended 
tlie  Copley  High  School. 

When  fifteen  years  of  age,  Mr.  Laubach 
came  to  Akron  and  began  to  learn  the  jewelrv 


trade  under  one  of  the  leading  jewelei"s  of  the 
city,  devoting  his  evenings  to  advancing  his 
knowledge,  especially  along  the  line  of  com- 
mercial college  work.  From  1878  until  1883, 
Mr.  Laubach  served  an  apprenticeship  under 
the  supervision  of  the  firm  of  Foltz  &  F'rank, 
and  continued  wnth  them  as  a  clerk  until 
1892,  when  he  was  admitted  to  partnership 
and  remained  active  in  the  business  until 
1900.  Failing  health  warned  him  to  change 
his  occupation,  and  he  then  identified  himself 
with  the  Akron  People's  Telephone  Com- 
panj',  becoming  treasurer  and  general  man- 
ager. 

In  1898,  Mr.  Laubach  was  married  to 
Grace  Henry,  who  is  a  daughter  of  M.  W. 
Henry,  one  of  Akron's  pioneer  merchants. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Martha.  Mr.  Lau- 
bach is  a  member  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  and  one  of  its  board  of  deacons.  His 
fraternal  connections  are  mainly  with  the  va- 
rious Masonic  bodies,  as  follows:  member  of 
Adoniram  Lodge,  No.  517;  Washington 
Chapter,  No.  25;'  Akron  Council,  No.  80; 
pa.st  eminent  commander  of  Akron  Com- 
mandery,  No.  25 ;  member  of  Lake  Erie  Con- 
sistory, and  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason. 

CHARLES  E.  WISE,  who  owns  160  acres 
of  fine  land  in  Franklin  Township,  which 
lies  along  the  dividing  line  from  Green  Town- 
ship, is  one  of  the  representative  farmers  of 
this  section,  and  one  of  its  sub.stantial  and 
reliable  men.  He  was  born  on  the  farm  of 
his  grandfather,  in  Coventry  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  December  29,  1865,  and  is 
a  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Kepler)  Wise. 

Daniel  Wise,  the  grandfather  of  Charles 
E.,  was  born  in  Snyder  County.  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  was  a  son  of  Peter  Wise,  whose 
whole  life  was  pas.sed  in  Pennsylvania.  His 
children  were:  Peter,  John,  Jacob,  William, 
Daniel,  Samuel,  Betsey,  Catherine  and  Lydia, 
all  now  decea«ed  except  Betsey,  who  married 
Peter  Miller. 

Daniel  ^A'Lse  was  the  first  of  the  family 
to  come  to  Ohio,  and  he  walked  all  the  way 
to  Summit  Countv  from  Bucks  County,  Penn- 


914 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT   COUNTY 


sylvania.  He  located  in  Green  Township 
among  the  earlj'  pioneers  and  began  to  clear 
land,  and  when  opportunity  offered,  worked 
at  his  trade — that  of  stone-mason.  After  a 
time  he  was  joined  by  his  brother  Samuel, 
who  made  the  long  journey  with  a  horse  and 
wagon.  The  brothers  married  sisters,  Samuel 
espousing  Catherine,  and  Daniel,  Sarah  Ra- 
ber,  both  being  daughters  of  Henry  Raber, 
a  pioneer  farmer  in  the  locality.  At  one 
time  Henry  Raber  owned  1,000  acres  of  land 
in  Summit  County,  and  he  gave  each  >of  his 
children  a  farm.  In  early  times  he  carried 
his  wheat  by  wagon,  to  Cleveland,  where  he 
sold  it  for  from  forty  to  fifty  cents  a  bushel. 
He  died  on  his  original  homestead  farm  of 
160  acres,  when  almost  ninety  years  of  age. 

After  his  marriage,  Daniel  Wise  gave  the 
larger  part  if  his  attention  to  farming.  He 
died  in  Green  Township,  owning  at  that  time 
three  farms,  aged  eighty-two  years,  and  his 
widow  died  within  three  days  of  one  year 
later.  Daniel  and  Sarah  Wise  had  the  follow- 
ing children:  John  D.;  Henry,  father  of 
Charles  E. ;  Louisa,  who  married  John  Neal ; 
Daniel,  residing  in  Illinois;  Frank  and  Cal- 
vin, both  residing  in  Green  Township;  and 
Sarah,  now  deceased,  who  married  L.  Preere. 

Henry  Wise  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
in  Green  Township,  assisting  from  boyhood 
in  the  heavy  work  which  was  made  necessary 
by  the  wild  condition  of  a  large  part  of  his 
father's  property  at  that  time.  For  a  short 
period  he  attended  the  old  log  school-house 
and  sat  on  the  rough  benches  which  were  con- 
sidered perfectly  suitable  in  those  days,  but 
he  had  time  to  acquire  no  more  than  the  rudi- 
ments of  knowledge.  From  1861  to  1863  he 
was  engaged  in  drilling  oil  wells  at  Oil  City, 
Pennsylvania,  but  with  that  exception,  his 
whole  life  was  spent  in  Summit  County.  For 
a  time  he  resided  south  of  Barberton,  but  later 
moved  to  the  north  of  that  town,  where  he 
died  November  25,  1905,  aged  sixty-two  years. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Kepler,  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  Coventry  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Susan   (Mar.>h)   Kepler,  both  of  whom  sur- 


vive. They  had  four  children:  Charles  El- 
mer, Olive,  Harvey  A.,  and  Ida  A.,  all  now 
living,  except  the  youngest,  who  died  aged 
four  years.    Ida  A.  married  Martin  Ling. 

Charles  Elmer  Wise  was  born  while  his 
parents  lived  in  the  house  now  owned  by  Hus- 
ton Keppler,  which  was  the  home  of  his  ma- 
ternal grandfather.  In  a  short  time  they 
moved  to  Franklin  Township  and  located  on 
the  farm  where  Harvey  Wise  now  lives,  and 
where  the  three  other  children  were  born. 
It  was  on  that  farm  that  Charles  E.  Wise  lived 
until  his  marriage,  in  the  meanwhile  obtain- 
ing his  education  in  the  district  schools.  For 
one  year  following  his  marriage,  Mr.  Wise 
farmed  for  his  father-in-law  at  Norton,  re- 
moving from  there  to  a  farm  in  Franklin 
Township,  where  he  remained  until  1891, 
when  he  settled  on  his  present  place  which  he 
secured  from  his  father.  In  addition  to  car- 
rying on  general  farming,  Mr.  Wise  operates 
a  portable  sawmill.  He  has  added  to  the  orig- 
inal farm  acreage  and  has  much  improved  the 
property.  In  1893  he  built  his  substantial 
barn  all  of  his  buildings  are  kept  in  good 
order,  his  farm  machmery  is  sufficient  for  his 
needs,  and  his  surroundings  indicate  thrift 
and  good  management.  In  addition  to  this 
A'aluable  property  he  owns  the  residence  site 
at  No.  76  Fay  street,  Akron. 

In  February,  1888,  Mr.  Wise  was  married 
to  Cora  A.  Miller,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
J.  and  Theresa  Miller,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Walter  A.  Mr.  Wise  is  a  good  citizen,  but  he 
takes  no  very  active  interest  in  politics. 

FRANK  CORMANY,  residing  on  his  valu- 
able farm  of  fifty-one  acres  in  Coventry  Town- 
ship, is  the  owner  of  112  acres,  the  balance 
being  situated  in  Long  Lake  Park.  Mr.  Cor- 
many  was  born  March  12,  1855,  on  the  old 
Cormany  homestead  in  Coventry  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Rebecca  (Harter)  Cormany. 

.Tohn  Cormany  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
and  died  in  1859.  With  his  brothers  he 
came  to  Summit  County  in  early  days,  and 
they  bought  a  large  tract  of  timber  land  in 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


915 


Coventry  Township,  which  they  set  about 
clearing.  When  the  land  was  subsequently 
divided,  each  brother  secured  about  forty 
acres.  John  Cormany  married  Rebecca  Bart- 
er who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  died 
in  Ohio,  in  1906,  aged  eighty-five  years. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Harter,  who 
settled  in  the  green  woods  of  Summit  County, 
on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Barberton. 
To  her  marriage  with  John  Cormany  there 
were  born  eleven  children,  namely:  Jere- 
miah, who  died  aged  five  months;  Phillip; 
Catherine,  who  married  George  Pow;  Mrs. 
Araminta  Miller;  Mrs.  Rohama  Allen;  Levi; 
Lushia,  who  is  deceased;  Frank;  Aaron,  who 
is  deceased;  Mary,  deceased,  who  married 
Frank  Shick;  Mrs.  Emma  Wartsbaucher. 
Mrs.  Cormany  later  contracted  a  second  mar- 
riage with  Moses  Shick,  to  which  no  children 
were  born. 

Frank  Cormany  remained  with  his  mother 
for  a  short  time  after  the  death  of  his  father, 
and  then  went  to  assist  his  uncle,  Samuel 
Cormany,  with  whom  he  remained  until  the 
latter's  death.  In  the  meantime  he  had  be- 
come a  skilled  farmer  and  after  his  marriage 
he  purchased  land,  first  from  Samuel  Peifer 
and  ne.xt  from  Samuel  Cormany,  his  uncle. 
His  land  is  well  improved  and  would  com- 
mand a  high  price  if  placed  on  the  market. 
For  some  years  he  has  been  practically  retired 
from  agricultural  work,  his  stalwart  sons  be- 
ing capable  of  looking  after  the  property, 
and  they  also  are  engaged  in  all  kinds  of 
teaming. 

In  July,  1877,  Mr.  Cormany  was  married 
to  Malinda  Sellers,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Ja- 
cob and  Catherine  (Rinninger)  Sellers,  both 
of  whom,  in  Coventry  township,  died  in  ad- 
vanced age.  Mrs.  Cormany  has  the  following 
brothers  and  sisters:  Mary,  who  married 
Daniel  Thomas;  Maria,  who  married  Robert 
Bidiker;  Henry;  Hiram;  Malinda,  and  Joel. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cormany  have  had  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  Anna,  who  died  in  infancy; 
In'in,  who  married  Miss  Wagner,  resid&s 
near  his  father,  and  they  have  children ;  Sam- 
uel, who  married  Miss  Mosier,  has  one  child. 


and  they  reside  at  Barberton;  and  Clinton 
and  Grace. 

Politically,  Mr.  Cormany  is  a  Republican. 
In  March,  1907,  he  was  elected,  with  Allen 
Swartz  and  William  Bergdorf,  road  superin- 
tendent in  Coventry  Township,  and  has 
proved  a  careful  and  efficient  public  official. 

JOHN  ROSE,  a  representative  citizen  of 
Coventry  Township,  residing  on  his  fine  tract 
of  125  acres,  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in 
Lake  Township,  Stark  County,  Ohio,  October 
29,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Susan 
(Pontious)  Rose,  and  a  grandson  of  Philip 
Rose. 

George  Rose  was  a  native  of  Berks  County, 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  one  of  a  family  of 
five  children,  his  only  brother  dying  unmar- 
ried, at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  .He 
was  young  when  the  family  came  to  Stark 
County,  Ohio.  After  his  marriage,  in  1867, 
Mr.  Rose  sold  his  farm  in  Stark  County,  and 
came  to  Coventry  Township,  Summit  County, 
where  the  rest  of  his  life  was  spent.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  reached  advanced  age,  and  died 
at  the  home  of  their  son  John.  Reared  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  George  Rose  continued 
to  be  a  farmer  all  his  life,  and  prospered  to 
such  an  extent  that  he  was  able  to  give  each 
of  his  children  a  start  in  life.  George  Rose 
was  married  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  to  Susan 
Pontious,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  who  came  to  Stark  County  with 
her  parents  when  about  twelve  years  old.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rose  there  were  born  three  chil- 
dren: Jacob,  who  moved  to  Indiana,  where 
he  became  a  man  well  thought  of,  and  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years;  Susan,  who 
married  Joseph  Young,  also  moved  to  Indi- 
ana and  later  to  Kansas;  and  John. 

John  Rose  received  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Stark  County,  and  was  reared 
on  his  father's  farm,  where  his  youth  was 
spent  in  hard,  honest  toil.  For  about  four 
years  after  his  marriage  he  carried  on  farm- 
ing in  Stark  County,  and  then  moved  to  Cov- 
entry Township,  Summit  County,  and  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  from  John  Donner. 


916 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


lie  cleared  ott'  the  timber,  f;tiinip.s  and  built 
a  substantial  barn,  and  has  done  much  to 
make  his  farm  one  of  the  best  in  the  town- 
ship. Mr.  Rose  has  always  beeii  an  indastri- 
oiLS,  hard-working  farmer,  and  has  the  respect 
and  e-steem  of  the  entire  community. 

Mr.  Rase  was  married  in  Stai'k  County,  to 
Sarah  Garl,  who  was  born  in  Portage  County, 
Ohio,  and  she  died  April  6,  190'6,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-seven  years.  Nine  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rose,  namely:  Mary, 
who  married  E.  P.  Fouse;  Christina,  who 
married  M.  Fouse;  Jacob,  who  married 
Amanda  Focht;  Lydia,  who  married  F. 
Fouse;  Elsie,  who  married  Adam  Warner; 
Amanda,  who  married  J.  Hicks;  Daniel,  who 
married  Julia  Willems,  resides  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  has  three  children,  Chester,  Wil- 
liam and  Irene;  Chai'les,  who  married  Mary 
Hembauch;  and  Eli,  who  married  Tillie 
Yankcr. 

In  political  matters  Mr.  Rose  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  he  has  served  as  township  trustee 
for  twenty-three  years.  He  and  his  family 
belon.ii'  to  the  Reformed  Church. 

FRANCIS  X.  ADAMS,  M.I).,  a  very  suc- 
cessful general  medical  practitioner  at  Akron, 
with  well-equipped  offices  at  No.  ,7"2S  South 
Main  Street,  has  been  engaged  in  ]iriitVssioiial 
work  in  this  city  since  1898,  and  has  built  up 
a  large  and  very  satisfactory  jiracticc.  He  was 
born  in  Cambria  County,  Pennsvlvania.  When 
Dr.  Adams  wius  a  youth  of  fifteen  years,  his  par- 
ent* removed  to  Kent,  Portage  County.  Ohio, 
when'  he  (-(nnplcted  liis  literary  education, 
after  wliicii  be  entered  tlie  Eclectic  Medical 
Institute  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  wliere  he  was 
graduated  in  1885.  Dr.  Adams  .settled  at 
Kent,  where  be  continued  to  practice  until 
1888,  when  be  removed  to  New  Portage,  Siun- 
mit  County,  and  subsequently  to  Akron,  in 
Se}itember,  1893.  Dr.  Adams  is  a  progressive 
member  of  his  ])rofession  and  keeps  well 
posted  on  all  matters  pertaining  to  it,  belong- 
ing to  the  Ohio  State  Eclectic  and  the  North- 
eastern Ohio  Eclectic  Medical  Societies. 

Dr.  Adams  was  married,  in  1877.  to  Cath- 


erine L.  Sheridan,  of  Kent,  Ohio,  who  died  in 
October,  1908.  She  is  survived  by  two  daugh- 
ters: Gertrude  R.,  who  married  Clyde  Orr, 
who  is  in  busines.s  at  Akron;  and  Geraldine, 
who  is  still  at  school.  Dr.  Adams  and  his 
daughters  belong  to  St.  Marj-'s  Catholic 
Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Mu- 
tual Benefit  A.s.sociation,  the  Knight.s  of  Co- 
lumbus, and  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hiber- 
nians, at  Akron,  and  the  Ohio  State  Eclectic 
Medical  Society. 

WALTER  L.  SACKMANN,  manufac- 
turer, ^\■ith  a  general  machine  shop  located 
(in  Sweitzer  Avenue,  Akron,  does  a  large 
liusiness  in  the  manufacture  of  steel 
stamps,  .stencils  and  seals,  brass  and  alumi- 
num checks,  steel  letters  and  figures.  He  was 
born  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  December,  1876, 
and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Henry  Sackmann, 
who  settled  in  Cleveland  in  1844  and  carried 
on  a  manufacturing  business  there  for  a  num- 
ber of  years. 

From  the  schoolroom,  ilr.  Sackmann  en- 
tered the  manufacturing  plant  of  his  brother, 
who  was  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  of 
steel  .stamps  and  stencils,  and  after  four  years 
of  experience  there,  entered  the  employ  of  A. 
II.  Dickey,  in  the  same  line.  In  1900,  he 
ciinie  to  Akron  and  engaged  in  the  mold  let- 
liriug  business  for  the  Goodyear  Rubber  Com- 
]iany.  and  in  May,  1901,  he  embarked  in  the 
stamj)  and  .stencil  business.  In  his  machine 
.<h()))  he  manufactures  .special  maehinery, 
molds  of  all  kinds,  blanking  and  forming 
dies  and  also  does  ])unch  pre.ss  work.  The 
t)usiness  is  one  which  demands  special  train- 
uig  and  a  large  amoiuit  of  care  and  accuracy 
from  every  employe.  In  1908.  Mr.  Sack- 
mann was  mari'ied  to  Emmy  M.  Droz.  of 
Cleveland. 

R.  M.  AMLSON,  manager  of  the  .\kron 
Laundry  Company,  which  operates  the  larg- 
c>t  and  most  modern  laundry  in  Akron,  was 
born  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  in  1S!;2.  and 
is  a  sou  of  the  late  Jonathan  Wilson. 

Since   completing  bis  (>dncation,   Mr.    Wil- 


CAPT.  SUMNER  NASH 


HOPHNI  NASH 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


921 


son  has  been  mainly  engaged  in  the  laundry 
busines:?,  operating  a  plant  of  his  own.  In 
1901  the  Akron  Laundry  Company  was  in- 
corporated, with  a  capital  stock  of  $20,000, 
with  N.  P.  Goodhue,  president;  E.  J.  Alder- 
fer,  vice-president;  and  R.  M.  Wilson,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer.  The  company  has  erected 
a  fine  brick  building,  42  by  132  feet  in  di- 
mensions, and  two  stories  in  height,  which 
they  have  equipped  with  all  modern  appli- 
ances for  the  rapid,  thorough,  and  sanitary 
conduct  of  their  industrj'.  They  give  work 
to  forty-five  employes  and  have  five  wagons 
in  continual  use.  Their  efforts  to  plea.se  the 
]>ublic  have  been  generously  recognized.  In 
1892,  ^Ir.  Wilson  was  married  to  Sophia  M. 
Smith,  of  Akron.  Mr.  Wilson  is  an  Elk  and 
i.-  a  trustee  of  the  Akron  branch  of  this  order. 


CAPT.  SUMNER  NASH,  for  years  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  Akron  Belting 
Company,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  di- 
rectors of  The  Permanent  Savings  and  Loan 
Company,  and  of  The  Abstract  Guarantee  & 
Tmst  Company,  at  Akron,  is  now  numbered 
with  the  retired  manufacturers  of  this  citv. 
Captain  Nash  was  born  May  10.  1836,  in  Bath 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
son  of  Hophni  and  Lovisa  (King)  Nash. 
The  ancestors  of  Captain  Nash  on  both  pater- 
nal and  maternal  sides  were  of  Scotch-Irish 
extraction  and  were  early  settlers  in  Massa- 
chusetts, where  both  the  Nash  and  King  fam- 
ilies have  been  identified  with  important 
public  affairs  for  generations. 

Hophni  Nash  was  born  in  AVilliamsburg, 
Hampshire  County,  Massachusetts,  January- 
10,  1797.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years,  in 
the  fall  of  1817,  he  came  to  Ohio  and  during 
the  following  winter  taught  school  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Ghent,  Summit  County.  In  1819 
he  was  elected  the  first  to\raship  clerk  of 
Rath.  In  the  same  year,  he  returned  to  his 
native  State  and  was  married  to  Miss  Lovi.sa 
King,  at  Chesterfield.  Soon  after  they  settled 
on  a  farm  near  the  center  of  Bath.  He  was 
re-elected  and  served  as  clerk  of  Bath  Town- 
ship for  many  years,  which  office  was  in  later 


years  held  by  each  of  his  three  sons.  He 
followed  his  chosen  occupation  of  farming 
during  the  whole  of  his  active  life.  He  died 
at  the  home  of  his  son,  Sumner,  in  Akron, 
.\pril  17,  1882,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five 
years.  After  his  death,  the  widow  resided 
with  Dr;  E.  K.  Na<h  at  Montrose,  in  Bath 
Township,  where  she  survived  until  January 
6,  1892,  dying  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety 
years.  They  had  born  to  them  five  children, 
namely:  Harriet,  married  Curtis  D.  Barber 
and  settled  at  Plymouth,  Sheboygan  County, 
Wisconsin ;  later  she  married  a  Mr.  Williams, 
and  for  many  years  resided  in  Rock  County, 
Minnesota.  Again  left  a  widow,  she  spent 
her  few  remaining  years  with  her  children, 
Mr.  and  Mi's.  George  B.  Whitney,  at  Beaver 
Creek,  Minnesota,  where  she  died  December 
2,  1907,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.  Dr.  E.  K. 
Nash  entered  the  U.  S.  service  in  1862  as 
as,si'stant  surgeon,  was  assigned  to  duty  in 
the  Fourteenth  0.  V.  I.  Regiment,  in  the 
Department  of  the  Cumberland.  He  was  in 
service  on  the  field  and  in  hospital  at 
Chattanooga,  Lookout  Mountain,  Mission 
Ridge,  Atlanta,  and  thence  with  Sherman  to 
the  sea.  In  July,  1835  he  returned  home 
with  the  rank  of  major.  He  practiced  medi- 
cine at  Montrose  for  many  years,  and  re- 
cently removed  to  Akron.  Nancy  Ellen, 
widow  of  R.  D.  Pierson,  now  resides  at  Lin- 
coln. Nebra.ska,  with  her  dangliter  Marv  A. 
Freeland.  Thomas  W.,  on  October  3,  1861, 
enlisted  in  the  29th  Regiment,  0.  V.  I.,  for 
three  years;  at  the  expiration  of  this  period 
he  re-enlisted  i)i  the  same  regiment.  He 
was  in  service  in  the  Department  of  the 
Potomac  and  ])articipated  in  all  impor- 
tant t)attles  until  captured  at  Port  Re- 
])ublic.  He  was  prisoner  for  four  months, 
was  transferred  with  the  Eastern  Army 
to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  at 
Lookout  Mountain,  Mission  Ridge,  then  on  to 
Atlanta,  etc.  He  was  discharged  July,  1865, 
with  rank  of  captain  of  Company  B.  He 
is  now  bookkeeper  and  private  secretary  at 
Akron,  Ohio,  for  A.  M.  Barber,  a  millionaire 
of  Chicago,  111.  He  married  (second)  Mrs. 
Chira  Yiyu  Oi-inan.  of  Akron. 


922 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Sumner  Nash  was  born  in  a  log  cabin  on 
the  farm,  near  Bath  Center,  had  the  usual 
district  school  education  and  also  an  academic 
course  at  Richfield.  He  was  of  a  somewhat 
venturoas  disposition,  and  when  but  nineteen 
years  of  age,  left  home  and  penetrated  into 
the  wilds  of  Wisconsin.  He  had  many  ex- 
periences with  Indians,  while  driving  the 
stage-coach  between  Oshkosh  and  New  Lon- 
don. The  Sheboygan  aiid  Fond  du  Lac 
Railroad  Company  was  then  constructing  its 
line  from  Plymouth,  Wisconsin,  westward, 
and  Mr.  Nash  secured  the  contract  for  clear- 
ing off  the  timber  and  making  it  into  rail- 
road ties  and  cordwood,  wiiieh  contract  he 
filled  to  the  satisfaction  of  both  parties.  In 
the  fall  and  winter  of  1856-57,  at  Oshkosh, 
he  had  entire  management  of  a  hardware 
store  for  Mr.  E.  H.  Barber,  during  the  lat- 
ter's  absence  in  the  Southern  States.  In 
1857  he  returned  to  Ohio,  and  again  attended 
the  Richfield  Academy,  later  farming  for  his 
father  during  several  summers  and  teaching 
school  through  the  winters.  On  August  6, 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  115th  Regi- 
ment 0.  V.  I.,  and  served  with  courage  and 
fidelity  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
mustered  out  July  7,  1865,  as  first  lieutenant, 
although  for  months  he  had  held  the  position 
of  captain  and  was  the  commanding  officer 
of  Company  A  of  said  regiment.  He  entered 
the  service  as  private  of  Company  G,  115th 
Regiment,  0.  V.  I.,  August  6,  1862.  He  was 
promoted  by  being  elected  by  vote  of  the  com- 
pany to  Orderly  Sergeant  August  12,  1862 : 
Second  Lieutenant,  Augu.st  21,  1862,  and 
First  Lieutenant  of  Company  A,  August  IT, 
1864. 

Service. — His  regiment  was  organized  at 
Camp  Massillon,  Ohio,  and  mastered  into  U. 
S.  service  for  three  years,  on  September  18. 
1862.  The  regiment  was  ordered  to  Cin- 
cinnati. Ohio,  September  27,  1862;  to  Camp 
Chase.  Ohio,  October  4.  1862 ;  was  on  duty 
there  till  November;  then  to  Maysville,  Ken- 
tucky, remaining  on  duty  there  till  Novem- 
ber 18,  when  it  was  ordered  to  Covington, 
Kentucky,  where  it  remained  on  duty  till 
June,   186.3.     He   was   detailed  to   command 


an  expedition  from  Covington  to  Boone 
County,  Kentucky,  to  enforce  Burnside's 
general  order  No.  6.  Also  in  command  of  a 
detachment  to  follow  the  rebel,  General  Mor- 
gan, in  his  raid  through  Ohio,  to  collect 
Government  property  and  property  aban- 
doned by  him,  amounting  to  between  1,000 
and  2,000  horses  and  mules,  together  with 
much  other  property,  all  of  which  was  turned 
over  to  the  post  quartermaster  at  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  He  was  on  duty  in  Cincinnati  from 
July,  1863  to  October.  He  was  detailed  by 
Gen.  J.  D.  Cox,  commanding  tlie  Depart- 
ment of  Ohio,  to  take  command  of  the  forces 
and  post  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  during  the  October 
election  for  governor,  at  which  time  and  place 
political  strife  became  intensely  heated,  re- 
sulting in  several  persons  being  shot  by  "Val- 
landingham  Copperheads."  George  L.  Wat- 
erman, Second  Lieutenant  of  Company  C, 
and  one  of  its  noblest  soldiers,  was  fatally 
wounded  while  on  duty  in  said  city.  After 
election  he  was  ordered  to  Chattanooga,  Ten- 
nessee, where  Mr.  Na.sh  remained,  while 
Hood  occupied  Lookout  Mountain  and  until 
just  before  the  latter  was  routed  from  the 
mountain  never  to  return.  Thence  he  went 
to  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee.  First  Brigade, 
Third  Divi.sion,  Twelfth  Corps,  Department 
of  the  Cumberland.  In  November;  1863,  he 
was  detached  in  command  of  sixty  men  to 
garrison  Blockhouse  No.  4,  at  Lavergne,  Ten- 
nessee. Ill  November,  1864,  he  was  detached 
on  staff  duty  by  order  of  General  George  H. 
Thomas.  He  was  assigned  to  duty  as  assist- 
ant inspector  of  railroad  defenses,  under  Ma- 
jor James  R.  Willetts,  First  U.  S.  Engineers. 
He  was  assigned  to  duty  on  the  Nashville  & 
A¥estern  Railroad,  owing  to  Hood's  advance 
and  capture  of  said  road.  He  was  then  as- 
signed to  general  staff  duty  in  Nashville,  be- 
ing placed  in  absolute  charge  of  the  Con- 
script Division,  which  was  engaged  in  estab- 
li.shing  and  perfecting  the  defenses  in  and 
around  that  city  during  Hood's  investment, 
December  1  to  14,  and  the  battles  of  Decem- 
ber 15th  and  16th,  which  resulted  in  the 
defeat  of  Hood  and  complete  route  of  his 
entire   armv   of  70.000   men.      .\fter  Hond's 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


923 


retreat  South,  he  was  assigned  as  assistant 
inspector  of  raih-oad  defenses  on  the  Nash- 
ville &  Clarksville  Railroad  headquarters  at 
Springfield,  Tennessee,  from  December,  1864, 
to  Febraary,  1865.  After  getting  all  garri- 
sons on  this  road  established  and  equipped, 
he  was  transferred  on  same  duty  to  Chatta- 
nooga, Tennessee,  and  in  charge  of  all  gar- 
risons and  defenses  of  all  railroads  East  and 
Sou  til  of  Chattanooga  in  the  Department  of 
the  Cumberland,  from  February  to  June, 
1865.  On  June  22,  1865,  by  order  of  Gen- 
eral Thomas  he  returned  to  the  regiment  at 
Murfreesboro,  Tennessee,  thence  forward  in 
command  of  Company  A,  115th  Regiment. 
He  was  honorably  discharged  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  July  7,  1865,  thence  home  to  Bath, 
place  of  enlistment.  The  three  brothers 
all  in  the  Civil  War  from  two  to  four 
years,  till  the  close  of  the  war  and  all  re- 
turned held  a  family  reunion  at  the  old 
homestead.  All  are  members  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  and  Sumner  is  a 
member  of  the  Loyal  Legion.  Ohio  Com- 
mandery,   of  Cincinnati. 

In  the  fall  of  18'65  Sumner  Nash,  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother,  T.  AV.,  took  Greeley's 
advice,  went  west  and  purchased  a  farm  of 
160  acres  near  Chatsworth.  Illinois.  Return- 
ing to  Ohio,  Sumner  taught  school  the  fol- 
lowing winter  at  Bath  Center. 

Captain  Na.sh  was  married  March  8.  1866, 
til  Rebecca  M.  Means,  daughter  of  Captain 
.lohn  A.  Means,  of  Northfield,  Summit 
County.  Ohio,  and  at  once  they  settled  on 
their  Illinois  farm,  which  they  worked  till 
the  fall  of  1868.  when,  owing  to  the  failing 
health  of  Mrs.  Nash,  they  returned  to  Sum- 
mit County,  where  Mrs.  Nash  died  .July  IS, 
1869.  at  her  father's  home,  leaving  one  child, 
Maude  il.  Sumner  Na-^h  worked  his  father- 
in-law's  farm  for  the  following  two  years.  In 
the  year  1872  Mr.  Nash  was  appointed 
Deputy  County  Clerk,  which  position  he 
filled  to  the  close  of  John  A.  Means'  term, 
when  he  was  reappointed  and  ser\'ed  in  the 
same  capacity  through  two  term.«  of  three 
years  each  for  Clerk  George  W.  Weeks.  He 
was   himself   elected    clerk   in    1878    nnd    in 


1881,  serving  two  full  terms  of  three  years 
each.  Mr.  Nash  was  married  (second)  June 
23,  1874,  to  Linnie  S.  Cross,  of  Columbus, 
Ohio,  since  which  time  they  have  resided 
continuoiisly  in  Akron  at  No.  275  East  Mar- 
ket Street. 

In  1891  M.  Maude  Nash  married  Dr.  J. 
W.  Rabe,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  after  which 
the  doctor  has  followed  his  profession  in  Ak- 
ron. They  have  two  children,  Mary  .\de- 
laide  and  .James  W.,  Jr. 

In  1885,  after  the  close  of  his  second  term 
as  clerk  of  courts,  Sumner  Nash  raised  a 
stock  company  for  the  manufacture  and  sale 
of  leather  belting  and  other  mill  supplies. 
The  company  was  duly  organized  and  in- 
coiporated  under  the  laws  of  Ohio  with  a 
capitalization  of  $50,000,  in  the  name  of 
"The  Akron  Belting  Company,"  he  being 
chosen  its  secretary  and  treasurer,  which  of- 
fices he  held  for  many  years.  Under  his 
management  the  business  prospered  as  a  new 
company  till  the  quality  of  its  manufactured 
goods,  the  "Akron"  brand  of  belting,  had 
proven  itself  to  be  what  was  claimed  for  it — 
"Second  to  None,"  requiring  only  extended 
patronage  to  insure  correspondingly  large 
profits.  In  1895  "The  Brigger  Belting  Com- 
pany," of  South  Akron,  being  unsuccessful 
financially,  at  its  own  solicitation,  was  pur- 
chased by  "The  Akron  Belting  Company." 
including  its  "liabilities,"  etc.  Mr.  A.  S. 
Rinehart,  former  president  of  "The  B.  B. 
Company,"  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Ad- 
vertising and  Sales  Department  of  "The  A. 
B.  Company."  Under  this  corribined  man- 
agement, the  anticipated  increased  patronage 
was  secured.  The  capitalization  of  the  com- 
pany was  increased  to  $100,000.  and  the 
building  capacity  has  been  doubled  and 
quadnipled  to  keep  pace  with  the  output  of 
the  goods  manufactured.  These  goods  have 
given  general  satisfaction  and  gained  such 
a  reputation  at  home  and  abroad  that  they 
are  now  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  United 
States  and  to  many  foreign  countries.  The 
output  has  increased  from  a  few  thousands 
to  nearly  half  a  million  dollars  annually. 
In  1904  he  resigned  as  treasurer  of  said  com- 


924 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


pany.  For  many  years  the  company  has  de- 
clared a  liberal  quarterly  dividend  from  its 
surplus  earnings,  which  suiplus  is  largely  in 
excess  of  its  capitalization.  The  present  of- 
ficers are:  President,  A.  B.  Rinehart;  vice 
president,  Sumner  Nash;  secretary  and 
treasurer,  George  Wince,  and  superintend- 
ent, Webster  Thorj). 

Mr.  Nash  has  visited  the  Island  of  Cuba 
two  or  three  times  and  became  so  delighted 
with  the  climate  that  he,  with  an  equal  part- 
ner, purchased  about  1,200  acres  of  timber 
land  situated  between  the  Cubitas  Mountains 
and  the  north  coast,  an  exceedingly  fertile 
valley,  the  nearest  point  of  which  is  only 
one  mile  distant  from  La  Gloria,  in  Porto 
Principe  Province,  the  largest  and  oldast 
American  Colony  in  the  island.  The  climate 
and  soil  are  well  adapted  to  citrons  and  other 
tropical  fruits.  Mr.  Nash  owns  an  improved 
farm  .  of  280  acres  near  Emporia,  Lyon 
County,  Kansas,  100  miles  west  of  Kansas 
City,  Missouri.  Politically,  Mr.  Nash  has  al- 
ways been  a  Republican.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Na~h 
and  daughter  are  members  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church  of  Akron. 

ST.  CLAIR  STEELE,  who  is  successfully 
engaged  in  a  general  mercantile  business  at 
Silver  Lake  Junction,  or  Old  Village,  as  the 
place  is  generally  denominated  by  residents 
of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  was  born  in  Stow  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  September  13, 
1842.  He  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Margaret  C. 
(Steele)  Steele,  a  grandson  of  Isaac,  and  a 
great-grandson  of  Adam  Steele. 

Adam  Steele  served  through  the  Revolu- 
tionary AA^ar  and  his  son  Isaac,  in  boyhood, 
served  as  a  bugler  and  a  mail  carrier  for  the 
fighting  patriots.  Adam  Steele  moved  to 
Ohio  from  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania,  and 
settled  in  Stow  Township,  Summit  County, 
among  the  pioneers,  where  he  died  in  1811. 
His  son,  Isaac,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
settled  permanently  in  Stow  Township,  in 
1820.  He  participated  in  the  AVar  of  1812. 
He  married  Betsey  Galloway,  and  their  chil- 
dren were:  John,  Isaac,  Mary,  Eliza,  Anna, 
and  Margaret,  all  long  since  passed  away. 


Isaac  Steele,  son  of  Isaac,  was  born  in  1812, 
and  died  May  27,  1883.  In  1842  he  married 
Margaret  C.  Steele,  a  distant  cousin,  who  died 
September  21,  1853.  They  had  the  following 
children :  St.  Clair,  Nancy,  Henderson, 
Ellen  E.,  and  Thomas,  both  daughters  being 
deceased. 

St.. Clair  Steele  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  Stow  Township  and  assisted  on  the 
home  farm  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
AA'ar,  when  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  offer 
his  ser\'ices  to  his  country.  Mr.  Steele  en- 
listed in  April,  1861,  in  Company  K,  Nine- 
teenth Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
but  was  taken  sick  soon  after  reaching  Camp 
Taylor,  and  was  sent  home.  On  September 
10,  1861,  he  re-enlisted,  entering  Battery  D, 
First  Ohio  Light  Artillery,  and  continued  in 
the  serv'ice  until  October  17,  1864.  Dvu-ing 
this  last  summer  of  the  war,  Mr.  Steele  filled 
the  position  of  a  non-commissioned  officer 
and  for  a  short  time  acted  as  a  commissioned 
officer,  in  the  drilling  of  the  troops.  He  was 
taken  prisoner  at  Munford.sville,  Kentucky, 
but  was  paroled,  on  condition  that  he  would 
remain  with  the  Confederate  Array  until  per- 
mission was  given  him  to  leave.  AA^'ith  his 
comrades  he  ran  away  and  joined  the  Union 
lines,  110  miles  distant,  subsequently  reach- 
ing the  parole  camp  at  Columbus.  On  Feb- 
ruary 22d,  following  he  was  exchanged  and 
then  went  back  to  the  front  with  his  regi- 
ment. 

Following  the  closing  of  the  war,  Mr.  Steele 
engaged  in  business  as  a  wholesale  butcher 
and  bought  and  sold  livestock  for  eighteen 
months,  after  which,  for  two  years,  he  was 
with  a  Cleveland  lumber  company.  He  then 
engaged  in  farming,  threshing  and  lumber- 
ing until  1880,  when  he  took  charge  of  th'^ 
shop  at  the  State  Penitentiary  for  nearly  two 
years.  He  then  went  to  work  for  his  brothei-s 
Henderson  and  Thomas,  as  sawyer,  this  be- 
ing about  1897.  In  1892  he  built  his  store 
building  and  stocked  it  with  groceries,  but  in 
a  short  time  sold  that  stock  and  rented  the 
building.  In  1897  he  again  took  possession 
of  his  former  store  and  since  then  has  been 
engaoed  in  a  general  mercantile  biisiness.    He 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


925 


is  a  reputable  business  man  and  honored  citi- 
zen. 

Mr.  Steele  niarried  Sarah  J.  McCauley,  of 
Hudson,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Mary  McCauley,  and  they  have  two  children : 
Harry  C,  who  is  connected  with  the  street 
railway;  and  Mabel  M.,  who  married  Wil- 
liam Taylor,  who  is  employed  in  her  father's 
store.  The  family  belong  to  the  Episcopal 
Church. 

Peter  McCauley,  father  of  ^Irs.  Steele,  was 
born  in  Ireland  and  was  a  small  child  when 
he  accompanied  his  mother  to  America.  Here 
he  learned  the  shoemaker  trade  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  many  years  at  Sti'eetsboro,  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  later  moving  to  Hudson,  where 
he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  on  a  farm,  dying 
in  April,  1863.  He  married  Mary  O'Brien, 
V,  ho  was  born  at  Hudson,  Ohio,  and  who  was 
a  daughter  of  Harry  O'Brien,  a  Protestant 
Irishman,  who  came  from  Ireland  and  set- 
tled in  Portage  County  in  the  year  that  Ohio 
became  a  State. 

Politically,  Mr.  Steele  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party.  He  ser\-ed  as  trustee  of 
Stow-Township  for  two  terms  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  City  Council  of  Cuyahoga  Falls  for 
one  term.  He  is  one  of  the  active  members 
of  Eddy  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Cuyahoga  Falls. 

MATTHIAS  COFFMAN,  a  highly  es- 
teemed retired  farmer  who  resides  on  his  well- 
cultivated  fann  of  seventj'-five  and  one-half 
acres  of  excellent  farming  land  in  North- 
ampton Township,  wa<  born  January  4, 
1835,  in  Berlin  Township,  Trumbull  (now 
Mahoning)  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  EliKibeth  (Swartz)  Coffman. 

Samuel  Coffman  was  born  in  1802,  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  there  received  his  educa- 
tion. After  his  marriage  he  removed  to  Ber- 
lin Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  where 
he  acquired  100  acres  of  land,  on  which  he 
raised  principally  flax,  a  crop  not  generally 
grown  now  in  this  section.  He  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  but  because  there  was  no  church  of 
that  denomination  in  their  vicinity,  they  at- 
tended    the     German     Reformed     Church. 


Mr.  Coffman  died  in  1861  .  He  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  Swartz,  who  was  also 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  was  a  daughter  of 
]\Iatthias  Swartz,  and  they  had  the  following 
children:  Mary  Ann,  Zacharias  and  Samuel, 
all  deceased;  and  Matthias.  Tobias  and  Abra- 
ham. 

Matthias  Coffman  received  his  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  Berlin  Township,  and 
began  to  teach  while  still  a  pupil,  completing 
the  term  when  the  regular  teacher  had  been 
taken  sick.  He  also  taught  a  second  term, 
in  Deerfield  Township,  in  Portage  County, 
but  when  eighteen  or  nineteen  years  of  age 
started  to  work  out  among  the  farmers  of  his 
section,  having  a  preference  for  farm  work. 
From  1855  to  1858  he  engaged  iii  the  manu- 
facture of  pearl  and  soda,  ash  on  his  own 
icccount,  having  previously  worked  for  his 
brother-in-law  for  three  years  in  the  same 
business,  one  carried  on  at  that  time  where 
land  was  being  cleared  to  a  large  extent.  In 
March,  1865,  Mr.  Coffman  enlisted  in  Com- 
}  any  B,  188th  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  served  in  the  Civil  War  for  seven 
months  in  Tennessee,  being  a  faithful  sol- 
dier. His  present  farm  he  purchased  in  1863, 
and  later  he  added  ten  acres  thereto,  but  sub- 
sequently sold  them  again,  the  farm  now  be- 
ing its  original  size.  Mr.  Coffman  has  done 
some  dairying,  but  his  attention  is  given 
chiefly  to  general  farming.  He  has  a  circular 
silo  12  X  24  feet  and  other  substantial  build- 
ings on  his  farm,  which  is  kept  in  the  finest 
condition.  He  owns  a  registered  Jersey  bull 
pud  nine  registered  Jersey  cattle.  Mr.  Coff- 
man is  a  stanch  Prohibitionist,  and  although 
he  has  never  had  political  aspirations,  he  has 
served  two  years  as  township  trustee.  For- 
merly he  was  identified  with  the  United 
Brethren  Church,  in  which  he  was  a  class 
leader  for  some  time,  but  there  is  no  church 
of  that  denomination  in  this  locality  now. 

On  August  16,  1857,  Mr.  Coffman  was 
married  to  Sarah  Jane  Bean,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  Bean,  of  Northampton  Town- 
ship, and  to  this  union  there  has  been  born 
one  daughter:  Mary  Ploney,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Nelson  Alden  Bucklin,  who  is  the  pres- 


926 


•HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ent   manager  of  the   farm.     Mr.    and   Mrs. 
Bucklin  have  one  daughter,  Ardis  Auverne. 

JOHN  WALDKIRCH,  who  is  a  success- 
ful general  farmer,  residing  on  the  old  home 
place  of  sixty  acres  of  excellent  land,  which 
is  situated  in  Coventiy  Township,  was  born 
December  9, 1860,  in  Norton  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Christian 
and  Mary   (Stortz)   Waldkirch. 

Christian  Waldkirch  was  born  in  Germany, 
where  he  lived  into  manhood,  when  he  and 
his  brother,  John  Waldkirch,  came  to  Amer- 
ica and  both  settled  in  Summit  County. 
Christian  found  employment  in  the  McDon- 
ald Hotel,  at  South  Akron,  and  later  w"orked 
on  the  Van  Hyning  farm.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  rented  a  farm  in  Norton  Town- 
ship and  operated  that  for  a  number  of  years 
or  until  he  was  prepared  to  buy  his  firet  farm, 
w^hich  was  situated  near  the  reservoir  in  Cov- 
entry Township.  In  the  following  year  he 
sold  that  place  and  moved  to  Akron,  where  he 
was  employed  in  a  shop  for  about  eight  years, 
after  which  he  rented  a  farm  on  the  Copley 
road,  on  which  he  lived  for  eight  years,  and 
then  bought  the  present  farm,  from  Frank 
Horssler.  Christian  Waldkirch  lived  on  this 
farm  until  the  end  of  his  life.  He  was  an  in- 
dustrious, frugal  man,  who  lived  at  peace 
with  the  world,  and  in  dying  left  a  fair  estate 
to  his  family.  His  death  occurred  in  August, 
1904,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  He 
married  Mary  Stortz,  who  was  also  born  in 
Germany,  a  most  excellent  woman,  who  died 
in  1891,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  They  had 
four  children:  Norman,  Christian,  John  and 
Louisa. 

John  Waldkirch  grew  up  on  the  home  farm 
and  has  always  done  his  full  share  in  develo])- 
ing  and  improving  it.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  at  Akron,  but  in  his  boy- 
hood there  was  too  much  to  be  done  on  the 
farm  to  allow  his  attendance  to  be  very  con- 
tinuous. The  farm  was  left  by  the  father  to 
to  Mr.  Waldkirch  and  his  sister  Louisa,  the 
latter  of  whom  married  Joseph  Mitchell.  She 
has  three  children:  Alice,  Fred  and  Ernest. 


Mr.  Waldkirch  is  a  Republican  and  always 
exercises  his  right  of  citizenship  at  the  polls, 
but  he  has  never  permitted  his  name  to  be 
used  in  any  contest  for  office.  He  is  w-ell 
known  in  his  neighborhood  and  enjoys  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens.  He 
is  the  only  one  of  hi.s  family  who  is  unmar- 
ried. 

JOHN  K.  WILLIAMS,  president  and  gen- 
eral manager  of  the  Williams  Foundry  and 
Machine  Company,  of  Akron,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  this  city  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
He  was  born  in  1856,  in  southern  Wisconsin, 
where  he  was  reared  and  attended  school  and 
later  learned  the  machinist's  trade. 

In  1882,  Mr.  Williams  was  called  to  Akron 
to  put  in  the  machinery  for  the  Portage 
Strawboard  Company,  and  the  big  Quaker 
Oats  mill,  on  Howard  street.  He  found  this 
city  a  promising  field  and  in  1884  he  started 
into  a  machine  business  for  himself,  which  he 
carried  on  until  1897,  when  the  Williams 
Foundry  and  Machine  Company  was  incor- 
porated. The  capital  stock  of  tliis  company 
is  $50,000,  and  the  officers  of  the  company 
are :  John  K.  Williams,  president'  and  gen- 
eral manager;  C.  H.  Williams,  vice-president; 
and  C.  Franze,  secretary  and  treasurer.  The 
company  does  a  general  jobbing  and  machine 
business,  giving  employment  to  about  seven- 
ty-five inen,  and  engaging  only  .skilled  labor. 
The  plant  is  a  four-story  building,  150  by  40 
feet,  with  a  foundry  attached,  two  stories  in 
height  and  with  dimensions  of  100  by  50  feet. 
The  work  turned  out  from  this  plant  bears 
the  mark  of  efficiency,  and  each  year  the  busi- 
ness is  expanded,  now  ranking  with  other 
large  enterprises  of  Akron.  In  1882,  Mr. 
Williams  was  married  to  Mamie  Weston,  of 
Springfield  Township,  Summit  County.  Mr. 
Williams  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons  and  the 
Odd  Fellows. 

WILLIAM  A.  WARNER,  one  of  Coven- 
try Township's  most  highly  esteemed  citi- 
zens, who  filled  the  offices  of  township  treas- 
urer and  treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Education 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


927 


1(11-  liver  a,  quarter  of  a  century,  was  born  on 
a  farm  at  East  Liberty,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  October  5,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
;:iid  Elizabeth  (Weaver)  Warner. 

Henry  Warner,  the  grandfather  of  ^^'illiam 
A.,  came  from  Maryland  to  Ohio  when  a 
young- man,  making  the  journey  with  ox- 
Icams,  and  settled  near  Canton  for  a  short 
time,  subsequently  locating  in  the  woods  of 
Coventry  Township.  His  wife  and  children 
a.ssi.sted  him  in  clearing  the  farm,  and  here 
the  rest  of  his  life  was  spent.  Indians  were 
numerous  in  those  early  days,  and  they  often 
came  to  Henry  Warner's  home  to  beg  tobacco, 
liud  provisions.  Mr.  Warner  lived  to 
lie  seventy-five  years  of  age,  passing  away 
while  resting  in  his  chair.  His  widow  lived 
to  the  sajue  age,  dying  some  years  later. 
Henry  Warner  was  married  in  Maryland,  to 
Elizabeth  Kepler,  and  to  them  were  born 
eight  sons,  all  of  whom  lived  to  maturity: 
•lohn,  Jacob,  Samuel,  William,  and  Abraham 
survive.  Adam,  Solomon  and  Daniel,  are  de- 
ceased. Jacob  and  William  Warner  sei'ved 
in  the  Civil  War  and  they  are  raenibei"s  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

John  Warner,  father  of  William  A.,  was 
born  on  the  farm  near  Canton,  Ohio,  June  22, 
1821,  and  in  boyhood  came  with  the  family 
to  Summit  County,  where  he  has  ever  since 
resided,  and  has  long  been  a  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Norton  Township.  He  is  one  of  the 
few  men  still  living  in  the  count j^  who  helped 
l:uild  the  reservoir,  on  which  he  worked  as  a 
l)oy.  He  married  Elizabeth  Weaver,  who  was 
liorn  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  died  in 
October,  1904,  aged  about  eighty-two  years. 
Six  children  were  born  to  this  union,  as  fol- 
lows: William  A.,  Henry,  Samuel,  Maiy, 
John  J.,  and  Adam.  Mary  died  aged  five 
months.  When  William  A.  Wamer  was 
about  three  years  of  age  his  parents  settled 
on  land  near  his  present  home,  and  shortly 
thereafter  the  Steese  Company  opened  a  coal 
mine,  where  he  .subsequently  worked  for  two 
and  one-half  years,  after  reaching  manhood. 
He  grew  up  on  the  farm,  and  being  the  eldest 
child,  much  of  the  work  of  clearing  the  place 


fell  to  him.  His  education  was  secured  in 
the  log  schoolhouse,  Avhich  he  attended  about 
four  months  each  year,  this  affording  what 
was  thought  to  be  a  good  education  in  those 
diiys.  Through  his  hard  work  in  the  mines, 
for  which  he  received  two  dollars  per  day,  he 
saved  over  $600,  which  he  put  out  at  interest. 
During  this  tmie  Mr.  Warner  had  been  mar- 
ried and  he  and  his  wife  went  to  live  on  the 
old  home  place  of  his  grandfather,  a  farm  of 
108  acres,  which  he  cultivated  on  shares  for 
about  ten  years,  and  then  purchased.  At 
first  he  had  to  be  cont-ent  with  the  old  log 
liuildings  then  standing,  but  later  he  replaced 
these  with  some  of  the  finest  stractures  in 
the  township.  He  followed  general  farming 
imtil  he  retired  from  active  pursuits,  when 
he  gave  over  the  management  of  his  farm  of 
seventy-five  acres  to  his  son-in-law,  William 
J.  Farriss. 

In  December,  1865,  Mr.  Warner  was  mar- 
ried to  Sarah  Spittler,  who  died  May  21, 
1905,  aged  sixty-five  years.  She  was  born  in 
Springfield  Towaiship,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
pnd  two  children  were  born  to  them,  namely: 
William  J.,  who  died  when  abovit  six  months 
old;  and  Mary  E..  who  married  AVilliam  J. 
Farriss. 

Mr.  Warner  is  a  Democrat.  He  was  firet 
elected  treasurer  of  Coventry  Township,  in 
1880,  and  has  filled  that  office  continuously 
for  the  ])ast  twenty-five  years.  His  last  term 
expired  in  December,  1907,  when  he  defi- 
I'itely  declined  to  accept  the  office  again.  His 
long  i^eriod  of  official  life  has  been  one  to 
which  ho  can  look  with  honest  pride  through 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  With  his  family, 
he  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Ejiiscopal  Church 
at  South  Akron. 

John  Farriss,  the  grandfather  of  William 
J.  Farriss,  was  a  native  of  England  who  emi- 
grated to  America  and  settled  in  Seneca 
County,  New  York,  where  he  died  at  the  age 
of  eighty-five  years.  Of  his  family  of  six 
children,  William  Farriss  was  next  to  the 
eldest.  He  was  born  in  England,  and  was 
three  years  of  age  when  the  family  came  to 
America.     He  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm. 


928 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


and  when  a  young  man  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade,  at  which  he  worked  for  a  num- 
ber of  yeai-s,  for  a  time  at  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
where  he  helped  to  finish  the  Chadwick  home, 
which  has  been  frequently  mentioned  in 
the  past  few  years,  in  the  newspapers,  in  con- 
nection with  the  late  Mrs.  Chadwick.  Later  he 
went  back  to  New  York,  where  he  spent  sev- 
eral years.  On  his  return  to  Cleveland  he 
worked  at  his  trade  for  a  short  time,  and  then 
settled  on  a  farm  in  New  Portage,  Summit 
County,  Ohio.  In  1899  he  sold  this  property 
and  retired  from  active  business,  and  now  re- 
sides at  Barberton.  William  Farriss  was  mar- 
ried in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  to  Susan  Brooker, 
who  was  born  February  15,  1840,  and  is  a 
native  of  Settingborn,  England.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Farriss  had  six  children:  Carrie,  who 
married  Timothy  Hunsberger;  William 
James;  Nora  Jane,  who  married  M.  High; 
John  Lewis;  Lewis  Brooker,  who  married 
Blanche  Allen;  and  Susie  A.,  who  married 
H.  Werntz. 

William  James  Farriss  was  born  in  New 
York,  July  12,  1862,  and  was  about  six  years 
old  when  his  parents  removed  from  New 
York  to  New  Portage,  Ohio,  and  there  he 
grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm. 

On  December  12,  1889,  Mr.  Farriss  was 
married  to  Mary  E.  Warner,  who  is  a  daugh- , 
ter  of  William''H.  and  Sarah  A.  (Spettler) 
Warner,  and  four  children  have  been  born  to 
this  union :  Lottie  May,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy, June  3,  1891 ;  Sarah  Esther,  born  De- 
cember 14, 1894 ;  William  Albert,  born  March 
20,  1896;  and  Adela  Maude,  born  June  6, 
1898. 

For  nine  years  after  his  marriage,  Mr. 
I'arriss  resided  on  his  present  farm,  although 
for  the  last  three  of  these  he  was  engaged  as 
{1.  traveling  salesman  for  the  Akron  Cultiva- 
tor Company.  Then  for  four  years  he  lived 
on  his  old  family  home  at  New  Portage,  but 
at  the  end  of  that  time  returned  to  the  Warner 
home,  which  he  purchased  from  his  father- 
in-law,  in  1905.  He  has  a  fine  fai'm,  on 
which  are  all  the  conveniences  of  a  city  home, 
including  waterworks,  Uunidrv  and  other  im- 


provements, these  having  been  put  in  by  Mr. 
Farriss.  He  built  the  firet  entirely  concrete 
,«ilo  in  Ohio,  and  Mrs.  Farriss  was  the  first 
woman  in  the  State  to  feed  a  fodder  cutter, 
operated  by  a  gasolene  engine.  His  dairy 
products  are  sold  to  the  Buchtel  Hotel. 

Mr.  Farriss  and  wife  belong  to  the  South 
Main  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  have 
always  taken  an  active  interest  in  church 
matters. 

HARRY  E.  LOOMIS,  general  manager 
of  the  National  Coal  Company,  at  Akron, 
with  offices  in  the  Hamilton  Building,  is  an 
old  experienced  coal  man,  having  been  con- 
nected with  this  industry  for  many  years. 
He  was  born  at  Wadsworth,  Medina  County, 
Ohio,  in  1860,  and  is  a  son  of  E.  G.  Loomis, 
a  prominent  railroad  and  coal  man,  who  was 
a  pioneer  in  the  latter  business  in  this  section. 

Harry  E.  Loomis  worked  in  the  coal  mines 
while  still  a  schoolboy.  In  1878  he  was  made 
superintendent  of  three  mines  of  the  Silver 
Creek  Mining  and  Railway  Company,  of 
which  Jiis  father  was  president  and  general 
jnanager,  and  during  the  great  miners'  strike, 
proved  of  great  value  to  the  company,  with 
which  he  continued  to  be  connected  for  about 
five  years.  He  completed  his  education  at  the 
Western  Reserve  College,  and  in  1880  came  to 
Akron.  He  then  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
Attorney  L.  D.  Waters,  was  subsequently  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  and  practiced  for  a  short 
time,  but  then  returned  to  the  coal  business. 
For  several  years  he  was  general  manager  of 
the  Loomis  Coal  Company,  and  then,  for 
several  years  more,  was  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  law,  but  subsequently  he  again  became 
identified  with  the  coal  interests  of  this  sec- 
tion, becoming  secretary  and  manager  of  the 
National  Coal  Company,  which  operates  three 
mines  in  the  Cambridge  District,  having  an 
output  of  2,000,000  tons  annually.  This  is 
one  of  the  most  extensive  coal  mining  com- 
panies in  the  State  and  owns  the  three  largest 
producing  mines  in  the  county.  Mr.  Loomis 
is  interested  in  other  coal  companies  and 
coal  banks.     He  is  probably  as  well  informed 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


931 


conceniing  tlii.-;  imiiortunt  industry  as  any 
c-ne  in  the  State,  and  having  made  it  hia 
main  business  in  life,  has  the  satisfaction  of 
Icnowing  that  his  efforts  have  been  crowned 
by  sucess. 

Mr.  Loomis  has  one  daughter,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Forrest  Firestone,  a  well-known  at- 
torney at  Akron.  He  is  a  member  of  St. 
I'auls  Episcopal  Church.  Fraternally,  he  is 
a  Thirty-second  Degree  Mason  and  belongs  to 
the  leading  social  clubs  of  Akron. 

.JOSEPH  HILL,  one  of  the  older  residents 
of  Portage  Township,  yet  one  of  her  most  act- 
ive and  cajjable  men,  owns  a  large  body  of 
land  aggregating  250  acres,  the  larger  amount 
being  in  Portage  and  fifty  acres  in  Northamp- 
ton Township.  He  was  born  in  Vermont, 
November  30,  1824,  and  is  a  son  of  Tyler 
and  SaUie  (Fish)  Hill. 

In  1836,  the  parents  of  Mr.  Hill  came  out 
to  Ohio,  crossing  the  Green  mountains  and 
following  the  road  to  Albany,  taking  the 
canal  from  there  to  Buffalo  and  then  the  old 
ship,  •■'Portage,"  to  Cleveland.  What  a  world 
of  adventure  came  into  the  lives  of  these 
quiet,  farming  people  in  this  long  journey 
by  land  and  water.  At  that  time  there  was 
yet  a  chance  to  select  excellent  land  and  the 
father  bought  140  acres  in  Twinsburg  and 
later  his  children  bought  200  acres  of  the  old 
Stoyers  tract.  Both  parents  of  Mr.  Hill  died 
on  their  farm,  advanced  in  years. 

Joseph  Hill  learned  the  carpenterV  and 
joiner's  trade  in  liLs  youth  and  worked  at  it 
in  Solon,  while  tilling  a  farm  of  Go  1-2  acres, 
which  he  had  purchased.  This  land  he  sold 
in  1855  and  came  to  Portage  Township, 
where  he  bought  200  acres,  to  which  he  later 
added  fifty  acres  lying  in  Northampton  Town- 
ship. A  part  of  his  land  has  been  sold  to 
the  old  Valley  Railroad  which  runs  through 
his  farm.  "When  he  first  came  to  the  place 
he  cut  timber  and  made  up  rafts  and  floated 
them  on  the  canal  to' the  stave-mill  at  Akron, 
but  for  many  years  he  has  devoted  himself 
to  general  farming  and  to  stock-raising. 
His  first  house  stood  far  back  on  the  farm, 
and  it  served  the  purpose  of  n  pleasant  linnie 


until  he  built  the  fine  modern  brick  house 
in  which  he  now  lives.  Mr.  Hill's  good 
judgment  was  shown  when  he  purchased 
this  land  with  its  standing  timber.  He 
has  sold  over  15,000,000  feet  of  lumber  ofif 
this  place. 

Mr.  Hill  wa;=  married,  first,  to  Mehitable 
Drake,  who  died  September  17,  1888.  To 
this  marriage  twelve  children  were  born,  as 
follows:  Lilly  Louise -who  died  at  Solon, 
aged  six  years;  Leander,  who  died  at  Solon, 
aged  four  years;  a  daughter,  Lisa,  born  at 
Solon,  who  died  in  Portage  Township,  at  the 
age  of  five  years;  Charles,  who  resides  at 
home;  Jesse,  who  was  accidentally  killed  by 
a  falling  tree,  at  the  age  of  thirty  five  years; 
Isa  May,  wife  of  Frank  Morris  of  Akron; 
Joita  Juba,  residing  with  his  family  on  his 
'father's  farm,  assists  in  operating  it;  Schuy- 
ler, who  resides  with  his  family  at  Akron; 
Aquilla  and  George,  both  of  whom  live  at 
home;  Viva  and  Francis  both  died  when 
about  thirteen  months  old. 

On  March  1,  1889,  Mr.  Hill  married  for 
his  second  wife  Mrs.  Rosalie  A.  Spang,  who 
was  born  on  the  old  Drake  farm  in  Boston 
Township,  Summit  County,  but  was  reared 
in  Hudson  Township.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Augustine  Warriner  and  Emily  (Drake) 
Warriner,  and  the  widow  of  Frederick 
Spang.  Augustine  Warriner,  father  of  Mrs. 
Hill,  was  born  at  Chardon,  Ohio,  and  was 
married  to  Emily  Drake,  January  22,  1846. 
They  had  four  children  but  Mrs.  Hill  is  the 
only  survivor,  and  she  was  born  March  6, 
1855.  She  had  three  sisters,  as  follows: 
Delia  A.,  born  April  9,  1847,  married  Wil- 
liam M.  Russell  and  died  in  Missouri,  Au- 
gust 29,  1904;  Amelia  Marana,  born  March 
7,  1849,  married  Lester  Squires  and  died 
January  18,  1876;  and  Cecelia  Lizzie,  born 
December  8,  1850,  married  Charles  E.  Tur- 
ner, and  died  in  April,  1876.  Augustine 
Warriner  died  October  4,  1854,  in  North- 
ampton Township.  He  was  survived  many 
yeai-s  by  his  widow,  who  died  May  19,  1890. 
By  her  first  marriage,  Mrs.  Hill  had  five 
children,  namely:  Hendricks  Peter,  who 
died  in  infancv:  Emilv  Henrietta,  who  mar- 


932 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ried  Joita  Juba  Hill,  son  of  Joseph  Hill; 
Melveda  Christian;  who  died  in  infancy; 
Delia  May,  \Yho  married  Myron  G.  Pettit; 
and  Stella  Augusta,  who  died  aged  ten  years, 
eight  months  and  26  days.  Mrs.  Hill  has 
six  grandchildren. 

To  Joseph  Hill's  second  marriage  three 
children  were  born,  as  follows:  Adilda,  who 
married  Percy  J.  Horn;  Zorada  Minerva; 
and  Lettie  A'lola.  Mr.  Hill  has  three  grand- 
children named  Morris  and  three  with  the 
name  of  Hill.  This  is  a  large,  happy  and 
intelligent  family,  one  that  is  widely  known 
and  that  occupies  a  prominent  place  in  the 
pleasant  social  life  in  their  neighborhood. 

H.  FREDERICK  BOLANZ,  general 
farmer,  owning  a  fine,  unincumbered  prop- 
erty of  268  acres,  in  Northampton  Township, 
is  one  of  the  representative  men  of  his  sec- 
tion. He  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  Frederick  and 
Mary  (Eng)  Bolanz. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Bolanz  died  when  he 
^vas  small  and  he  was  reared  by  relatives  who 
afforded  him  a  common  school  education. 
AVhen"  fourteen  years  of  age  he  started  to 
learn  the  florist  businass  which  he  followed 
until  1879,  when  he  came  to  America,  his  sole 
capital  at  that  time  being  $200.  He  settled 
first  at  Wadsworth,  Ohio,  where  a  brother  was 
living,  and  after  working  on  a  farm  in  that 
vicinity  for  eighteen  months,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Mrs.  Hamilton  Alexander  Cum- 
mings,  of  Akron,  with  whom  he  continued  for 
five  years.  His  salary  was  $25  a  month,  and 
in  the  period  above  mentioned  he  saved 
$1,200.  This  is  pretty  fair  proof  that  he  is 
&  jnan  of  steadfast  purpose  and  able  to  exer- 
cise self-denial.  There  are  others  who  started 
cut  with  just  as  good  and  even  better  pros- 
pects, who  are  still  working  for  a  small 
monthly  salary,  probably  less  than  Mr.  Bo- 
lanz pays  his  help. 

In  1886,  with  the  capital  that  he  had 
earned  by  his  hard  work  and  saved  by  his 
lirudence,  Mr.  Bolanz  started  into  the  florist 
Vinsine.ss  with  his  brother  Julius,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Bolanz  Brothers.     Thev  estab- 


lished themselves  at  Akron,  where  they  con- 
tinued until  1899.  They  owned  their  own 
greenhouses  and  did  a  good  business.  In  1893, 
together  the  brothers  bought  the  old  White 
farm  of  263  acres,  and  in  1899,  li.  Fi'ederick 
Bolanz  sold  his  interest  in  the  florist  business 
to  his  brother,  and  bought  the  latter's  interest 
in  the  farm,  which  he  has  continued  to  cul- 
tivate and  improve  ever  since.  He  devotes 
100  acres  to  hay,  wheat,  corn,  oats  and  pota- 
toes, keeps  fifteen  head  of  cattle  and  sends  his 
milk  to  Cleveland.  He  raises  all  the  corn  he 
uses  for  feed  and  all  his  own  cattle  and  horses. 
His  farm  is  well  equipped  with  modern  farm 
machinery  and  implements,  and  the  land, 
buildings  and  rolling  stock  would  bring  a 
large  amount  of  money  if  ever  placed  on  the 
inarket.  Mr.  Bolanz  gives  his  estimable  wife 
a  large  amount  of  credit  for  his  success. 

Mr.  Bolanz  was  married  to  Louisa  Ruch, 
who  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  December 
28,  1868,  and  Ls  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and 
Sophia  (Wohleb)  Ruch,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  Gei-many,  in  December,  1822, 
and  died  April  6,  1892.  He  had  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Louisa;  Sophia,  residing  at 
Baden ;  and  Adolph,  residing  in  Hessen,  Ger- 
many. Mrs.  Bolanz  is  a  lady  of  education 
and  prior  to  coming  to  America,  she  was  a 
hospital  nurse  for  six  years.  She  is  a  con- 
sistent member  of  St.  Bernard  Catholic 
Church  at  Akron. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bolanz  have  four  children : 
Fredeinck  Alexander,  Marie,  Margaret  and 
Henry  Nicholas.  They  are  all  intelligent, 
bright  young  people,  credits  to  their  parents 
and  to  their  community.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Bolanz  votes  independently.  He  has  never 
sought  political  office  to  any  degree,  but  has 
served  as  road  supervisor.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  order  of  Maccabees,  at  Peninsula,  and 
of  the  Odd  Fellows  at  Akron. 

WILLIAM  STEIGNER,  whose  fine  farm 
of  eighty-one  acres  is  partly  situated  in  the 
city  limits  of  South  Akron  and  partly  in 
Coventry  Township,  was  born  July  1,  1856, 
on  the  present  farm  and  in  the  old  pioneer 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


933 


log  hou.se  which  has  recently  been  replaced 
by  a  modern  residence.  His  parents  were 
Jacob  and  Gotleben  (Gans)  Steigner. 

Jacob  Steigner  was  born  in  Germany 
and  died  in  Coventry  Township,  Sximmit 
County  Ohio,  in  1867,  aged  seventy-two 
years.  When  he  came  to  America  he 
immediately  made  his  way  to  Summit 
County  and  settled  at  Summit  Lake, 
buying  a  part  of  the  land  from  the 
Government.  It  was  all  woodland  at  that 
time  and  the  present  busy  city  of  Akron, 
with  its  many  interests,  .some  of  which  encir- 
cle the  world,  was  represented  by  just  one  log 
cabin  standing  in  a  little  clearing.  Jacob 
Steigner  was  a  quiet,  industrious,  pereever- 
ing  and  worthy  man  and  lived_  on  his  fann 
on  which  he  first  settled  until  his  death,  at 
wliich  time  he  was  respected  by  all  who  knew 
him.  He  was  married  three  times.  His  first 
wife  died  in  Germany,  leaving  two  children, 
Godfrey  and  Peter,  both  now  deceased.  With 
his  second  wife  he  came  to  America,  where 
she  soon  died,  having  borne  three  children, 
namely :  Elizabeth,  who  married  Park  Gear, 
l^oth  deceased;  Mary,  who  married  George 
Swenderman,  deceased;  and  a  babe,  also  de- 
ceased. His  third  marriage  was  to  the  estima- 
ble lady  who  still  .survives,  being  now  in  her 
eighty-seventh  year.  She  was  born  in  Ger- 
many and  came  to'  America  when  eighteen 
veal's  of  age,  finding  her  first  employment 
in  a  hotel  in  New  York  city,  from  which 
point  she  came  to  Summit  County  on  account 
of  the  excellent  wages  offered.  She  worked  in 
a  hotel  at  Canal  Fulton,  where  she  met  Jacob 
Steigner,  whom  she  later  married.  There 
were  four  children  born  to  this  union, 
namely:  Jacob,  residing  in  Coventry  Town- 
.shi]);  William,  and  two  babes  that  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

William  Steigner  has  spent  a  happy  and 
useful  life  on  this  fine  old  farm  of  fertile 
fields  and  rich  pastures,  where  great  crojjs  are 
grown  and  herd;  of  cows  are  fed,  for  he  is  a 
large  farmer  and  dairyman.  Here  he  has 
reared  his  estimable  family  and  kept  open 
liis  hospitable  door  to  his  many  friends.  He 
had  but  few  chances  to  obtain  an  education, 


the  most  of  his  time  through  boyhood  being 
spent  at  work  in  the  woods.  From  childhood 
he  attended  the  Gerrrfan  Reformed  Church, 
and  he  remembers  how  he  often  went  bare- 
footed, with  his  companions,  and  sat  on  the 
hai-d  benches  through  many  a  long  sermon, 
and  this  was  a  large  part  of  his  educational 
training.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  ob- 
tained a  part  of  his  farm  from  his  father,  and 
shortly  after  his  marriage  he  began  to  cany 
on  dairying  to  a  large  degree,  and  establish 
a  wagon  route  to  Akron,  which  he  continued 
for  four  years.  He  now  sells  by  wholesale 
and  keeps  abovit  twenty-seven  head  of  cattle 
for  dairying  purposes.  His  beautiful  new 
lesidence  is  built  on  an  eminence  overlooking 
Summit  Lake. 

On  May  20,  1877,  Mr.  Steigner  was  mai--' 
ried  to  Catherine  Craft,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Catherine  Craft,  and  they  have 
had  the  following  children:  Samuel;  Mag- 
gie, who  married  Charles  Koser,  has  one  child, 
Hazel;  George;  Ella;  Catherine;  and  Bertha, 
who  died  aged  four  years. 

Politically,  Mr.  Steigner  is  a  Democrat  but 
has  declined  to  fill  any  office  except  that  of 
school  director,  in  which  position  he  has  given 
faithful  attention  to  the  needs  of  his  school 
district  for  several  years.  With  his  family 
he  belongs  to  the  German  Reformed  Church, 
on  Broadway,  Akron. 

HARRY  NELSON  SHERBONDY,  gen- 
eral farmer  and  well-known  citizen  of  North- 
ampton Township,  resides  on  his  valuable 
farm  of  seventy-two  acres.  He  was  born  at 
Akron,  Ohio,  March  11,  1858,  and  is  a  son 
of  Hiram  and  Louisa  (Sherbondy)  Sher- 
bondy. 

The  father  of  Harry  N.  Sherbondy  was 
born  on  a  farm  on  Sherbondy  Hill,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  died  in  his  native  county, 
on  hLs  own  farm,  December  7,  1897.  Shortly 
after  his  marriage  he  settled  on  a  farm  of 
twenty  acres,  in  Copley  Township,  which  he 
devoted  to  truck  gardening,  and  found  a 
ready  sale  for  all  his  products  at  Akron.  For 
some  years  he  was  a  trustee  of  Portage  Town- 
sliip.    He  was  a  .son  of  Peter  Sherbondj-,  who 


934 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


was  the  fii-st  settler  on  Sherbondy  Hill.  Peter 
Sherbondy  was  born  in  Germany  and  after 
coming  to  the  United  States,  lived  for  a  time 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  then  took  up  a  large 
body  of  land  in  Portage  Township,  where  he 
built  his  log  cabin.  He  was  a  man  of  con- 
siderable importance  in  his  day  and  left  many 
worthy  descendants.  He  died  in  1870,  aged 
sixty  years.  He  was  a  Democrat,  but  his 
son  Hiram  was  identified  ^yith.  the  Republi- 
can party.  Hiram  Sherbondy  married  Lou- 
isa Sherbondy,  who  died  in  1892,  aged  fifty- 
six  years.  She  was  a  distant  relative,  being 
the  daughter  of  Uriah  Sherbondy.  Hiram 
Sherbondy  and  wife  had  but  two  sons :  Harry 
Nelson  and  Milton  Jay,  the  latter  of  whom  re- 
sides at  Akron. 

Harry  Nelson  Sherbondy  obtained  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Akron,  learned 
the  carpenter  trade  and  was  employed  as  a 
wood-worker  until  1905,  in  the  meanwhile 
paying  some  attention  also  to  farming.  In 
1908,  he  resigned  his  position  as  forman  with 
the  manufacturing  concern  with  which  he 
had  long  been  connected.  It  was  with  regret 
that  he  separated  himself  from  employers  and 
co-workers,  between  whom  and  himself  existed 
the  most  cordial  feelings.  He  had  com- 
menced to  i-ealize,  however,  the  great  possibili- 
ties of  agriculture  and  made  the  decision  to 
devote  his  future  energies  to  that  line.  He 
purchased  his  present  farm  and  has  met  vnth. 
success.  He  grows  corn  and  wheat  to  market, 
and  hay,  corn  and  oats  for  his  own  use.  He 
feeds  eleven  head  of  cattle  which  he  sells  to 
local  butchers,  and  carries  milk  from  the 
farmer?  of  this  section  to  the  Pure  Milk  Com- 
pany of  Akron.  All  his  activities  are  in  a 
prosperous  condition. 

Mr.  Sherbondy  was  married  to  Mrs.  Charles 
Thomas,  of  Cleveland.  Her  maiden  name 
was  Flora  Bright.  She  has  one  son  by  her 
former  marriage,  Harry  Edward  Thomas. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sherbondy  have  one  son,  Mil- 
ton LeRoy. 

Politically,  Mr.  Sherbondy  is  a  Republican 
and  on  numerous  occasions  has  been  sent  as 
a  delegate   to  county   conventions.     He  has 


served  in  the  office  of  trustee  of  Portage 
Township.  Fraternally,  he  is  an  Odd  Fellow, 
belonging  to  JSTemo  Lodge,  No.  746. 

HARRY  WILLIAMS,  cashier  of  the  Na- 
tional City  Bank  of  Akron,  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  banking  business  during  almost 
all  his  mature  life  and  has  been  a  resident  of 
Akron  for  the  past  twenty  years.  He  was 
born  at  Brimfield,  Portage  Comity,  Ohio,  in 
1869,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
native  place. 

After  completing  his  schooling  Mr.  Wil- 
liams came  to  Akron  and  was  employed  as 
clerk  in  a  confectionery  store  for  eighteen 
months.  He  then  became  a  clerk  in  the  City 
National  Bank,  subsequently  going  to  the 
Citizens'  Saving  Bank,  where  he  continued 
until  1893,  as  assistant  in  charge  of  the 
branch  at  East  Akron.  He  then  returned  to 
the  City  National  Bank,  in  the  capacity  of 
bookkeeper,  remaining  until  the  expiration 
of  its  charter,  in  1903.  The  company  took 
out  a  new  charter  under  the  style  of  the  Na- 
tional City  Bank,  and  Mr.  Williams  has  been 
cashier  of  the  bank  ever  since  its  reorganiza- 
tion. He  is  highly  thought  of  in  banking 
circles,  and  through  his  habitual  courtesy  and 
pleasing  personality,  has  won  and  retained 
a  wide  circle  of  friends,  not  only  for  himself, 
but  also  for  the  institution  with  which  lie  has 
so  long  been  associated. 

In  1895,  Mr.  AVilliams  was  married  to  Nina 
Moulton,  who  is  a  daughter  of  J.  B.  Moul- 
ton,  of  Brimfield,  Portage  County,  and  they 
have  two  children — jNIildred  and  Jeannette. 
Mr.  Williams  is  a  member  of  the  Kirkwood 
club,  the  Portage  Countrj^  club  and  the  Akron 
Gun  club. 

LEONARD  ELI  GAYLORD,  proprietor 
of  Clear  Spring  Farm,  a  fertile  tract  of  forty 
acres  of  land  which  is  situated  in  Stow  Town- 
ship, was  born  March  29,  1840,  in  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Eli  and  Mary 
(Wolcott)  Gaylord. 

In  1809,  Jonathan  Gaylord,  the  grand- 
lather  of  Leonard  Eli.  started  from  Middle- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


935 


town,  Connecticut,  and  with  ox-teanis  traveled 
through  what  was  then  mainly  an  unsettled 
country  to  Summit  County,  and  settled  on  lots 
15  and  16,  in  what  is  now  Stow  Township. 
He  cleared  up  a  place  in  the  primeval  forest 
on  which  to  erect  his  cabin  of  logs,  and  he 
and  his  family  became  identified  more  or  less 
with  the  subsequent  development  of  this  sec- 
tion. He  was  a  ship  carpenter  and  worked 
at  this  trade  in  Cleveland,  making  trips  from 
there  to  Monroe  Falls,  on  foot,  and  on  one  of 
these  he  met  his  death,  his  lifeless  body  being 
found  in  a  strip  of  woodland  through  which 
he  generally  passed. 

Eli  Gaylord  was  born  in  1816,  at  Monroe 
Falls,  Summit  County,.  Ohio,  and  was  the 
youngest  member  of  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren born  to  Jonathan  and  Margaret  Gay- 
lord.  Eli  Gaylord  followed  farming  and 
stock-raising  and  paid  much  attention  to 
dairying,  becoming  in  the  course  of  years  a 
jnan  of  ample  means.  He  married  Mary 
Wolcott,  in  1838,  and  in  1888,  with  her,  cele- 
brated their  Golden  Wedding  day.  Thej'^  had 
two  sons  and  one  daughter:  Leonard  Eli, 
Alfred  and  Clara,  the  latter  of  whom  died  at 
Daphne,  Alabama,  where  Alfred  resides.  She 
was  the  wife  of  W.  D.  Randall.  In  his  po- 
litical views,  Eli  Gaylord  is  identified  with  the 
Reiuiblican  party.  Both  he  and  wife  were 
charter  membere  of  the  Disciple?  Church  at 
Stow  Corners,  in  which  he  has  been  elder  and 
deacon.  Their  home  is  in  the  northern  part 
of  Stow  Town.ship. 

Leonard  Eli  Gaylord  grew  to  manhood  on 
the  home  farm,  and  in  tilling  the  fields  and 
raising  the  stock  he  was  the  equal  of  any 
joung  agriculturL'ft  of  his  neighborhood.  To 
such  as  he  the  call  to  arms,  when  the  Civil 
War  wa.s  precipitated,  came  as  a  shock,  but 
no  readier  response  was  given  than  by  the 
loyal  young  men  who  hastened  from  their 
peaceful  pursuits  and  donned  the  equipments 
of  war.  Mr.  Gaylord  was  one  of  tliose  who  en- 
listed during  the  firet  year  of  the  war.  He 
joined  Company  D,  Twenty-ninth  Regiment 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  October  10, 1861,  and 
was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service 


from  Sunuuit  County,  at  Camp  Giddings,, 
Jefferson,  Ohio,  October  27,  1861,  his  officers 
being  Col.  Lewis  P.  Buckley  and  Capt.  Pu- 
laski C.  Hard.  He  had  contracted  for  three 
years,  but  was  honorably  discharged  at  Wau- 
hatchie,  Tennessee,  December  21,  1863,  by 
reason  of  his  re-enlistment  as  a  veteran,  and 
was  nmstered  in  the  same  company  and  regi- 
ment, as  corporal,  under  Capt.  Myron  T. 
AVright  and  Col.  William  T.  Fitch,  to  serve 
three  more  years  if  necassary. 

The  Twenty-ninth  Regiment,  Ohio  Infantry, 
was  organized  at  Camp  Giddings,  August  26, 

1861,  and  was  among  the  first  to  answer  the 
call  of  the  President  for  the  three  years 
service.  The  regiment  was  transported  to 
Camp  Chase,  Columbus,  where  it  remained 
until  January  17,  1862,  when  it  was  ordered 
to  Cumberland,  Maryland,  and  it  remained 
there  until  the  fall  of  1863.  While  there  it 
was  brigaded  with  the  Fifth,  Seventh  and  Six- 
ty-sixth Ohio  Regiments  and  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-eighth  Pennsylvania  Regi- 
ment and  placed  under  the  command  of  Col. 
E.  B.  Tyler,  of  the  Seventh  Ohio.  The  Divi- 
sion was  commanded  by  General  Lander  until 
his  death,  March  1,  1862,  when  he  was  .suc- 
ceeded by  Gen.  James  Shields.  The  regi- 
ment was  connected  with  and  a  part  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  It  participated  in  the 
engagement  at  Winchester,  Virginia,  March 
23,   1862,   and   at  Point  Republic,   June  9. 

1862.  It  was  sent  to  Now  York  to  aid  in  en- 
forcing the  draft,  in  May,  1864,  and  it  joined 
in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  at  Bridgeport.  Ala- 
bama, and  under  General  Sherman  partici- 
pated in  a  number  of  battles.  The  Twenty- 
ninth  Regiment  left  Atlanta  November  15, 

1864,  and  was  with  the  force  that  marched 
through  Georgia  and  reached  within  four 
miles  of  Savannah  on  December  10,  1864,  re- 
maining there  until  January  27,  1865,  when 
it  accompanied  the  rest  of  the  army  through 
South  and  North  Carolina  to  Goldsboro,  in 
the  latter  State.  On  April  10,  1865,  the  regi- 
ment w^ent  to  Raleigh,  leaving  on  April  29, 

1865.  for  AVashington  City,  arriving  at  Alex- 
andria, Virginia,  May  17,  1865,  leaving  eight 


936 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


days  later.  It  passed  over  the  Potomac  River 
to  Washington  and  took  part  in  the  Grand 
Review.  Its  next  camp  was  near  Blanden- 
burg,  Maryland,  where  it  remained  until  June 
10,  1865,  when  it  marched  through  Wash- 
ington and  took  the  cars  for  Parkersburg, 
Virginia,  where  it  was  met  by  transports  and 
conveyed  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  it 
ngain  went  into  camp  for  a  few  days  and 
started  then  for  Cleveland,  and  on  its  arrival 
at  Camp  Taylor,  the  men  were  paid  off  and 
honorably  discharged.  Thus  came  home  the 
remnant  of  the  gallant  band  which  had  so 
bravely  born  the  heat  of  battle  and  mauA'  of 
whom  bore  marks  of  conflict. 

The  li.st  of  the  battles  in  which  the  Twenty- 
ninth  Regiment  participated    reads    as    fol- 
lows ;    AVinchester,  Virginia,  Mai-ch  23,  1862 
Point    Republic,     Virginia,    June    9,    1862 
Cedar    Mountain,    Virginia,   Aug.   9,   1862 
Antietam,  Md.,  Sept.  17,  1862;  Chancellor.s- 
ville,  May  1  to  5,  1863 ;  Gettysburg,  July  1  to 
3,  1863 ;  Lookout  Mountain,  Tennessee,  No- 
vember 24.  1863;  Ringold  Station,  Georgia, 
November  27,  1863 ;  Dug  or  Mill  Creek  Gap, 
Georgia,  Mill  Creek,  May  7,  1864 ;  New  Hope 
Church,  Georgia,  May  25,  1864;  Dallas,  Geor- 
gia, May  29,  1864 ;  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Geor- 
gia, June  9,  1864 ;  Pine  Knob,  Georgia,  June 

19,  1864;  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Georgia,  July 

20,  1864;  Siege  of  Atlanta,  Georgia,  Julv  22 
to  September  2,  1864;  March  to  the  Sea,' No- 
\  ember  15  to  December  10,  1864;  Siege  of 
Savannah,  December  10  to  21,  1864;  Avervs- 
l3oro.  North  Carolina,  March  16,  1865.  This 
list  does  not  include  minor  engagements  or 
innumerable  skirmishes. 

On  June  15,  1864,  the  color-bearer  of  the 
regiment  was  shot  and  the  colors  fell  to  the 
ground.  They  were  seized  by  Corporal  Gay- 
lord  who  bore  them  forward,  and  at  dress 
parade  it  was  announced  that  his  duties  there- 
after would  be  those  of  color-bearer,  and  he 
proudly  bore  his  company's  banner  through 
all  the  rest  of  the  Atlanta  campaign.  Mr. 
Gaylord  was  too  active  a  soldier  to  escape 
without  some  of  the  misfortunes  of  war.  On 
.\ugust  9,  1862,  at  Cedar  Mountain,  he  was 


captured  by  the  Confederates,  and  was  sent  to 
Libby  Prison,  where  he  was  confined  for  one 
long  month,  and  then  taken  to  Belle  Isle, 
from  which  place  he  made  his  escape  Ijy 
adroitly  slipping  in  with  a  body  of  500  ex- 
changed prisoners  who  were  being  removed 
from  that  fortress.  When  he  was  cai^tured 
he  weighed  150  pounds  but  was  so  reduced  by 
stan-ation  and  exposure  that  he  weighed  but 
1 00  pounds  when  he  came  away.  He  received 
a  sun-stroke  while  on  a  forced  march  of  one 
day  and  night  to  Gettysburg,  and  was  picked 
up  unconscious  and  was  confined  in  a'  field 
hospital  for  a  few  days.  On  the  march  from 
Atlanta  to  the  Sea,  he  was  detailed  as  an  or- 
derly to  a  topographical  engineer.  .  This 
corps  was  disbanded  at  Savannah  and  he  re- 
ceived orders  to  report  to  General  Williams' 
iieadquarters  as  a  non-commissioned  officer 
to  take  charge  of  twenty  orderlies  and  horses, 
remaining  on  this  duty  until  finally  dis- 
charged from  the  service.  Mr.  Gaylord  was 
always  to  be  found  at  hLs  post,  performing 
all  the  duties  required  of  him,  participating 
in  all  the  engagements  of  his  company,  as 
above  outlined,  and  won  commendation  from 
his  superior  officers  and  the  admiration  of  his 
comrades  for  his  brave  and  meritorious  serv- 
ice. Mr.  Gaylord  was  finally  discharged  at 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  July  19,  1865,  by  rea- 
son of  the  end  of  the  war. 

After  returning  to  peaceful  tiursuit-  ^Ir. 
Gaylord  followed  the  house-painter's  trade 
until  his  marriage,  which  took  place  Septem- 
ber, 19,  1867,  to  Julia  C.  Darrow,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Charles  Darrow.  Her  brother, 
Norman  Darrow,  enlisted  for  service  in  the 
Civil  War  and  died  ten  weeks  later.  Her  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  Nathan  Wilcox,  was  a  sol- 
dier in^the  AVar  of  1812.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gay- 
lord have  an  adopted  daughter,  Bessie  May, 
vdio  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  S.  C.  Lindsay,  of  the 
State  Hospital,  at  Independence,  Iowa. 

Soon  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Gaylord  pur- 
chased sixty-seven  acres  of  farming  land,  but 
it  has  been  reduced  to  forty  by  a  new  railroad 
taking  twenty-seven  acres.  He  has  carried  on 
general   farming,  paying  much   attention  to 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


m- 


grain,  and  he  has  the  reputation  of  having 
raised  some  of  the  best  horses  ever  bred  in 
Stow  Township. 

Mr.  Gajdord  is  a  member  of  W.  T.  Sher- 
man Post,  No.  68,  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic, in  which  organization  he  has  held  various 
offices.  Mrs.  Gaylord  has  been  very  active 
in  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  for  the  past  fif- 
teen years  and  has  efliciently  filled  the  offices 
of  conductor  and  junior  vice  president.  Both 
Mr.  and  ilrs.  Gaylord  belong  to  the  Disciples 
Church.     Politically,  he  is  a  Republican. 

WILLIAM  ISAAC  CHAMBERLAIN,  one 
of  Hudson's  best-known  men,  who  has  at- 
tained prominence  as  educator,  editor,  lec- 
turer and  agriculturists,  was  born  at  Sharon 
Litchfield  County,  Connecticut,  February  11, 
1837,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Anna  (Nut- 
ting) Chamberlain. 

Tlie  parents  of  Mr.  Chamberlain  came  from 
Connecticut  to  Ohio  in  May,  1838,  and  settled 
in  Summit  County,  locating  in  Hudson 
Town.ship  on  the  present  home  farm  of  "Wil- 
liam I.  Chamberlain.  It  was  then  known  as 
the  Dr.  Metcalf  farm  and  consisted  of  147 
::eres.  Jacob  Chamberlain  was  aL=o  born  at 
Sharon.  Connecticut,  and  belonged  to  an  old 
established  colonial  family,  three  brothers  of 
the  name  having  come  from  England  a  short 
time  after  the  landing  of  the  Mayflower. 

William  I.  Oiamberlain  received  his  adu- 
cationa.1  training  in  the  "Western  Reserve  Col- 
lege, in  which  his  uncle,  Rufus  Nutting,  had 
been,  earlier,  professor  of  Greek.  He  grad- 
uated with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  in  18.50,  and 
two  years  later  received  the  degree  of  M.  A. 
For  three  years  he  was  engaged  as  instructor 
in  Greek  and  Latin,  at  Shaw  Academy,  after 
which  he  became  a  member  of  the  "NA^estern 
Reser\-e  faculty,  in  the  same  branches,  teach- 
ing, in  all,  about  ten  years.'  In  1863  he  first 
turned  his  attention  seriously  to  agriculture 
and  purchased  the  old  home  farm  adjoininsc 
the  village  of  Hudson.  In  1880  he  was  elected 
state  secretary  of  agriculture  and  resided  at 
Columbus  durins:  the  six  years  he  ably  filled 
the  office,   and   then   accepted   a    call   to  be- 


come president  of  the  Iowa  Agricultural  Col- 
lege, at  Ames,  Iowa.  He  served  at  the  head 
of  this  institution  for  five  years,  leaving  it  in 
"  better  condition  in  every  way  than  he  found 
it.  After  he  returned  to  Hudson,  he  became 
associate  editor  of  the  Ohio  Farmer,  in  which 
capacity  he  has  since  continued,  retaining  hi-; 
home  at  Hudson  and  going  daily  to  his  office 
at  Cleveland. 

During  all  this  period,  Mr.  Chamberlain 
has  continued  to  follow  the  occupation  of 
agriculture  not,  however,  as  his  forefathers 
had  done,  but  with  every  aid  that  modern 
science  can  lend.  Mr.  Chamberlain  keeps  his 
farm  books  in  a  careful  manner,  and  at  the 
end  of  a  sea.son  can  tell  precisely  the  earn- 
ing power  of  his  land  under  his  management, 
and  decide  where  other  methods  may  be  best 
employed,  or  if  no  change  should  be  made. 
For  the  past  ten  years  the  earnings  have  aver- 
aged fifteen  per  cent,  on  the  value  of  the  farm, 
and  have  gone  as  high  as  twenty-three  per 
cent  for  a  single  year.  In  1906,  8,000  bush- 
els of  apples  were  marketed  from  a  ten-acre 
orchard.  His  present  orchard  covers  twenty- 
three  acres. 

On  July  16,  1863,  Mr.  Chamberlain  was 
married  to  Lucy  Marshall,  who  was  born  at 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Orissa  (Woods)  Marshall. 
David  Marshall  was  born  at  Lunenburg,  ^las- 
sachusetts.  He  came  to  Hudson  and  became 
the  head  of  the  publishing  and  binding  firm 
of  D.  Marshall  &  Company,  subsequently  re- 
moving to  Pittsburg,  Penn.svlvania,  in  the 
same  line  of  business.  His  death  took  place 
at  Sewickley,  Pennsvlvania.  His  wife  was 
l)orn  at  Brattleboro.  "\''ermont.  She  was  a  sis- 
ter of  Mrs.  Estey.  wife  of  .Jacob  Esty.  founder 
of  the  s:reat  organ  and  piano  manufacturing 
firm.  Mrs.  Chamberlain's  earlv  education 
was  at  Boston.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chamberlain's 
family  included  the  following  children:  -Ten- 
nie  married  Professor  Hosford.  residing  at 
Crete,  Nebra.ska :  Herbert  William,  who  died 
in  Ttalv,  in  1899,  aged  thirty-one  years,  was 
an  honor  graduate  of  the  Boston  Institute  of 
Technology,  an  architect  by  profession,   and 


i)38 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


had  been  a  foreman  in  the  firm  of  Burnhani 
&  Root;  Jo.5eph  Scudder,  who  is  a  chemist  in 
the  Depai'tment  of  Agriculture,  at  Washing- 
Ion,  graduated  from  the  college  at  Ames, 
Iowa,  and  entering  Johns  Hoi^kins  Univer- 
sity on  honor  fellowships,  took  the  degree  of 
Ph.  D. ;  Clifton  Marshall  died  in  1891,  aged 
sixteen  years;  Carroll  Cutler  died  in  1881, 
aged  two  years.  Mr.  Chamberlain  and  his 
family  belong  to  the  Congregational  Church, 
in  which  he  served  as  a  trustee  for  many 
years.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Daxrow  Street  Grange. 

Although  Hudson  has  been  Mr.  Chamber- 
lain's home  practically  since  he  was  one  year 
.  old,  his  field  of  usefulness  has  by  no  means 
been  confined  to  this  locality.  As  a  lecturer 
he  has  appeared  in  nearly  every  state  in  the 
Union,  and  in  Canada  as  well.  His  most 
notable  achievement,  perhaps,  has  been  the 
establishing  of  the  Ohio  Farmers'  Institutes 
in  the  various  counties,  organizations  which 
have  had  a  great  influence  in  bringing  into 
use  soientific  methods  of  farming,  thcrebv 
increasing  production  and  adding  tn  agricul- 
tural wealth.  Through  his  efforts  250  insti- 
tutes have  been  organized  in  Ohio  and  every 
state  in  the  miion  has  taken  uii  the  work.  His 
only  work  in  book  form  l=:  on  Tile  Drainage, 
which  is  published  by  the  A.  T.  Root  Com- 
pany, Medina,  Ohio,  and  has  had  a  wide  sale. 

CAPTAIN  D.  F.  BERGER,  one  of  Akron's 
leading  citizens  for  many  years,  now  living 
retired,  was  born  at  East  Akron,  Summit 
County.  Ohio,  in  1835,  but  when  he  was  two 
years  old,  his  parents  moved  to  Union  town. 
Stark  County,  and  two  years  later  to  Grepns- 
burg,  Summit  County. 

Captain  Berger  was  reared  to  miinhood  in 
the  latter  place  and  was  educated  in  the 
Marlborough  Union  school.  For  several  years 
prior  to  entering  the  armv  for  service  in  the 
Civil  War  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits at  Greensburg,  to  which  place  he  re- 
turned at  the  close  of  his  period  of  enlist- 
ment. He  was  made  captain  of  Company  H, 
lB4th  Regiment,  Ohio  National  Guards,  when 


he  enlisted  May  7,  1864,  and  was  discharged 
in  the  following  August.  His  company  was 
stationed  at  iirlingtou  Heights  during  this 
interim.  After  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  he 
visited  that  city  in  order  to  assist  in  nursing 
a  cousin.  Captain  Berger  continued  his  mer- 
cantile interests  at  Greensburg  until  1884, 
when  he  came  to  Akron,  and  for  about  four 
years  was  agent  for  the  Westinghouse  peo- 
ple, selling  their  engines  and  threshers,  since 
when  he  has  lived  retired. 

In  1858  Captain  Berger  was  married  to 
Arnestena  C.  Hinkle,  of  Ashland  County, 
Ohio,  and  they  have  six  children,  namely: 
Sheriden  G.,  who  is  postmaster  at  Ontarid, 
California;  Arthur  F.,  who  is  with  the  Fault- 
less Rubber  Company,  of  Ashland  Ohio: 
Homer  E.,  who,  for  sixteen  years  was  in  the 
office  of  the  county  treasurer,  serving  four 
years  as  treasurer  of  Summit  County,  and  who 
is  now  enjoying  a  trip  to  Cuba,  and  is  one  of 
the  most  popular  citizens  of  Akron;  Lottie  C. 
who  married  C.  J.  Hazen,  residing  at  Akron; 
Arline  E.,  residing  at  home;  and  -John  H., 
who  is  president  and  manager  of  the  People's 
Ice  Company,  of  Akron. 

Captain  Berger  has  always  been  a  promi- 
nent factor  in  politics  in  Summit  County, 
where  he  is  well  and  most  favorably  known. 
He  belongs  to  Buckley  Post,  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  and  his  fraternal  connections 
include  the  Masons  and  Odd  Fellows. 

JOHN  H.  BERGER,  president  and  man- 
ager of  the  People's  Ice  Company,  at  Akron, 
an  industry  of  considerable  importance  in  tliis 
city,  was  born  in  ISTfi,  at  Greensburg,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  son  of  Captain  D.  F.  and  Arnestena 
C.   (Hinkle)  Berger. 

AMien  Mr.  Berger  was  about  eight  years 
of  age  his  parents  came  to  Akron,  and,  after 
completing  his  attendance  at  school,  he  be- 
came a  messenger  boy  for  the  Western  T^nion 
Telegrajih  Company.  Later  he  worked  for 
a  short  time  at  the  phnnbing  trade,  and  for 
three  years  was  employed  in  the  shipping  de- 
partment of  the  Warner  Company.  During 
the  period  that  his  brother,   Homer  Berger, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


939 


wa^  treasurer  of  Summit  Couuty,  which  cov- 
ered four  yeai"s,  John  H.  was  employed  iu  his 
office.  Mr.  Berger  vasited  California  and  while 
there  engaged  in  a  fruit  business,  and  when 
he  returned  to  Akron  he  became  manager  of 
the  Renner  Ic©  Company.  He  continued 
with  that  form  for  seven  years.  "Wlien  the 
People's  Ice  Company  was  organized,  an  en- 
terprise that  is  incorporated  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $25,000,  he  took  charge  of  the  col- 
lection department,  and  April  27,  1907,  he 
bought  the  buvsiness.  His  previous  experience 
in  this  line  he  found  useful  and  his  natural 
energy  and  enterprise  assures  the  continued 
prosperity  of  this  company  dealing  in  what 
is  a  nece.-sity  of  modern  life.  Mr.  Berger 
was  married  July  12,  1901,  to  Etta  M.  Par- 
ri.«h,  of  Mt.  Vernon,  Ohio,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Ruth  and  Edith.  He  is  an  active 
citizen  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  general 
welfare  and  has  a  wide  acquaintance,  and, 
like  other  membere  of  his  prominent  family, 
many  friends. 

WILLIAM  P.  IRISH,  a  well-known  citi- 
zen and  successful  agriculturist  of  Norton 
Township,  residing  on  his  farm  of  ninety- 
eight  acres,  which  is  situated  on  the  old  stage 
road,  the  first  one  in  use  in  this  section,  has 
spent  a  number  of  years  in  other  parts  of  the 
country,  but  has  never  given  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Summit  County.  ilr.  Irish  was 
born  in  Norton  Township,  Summit  County. 
Ohio,  one-half  mile  north  of  Norton  Center. 
]\Iav  6,  1835.  and  is  a  son  of  Abel  and  Sallie 
CMcNeil)   Irish. 

Abel  Irish,  who  served  through  the  War 
of  1812.  was  bom  at  Danby,  Rut- 
land County,  Vermont,  where  his  people 
were  farmers.  He  was  left  an  or- 
phan in  boyhood  and  was  reared  by  an 
older  brother.  In  1816  he  left  Vermont  and 
came  to  Ohio,  locating  on  a  farm  in  Norton 
Town.ship.  which  was  then  a  part  of  Portage 
County.  In  the  previous  year  he  had  mar- 
ried, and  he  and  wife  brought  with  them 
their  infant  daughter.  Betsey,  who  died  when 
aged  sixteen  years.  Abel  Irish  bought  the 
farm   which  is  now  known   a*    the    Rpul)en 


Ilartzell  farm  and  lived  here  and  improved 
it  for  sixteen  years.  Hard  times  then  be- 
ing on,  he  found  it  impossible  to  pay  off  the 
mortgages  on  his  land  and  accordingly  lost 
all  the  work  of  the  many  years  that  he  had 
lived  on  it.  Subsequently  he  bought  the 
farm  on  which  his  .son,  William  P.,  was  born, 
this  farm  being  now  known  as  the  Cyrus 
Miller  farm;  and  when  the  child  was  about 
six  months  old  lie  bought  the  Thomas 
Holmes  farm,  on  which  he  settled  in  No- 
vember, 1835.  This  is  the  farm  on  which 
William  P.  Irish  resides  and  this  land  has 
never  since  been  out  of  the  family,  William 
P.  purchasing  it  in  the  spring  of  18o8.  His 
parents  then  moved  to  Ingham  County, 
Michigan,  where  Abel  Irish  died  in  1873, 
in  his  eightieth  year,  Iseing  survived  but  one 
year  by  his  widow.  They  were  estimable 
people,  kind  neighbors  and  hospitable 
friends. 

Mrs.  Irish  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Mc- 
Neil, who  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 
and  Mr.  W.  P.  McNeil  .still  has  in  his  i>os- 
session  the  old  tin  box  carried  through  the 
war  by  his  grandfather  for  the  safe  keeping 
of  his  papers.  Mr.  McNeil  died  in  Norton 
Township,  and  is  buried  at  Norton  Center, 
Ohio. 

William  P.  Irish  was  reared  to  be  a  farmer 
and  from  boyhood  became  practically  ac- 
quainted with  everything  about  a  farm.  He 
went  to  school  in  the  neighborhood,  and  se- 
cured as  fair  an  education  as  any  of  his  com- 
panions. Much  travel  and  mingling  with 
the  world  have  broadened  Mr.  Irish  and 
made  him  a  well-educated  man,  one  well 
qualified  for  public  office,  though  he  has  no 
aspirations  in  that  direction,  prefemng  to 
give  all  his  attention  to  agriculture.  Mr. 
Irish,  his  two  brothei-s,  and  .six  nephews, 
served  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  Mr.  Irish 
belonging  to  the  Sixtv-fourth  Regiment, 
O.  V.  I. 

In  1860  Mr.  Irish  was  married  to  Sophia 
Shoemaker,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
Shoemaker,  and  who  was  reared  in  Suffield 
Township.  Portage  County.  They  ha.ve 
eleven  children,  all  of  whom  arc  still  living 


940 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


— a  large  happy  family — as  follows:  Lura, 
Jennie,  who  married  W.  A.  Burdick, 
lives  in  California;  George  W.  is  pro- 
prietor of  the  George  W.  Irish  livery, 
at  Barberton;  Flora,  who  married  Wen- 
dell Dunnell,  resides  in  the  historic  old 
Pilgrim  town  of  Kingston,  Massachusetts ; 
Charles  Wesley  resides  in  San  Francisco; 
Delbert  William  is  proprietor  of  the  D.  B. 
Irish  Coal  Company,  of  Barberton;  Cora 
Belle  who  married  Frank  Waters,  r&sides 
near  Boston,  Massachusetts;  James  Ham- 
ilton, resides  at  Barberton;  Alice,  who  mar- 
ried Seaman  D.  Filson,  of  Cleveland,  has  one 
child,  Karl  Robert;  Henry  Marshall,  resides 
at  Barberton;  Mildred  May,  married  Wil- 
liam Poirier,  of  Plymouth,  Massachusetts; 
and  Daisy  Edna,  who  married  Marehall 
Grenney,  of  Collingwood,  a  suburb  of  Cleve- 
land. 

Mr.  Irish  has  in  his  possession  a  most 
valued  souvenir  in  a  cane  carried  by  his 
father,  during  the  time  that  Andrew  Jack- 
son ran  for  President  in  1832,  and  this  cane 
has  been  carried  either  by  Mr.  Iri.sh  or  his 
father  during  every  Presidential  election 
from  Jaclcson  to  Roosevelt.  Besides  this 
cane,  Mr.  Irish  has  in  his  possession  a  col- 
lection of  canes,  one  of  which  was  cut  from 
the  battlefield  of  Gettysburg.  The  cane  that 
he  has  carried  through  all  the  Presidential 
elections  was  cut  from  the  farm  now  owned 
by  Mr.  Irish  and  the  handle  was  made  from 
the  horn  of  a  deer  killed  on  the  same  farm. 

The  year  of  1887  Mr.  Irish  .spent  largely 
in  travel,  making  a  trip  to  Cuba,  from  New 
York,  on  a  sailing  vessel.  Later  he  went  to 
California,  returned  in  August  of  the  same 
year,  and  went  back  to  California  in  Se]> 
tember,  making  two  trips  to  the  Golden 
State  in  one  year.  Mr.  Irish  remained  at  hi.-> 
home  until  1894  and  then  made  a  third  Irip 
to  California.  After  remaining  a  year  in  the 
West,  he  returned  once  more  to  his  home  in- 
terests, but  in  1896  again  went  back  to  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  remained  seven  years, 
spending  ten  years  in  all  in  that  beautiful 
land.  He  resided  in  some  of  its  most  noted 
cities,  including  San  Francisco,  Los  Angeles 


and  Pasadena,  and  tried  gold  mining  for  a 
few  months.  During  1887  and  1888,  he 
traveled  a  distance  of  17,000  miles.  But, 
after  all  home  called  him  back,  and  since 
1902,  he  has  remained  on  his  farm,  remem- 
bering with  pleasure  the  beauties  and  at- 
tractions of  other  parts,  but  acknowledging 
the  solid  advantages  of  Ohio. 

RALPH  HUGH  LODGE.  The  completed 
life  of  a  successful  man,  in  any  avenue  of 
life's  activity,  cannot  fail  of  being  an  inter- 
esting study,  and  it  becomes  one  of  real  bene- 
fit when  its  results  show  the  blending  into  a 
harmonious  whole,  of  those  marked  charac- 
teristics and  ennobling  virtues  which  be- 
longed to  the  late  Ralph  Hugh  Lodge.  To 
cherish  beautiful  ideals  from  boyhood,  to 
bear  them  undimmed  through  youth  and  to 
carry  them  to  their  fullest  fruition  in  man- 
hood, was  a  notable  achievement,  and  this 
alone  would  have  perpetuated  his  memory, 
had  not  personal  attributes  been  equally  po- 
tent in  winning  the  respect,  admiration  and 
the  warm  afFection  of  all  those  whose  life 
closely  touched  his.  Did  our  philosophy  per- 
mit us  to  believe  that  inanimate  things  were 
sentient,  one  might  wonder  if  the  soft  breeze 
that  stirs  the  placid  bosom  of  Silker  Lake 
did  not  oft  times  bear  ^^^th  it  a  sigh  for  the 
departed  one,  whose  life  work  for  thirty  years 
was  the  perfecting  of  its  beautiful  surround- 
ings. 

Ralph  Hugh  Lodge  was  born  August  3, 
1830,  at  Monroe  Falls,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
and  was  a  son  of  George  Horner  and  Rebecca 
(Smith)  Lodge,  and  a  descendent  of  an  old 
Huguenot  family  that  found  refuge  in  Eng- 
land. When  William  Penn,  in  1682,  came 
to  America  with  his  band  of  colonists  and  re- 
ligious enthusiasts,  he  was  accompanied  by 
a  representative  of  this  family,  whose  views 
undoubtedly  were  in  accord  with  those  of 
the  great  Quaker.  From  the  founder  of 
Pennsylvania  he  received  a  grant  of  land  in 
New  Jersey,  a  fertile  tract  lying  along  the 
Delaware  River,  about  fifteen  miles  below  the 
city  of  Philadelphia.    This  land  remained  in 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZENS 


941 


the  possesison  of  the  family  for  more  than 
220  years,  and  on  the  patrimonial  acres 
George  Horner  Lodge  was  born  in  1801.  He 
married  Rebecca  Smith  in  Philadelphia,  and 
probably  in  the  same  year,  1829,  started  with 
his  bride  to  what  was  then  the  far  West,  Ohio. 
The  journey  was  made  over  the  newly-com- 
pleted Erie  Canal,  then  considered  a  remark- 
able engineering  feat,  to  Buffalo,  thence  by 
vessel  to  Cleveland,  where  they  took  the  old 
packet  boat  on  the  Ohio  Canal  to  Old  Portage, 
or  Akron.  They  settled  on  a  small  farm  in 
Stow  Township,  Summit  County,  which 
George  H.  Lodge  cultivated,  although  he  was 
not  a  farmer  in  the  general  acceptance  of  the 
term,  having  learned  the  trade  of  mason. 
They  resided  on  that  farm  for  some  seven 
years. 

In  1836  came  about  the  era  of  land  specu- 
lation in  this  section  of  Ohio,  and  Edmund 
Monroe,  a  Boston  capitalist  and  promoter, 
bought  up  large  tracts  in  this  vicinity  and 
founded  what  is  now  the  village  of  Monroe 
Falls.  Here  all  the  children  of  the  Lodge  fam- 
ily were  born.  Ralph  being  the  eldest,  the  five 
others  being :  Emma ;  George  H. ;  Mary ;  Cor- 
nelia, who  married  George  J.  Parks;  and  Mrs. 
Caroline  Combes. 

The  father  of  Ralph  Lodge  in  the  mean- 
time was  kept  busily  employed  at  his  trade 
and  often  required  the  assistance  of  his  eldest 
son.  He  laid  a  part  of  the  walls  of  the  E.  N. 
Sill  stone  house  on  Front  Street.  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  now  one  of  the  landmarks  of  the  place, 
and  in  1846,  prior  to  removing  to  Cleveland, 
did  the  lathing,  plastered  the  rooms  and  built 
the  fireplaces  and  chimneys  in  the  Thorndike 
House,  known  as  the  Gaylord  home,  opposite 
Silver  Lake,  which  is  now  the  residence  of 
William  R.  Lodge,  secretary  and  manager  of 
the  Silver  Lake  Park  Company.  The  family 
settled  in  Cleveland  in  1846  and  durine 
1847-48  resided  near  the  corner  of  Euclid 
Avenue  and  Pnan  Street.  Removal  wa«  then 
made  to  the  Leonard  Case  farm,  then  so  far 
in  the  countrv  that  it  wa.=  possible  to  oper- 
ate a  large  dairy,  nnd  during  the  six  yenrs  the 
family  resided  there,   ymmg  Ralph   was  hi.« 


father's  helper  and  for  one  year  of  the  time 
ran  a  milk  route.  At  that  time  Cleveland  was 
an  overgrown  town  having  but  12,000  inhabi- 
tants and  much  of  the  land  round  about  had 
been  but  partially  cleared.  The  building  of 
the  Cleveland  and  Pittsburg  Railroad  right 
through  the  Case  farm  and  the  erection  of 
railroad  shops  soon  made  that  a  busy  sec- 
tion, now  being  known  as  St.  Clair  Street. 
With  other  young  men,  Ralph  Lodge  secured 
work  in  the  new  industry  and  for  several 
years  was  employed  as  fireman  on  the  con- 
struction train  and  at  the  round  house.  About 
1855  the  family  home  was  again  changed,  re- 
moval being  made  to  a  100-acre  tract  east 
of  Willson  Avenue,  now  Fifty-fifth  Street, 
their  home,  in  w'hich  they  lived  for  seventeen 
years,  being  a  site  almost  opposite  the  pres- 
ent Central  High  School. 

Ralph  H.  Lodge  was  now  called  to  take 
an  active  part  in  the  extensive  fruit  grow- 
ing and  market  gardening  operations  opened 
up,  and,  being  the  eldest  son,  gradually  as- 
sumed the  management  which  he  continued 
until  1872.  In  the  meantime  he  purchased 
a  piece  of  property  on  Ontario  Street,  on 
which  he  established  a  grocery,  this  enterprise 
pro\'ing  a  very  successful  business  venture. 
His  life  on  the  farm  had  but  encouraged  a 
natural  inclination,  a  love  of  the  soil,  of  all 
growing  things  and  an  appreciation  of  the 
bounteous  beauties  of  Nature.  In  his  boy- 
hood he  had  cherished  dreams  of  a  time  when 
he  might  make  his  home  on  the  banks  of  the 
beautiful  lake,  not  far  from  his  birthplace. 
Hither  his  feet  wandered  whenever  an  hour 
of  recreation  came  into  his  rather  practical 
life,  and  here  he  knew  every  tree,  plant  and 
mo.'is,  and  had  not  only  made  friends  of  the 
birds  of  the  woods,  but  also  of  the  .shy  wild 
creatures  in  the  thickets.  At  that  time  the 
consummation  of  his  dream  seemed  far  away, 
but  it  came  to  pa.ss. 

On  .January  10.  1874.  the  beautiful,  pel- 
lucid bit  of  water  known  as  Silker  Lake  at 
present,  but  in  pioneer  days  as  Stow  Lake, 
was  purcha.?ed  from  Horace  A.  Miller,  whose 
wife  wa=  a  granddaughter  of  the  original  pro- 


942 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


prietor  of  Stow  Township.  Mr.  Lodge  pur- 
chased thii-ty-live  acres  of  the  surrounding 
land,  it  being  his  idea  to  develop  here  a  pleas- 
ure resort.  This  charming  stretch  of  water 
has  been  likened  to  Lake  Constance,  at  Como, 
but  it  is  far  more  beautiful  in  its  natural  en- 
vironment. Even  when  it  came  into  the  pos- 
session of  Mr.  Lodge,  in  1874,  in  its  natural 
state  it  was  beautiful  in  the  extreme,  in  all 
that  makes  wild  Nature  attractive.  Taking 
up  his  residence  on  this  ground,  in  April, 
1876,  Mr.  Lodge  made  it  his  permanent  home 
and  lived  here  until  his  death,  May  22,  1907. 

After  .secm'ing  the  prize  which  he  had  hon- 
estly coveted  from  boyhood,  Mr.  Lodge  be- 
gan immediately  to  fit  it  up  for  a  pleasure 
resort,  taking  away  none  of  the  natural  beau- 
ties, but  adding  conveniences  and  attractions 
that  have  brouglit  thousands  from  all  over 
the  country  to  spend  happy  summers,  and 
have  sent  them  back  to  their  rounds  of  fash- 
ion or  pursuit  of  business  refreshed  and  with 
a  better  appreciation  of  the  grandeur,  beaiity 
and  pleasure  awaiting  them  in  this  quiet  cor- 
ner of  Ohio.  The  lake  and  its  surroundings 
were  perfect  as  they  were  to  Mr.  Lodge,  whose 
poetic  love  for  Nature  was  so  sincere,  but  he 
recognized  the  demands  of  modern  life  and 
determined  that  Silver  Lake  should  have 
every  added  attraction  that  the  expenditure 
of  time,  laibor,  thought  and  money  could  pro- 
cure. An  interesting  event  was  the  planting 
of  1,000  hard  maple  trees  which  had  all  come 
from  the  seed  of  one  tree.  He  .^let  them  out 
along  the  west  border  of  the  natural  timber, 
where  they  have  flourished  and  stand  in  their 
beauty,  after  the  hands  that  placed  them  have 
become  quiet.  To  the  development  of  this 
property  along  the  lines  mentioned.  Mr. 
Lodge  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  life,  mak- 
ing it  take  the  place  of  travel,  recreation,  so- 
ciety, everything  which  he  otherwise  would 
have  enjoyed. 

Silver  Lake  Park,  as  it  is  today,  is  the  most 
popular  summer  resort  in  this  part  of  Ohio. 
Tt  has  grown  each  year  in  popularity,  partly 
on  account  of  its  beauty  of  location  and  part- 
Iv  on  account  of  the  careful  wav  in  which  it 


has  always  been  managed  by  the  Lodge  fam- 
ily. It  has  its  own  electric  lighting  plant, 
water  woi'ks  system,  sewerage  system,  bakery, 
laundry,  police,  iaxva,  garden,  hotel  and  jusi- 
tice  of  the  peace.  Excellent  facilities  are  pro- 
vided for  all  kinds  of  athletic  sports.  Among 
the  numberless  attractions  is  a  minature  steam 
railroad  with  its  track  winding  around 
through  the  shiiibbery  and  running  along 
the  lake  shore.  A  herd  of  sixteen  Shetland 
Ironies  are  kept  for  the  use  of  the  children.  A 
number  of  cottages  have  been  built,  many  of 
the  best  people  of  Akron  and  elsewhere 
throughout  the  country  making  this  spot  a 
permanent  summer  home,  transportation  be- 
ing of  the  best  to  many  points.  A  sheet  of 
about  100  acres  of  water  offers  delights  to 
the  yachtsman,  and  a  number  of  steamers  and 
boats  ply  liack  and  forth.  A  visitor  in  speak- 
ing of  the  delightful  summer  spent  in  this 
truly  beautiful  spot,  mentions  the  loveliness 
of  Silver  Lake  when  its  night  illuminations 
are  seen,  the  reflecting  water  making  a  picture 
not  equaled  by  any  storied  spot  in  any  other 
land. 

Visitoi-s  to  Silver  Lake  soon  became  ac- 
quainted mth  the  kind,  una.ssuming  man  who 
proved  a  mo.st  interesting  companion  when 
his  friendship  was  gained.  He  could  recall 
so  much  from  a,  long  past  that  was  in- 
.«tructive  and  entertaining  that  he  never  failed 
of  auditors.  His  religious  rearing  had  been 
after  the  precepts  of  the  Society  of  Friends 
and  in  his  nature  and  manner  was  much  of 
their  simplicity.  He  was  a  strong  advocate 
of  temperance  and  Silver  Lake  Park  excludes 
every  intoxicating  feature. 

On  April  7,  1869,  Ralph  Hugh  Lodge  was 
man-ied  to  Julia  A.  Plum,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
and  nine  of  their  ten  children  stirvive,  name- 
ly: Dr.  Edward  Ballard,  residing  at  Cleve- 
land; Mrs.  Duncan  P.  Wolcott,  residing  at 
Kent,  Ohio;  Mrs.  William  R.  Irvin,  residing 
at  Cuyahoga  Falls;  and  Lillian  P.,  William 
R.,  George  H.,  Louis  P.,  Laura  C.  and  Ralph 
H.,  residing  at  Silver  Lake  Park. 

In  summing  up  the  life  and  character  of 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


943 


the  late  Ralph  Hugh  Lodge,  we  quote  from 
the  words  of  one  who  knew  him  well: 

"To  his  family  aud  friends  he  was  kind, 
lovable  iuid.  generous;  he  had  a  nature  free 
from  ostentation,  led  a  simple  life,  and  what^ 
ever  publicity  he  attained,  was  a  result,  not 
a  means.  He  was  born  almost  within  sight 
of  the  spot,  where,  after  a  long  and  busy  life, 
he  laid  down  to  rest.  He  wished  no  man 
ill;  he  gave  everyone  his  due  in  all  fidelity; 
he  lived  his  life  true  to  his  best  light.  He  be- 
lieved in  the  Golden  Rule,  in  the  Fatherhood 
of  God  and  the  Brotherhood  of  man." 

SAMUEL  A.  CLICK,  residing  on  his  well- 
improved  farm  of  seventy-three  acres,  sit- 
uatt'd  in  Coventry  Township,  belongs  to  an 
old  pioneer  family  of  Ohio,  which  settled  in 
Stark  County  during  the  Eighteenth  Century. 
Mr.  Click  was  born  on  the  old  family  home- 
stead in  .lackson  Township,  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  May  27,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
and  Julia  Ann    (Koons)    Click. 

Samuel  Click,  the  grandfather  of  Samuel 
A.,  was  the  pioneer  of  the  family  in  Ohio, 
bringing  hit^  wife  and  children,  together  with 
the  household  possessions,  from  Pennsylvania, 
making  the  long  journey  with  an  ox-team. 
This  was  a  slow  method  of  transportation,  but 
haste  was  not  such  a  great  factor  in  living  as 
it  is  today,  and  the  o.xen,  through  their  great 
strength,  were  able  to  haul  wagons  through 
the  rough  and  uncleared  country  as  no  other 
animals  would  have  had  power  to  do.  The 
wife  and  children  remained  in  Ohio  for  the 
rest  of  their  days,  but  the  fatlier  made  seven 
walking  trips  back  to  the  old  place  in  an  ef- 
fort to  collect  money  which  he  never  was  able 
to  get.  He  settled  in  .Jackson  Township, 
Stark  C'Oumty,  when  his  nearest  neighbor  wa* 
four  miles  distant.  Six  of  his  eight  children 
were  born  in  Pennsylvania,  the  other  two  in 
Stark  County,  his  son  Samuel  being  the  third 
white  child  born  in  Jackson  Township. 

The  name  of  Samuel  has  descended  in  the 
Click  family  through  three  generations.  Sam- 
uel Click,  father  of  Samuel  A.,  grew  up  on 
the  old  home  farm  and  assisted  in  its  clear- 


ing. When  quite  a  youth  the  deer  were  still 
so  tame  and  numerous,  that  he  frequently 
was  given  the  task  of  chasing  them  from 
the  cultivated  parts  of  the  farm.  He  was  not 
able  to  attend  school  continuously,  the  dis- 
tance being  five  miles,  and  farm  work  usual- 
ly being  pressing.  Later  in  life  he  frequently 
recalled  the  day  on  which  he,  with  other 
young  men  of  the  neighborhood,  walked  to 
Columbus  to  see  w^hat  was  then  a  wonderful 
spectacle,  a  railroad  train  pass  through.  Sam- 
iiel  Click  continued  to  live  on  the  farm  in 
•Tackson  Township  until  his  death,  in  Septem- 
lier,  1893.  He  married  Julia  Ann  Koons, 
who  was  born  in  1816,  and  died  in  her  eight- 
ieth year,  after  a  happy  married  life  of  fifty- 
seven  years.  She  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  accompanied  the  family  to  New 
York,  where  they  lived  for  six  years  in  the 
^•icinity  of  Niagara  Falls,  and  then  came  to 
Ohio,  traveling  with  an  ox-team,  Julia  Ann 
having  the  privilege  of  walking  the  greater 
[lart  of  the  way.  Her  father  bought  a  farm  in 
Summit  County,  which  is  now  the  site  of 
Greensburg. 

The  children  of  Samuel  and  Julia  Ann 
Click  were:  Adeline,  who  married  Daniel 
Weaver;  Sarah,  who  married  Henry  Gooden- 
l)erg;  Aaron,  Daniel;  Maria,  deceased,  who 
married  William  Strow^sser;  Clara,  who  is  the 
widow  of  George  McCoy ;  Samuel  Allen ;  and 
Susan,  who  married  A.  J.  Stoner.  Samuel 
Click  resided  in  Jackson  Township  in  the 
early  days  before  scarcely  any  advancement 
had  }>een  made,  and  on  account  of  his  being 
a  man  of  strong  character  and  good  judg- 
ment, he  was  often  consulted  on  public  mat^ 
ters  and  his  advice  taken.  He  was  success- 
ful in  his  business  transactions,  being  a  very 
careful  man,  and  when  he  added  thirty-five 
acres  to  fhe  original  homestead  farm,  he  se- 
cured a  bvck-skin  deed,  which  his  son  pre- 
serves. Both  Samuel  Click  and  his  wife 
were  consistent  members  of  the  Evan- 
2:elical  Church,  and  Samuel  A.  remem- 
bers when  he  was  carried  in  the  arms  of  his 
father,  while  his  mother  carried  the  noxt 
vnunger  child  on  a  walk  of  six  miles,  across 


944 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


the  iields,  in  order  to  attend  church.  Sam- 
uel Allen  Click  can  recall  many  pleasant 
memories  of  his  childhood  and  youth  in  the 
old  home.  He  was  reared  strictly  and  had  to 
work  hai'd,  but  that  was  the  case  with  the 
members  of  every  household  in  the  neighbor- 
hood which  prosperity  visited.  He  was  still 
young  when  he  could  do  a  full  day's  work 
following  after  the  hussey,  which  machine 
for  cutting  grain  his  father  bought  when  he 
was  nine  years  old,  being  the  first  farmer  who 
was  so  enterprising  in  this  section.  He  grew 
to  manhood  well  instructed  in  everything  con- 
cerning farming  and  stock-raising. 

Mr.  Click  was  married  April  27,  1876,  to 
Mary  Hanline,  who  was  born  in  Franklin 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Hannah  (Roades) 
Hanline,  who  were  among  the  pioneers  of 
that  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Click  have  three 
children,  namely:  Edward  who  married 
Anna  Zepp,  residing  near  his  father;  Han- 
nah, who  married  Edward  Cormany,  a  school 
teacher,  has  one  child,  Achah,  residing  in  this 
neighborhood;  and  Elmer,  who  married 
Frankie  Kemary,  deceased,  lives  with  his 
father. 

Mr.  Click  has  always  carried  on  general 
farming  and  for  seventeen  years  was  inter- 
ested in  threshing,  but  has  retired  from  that 
line  of  business  and  has  disposed  of  his  ma- 
chine. He  remained  on  the  old  home  prop- 
erty until  November  30,  1890,  when  he  pur- 
chased his  present  farm,  then  consisting  of 
eighty  acres,  from  the  H.  F.  Flickenger  heirs. 
He  has  generously  given  each  of  his  children 
a  nice  home  and  has  also  sold  some  land,  re- 
taining just  enough  to  keep  him  busy  over- 
seeing it.  He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political 
preferences  and  has  served  the  township  as 
school  director  and  as  supervisor.  With  his 
family  he  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  has  watched  the  development  of 
this  section  with  a  great  deal  of  interest  and 
can  recall  the  days  when  his  threshing  ma- 
chine did  some  of  its  best  work  right  in  what 
is  now  the  heart  of  the  busy  town  of  Barber- 
ton. 


P.  T.  McCOURT,  general  contractor  at  Ak- 
ron, was  born  in  Canada,  in  1860,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  McCourt,  who  first  visited  Akron 
in  1850.  John  McCourt  returned  to  Akron 
and  established  himself  permanently  here  in 
1865,  and  in  this  city  P.  T.  McCourt  has  lived 
for  the  past  forty-two  years. 

For  five  years  P.  T.  McCourt  worked  for 
the  Aultman-Miller  Company.  In  1883  he 
purchased  his  first  team  and  engaged  in  team- 
ing and  contract  work,  and  from  1890  to 
1897  he  worked  for  the  rolling  mill.  It  was 
during  the  latter  year  that  he  built  his  sub- 
stantial three-story  brick  barn,  44  by  100  feet 
in  dimensions,  to  which  he  has  since  added 
an  ell,  44  by  130  feet.  This  was  erected  for 
the  accommodation  of  horses  and  vehicles, 
Mr.  McCourt  by  this  time  having  a  great 
transportation  business.  He  is  also  interested 
in  disposing  of  coal,  and  takes  contracts  for 
the  building  of  streets  and  sewers,  and  for 
concrete  work.  He  had  the  contract  for  build- 
ing fifteen  of  the  locks  on  the  Ohio  Canal. 
He  is  a  director  of  the  Summit  County  Fair 
Association.  In  all  that  he  has  been  con- 
cerned since  entering  business  life  Mr.  Mc- 
Court has  followed  his  own  instincts  of  busi- 
ness honor,  and  that  his  conceptions  have 
been  the  true  ones  is  proven  by  the  high  es- 
teem in  which  he  is  held  by  his  fellow-citi- 
zens. 

Mr.  McCourt  was  married  (first)  in  June, 
1890,  to  Rose  M.  Brady,  who  died  in  July, 
1896,  leaving  two  children,  namely:  Ethel 
R.  and  Walter  P.  He  was  married  (second) 
to  Anna  Hefferman,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Mary  C. 

Mr.  McCourt  is  a  consistent  member  of 
St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church  at  Akron,  and  he 
is  liberal  in  supporting  its  various  charities. 
He  belongs  to  the  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Co- 
lumbus and  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians 
and  the  Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Association. 

JAMES  BRADLEY,  for  many  years  a 
highly  esteemed  member  of  the  farming  com- 
munity of  Springfield  Township,  was  born  at 
Mogadore,    Summit  County,   Ohio,   June   8, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


945 


1827.  He  was  a  son  of  John  Anson  and  Bet- 
sey (Adams)  Bradley.  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  Ariel  Bradley,  who,  in  1801,  came 
from  Salisbury,  Connecticut,  to  Mahoning 
County,  Ohio,  and  to  Suffield  in  1806,  settling 
on  lot  12,  Springfield  Township,  in  March, 
1807,  and  being  the  first  white  settler  in 
Springfield  Township.  The  land  hereabouts' 
at  that  period  was  all  included  in  Trumbull 
County,  but  was  subsequently  apportioned  to 
Portage  County,  and  still  later  to  Summit 
County,  of  which  Ariel  Bradley  and  his  wife 
thus  became  residents.  When  he  was  seventy- 
eight  years  old  Ariel  went  to  visit  his  son, 
Bird,  in  Wood  County,  and  while  there  was 
seized  with  his  last  illness.  His  remains  are 
interred  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Waterville.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  efght  chil- 
dren: James,  John  Anson,  Harlow,  Bird, 
Heman,  Marilla,  Amelia  and  Edgar.  The  last 
mentioned  died  in  boyhood.  Marilla  became 
the  wife  of  Lee  Moore,  and  Amelia  married 
Perrin  Depew.  The  Bradleys  cleared  the  land 
on  which  their  descendant,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  now  resides,  and  they  owned  all  of  it 
lying  south  of  the  east  and  west  roads,  that  is 
now  covered  by  the  town  of  Mogadore.  They 
it  was  who  planted  the  outposts  of  civiliza- 
tion in  this  locality.  John  Anson  Bradley, 
son  of  Ariel,  was  bom  at  Salisbury,  Connec- 
ticut, in  1796,  and  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Ohio.  He  did  his  full  share  in  taming  the 
wilderness,  and  on  arriving  at  a  suitable  age, 
married  Betsey  Adams,  who  lived  a  mile  and 
a  half  south  of  the  present  site  of  Mogadore. 
She  came  from  New  Hampshire  with  her 
father,  who  settled  in  Suffield  Township  in 
1809.  There  were  two  children  born  to  John 
Anson  Bradley  and  his  wife— James  and 
Charlotta.  The  latter  became  the  wife  of 
George  C.  Winship,  and  they  moved  to  Iowa, 
where  both  died,  leaving  a  daughter,  Min- 
nie, who  subsequently  married  a  Mr.  Abbey. 
James  Bradley  was  brought  up  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  and  was  taught  to  be  honest 
and  industrious.  On  attaining  years  of  dis- 
cretion he  married  Cec«Ha  Andrews,  a  daugh- 
ter of  A.  C.  and  Almira   (Kent)    Andrews. 


Her  parents  were  natives  of  Connecticut, 
whence  they  moved  to  Portage  County,  Ohio. 
The  Keuts  were  also  of  New  England  stock, 
and  descendants  in  the  fourth  generation  of 
Martin  Kent,  who  married  Abigail  Hale,  and 
emigrated  to  the  Western  Reserve,  purchas- 
ing a  farm  in  Suffield  Township  of  the  Con- 
necticut Land  Company.  On  this  farm  he 
resided  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  The  children 
of  A.  C.  and  Almira  (Kent)  Andrews  were: 
Cecelia,  who  married  James  Bradley ;  Quincy, 
who  died  unmarried  in  Minnesota;  Emma, 
who  married  Dr.  William  Thompson,  and 
Licasta,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years. 

James  Bradley,  by  his  first  wife,  Cecelia, 
had  nine  children,  as  follows:  Cora,  Minnie, 
Flora,  Emma,  Florence,  Nellie,  George,  Her- 
bert, Charles  K.  and  Louise  H.  The  six  first 
mentioned  are  all  deceased,  while  the  last 
three  still  survive.  Charles  is  unmarried,  and 
is  engaged  in  general  farming  in  Rolette 
County,  North  Dakota.  Louise  became  the 
wife  of  Frank  Parker  and  resides  with  her 
girls  in  MinneapoILs,  Minnesota.  Her  hus- 
band is  deceased.  She  had  two  children — 
Myrza  and  Gladys.  Mrs.  Cecelia  Bradley  died 
in  1875  when  in  her  forty-fourth  year,  and 
.Tames  Bradley  married,  second,  Jlrs.  Eliza- 
beth (Spencer)  Bradley.  Of  this  marriage 
there  were  two  children,  one  of  whom  died  in 
infancy,  and  the  other,  Bessie,  when  a  charm- 
ing girl  of  fourteen  years. 

George  Herbert  Bradley,  son  of  James 
Bradley,  by  his  first  wife,  Cecelia,  was  bom 
on  the  home  farm  in  Springfield  ToT\Tiship, 
January  20,  1855.  He  was  trained  to  farm 
work  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  at  Buchtel  College,  where 
he  .spent  two  years.  The  farm  on  which  he 
now  resides  contains  fifty  acres  of  the  original 
tract  settled  by  his  great-grandfather,  Ariel 
Bradley,  twenty  acres  having  been  subse- 
quently added.  Since  leaving  the  college  in 
1877,  he  has  given  his  main  attention  to  the 
operating  of  the  home  farm.  Mr.  Bradley  is 
unmarried.  Like  his  father,  he  is  a  Repub- 
licaui  in  politics.  He  has  .served  as  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  has  taken  a  more  or  less 


946 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


active  interest  in  politics  since  attaining  his 
majority.  On  several  occasions  he  has  been 
sent  as  a  delegate  to  important  conventions. 
The  family  he  represents  is  one  of  high  stand- 
ing in  Summit  County. 

J.  EDWARD  GOOD,  president  of  the 
Hardware  Supply  Company,  of  Akron,  is  a 
native  of  this  city  in  which  his  business  suc- 
cess has  been  achieved.  He  was  born  in  1861 
and  was  gi'aduated  from  the  Akron  High 
School  in  1879,  following  which  he  entered 
Kenyon  College,  where  he  was  graduated 
with  credit  in  1884. 

After  this  thorough  preparation  for  busi- 
ness life,  Mr.  Good  entered  the  whole.sale 
hardware  house  of  Mcintosh,  Good  &  Com- 
pany, of  Cleveland,  where  he  remained  until 
1889.  He  then  returned  to  Akron,  with  the 
interests  of  which  city  he  has  been  clo.?ely 
and  successfully  associated  ever  since.  He  as- 
sisted in  the  organization  of  the  Paige  Broth- 
ers Company,  which  did  business  from  1889 
until  1891,  when  the  firm  name  was  changed 
to  the  Standard  Hardware  Company,  which 
continued  until  1905,  when  the  Ilardware 
Supply  Company  was  incorporated,  with  a 
capital  .stock  of  $150,000.  The  officers  of  this 
concern  are;  J.  Edward  Good,  president; 
Crannell  Morgan,  vice-president;  William  W. 
Wohlwend,  secretary;  and  E.  S.  Bunnell, 
treasurer.  This  company  occupies  commo- 
dious quarters  at  No.  50-52  South  Main  Street, 
where  they  have  some  50,000  square  feet  of 
floor  space.  They  carry  a  very  heavy  stock 
and  deal  both  by  retail  and  wholesale.  In  ad- 
dition to  this  important  business  cnterpri.se, 
Mr.  Good  is  interested  as  a  stockholder  in  a 
number  of  others.  In  all  of  these  his  business 
ability  and  integrity  are  never  questioned.  In 
1889  Mr.  Good  was  married  to  Laura  D.  Zim- 
merman, of  Pittsburg.  He  is  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar Mason  and  "Shriner,"  and  retains  his 
membership  in  his  college  fraternities. 

GEORGE  ADAM  SHOOK,  whose  excel- 
lent farm  of  eighty-seven  acres  is  situated  in 
Coventry  Township,  about  six  miles  south  of 


the  center  of  Akron,  is  one  of  the  representa- 
tive agriculturists  of  this  section.  Mr.  Shook 
wm  born  June  19,  1837,  on  his  father's  farm 
in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  David 
and  Catherine   (Hanse)   Shook. 

The  Shook  ancestors  came  to  Pennsylvania, 
from  Germany,  in  the  day  of  the  great-grand- 
father of  George  Adam,  and  settled  in  Lehigh 
County,  Pennsylvania.  There  the  family 
{irospered  and  became  one  of  prominence.- 
The  grandfather,  David  Shook,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  married  and  later, 
with  his  family,  moved  to  Niagara  County, 
New  York,  settling  on  a  farm  near  Lockport. 
That  he  meditated  coming  to  Ohio  was  shown 
Viy  the  interest  he  took  in  this  section,  visit- 
ing it  on  horseback  when  it  was  but  a  wilder- 
ness all  through  Summit  County.  However, 
he  never  settled  here,  and  his  last  days  were 
pa.«sed  in  Niagara  County,  New  York. 

David  Shook  the  second,  the  father  of 
George  Adam,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
was  one  of  the  younger  members  of  a  fam- 
ily of  fourteen  children.  He  was  a  boy  when 
his  parents  moved  to  Niagara  County,  New 
York,  and  remained  there  until  his  older 
brother,  Philip  Shook,  moved  to  Portage 
County,  Ohio.  Shortly  afterward,  David 
went  on  a  visit,  but  was  so  well  pleased  that 
he  remained  with  Philip,  assisting  him  in 
clearing  up  his  vr\\d  farm,  until  his  own 
marriage,  after  which  he  acquired  a  small 
farm  in  Stark  County.  He  lived  there 
through  the  death  of  his  first  wife  and  after 
his  second  marriage,  but  in  1852  he  removed 
to  a  farm  in  Michigan,  where  he  died,  aged 
sixty-two  years. 

In  Stark  County,  Ohio,  David  Shook  wa.s 
married  to  Catherine  Hanse,  who  was  born 
near  New  Berlin,  Ohio,  and  died  in  August, 
18.38,  aged  twenty-three  years,  leaving  but 
one  child,  George  Adam.  The  father  mar- 
ried (second)  a  Miss  Holben,  also  of  Stark 
County,  who  survived  him,  and  they  had  the 
following  children:  .Jonathan,  David,  Cath- 
erine, ,Tohn,  Elias,  William  and  Reuben. 

George  Adam  Shook  was  left  motherless 
when  he  was  fourteen  months  old.  and  he  was 


;ii'i!ij  I 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


949 


taken  to  the  home  of  aii  aunt,  Mrs.  Mary 
Ranch,  who  reared  him  in  Mahoning  Countj', 
Oliio,  until  he  wa^  fourteen  yetus  of  age,  per- 
mitting him  to  attend  the  district  school  while 
supporting  himself  by  work  on  her  farm. 
However,  Mr.  Shook  did  not  feel  independent 
until  he  had  earned  fifty  dollars  by  himself 
and  paid  this  sum  to  the  Ranch  family,  this 
being  sufficient  to  cover  all  the  expense  he  had 
ever  caused  them.  He  had  now  sliu'ted  out 
for  himself  and  as  his  work  was  farm  labor 
he  lived  at  various  homes  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, remaining  with  the  Sluss  family  for 
three  years.  Not  being  satisfied  with  the  edu- 
cation he  had  been  able  to  oljtain  in  the  dis- 
trict schools,  he  arranged  to  attend  the  Ran- 
dolph select  school,  later  took  a  coni'se  in 
Greensburg  Seminary,  in  Summit  County. 
and  still  later,  enjoyed  one  term  at  Mt.  Union 
College.  During  the  time  he  was  thus  ac- 
quiring a  really  superior  education,  he  was  in- 
dustrious and  reliable  and  always  found  good 
homes  where  he  worked  on  the  farm  during 
the  summers.  AVhen  he  was  about  eighteen 
years  of  age  he  began  to  teach,  school  and 
taught  through  fifteen  winters,  mostly  in 
Stark,  Summit  and  Wayne  Counties,  in  1864 
teaching  one  term  at  the  reservoir  in  Coven- 
try Township,  and  occasionally  teaching  sum- 
mer terms. 

Mr.  Shook  continued  to  teach  until  1877. 
having  also  carried  on  farming  during  the 
larger  part  of  the  time.  He  had  secured  an 
interest  in  a  farm  near  Uniontown,  in  Lake 
Town.'^hip,  Stark  County,  and  later  purc'has'd 
the  M'hole  farm  and  lived  there  for  six  years. 
After  retiring  from  the  educational  field,  Mr, 
Shook  bought  a  grist-mill  at  Uniontown, 
which  he  operated  for  three  years,  and  then 
sold  it  to  Dawd  and  Samuel  Rittor,  after 
which  he  rented  a  farm  for  a  few  years.  In 
1881  he  bought  his  present  property  from 
Jacob  Sellers  and  moved  on  this  place  in  the 
spring  of  1882.  It  was  well  improved  prop- 
erty when  he  purchased  it  and  he  has  kept 
up  its  condition.  Later  he  bought  a  tract  of 
timber  land,  in  Green  Township,  which  he 
still  owns  in  partnership  with  his  .«'On-in-law, 


William  H.  Wagoner.  For  twelve  years  after 
settling  on  this  place  Mr.  Shook  was  engaged 
in  the  threshing  business  and  also  success- 
fully ran  a  sawmill  for  a  time  with  Mr.  Wag- 
goner. He  carries  on  general  farming,  mak- 
ing his  land  pay  for  all  the  attention  he  gives 
it,  and  keeps  good  stuck  and  uses  iiiipnn-ed 
machinery. 

On  Mai-ch  17,  1861,  Mr.  Shook  was  mar- 
ried to  Elizabeth  Mutchler,  who  wa^s  born  in 
Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Godfrey  and  .ludith  (Meiers)  Mutchler.  Her 
parents  came  from  Germany  and  were  mar- 
ried in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  this  being  the 
second  marriage  of  her  father.  There  were 
live  children  bom  to  this  union,  namely: 
Eva,  Elizabeth,  Mary,  Magdalena  and  Rosina, 
who  is  deceased.  Mr.  Mutchler  had  married 
tii-st  in  Germany,  Christina  Ga.sz,  who  left 
three  children :  Dorothy,  Christina  and  Bar- 
Ijera.  Both  parents  of  ]Mrs.  Shook  died  at 
New  Berlin. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shook  had  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Clara  E.,  who  married  William  Wag- 
goner; 'Henry  E.,  who  married  Emma  Heim- 
baugh;  Erwin  J.,  who  married  Amelia  Dietz; 
and  Anna,  who  married  Edward  C.  Eippert. 
Mr.  Shook  and  family  belong  to  the  Luth- 
eran Church.  His  children  are  all  well  edu- 
cated and  all  four  have  been  teachers.  In 
politics  Mr.  Shook  is  a  Republican  and  he  has 
served  both  as  township  trustee  and  as  as- 
sessor. 

.lOHN  BREITENSTINE,  one  of  Norton 
Township's  most  substantial  citizens,  who 
owns  .378  acres  of  land  in.  this  and  Frank- 
lin Township,  a  part  of  which  is  particularly 
valuable  because  of  coal  beds,  has  been  a 
resident  of  Summit  County  since  he  was 
eight  years  of  age.  He  was  born  in  Chip- 
pewa Township,  Wayne  County,  Ohio, 
.Tanuary  14,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of  .Tacob  and 
Lydia  (Kellar)  Breitenstine. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Breitenstine  were 
reared  in  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania,  but 
were  married  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio. 
.Tncob  Breitenstine  was  Itorn  in  Germany  and 


950 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


was  fifteen  years  old  wheu  he  accompanied 
his  father,  John  Jacob  Breitenstine,  to 
America  and  later  to  Chippewa  Township, 
Wayne  County,  Ohio.  The  family  later 
all  removed  to  Franklin  Township,  Summit 
County,  where  the  grandparents  died  when 
over  eighty  years  of  age.  Jacob  Breiten- 
stine assisted  his  father  in  paying  for  the 
farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Franklin  Township. 
He  was  a  smart  man  in  the  sense  of  being 
educated  and  of  good  judgment,  and  for 
some  years  he  practiced  law.  He  lived  to 
the  age  of  eighty-four  yeai-s.  He  married 
Lydia  Kellar  who  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty- 
three.  They  had  eight  children,  six  of 
whom  reached  maturity. 

John  Breitenstine  is  one  of  the  township's 
self-made  men.  He  was  the  eldest  of  the 
eight  children  of  the  family,  and  as  soon  as 
he  was  old  enough,  he  took  the  management 
of  the  farm,  as  his  father  was  engaged  in  his 
professional  work.  When  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  he  went  to  work  at  the  County  In- 
firmary, but  two  years  later  he  resumed 
farming  and  this  has  been  his  main  occupa- 
tion since.  Mr.  Breitenstine  bought  his 
present  farm  in  1888  and  has  erected  all  the 
substantial  buildings  here.  It  was  formerly 
owned  by  Dr.  Samuel  Bargess.  A  valuable 
coal  bank  was  opened  on  this  farm  in  1840, 
and  it  has  been  worked  ever  since  with  little 
sign  of  giving  out. 

On  August  27,  1869,  Mr.  Breitenstine  was 
married  to  Sarah  Surfass,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Norton  Township  and  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Cornelius  Surfass.  They  have 
six  children:  Harvey,  who  is  married,  re- 
sides with  his  family  in  Norton  Township; 
Harry,  also  married,  is  engaged  in  the  thresh- 
ing business  in  Norton  Township ;  Milton 
follows  the  trade  of  plastering;  Mattie  mar- 
ried Logan  Fletcher;  Newton  and  Sadie  re- 
side at  home  with  their  parents.  Mr.  Breit- 
enstine and  family  belong  to  the  Reformed 
Church.  Although  he  is  one  of  the  largest 
landowners  and  most  independent  men  of 
this  section,  he  has  made  his  property  all 
himself,  using  good  judgment  in  his  invest- 


ments   and    being   industrious     and     frugal. 
He  is  one  of  the  township's  best-known  men. 

A.  J.  STELZER,a  leading  general  merchant 
at  Akron,  dealing  in  dry  goods  and  fancy 
groceries,  at  Nos.  619-621  North  Howard 
Street,  has  been  a  resident  of  Akron  for  the 
past  twenty  years,  and  is  one  of  her  best- 
known  citizens.  He  was  born  in  1875  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 

When  Mr.  Stelzer  was  a  child  one  year  old 
his  parents  moved  to  Canton,  Ohio,  where 
he  lived  until  the  age  of  ten,  when  family 
sicknass  terminated  his  school  days  and  prac- 
tically threw  him  upon  his  own  resources.  He 
came  to  Akron  and  entered  a  grocery  store 
owned  by  his  uncle,  J.  A.  Rulmer,  with  whom 
he  worked  for  one  year,  later  was  with  John 
Keoberle  for  eighteen  months,  going  from 
there  to  James  Diehm.  He  continued  with 
the  last-named  business  man  for  seven  years 
and  then  became  connected  with  the  Inman 
Brothers  in  a  general  mercantile  business, 
where  he  remained  for  six  years.  In  April, 
1903,  Mr.  Stelzer  bought  out  C.  Reusch,  who 
was  conducting  a  store  at  the  present  loca- 
tion, 619-21  North  Howard  Street,  and  since 
that  time  has  carried  on  a  large  and  very  sat- 
isfactory business.  He  occupies  two  rooms, 
one  21  by  60  feet  in  dimensions  and  the  other 
15  by  22  feet,  both  of  which  are  well  stocked. 
He  owns  also  a  commodious  wareroom  in  the 
rear.  He  is  known  as  the  leading  North  Hill 
merchant  and  his  trade  is  so  large  that  he 
requires  the  assistance  of  five  employes. 

On  October  20,  1898,  Mr.  Stelzer  was  mar- 
ried to  Edith  Mason,  who  was  born  at  East 
Akron,  and  they  have  two  daughter:  Mildred 
J.  and  Gretchen  M.  With  his  family  he  be- 
longs to  the  North  Hill  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  is  identified  with  the  order  of 
Maccabees. 

WILLIAM  RALPH  LODGE,  secretary 
and  manager  of  The  Silver  Lake  Park  Com- 
pany, vice-president  and  a  director  of  the 
Cuyahoga  Falb  Savings  Bank,  and  interested 
in  a  niimher  of  other  successful  business  enter- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


ysi 


prises,  is  one  of  the  best-known  men  of  Sum- 
mit County,  llu  waii  boru  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  June  6,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late 
Ralph  Hugh  and  Julia  A.  (Plum)  Lodge. 

There  are  few  residents  of  Stow  Township 
who  do  not  recall  with  the  kindest  memories 
the  late  Ralph  Hugh  Lodge,  the  larger  part 
of  whose  life  was  devoted  to  developing  Sil- 
ver Lake  Park,  a  property  he  acquired  during 
the  childhood  of  his  son,  William  Ralph.  Na- 
ture had  done  much,  m  her  own  wild  way,  for 
this  region,  but  to  the  Lodges  must  be  at- 
tributed the  remarkable  changes  which  were 
brought  about  in  a  comparatively  few  years. 
While  the  natural  beauties  have  been  retained 
every  device  of  modern  invention  has  been 
added  and  the  result  is  an  ideal  summer  re- 
sort to  which  thousands  of  people  come  from 
every  part  of  the  country,  gladly  returning 
year  after  year. 

William  Ralph  Lodge  attended  the  corn- 
common  and  High  schools  of  Cuyahoga  Falls 
and  then  entered  the  preparatory  department 
of  Oberlin  College,  with  the  intention  of 
completing  the  whole  college  course.  In  the 
meanwhile  he  became  interested  in  his  fath- 
er's enterprise  of  developing  Silver  Lake 
Park,  and  after  seven  terms  at  Oberlin,  de- 
cided to  return  home  and  give  his  father  as- 
sistance, which,  on  account  of  the  increas- 
ing responsibilities  attending  the  huge  enter- 
prise, was  greatly  needed.  Few  men  were 
better  equipped  for  handling  details  as  well 
as  planning  improvements  than  was  the  late 
Mr.  Lodge,  but  the  work  went  on  so  rapidly 
and  in  so  many  directions  that  even  he  was 
not  able  to  properly  attend  to  it.  The  yoimg 
man  then  came  to  share  his  father's  burdens. 
He  had  also  the  capacity,  but  his  ideas  of 
business  were  more  modern  than  were  those 
of  his  father,  and  for  some  time  the  systema- 
tized methods  of  the  son  surprised  the  older 
man.  William  Ralph  Lodge  practically  re- 
organized the  whole  business,  opened  an  of- 
fice and  installed  a  typewriter,  purchasing  the 
machine  with  his  own  money,  which  he  had 
earned  by  selling  ice  to  campers  about  the 
lake.     He  opened  up  books  for  the  accounts 


formerly  kept  by  his  father  laid  away  in  his 
active  brain,  or  on  slips  of  paper  in  his  pocket. 
At  first  these  changes  were  innovations  that 
the  older  Mr.  Lodge  scarcely  approved  of,  but 
ere  long  he  saw  their  value,  and  thence  was 
brought  about  a  perfect  confidence  which  al- 
ways existed  thereafter.  Since  1894,  William 
Ralph  Lodge  has  largely  had  control,  al- 
though he  continued  to  w^ork  under  his  fath- 
er's direction  for  the  following  six  years,  but 
since  1900  he  has  had  the  active  management 
un  his  shoulders.  Until  the  death  of  his 
father,  however,  Mr.  Lodge  sought  and  val- 
ued his  parent's  advice  and  counsel.  He  had 
much  to  do  with  promoting  the  park,  acquir- 
ing a  number  of  tracts  of  land  to  accommo- 
date the  rapidly  growing  business.  One  of  the 
most  important  undertakings  was  the  nego- 
tiating and  building  of  the  railroad  connec- 
tion with  the  C.  A.  &  V.  C.  Railroad,  and 
bettering  the  terminals  of  the  trolley  lines 
connecting  with  the  resort. 

Silver  Lake  Park,  with  its  buildings  and 
other  improvements,  represents  an  investment 
of  about  $200,000.  Every  piece  of  work  is 
done  substantially,  with  a  view  to  the  future. 
The  present  beautiful  pavilion  could  not  be 
replaced  for  less  than  $50,000.  The  perfect 
sewerage  system  was  put  in  under  most  diffi- 
cult conditions,  a  part  of  it  being  laid  under 
the  lake  and  the  Cuyahoga  River,  being  thir- 
teen feet  below  the  surface.  This  engineer- 
ing work  had  to  be  done  during  the  winter 
season  when  the  river  was  frozen,  entailing 
a  stupendous  expenditure.  With  his  other 
duties,  Mr.  Lodge  has  always  had  charge  of 
the  advertising  by  which  people,  societies, 
churches  and  other  organizations  learn  of  the 
comfort,  pleasures  and  advantages  ofiPered  by 
this  unique  resort,  and  a  conception  may  be 
formed  as  to  the  amount  of  business  to  which 
it  is  necessary  for  Mr.  Lodge  to  give  personal 
attention,  when  it  is  stated  that  during  the 
100  days  of  the  season,  an  average  of  2,000 
people  are  entertained  daily.  Regular  em- 
ployment is  given  150  workers  in  different  de- 
pai-tments. 

Mr.  Lodge  is  also  interested  in  other  pros- 


y52 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


periiig  eiitei-prises,  leading  the  busy  life  of 
the  modern  man  of  capital  and  affairs.  He  is 
vice-president  of  the  Cuyalioga  Falls  Savings 
Bank  and  one  of  itts  directing  board;  is  vice- 
president  and  a  director  of  the  Success  Dish- 
washing Machine  Company,  of  Wooster,  Ohio, 
of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers,  and 
is  chairman  of  the  Co-operative  Creamery 
Company,  at  Stow  Corners. 

Mr.  Lodge  married  Marie  Antoinette  Ells- 
worth, who  is  a  daughter  of  Edward  Ells- 
worth, of  Stow  Township.  They  have  two 
sons,  William  Ellsworth  and  Edward  Ells- 
worth. Mrs.  Lodge  is  a  member  of  St.  John's 
Episcopal  Church  at  Cuyahoga  Falls. 

In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Lodge  is  a  Re- 
publican and  has  sei-ved  as  a  delegate  to  coun- 
ty conventions.  He  gives  generous  assistance 
to  his  friends  in  various  campaigns,  but  has 
no  political  ambition  for  himself. 

CRANNELL  MORGAN,  vice-president  of 
the  Hardware  Supply  Company,  at  Akron, 
treasurer  of  the  Wise  Furnace  Company,  and 
interested  financially  in  a  number  of  other 
local  business  enterprises,  was  born  at  Somer- 
ville,  New  Jersey,  in  1871,  where  he  was 
reared  and  obtained  his  education. 

Mr.  Morgan  was  an  employe  of  AVilliam 
Bingham  &  Company,  in  the  hardware  line, 
at  Cleveland,  for  the  first  ten  yeare  of  his 
business  career,  starting  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ladder  and  learning  all  the  details  of  the 
busin&«s.  For  two  years  he  represented  that 
firm  on  the  road,  and  then  came  to  Akron  as 
manager  of  the  Ohio  Glass  and  Hardware 
Company  for  Cleveland  parties.  Later  Mr. 
Morgan  organized  the  Morgan  and  Bunnell 
w^holesale  and  retail  company  in  the  same 
line,  continuing  business  for  eight  years.  In 
1904  the  Hardware  Supply  Company  of  Ak- 
ron was  organized,  absorbing  the  Morgan  and 
Bunnell  Company  and  the  Standard  Hard- 
ware Company,  and  Mr.  Morgan  has  been 
vice-president  of  thL'?  concern  from  the  be: 
ginning.  In  1895  Mr.  Morgan  w^ns  married 
to  Bertha  Weber,  of  Cleveland,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Webb  C.    Mr.  Morgan  is  a  member 


of  the  Portage  Country  club,  and  the  Auto 
club.  His  business  and  social  connections  axe 
both  numerous  and  he  is  personally  a  very 
popular  citizen. 

CAPTAIN  FREDERICK  K.  REAM,  one 
of  tlie  best-known  citizens  of  Northampton 
Township,  residing  on  his  well-improved  farm 
of  forty  acres,  was  born  in  Germany,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1826,  and  is  a  son  of  Christopher 
and   Katherine    (Stockel)    Ream. 

The  parents  of  Captain  Ream  were  natives 
of  Germany  and  the  mother  died  prior  to  the 
family  exodus  to  America,  in  1830.  The 
father  sui^vived  until  1869,  being  sixty-eight 
years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Fred- 
erick K.  Ream  was  the  only  child  of  the 
first  marriage.  The  father's  second  marriage 
was  to  Mrs.  Katherine  Schrader,  a  widow  with 
three  children,  and  two  more  were  born  to 
this  union.  For  some  year's  after  reaching 
the  United  States  Christopher  Ream  engaged 
in  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  Cleveland,  and 
then  purchased  a  farm  near  Royalton,  Ohio, 
which  he  operated  during  the  rest  of  his 
life. 

Frederick  K.  Ream  attended  school  at 
Royalton,  and  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  decided  to  go 
nut  into  the  world  and  take  care  of  himself, 
and  he  remembei"s  now  with  amvLsement,  that 
all  he  caried  with  him  was  one  extra  shirt 
and  a  clean  handkerchief.  At  that  time  he 
was  a  sturdy  youth  and  had  a  pleasant^  win- 
u'ing  manner  that  brought  him  friends  and 
he  soon  secured  work  with  a  farmer  near 
Penin.sula,  with  whom  he  lived  two  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  was  very  industrious,  but 
received  for  his  labor  little  except  his  board. 
He  next  secured  a  position  as  driver  on  the 
canal  and  was  promised  five  dollars  a  month 
salary,  which  was  satisfactory  to  him  when 
the  bargain  was  made,  and  he  worked  hard 
from  June  imtil  November,  drawing  but 
three  dollars  of  the  twenty-five  dollars  coming 
to  him  and  doubtless  laying  great  plans  con- 
cerning the  expenditure  of  this  sum.  These 
all  came  to  naught,  however,  as  his  employer 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


!J53 


left  the  neighborhood  without  making  any 
settlement. 

Later  he  made  a  better  bai'gain,  by  which 
he  received  twenty  dollai's  a  month,  with 
board,  and  he  continued  here  until  1852, 
when  he  purchased  a  canal  boat  of  his  own 
and  thii.?  acquired  the  title  by  which  he  has 
been  known  ever  since.  For  many  years 
Captain  Ream  did  a  good  basiness  on  the 
canal  and  continued  to  operate  his  own  ves- 
sel as  long  as  he  remained  on  the  water.  He 
is  well  remembered  by  other  captains  and  a 
number  of  his  old  associates  recall  their  sea- 
sons of  work  together.  Captain  Ream  had 
the  reputation  of  keeping  the  neatest  and  best 
conditioned  vessel  among  them  all.  Hia 
quick  eye  enever  failed  to  note  the  slightest 
scratch  on  the  varni.sh  and  the  merest  dis- 
figurement made  by  the  mo\4ng  of  freight  or 
from  other  cau.ses,  and  it  was  a  familiar  sight 
w^hen  the  skipper  himself  a]3peared  with  ptunt 
pot  and  brush,  repairing  all  damages.  When 
his  boat  went  out  of  commisison  at  the  close 
of  the  season,  it  was  as  clean  and  fresh  as 
when  it  went  in.  Captain  Ream  continued  to 
run  his  boat  until  1865,  when  he  bought  a 
farm  in  Northampton  Township,  now  known 
as  the  Herbruck  farm,  which  he  sold  in  1875, 
and  settled  on  the  one  on  which  he  has  resided 
ever  since.  For  .some  years  he  has  had  it 
under  rental.  At  one  time  he  owned  con- 
siderable property  in  Akron,  but  has  sold 
seven  of  his  houses,  retaining  but  one.  Prior 
to  November  10,  1905,  Captain  Ream  had 
enjoyed  the  usual  health  afforded  to  those 
of  his  years,  but  at  that  time  he  suffered  from 
a  partial  paralysis  which  has  greatly  incon- 
venienced him  and  di.stre.^sed  his  friends.  His 
intellect,  however,  is  clear,  and  a  visit  to  Cap- 
tain Ream  is  ve^^'  enjoyable  as  his  reminis- 
censes  reach  far  back  and  his  .stories  of  life 
on  the  canal  touch  an  important  epoch  in 
local  history. 

In  1852  Captain  Ream  was  married  to 
Katherine  Stockel,  who  died  June  30.  1904, 
leaving  no  i.esue. 


WALTER  A.  FOLGER,  treasurer  of  the 
B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  at  Akron,  was  bom 
July  13,  1858,  at  Mantua,  Portage  County, 
Ohio. 

Mr.  Folger  was  educated  in  Portage  Coun- 
ty. Until  June  26,  1882,  he  had  railroad  of- 
fice experience,  and  afterward  entered  the 
Bank  of  Akron,  at  Akron,  Ohio,  as  book- 
keeper, later  becoming  assistant  cashier,  and 
still  later,  cashier  of  the  Second  National 
Bank  of  Akron.  This  position  he  resigned, 
January  1,  1894,  in  order  to  become  treas- 
urer of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  and 
.  has  held  this  office  from  that  time  until  the 
present. 

On  October  15,  1883,  Mr.  Folger  was  mar- 
ried to  Lola  R.  Russell,  of  Streetsborough, 
Portage  County,  Ohio,  and  they  have  three 
daughters,  viz.:  Florence,  Elizabeth  and 
Mary  Joy. 

Mr.  Folger  is  a  Thirty-second  Degree  Ma- 
son. 

FRANK  S.  BALES,  dairyman  and  farmer, 
owns  eighty-four  and  one-half  acres  of  land' 
in  Northampton  Township,  which  is  exceed- 
ingly valuable,  as  it  lies  within  the  corpora- 
tion limits  of  Cuyahoga  Falls.  He  was  born 
in  Lawrence  County,  Pennsylvania,  Decem- 
ber 31,  1871,  and  is  a  son  of  -John  and  .Tane 
(Miller)   Bales. 

The  father  of  ^Ir.  Bales  followed  the  trade 
of  stonema.son  at  New  Castle,  Pennsylvania, 
but  as  he  died  when  Frank  S.  wa«  a  child, 
the  son  has  but  few  recollections  of  him. 
After  death.  Frank  S.  went  to  live  with  a 
maternal  uncle.  Sylvester  Miller,  who  took 
the  place  of  a  father  to  him,  and  to  whom  he, 
in  turn,  is  giving  filial  care  in  his  old  age. 
T\Tien  thirteen  years  old  Mr.  Bales  came  to 
NorthaiTipton  Township,  where  he  worked  for 
the  substantial  farmers  of  this  .section  for 
some  three  years,  then  spent  a  year  in  the 
lumbering  di.stricts  of  Michigan,  and  after 
his  return,  in  1895,  he  rented  the  Allen  farm 
for  one  year,  and  the  Sperry  farm  for  three 
years.  In  1898  Mr.  Bales  purchased  his 
present  place,  seventy  acres  of  which  he  cul- 


954 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


tivates,  the  remaining  being  in  timber  or  used 
as  pasturage.  He  keeps  about  twenty  head 
of  cattle  and  for  seven  years  has  conducted  a 
milk  route,  selling  about  forty  gallons  daily 
in  Cuyahoga  Falls.  He  raises  hay  and  wheat, 
but  his  main  crop  is  corn.  He  has  two  cir- 
cular silos,  each  ten  feet  deep  and  thirty  feet 
high.  Mr.  Bales  keeps  all  his  buildings  and 
surroundings  in  fine  condition,  and  as  he  is 
a  man  of  progressive  ideas,  he  has  supplied 
himself  with  all  kinds  of  agricultural  imple- 
ments to  facilitate  his  work.  His  substantial 
barn,  40  by  72  feet  in  dimensions,  with  20- 
foot  posts,  he  built  in  1903. 

Mr.  Bales  married  Lillie  Robinson,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  Andrew  Robinson,  of  North- 
ampton Township,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren :    Addie,  Howard  and  Leona. 

Mr.  Bales  is  a  self-made  man  and  takes 
just  pride  in  the  fact  that  his  possessions  have 
been  acquired  through  his  own  industry  and 
good  management. 

ERNEST  C.  BUETCH.  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Coventry  Township,  of  which  he  served 
as  treasurer  for  many  years,  resides  on  his 
well-improved  farm  of  seventy-four  acres.  Mr. 
Buetch  was  born  October  11,  1855,  in 
Coventry  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Richler) 
Buetch. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Buetch  was  born  in  Ger- 
many and  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm  there. 
In  1853,  when  about  twenty  years  of  age, 
Jacob  Buetch  came  to  America,  locating 
shortly  afterward  in  Ohio,  and  in  1854  he 
came  to  the  farm  which  his  son  Ernest.  C.  now 
owns.  The  land  was  then  covered  with  tim- 
ber, but  with  the  assistance  of  his  sons,  it 
was  all  cleared  off.  The  comfortable  res^idence 
in  which  Mr.  Buetch  lives  wa?  built  by  hia 
father.  Jacob  Buetch  was  married  in 
Coventry  Township  to  Mrs.  Mary  Richler, 
who  was  the  widow  of  John  Richler,  and 
their  only  child  was  Ernest  C.  By  her  first 
marriage,  Mrs.  Buetch  had  six  children, 
namely:  John,  Jacob.  August;  Mary,  who  is 
the  widow  of  Jacob  Grethers;  Barbara,  who 


is  the  widow  of  John  Zitterly;  and  Louisa, 
who  married  John  Keppler.  Two  of  the 
sons  were  killed  in  the  army  during  the  Civil 
Mar,  while  August  died  after  coming  home 
from  the  effects  of  yellow  fever,  contracted 
while  he  was  in  the  service  of  his  country. 
Jacob  Buetch  died  on  this  farm  August  19, 
1895,  having  survived  his  wife  since  May  14, 
1885.  They  both  were  most  worthy  people, 
kind,  ho.spitable,  frugal  and  industrious. 

Ernest  Buetch  was  mainly  educated  in  the 
district  schools  of  Coventry  Township  and 
had  one  winter's  schooling  at  Akron.  As  he 
grew  old  enough  he  had  to  help  his  step- 
brothers in  the  work  of  clearing  up  the  farm, 
and  on  the  death  of  his  father  this  property 
came  into  his  possession.  Since  1878  Mr, 
Buetch  has  made  a  feature  of  threshing,  and 
in  partnership  with  his  son,  owns  an  outfit, 
and  together  they  do  a  large  amount  of  busi- 
ness in  this  line.  For  about  eight  years  Mr. 
Buetch  operated  a  sawmill  in  addition  to 
carrying  on  a  general  agricultural  business. 

On  May  14,  1881,  Mr.  Buetch  was  married 
to  Sarah  J.  Renninger,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Solomon  and  Lavina  (Keppler)  Renninger, 
the  latter  of  whom  is  deceased.  They  have  two 
children :  William  F.  and  Emma  Lavina  The 
former  is  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
threshing  business  and  resides  at  home.  He 
married  Berdella  Verick. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Buetch  is  a  Democrat  and 
he  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  party  af- 
fairs in  this  neighborhood.  As  an  evidence 
of  the  confidence  which  his  fellow-citizens 
have  in  his  ability  and  integrity,  it  may  be 
.stated  that  he  held  the  important  office  of 
township  trustee  for  a  continuous  period  of 
ten  years,  with  the  exception  of  two  months. 
He  was  a  capable,  eflScient  and  honest  offi- 
cial. He  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  belongs  to 
Nemo  Lodge,  No.  746,  Akron. 

CHARLES'  A.  CALL,  general  farmer  and 
respected  citizen,  who  has  lived  on  his  pres- 
ent valuable  farm  of  185  acres,  which  is  sit- 
uated in  Stow  Township,  since  he  was  five 
years  of  age,  was  born  at  Darrowville,  Sum- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


955 


mit  County,  Ohio,  May  16,  1855.  He  is  a 
son  of  Moses  Danforth  and  Harriet  Maria 
(Starr)  Call. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Call  was  bom  July  12, 
1815,  at  Warner,  New  Hampshire,  and  died 
in  Ohio,  March  24,  1891.  He  was  reared  on 
his  father's  farm  and  attended  the  district 
schools.  In  1835  he  went  to  Boston,  Mas- 
sachusetts, where  he  made  his  living  peddling 
bread  until  1837,  when  he  started  on  a  jour- 
ney to  Peoria,  Illinois,  and  stopped  on  the 
way  to  visit  friends  in  Summit  County.  He 
was  so  pleased  with  what  he  saw  that  he  de- 
cided to  remain  and  make  thi.s  section  his 
home.  For  five  winters  he  taught  school  and 
for  fifteen  years  he  worked  at  the  cooper's 
trade,  running  a  shop  of  his  own  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  at  Darrowville,  where  he  em- 
ployed four  men.  In  1859  he  purchased  the 
farm  which  his  son  now  owns  and  moved  his 
shop  to  his  own  land.  Later,  he  undertook 
the  manufacturing  of  cheese,  which  industry 
he  carried  on  for  almost  twenty-five  years, 
continuing  until  1890,  and  was  the  principal 
owner  and  the  manager  of  the  Hudson  cheese 
factory.  He  was  an  earnest  Republican  and 
a  .stanch  supporter  of  the  Union  during  the 
Civil  War.  He  was  a  liberal  supporter  of 
educational  and  benevolent  enterprises  and 
was  held  in  the  highest  esteem.  For  forty- 
six  consecutive  years  he  served  as  a  justice  of 
the  peace  in  Stow  Township,  and  from  1877 
until  1883,  he  was  one  of  the  county  commis- 
sioners of  Summit  County.  He  was  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  Grange  movement  and  a 
member  of  that  body.  In  his  religious  belief 
he  was  a  Universalist. 

On  November  17,  1842,  Moses  Danforth 
Call  was  married  to  Harriet  Maria  Starr,  who 
wa.s  a  daughter  of  Josiah  Starr,  who  settled 
in  Stow  Township  in  1804.  She  died  June 
26,  1886,  aged  sixty-seven  years,  nine  months 
and  one  day.  She  was  the  loving,  devoted 
mother  of  four  children,  namely:  Mary  Lo- 
vina,  deceased,  who  married  G,  H.  O'Brien, 
of  Stow;  Emma  Augusta,  who  married  E.  A. 
Season,   of    Hudson ;    Ellen   Jo.sephine,  who 


married  L.  A.  Darrow,  of  Stow;  and  Charles 
A. 

Charles  A.  Call  was  five  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  came  to  the  farm  which  he  now 
owns  and  which  he  has  kept  intact,  with  the 
exception  of  five  acres,  taken  off  for  railroad 
purposes.  His  education  was  secured  in  the  dis- 
trict schools,  and  his  main  business  in  life  has 
been  farming  and  dealing  in  cattle.  He  de- 
voted two  years,  1892  and  1893,  to  the  cheese 
business,  but  has  no  interest  in  that  industry 
at  present.  He  cultivates  seventy  acres  of  his 
land,  raising  hay,  corn,  oats  and  wheat,  and 
at  all  times  requires  one  man's  assistance  in 
the  work.  Mr.  Call  has  two  silos  with  dimen- 
sions of  11  1-3  feet  in  diameter  and  29  feet  in 
depth.  Mr.  Call  is  one  of  the  agriculturists 
who  recognize  and  take  advantage  of  modern 
methods  and  improved  machinery. 

Mr.  Call  was  married  on  November  5,  1879, 
to  Olive  A.  Prior.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel Prior,  of  Northampton  Township.  They 
have  four  children :  Leland,  who  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Ohio  State  University,  is  an  in- 
structor in  an  agricultural  college  at  Manhat- 
tan, Kansa.s;  Florence,  who  married  George 
H.  Lodge;  and  Howard  M.  and  Fannie,  resid- 
ing at  home.  Mrs.  Call  belongs  to  the  Dis- 
ciples Church  at  Stow. 

Mr.  Call  is  a  Republican.  He  belong  to 
the  Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry  and  to  the 
Maccabees. 

ANDREW  A.  SPIELMAN.  farmer,  stock- 
raiser  and  dairyman,  residing  on  his  produc- 
tive farm  of  eighty  acres,  which  is  situated 
in  Northampton  Township,  was  born  October 
4.  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  .Jacob  and  Theresa 
("Schneider)  Spielman. 

Both  parents  of  Mr.  Spielman  were  born  in 
Germany,  the  father  in  1810,  and  the  mother 
in  1825.  .Jacob  Spielman  was  married  twice. 
His  first  wife  died  in  Germany  and  left  three 
children,  namely:  Mrs.  Victoria  Neff,  for- 
merly of  Cincinnati:  -Joseph;  and  Mrs.  Mary 
Pfaft,  residing  at  Cuba.  ICansas,  the  latter 
being  the  only  .survivor.  Joseph  Spielman 
then   moved   from   his    native    province    to 


956 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Bavaria,  where  be  followed  his  trade  of 
wagon-maker,  until  he  emigrated  to  America, 
after  which  lie  became  a  farmer.  He  bought 
lirst  a  farm  in  Portage  County,  on  which  he 
lived  some  years,  and  then  resided  in  various 
sections  before  he  settled  permanently  in 
Northampton  Township,  where  he  bought 
the  farm  on  which  Andrew  A.,  his  son,  was 
born  and  now  resides.  Jacob  Spielman  died 
on  this  farm  in  1866,  survived  by  his  widow 
until  September  8,  1905. 

Jacob  Spielman  married  (second)  Theresa 
Schneider,  who  was  born  in  Bavaria,  and  was 
a  daughter  of  John  Schneider.  They  had 
one  child  born  in  that  province,  Barbara, 
who  is  the  wife  of  John  Zimmerman,  of  Ak- 
ron. After  I'eaching  America,  seven  more 
children  were  added  to  the  family,  as  fol- 
loW'S:  John,  residing  in  Northampton  Town- 
ship; Philip,  residing  at  Cleveland;  Kath- 
erine,  who  married  Ernest  Moody,  residing  in 
Kent;  Amelia,  who  married  Henry  Murley, 
residing  at  Columbus;  Eva,  who  is  the  widow 
of  August  Waggoner,  residing  in  Kent ;  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  Barton  Hcwbridgo,  resid- 
ing at  Akron:  and  Andrew  A.,  residing  in 
Northampton  Township.  The  family  wns 
strictly  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Koman 
Catholic  Church. 

Andrew  A.  Spielman  lia.*  always  resided  on 
the  home  farm.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  hay 
and  wheat  raisers  of  this  section  and  feeds  his 
stock  his  corn  and  oats,  raising  fine  cattle  and 
many  hogs.  His  dairy  products,  especially 
his  superior  butter,  finds  a  ready  market  at 
Akron.  He  understands  how  to  make  every 
portion  of  his  land  repay  him  for  his  labor, 
and  this  is  successful  farming. 

Mr.  Spielman  has  a  very  pleasant  home 
circle.  He  married  Lucy  Leiser,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Peter  Leiser,  of  Akron,  and  they 
have  five  children:  Leo  B.,  Gertrude  A., 
Florence  A.,  .Tames  and  -Jacob  Albert.  Mr. 
Spielman,  with  liis  family,  belongs  to  St. 
Bernard  Catholic  Church.  Like  his  father 
before  him,  he  is  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.   . 


ri.LBERT  FETTE,  who  tills  the  ofhce  of 
deputy  revenue  collector,  has  been  a  resident 
of  Akron  since  1899,  but  his  place  of  birth 
was  Bremen,  Germany,  in  the  year  1839,  full 
twenty  years  before  the  birth  of  the  present 
brilliant,  masterful  German  emperor. 

Mr.  Fette  learned  the  cigar-making  trade 
in  his  native  land  and  when  he  was  twenty- 
one  year's  of  age  he  came  to  ^Vmerica  in  the 
hope  of  finding  better  opportunities  for  ad- 
vancement. He  remained  for  six  months  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  and  then  located  at 
Jamestown,  New  York,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  for  eighteen  months,  going  from 
there  to  Buffalo,  where  he  remained  until 
1862.  EiU'ly  in  that  year  he  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  Civil  War,  entering  Company 
H,  116th  Regiment,  New  York  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  remained  in  the  service  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  spending  a  pai't  of  the  period 
in  Virginia,  and  two  yeai-s  in  the  Red  River 
campaign,  then  returning  to  the  Shenandoah 
Valley.  He  was  seriously  wounded  in  the 
neck  at  Plain's  Store,  Louisiana,  and  was  con- 
fined- in  the  Lincoln  Hospital,  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  when  he  was  mustered  out.  "When 
sufficiently  recovered,  he  returned  to  BuA'alo, 
where  he  remained  until  186S,  going  then  to 
Warren,  Pennsylvania.  In  1873  he  settled 
at  Philadelphia,  removing  to  Little  Rock,  Ar- 
kansas, in  1877,  and  moving  from  there  in 
1880  to  Erie,  Pennsylvania.  A  year  later  he 
went  to  Denver,  Colorado,  and  remained  in 
that  section  for  seventeen  years.  He  was 
mainly  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cigars. 
For  one  year  prior  to  1889,  when  he  came  to 
.Vkron,  Mr.  Fette  resided  at  Vancouver,  Brit- 
i.-'h  Columbia.  For  the  past  five  years  he  has 
held  (he  office  of  deputy  revenue  collector 
of  the  Eighteenth  District  of  Ohio,  with  his 
h(^adquarters  at  Akron. 

In  LSrsl  Mr.  Fette  was  married  to  ]\Iiiinie 
Ernestine  Holtz,  who  died  in  1899.  Mr.  Fette 
has  been  a  very  active  Republican  for  many 
years.  He  belongs  to  Buckley  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternitv. 


HENUV  CLAJIKXCK  \IELE 


L.   H.  HORNER 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


9r)9 


LA  FAYETTE  H.  HORNER,  who  is  large- 
ly interested  in  Sunmiit  County  real  estate, 
has  been  a  resident  of  Akron  since  November, 
1890,  and  in  the  past  seventeen  years  h^as 
done  more  real  estate  dealing  than  any  other 
individual  in  this  city.  He  was  born  in  ISGl 
in  Northampton  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Uriah  R. 
Horner. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Horner  was  one  of  Sum- 
mit County's  most  respected  citizens.  He  waa 
born  in  Mahoning  County,  Ohio,  and  he  be- 
came a  successful  farmer  and  stockman  in 
Summit  County,  to  which  he  came  in  1856, 
where  he  died  in  1893. 

LaFayette  H.  Horner  remained  on  the 
home  farm  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of 
age,  in  the  meanwhile  obtaining  his  education 
in  the  district  schools  of  Northampton  Town- 
ship, afterward  spending  two  years  in  a 
nursery  business  in  Southern  Indiana  and 
Kentucky.  In  1890  he  came  to  Akron,  and 
on  a  venture  went  into  the  real  estate  business 
in  a  small  way,  shortly  afterward  finding 
himself  particularly  well  adapted  for  this  field 
of  work.  Mr.  Horner  bought  the  Coburn  al- 
lotment, making  of  this  one  of  the  greatest 
realty  successes  on  record,  distancing  all  com- 
petitors. In  1904  lie  huilt  thirty-two  new 
houses;  in  1906,  thirty-four,  and  in  1907,  the 
current  year,  forty  new  residences  have  been 
erected,  all  the  lots  in  this  large  body  of  land 
having  been  dispo.sed  of,  except  eighty-five, 
Mr.  Horner  deals  only  in  his  own  real  estate 
and  he  has  investments  all  over  the  city  and 
owns  also  county  property,  including  a  farm 
on  which  he  breeds  light  harness  horses  from 
first-class  stock.  Mr.  Horner,  is  an  excellent 
type  of  the  modern  business  man,  whose 
trained  faculties  respond  to  the  demands  made 
upon  them  without  interfering  with  his 
health  or  preventing  his  enjoyment  of  a 
rational  social  life. 

In  1897  Mr.  Horner  was  married  to  Inez 
C.  Hutchin,?on  and  they  have  three  children : 
Gladys  V.,  Fayette  H.'  and  Fern  Inez.  He 
is  a  member  and  liberal  supporter  of  Calvary 
Evangelical  Church.     His  only  fraternal  con- 


nection is  with  the  Akron  Lodge  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. 

HENRY  CLARENCE  VIELE,  retired, 
formerly  was  identified  with  the  basiness  and 
official  life  of  both  Akron  and  Summit 
County.  Mr.  Viele  was  born  in  Washing- 
ton County,  New  York,  October  29,  1841, 
and  is  a  son  of  Hiram  and  Abby  M.  (McFar- 
land)    Viele. 

In  the  spring  of  1842,  the  parents  of  Mr. 
X'iele  settled  in  Akron,  and  he  was  educated 
in  this  city.  When  sixteen  years  old  he  be- 
gan clerking  in  the  old  stone  mill,  of  which 
his  father  was  superintendent.  He  subse- 
quently left  that  business  in  order  to  enter 
the  army,  enlisting  in  1864,  in  Company  F, 
164th  Regiment,  0.  Y.  I.,  which  was  sta- 
tioned at  Fort  Corcoran,  Arlington  Heights, 
during  the  whole  of  his  100  days  term  of 
service.  Upon  his  return  to  Akron  he  en- 
tered the  sendee  of  the  Merchants'  Union  E.x- 
]>ress  Company  and  a  year  later  became 
ticket  agent  for  the  C.  A.  &  C.  Railroad. 
Subsequently  he  become  interested  with  his 
father  in  a  flour  and  feed  bu.siness. 

In  1868,  Mr.  Veile  was  engaged  to  assist 
the  city  and  county  in  making  up  the  du- 
idicate  tax  lists,  and  later  was  connected 
with  the  county  treasurer's  office  for  some 
time.  In  February,  1872,  he  was  appointed 
county  recorder  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by 
the  death  of  the  incumbent  of  "that  office, 
and  he  served  out  that  term  and  then  served 
as  deputy  county  treasurer  until  1878.  Mr. 
Viele's  management  of  that  office  elevated 
him  in  public  esteem  and  in  1878  he  was 
elected  county  treasurer  of  Summit  County; 
being  re-elected  in  1880,  he  held  the  oflfice 
for  four  years.  The  records  of  tho.se  years 
testify  to  Mr.  Viele's  efficiency  as  a  public 
officer.  He  then  became  teller  in  the  Citi- 
zens' Savings  and  Loan  Association,  serving 
until  1887 ;  he  was  a.ssistant  trea<urer  until 
1888,  and  from  then  until  he  retired  from 
lnL*ine.s.s  activity,  he  was  treasurer  of  the  as- 
sociation . 

On  October  16,  1873,  Mr.  Viele  was  mar- 
ried to  Elizabeth  F.  Mack,  of  Flatbush.  Long 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Island,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Fanny 
M.  Mrs.  Viele  died  November  14,  1898. 
Mr.  Viele  resides  at  No.  550  East  Market 
street  Akron.  As  one  of  the  older  resi- 
dents of  this  city,  Mr.  Viele  has  been  con- 
nected with  its  development,  and  has  always 
done  his  part  as  a  man  of  broad  views  and 
public  spirit.  He  belongs  to  Buckley  Post, 
G.  A.  R.,  at  Akron. 

JOHN  C.  HERBRUCK,  fruit  and  dairy 
farmer,  residing  in  Northampton  Township 
on  his  valuable  fiu'in  of  lo9  acres,  was  born 
near  Hartville,  Stark  County,  Ohio,  October 
11,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Philip  and  Eliza- 
beth (Oberling)  Herbiiick. 

Jacob  Herbruck,  the  grandfather,  was  born 
in  Steinhauser,  Rheinfalz,  Bavaria,  Germany, 
and  died  in  1865,  aged  seventy-two  years.  In 
1817  he  married  Maria  Garman,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  Christian  Garman,  and  they  had 
nine  children,  namely:  Maria  Elizabeth, 
Jacob,  Henry,  Katerina,  Philip,  Daniel,  Eliza- 
beth, Mary  and  Ludwig.  Jacob  Herbruck 
was  a  .son  of  Herbruck  Von  Herbruck,  of  Hol- 
land origin.  This  prefix  of  von,  it  appeares, 
can  be  sold,  carrying  mth  it  a  title  to  office, 
and  when  the  great-grandfather  became  some- 
what impoverished,  he  disposed  of  the  von 
and  the  name  has  since  been  plain  Herbruck, 
and  as  such,  in  America,  has  carried  with  it 
enough  distinction.  It  is  borne  worthily  by 
the  present  generation.  Grandfather  Her- 
bruck was  a  soldier  imder  the  great  Napoleon, 
when  he  was  preparing  for  the  memorable  in- 
vasion of  Russia.  In  1854  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica and  settled  in  Lake  Township,  Stark 
County,  Ohio.  He  and  wife  both  belonged  to 
the  German  Reformed  Church. 

Philip  Herbruck,  father  of  .John  C,  is  a 
retired  resident  of  Akron.  'He  was  born  in 
Rheinfalz.  Germany,  September  26,  1826,  and 
attended  school  in  his  native  neighborhood 
until  it  was  time  to  learn  a  self-supporting 
trade.  He  cho.se  that  of  frescoe  painting  and 
worked  at  the  same  until  1848,  when  he  was 
led  into  joining  the  Revolutionary  party  and 
was  chosen  captain   of  150  men.    These  he 


drilled  from  one  spring  until  the  latter  part 
of  August,  and  when  the  Revolution  was  over 
he,  with  other  leaders  in  the  movement,  left 
Germany.  He  came  to  America  in  1849  and 
■settled  first  at  Canton,  Ohio,  removing  later 
to  New  Berlin,  where  he  worked  as  a  wagon- 
maker  until  1851,  when  he  went  to  New 
Salem,  and  in  the  following  year  to  Middle- 
bury,  then  to  Uniontown,  and  in  1853  to 
Hartville,  Lake  Township,  Stark  County, 
where  he  started  into  business  for  himself. 
.Vfter  his  marriage  he  conducted  his  wife's 
farm  in  addition  to  working  in  his  shop.  In 
1867  he  bought  the  farm  in  Northampton 
Township,  which  is  occupied  by  his  son,  John 
C,  which  he  operated  until  1887,  when  he 
retired  to  Akron. 

On  January  4,  1852,  Philip  Herbruck  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Oberling)  Hassler, 
who  was  born  June  17,  1823,  in  Cocalico 
Township,  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania, 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  Oberling,  later  of  Jack- 
son Township,  Stark  County,  Ohio.  She  was 
three  years  old  when  her  parents  moved  to 
Stark  County,  where  her  father  subsequently 
became  the  owner  of  400  acres  of  land.  He 
was  a  son  of  Michael  and  Annie  Oberling.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Runk,  also  of  Cocalico 
Township,  Lancaster  County,  and  he  died  in 
July,  1850,  aged  sixty-three  years.  Mrs.  Her- 
bruck's  first  marriage  was  to  Daniel  Hassler, 
October  22, 1844.  Of  the  three  children  born  to 
that  union,  but  one  was  reared,  namely,  Dan- 
iel Hassler,  now  of  Portage  Township.  There 
were  eight  children  born  to  Philip  Herbruck 
and  wife,  namely:  Cecelia  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Charles  Schumaker,  of  Bnrberton; 
Caroline,  who  married  Daniel  Motz,  of  North- 
ampton ;  Sarah,  who  married  Theodore  Traut- 
man,  of  Cleveland;  John  C. ;  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried Christian  Zimmer,  of  Akron :  William, 
residing  at  Akron ;  and  two  decea.sed.  Mrs. 
Herbruck  is  a  member  of  the  First  German 
Reformed  Church,  which  Mr.  Herbruck  also 
attends,  and  to  which  he  gives  support.  Mr. 
Herbnick  is  notably  a  Christian  man,  al- 
thoiigh  he  is  identified  with  no  denomination. 
He  is  liberal-minded  enough  to  see  good  in 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


901 


every  religion  and  a  large  part  of  his  time  is 
passed  in  visiting  the  ill  and  sufiFeriug,  read- 
ing the  Scriptures  to  those  who  will  listen, 
and  carrying  cheer  to  many  a  sick  bed.  He 
is  widely  known  and  much  beloved. 

John  C.  Herbruck  was  two  years  old  when 
his  parents  moved  to  the  southern  part  of 
Northampton  Township  and  settled  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  resides.  He  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  has  been  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  from  early  youth,  al- 
ways making  his  home  on  the  present  farm. 
Of  his  139  acres  he  has  100  under  cultiva- 
tion. For  many  years  the  farm  was  con- 
ducted almost  entirely  as  a  dairy  farm  and  he 
keeps  about  twenty  head  of  cattle.  In  1901 
he  purchased  an  Akron  milk  route  and  mar- 
kets his  milk  in  that  city  very  profitably,  in 
fact,  has  a  demand  rather  larger  than  he  can 
supply.  His  milk  is  obtained  from  fine,  pure- 
bred Holstein  cows.  Mr.  Herbruck  raises 
some  400  bushels  of  wheat  annually  in  addi- 
tion to  hay,  oats,  com  and  other  products  and 
he  has  had  a  silo  constructed,  thirty  feet  in 
depth,  and  sixteen  feet  in  diameter. 

There  are  so  many  interesting  activities  go- 
ing on  on  Mr.  Herbruck's  farm  that  a  visitor 
is  plea«ureably  surprised  as  well  as  instructed. 
One  of  these  is  the  raising  of  ginseng  for 
medicinal  purposes.  His  large  garden  de- 
voted to  producing  this  valuable  root  shows 
the  plant  in  its  various  stages.  One  reason 
why  it  is  not  generally  raised  is  that  it  re- 
quires a  great  deal  of  patient  care  before  it 
can  be  harvested.  One  and  one-half  years 
are  required  for  the  tiny  seeds  to  .sprout,  and 
there  must  be  a  growth  of  five -years  before 
the  product  is  ready  to  market.  Another  suc- 
cessful industrv  carried  on  here  is  the  raising 
of  bees.  Mr.  Herbruck  having  about  seventy- 
five  hives,  each  one  of  which  averages  an  an- 
nual product  of  fifty  pounds  of  choice  honey. 
It  is  Mr.  Herbnick's  d&«ire  to  eventually  con- 
vert his  farm  into  a  great  fruit  garden,  and 
he  is  graduallv  workins:  to  that  end.  He  has 
a  fine  orchard  of  Baldwin  apple  trees,  some 
of  which  are  already  bearing,  and  is  also  set- 
tine;  out  choice  varieties,  suitable  to  the  cli- 


mate of  pear,  peach,  plum  and  cherry  trees. 
The  buildings  and  surroundings  are  all  ad- 
mirable and  substantial.  In  1879  the  father 
of  Mr.  Herbruck  put  up  the  great  barn  with 
dimensions  of  36  by  70  feet,  supported  by  18- 
foot  posts.  The  comfortable  and  attractive 
home  was  built  in  1872,  and  the  grounds  have 
been  under  a  course  of  improvement  ever 
since. 

Mr.  Herbruck  married  Huldah  Bauer,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  George  Bauer,  and  was  born 
at  Sandusky,  Ohio.  George  Bauer  was  born 
in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  in  1810,  and 
died  in  January,  1892.  He  came  to  America 
and  settled  at  Sandusky,  Ohio,  where  he  es- 
tablished himself  in  the  business  of  wagon- 
making,  taking  in  as  partners  his  sons,  Au- 
gust, Theophilus  and  Reinbold,  who  later 
succeeded  to  the  business,  and  still  carry  it  on 
under  the  firm  name  of  Bauer  Bros.  The 
father  then  turned  his  attention  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits  and  on  his  place  utilized  ten 
acres  in  a  vineyard.  He  was  married  three 
times.  The  children  of  his  first  marriage 
were  August  and  Mary.  The  second  wife 
died  without  issue.  He  married  (third)  Caro- 
line Stradtman,  who  was  born  in  Minden, 
Prussia,  and  to  this  union  there  were  bom 
four  children:  Theophilus,  Huldah,  Rein- 
hold,  and  a  babe  that  died. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herbmck  have  six  children, 
five  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely:  George 
P..  Clara  Elizabeth,  Arthur,  Edward,  John 
and  Harry.  All  have  been  given  educational 
advantages  and  the  daughter's  musical  talent 
has  been  developed. 

The  family  belong  tn  Grace  Reformed 
Church  at  Akron. 

JOHN  BEESE.  proprietor  of  a  meat  mar- 
ket at  No.  1138  South  Main  Street,  Akron,  ia 
one  of  the  substantial  men  and  enterprising 
citizens  of  this  place.  Mr.  Beese  was  bom 
at  Thoma.stown."  Summit  County,  Ohio,  in 
1869.  and  is  a  -son  of  .John  Beese.  The  father 
of  Mr.  Beese.  who  died  at  .Akron  in  1893.  was 
a  well  known  and  highly  regarded  citizen. 
He  was  born  in  Wales  and  came  to  Summit 


962 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


County  in  1853.  For  many  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  a  coal  business,  operating  a  mine 
at  Thomastown  and  later  the  Summit  Coal 
Company's  mine  near  the  Reservoir. 

John  Beese,  second,  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  neighborhood  and,  after 
leaving  school,  was  a  clerk  in  a  shoe  store  for 
six  years.  In  1896  he  opened  his  present 
market  and  has  given  it  his  main  attention 
ever  since,  conducting  a  first-class  establish- 
ment and  supplying  a  fine  line  of  custom- 
ers. His  quarters  are  sanitary  and  his  stock 
includes  everything  in  his  line.  Mr.  Beese 
Ls  one  of  the  directors  in  the  South  Akron 
Banking  Company.  In  1S99  Mr.  Beese  was 
married  to  Mary  E.  Bernell.  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Edward  Bernell,  and  they  have 
two  bright,  intelligent  boys.  .John  Frederick 
and  George  William.  Mr.  Beese  is  an  Odd 
Fellow. 

JACOB  HIMELRIGHT,  a  leading  agri- 
culturist of  Portage  Township,  residing  on 
his  farm  of  142  acres,  which  is  situated  on 
the  Copley  road,  about  two  miles  west  of  Ak- 
ron, was  born  in  Green  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  May  26,  1839.  His  jmrents 
were  John  and  Catherine  (Hinkey)  Himel- 
right. 

The  grandparents  of  Jacob  Himelright 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  settled  at 
East  Liberty,  Green  Township,  Summit  Coun- 
ty, when  they  came  to  Ohio,  and  there  John 
Himelright  was  born.  He  followed  farming 
all  his  active  life. 

Jacob  Himelright  grew  up  on  his  father's 
farm  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  When  twenty-six  years  of  age, 
he  married  Lavina  Baughman,  and  they  had 
seven  children  born  to  them  as  follows:  Mil- 
ton, who  resides  in  Medina  County,  Ohio ;  Al- 
ton ;  Irvin ;  Joseph ;  Clara,  who  married  Fred- 
erick Bninskill,  is  deceased ;  Elsie,  who  mar- 
ried William  Carpenter;  and  Orlie,  who  died 
in  boyhood.  The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Himel- 
right died  March  19,  1893,  and  he  was  mar- 
ried (.second)  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Foast) 
Squires,  who  was  Ijorn  and  reared  in  Coventry 


Township,  Sununit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  George  Foust,  and  was  the  widow 
of  Martin  Squires.  She  had  seven  children 
by  her  first  marriage,  namely :  Martha,  who 
married  John  Kendall;  George;  Cora,  who 
married  Eugene  Parker;  Amanda,  who  mar- 
ried Bert  Taylor;  Delia,  who  married  Ellis 
Adair;  Albert;  and  Franklin,  who  died  aged 
eight  months. 

In  1874  Jacob  Himelright  purchased  a 
farm  of  eighty-five  acres,  in  Copley  Town- 
ship, on  which  he  resided  for  a  time  and  then 
sold  it  and  bought  one  of  182  acres,  which 
was  located  one  mile  east  of  his  present  farm. 
AVlicn  Mr.  Himelright  took  po.-isesison  of  his 
farm  of  142  acres,  in  1902,  his  son  Jo.seph 
settled  on  the  other  farm.  He  owns  another 
farm  north  of  Akron,  consisting  of  eighty- 
five  acres.  Mr.  Himelright  has  shown  good 
judgment  in  making  his  investments  and 
owns  some  of  the  best  land  in  Portage  Town- 
ship. He  carries  on  general  farming  and 
stockrai.9ing.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  Copley  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee. 

Alton  Himelright,  the  second  son  of  Jacob 
Himelright,  resides  on  a  fine  farm  of  eighty- 
five  acres  in  Portage  Township,  which  ia 
owned  bj'  his  father,  but  which  has  been  un- 
der his  care  since  1889.  He  was  born  at  Ea-^t 
Lil^erty,  Green  Township,  Summit  County. 
Jainiary  1,  1865.  When  he  was  seven  years 
old  his  parents  moved  from  Green  Township 
to  Copley  Township,  where  his  father  bought 
a  farm,  north  of  Copley  Center,  on  which  the 
family  lived  for  three  years.  He  then  pur- 
chased another  farm  on  which  they  lived  for 
twenty-,six  j'ears.  In  1902  Mr.  Himelright's 
father  settled  on  his  present  farm  in  Portage 
Township,  but  Alton  continued  to  live  in 
Copley  until  1889,  when  he  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  Scheck,  who  is  a  daughter  of  .Jacob 
Scheck,  an  early  settler  of  Portage  Township. 
Following  marriage.  Alton  Himelright  and 
wife  settled  on  the  farm  where  he  has  since 
engaged  in  a  general  line  of  agriculture.  He 
has  made  many  improvements  on  the  place 
which  have  greatly  added  to  its  value.    He  has 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


963 


four  children:  Ravinond,  Mamie,  Elsie  and 
Floyd. 

Irvin  J.  Himelright,  the  third  son  of  Jacob 
Hinielright,  wa.s  born  at  East  Liberty,  Green 
Township,  Summit  Count}',  Ohio,  November 
20,  1867.  He  resides  on  a  part  of  his  fath- 
er's home  farm  and  operates  the  whole  of  the 
142  acres.  He  has  made  a  reputation  a.<  a 
good  farmer  by  the  intelligent  agricultural 
methods  he  has  followed,  resulting  in 
abundant  crops. 

May  4,  1897,  Mr.  Himelright  was  married 
to  Ida  Scheck,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Scheck.  The  Scheck  family  is  a  prominent 
one  in  Portage  Township.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Himelright  have  four  children :  Ruth,  Mabel, 
Jacob  and  Elno.  The  Himelright  family  has 
never  taken  any  verj'  active  intere.«t  in  poli- 
tics, but  when  matters  of  public  importance 
come  up  they  are  usually  consulted  and  are 
always  found  to  be  willing  to  do  their  full 
share.  They  are  estimable,  first-class  citizens, 
industrious,  careful  and  fnigal  and  devoted 
to  their  homes  and  families, 

STEPHEN  HENRY  HORN,  market  gar- 
dener, residing  at  No.  330  Merriman  Street, 
just  inside  the  limits  of  Akron,  is  the  owner 
and  operator  of  a  fine  truck  farm  of  nine  and 
one-quarter  acres,  on  Merriman  road,  just  out- 
side the  city  limits.  Mr.  Horn  was  born  on 
West  Market  Street,  Akron,  September  10, 
1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Stephen  .Tackson  and 
Elizabeth  Ruth   (Robin.son)    Horn. 

Stephen  Jackson  Horn,  who  was  a  native 
of  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania,  came  to 
Portage  Township  where  he  resided  while  he 
engaged  in  a  grocery  business  in  Akron,  and 
later  followed  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  de- 
voted his  spare  time  to  gardening  on  his  own 
land,  where  he  died  August  25.  1895.  In  his 
younger  days  Mr.  Horn  had  been  a  school 
teacher,  and  among  his  pupils  was  Elizabeth 
Ruth  Robinson,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Tyler 
Robinson,  and  to  thL«  young  lady  Mr.  Horn 
was  later  married.  They  had  eight  children, 
seven  of  whom,  with  Mrs.  Horn,  survive. 

Stephen  HenrA-  Horn  was  reared  and  edu- 


cated in  Portage  Township,  where  he  has  al- 
ways resided,  w-ith  the  exception  of  two  years, 
during  which  he  traveled  for  an  installment 
company.  In  1877,  in  association  with  his 
brother,  James  William  Horn,  he  engaged  in 
the  trucking  business,  one  which  had  been 
founded  by  their  father,  but  in  1904  the 
partnership  was  dissolved,  and  since  that 
time  Mr.  Horn  has  continued  in  this  business 
alone.  He  finds  a  ready  wholesale  market  at 
Akron.     Mr.  Horn  has  never  married. 

EUGENE  A.  HAWKINS,  treasurer  of  the 
Sununit  Rural  Telephone  Company,  is  one  of 
the  leading  men  of  Copley  Township,  a  large 
owner  of  farming  land  and  proprietor  of  a 
business  at  Copley  Center,  where  he  handles 
coal,  farming  implements,  wagons,  cement 
and  particularly  fertilizers,  devoting  his  per- 
sonal attention  almost  exclusively  to  selling 
the  latter  commodity.  He  resides  on  forty 
acres  of  his  land,  the  home  farm  being  sit- 
uated on  the  south  side  of  the  Bath  and  Cop- 
ley Township  road,  about  nine  miles  west  of 
Akron.  His  other  farm,  containing  sixty- 
.seven  acres,  lies  west  of  this  place.  Mr.  Haw- 
kins was  born  on  his  present  farm,  June  28, 
1854,  and  is  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Matilda 
(Hubbard)  Hawkins. 

Samuel  Hawkins,  the  grandfather,  came 
from  Connecticut  to  Copley  Township,  at  an 
early  day,  and  .spent  the  rest  of  his  life  on  his 
pioneer  farm.  George  W.  Hawkins,  father  of 
Eugene  A.,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in 
Copley  Township,  in  which  he  spent  the 
whole  of  his  life.  He  assisted  his  father  to 
clear  the  land,  and  frequently  told  his  chil- 
dren of  how  in  early  days  he  followed  a 
blazed  trail  to  the  village  of  Akron,  carrying 
grain  to  and  from  the  mill.  He  always  en- 
gaged in  general  farming,  and  during  the 
Civil  War  he  also  did  some  garden  tnicking. 
lie  married  Matilda  Hubbard,  who  was  born 
in  Copley  Township,  of  parents  who  came  to 
Ohio  from  \'ermont.  After  marriage  they 
settled  on  the  farm  which  is  now  the  property 
of  Eugene  A.  Hawkins,  and  cleared  a  part  of 
the  land,  living  here  until  death.    Mrs.  Haw- 


964 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


kins  died  December  5,  1886,  aged  seventy 
years,  and  he  survived  her  for  ten  years.  They 
had  five  children,  namely :  Adelia,  who  died 
young;  Eliza,  deceased,  who  married  AVarren 
Miller;  Alice,  who  married  Dr.  A.  0.  Hunt- 
ley ;  George,  who  died  aged  twenty-five  years ; 
and  Eugene  A.  There  was  an  adopted  daugh- 
ter, Clarinda  Blair,  who  married  Horace 
Dunsha. 

After  his  marriage,  Eugene  A.  Hawkins 
went  to  housekeeping  on  a  farm  near  the 
home  place,  of  which  he  has  had  charge  from 
maturity.  In  1S92  he  was  engaged  as  local 
agent  for  the  S.  M.  Hess  &  Bro.  firm,  of 
Philadelphia,  fertilizer  manufacturers.  Mr. 
Hawkins  accepted  the  agency  of  only  Bath 
and  Copley  Townships  at  first,  but  he  made 
such  progress  in  his  sales  that  more  territory 
was  added,  until  now  he  has  control  for  the 
company,  of  territory  covering  Summit,  Me- 
dina, Wayne,  Cuyahoga,  Portage,  Ashtabula, 
Geauga,  Ashland,  Erie  and  the  north  half  of 
Stark  Counties.  This  large  territory  requires 
Mr.  Hawkins  to  practically  give  all  his  time 
to  advancing  the  interests  of  this  company. 
He  is  a  man  of  excellent  business  foresight. 
In  1903  he  operated  a  coal  and  fertilizer  busi- 
ness of  his  own  at  Copley  Center,  and  in  the 
same  year  admitted  Newton  Smith  to  part- 
nership, but  later  bought  Mr.  Smith's  stock 
and  took  in  his  son-in-law,  Homer  A.  Swigart. 
The  latter  attends  to  the  business  at  Copley 
Center  while  Mr.  Hawkins  continues  on  the 
road.  Mr.  Hawkins  was  the  first  dealer  to 
handle  coal  in  this  township,  and  in  1906  he 
sold  over  3,000  tons.  He  has  an  admirable 
business  location,  right  adjacent  to  the  North- 
ern Ohio  Eailroad.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hawkins 
own  a  one-half  interest  in  the  Summit  Rural 
Telephone  Company,  of  which  he  is  treasurer, 
W.  F.  Laubach  being  president  and  general 
manager. 

On  January  1,.  1878,  Mr.  Hawkins  was 
married  to  Juvie  Colson,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Orren  and  Valencia  Colson,  and  they  have 
three  children:  Jessie,  Mabel  and  Ruth.  The 
eldest  daughter  married  Prof.  H.  0.  Bolich, 
who  is  principal  of  the  Cuyahoga  Falls  High 


School.  Mabel,  the  second  daughter,  married 
Homer  A.  Swigart,  who  is  in  partnership,  at 
Copley  Center,  with  Mr.  Hawkins.  They 
have  two  children :    Alverda  and  Alice. 

In  political  sentiment,  Mr.  Hawkins  is  a 
Republican  and  he  was  one  of  the  building 
committee  for  the  Centralized  School  of  Cop- 
ley Township.  With  his  family,  he  belongs 
to  the  Disciples  Church. 

A.  E.  LYMAN,  vice  president  and  general 
manager  of  the  Lyman  Lumber  Company,  of 
Akron,  with  offices  on  South  Main  Street,  is 
interested  in  an  industry  which  is  of  large 
importance  in  this  section.  Mr.  Lyman  has 
been  a  resident  of  Akron  for  eighteen  years, 
but  he  was  born  in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio, 
in  1853. 

Mr.  Lyman  was  four  years  old  when  his 
parents  moved  to  Tallmadge,  Summit  County, 
where  he  was  reared  and  educated.  In  1876 
he  went  to  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business  until  1889. 
He  then  returned  to  Akron,  still  carrying  on 
the  same  line  of  business,  and  subsequently 
established  the  Lyman  Lumber  Company,  an 
organization  which  deals  in  all  kinds  of  lum- 
ber. He  has  occupied  his  present  location 
since  1897.  From  his  many  years'  expe- 
rience in  this  line,  Mr.  Lyman  has  become  an 
expert  in  both  soft  and  hard  lumber  and  his 
advice  on  the  subject  is  frequently  sought  by 
his  patrons. 

In  1876,  Mr.  Lyman  was  married  to  Alice 
Bierce,  who  is  a  daughter  of  L.  B.  Bierce,  of 
Tallmadge,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  that  locality. 
They  have  one  son,  Lucius  B.,  who  is  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  the  lumber  business. 
Mr.  Lyman  is  a  member  of  the  First  Congre- 
gational Church  at  Akron  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Deacons. 

C.  F.  ADAMSON,  a  mechanical  and  elec- 
trical engineer,  with  offices  in  the  Hamilton 
Building,  Akron,  has  made  great  strides  in 
his  profession,  reaching  a  position  of  respoi. 
sibility  in  spite  of  his  youth,  which  men  have 
not  attained  who  have  ^ven  a  much  longer 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


965 


period  to  study  and  practice.  From  boyhood 
he  has  displayed  a  natural  leaning  in  the  di- 
rection of  this  profession  and  his  main  lisi; 
of  efforth  has  been  so  projected. 

C.  F.  Adamson  was  born  at  Carlton,  Ohio, 
in  1882,  but  from  childhood  he  was  rear-jd 
in  Akron.  After  completing  the  High  School 
course  in  this  city,  he  spent  some  years  gain- 
ing practical  experience  in  the  shops  of  his 
father,  A.  Adamson,  a  leading  business  man 
and  manufacturer  at  Akron.  He  afterwards 
devoted  several  years  to  obtaining  a  wide 
engineering  experience,  occupying  responsible 
positions  with  many  prominent  concerns 
through  the  country.  For  some  time  he  was 
engaged  in  machine  tool  designing,  being 
retained  by  the  Pittsburg  Machine  Tool  Com- 
pany as  chief  designer.  In  1900  he  was  in 
charge  of  the  construction  and  equipment  of 
the  plant  of  the  Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool 
Company,  at  Franklin,  Pa.,  also  giving  much 
time  to  the  designing  of  their  air  compressors 
and  other  products.  He  became  connected 
with  the  engineering  department,  Carnegi'^ 
Steel  Company,  in  1902,  and,  after  serving 
two  years,  he  established  an  engineering  of- 
fice at  Akron  in  1904. 

Mr.  Adamson  has  devoted  his  time  to  gen- 
eral engineering  practice,  inventions  and  re- 
search, and  he  has  made  many  valuable  im- 
provements in  labor  saving  machinery.  As 
consulting  engineer,  he  is  engaged  by  a  num- 
ber of  the  large  manufacturing  concerns 
throughout  the  country,  and  his  services  are 
in  great  demand  for  the  designing  of  new 
machinery,  and  manufacturing  plants.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  American  Society  of  Me- 
chanical Engineers.  In  1902  Mr.  Adamson 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  M.  O'Donovan,  of 
Franklin,  Pa.  He  is  a  member  of  the  First 
Church  of  Christ. 


Akron,  AjDril  16,  ISlJj,  and  is  a  son  of  .lack- 
son  and  Elizabeth   (Robinson)   Horn. 

Jackson  Horn,  who  was  an  early  pioneer 
from  Pennsylvania,  had  been  a  school  teacher 
in  his  younger  days,  but  later  engaged  in 
carpenter  work  and  in  gardening.  His  death 
occurred  in  Portage  Township,  Summit 
County,  in  1895.  Mr.  Horn  and  his  wife, 
who  had  been  one  of  his  pupils  at  school, 
became  the  parents  of  eight  children,  seven  of 
whom  still  survive. 

James  William  Horn  was  reared  in  Port- 
age Township,  and  after  leaving  the  country 
schools  became  a  farm  hand.  He  continued 
to  work  on  different  farms  until  about  1877, 
when,  with  his  brother  Stephen  Henry  Horn, 
he  took  charge  of  the  gardening  business 
which  had  been  started  by  their  father,  and 
they  continued  as  partners  until  1904,  when 
.James  W.  Horn  engaged  in  business  on  his 
own  account.  He  purchased  eight  and  one- 
half  acr&s  of  land,  and  in  addition  to  the 
two  and  one-half  acres  owned  by  his  sons, 
he  rents  a  tract  of  100  acres  across  the  road 
from  his  home,  and  cultivates  it  all,  twenty 
acres  of  this  being  laid  out  in  a  truck  farm, 
which  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  county.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  small  vegetables,  and 
raises  about  40,000  head  of  cabbage  annually. 
He  sells  by  wholesale  through  Akron,  em- 
ploys six  hands  and  runs  two  wagons.  In 
1908,  Mr.  Horn  erected  his  present  beautiful 
residence. 

On  September  19,  1886,  Mr.  Horn  was  mar- 
ried to  Bessie  May  Harris,  who  was  born  in 
Bath  Township,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Edward 
Harris.  They  have  six  children,  as  follows: 
Percy  J.,  who  married  Delia  Hill,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  Hill ;  Esther,  who  is  the 
wife  of  George  B.  Replogle,  has  one  child, 
Margaret;  and  Ralph,  James,  Jay  and  Earl. 


JAMES  WILLIAM  HORN,  a  highly  es- 
teemed citizen  of  Portage  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  whose  fine  truck  and  gar- 
den farm  on  Merriman  Street,  is  situated 
about  one-half  mile  from  the  limits  of  Akron. 
was  born  on  what  is  now  West  Market  Street, 


WILLIAM  CLERKIN,  president  and  gen- 
eral manager  of  the  Taplin,  Rice,  Clerkin 
Company,  of  Akron,  one  of  the  city's  large 
and  flourishing  industries,  with  factories  in 
Akron,  is  a  man  of  much  business  enterprise 
and  is  identified  with  other  successful  con- 


966 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


cerns  of  this  section.  Mr.  Clerkin  was  born 
at  Hudson,  Ohio,  February  14,  1860,  and  is 
a  son  of  Patrick  Clerkin.  The  father  of  Mr. 
Clerkin  was  born  in  Ireland.  He  settled  near 
Hudson,  Ohio,  in  1852,  and  there  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death,  in  1880. 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  yeart:. 

William  Clerkin  received  his  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  Hudson  Township. 
Western  Reserve  Academy  and  Buchtel  Col- 
lege, where  he  graduated  in  1887.  He  fol- 
lowed school-teaching  for  some  years  after 
completing  his  own  education,  his  first  school 
being  in  a  little  cabin  schoolhouse,  which  In/ 
had  attended  in  his  youth.  In  1890  he  be- 
came connected  with  the  firm  of  May  &  Fiebe- 
ger,  at  Akron,  with  which  he  continued  for 
five  years,  during  that  time  thoroughly  learn- 
ing the  furnace  business.  In  December,  1894. 
with  other  capitalists,  he  organized  the  Twen- 
tieth Century  Heating  and  Ventilating  Com- 
pany, for  the  manufacture  of  a  full  line  of 
heating  furnaces.  He  sold  his  interests  in 
that  company  in  1907  and  organized  the  Tap- 
lin.  Rice,  Clerkin  Company  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $250,000.  The  Taplin,  Rice,  Clerkin 
Company  has  two  factories  and  employs  300 
"men.  The  offices  of  this  company  are :  Wil- 
liam Clerkin,  president  and  general  manager; 
C.  B.  Raymond,  vice-president ;  Edward  Crow, 
secretary;  and  C.  N.  Belden,  treasurer.  Mr. 
Clerkin  is  also  a  director  of  the  Akron  Peo- 
ple's Telephone  Company,  the  People's  Sav- 
ings Bank  and  a  director  and  trustee  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  Building. 
Mr.  Clerkin  is  active  in  politics  to  the  extent 
of  good  citizen.*hip. 

In  1890  Mr.  Clerkin  was  married  to  Eliza- 
beth Shields  of  Cleveland,  and  they  have  a 
family  of  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  as 
follows:  William,  Harold,  Leonard,  Paul, 
Cyril,  Irene.  Aiuia  and  Bessie.  Mr.  Clerkin 
and  family  belong  to  St.  Vincent  De  Paul's 
Catholic  Church  of  Akron. 

CHARLES  ARTHUR  CARTER,  one  of 
the  well-known  and  highly  re.ipected  citizens 
of  Northampton  Township, I'esiding  on  his  val- 


uable fann  of  fifty-six  acres,  where,  with  the 
able  assistance  of  his  son,  he  engages  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  dairying,  was  born  in  Bos- 
ton Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  Novem- 
ber 28,  1851.  His  parents  were  William  and 
Evelyn   (Gillett)   Carter. 

The  first  of  the  Carter  family  to  come  to 
this  section  of  Ohio  was  William  Carter,  the 
grandfather  of  Charles  A.,  who  settled  in 
Hudson  Township.  He  married  Betsey  Mays 
and  tlieir  wedding  was  the  first  ever  celebrated 
in  Boston  Township.  He  owned  a  good  farm 
but  did  not  develop  it  to  any  degree,  his  tastes 
lying  more  in  the  direction  of  hunting  and 
fishing.     He  served  in  the  War  of  1812. 

William  Carter  (2),  father  of  Charles  Ar- 
thur, was  born  in  Boston  Township,  Summit 
County,  and  died  in  1890,  aged  sixty-seven 
years.  For  a  considerable  part  of  his  life 
he  owned  and  operated  boats  on  the  Ohio 
Canal.  He  owned  a  farm  in  Richfield  Town- 
ship, which  was  mainly  managed  by  his  sons. 
He  married  Evelyn  Gillett,  of  Richfield 
Township,  and  they  had  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Julia,  who  married  Charles  Meade,  re- 
sides at  Everett;  Charles  A.,  resides  in  North- 
ampton Township ;  William  is  deceased ;  Al- 
bert resides  in  Northampton  Township ;  Ed- 
win is  a  resident  of  Northfield;  Nettie,  who 
married  John  Johnston,  resides  in  Boston 
To\\nship;  and  Jessie,  who  married  Frank 
"\^'aite,  resides  at  Akron.  The  mother  of  the 
above  family  died  in  December,  1873,  aged 
forty-seven  years.  Both  parents  were  worthy 
members  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 

Charles  Arthur  Carter  was  fourteen  years 
old  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Rich- 
field Township,  and  as  he  was  the  eldest  son, 
a  large  part  of  the  responsibility  of  managing 
the  farm  fell  on  his  .shoulders  during  his 
father's  absence.  In  this  way  he  did  not  have 
more  than  ordinary  educational  advantages. 
As  he  grew  older  he  worked  on  the  neighbor- 
ing farms,  gaining  valuable  experience  and 
making  many  friends  through  the  township 
whom  he  retains  to  the  present  day.  When 
married  he  went  to  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
count,  and  for  twenty-nine  years  he  rented 


JOHN  MOORE  JOHNSTON 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


969 


and  resided  on  the  Mathew  Broughton  fanii. 
In  1901  he  purchased  his  present  property^ 
which  i.s  mainly  under  the  management  of 
his  son,  Darwin  Burr  Carter,  who,  since  an 
affliction  of  the  eyes  has  fallen  upon  his  fath- 
er, has  nobly  taken  the  helm.  Mr.  Cartel' 
keeps  seven  head  of  cows  and  sells  his  milk  to 
the  Akron  Pure  Milk  Company. 

Mr.  Carter  mai'ried  Susan  Lappin,  who  wa,- 
born  on  the  farm  of  her  father,  .John  Lap- 
pin,  in  Bo.ston  Township,  February  11,  1852, 
and  they  have  four  children,  namely:  Myr- 
tle E.,  who  married  Fred  Blackburn  of  Bos- 
ton Township ;  Pai-k  Oliver,  residing  at  Cleve- 
land; Darwin  Burr;  and  Fannie,  who  is  'i 
popular  teacher  in  Bath  'J'dwiisbi]).  residiuii 
at  home. 

JOHN  MOORE  .TOIINSTOX.  a  mciiilni- 
of  the  Board  of  Infirmary  Director-  of  Sum- 
mit County,  has  been  a  resident  ol  .\kroii 
since  the  fall  of  1906.  l)ut  still  rct:iiii>  his 
great  stock  farm  of  190  acre.-,  in  Copley 
Township,  and  is  interested  in  the  Ijreeding 
of  .standard  horses  of  a  type  that  has  made 
liL'^  name  known  all  over  Ohio.  Mr.  .John- 
ston was  born  in  Copley  Townshij),  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  ^Vugust  I'A.  J<SJ4.  and  is  a  sou 
of  William  and  Elizabeth  (i.  (Moore)  .John- 
ston. 

On  the  maternal  side,  Mr.  .Johnston  comes 
of  Revolutionary  sto<'k.  liis  great-grand- 
father. Joseph  Moore,  having  won  distinc- 
tion first  as  an  Indian  fighter  and  later  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Continental  army.  John 
Moore,  tiie  maternal  grandfather  of  Jlr. 
.Johnston  resided  in  Stark  County  until  after 
the  birth  of  liis  daughter  Elizabeth  and 
then  settled  in  Springfield  Township  Sum- 
mit County.  On  tlie  paternal  side  the 
grandfather  wa.<  Cornelius  .Johnston,  who, 
born  in  New  Jersey,  went  from  that  State  to 
Pennsylvania,  and  whence  he  came  to  the 
wild  regions  of  Green  Township,  Summit 
County,  in  1814.  William  Johnston,  father 
of  .John  M.,  was  born  in  Green  Township, 
.\ugust  3,  1815,  and  died  in  Copley  Town- 
ship, in  1885.  In  recalling  William  John- 
ston, one  of  the  reliable  useful  men  of  his 


day  and  locality  is  brought  to  mind.  He 
was  of  a  higher  type  intellectually  than  many 
of  his  neighboi's  and  became  to  some  extent 
leader  among  them,  capably  performing  the 
duties  of  public  office  and  a.ssisting  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  various  resources  of  his  sec- 
tion. He  was  one  of  the  early  directors  of 
the  County  Infirmary  on  the  board  of  which 
his  .son  has  served  since  1905.  William 
and  ElizaJjeth  .John.ston  had  two  children, 
John  Moore,  and  Cornelius  Alexander,  the 
latter  of  whom  is  a  prominent  farmer,  resid- 
ing in  Tallniadge  Township. 

John  M.  Johnston  obtained  his  education 
in  the  district  schools  of  Copley  Township, 
and  for  many  years  devoted  his  whole  atten- 
tion lo  farming  and  stockrai.siag.  He  made 
.1  specially  of  fine  horses  and  has  produced 
many  animals  on  his  farm  that  have  won 
fana'  all  over  the  country.  Mr.  .John.ston 
owned  the  .sire  and  dam,  and  rai.sed  the 
finely  matched  team  that  became  the  prop- 
erty of  the  late  President  iMcKinley,"  this 
team  being  attached  to  the  carriage  which 
wa.s  used  by  the  Chief-Magistrate  on  the  day 
of  his  inaugural.  Mr.  Johnston  is  ju.stly 
proud  of  having  raised  horses  that  took  pre- 
cedence in  the  White  House  stables.  ilany 
of  his  hoi"ses  have  been  sold  for  fancy  driv- 
ing and  have  been  taken  to  all  parts  of  the 
world,  never  failing  to  reflect  credit  on  their 
breeder.  Mr.  Johnston  is  an  ardent  Republi- 
can and  has  always  taken  a  patriotic  citizen's 
interes.t  in  public  affairs.  He  has  served  two 
terms  as  infirmary  director,  the  first  one  a 
numbei"  of  years  ago. 

In  1867,  Mr.  Johtnston  was  married  to 
Mary  Angelia  Dales.  Her  father,  Stephen 
Dales,  was  born  March  25,  1802.  in  Dela- 
ware County,  New  York.  His  father  served 
in  the  capacity  of  a  teamster  in  the  "War  of 
1812,  in  which  year  the  family  came  to  Ohio. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnston  have  two  children, 
namely:  Je^ie,  who  is  the  wife  of  Gilbert  C. 
Wakz,  a  prominent  real  estate  dealer  at 
Akron ;  and  Marcia,  who  is  the  wife  of  0.  R. 
Nash,  who  is  employed  in  the  treasurer's  of- 
fice of  the  Goodrich  Rubber  Company,  at 
Akron.      Mr.     Johnston     is     widely    known 


970 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


through  Summit  County  aiid,  while  num- 
bered with  the  most  substantial  of  her  citi- 
zens, is  equally  considered  as  one  of  the  most 
benevolent. 

JOHN  ABELE,  who  owns  104  acres  of  fine 
farming  land  in  Portage  Township,  was  born 
February  15,  1850,  in  Wurtemburg,  Ger- 
many, and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Victoria 
Abele,  both  of  whom  died  in  Germany. 

John  Abele  learned  the  trade  of  a  puddler 
and  followed  it  in  his  own  country  until  his 
twenty-first  year,  when  he  came  to  America. 
He  worked  one  year  in  the  rolling  mills  at 
Allentown,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  employed 
for  two  years  by  the  Cambria  Iron  and  Steel 
Company  at  Johnstown,  Pennsylvania.  In 
1873  Mr.  Abele  located  at  Akron,  Ohio,  and 
the  next  twenty-three  years  were  spent  with 
the  Akron  Iron  Company,  where  he  rendered 
faithful  service  in  the  capacity  of  puddler. 
Mr.  Abele  left  the  employ  of  this  company  in 
1896,  and  for  six  years  thereafter  cultivated 
a  20-acre  tract  of  land  in  Portage  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  but  at  the  end  of  this 
time  purchased  his  present  property,  which 
was  the  old  Edward  Roepke  farm,  from  John 
Rice,  and  here  he  has  carried  on  agricultural 
pursuits  to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Abele's 
farm,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  in  this  sec- 
tion of  Portage  Township,  has  been  brought 
to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  also  con- 
ducts the  Akron  Garbage  Route. 

In  1875,  in  Akron,  Mr.  Abele  was  married 
to  Agatha  Treitingar,  who  was  born  at  Ak- 
ron, Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Caspar  Treit- 
ingar. Seven  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Abele,  namely:  John,  Joseph, 
Frank,  William,  Clara,  Albert  and  Annie.  ' 

Mr.  Abele,  with  his  family,  attends  the 
German  Catholic  Church. 


in  Richfield  Township  and  attended  the 
neighboring  schools  through  boyhood.  When 
still  under  eighteen  years  of  age,  in  July, 
1861,  he  entered  the  Union  Army,  first  as  a 
teamster,  but  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  en- 
listed as  a  private  soldier  in  Company  K, 
Third  New  York  Cavalry,  and  remained  in 
the  army  subsequently  for  four  year's  and 
five  months.  His  service  was  mainly  in  Vir- 
ginia and  the  Caxolinas.  He  passed  about 
eighteen  months  in  North  Carolina,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Kingston,  N.  C, 
Petersburg  and  Richmond.  He  took  part  in 
many  of  the  raids  which  were  such  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  movements  in  that  sec- 
tion, notably  the  Wilson  raid,  with  others  of 
like  character,  having  participated  in  thirty 
odd  engagements.  He  was  mustered  out  of 
the  service  at  City  Point,  Virginia,  November 
30,  1865,  and  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Albany,  in  December,  1865. 

Mr.  Wilcox  then  returned  to  the  home 
farm  and  worked  for  his  father  until  1878, 
when  he  went  to  Kansas,  where  he  spent  seven 
years.  In  1885  he  came  to  Akron  and  estab- 
lished the  business  in  which  he  has  been  in- 
terested ever  since. 

In  1867  Mr.  Wilcox  was  married  to  Mary 
Templeton,  and  they  have  seven  children, 
namely:  Henry  C,  a  mechanical  engineer, 
residing  in  Wisconsin ;  Francis  L.,  wife  of 
W.  B.  Doyle;  George,  residing  at  East  Ak- 
ron; Millie,  who  married  Charles  Markwald- 
er;  Arthur  G.,  a  practitioner  of  medicine  re- 
siding at  Solon  Spring,  Wisconsin,  a  graduate 
of  the  Western  Reserve  Medical  College  and 
of  Adelbert  College;  and  Frank  and  Ralph, 
the  latter  of  whom  has  just  graduated  from 
the  Akron  High  School.  Mr.  Wilcox  has 
kept  up  old  army  associations  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Bucklev  Post,  G.  A.  R. 


H.  C.  WILCOX,  who  conducts  a  title  and 
abstract  business  at  Akron,  with  quarters  at 
Room  5,  AVilson  Building,  was' born  in  Rich- 
field Township,  Summit  Countv,  Ohio,  No- 
vember 10,  1843. 

Mr.  Wilcox  was  reared  on  the  home  farm 


JOHN  W.  McDowell,  president  of  the 
Portage  Township  School  Board,  is  the  owner 
of  sixty  acres  of  excellent  farming  land  at 
Fairlawn,  Portage  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  has  resided  since 
1898.     He  was  born  in  Sugar  Creek  Town- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


U71 


ship,  Wayne  Couuty,  Ohio,  February  10, 
1864,  and  is  a  sou  of  Luther  and  Margaret 
(Cully)  McDowell. 

John  McDowell,  the  grandfather  of  John 
W.,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
son  of  a  Scotch  emigrant.  He  came  to 
Wayne  County,  Ohio,  at  an  early  day,  and 
there  the  remainder  of  his  life  wjuj  spent. 
Luther  McDowell  was  reared  in  Sugar  Creek 
Township,  and  was  there  married  to  Margaret 
Cully,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Cully, 
who  was  a  native  of  Westmoreland  County, 
Pennsylvania.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDow-ell 
there  were  born  six  children,  as  follows:  Cal- 
vin, who  resides  at  Dalton,  Wayne  County; 
Allen,  who  lives  at  Wilmington,  Pennsyl- 
vania; Thomas,  who  resides  at  Dalton;  John 
W. ;  Jennie,  who  lives  at  Dalton ;  and  Minnie, 
who  maried  Oliver  Hauenstein,  resides  near 
Dalton.  The  parents  of  these  children  still 
survive  and  live  with  their  daughter  and  son- 
in-law,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hauenstein. 

John  W.  McDowell  was  reared  in  his  native 
section,  and  after  attending  the  common 
schools  of  the  township,  entered  the  Dalton 
High  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated, 
and  subsequently  attended  the  Ohio  Normal 
School  at  Ada,  Ohio.  For  the  next  four 
years  he  taught  school  in  Sugar  Creek  Town- 
ship, Wayne  County,  and  he  then  went  to 
Apple  Creek,  where,  with  W.  D.  Weaver,  he 
embarked  in  a  hardware  and  farm  imple- 
ment business,  continuing  there  for  two  years. 
At  the  end  of  this  time  he  sold  out  his  in- 
terests and  located  in  Akron,  where  for  eleven 
j^ears  he  worked  in  the  hardware  establish- 
ment of  May  and  Fiebeger,  subsequently  be- 
coming a  member  of  the  firm  of  Pettitt  Broth- 
ers and  McDowell,  at  No.  18  South  Howard 
Street.  Four  years  later,  January  1,  1907, 
he  sold  out  his  interests  in  the  hardware  bus- 
iness of  W.  F.  Ringler,  and  engaged  in  ag- 
ricultural pursuits  on  his  present  fine  farm, 
which  he  had  purchased  prior  to  engaging  in 
business  for  himself. 

On  December  25,  1888,  Mr.  McDowell  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Belle  Cook,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Hetty  Cook,  of  Sugar 


Creek  Township,  Wayne  County,  Ohio.  They 
have  five  children :  Altie,  Dale,  Willis,  George 
and  John. 

Mr.  McDowell  has  shown  much  interest  in 
educational  matters,  and  in  1901  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  School  Board  of  Port- 
age Township,  of  which  he  was  made  presi- 
dent in  1903.  He  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias 
and  a  Knight  of  the  Maccabees. 

WILLIAM  WALTERS,  who  has  been 
treasurer  of  Northampton  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  for  the  past  twelve  years,  owns 
here  the  fine  farm  of  fifty  acres,  on  which 
he  was  born,  August  26,  1869,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  and  Sarah  Ann  (Campbell)  Wal- 
ters. 

Henry  Walters,  the  grandfather  of  Wil- 
liam, was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
a  millwright  by  trade,  who  acquired  a  farm 
after  coming  to  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  on 
which  was  a  very  fine  orchard,  from  which 
he'  gathered  as  many  as  1,500  bushels  of  ap- 
ples annually.  He  died  in  Wayne  County 
in  1875,  aged  seventy-two  years.  His  wife 
was  named  Anna  Vizcavert.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

William  Walters,  father  of  William,  was 
bom  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  in  1830,  and 
at  the  age  of  eleven  years  began  to  learn  the 
millwright  trade  with  his  father,  w'hich  he 
followed  throughout  life,  his  last  w^ork  in  this 
line  being  the  finishing  of  the  Shumaker 
plant,  at  Akron.  On  December  25,  1889,  he 
came  to  Northampton  Township  from  Sugar 
Creek  Township,  and  settled  on  a  farm  of 
fifty  acres,  which  he  had  purchased  some  time 
previously,  and  to  which  he  later  added 
thirty-six  acres.  When  his  sons  became  old 
enough  to  work  on  the  farm  they  took  charge 
and  Mr.  Walters  retired,  and  he  died  in  1885, 
in  Northampton  Township,  aged  fifty-five 
years.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  serving 
as  township  treasurer,  elected  by  that  party. 
Mr.  Walters  was  married  to  Sarah  Ann  Camp- 
bell, who  died  in  1893.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Henry  Campbell,  of  Wayne  County,  Ohio 


972 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


There  were  three  children  horn  to  them; 
Rama  R.,  of  East  Akron;  Henry  J.,  and  Wil- 
liam. 

William  Walter.-;  wa.s  edncated  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  he  ha.<  engaged  in  fanning 
ever  since  boyhood.  In  1900  he  purchased 
the  home  farm  from  his  father's  heirs,  and 
he  has  since  made  many  improvements  here. 
HLs  buildings  on  this  property  are  of  a  suU- 
stantial  nature  and  include  the  rcsidenci' 
])uilt  by  his  father  in  1873,  and  a  circular 
silo  12x24  feet.  He  raises  large  crops  of  oat.-i 
and  corn,  and  keeps  about  fifteen  head  of 
cattle,  disposing  of  his  milk  to  the  Akron  Pure 
Milk  Company. 

Mr.  Walters  was  married  to  Nellie  Hardy, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Perry  T>.  Hardy,  a  prom- 
inent resident  of  Northam]iton  Township, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Ruth.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Walters  attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republic- 
an and  he  has  been  a  leading  man  in  his 
community  for  many  yeai-s.  His  long  tenure 
in  office  speaks  well  as  to  the  confidence  felt 
in  him  by  his  fellow-citizens. 

LEVI  RAWSON  was  born  in  Mendon. 
Massachusetts,  July  2,  1808.  He  carne  to 
Ohio  in  1829  and  settled  in  Massillon  in  Oc- 
tober, 1830,  where  he  was  engaged  iA  success- 
ful business  under  the  titles  of  Rawson  & 
Brainerd,  L.  &  S.  Rawson,  and  S.  Lind  &  Co., 
conducting  a  general  merchandise  store,  also 
operating  the  Red  Mill  on  the  Ohio  Canal. 

Mr.  Rawson  in  1844  moved  to  Akron, 
where  he  owned  and  operated  the  Cascade  and 
Mtns,  Mills.  During  his  residence  in  Akron 
he  lived  in  the  house  at  the  northeast  corner 
of  East  Market  and  Broadway.  .  The  Akron 
mills  were  operated  under  the  firm  name  of 
Rawson  &  Noble.  He  was  also  engaged  in 
the  woolen  business,  operating  a  mill  in  Mid- 
dlebury  under  the  name  of  Rawson  &  Good- 
ale. 

In  1849  Mr.  Rawson  moved  to  Cleveland, 
although  still  retaining  his  interests  in  Ak- 
ron, and  there  until  his  death  was  engaged 
in  the  forwarding  and  conimi.s.-iion  business, 


Ixing  identified  with  the  firm  of  Rawson,  Foot 
iV;  (.-'urtis.  He  was  also  interested  in  the  ves- 
sels Massillon  and  Marshfield,  which  w-ere  en- 
gaged in  the  lake  trade,  the  Ma.ssillon  in  1859 
making  a  trip  from  Cleveland  to  Liverpool. 
Mr.  Rawson  died  in  Cleveland,  January  25, 
I8:;4,  after  a  successful  business  career  of 
lifty-.six  years.  Socially,  he  was  genial,  kind 
and  liberal  to  those  less  fortunate,  giving 
frcfly  and  without  ostentation.  He  is  sur- 
vi\ed  by  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Geo.  T.  Perkins, 
and  two  sons,  Charles  and  Ed.  B.  Rawson, 
of  Li.sbon,  Ohio. 

.VITATST  C.  MILLER,  general  contractor 
at  Akron,  dealing  in  brick,  stone  and  lime, 
with  quarters  at  No.  295  Buckeye  Street, 
came  to  this  city  in  1874.  He  was  born  in 
1852,  in  Prussia-Germany,  and  was  eighteen 
years  of  age  when  he  came  to  America. 

Mr.  Miller  had  partly  learned  his  trade  be- 
fore leaving  his  own  land,  and  he  completed 
his  apprenticeship  in  America,  working  in 
New  York,  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  Cleve- 
land. When  he  reached  Akron  he  was  ready 
to  undertake  any  kind  of  contract  for  mason 
work  or  building  constniction.  He  worked 
awhile  for  different  parties,  but  in  1876  em- 
barked in  general  contracting  on  his  own  ac- 
count, his  fii-st  big  job  being  for  the  Robinson 
Brothers'  Sewer  Pipe  plant.  Mr.  Miller  has 
continued  in  the  contracting  business  and 
during  his  business  life  of  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury here,  he  has  had  the  contracts  for  some 
(if  the  city's  most  important  buildings.  His 
work  is  seen  in  the  Akron  Savings  Bank 
Building;  the  O'Neil  Buildins;:  the  brick 
work  for  the  Diamond  Rubber  Buildings;  the 
Kubler  and  Beck  Buildings;  the  Burkhardt 
Brewery  plant;  the  Star  Drill  Machine  Com- 
pany's plant,  and  many  others  of  lesser  note. 
At  the  date  of  this  writing  (1907)  he  is  build- 
ing the  Star  Rubber  Company's  new  plant. 
In  addition  to  what  may  be  called  his  per- 
sonal business.  Mr.  Miller  is  interested  in  a 
number  of  other  important  enterprises  of  Ak- 
ron, in  which  his  name  has  inspired  addi- 
tional confidence.  He  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers and  a  director  of  the  Securitv  Savings 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


913 


Bank,  and  a  stockholder  in  the  People's  Sav- 
ings Bank.  He  is  interested  in  the  Central 
Savings  and  Trust  Company ;  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Diamond  Rubber  Company,  the  B.  F. 
Goodrich  Company,  and  the  Akron  Brewery 
Company,  and  is  also  a  director  in  the  Lodi 
Oil  and  Refinery  Company. 

In  1881  Mr.  Miller  was  married  to  Adele 
Uitas,  who  was  born  in  Prussia-Germany,  and 
Ihey  have  two  children,  Adele  and  Bodo  E., 
the  latter  of  whom  is  a  medical  student  in 
(he  Universit}'  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor. 
Mr.  Miller  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Democratic  party  in  this  city  and  takes  much 
interest  in  local  affairs.  For  three  years  he 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Akron  Liebertafel, 
a  leading  German  social  organization.  A 
man  of  unimpeachable  character,  Mr.  Miller 
is  a  representative  of  Akron's  best  citizim- 
ship. 

FRANK  F.  MILLER,  mechanical  engi- 
neer, with  the  Star  Drilling  Machine  Com- 
pany, of  Akron,  has  been  identified  with  this 
line  of  work  ever  since  he  entered  into  busi- 
ness, and  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  since 
he-  was  ten  years  old.  He  was  born  in  1879 
at  Smith's  Ferry,  Ohio,  but  his  childhood  was 
passed  at  Braceville,  Leavittsburg  and  New- 
ton Falls,  to  which  point  his  parents,  J.  W. 
and  Abbie  (Brown)  Miller  moved  while  he 
was  very  >oung. 

Mr.  Miller  entered  the  public  schools  of 
Akron  at  the  age  above  mentioned  and  con- 
tinued until  he  was  graduated  from  the  Ak- 
ron High  School,  in  1897.  He  then  became 
a  student  at  the  'Western  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1001,  with  his  degree  of  M.  E.  During  the 
following  year  he  worked  for  the  American 
Bridge  Company,  first  at  Pittsburg,  Penn.syl- 
vania,  and  later  at  Canton,  Ohio,  then  for 
one  year  he  was  with  the  Wollman-Seaver- 
Morgan  Engineering  Comnany,  of  Cleveland, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  with  the  Star 
Drilling  Machine  Companv,  in  his  present 
canacity.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  this  enter- 
prise and  also  owtis  stock  in  the  Star  Rubber 
Company. 


In  1902  Mr.  Miller  was  married  to  Clara  A. 
Parisette,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Susan 
(Selzer)  Parisette.  Charles  Parisette  was 
born  in  Germany  and  came  to  the  United 
States  about  1857.  Mr.  Parisette  volunteered 
in  a  California  regiment  during  the  Civil 
War,  and  now  makes  his  home  in  Akron,  at 
738  West  Market  Street.  Mrs.  Miller  grad- 
uated from  the  Akron  High  School  in  1898, 
also  from  the  Perkins  Normal  School  two 
years  later.  She  then  taught  in  the  Allen 
school.  With  her  hu.sband,  she  belongs  to 
te  First  Congregational  Church.  They  are 
the  parents  of  two  children — Forest  Keimeth 
and  Alma  Lenore. 

ALBERT  C.  HARRINGTON,  a  general 
farmer  of  Northampton  Township,  is  a 
worthy  representative  of  a  prominent  old  fam- 
ily of  Summit  County,  was  born  April  19, 
1872,  on  the  old  Harrington  homestead,  and 
is  a  son  of  Frederick  L.  and  Mahala  (Carter) 
Harrington. 

Job  Harrington,  grandfather  of  Albert  C, 
was  born  at  Bennington.  Vermont,  March  9, 
1792,  and  was  a  son  of  Richard  Harrington. 
In  the  fall  of  1812  he  left  Bennington  and 
reached  Tallmadge  Township,  Summit  Coun- 
ty, before  the  end  of  the  year,  commissioned 
to  purchase  a  farm  for  his  parents.  In  the 
following  year  the  family  came  to  the  new 
home  and  l:)uilt  their  little  log  cabin  in  the 
midst  of  the  forest.  In  1814  .Job  returned  to 
Vermont  and  married  Susan  Hartle,  who  was 
born  at  Georgetown,  Pennsylvania,  January 
27,  1796.  In  1815  Job  Harrington  bought 
the  farm  on  ^-hich  Albert  C.  Harrington  was 
born  and  reared.  He  died  March  24,  1869. 
During  the  early  -days  -when  pioneer  condi- 
tions prevailed  and  the  larger  number  of 
his  neighbors  were  Indians,  Job  Harrington 
displayed  those  sturdy  characteri.stics  which 
made  him  one  of  the  most  useful  men  of  the 
township.  He  conciliated  the  Indians  and 
made  friends  of  them  for  himself  and  the 
community,  and  possessed  the  shrewdness  as 
well  as  the  integritv  which  brought  ahout  im- 
proved conditions  for  all  concerned.  The  ma- 
ternal  grandfather  of  Mr.  Harrington,  Wil- 


974 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT   COUNTY 


liam  Carter,  was  also  of  New  England  birth 
and  ancestry,  and  he  too  was  a  man  of  prom- 
inence and  usefulness  in  Summit  County. 
William  Carter  was  born  at  Middletown,  Con- 
necticut, February  13,  1792,  married  Chloe 
Wadsworth  in  1814,  and  died  April  24,  1876. 
William  Carter  came  to  Northampton  Town- 
ship at  a  very  early  day.  He  was  a  bricklayer 
by  trade  and  an  expert  workman,  and  build- 
ings in  numbers  still  stand,  both  at  Akron 
and  Cuyahoga  Falls,  which  testify  to  his  skill. 

Frederick  L.  Harrington  was  born  October 
14,  1835,  and  died  in  1899.  He  was  married 
October  10,  1866,  to  Mahala  Carter,  who  was 
born  October  11,  1842,  one  of  four  children 
born  to  William  Carter  by  his  second  wife, 
Jane  Carter,  to  whom  he  was  married  in 
Northampton  Township,  October  17,  1834. 
The  other  children  were:  Patty,  William  and 
Helen.  Frederick  L.  Harrington  and  wife 
had  five  children,  namely:  Charles  E.,  who 
was  born  February  24,'  1869;  Albert  C, 
Frank  L.,  who  was  born  December  13,  1874; 
Myron  E.,  who  was  horn  May  22,  1877;  and 
Laurel  L.  who  was  born  June  8,  1896.  and 
died  at  fifteen  years  of  age. 

Albert  C.  Harrington  was  reared  in  North- 
ampton Township  and  after  completing  his 
schooling,  engaged  in  farming  on  the  old 
homestead  until  his  marriage,  when  he  set- 
tled on  the  farm  on  which  he  has  resided  ever 
since,  this  being  a  valuable  tract  of  seventy- 
four  and  one-half  acres,  which  came  to  his 
wife  on  the  death  of  her  mother.  Mr.  Har- 
rington operates  this  farm  after  modern  meth- 
ods, largely  as  a  dairy  farm.  He  keeps  about 
fifteen  head  of  cattle  and  ships  his  milk  to 
Akron.  His  main  crops  are  hay,  corn,  wheat 
and  oat^,  and  he  has  an  excellent  silo.  The 
comfortable  residence  wa."?  built  by  his  late 
mother-in-law,  Mrs.  Flannigan.  in  1891. 

On  November  27,  1901,  Mr.  Harrington 
was  married  to  Fanny  May  Flannigan,  who 
was  born  and  roared  on  the  present  farm.  She 
is  the  second  daughter  of  John  and  Maria 
(Cochran)  fPurcell)  Flannigan.  The  father 
of  Mrs.  Harrington  was  born  in  Ireland  and 
died    in     Northampton     Township,    Summit 


County,  Ohio,  December  27,  1879,  aged  fifty- 
five  years  and  five  months.  He  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  boyhood  and  worked  as  a  farm  hand 
until  shortly  after  his  marriage,  when  he 
bought  a  farm  in  the  northeast  corner  of 
Northampton  Township.  This  first  purchase 
was  of  seventy-five  acres,  to  which  he  subse- 
quently added  140  acres,  located  partly  in 
Boston  and  partly  in  Northampton  Town- 
ships, and  these  two  farms  he  operated  until 
his  death  as  dairy  farms,  keeping  twenty 
head  of  cattle.  He  carried  on  a  large  cheese 
and  butter  industry  on  the  farm  and  its  prod- 
ucts were  disposed  of  at  Akron.  He  was 
survaved  twenty-five  j'ears  by  his  widow,  who 
died  December  20,  1903.  She  was  born  in 
]825,  in  Stow  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  and 
Fanny  (Bird)  Cochran.  Her  father  was 
killed  by  the  Indians  while  making  a  trip 
through  California.  There  were  eleven  chil- 
dren in  his  family,  all  of  whom  are  deceased, 
except  James,  who  is  a  general  farmer  and 
dairyman  in  Northampton  Township,  and 
Martha,  who  married  William  Galloway,  also 
of  Northampton  Township.  The  mother  of 
ilrs.  Harrington  was  married,  first  to  Nicholas 
Purcell,  who  was  survived  by  one  daughter, 
Josephine,  who  married  Edward  Donahue,  of 
Northampton  Township.  To  her  second  mar- 
riage two  daughters  were  born :  Martha  Jane, 
who  married  John  E.  Raleigh,  of  Northamp- 
ton Township;  and  Fanny  May,  who  married 
Albert  C.  Harrington. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harrington  have  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Opal  E.,  who  was  born  Sep- 
tember 13,  1903;  Chester  A.,  who  was  born 
June  18,  1905;  and  Velma  Rhea,  who  was 
born  August  13,  1907.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Har- 
rington are  members  of  the  United  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  to  which  Mrs.  Flannigan  also 
belonged,  and  in  which  she  was  much  be- 
loved. In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  he 
has  never  been  willing  to  accept  political  of- 
fice, preferring  the  quiet  life  of  a  private  citi- 
zen. With  his  wife  he  belongs  to  the  North- 
ampton Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


975 


M.  C.  HEMINGER,  who  is  engaged  in  a 
real  estate,  insurance  and  loan  business  at 
Akron,  with  offices  at  No.  1094  South  Main 
Street,  is  one  of  the  representative  business 
men  of  the  city.  He  was  born  in  Tuscarawas 
County,  Ohio,  September  10,  1861. 

Mr.  Heminger  was  reared  in  his  native  sec- 
tion, attending  the  local  schools,  and  later 
completed  a  normal  course  at  Mt.  Union  and 
a  commercial  course  at  Painesville.  He  then 
took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which  he 
followed  more  or  less  continuously  for  twen- 
ty years,  having  obtained  an  Ohio  State  Life 
Certificate  in  1895.  During  this  period  he 
became  interested  in  the  buying  and  selling 
of  property,  and  met  with  such  good  success 
that  he  declined  his  appointment  as  teacher 
of  the  Clinton  schools,  in  1901,  in  order  to 
accept  a  position  with  the  Akron  Realty  Com- 
pany. He  entered  that  company  as  a  book- 
keeper, later  became  a  salesman  and  subse- 
quently secretary,  treasurer  and  general  man- 
ager. In  1906  Mr.  Heminger  went  into  the 
real  estate  business  for  himself,  adding  in- 
surance, 'loans  and  investments,  and  he  has 
met  with  most  satisfactory  success.  His 
method  is  to  purchase  tracts  of  land  and  make 
first-pla.=s  improvements,  subsequently  finding 
no  difficulty  in  disposing  of  them.  His  ef- 
forts have  benefitted  the  whole  community,  as 
he  has  been  the  means  of  bringing  much  out- 
side capital  to  this  point.  He  is  a  director  of 
the  South  Akron  Banking  Company.  His 
business  office  has  been  at  Akron  for  the 
past  seven  years,  but  his  beautiful  home  is 
situated  at  Kenmore. 

In  1887  Mr.  Heminger  was  married  to 
Sarah  A.  Jones,  who  was  born  in  Wales,  and 
they  have  a  bright,  interesting  family  of 
four  sons  and  four  daughters,  namely:  Vesta 
M.,  Richard  B.,  Muriel  "W.,  Alice  C!  Harold 
R..  Arthur  L.  Leah  M.  and  Beryl  G.  The 
eldest  daughter  graduated  from  the  Kenmore 
High  School  and  is  taking  a  course  in  mu- 
sic in  the  Cleveland  School  of  Music,  ha\nng 
a  great  natural  gift.  Mr.  Heminger  and  fam- 
ily belong  to  the  Reformer!  Church  at  Ken- 
more, in  the  Sunday  School  of  which  he 
fakep  a  <leep  interest. 


As  an  intelligent  and  enlightened  citizen, 
Mr.  Heminger  takes  a  laudable  interest  in  all 
public  mattei-s  concerning  his  city,  coimty 
and  country  at  large.  He  has  served  as  clerk 
of  Fairfield  Township,  Tuscarawas  County, 
and  is  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Education  of 
Coventry  Township. 

JOHN  D.  JONES,  president  of  the  J.  D. 
Jones  Coal  Company,  operating  coal  mines 
at  Hametown  (his  place  of  residence)  and 
Manchester,  in  Summit  County,  and  in  Chip- 
pewa Township,  Wayne  County,  owns  the 
latter  rnine,  and  is  also  one  of  the  directors 
of  the  Hametown  Coal  Company.  He  was 
born  in  Glenmorganshire,  Wales,  April  29, 
1851,  and  is  a  son  of  David  D,  and  Keziah 
(Morgan)  Jones. 

Coal  mining  has  been  the  occupation  of 
the  Jones  family  for  several  generations  and 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  accompanied  his 
father  to  the  mines  when  he  was  a  little  boy, 
doing  such  work  as  falls  to  children  in  the 
old  Welsh  mines.  When  he  was  nine  years 
of  age  he  began  to  work  at  the  Great  West- 
ern shaft,  and  was  employed  at  different 
places  which  were  more  or  le,=s  dangerous.  He 
worked  at  the  Fern  Dale  shaft  and  left  there 
just  thirteen  days  before  there  was  an  explo- 
sion in  it  in  November.  1867,  by  which  214 
men  lost  their  lives. 

In  December,  1868,  when  seventeen  years 
of  age,  Mr.  Jones  came  to  America  and  joined 
his  parents  at  Sherman,  Ohio,  where  they  had 
settled  three  and  one-half  years  before.  In 
1871  the  family  moved  to  Hametown,  which 
ha^  been  the  home  of  John  D.  .lones  ever 
since.  By  a  premature  explosion  of  powder 
in  one  of  the  mines  David  D.  Jones  was  so 
seriously  injured,  in  September,  1885,  that 
he  survived  but  five  days.  A  comrade  was 
killed  instantly. 

In  1873  John  D.  Jones  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  Boden,  who  is  a  daughter  of  .John 
Boden.  and  who  was  born  also  in  Wales,  and 
came  to  Norton  Town.'hip  in  girlhood.  They 
have  eight  sun-iving  children,  namely:  Go- 
mar,  who  is  president  and  secretarv  of  the. 
Hametown    Coal    Company;   Gwylnm,   who 


976 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


married  Alta  Mobn,  and  has  two  children; 
David  J.,  who  married  Maude  Hehuick,  and 
has  two  children;  Henry,  who  manied  Elma 
Williama,  has  one  child;  and  Obediah,  Mae, 
Jeannetta  and  Charles,  residing  at  home. 
Four  other  cliildren  are  deceased.  Mr.  Jones 
is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Knights  of 
Pythias  at  Doylestown. 

Gomar  Jones,  the  eldest  of  the  above  fam- 
ily, was  born  in  Norton  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  March  5,  1874,  and  was  reared 
and  educated  in  this  neighborhood.  Like  his 
father  and  grandfather,  his  whole  business 
life  has  been  identified  with  coal  interests. 
With  his  father,  John  D.  Jones,  John  Klein 
and  Obediah  Jones,  he  is  interested  in  the 
Hametown  Coal  Company's  mine,  being  pres- 
ident, secretary  and  manager  of  the  works, 
this  coal  bank  having  been  opened  up  in 
April,  1893.  In  April,  1905,  the  J.  D.  Jones 
Coal  Company,  in  which  he  is  also  interested, 
bought  a  coal  bank  at  Manchester.  The  third 
mine  of  the  company,  located  in  Chippewa 
Township,  Wayne  County,  wa.s  started  De- 
cember 26.  1906.  The  coal  industry  is  one 
of  the  most  important  in  Norton  ToAvnship, 
and  require.-i  a  large  investment  and  careful 
management. 

In  1898  Gomar  Jones  was  married  to  Ida 
Williams,  who  is  a.  daughter  of  .Tohn  C.  Wil- 
liams, a  coal  miner,  now  residing  in  Michi- 
gan. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  have  two  children : 
Robert  L.  and  Clayton.  Mr.  Jones  is  a  mem- 
ber nf  tlic  Ma.'^onic  fraternity  at  Barber- 
ton. 

JOHN  BLACKBURN,  a  repre.'ientative 
agriculturist  of  Bosston  Townsliip,  wlio  is  .serv- 
ing his  second  term  as  township  trustee,  w-as 
born  December  15,  IS'29,  in  Lincolnshire, 
England,  and  is  a  son  of  AVilliavn  and  Jane 
(Emerson)   Blackburn. 

AVilliam  Blackburn  was  born  in  Lincoln- 
shire, England,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six  years.  His  widow  came  to  .America 
when  seventv-five  years  of  age  with  her  young- 
est son.  She  died  at  Hudson,  in  the  faith 
of  the  IMothodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  was 
buried    at     Peninsula.     AVilliam     and     .Tane 


(Emerson)  Blackburn  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  six  of  whom  grew  to  maturity : 
James,  Mary  and  George,  all  deceased;  John; 
Thomas,  who  resides  at  Hudson ;  and  Henry, 
who  lives  in  Cleveland. 

John  Blackburn  had  but  meager  educa- 
tional opportunities  when  a  youth,  but 
through  reading  and  association  with  others, 
has  long  since  remedied  any  early  defects. 
He  was  twenty-three  years  old  when  he  came 
to  America  on  a  sailing  vessel,  one 
of  the  old  kind  which  took  six  weeks 
to  make  the  voyage.  He  arrived  in 
Boston  Township  June  3,  1853,  and  worked 
for  three  months  on  the  Ohio  Canal.  In  the 
spring  following  he  hired  out  to  a  farmer  in 
Macedonia  and  lived  there  two  years,  but 
in  the  spring  of  1855  he  moved  back  to  Bos- 
ton Town.'^hip.  where  he  rented  a  farm  for 
two  years  and  another  farm  for  seven  years, 
paying  a  cash  rent.  In  1864  he  purchased 
155  acres  of  his  present  farm,  to  which  he  has 
added,  by  purchase,  and  is  now"  the  owner  of 
192  acres.  This  land  he  devotes  to  the  culti- 
vation of  potatoes,  wheat,  hay,  corn  and  oats. 
His  fine  residence  of  nine  rooms  was  erected 
by  Mr.  Blackburn  in  1888,  and  he  has  a  barn 
60x40x20,  with  a  9-foot  basement,  which  he 
built  in  1895.  His  buildings  are  well  kept, 
and  everything  about  the  property  .shows 
careful  management.  Mr.  Blackburn  has 
given  special  attention  to  dairying  and  keeps 
twenty-five  cows,  his  milk  being  dispo.sed  of  at 
Cleveland. 

On  September  22,  1853,  .John  Blackbin-n 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  Whit- 
lam,  who  is  the  daughter  of  John  Whitlam  of 
Lincoln.shire,  England.  This  was  an  early  ro- 
mance, an  engagement  existing  before  he  left 
his  native  country.  Mrs.  Blackburn  passed 
away  in  1903,  aged  ninety-two  years.  They 
had  four  children:  Emerson,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty  yeai-s:  Georse,  who  resides  in 
Cuyahoga  Falls:  William  Grant,  who  resides 
at  Hudson ;  and  .John  Fred,  who  is  assisting 
his  father  on  the  home  farm.  Mr.  Blackburn 
is  a  trustee  of  the  Methodist  Eniscopal 
Church,  at  Peninsula,  where  he  has  also  been 
Sunday  School   superintendent   and  steward. 


I.KWIS  HOLZHAUER 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


y7<j 


He  and  lii.s  wife  were  the  lirst  two  members  of 
this  ehureh  which  he  helped  to  erect,  and  to 
which  he  has  always  been  a  liberal  contrib- 
utor. Mr.  Blackburn  is  a  Republican  in 
State  and  National  affairs,  but  in  local  mat- 
ters he  is  an  independent  voter. 

LEWIS  HOLZIIAUER,  one  of  Summit 
County's  representative  men,  owning  an  ex- 
cellent farm  of  172  acres  in  Northfield  Town- 
ship, is  a  public-spirited  citizen  of  his  locality 
anci  an  honored  veteran  of  the  great  Civil 
Wav,  in  whicli  he  was  seriously  wounded.  Mr. 
Ilolzhauer  was  born  November  22,  1845,  in 
Baden,  Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Wilhelm  and 
Anna  Katherina   (Vorbach)    Holzhauer. 

Wilhelm  Holzhauer  was  born  in  Baden, 
Germany,  where  he  received  a  common  school 
education.  After  completing  his  apprentice- 
ship to  the  mason  and  stone  cutting  trade,  he, 
like  other  European  workmen,  ambition.?  to 
gain  a  complete  mastery  of  their  chosen  occu- 
pation, traveled  in  other  countries — France 
and  Switzerland.  In  the  latter  country  he 
imbibed  teachings  concerning  freedom  that 
made  him  a  Republican  in  spirit  long  before 
he  came  to  this  country.  In  1851  Mr.  Holz- 
hauer came  to  the  United  States  and  settled 
in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  liLs  family  coming  three 
year.?  later,  and  after  the  war  they  purchased 
a  residence  there.  In  1876  they  located  on 
the  farm  now  owned  by  Lewis  Holzhauer  in 
Northfield  Township.  Wilhelm  Holzhauer 
was  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Or- 
der of  Good  Fellows.  His  first  vote  was  cast 
for  Buchanan  for  president,  but  he  consid- 
ered this  a  mistake,  which  he  regretted  all  of 
his  life,  and  always  thereafter  voted  the  Re- 
publican ticket.  Mr.  Ilolzhauer  became  so 
Aiucricanized  that  he  anglicized  the  Christian 
names  of  his  children  as  well  as  his  own. 
Oricinallv  Catholics,  after  coming  to  the 
United  States  the  family  ibecame  identified 
with  the  Protestant  Church.  AVilhelm  Holz- 
hauer wa.--  married  to  Anna  Katherina  A^or- 
bach.  who  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany.  No- 
vember 6,  1815,  and  who  died  aged  sixty- 
nine  years.  Her  husband  survived  her  until 
April   17.  190fi,  he  lackinc  sixtv  davs  of  be- 


ing ninety  years  old.  They  had  four  chil- 
dren, of  whom  three  grew  to  maturity,  name- 
ly: Almeda:,  who  is  the  wife  of  Ephriam 
AW'st,  of  Independence,  Ohio;  Amelia,  now 
deceased,  who  married  John  Steele,  of  Iowa; 
and  Lewis. 

Lewis  Holzhauer  attended  school  in  Ger- 
many until  he  was  nine  years  of  age,  when 
the  family  started  for  America,  coming  via 
Strasburg,  Paris  and  Havre.  On  reaching 
Strasburg  they  saw  the  big  tower  and  famous 
clock,  and  as  it  happened  to  be  noon,  the  cock 
appeared  and  crowed  three  times,  when  the 
figures  of  the  Saviour  and  His  disciples  also 
appeared,  marching  in  single  file  in  the  open 
>pace  around  the  tower.  Although  these  fig- 
ures are  of  great  size,  Mr.  Ilolzhauer  distinct- 
ly remembers  that  they  looked  diminutive 
from  his  viewpoint,  as  the  tower  is  500  feet 
high  from  the  curb.  Young  Holzhauer 
joined  a  crowd  that  was  intent  on  a,«cending 
the  tower  by  the  winding  steps,  but  they  final- 
ly arrived  at  a  window  where  an  entrance  fee 
was  demanded,  so  the  disappointed  child 
turned  back.  Everything  was  a  source  of 
wonder  to  hi.«  childish  juind.  Having  no 
through  trains  at  that  day,  the  party  had  a 
wait  of  five  or  six  hours  at  Paris,  and  decided 
to  view  the  various  sights.  At  Havre,  where 
they  had  to  remain  three  days  before  embark- 
ing on  their  vessel,  he  saw  for  the  fii-st  time 
a  colored  man,  and  called  to  his  mother  that 
he  saw  a  number  of  "chimney-sweeps,"  but 
was  informed  by  his  mother  that  they  were 
Africans,  Their  sailing  vessel,  the  "Eagle," 
was  an  American  ship,  and  had  a  huge  gold 
eagle  for  a  figure-head  under  the  bowsprit. 
From  the  sailors  of  this  vessel,  also  Americans, 
young  Holzhauer  learned  a  number  of  words 
of  English,  including,  imfortunately,  some 
oaths.  On  this  journey  the  vessel  made  most 
I'emarkable  speed  for  that  day,  the  trip  tak- 
ing but  21  days,  which  included  two  days 
living  in  quarantine  in  New  York. 

Air.  Holzhauer  distinctly  remembers  the  sud- 
den change  in  temperature  the  passengers  ex- 
Iierienced.  Although  the  vessel  left  Havre 
in  midwinter,  it  seemed  almost  like  sununer 
weather  during  mo<t  of  the  journey,  the  men 


980 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


on  board  going  around  in  shirt  sleeves  and 
summer  clothing.  The  vessel  had  taken  the 
southern  course  and  the  weather  was  exceed- 
ingly balmy  until  reaching  America,  when  it 
became  suddenly  frigid,  much  suffering  being 
caused  thereby. 

After  settling  in  America  the  family  lived 
successively  at  Parma,  Independence,  North 
Amherst,  and  in  Fulton  County,  Ohio,  where 
Mr.    Holzhauer   completed  his   education   in 
English,  and  in  August,  1863,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  K,  124th  Regiment,  Ohio  "S'olun- 
teer  Infantry,  with  which  regiment  he  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.    The  regiment  had 
been  in  the  field  eight  months  when  Com- 
pany K  was  recruited  to  complete  it,  and  they 
joined  it  when  it  was  taking  position  during 
the  battle   of  Chickamauga  Avith   the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland.     They  marched  without 
arms   until   getting   into   action,   when   they 
armed  themselves  with  the    guns    of    those 
wounded     or    killed.     Mr.    Holzhauer     was 
wounded  in  the  knee  at  the  battle  of  Buz- 
zard's Roost,   the  first    engagement    of    the 
Georgia  campaign,  and  some  of  the  surgeons 
wished  to  amputate  his  leg,  which  would  have 
been  done  but  for  the  warning  of  the  division 
surgeon.    Mr.  Holzhauer  remained  at  the  hos- 
pital at  Chattanooga,  Tenne.?.see,  from  May  12 
or  13,   1864,  until  the   following  February, 
reaching  his  regiment  in  March,  when  he  was 
assigned  to  the  First  Battalion  Invalid  Corps, 
but  eluded  the  authorities  and  succeeded  in  re- 
joining his  regiment.     They  Avent  thence  to 
Greenfield,  Tennessee,  a  historic  little  place, 
where  Mr.  Holzhauer  noticed    the    weather- 
beaten   sign,     "Andrew    Johnson,    merchant 
tailor."     Later  they  returned    to    Nashville, 
where  he  did  garrison  duty  about  the  sub- 
urbs until  receiving  his  honorable  discharge 
in  July,  1865,  being  mustered  out  at  Cleve- 
land, Ohio.    He  was  always  a  brave  and  faith- 
ful soldier. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Holzhauer 
returned  to  his  home,  io6k  a  course  in  the 
Hights  University  school,  then  for  several 
years  he  was  engaged  in  working  with  his 
father  at  the  trade  of  stone  mason,  but  .subse- 
quently gave  ibis   occupation   up.   and  from 


1869  until  1879  was  employed  by  Stevens  & 
Sons,  wholesale  grocers,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
In  tiiu  latter  year  he  came  to  his  present  farm, 
which  he  had  purchased  in  1876,  and  on 
which  the  family  had  been  residing,  and  here 
he  has  continued  up  to  the  present  time  with 
nmch  success.  The  farm  consists  of  172  acres 
of  fertile  property,  of  which  about  fifty-five 
acres  are  under  cultivation,  five  to  eight  acres 
being  devoted  to  potatoes  and  the  remainder 
to  oats,  wheat  and  hay.  His  dairy  consi-s^ts  of 
a  fine  herd  of  from  twelve  to  twenty  head  of 
cattle,  the  milk  being  shipped  to  Cleveland. 
His  father  built  an  addition  to  the  large,  com- 
fortable home,  and  in  addition  to  the  barn 
which  was  already  standing,  Mr.  Holzhauer 
erected  a  new  barn,  36  by  50  feet,  with  18-foot 
posts,  and  other  outbuildings.  He  uses  the 
most  modern  methods  in  the  cultivation  of  his 
property,  and  is  considered  one  of  Northfield 
Township's  most  up-to-date  agriculturist,'*. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  served 
his  township  for  two  terms  as  trustee.  His 
war  service  entitles  him  to  membership  in 
Royal  Dunham  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Bedford, 
and  he  is  also  connected  with  the  Summit 
County  Horticultural  Society. 

Mr.  Holzhauer  was  married  to  Helen 
Kirsch,  who  is  now  deceased,  daughter  of 
Peter  Kirsch,  of  Cleveland.  They  had  four 
children :  Ida,  who  is  the  wife  of  W.  G.  Mc- 
Kenzie,  of  Cleveland;  William,  who  lives  at 
home;  Alfred,  a  resident  of  Akron;  and 
Helen,  wlin  married  William  iMickle.  of  Cleve- 
land. 

A.  AUBLE,  JR.,  president  and  general 
manager  of  the  Akron  Auto  Garage  Company, 
with  quarters  on  East  Buchtel  Avenue,  near 
Main  Street,  Akron,  is  one  of  the  enterpris- 
ing and  progressive  youns;  business  men  of 
tills  city.  Mr.  Auble  was  born  and  reared  on 
a  farm  in  Medina  County,  Ohio,  near  Wads- 
worth. 

In  1891,  Mr.  Auble  embarked  in  a  bicycle 
bu.sinesp  at  Wadsworth,  where  he  continued 
until  1903.  Then  coming  to  Akron  he  es- 
tablished an  automobile  business  which  he  has 
expanded    until   it   occupies   a   leading   place 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


981 


among  the  city's  industries.  In  July,  1907, 
the  Akron  Auto  Garage  Company,  of  Akron, 
was  incorporated,  with  Mr.  Auble  as  president 
and  manager,  and  F.  C.  Wood  as  secretary 
and  treasui'er.  They  do  a  general  rebuilding 
business  and  at  their  garage  represent  some 
of  the  finest  automobiles  ever  put  on  the  mar- 
ket, including  the  Winton,  Franklin,  the  Olds 
and  the  Baker  Electrics.  Mr.  Auble  is  a  prac- 
tical machinist  and  understands  all  the  su- 
perior points  of  every  machine  he  handles. 

In  1895  Mr.  Auble  was  married  to  Lelia 
Young,  of  Sharon,  Ohio.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  I\Ia?onic  and  Odd  Fellow  fraternities,  and 
of  the  Akron  and  Cleveland  Automobile  clubs, 
and  in  1906  he  was  one  of  the  vice-presidents 
of  the  Ohio  Automobile  Association.  He  be- 
longs also  to  the  Portage  Country  club  of 
Akron. 

LOUIS  S.  SWEITZER,  M.  D.,  a  promi- 
nent citizen  and  leading  physician  and  .'sur- 
geon of  Akron,  with  offices  located  at  No. 
147  East  Market  Street,  has  been  a  resident 
of  this  city  for  the  past  twenty -seven  years. 
He  was  born  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  in 
1851,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  hi.s  na- 
tive county,  up  to  his  entrance  into  Heidel- 
berg College,  at  Tiffin.  He  siibsequently 
studied  medicine  and  was  graduated  in  1875 
from  the  Cleveland  Medical  College.  He  took 
a  post-graduate  course  at  the  College  of  Phy- 
sician.- and  Surgeons  in  New  York,  in  1880. 
having  previously  practiced  in  Tuscarawa-5 
County.  After  locating  at  Akron,  in  1880, 
Dr.  i-^weitzer  soon  proved  his  professional  abil- 
ity, and  he  has  since  built  up  a  large  and 
satisfactory  practice.  He  has  identified  him- 
self with  the  Summit  County,  the  Ohio  State 
and  the  Northeastern  Ohio  Medical  Societies. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  consulting  staff  of  the 
.\kron  City  Ho.spifal.  An  active  citizen,  he 
has  served  on  the  Board  of  Education  and,  in 
connection  with  N.  R.  Sterner,  was  influen- 
tial in  developing  the  interests  of  South  Ak- 
ron, now  so  important  a  section  of  the  city 
proper. 

In  1875  Dr.  Sweitzer  wa*  married  to 
Frances  E.  Mackev,  of  Mercer  Countv,  Penn- 


sylvania, and  they  have  one  daughter,  Bes- 
sie, residing  at  home.  Dr.  Sweitzer  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Royal  Arcanum 
and  other  organizations,  but  he  takes  no  very 
active  part  in  fraternal  society  work. 

D.  HENRY  SELL,  of  The  Hoover  &  Sell 
Company,  leading  clothing  merchants  at  Ak- 
ron, was  born  December  9,  1869,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  T.  Sell.  The  latter  was  bom 
and  reared  in  Suffield  Township,  Portage 
County,  enlisted  from  there  in  the  Civil  War 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Akron,  where  he  is 
employed  by  the  Twentieth  Century  Heating 
and  Ventilating  Company. 

D.  Henry  Sell  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Akron,  and  early  in  his  business  career 
worked  two  years  as  a  butcher  and  one  year 
with  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company.  In  April, 
1892,  he  entered  the  clothing  store  of  L.  &  F. 
Bullinger,  w'hich  was  the  first  American  cloth- 
ing house  established  at  Akron,  and  he  re- 
mained with  that  firm  for  nine  years.  The 
stock  was  then  purchased  by  Lang  &  Hoover, 
and  Mr.  Sell  continued  with  the  new  firm  un- 
til 1905,  when  he  bought  Mr.  Lang's  interest. 
The  Hoover  &  Sell  Company  was  incorporated 
with  a  capital  stock  of  25,000,  and  Mr.  Sell 
continued  the  president  until  1907.  As  a 
business  man  Mr.  Sell  enjoys  the  confidence  of 
the  public  and  his  progressive  methods  have 
brought  his  firm  nmch  prominence. 

On  December  7,  1892,  Mr.  Sell  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Wetzel,  of  Akron,  and  they  have 
three  children — Adelaide  May,  Sophia  Marie 
and  Katharyn  Naomi.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Wooster  Avenue  Reformed  Church.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Sell  is  a  Mason  and  a  Knight  of 
Pythias,  belonging  to  the  Uniform  Rank  of 
the  latter  organization.  For  three  and  one- 
half  years  he  was  captain  of  No.  21,  Uniform 
Rank. 

J.\MES  MACKEY.  formerly  one  of  Rich- 
field Township's  leading  citizens  and  suc- 
cessful farmers,  was  born  near  Belfast.  Coun- 
tv Antrim,  Ireland,  Januarv  28.  1823.  and 
died  on  his  farm  in  Richfield  Township.  De- 


982 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


cember  4,  1903.  His  parents  were  James  and 
Rachel  (Tipping)  Mackey. 

The  parents  of  Mi.  Mackey  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1837,  making  the  journey  across  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  in  a  sailing  vessel.  They  were 
met  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  by  an  old  friend,  with 
whom  they  remained  until  the  father  of  Mr. 
Mackey  located  on  a  farm  in  Boston  Town- 
ship, just  north  of  the  village  of  that  name. 
On  that  farm  the  late  .James  Mackey  grew  to 
manhood  and  was  there  trained  to  be  a  good 
farmer.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage  he 
bought  his  farm  in  Richfield  Township,  from 
the  heii-s  of  Ebenezer  Palmer,  and  here  he 
lived  during  the  rest  of  his  life.  Prior  to 
his  marriage  he  had  owned  and  operated  a 
boat  on  the  Muskingum  River,  and  later  be- 
came interested  largely  in  the  cattle  and  stock 
business.  The  home  farm,  which  his  widow 
has  rented  out  for  the  past  two  years,  was 
conducted  mainly  as  a  dairy  farm,  the  milk 
going  to  the  local  creamery. 

Mr.  Mackey  was  a  man  of  high  standing 
in  his  community.  For  thirty  years  he  was  a 
trustee  of  the  Richfield  Congregational 
Church.  His  business  ability  was  recognized 
when  he  was  put  in  charge  of  the  Building 
Committee  of  the  School  Board,  of  which  be 
was  long  a  member,  when  the  Richfield  High 
School  was  built.  In  the  following  year  he 
w^as  on  the  building  committee  for  the  erec- 
tion of  the  Congregational  Church.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  formerly  a  Republican,  but  later 
became  identified  with  the  Prohibition  party. 
He  was  made  a  ]\Iason  in  middle  life,  and  was 
a  valued  member  of  Meridian  Sun  Lodge,  No. 
266,  F.  &  A.  M. 

On  April  21,  1868,  James  Mackey  was  mar- 
ried to  Harriet  Palmer  and  four  children  were 
born  to  them,  the  survivors  being  Jennie  E. ; 
James  Earl,  residing  in  Iowa;  and  Harriet 
Lucy,  who  married  Frank  Manelik,  residing 
at  Akron.  One  child,  Helen  Eliza,  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

Ebenezer  Palmer,  father  of  Mrs.  Mackey, 
was  born  at  Sand  Gate,  Vermont,  in  1795. 
He  came  to  Richfield  Township  in  1826,  set- 
tling at  East  Richfield,  where  he  establi.shcd 
himself  in  busines.?  as  a  carpenter  and  builder. 


engaging  in  wagon-making  during  the  winter 
seasons.  A  few  years  later  he  moved  to  In- 
diana, where  he  remained  about  eighteen 
months,  and  then  returned  to  Summit  County 
and  bought  a  farm  of  150  acres  in  South 
Richfield  Township,  and  on  this  farm,  Mrs. 
Mackey  was  born,  November  18,  1844.  ilr. 
Palmer  lived  there  imtil  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1867.  For  a  short  time  he  sei-ved 
in  the  War  of  1812.  He  was  a  man  of  ster- 
ling character,  worthy  and  reliable  in  every 
position  of  life.  He  was  thrice  married,  his 
first  wife  dying  in  New  York  before  he  came 
to  Ohio.  He  was  married  (second)  to  a  Miss 
Griffin,  of  Copley,  and  at  death  she  left  three 
children:  Miland;  Ethan,  deceased;  and  Grif- 
fin. He  was  married  (third)  to  Laura  Rust, 
who  died  in  1872.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Phineas  Rust,  of  Brecksville,  Ohio.  They  had 
ten  children,  the  survivors  being:  Frederick; 
Palmer;  Jennie,  who  married  Phineas  Car- 
ter, resides  in  Kansas;  Mrs.  Mackey:  and 
Eben  Palmer,  a  phj^sician,  who  lives  in  Textxs. 
Both  parents  were  active  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church. 

AV.  II.  LONG,  superintendent  of  construc- 
tion of  the  Niagara  Fire  Extinguisher  Com- 
pany, was  born  in  Van  Wert  County,  Ohio, 
November  3,  1861,  where  he  was  educated, 
and  where  he  remained  until  he  was  twenty- 
one  j'ears  of  age.  He  is  a  practical  plumber 
and  steam-fitter  and  has  had  much  experience 
along  his  present  line  of  work. 

Mr.  Long  served  his  apprenticeship  with 
the  Columbus  Supply  Company,  of  Columbus, 
going  then  to  the  Providence  Steam  and  Gas 
Company  and  engaged  in  putting  up  fire  ex- 
tingui.shers  and  gas  pipe  for  the  Fall  River 
cotton  mills,  remaining  with  that  concern  for 
seven  years.  He  resided  at  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, for  four  years,  and  for  two  years  was 
connected  with  the  Chicago  department  of  the 
Independence  Sprinkler  Company,  later  witli 
the  Mallert,  Allen  &  Eraser  Company.  ^Ir. 
Long  then  went  into  business  for  himself  at 
Evansville.  Indiana,  where  he  remained  six 
years  and  then  became  associated  w'ith  his 
pre.-ent  company.    He  was  located  first  at  Cin- 


AND    REPPfESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


yS3 


cinnati  and  then  went  out  on  the  road  for 
this  company,  and  in  1907  he  accepted  the 
pO;5ition  of  superintendent  of  construction. 
This  office  is  one  of  great  responsibility  and 
its  demands  take  him  all  over  the  countiy. 
his  inspection  covering  the  territory  east  of 
the  Mississippi  and  to  the  Gulf  of  .MexicD. 
During  his  period  of  I'esidence  at  Evansville 
Mr.  Long  took  an  active  part  in  politics,  but 
since  then  he  has  not  concerned  himself 
otheiTvise  than  as  a  citizen  who  is  interested 
in  seeing  good  government  at  every  point. 

On  November  6,  1889,  INIr.  Long  was  mar- 
ried to  Jennie  B.  Wallace,  of  Sturgis,  L'nion 
County,  Kentucky,  and  they  have  one  daugh- 
ter. Gladys  A.  Mr.  Long  has  had  his  home 
at  Akron  for  the  pa.st  two  years.  His  offices 
are  in  the  Hamilton  Building. 

SAMUEL  PIARRIS  STURGEON.  M.  D.. 
a  leading  phj-sician  and  surgeon  of  Akron, 
and  one  of  the  city's  active  and  public-spirited 
citizens,  was  born  at  Oakdale.  Allegheny 
County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1848. 

In  1859  the  parents  of  Dr.  Sturgeon  moved 
to  Ashland  County,  Ohio,  and  there  he  wa-? 
reared  and  educated,  attending  the  old  Ver- 
million Institute  at  Haysville,  after  which 
he  read  medicine  with  Dr.  E.  V.  Kendig  of 
that  place.  In  1873  he  was  graduated  from  the 
Ohio  iledical  College  of  Cincinnati.  This 
was  according  to  the  wise  will  of  his  father, 
for  had  the  patriotic  youth  been  permitted  to 
follow  out  his  own  plans,  ,the  whole  course 
of  his  life  might  have  been  changed.  He 
wa.s  only  fourteen  years  old  when  he  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  Civil  War,  in  the  102nH 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  but  on  account  of 
hi?  father's  objections,  he  returned  home,  but 
only  to  trv  again,  in  the  120th  Regiment, 
Ohio  "\'^olunteer  Infantry,  parental  authority 
a  second  time  preventing  his  follo^-ing  a  mil- 
itary career. 

After  securing  his  medical  degree,  Dr.  Stur- 
geon located,  first  at  Ada,  Ohio,  where  he 
had  already  done  a  little  preliminary  prac- 
ticing, and  he  remained  at  the  point  until 
1882,  when  he  went  to  Mansfield,  from  which 
place  he  came  to  Akron.  .Tuly  20,  1884.  where 


he  has  been  in  continuous  practice  of  medi- 
cine and  surgery  for  the  past  twenty-three 
yeaiis.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Ohio 
i\ledical  Association  and  formerly  v.-as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Northwestern. 

Dr.  Sturgeon  was  married  (first)  in  1874, 
to  Ella  Mowery,  who  left  two  sons:  .John  W. 
residing  at  Akron ;  and  Paul,  residing  at  Ash- 
land. On  June  7,  1900,  Dr.  Sturgeon  was 
married  (second)  to  Mrs.  Laura  "(Myers) 
Palmer,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Calvin  [Nlyers. 
Mrs.  Palmer  had  one  daughter,  Frances, 
whom  Dr.  Sturgeon  has  adopted. 

Politically,  Dr.  Sturgeon  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican and  he  has  served  as  chairman  of  the 
Republican  County  Executive  Committee,  the 
only  party  office  he  w'ould  accept.  He  ha? 
been  active  all  along  the  line  in  the  interests 
of  good  government.  Fraternally,  he  is  a 
Knight  Templar  Mason  and  an  Elk,  and  be- 
longs to  the  cluhs  of  both  organizations. 

FREDERICIv  R.  POST,  secretary  and 
trea.surer  of  the  Independent  Tack  Company, 
of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  was  born  at  this  place, 
November  20,  1858.  and  is  a  son  of  William 
M.  and  Sarah  A.   (Roberts)  Post. 

Mr.  Post  is  of  Scotch  extraction  on  the  pa- 
ternal side  and  of  Revolutionary  stock  on  the 
maternal.  His  grandfather,  Russell.  E.  Post, 
was  born  in  Scotland  and  emigrated  'and  set- 
tled very  early  in  Rhode  Island,  where  he 
became  a  paper-maker.  He  w^as  married  De- 
cember 19,  1826,  at  New  Lebanon  Springs, 
New  York,  to  Julia  Ann  Foster,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  Theodore  and  Julia  (Greene) 
Foster,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  near  relative 
of  the  distinguished  General  Nathaniel 
Greene,  of  Rhode  Island,  of  Revolutionary 
fame.  Ru.ssell  E.  Post  and  wife  resided  for 
a  short  time  at  Wheeling,  AVest  Virginia,  and 
then  located  at  Cuvahoga  Falls,  Ohio,  where 
he  died  May  25,  1848. ' 

William  M.  Past,  father  of  Frederick  R., 
was  born  at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  May 
29,  1822,  and  died  '  June  21,  1882. 
He  accompanied  his  parents  to  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of 
paper-making  until   1850.   when   he  learned 


984 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


the  coopers  trade.  This  he  followed  up  to 
the  time  of  his  marriage,  iu  1855,  when  he 
resumed  paper-making.  For  seven  years  he 
was  in  the  employ  of  Hanford  &  Son,  and 
during  this  period  he  purchased  a  team  and 
hired  a  driver  to  do  draying  for  the  mills, 
as  his  representative.  When  he  left  the  mills 
he  turned  his  whole  attention  to  draying, 
keeping  seven  teams  going.  About  1870  he 
retired  from  the  business  owing  to  the  intro- 
duction of  new  methods  of  handling  the  raw 
materials,  and  he,  therefore,  made  use  of  his 
teams  in  the  establishment  of  a  livery  stable. 
During  the  progress  of  the  Civil  War  he  took 
advantage  of  a  business  opening  in  the  sale 
of  straw  for  paper  manufacturing.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  always  a  stanch  Democrat.  Being 
a  man  of  sterling  character,  he  always  en- 
joyed the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  fel- 
low citizens  and  on  numerous  occasions  was 
elected  to  local  offices. 

On  May  21,  1855,  William  M.  Post  was 
married  to  Sarah  A.  Roberts,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Roberts,  of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania. 
Mrs.  Post  still  resides  at  Cuyahoga  Falls.  The 
children  of  William  M.  Po.st  and  his  wife 
were  as  follows:  Russell  E.  and  Ida  M.,  both 
residing  at  Cuyahoga  Falls ;  Frederick  R. ; 
Lillian,  who  married  Walter  Astley,  residing 
at  Cleveland;  William  G.,  who  is  a  quarter- 
master sergeant  in  the  U.  S.  Army;  Harry 
R.,  residing  at  Cuyahoga  Falls;  Edwin  F., 
who  is  engaged  in  business  at  Samar,  Phil- 
ippine Islands;  and  Nellie  B.,  who  is  a  popu- 
lar teacher  in  the  Akron  public  schools. 

Frederick  R.  Post  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  when  he  left 
school  became  connected  with  his  father  in 
business.  At  the  time  of  the  latter's  death 
he  was  made  administrator  of  the  estate,  and 
after  settling  it  he  embarked  in  a  livery  busi- 
ness and  also  a  transportation  line,  having 
the  only  regular  business  of  this  kind  in  the 
town.  He  thus  handles  all  the  freight  and 
express  coming  or  going.  For  his  draying 
business  he  keeps  thirteen  horse,?  and  five 
men  are  e.mployed  in  his  stable,?.  He  was 
the  promoter  and  organizer  of  the  Independ- 
ent Tack  Company,  a  well-establi.shed  indus- 


try here,  which  has  the  finest  tack  machines 
in  use  and  has  control  of  the  patents  on 
them.  In  everything  pertaining  to  the  wel- 
fare of  his  town  Mr.  Post  has  always  taken 
a  deep  interest.  He  has  been  chief  of  the 
Fire  Department  for  several  years,  being  the 
present  incumbent  of  that  office,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  organization  for  the 
past  fourteen  yeai's.  February  7,  1883,  Mr. 
Post  was  married  to  Phoebe  Jane  Baldwin, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Simon  Baldwin,  of 
Beaver  Falls,  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have 
four  children,  namely:  W.  Oliver,  A.  Edna, 
Howard  B.  and  Thoma's  Raymond.  Mrs. 
Post  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  The  pleasant  family  home  is  sit- 
uated not  far  from  the  Rivet  Works.  In  poli- 
tics, Mr.  Post  is  a  Democrat,  but  is  only  act- 
ive to  the  extent  of  good  citizenship.  He  is 
fraternally  associated  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Maccabees. 

BURDETTE  L.  DODGE,  the  prosperous 
and  enterprising  proprietor  of  the  largtst 
house-furnishing  store  in  Akron,  situated  in 
commodious  quarters  on  South  Howard 
Street,  was  born  in  1853,  at  Penfield,  New 
York.  He  attended  school  at  Rochester,  that 
state,  and  completed  his  education  in  Akron, 
to  which  city  he  came  in  1864.  He  was  aft- 
erwards connected  with  a  number  of  busi- 
ness and  mercantile  houses  in  the  city,  being 
three  years  with  Hall  Brothers,  for  two  years 
bookkeeper  for  the  Weary-Snyder-Wilcox 
Company,  for  six  years  with  the  G.  C.  Berry 
Company  (dry  goods),  and  one  year  with  the 
Second  National  Bank.  In  June,  1879,  he 
entered  into  the  mercantile  busines,s  for  him- 
self, as  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Klinger  & 
Dodge,  which  continued  for  eight  year?.  ^Ir. 
Klinger  then  retiring,  Mr.  George  W.  Plumer 
bought  out  his  interest,  and  the  firm  there- 
upon became  Dodge  &  Plumer,  under  which 
style  the  business  was  continued  for  twelve 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  Mr.  Plumer 
retired  and  Mr.  Dodge  became  sole  owner, 
which  he  still  remains.  He  is  now  in  hi? 
twenty-sixth  year  of  active  mercantile  life  in 
this  city.     He  owns  and  occupies  a  fine  five- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


985 


story  Ijiiildiug  uii  South  Howard  Street, 
wlneli,  together  with  jjui'tioiis  of  the  blocks 
both  nortii  and  tiouth  of  hiiu,  occuijied  by 
him,  gives  him  40,UU0  square  feet  of  Hoor 
»pace.  His  up-to-date  stock  consists  of  car- 
pets, rugs,  china,  and  all  kinds  of  house  and 
office  furnishings.  His  trade  is  very  large 
and  gives  employment  to  twenty-five  persons. 

In  addition  to  this  business,  Mr.  Dodge 
is  and  has  been  connected  with  other  success- 
ful enterprises.  With  Messrs.  Klinger,  Mar^ 
ble  and  Shattuck,  he  organized  the  Marble 
&  Shattuck  Chair  Company,  of  Bedford,  sev- 
ering his  connection  therewith  at  the  time 
Mr.  Klinger  retired  from  the  Akron  house. 
He  is  a  director  in  the  People's  Savings  Bank 
Company. 

In  1878  Mr.  Dodge  was  married  to  Nellie 
M.  Snyder,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Jacob 
Snyder.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of 
three  children — Ira  Jacob,  Burdette  H.  and 
Grace.  The  eldest  son  is  a  recent  graduate 
of  Haverford  College,  Philadelphia.  The 
second  son  has  been  with  the  B.  F.  Goodrich 
Company  since  returning  from  Haverford 
College.  The  daughter,  Grace,  was  educated 
at  Akron,  and  at  the  Woman's  College,  Bal- 
timore, Maryland.  Mr.  Dodge  and  his  fam- 
ily are  affiliated  with  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

ADAM  KEPLER,  a  highly  esteemed  resi- 
dent and  substantial  farmer  of  Franklin 
Township,  who  farms  a  property  of  120  acres 
in  Franklin  and  Green  Townships,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  was  born  on  his  present  place, 
October  28,  1839,  son  of  Jacob  A.  and  Chris- 
tina (Hushberger)  Kepler. 

Jacob  A.  Kepler  was  bnrn  near  East  Lib- 
erty, Ohio,  to  which  place  his  father,  An- 
drew Kepler,  had  come  from  Pennsylvania  as 
a  pioneer,  and  where  the  latter's  death  oc- 
curred. Jacob  A.  Kepler  grew  to  manhood 
on  his  father's  farm,  but  after  his  marriage, 
he  removed  to  a  farm  on  the  east  side  of  Tur- 
keyfoot  Lake,  where  he  erected  a  log  cabin 
in  the  wilderness.  Here  Mr.  Kepler  cleared  a 
farm  of  200  acres,  and  this  was  his  home 
for  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occur- 


ring when  he  wtis  in  his  sixty -second  year. 
Mrs.  Kei^ler  survived  her  husband  for  a  long 
period,  being  eighty-one  years  old  at  the  time 
of  her  death.  Jacob  A.  Kepler  was  married 
to  Christina  Hushberger,  who  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  to  them  were  born  eight 
children,  four  of  whom  grew  to  maturity, 
namely ;  Elizabeth,  who  is  the  widow  of  J.  R. 
Neal ;  Adam ;  Sophia,  who  married  H.  Swag- 
gert;  and  Solomon. 

^\.dam  Kepler  grew  up  on  the  home  farm 
and  secured  his  education  in  the  district 
schools.  He  has  been  engaged  in  farming  op- 
erations since  reaching  adult  life,  and  has 
been  successful,  now  owning  120  acres  of  the 
old  homestead  and  the  old  Sorrick  farm, 
which  he  has  improved  in  many  ways.  His 
land  is  well  cultivated,  the  farm  buildings 
are  in  the  best  of  repair,  and  modern  ma- 
chinery is  used  all  over  the  property. 

In  1861  Mr.  Kepler  was  married  to  Mary 
Semler,  who  came  to  America  from  Germany 
at  the  age  of  eight  years  with  her  parents,  her 
father,  John  Semler,  settling  north  of 
Greensburg,  Green  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio.  Eight  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kepler,  as  follows: 
Jacob;  Lucetta,  who  married  William  Crum- 
erine;  Samuel,  who  married  ]\Iinnie  Troxler; 
Irving,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years ;  Wil- 
liam ;  Clement,  who  married  Sarah  Foust; 
Carrie,  who  married  AVilliam  Peifer;  and 
Percy. 

JOSEPH  WINUM,  grand  secretary  of  the 
Ohio  Grand  Council  of  the  Catholic  Mutual 
Benefit  Association,  has  been  a  resident  of 
.'\kron  for  a  period  of  thirty-one  years,  and 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  benevo- 
lent and  philanthropic  work  in  connection 
with  the  Catholic  Church  for  a  long  time.  He 
was  born  in  Germany,  in  1860,  and  was  six- 
teen years  of  age  when  he  came  to  America. 

Mr.  Winum  located  at  once  at  Akron  and 
began  work  with  .Tohn  B.  Decker,  with  whom 
he  remained  for  four  years,  after  which  he 
went  into  business  for  himself.  From  1880 
until  1903,  Mr.  Winum  conducted  a  private 
business,  clo.sing  it  up  to  accept  (he  respon- 


ys6 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


iible  position  lie  now  fills.  IIu  takes  an  active 
interest  in  public  matters  and  has  served  one 
term  in  the  city  council. 

On  November  9,  1888,  Mr.  Winum  was 
married  to  Eugenia  M.  Knapp,  who  was  born 
and  reared  at  Akron,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Michael  Knapp.  They  have  five  children, 
namely:  Laurence  M.,  Marie,  Charles  J.,  Vir- 
ginia and  Josephine,  all  at  school,  except  the 
eldest,  who  is  a  bookkeeper  for  the  B.  F.  Good- 
rich "  Company.  The  family  belong  to  St. 
A'incent's  Catholic  Church. 

For  the  past  fifteen  years  Mr.  Winum  has 
been  colonel  of  the  Sixth  Regiment  of  the 
Ohio  Knights  of  St.  John.  He  is  district 
dejiuty  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  for  the 
district  composed  of  Summit,  Medina,  Ash- 
land, Holmes,  Wayne,  Stark  and  Portage 
Counties.  Mr.  Winum  belongs  to  the  Alsace 
Lorain  Benevolent  Association,  the  St.  Joseph 
Benevolent  Society  and  the  Verein  Thalia 
Benevolent  order.  He  is  a  man  of  high  char- 
acter and  is  well  and  favorably  known  over 
a  wide  territory. 

JACOB  A.  REAGLE,  township  trustee  and 
owner  of  a  very  fine  farm  consisting  of 
L31  1-2  acres,  situated  in  Copley  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  was  horn  on  his  pres- 
ent place.  May  11,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  Dan- 
iel and  ElizaJjeth   (Serfas?)   Reagle. 

Daniel  Reagle,  father  of  Jacob  A.,  was  born 
in  Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm.  In  early 
manhood  he  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Sum- 
mit County,  where  he  worked  on  various 
farms  for  some  years.  He  subsequently  mar- 
ried a  farmer's  daughter — Elizabeth  Serfa^s — 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Andrew  Serfass,  who  came  early 
to  thi."  section.  Shortly  after  their  marriage, 
Daniel  Reagle'  and  wife  went  to  housekeeping 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  their  son,  Jacob 
Andrew,  a  part  of  which  Daniel  bought  at 
that  time  from  Andrew  Serfass.  and  in  the 
following  year  he  bought  the  other  half.  The 
land  was  well  cleared,  but  the  only  house  was 
a  low  cabin  and  ]\Tr.  Reagle  had  to  erect  new 
buildings.     Daniel  Reagle  and  wife  lived  on 


the  farm  until  1892,  when  they  retired  to  a 
pleasant  home  at  Loyal  Oak,  where  Mr.  Rea- 
gle died  in  January,  1905,  aged  seventy-three 
years.  His  widow  still  survives.  They  had 
five  children,  namely:  Catherine,  who  mar- 
ried George  Beck ;  Jane,  who  married  Edward 
Miksch;  Jacob  Andrew;  Ella,  who  married 
A.  Houglan;  and  George,  who  died  young. 

Jacob  iVndrew  Reagle  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  and  the  High  School  at  Cop- 
ley Center,  and  remained  at  home  with  his 
parents  until  his  marriage,  which  took  place 
in  April,  1891,  to  Orpha  Serfass,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Andrew  and  Harriet  Serfjxss. 
They  have  three  children :  Grant,  Hazel  and 
Esther.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Serfass  live  at  Doyles- 
town. 

Mr.  Reagle  has  devoted  himself  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  His  land  lies  on  both  sides 
of  the  road  about  eight  miles  west  of  xVkron, 
and  it  is  considered  one  of  the  best  tracts  in 
the  township.  The  beautiful  hedge  fence 
which  encloses  the  farm  was  set  out  by  Mr. 
Reagle's  father.  In  politics,  Mr.  Reagle  is  a 
Democrat,  and  on  that  ticket  he  was  elected 
township  trustee  in  190G,  making  an  excel- 
lent record  as  such.  He  has  also  served  on 
the  school  board  a  number  of  years,  and  is 
considered  by  his  fellow-citizens  a  reliable  and 
representative  man.  He  belongs  to  the  or- 
ganization known  a«  the  National  Protective 
Legion.  In  religious  belief  and  connection  he 
'  is  a  Lutheran. 

JAMES  P.  BOYD,  M.  D..  a  member  of  the 
consulting  staff  of  the  Akron  City  Hospital, 
and  a  leading  physician  and  surgeon  of  this 
city,  was  born  in  1850,  at  Wimbleton.  Eng- 
land, and  was  brought  to  America  by  his  .par- 
ents when  four  years  of  age. 

The  parents  of  Dr.  Boyd  settled  in  West- 
ern New  York,  and  he  obtained  his  literary 
training  in  the  schools  of  Jamestown,  New 
York,  after  which  he  entered  the  \miversity  of 
Michigan,,  takino-  first  a  course  in  phannacy, 
graduating  in  1873,  and  subsequently  a  med- 
ical course  there,  and  in  1875,  graduated  in 
medicine  from  the  Long  Lsland  Colle.ce  Hos- 
pital, at  Brooklyn,  New  Yorlc.     After  serving 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


989 


one  year  there  as  an  interne,  he  came  to  Ak- 
ron, where,  for  the  past  thirty-one  yeare  he 
has  been  in  continuous  practice.  He  is  well 
known  all  over  Summit  County.  In  addition 
to  looking  after  his  many  patients,  Dr.  Boyd 
has  found  time  to  attend  to  various  duties 
imposed  on  a  good  citzen,  and  he  has  also 
contributed  more  or  less  regularly  to  the  med- 
ical literature  of  the  country.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Summit  County,  the  Ohio  State 
and  the  American  Medical  Societies  and  to 
the  Cleveland  Academy  of  Medicine. 

In  1879  Dr.  Boyd  was  married  to  Marie 
A.  Partridge,  of  Jamestown,  New  York,  and 
they  have  three  children:  James  A.,  who  is 
connected  with  the  Columbus  Gas  and  Fuel 
Company;  and  Althea  and  Marie  Antoinette, 
residing  at  home.  Dr.  Boyd  and  family  bo- 
long  to  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church. 

Dr.  Boyd  is  a  Thirty-second  Degree  Mason 
and  belongs  to  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter, 
Council  and  Commandery  of  Akron,  and  to 
Lake  Erie  Consistory  and  Alkoran  Shrine  of 
Cleveland.  He  is  past  master  of  Akron  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  past  high  priest  of  Wash- 
ington Chapter.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic 
and  the  Portage  Country  clubs. 

EDWIN  H.  MERRILL,  who  was  one  of  the 
first  founders  of  the  sewer  pipe  industry  at 
Akron,  which  has  become  one  of  the  largest 
enterprises  of  the  State,  through  a  long  and 
particularly  busy  life,  was  a  leader  in  manu- 
facturies  here,  in  many  of  which  he  was  the 
pioneer.  He  was  born  February  9,  1808,  at 
Painesville,  Ohio.  With  his  father,  he  learned 
the  potter's  trade,  and  when  he  came  to 
Springfield  Township,  he  worked  until  1835 
in  the  various  potteries.  He  was  gifted  with 
the  inventive  faculty,  and  when  he  went  into 
business  for  himself,  in  the  manufacture  of 
beer  bottles,  he  invented  his  own  machinery. 
To  this  industry  he  later  added  the  manufac- 
turing of  tobacco  pipes.  His  ventures  prov- 
ing successful,  he  soiight  a  larger  field,  and 
in  1847  moved  to  Middlebury  and  went  into 
partnership  with  his  brother,  Calvin  J.  They 
inaugunted  the  manufacture  of  water-pipes 
and  stone  pumps,  adding  these  to  their  other 


output.  Vitrified  sewer  pipe  was  first  manu- 
factured about  1851,  by  the  firm  of  Hill,  Mer- 
rill &  Company,  which  was  succeeded  by  Mer- 
rill, Powers  &  Company.  This  was  the  first  fac- 
tory to  turn  out  sewer  pipe  in  its  present  form 
and  quality.  In  186U  Mr.  Merrill  removed 
his  pipe,  bottle  and  stoneware  plant  to  the 
corner  of  South  Main  and  Center  Sti'eet, 
Akron.  In  1887  the  business  was  incorpo- 
rated as  the  E.  H.  Merrill  Company.  During 
all  these  years,  E.  H.  Merrill  had  been  the 
prime  mover  of  the  whole  enterprise.  He  died 
January  25,  1888,  aged  almost  eigiity  years. 
In  1838  he  married  Emily  Gleason,  and  seven 
children  were  born  to  them. 

H.  E.  MERRILL,  who  has  been  identified 
with  pottery  interests  all  his  mature  life,  and 
for  forty-seven  years  has  been  connected  with 
factory  No.  2  of  the.  Robinson  Clay  Product 
Company,  was  born  in  1839,  in  Springfield 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
son  of  Edwin  II.  Merrill,  who  was  a  large 
manufactui'er,  and  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  great  sewer  pipe  industry  at  Akron. 

H.  E.  Merrill  was  eight  years  old  when  his 
parents  moved  to  Middlebury,  now  East  Ak- 
ron, and  he  was  given  such  educational  ad- 
vantages as  the  place  at  that  time  afforded. 
Early  in  youth  he  began  pottery  work  in  his 
father's  factory,  and  has  continued  to  be  in- 
terested in  this  business  ever  since.  In  1860 
he  was  connected  with  the  firm  of  E.  H.  Mer- 
rill &  Company,  later  the  E:  H.  Merrill  Com- 
pany, which  was  followed  by  the  Robinson 
&  Merrill  Company,  and  still  later  by  the 
Robinson  Clay  Product  Company.  He  owns 
stock  in  other  companies  and  is  one  of  the 
city's  substantial  and  prominent  men. 

in  1877  Mr.  Merrill  was  married  to  Ara- 
bella Baiiges,  who  died  February  26,  1905, 
aged  fifty-nine  years.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Dr.  S.  W.  Bartges,  a  pioneer  at  Akron.  They 
have  two  children,  George  B.  and  Katharine, 
the  former  of  whom  is  employed  in  the  office 
of  Factory  No.  2,  Robinson  Clay  Product 
Companv,  and  the  latter  of  whom  married 
W.  W.  Pope,  who  is  with  the  Hall  &  Harter 
Company,  of  .\kron. 


990 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Mr.  Merrill  litis  always  been  a  public-spirited 
and  loyal  citizen.  In  18a4  he  enlisted  in  the 
100-day  service,  entering  Company  .F,  l(i4tli 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  which 
was  stationed  at  Fort  Corcoran,  near  Wash- 
ington, during  that  period.  He  is  a  member 
of  Buckley  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic. 

WILLIAM  H.  BLILER,  who  operates  a 
fine  fai-m  of  eighty-one  acres  in  Franklin 
Township,  is  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of 
this  section,  and  a  representative  of  an  old 
pioneer  family.  He  was  born  in  Franklin 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  April  3, 
1849,  and  is  a  son  of  Joel  and  Mary  (Hower) 
Bliler. 

DanielBliler,  the  grandfather  of  William 
H.,  came  by  wagon  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Ohio  and  settled  on  the  farm  which  i?  now 
the  property  of  the  Stumps,  clearing  the  land 
and  building  two  log  houses.  His  life  was 
spent  in  hard  and  useful  work,  and  his  death 
occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
Mr.  Bliler  had  been  twice  married,  Joel  being 
one  of  the  children  of  the  second  union. 

Joel  Bliler  grew  up  in  the  woods  of  Sum- 
mit County,  and  spent  his  younger  days  on 
the  home  farm.  Here  He  was  married  to 
Mary  Hower,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Jes-e 
Hower,  whose  father,  Adam  Hower,  had  come 
from  New  Berlin,  Ohio,  and  entered  a  section 
north  of  Clinton.  He  died  at  New  Berlin, 
Ohio,  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years,  having 
given  one-quarter  of  his  section  of  land  to 
Jesse,  the  other  three-quarters  having  been 
sold.  Here  Jesse  Hower  erected  a  sawmill, 
where  was  furnished  most  of  the  timber  used 
in  the  locks  of  the  canal.  Jesse  Hower  died 
on  this  property  three  years  after  locating 
on  it,  and  forty  years  prior  to  the  death  of 
his  father,  his  daiighter  Mary  being  then  a 
child  of  four  years. 

After  their  marriage,  Joel  and  Mary 
(Hower)  Bliler  lived  at  the  home  of  his 
father  in  Franklin  Township,  near  Man- 
chester, but  subsequently  removed  to  the 
property  on  which  William  H.  Bliler  was 
born,  the  home  of  Nathaniel  Stump,  where 


the  Brewster  coal  bank  is  now  situated,  rent- 
ing this  place  for  live  years.  At  the  end  of 
this  time  he  purchased  the  present  Bliler  farm 
from  a  Mr.  Miller,  of  Canton,  Ohio,  and  here 
Joel  Bliler  died  in  October,  1880,  aged  fifty- 
eight  years.  His  widow,  who  still  survives, 
makes  her  home  with  her  son,  William  H. 
Bliler. 

William  H.  Bliler  received  but  a  scanty  ed- 
ucation in  his  boyhood,  most  of  which  was 
spent  in  hard  work  on  the  home  farm.  He 
was  also  employed  for  six  months  in  laying 
the  tracks  of  the  branch  of  the  C.  A.  &  C. 
Railroad,  when  he  removed  to  Norton  Town- 
ship, and  there  operated  two  farms  on  shares 
for  six  years.  He  then  returned  to  Frank- 
lin Township,  where  he.  conducted  a  farm 
near  his  own  on  shares  for  six  years,  and  also 
the  Cox  farm  for  seven  years.  In  1896  he 
bought  out  most  of  the  heirs  to  his  present 
property,  on  which  he  has  since  continued. 
Mr.  Bliler's  success  teRs  its  own  lesson  of  the 
value  of  per.severance  and  industry.  He  is  a 
man  who  commands  the  respect  of  his  neigh- 
bors, and  has  a  wide  circle  of  personal  friends. 
In  the  best  sense  of  the  word,  Mr.  Bliler  is  a 
self-made  man,  having  fought  his  way,  al- 
most unaided,  from  the  bottom  of  the  lad- 
der. 

In  August,  1S70,  Mr.  Bliler  was  married  to 
Amanda  Wilson,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
Wilson.  Of  this  union  there  have  been  born 
twelve  children,  namely:  Charles,  who  died  in 
1902;  Elsie,  who  married  M.  High,  and  died 
in  1892 ;  Ellie,  who  married  .lohn  Summer- 
man  ;  Delia,  became  the  wife  of  George  Kep- 
plinger;  Milton,  who  married  Lucy  McCarty; 
Edward,  who  lost  his  life  in  the  Spanish- 
Amercan  W^ar;  W^illiam,  who  married  Flora 
Steinbaugh ;  Newton,  Gertrude,  Lloyd  and 
Irene,  the  last  mentioned  of  whom  died  at  the 
age  of  seven  years;  and  Dora,  who  died  when 
one  vear  old. 


DAVID  D.  HOLLINGER.  one  of  the  rep- 
resentative farmers  of  Sunnnit  County,  Ohio, 
who.se  47-acre  farm  is  located  in  Franklin 
Township,  was  horn  .Tanuary  9,  1843,  at  Man- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


U91 


Chester,  Suimuit  Couuty,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son 
of  Jacob  and  Barbara  (Daileyj   Hollinger. 

Jacob  Hollinger,  grandfather  of  David  D., 
came  to  Ohio  from  Pennsylvania  with  his 
first  wife,  and  entered  the  land  from  the  gov- 
ernment. Both  his  wives  died  in  Ohio,  and 
]\Ir.  Hollinger  then  removed  to  Indiana, 
where  his  death  occurred  at  the  home  of  his 
eldest  daughter,  when  over  seventy  years  old. 
He  had  a  large  family,  Jacob,  the  father  of 
Hiram,  being  a  child  of  the  first  union.  His 
twin  brother,  Jlichael,  was  well  known  in  this 
section,  and  died  in  Michigan,  whence  he  had 
removed  with  his  family.  There  was  another 
set  of  twins,  one  of  whom  died  young,  while 
the  other,  Joseph,  grew  up  an  invalid,  and 
was  given  the  forty-seven-acres  farm  now  in 
the  possession  of  David  D.  Hollinger.  This 
property  was  held  by  Joseph  Hollinger  as 
long  as  he  lived,  and  then  went  to  Michael, 
who  later  sold  it  out  of  the  family,  but  it  was 
later  purchased  by  Jacob  Hollinger,  brother 
of  David  D.,  the  latter  of  whom  acquired  it 
by  trade. 

Jacob  Hollinger,  father  of  David  D.,  was 
reared  on  hLs  father's  farm,  and  later  bought 
the  old  home  place,  on  which  he  built  a  brick 
house.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life 
there,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  years  on  the 
Judge  Hoy  farm  in  Manchester,  and  was  con- 
sidered the  most  successful  member  of  the 
family,  having  200  acres  in  the  home  tract, 
160  acres  in  Kan.?as  and  thirteen  acres  at 
Clinton,  it  all  being  valued  at  about  $35,000. 
Mr.  Hollinger  was  married  (jlrst)  to  Barbara 
Dailey,  who  M-as  born  near  Manchester,  Ohio, 
and  who  was  a  daughter  of  Anthony  Dailey, 
one  of  the  pioneens  of  Summit  County.  She 
died  when  about  thirty  years  of  age,  having 
been  the  mother  of  the  following  children: 
Joseph,  Michael,  David  Dailey,  Jacob,  Levi, 
who  resides  at  Barberton ;  Amanda,  who  was 
the  wife  of  Jacob  Weyggandt:  Hattie,  who 
married  L.  F.  Baker:  Josiah,  who  died  at  the 
home  of  David  D. :  Uriah,  a  twin  brother  of 
Josiah.  and  Barbara,  all  of  whom  are  now  de- 
cea,«ed,  except  David  D.  and  Levi.  After  the 
death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Hollinger  was- mar- 
ried (second)  to  a  ^Irs.  Griffiths,  who  had  two 


children  by  a  former  marriage — Samantha 
and  Lucy,  the  latter  of  whom  married  Rev. 
Xelser,  and  both  are  now  deceased.  Two 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  Hollinger  and  his 
second  Avife,  namely:  Warren,  of  Clinton; 
and  Minnie,  of  Akron.  Mr.  Hollinger  lived 
to  the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  aiid  his  second 
wife  sui-vived  him  for  a  long  period. 

David  D.  Hollinger  was  taken  by  his  par- 
ents to  the  old  home  farm  when  he  was  but 
six  years  of  age,  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood, 
attending  the  district  schools  and  assisting 
his  father  in  the  field.  For  a  short  time  he 
worked  around  the  coal  Ijauks,  but  he  finally 
.-secured  his  present  farm  by  trade  from  his 
brother,  Joseph,  and  here  he  has  carried  on 
general  farming.  Mr.  Hollinger  is  a  first- 
class,  practical  farmer,  and  u.ses  modern  ma- 
chinery in  his  work.  Under  his  methods  the 
land  produces  abundantly. 

In  April,  1864,  Mr.  Hollinger  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  Housman,  who  was 
born  on  the  Manchester  Road,  near  the  Hol- 
linger home.  Her  father  was  Jacob  Housman, 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Ohio,  to  which 
state  he  came  with  hLs  parents  from  Penn- 
sylvania. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hollinger  there 
have  been  born  three  children,  namely:  Wal- 
ter, who  resides  at  Barberton ;  Lloyd,  who 
lives  at  home;  and  Charles,  who  lives  near  his 
father's  place,  married  Mary  Sowers,  and  has 
one  child,  Myron.  In  politics,  Mr.  Hollinger 
is  a  Republican,  and  he  has  always  taken  a 
good  citizen's  interest  in  public  affairs.  Fra- 
ternally, he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees.  With  his  family,  he  belongs  to 
the  United  Brethren  Church. 

C.  M.  HUMPHREY,  M.  D.,  physician  and 
surgeon,  at  Akron,  who  has  been  a  re-ident  of 
this  city,  and  engaged  in  the  active  practice 
of  bis  profession  since  the  fall  of  1882,  was 
born  at  Hudson,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  De- 
cember 30,  1858. 

Dr.  Himiphrey  was  reared  at  Peninsula, 
where  he  attended  school,  going  from  there 
to  Oberlin  College  for  a  short  time  and  sub- 
sequently entering  the  medical  department  of 
the  We.=tern  Reserve  University,  where  he  was 


992 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


graduated  with  hi.s  degree  in  1882.  He  is  a 
valued  member  of  the  Summit  County,  the 
Sixth  Councilor  District  and  the  Ohio  State 
^ledical  Societiej?.  He  enjoys  a  large  prac- 
tice and  is  numbered  with  the  able  scientific 
men  of  this  city. 

In  1881  Dr.  Humphrey  was  married  to 
Millie  M.  Crisick,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren :  Lionel  C.  and  Gertrude  A.,  the  latter 
residing  at  home.  Lionel  C.  Humphrey 
graduated  from  the  Akron  High  School  and 
spent  several  years  studying  art  in  different 
colleges  and  then  located  in  the  Rose  Building 
at  Cleveland,  where  he  deals  in  works  of  art. 

Dr.  Humphrey  is  a  substantial  citizen,  and 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  Logan  Sewer  Pipe 
Works  at  Logan,  Ohio. 

HENRY  ROBINSON  was  one  of  the  best- 
known  pioneer  business  men  of  Akron,  and' 
■was  the  last  survivor  of  one  of  the  honorable 
old  business  firms  that  had  added  prestige  to 
this  city  as  a  manufacturing  center.  Mr. 
Robinson  was  born  April  27,  1844,  in  Fenton, 
Staffordshire.  England,  and  died  at  his  beau- 
tiful home  in  Akron,  September  21,  1906, 
aged  a  little  over  sixty-two  years. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  four  years  old  when  his 
parents  came  to  America,  settling  at  East 
Liverpool,  Ohio,  for  a  short  period,  and  re- 
moving to  Akron  in  1850.  He  had  the  ad- 
vantage offered  by  the  public  schools  in  the 
w-ay  of  education,  but  in  boyhood  he  began  to 
learn  the  pottery  trade,  and  with  the  manu- 
facture of  pottery  he  was  concerned  through 
the  entire  period  of  his  business  activity.  In 
1855  he  became  associated  with  his  brothers, 
Thomas  and  William  Robinson,  and  his 
brothers-in-law,  Richard  Whitmore,  and  J.  B. 
Manton,  in  the  manufacture  of  Rockingham 
yellow  ware  and  stoneware,  and  was  later  ad- 
mitted to  partnership,  being  the  youngest 
member  of  the  firm,  and  the  last  to  pass  awav. 
One  of  a  family  of  six  children,  he  is  only 
survived  bv  a  sister,  Harriet,  widow  of  the 
late  J.  B.  Manton. 

The  manufacturing  concern  in  which  Mr. 
Robinson  was  interested  and  in  which  he  ac- 
cumulated a  large  fortune,  beoan  business  as 


Whitmore,  Robinson  and  Company,  with 
quarters  on  the  corner  of  East  Market  Street 
and  Case  Avenue.  At  a  later  date  the  firm 
was  merged  with  the  Ro^binson  Clay  Product 
Company,  manufacturers  of  clay  products, 
now  operating  nine  plants,  five  of  which  are 
located  at  Akron,  with  another  in  course  of 
erection,  and  giving  employment  to  more 
than  1500  men.  Of  this  large  enterprise 
5enry  Robinson  was  president  from  its  in- 
ception, and  was  the  able  director  of  its  poli- 
cies. He  was  closely  identified  with  a  number 
of  the  leading  industries  in  other  cities,  and 
wa.s  connected  officially  with  the  Second  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Akron. 

On  May  22,  1879,  Mr.  Robinson  was 
married  to  Mary  Cotter  Myers.  Mrs.  Robin- 
son and  two  children,  Elizabeth  and  Eber, 
survive. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Robinson  was  a  distinct 
loss  to  his  city,  for  he  not  only  was  the  assist- 
ant founder  of  a  great  business,  but  he  also 
took  an  active  part  in  forwarding  many  of  the 
public  enterprises  for  which  Akron  is  known 
today.  Although  he  never  courted  the  regard 
of  the  public  eye,  his  influence  was  felt  in 
widely  varying  fields  of  activity.  His  chari- 
ties were  so  many  that  their  entire  scope  was 
know^n  only  to  himself.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  benefactors  of  the  Akron  City  Hos- 
pital and  he  was  always  foremost  in  the 
movements  of  practical  benevolence,  wdiich  re- 
lieved distress  in  his  or  other  cities.  For 
many  years  he  was  an  active  worker  in  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  was  a 
trustee,  and  was  chairman  of  the  building 
committee  which  completed  the  erection  of 
the  present  stately  edifice. 

HON.  CHARLES  0.  HALE,  one   of   the 

leading  citizens  of  Bath  Township,  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  agricultural 
interests  and  with  public  affairs  in  Summit 
County  ever  since  reaching  his  majority.  His 
residence  is  on  his  finely  improved  farm  of 
200  acres.  AA'hich  is  favorably  situated  about 
nine  miles  north  of  Akron.  Mr.  Hale  was 
born  March  14.  1850.  on  his  present  farm, 
nnd  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  .Tane   (Mather) 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1)93 


Hale,  and  a  grandson  of  Jonathan  Hale,  who 
settled  in  the  wilderness  in  1810. 

Jonathan  Hale  was  born  at  Glastonbury, 
Connecticut,  where  he  acquired  a  farm  which 
he  valued  at  $1,200.  This  propertj^  he  traded 
for  500  acres  of  wild  land  in  Bath  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio.  A  man  by  the  name 
of  Miller  had  settled  on  this  land,  but  as  he 
had  obtained  no  title,  Jonathan  Hale  secured 
the  land  and  became  the  first  permanent  set- 
tler by  ijaj'ing  Miller  for  the  few  improve- 
ments he  had  made.  He  lived  on  this  tract 
to  the  end  of  his  life,  dying  in  1855,  aged 
seventy-seven  years.  He  was  married  (first) 
to  Mercy  Piper  and  they  had  five  children, 
namely:  Sophronia,  AVilliam,  Pamelia,  An- 
drew and  James  M.  Jonathan  Hale  was 
married  (second)  to  Siu-ah  Mather,  who  was 
a  widow  with  three  children — George.  Jane 
and  Betsey.  To  this  second  marriage  three 
more  children  were  born,  namely:  Jonathan, 
Mercy  and  Samuel  C. 

Andrew  Hale  was  liorn  on  the  farm  above 
mentioned  in  1811  and  was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Bath  Township.  He  grew  up 
amid  pioneer  surroundings,  developing  into  a 
man  of  worthy  character  and  spending  the 
whole  of  his  life  in  the  home  in  which  he  was 
born.  He  married  .Jane  Mather,  who  was  the 
daughter  of  his  step-mother  bj*  her  first  mar- 
riage. She  still  survives  and  resides  on  the 
homestead  farm  with  her  son,  Charles  0., 
having  reached  the  age  of  eighty-six  years. 
She  has  seen  wonderful  development  of  all 
this  section,  having  come  here  in  girlhood. 
Andrew  Hale  died  in  July,  1884,  and  i?  sur- 
vived, not  only  by  his  widow,  but  also  by  all 
of  their  six  children,  as  follows:  Pamelia  L., 
who  is  the  widow  of  William  C.  Ovatt;  So- 
phronia .1..  who  i-  the  wife  of  S.  J.  Ritchie; 
riai-a.  who  is  the  widow  of  L.  H.  Ashmun ; 
Charles  0.;  Alida,  who  married  T.  ITum- 
phrev;  and  John  P. 

Chai'Ies  0.  Hale  obtained  his  primary  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools  and  then  became 
a  student  at  RicHTield.  Oberlin'and  Hnd-on, 
completing  his  education  at  Oberlin  College 
in  1870.  Tie  then  returned  home  and  man- 
aged the  farm  until  the  death  of  his  father. 


when  he  came  into  poscsession  of  a  part  of  it. 
Here  he  has  given  attention  to  ftu'niing  and 
fruit-growing  and  is  also  interested  in  sugar- 
making,  having  one  of  the  best  equipped 
sugar  camps  in  the  state,  including  some 
twenty  acres. 

Mr.  Hale  has  been  one  of  the  leading  Re- 
publicans of  this  section  of  Summit  County 
for  many  years  and  has  served  in  a  number 
of  the  township  offices.  In  1891  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature,  in 
which  he  served  two  terms,  during  the  four 
years  proving  himself  a  faithful  and  efficient 
public  servant. 

On  May  20,  1875,  Mr.  Hale  was  married 
to  Pauline  Cranz,  an  accomplished  lady  who 
was  then  a  popular  teacher  in  the  Akron  pub- 
lic schools.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William  F. 
and  Mary  (Dru.shal)  Cranz.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hale  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  in  which  he  is  a  deacon. 

EMIL  GAMMETER,  one  of  Akron's  promi- 
nent business  men,  is  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Schumacher  &  Gammeter,  the  city's  lead- 
ing tea,  coffee,  spice  and  china  firm,  was 
born  in  Switzerland,  in  1866,  and  was  brought 
to  Akron  in  infancy,  where  he  was  reared  and 
educated. 

When  he  left  school  while  yet  in  boyhood, 
Mr.  Gammeter  worked  for  a  short  time  with 
the  Diamond  Match  Company  and  later  with 
the  AVerner  Printing  Company.  In  1880  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
Tea  Company  and  remained  seven  years,  after 
which  he  spent  three  years  on  the  road  repre- 
senting the  National  Biscuit  Company,  in  the 
meantime  considering  plans  to  outer  into 
business  on  his  own  account.  These  were 
brought  to  a  satisfactory  focus  in  1890,  when, 
in  association  with  Mr.  Schumacher,  he 
bought  out  the  Laidlaw  Brothers  and  estab- 
lished the  firm  of  Schumacher  and  Gammeter. 
Thi.s  firm  deals  both  wholesale  and  retail, 
handling  teas,  coffees,  spices  and  china,  ancl 
an  extensive  business  is  done  in  roasting  cof- 
fees, the  plant  having  a  capacity  for  roasting 
12.000  pounds  of  the  fragrant  berry  weekly. 
Quite  a  lai'ge  amount  of  business  is  also  done 


994 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


in  roasting  peanuts.  In  additon  to  carefully 
looking  after  the  interests  of  this  business,  Mr. 
Gammeter  occupies  the  position  and  performs 
the  duties  of  treasurer  of  the  Black  Drug  and 
Chemical  Company. 

In  1890  Mr.  Gammeter  was  ma  ried  to 
Lounettie  L.  Black,  who  is  a  native  of  Ak- 
ron, and  they  have  Iwo  daughters,  Muriel  and 
Constance. 

Mr.  Gammeter  takes  an  active  interest  in 
civic  affairs.  For  two  years  he  served  ably  as 
president  of  the  Akron  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, and  during  this  time  he  gave  freely  of 
time  and  money  for  the  purpose  of  advanc- 
ing the  city's  interests.  He  is  a  worthy  rep- 
resentative of  the  high  standard  of  business 
integrity  which  the  leading  men  of  Akron 
strive  to  maintain. 

WAYLAND  S.  HOUGH,  M.  D.,  physician 
and  surgeon,  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  enjoys  the 
distinction  of  being  the  oldest  physician  in 
practice  at  this  place,  his  location  here  dating 
back  to  1876.  Dr.  Hough  was  born  at  At- 
water.  Portage  County,  Ohio,  April  3,  1B44, 
and  is  a  son  of  Joel  J.  and  Mary  (Linn) 
Hough. 

Dr.  Hough  belongs  to  an  old  colonial  fam- 
ily which  was  established  in  Portage  County 
prior  to  1821  by  his  grandfather,  Bazalia 
Hough,  who  came  from  New  York  and  en- 
gaged there  in  agriculture.  He  lived  to  be 
eighty-three  years  old.  Joel  J.  Hough,  father 
of  Dr.  Hough,  was  born  in  Portage  County, 
Ohio,  in  1821,  and  died  there  at  the  age  of 
fifty-four  years.  H^e  was  a  merchant  for 
many  years,  but  durinc;  the  Tatter  part  of  his 
life  was  a  druggist.  His  politics  identified 
him  with  the  Pepublican  party  and  fraternal- 
ly he  was  a  Ma.son.  He  married  Mary  Linn, 
whose  father  was  born  in  Ireland.  Their 
children  were:  Wayland  S.,  snbiect  of  this 
sketch :  Lodema,  M'ho  married  .John  Holmes, 
of  Huntington,  Indiana;  William,  who  is  de- 
ceased; John,  residing  in  Chicago;  and  Mnry, 
who  married  Mnnd  Card,  of  Cnvahoga  Falls, 
Ohio. 

Dr.  Hough's  boyhood  was  passed  in  at- 
tending the  common  schools  and  the  Atwater 


Academy,  after  which  he  learned  the  pot- 
ter's trade.  This  he  followed  until  he  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  Civil  War,  in  October,  1861, 
entering  Battery  D.,  First  Ohio  Regiment  of 
Light  Artillery.  He  served  three  years  and 
two  months,  being  honorably  discharged  at 
Columbus,  October  17,  1864.  During  twen- 
ty months  of  this  time  he  served  as  hospital 
steward.  Following  his  army  service,  Mr. 
Hough  entered  the  Charity  Hospital  Medical 
College,  which  now  bears  the  name  of  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  1866.  For  a  period  of  ten 
years  he  practiced  his  profession  at  Mogadore, 
and  then  came  to  Cuj^-alioga  Falls,  where  he 
has  continued  in  practice  ever  since.  He  has 
been  more  or  less  identified  with  the  develop- 
ment of  this  place  into  the  prosperous  center 
it  now  is. 

Dr.  Hough  was  married  (fii'st)  June  13, 
1867,  to  Annie  Elizabeth  Golby,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Mary  Golby,  natives 
of  England,  who  came  to  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
in  the  w-inter  of  1855-6.  Mrs.  Hough  died 
July  6,  1899,  leaving  one  son,  -William  Con- 
die,  who  was  born  in  1869.  On  October  17, 
1900,  Dr.  Hough  was  married  (second)  to 
Sarah  Johnson. 

Politically,  Dr.  Hough  has  never  been  very 
active,  but  he  has  always  taken  a  deep  inter- 
est in  the  affairs  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  He  is  past  commander  of  Crane  Post 
at  Mogadore,  and  is  now  a  member  of  Eddy 
Post,  at  Cuyahoga  Falls.  He  belongs  to  Star 
Lodge,  No.'  187,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he 
served  four  years  as  master,  and  he  is  pa.st 
grand  of  Howard  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F. 

For  four  years  Dr.  Hough  was  trustee  of 
of  the  Cleveland  State  Hospital  under  Presi- 
dent McKinley's  administration,  and  for  the 
past  twenty  years  he  has  been  company  sur- 
geon at  this  place  of  the  B.  &  0.  R.  R.,  and  is 
serving  as  such  at  present. 

JACOB  W.  BENNAGE.  a  substantial  busi- 
ness man  of  Bath  Township,  proprietor  of  the 
well  known  Bennage  sawmill,  was  born  in 
Bath  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Whitted)  Bennage. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


Jacob  Bennage,  grandfather  of  Jacob  W., 
came  to  Middlebury,  now  East  Akron,  Ohio, 
from  Union  Count}^,  Pennsylvania,  and  for 
many  years  conducted  a  pottery,  but  later 
purchased  a  fanu  and  moved  to  Bath  Town- 
ship, where  he  died.  His  son,  John  Bennage, 
v>as  a  young  man  when  the  family  came  from 
Union  County,  Pennsylvania,  ahd  like  his 
father  he  died  in  Bath  Town.ship.  His  wife, 
who  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  died  in 
Akron, 

Jacob  AV.  Bennage  was  reared  in  Bath 
Township,  and  on  attaining  his  majority  re- 
moved to  California,  where  he  lived  for  four 
years,  engaged  in  threshing  and  hay  baling. 
On  his  return  to  Bath  Township  he  embarked 
in  the  lumber  and  sawmill  business,  and  this 
he  has  continued  to  the  present  time,  in  April, 
1907,  opening  his  present  mill,  in  which  are 
employed  eight  men.  Formerly  Mr.  Bennage 
operated  two  mills,  when  he  employed  about 
thirty  assistants.  Mr.  Bennage  has  purchased 
several  farms  for  their  timber,  which,  after 
clearing,  he  sold;  and  from  1899  until  1905 
he  lived  in  Akron,  where  he  was  successfully 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business. 

Mr.  Bennage  was  married,  first,  to  Emma 
Alman,  who  is  now  deceased,  and  they  had 
one  child:  Elvin,  His  second  marriage  was  to 
Nellie  Chase,  and  to  this  union  there  have 
been  born  two  children :  George  and  Mar- 
gery. 

ALBERT  J.  BREWSTER,  who  has  been 
associated  with  the  Buckeye  Sewer  Pipe  Com- 
pany ever  since  he  has  been  in  business,  was 
born  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  in  1871,  and 
is  a  son  of  James  G.  Brewster,  a  leading  citi- 
zen of  this  section. 

Albert  J.  Brewster  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  at  Buchtel  College,  following 
^i'hich  he  took  a  course  in  bookkeeping  and 
?tenographj',  immediately  afterward  entering 
the  offices  of  the  Buckeye  Sewer  Pipe  Com- 
]:>any.  He  has  numerous  other  interests  of  a 
business  nature,  being  a  stockholder  in  sev- 
eral of  the  leading  industrial  concerns  of 
S\numit  County. 

In  1890,  Mr.  Brewster  was  married  to  J. 


Evelyn  Barder,  who  was  born  at  Akron,  Ohio, 
and  they  have  four  children,  namely:  Al- 
bert J.,  Evan  Barder,  Jane  Elizabeth  and 
Marian, 

Mr,  Brewster  is  connected  with  a  number  of 
fraternal  and  social  organizations.  He  is  act- 
ive also  in  giving  support  to  movements  of 
public  importance  to  his  city  and  section,  and 
takes  an  interest  in  all  mattei-s  pertaining  to 
good  citizenship. 

WILLIAM  A.  JOCKERS,  a  general 
farmer,  in  Boston  Township,  was  born  in  the 
house  in  which  he  lives,  August  4,  1873,  and 
belongs  to  an  old  German  family  that  once 
owned  vast  estates  in  Germany,  which,  in 
case  litigation  now  going  on  should  prove 
favorable,  may  be  restored  to  the  present  gen- 
eration. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Jockers  was  born  in 
Baden,  Germany,  and  died  October  31,  1899, 
in  Boston  Township,  aged  seventj'-two  years. 
He  came  to  America  when  seventeen  years  old 
and  carried  a  peddler's  pack  for  a  period 
of  eighteen  months  after  landing  in  the 
United  States.  He  spent  four  months  at  Buf- 
falo and  the  rest  of  the  time  until  1879,  at 
Cleveland  and  in  its  vicinity,  and  then  came 
to  Boston  Township  and  settled  on  the  farm 
now  the  property  of  his  son,  William  A.  He 
learned  brick-making  at  Cleveland  and  later 
engaged  in  a  business  in  this  line  for  him- 
self, giving  employment  to  twenty  men  and 
turning  out  a  fine  quality  of  finished  brick.  He 
furni.shed  the  brick  for  many  buildings,  in- 
cluding that  used  in  the  erection  of  the  White 
Se^-ing  Machine  Building,  ai  Cleveland. 
Prior  to  coming  to  Boston  Township  he  sold 
his  brick  busine.«s,  purchasing  104  acres  when 
he  came  to  this  section,  eleven  of  which  he 
sold.  He  identified  himself  with  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  for  several  years  while  in 
Cleveland,  served  in  the  city  council  and  aha 
belonged  to  the  fire  department,  in  its  early 
daj's.  He  married  a  second  cousin,  Jlargaret 
•Tockers.  who  was  brought  to  America  from 
Germany  when  one  year  and  six  montlis  old. 
She  died  on  her  birthday,  August  6,  1899, 
aged    sixtv-six    vears.      Of  their  eleven  chil- 


996 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


dren,  five  grew  to  maturity,  namely:  John, 
residing  in  Boston  Township;  Mary,  who 
married  Nelson  Wood;  Tibbie,  who  married 
(first)  George  Herman,  and  (second)  Calvin 
Hill,  residing  at  Cleveland;  Hattie,  who  mar- 
ried (first)  George  Curtiss,  and  (second) 
.  John  Boughton ;  and  William  A. 

William  A.  Jockers  obtained  his  education 
in  the  common  schools.  His  life  has  been  an 
agricultural  one,  and  when  his  father's  estate 
was  divided,  he  received  eighty-six  acres.  On 
his  excellent  farm  he  raises  hay,  corn,  wheat, 
oats  and  potatoCvS,  the  latter  crop  always  doing 
A\ell  and  producing  so  that  he  is  able  to  seM 
300  bushels.  He  usually  keeps  about  nine 
head  of  cattle. 

Mr.  .Jockers  married  Annie  Woda,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Woda,  of  Breckville,  and  they 
have  three  children :  Florence  Mary,  j\Iar- 
gery  Anna  and  Willianr  Raljih. 

Mr.  Jockers  is  a  very  intelligent,  thought- 
ful man  and  he  has  given  a  great  deal  of  calm 
consideration  to  public  questions.  In  local 
matters  he  exercises  his  judgment  as  to  what 
candidate  shall  receive  his  vote,  but  in  na- 
tional affairs,  he  inclines  toward  the  Socialist 
party  as  offering  a  clearer  solution  of  the  great 
problems  of  the  country  than  does  any  of  the 
others. 

FREDERICK  N.  SHAFFER,  one  of 
Akron's  substantial  citizens  and  honorable 
business  men,  is  the  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Christy  &  Shaffer,  leading  dealers  in 
saddlery,  shoe  findings  and  hides,  both  whole- 
sale and  retail,  with  quarters  at  No.  142  South 
-  Howard  street.  Mr.  Shaffer  was  born  at 
Western  Star,  Medina  County,  Ohio,  in  1837. 
Mr.  Shaffer's  life  until  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  was  spent  on  the  home  farm  and  in 
attending  the  covmtry  schools.  He  then  went 
to  Akron,  where  he  secured  work  with  W.  C. 
Kittleberger  and  thoroughly  learned  the  har- 
ness and  saddlery  business  and  remained  for 
twelve  years.  In  1899,  he  became  a  member 
of  the  present  firm,  then  under  the  style  of 
James  Christy,  Jr.,  &  Compan}^,  a  cliange  in 
name  later  taking  place,  and  this  connection 
has  lasted  until  the  pre,sent.    Mr.  Shaffer  has 


grown  up  in  the  business,  learning  all  its 
practical  details  and  has  its  management  well 
in  hand.  The  firm  does  a  large  local  business 
and  keeps  one  representative  on  the  road. 

In  1889,  Mr.  Shaffer  was  married  to  Elta 
M.  Eberhard,  of  Western  Star,  and  they  have 
three  children :  Grace  M.,  Raymond  C.  and 
Gladys  E. 

Mr.  Shaffer  is  a  stockholder  and  a  direc'.or 
in  the  Dime  Savings  Bank  and  a  stockholder 
and  director  in  the  Aladdin  Rubber  Company. 
As  a  good  citizen,  he  has  other  interests,  of 
more  or  less  importance,  connected  with  civic 
advancement  and  public-spirited  enterprises. 

JOHN  BUCHTEL  was  one  of  the  early 
residents  of  Summit  County,  accompanynig 
his  parents  to  the  neighborhood  of  (Coventry 
as  early  as  1830.  He  Avas  born  in  Myers 
Township,  Center  County,  Pennsylvania,  No- 
vember 6,  1797,  and  was  a  son  of  Peter  Buch- 
tel. 

His  parents  located  first  in  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  later  in  Green  Township,  and  still  later 
in  Coventry  Township,  Summit  County,  this 
being  about  1818.  The  country  was  then  a 
w'ild  region,  with  only  here  and  there  a  cabin 
erected  by  some  courageous  settler  near  the 
banks  of  a  stream.  Peter  Buchtel  was  a  pio- 
neer of  the  old  tvpe  and  died  at  Tremont, 
Ohio. 

John  Buchtel's  early  years  were  filled  with 
the  hard  labor  incident  to  clearing  up  a  pio- 
neer farm.  He  was  married  in  Green  town- 
ship, January  18,  1821,  to  Catherine  Rich- 
ards, and  they  had  five  children,  three  daugh- 
ters and  two  sons.  The  family  was  partly 
reared  in  the  log  cabin  in  which  .John  Buch- 
tel and  wife  commenced  housekeeping.  After 
thirteen  years  of  residence  in  Gi'een  township. 
Mr.  Buchtel  sold  his  farm  there  and  bought 
another,  in  Coventry  Township,  on  which  he 
resided  for  forty-one  years.  In  1875,  Mr. 
Buchtel  gave  up  all  active  pursuits  and  with 
his  wife  removed  to  a  .small  farm  just  north  of 
Akron,  where  Mrs.  Buchtel  died  in  1882, 
iiged  seventy-eight  years.  Mr.  Buchtel  then 
retired  to  the  home  of  his  son,  Hon.  William 
Buchtel,  where  he  died  at  the  remarkable  age 


ALBERT  A.  KOHLER,  M.  D. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


999 


of  ninety-seven  yeare  and  two  months.  For 
more  than  a  tialf  century  he  was  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Church.  From 
the  period  of  the  Civil  War,  he  had  been  an 
earnest  supporter  of  the  Republican  party. 

ALBERT  A.  KOHLER,  M.D.,  one  of  the 
leading  professional  men  of  Akron,  of  which 
city  he  has  been  a  resident  since  1870,  Wiu; 
born  September  12,  1863,  in  Snyder  County, 
Pennsylvania.  He  is  the  son  of  Andrew 
and  Sarah  (Fisher)  Kohler,  who  came  to 
Akron  in  1870.  Andrew  Kohler  here  fol- 
lowed his  trade  as  a  millwright  until  1881. 
He  then  engaged  in  a  grocery  business,  con- 
ducting it  until  his  death,  which  took  place 
December  31,  1885.  He  was  a  man  of  good 
standing  in  the  world  of  trade  and  a  valued 
citizen  of  Akron.  He  served  as  a  member 
of  the  City  Council,  taking  an  active  part-  in 
the  management  of  civic  affaire.  In  re- 
ligion he  was  a  Lutheran,  fraternally  a  Ma- 
son and  an  Odd  Fellow.  He  married  Sarah 
Fisher,  who  also  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  their  family  consisted  of  seven 
children,  namely:  Charles  F.,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  busine&s  at  AVabash,  Indiana;  Mar- 
garet, who  married  F.  L.  Deibolt  and  resides 
in  Cleveland;  John,  who  is  engaged  in  min- 
ing in  Nevada;  William,  who  is  deceased; 
Albert  A.,  whose  name  begins  this  article; 
Warren  A.,  a  business  man  of  Leesburg,  In- 
diana; and  James  L.,  who  is  in  the  grocery 
trade  at  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Albert  A.  Kohler  acquired  his  literary 
education  in  the  public  schools  and  at  Buch- 
tel  College,  graduating  from  the  latter  insti- 
tution in  1887.  While  in  Buchtel  College 
he  became  a  member  of  the  Greek  letter  fra- 
ternity, Phi  Delta  Theta.  He  began  the 
study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  Thomas  Eb- 
right,  and  in  the  fall  of  1887  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  Western  Reserve 
University,  at  Cleveland,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1890.  He  immediately  located 
in  Akron,  where  he  has  become  a  successful 
and  prominent  physician  and  surgeon.  His 
offices  are  at  No.  608  and  610  Hamilton 
Building. 


Politically  Dr.  Kohler  is  a  Democrat,  and 
from  1890  until  1894  he  served  as  health 
officer  of  Akron.  After  a  lapse  of  six  years 
he  was  reappointed  in  1900,  and  has  filled 
that  office  continuously  since.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Summit  County  Medical,  the  Sixth 
Consular  District,  Ohio  State,  and  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Societies,  and  he  also  belongs 
to  all  the  Masonic  bodies  up  to  and  includ- 
ing the  Commandery  at  Akron  and  the  An- 
cient Accepted  Scottish  Rite,  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  He  is  also  a  member  of  McPherson 
Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  Akron.  Dr. 
Kohler  was  married,  November  27,  1894,  to 
Alice  C.  Slade,  a  daughter  of  William  H. 
Slade  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  Their  pleasant 
home  is  at  No.  703  South  Union  Street. 

TODD  CHARLES  FOSTER,  one  of  Bos- 
ton Township's  most  substantial  farmers, 
owns  an  estate  of  308  acres,  and  belongs  to  an 
honored  old  pioneer  family  of  this  section, 
Mr.  Foster  was  born  September  28,  1861,  in 
Boston  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  son  of  Edwin  Francis  and  Elizabeth 
(Deiceman)  Foster. 

Pardon  Foster,  the  paternal  grandfather, 
was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  where  he 
grew  to  manhood  and  before  leaving  home  to 
better  his  fortunes,  learned  the  trade  of  cabi- 
net-making and  carpentering  which  included 
a  knowledge  of  ship  building.  In  1831,  he 
came  to  Boston  Township,  where  he  con- 
structed the  first  canal  boat  that  ever  went 
down  the  waters  of  the  Ohio  Canal.  This 
boat  was  followed  by  the  building  of  many 
others.  When  he  gave  up  this  work  he  retired 
to  a  farm  he  had  purchased  near  Brandywine, 
in  Boston  Township,  where  he  lived  to  the 
unusual  age  of  ninety-two  years.  He  married 
Nancy  Ooulson,  whose  age  exceeded  his  by 
four  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  a  large 
and  robust  family  and  their  descendants  have 
inherited  in  large  degree,  the  health  which 
accrued  to  them  through  clean,  temperate  and 
virtuous  living. 

Edwin  Francis  Foster  was  nine  years  old 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Boston 
Township.     He  was  afforded  the  best  educa- 


1000 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTS 


lional  advantages  to  be  secured  in  the  territory 
in  which  his  home  wan  located  and  through 
a  thorough  course  of  study,  became  a  qualified 
civil  engineer.  For  a  long  period  he  taught 
school  in  Northfield  and  Bedford  Townships, 
and  was  also  a  competent  teacher  of  vocal  mu- 
sic. After  his  marriage,  when  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age,  he  engaged  in  farming,  in 
Boston  Township  and  cai-ried  on  agricultural 
pursuits  until  the  close  of  his  life,  which 
came  in  1903,  when  he  was  eighty-one  years 
of  age.  He  was  a  natural  mechanic  and  the 
use  of  tools  came  to  him  without  instinictiou. 
It  was  a  pleasure  to  him,  even  in  advanced 
age,  to  be  called  on  to  fashion  some  domestic 
utensil  or  to  repair  some  damage.  The  task 
would  be  done  in  a  manner  creditable  to  an 
instructed  workman. 

Mr.  Foster  left  two  fine  farms  to  his  family, 
aggregating  400  acres,  one  of  these  he  held 
rented  and  on  the  other  he  cultivated  the 
natural  products  of  this  climate.  In  his  early 
political  views  he  was  an  Abolitionist  and 
Whig  and  immediately  identified  himself 
with  the  Republican  party  on  its  formation. 
Until  the  end  of  his  life  he  retained  his  vigor 
of  mind  and  was  a  great  reader,  keeping  him- 
self thoroughly  posted  on  all  public  matters 
and  discussing  these  questions  with  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  principles  involved. 

In  1846,  Edwin  Francis  Foster  married 
Elizabeth  Deiceman,  one  of  the  jiupils  attend- 
ing his  school.  She  was  a  maiden  of  seven- 
teen years  at  that  time,  a  cherished  daughter 
of  William  Deiceman,  of  Northfield  Town- 
ship. She  died  in  1881,  aged  fifty-two  years. 
Of  the  ten  children  born  to  this  union,  six 
reached  mature  years,  namely:  Coulson,  re- 
siding in  Hudson  Township;  James,  who  is 
deceased ;  Amelia,  who  married  Robert  Miller, 
residing  in  Portage  County;  Nancy,  who 
married  Hiram  Mowen,  had  one  daughter, 
Ethel ;  Todd  C,  residing  in  Boston  Township ; 
Grant,  residing  in  Northfield  Township;  and 
Henry,  residing  in  Bedford  Township.  The 
parents  of  this  family  were  worthy  members 
of  the  United  Brethren  Church  and  reared 
their  childi'en  as  became  Christian  people. 

Todd  Charles  Foster  was  reared  in  his  na- 


tive township  and  attended  school  in  the 
brick  school-house  in  Boston.  He  remained 
with  his  father,  assisting  on  the  home  farm, 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old  and  for  the 
next  seven  years  followed  various  occupations, 
engaging  in  farming  and  teaming  and  also 
worked  one  year  at  plumbing,  in  the  mean- 
while picking  up  valuable  information  along 
many  lines,  a  great  deal  of  which  he  has 
];ractically  applied  since  taking  charge  of  his- 
present  large  property.  During  the  above- 
named  period,  Mr.  Foster  was  receiving  excel- 
lent wages  for  his  work  and  was  providently 
saving  them,  and  when  he  was  able  to  secure 
his  present  estate,  in  1889,  he  was  prepared 
10  invest  $1,000,  in  the  same.  This  payment 
of  capital  left  him  with  just  $15,  and,  as  he 
adds,  "a  shovel,  an  axe  and  a  hoe."  Mr.  Fos- 
ter does  not  add,  as  he  well  might,  that  he  had 
other  equipments,  including  the  habit  of  fru- 
gality, an  enterprising  and  industrious  spirit 
ond  a  natural  endowment  of  judgment  and 
common  sense. 

When  Mr.  Foster  came  here  he  purchased 
108  acres,  which  had  an  unfinished  house 
standing  on  it.  This  house  he  completed 
himself,  even  doing  the  painting,  rooming 
off  and  plastering.  The  other  substantial 
buildings  which  give  his  place  such  an  air 
of  completeness  and  thrift,  were  either  totally 
built  by  him  or  entirely  remodeled.  We 
have  no  record  of  Mr.  Foster  learning  the 
carpenter  trade,  but  he  is  evidently  one  in 
.skill,  as  a  number  of  the  farm  buildings  give 
testimonial.  He  is  an  adept  in  all  kinds  of 
mechanical  work  and  is  independent  of  the 
wagonmaker  and  the  blacksmith,  having  his 
own  workshop,  which  he  built  himself,  where 
all  kinds  of  tools  are  kept,  and  where  Mr. 
Foster  may  generally  be  found  in  the  inclem- 
ent weather  when  farm  work  cannot  be  suc- 
cessfully carried  on.  He  is  so  busy  and  in- 
terested that  fair  or  foul,  he  finds  no  time 
hang  heavily  on  his  hands. 

Subsequently,  Mr.  Foster  added  128  acres 
to  his  first  purchase,  and  all  his  land  is  made 
to  return  its  full  value.  In  looking  over  even 
his  ploughed  fields,  no  stones  or  noxious 
weeds   can    be   found,   onlv   the   mellow   soil 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1001 


which  responds  to  his  careful,  scientific  culti- 
'/ation.  He  raises  crops  of  all  the  cereals, 
wheat,  oats  and  corn,  a  large  amount  of  hay 
and  many  potatoes.  He  supplies  a  large 
amount  of  the  milk  sent  to  Cleveland,  from 
his  neighborhood,  and  also  feeds  considera- 
ble young  stock.  Mr.  Foster  has  found  it 
profitable  to  make  a  specialty  of  raising  tur- 
keys and  sells  hi^  choice  birds  for  breeding 
purposes  at  $5.00  apiece.  He  has  some  five 
head  of  horses  for  the  farm  work.  Mr.  Fos- 
ter has  every  reason  to  take  pride  in  his  beau- 
tiful estate,  his  stock  and  machinery',  having 
the  consciousness  of  having  earned  them  all 
through  his  own  energy  and  enterprise.  Be- 
fore leaving  the  subject  of  this  fine  farm, 
mention  must  also  be  made  of  his  two  apple 
orchards,  his  300-tree  pear  orchard,  and  his 
plum  orchard.  There  are  berries  of  all  kinds 
grown  in  great  quantities  and  beside  mar- 
keting bushels  of  the  same,  in  1906,  his  capa- 
ble wife  used  800  pounds  of  sugar  in  pre- 
ser\ang  the  remainder. 

On  ""December  19.  1889,  Mr.  Foster  was 
married  to  Jessie  B.  McGee,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Marjorie  (Martin)  McGee, 
who  was  born  December  6,  1865.  Her  grand- 
father, William  McGee  accompanied  his  par- 
ents from  Ireland  when  a  boy  of  nine  years, 
and  lived  into  old  age,  in  Lawrence  township, 
Wa.«hington  County,  Ohio.  There  the  father 
of  Mr.*.  Foster  was  born,  and  died  March  19, 
1871,  on  his  thirty-fourth  birthday.  He  was 
a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  serving  in  the 
Thirtj'-sixth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  married  Marjorie,  daughter  of 
John  Martin,  and  Mrs.  Foster  was  the  eldest 
of  their  three  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fos- 
ter have  had  eight  children,  seven  of  whom 
survive,  namely:  Anna  Elizabeth,  bOrn 
March  19,  1892;  Charles  E.,  born 
March  26,  1895";  George  William,  born  Au- 
gust 23,  1898 :  Nellie  Marjorie,  born  October 
25,  1901;  Lottie  May,  born  August  8,  1903; 
Harvey  John,  born  November  16.  1905;  and 
Alice  Ethel,  the  pet  of  the  family,  born  June 
13,  1907.  The  eldest  daughter  may  be  re- 
garded as  an  exceptionally  bright  young 
lady.      She   graduated    from    the    grammar 


school  when  but  sixteen  years  of  age,  having 
a  high  average  in  all  her  studies.  Mr.  Fo.s- 
ter  is  giving  his  children  every  educational 
and  social  advantage  in  his  power  and  there 
i'^  gi'eat  promise  of  their  developing  into  the 
the  finest  specimens  of  manhood  and  woman- 
hood. 

Politically,  Mr.  Foster  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party  and  he  has  served  as 
supers'isor  of  the  roads  in  Boston  Township 
but  he  is  no  seeker  for  office.  His  aim  is  to 
be  a  good  citizen  and  with  this  in  view,  he 
gives  attention  to  public  matters  and  casts  his 
ballots  intelligently. 

MICHAEL  and  JAMES  CONWAY,  broth- 
ers, and  prominent  farmers  of  Boston  Town- 
ship, are  the  'sons  of  John  Conway,  who  was 
horn  in  Countj^  .Kilkenny,  Ireland,  in  1819, 
and  died  in  Boston  Township,  in  the  fall  of 
1881,  aged  .sixty-two  years. 

John  Conway  was  reared  on  a  small  farm 
in  his  native  land  and  came  to  America  in 
1 848,  bringing  his  wife  and  an  infant  daugh- 
ter, Catherine,  who  lived  to  the  age  of  twenty- 
six  years.  The  Conway  family  settled  first  at 
Fall  River,  Massachusetts,  where  John  Con- 
V.  ay  worked  for  three  years  in  a  foundry,  com- 
ing from  there  to  Hudson,  Ohio,  where  he 
worked  for  three  more  years,  in  a  cheese  fac- 
tory. In  1860,  he  bought  the  Richardson 
farm  in  Northampton  Township,  174  acres, 
on  which  he  lived  for  eighteen  years,  and 
then  purchased  the  John  Douds  farm  of  262 
acres,  situated  in  Boston  Township.  Here  he 
carried  on  general  farming  and  dairying,  and 
before  any  cheese  factory  had  been  estab- 
lished in  his  neighborhood,  made  a  great  deal 
of  fine  cheese  on  the  farm.  He  was  a  very  in- 
dustrious man  and  a  good  manager.  In  poli- 
tics, he  ^v:as  a  Democrat. 

John  Conway  married  Julia  Martin,  in  Ire- 
land, where  she  was  born  in  1827,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Michael  and  Catherine  Martin. 
She  resides  mth  her  sons  and  is  a  well-pre- 
served lady,  one  who  takes  part  in  the  domes- 
tic life  in  the  home  and  enjoys  social  inter- 
course. She  is  a  consistent  member  of  St. 
Mar\-'s  Catholic  Church  at  Hudson.     Of  the 


1002 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


twelve  children  born  to  this  marriage,  six 
reached  maturity,  a.5  follows:  Catherine, 
above  mentioned;  Walter,  residing  on  the 
homestead  in  Northampton  Township;  Mi- 
chael, residing  on  the  Boston  Township  farm, 
was  born  at  Fall  River,  Massachusetts,  No- 
vember 14,  1852;  James,  associated  with  his 
brother  Michael,  was  born  at  Hudson,  Ohio, 
in  June,  1855;  Mary,  who  married  Lawrence 
Sullivan,  residing  in  Boston  Township;  and 
John,  i-esiding  at  Moundsville,  West  Virginia. 

Michael  and  James  Conway  have  remained 
on  the  present  farm  ever  since  their  late 
father  purchased  it.  They  cultivate  about 
seventy  acres,  carrying  on  mixed  farming  and 
frow  hay,  corn,  wheat  and  oats.  They  have  a 
fine  silo,  with  dimensions  of  16  x  30  x  30  feet. 
Their  apple  orchard  of  150  trees  produces 
abundantly.  They  also  do  a  large  business  in 
dairying.  The  new  railroad  cut  through  this 
section  toolc  off  nineteen  and  one-half  acres 
from  the  farm,  necessitating  the  removal  of 
the  house  and  barn  to  a  new  location  and  the 
drilling  of  a  new  well.  The  property  is  a  valu- 
able one  and  the  brothers  have  it  under  a  fine 
state  of  cultivation. 

The  Conway  brothers  are  both  identified 
vi  ith  the  Democratic  party  but  are  inclined  to 
do  considerable  thinking  on  public  matters 
for  themselves.  Both  are  members  of  St. 
Mary's  Catholic  Church.  They  are  good  citi- 
zens and  men  who  enjoy  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  their  fellow-men. 

J.  F.  HEMINGTON,  of  The  Hemington 
Companj',  dealers  in  furniture, -carpets  and 
stoves,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  for  six- 
teen years  and  stands  very  high  among  its 
leading  business  men.  He  was  born  in  1869. 
at  Madison,  Ohio,  but  was  taken  in  childhood 
to  West  Richfield,  Summit  County,  where  he 
was  reared  and  educated. 

AVhen  seventeen  years  old,  Mr.  Hemington 
came  to  Akron,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
following  was  interested  in  a  meat  business, 
first,  for  three  years,  on  the  corner  of  Spruce 
and  Exchange  streets,  in  this  city,  later  at 
Lincoln,  Nebraska,  for  one  year,  at  Hudson, 
Ohio,  for  one  year  and  again  at  Akron,  for 


eight  months.  He  then  entered  the  employ 
of  L.  A.  Barmore,  on  Main  street,  who  was 
the  pioneer  furniture  man  here,  with  whom 
he  continued  for  eight  years.  Removal  was 
(hen  made  to  Howard  street  and  Mr.  Barmore 
was  succeeded  by  the  Kirk  Company,  Mr. 
Hemington  becoming  vice  president  and  gen- 
eral manager  of  the  new  organization.  After 
four  years  and  nine  months,  he  sold  his  in- 
terest and  for  one  season  he  was  out  on  the 
road  as  traveling  salesman.  Being  recalled  on 
account  of  the  precarious  state  of  his  father's 
health,  he  gave  up  his  position  and  cared  for 
his  aged  parent  until  the  latter's  death.  Mr. 
Hemington  then  engaged  in  a  carpet,  furni- 
ture and  stove  business  at  No.  356  South 
Main  street,  for  one  year,  removing  then  to 
l)is  present  location  at  No.  72  South  Howard 
street.  He  carries  a  large  and  well  chosen 
stock  and  does  a  good  business. 

In  1890,  Mr.  Hemington  was  married  to 
Mellie  C.  Knepper,  of  Beach  City,  Ohio,  and 
Ihey  have  two  daughters:  Freda  Catherine 
and  Nellie  Winnifred.  Mr.  Hemington  is  a 
member  of  the  First  Disciples  Church.  Fra- 
ternally, he  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason,  and 
he  belongs  to  the  Protected  Home  Circle 

WILLIAM  H.  ROOK,  mechanical  engi- 
neer for  the  American  Sewer  Pipe  Com]iany, 
at  Akron,  was  born  .January  8,  1866,  at  Mecca, 
Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  and  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Akron  in  childliood. 

William  H.  Rook  bears  his  father's  name. 
The  latter  was  born  at  Boston,  Massachusetts. 
During  his  active  years  he  worked  as  a  ma- 
chinist and  now  lives  practically  retired,  at 
Akron. 

William  H.  Rook,  Jr.,  has  been  a  resident 
of  thi-s  busy  and  beautiful  city  for  a  period 
covering  thirt•y-se^■en  years,  almost  his  whole 
lifetime.  After  finishing  school,  he  entered 
the  machine  shops  of  Taplin  &  Rice,  where 
he  learned  the  trade,  showing  a  particular  ap- 
titude for  the  same,  and  remained  with  that 
concern  for  some  twenty  years.  Since  sever- 
ing his  relations  with  the  above  firm,  he  has 
been  connected  with  the  American  Sewer  Pipe 
Company  in  his  present  capacity.     He  is  a 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1003 


stockholder  in  several  of  Akron's  leading  en- 
terprises, and  belongs  to  that  body  of  pi'ogres- 
sive  and  enterprising  young  business  men  who 
have  had  much  to  do  with  the  developing  of 
this  city  along  manufacti;ring  lina?. 

Mr.  Rook  is  identified  with  both  the  lower 
and  the  higher  branches  of  the  Odd  Fellow's 
fraternity. 

GEORGE  WELLINGTON  DICKINSON, 
general  farmer,  residing  on  his  finely-culti- 
vated, well-improved  e.stato,  which  contains 
138  acres,  100  of  which  lie  has  under  the  plow, 
is  one  of  the  sterling  citizens  of  this  part  of 
Summit  County.  He  was  born  in  Northamp- 
ton Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  July  5, 
1849,  and  is  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Harriet 
(Faylor)  Dickinson. 

In  the  days  of  the  great-grandfather,  the 
name  was  spelled  Dickerson  and  the  family 
lived  on  Long  Island  and  was  driven  from 
there  by  the  British  during  the  Revolutionary 
War.  The  name  of  the  great-great-grand- 
mother was  Mary  Hamilton,  who  was  born 
in  the  city  of  Dublin,  Ireland.  Their  son, 
John  Dickerson,  was  born  August  20,  1782, 
at  ]\Iillville,  Connecticut,  and  was  five  years 
old  when  his  mother  died.  Later,  he  went 
into  partnerehip  with  an  associate,  in  the  shoe 
business,  at  Chai'leston,  South  Carolina.  He 
had  married  Sabrina  Cone,  who  was  born  at 
Middletown,  Connecticut,  January  19,  1778, 
and  died  in  Northampton  Township,  Summit 
County,  January  25,  1862.  Her  father  was 
an  officer  in  the  Revolution  War.  It  was  the 
intention  of  John  Dickerson  to  send  for  his 
family  to  join  him  but  the  only  message  ever 
received  was  that  he  had  been  drowned. 

After  satisfying  her.self  that  her  hi^band  no 
longer  lived,  the  widow  of  John  Dickerson 
went  to  New  York.  On  September  15,  1834, 
lier  son,  William  Dickerson,  the  grandfather 
of  George  W.  Dickerson,  left  Watson,  New 
York,  for  Ohio,  and  after  many  adventures 
through  stormy  weather  on  Lake  Erie, 
reached  Fairport.  He  was  accompanied  by 
his  family  and  there  secured  a  wagon  and 
drove  to  the  home  of  William  Coleman,  at 
'Shalersville.     The  familv  remained  with  this 


ho.spitable  family  for  a  week  and  then  came 
on  to  Northampton  Township,  their  son  Riley 
at  that  time  owning  a  place  near  Northamp- 
ton Center. 

Alexander  Dickerson,  son  of  William  and 
father  of  George  W.,  was  born  at  Watson, 
New  York,  May  1,  1828,  and  died  May  3, 
]902.  He  followed  agricultural  pursuits  all 
his  active  life.  He  married  Harriet  Faylor, 
who  was  born  in  Brimfield  Township,  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  October  15,  1827,  and  died 
July  7,  1904.  Of  their  seven  children,  five 
grew  up,  namely:  George  Wellington;  He- 
mon,  residing  in  Stow  Township ;  Mary  Jane, 
\\ho  is  the  widow  of  Calvin  Hunt,  residing 
m  Boston  Township;  Edwin  Riley,  residing 
in  Boston  Township;  and  Julia,  who  married 
Charles  Trumphour,  residing  in  Northamp- 
ton Township.  The  parents  of  this  family 
were  good,  worthy,  virtuous  people,  who  were 
valued  members  of  the  Disciples  Church. 

George  W.  Dickinson  remained  on  the 
home  farm  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  after  which  he  rented  a  farm  in  Boston 
Town.ship,  which  he  operated  for  a  year,  and 
then  worked  as  a  teamster  for  a  railroad  com- 
pany and  also  for  an  uncle,  for  several  years. 
After  his  marriage,  in  1872,  he  bought  his 
first  farm  in  Boston  Township,  which  he  re- 
tained for  three  years,  and  in  1878,  he  came 
to  his  present  place.  In  partnership  with  his 
brother  Heman,  he  invested  in  300  acres, 
which  they  later  divided.  Mr.  Dickinson 
raises  hay,  wheat,  corn  and  oats  and  markets 
a  part  of  each  crop.  He  keeps  ten  head  of 
cattle,  thirty  head  of  sheep  and  four  horses. 
His  farm  is  one  good  to  .see,  its  perfect  order 
and  careful  state  of  cultivation  satisfying 
even  the  eye  of  the  stranger.  Mr.  Dickinson 
has  met  with  some  misfortune,  having  lost 
n  large  amount  in  1884,  when  his  barn  with 
forty-eight  head  of  cattle,  six  horses  and  all 
its  other  contents  were  destroyed  by  fire.  In 
1891,  he  put  up  his  present  substantial  barn 
building,  with  dimensions  of  40  by  68  feet, 
with  eighteen-foot  posts.  In  1905  he  built 
his  tool  house,  a  snug  little  structure  20  by  40 
feet,  wherein  everything  has  its  proper  place. 
In  1881,  the  comfortable  and  attractive  thir- 


1004 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


tcen-room  residence  was  erected.  Mr.  Dick- 
inson ha^  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
most  progressive  farmers  of  the  township,  one 
who  believes  in  the  use  of  improved  machin- 
ery and  the  adoption  of  sensible,  modern 
methods  of  agriculture. 

On  December  7,  1872,  Mr.  Dickin.son  was 
married  to  Alice  Enos,  who  was  born  Decem- 
ber 19,  1853,  at  Syracuse,  New  York.  From 
the  age  of  two  years  to  eleven,  .she  lived  in 
Michigan,  and  in  1870,  she  came  to  Boston 
Towmship.  She  is  a  lady  of  education  and  re- 
finement. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dickinson  have  four 
children :  Nellie,  who  married  Park  Knapp, 
residing  at  Ravenna;  Arthur,  residing  at 
home;  Jessie,  who  married  Ernest  Cargould; 
and  Alice.  The  family  belong  to  the  Disci- 
ples Church.  Politically,  Mr.  Dickinson  is  a 
Republican. 

ALFRED  E.  McKISSON,  trustee  of  Rich- 
field Township,  resides  on  his  valuable  farm 
of  fifty-two  acres,  which  he  devotes  to  general 
agriculture,  and  also  .operates  considerable  ad- 
jacent land  which  he  has  rented  for  a  number 
of  years.  Mr.  McKisson  was  born  in  North- 
field  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  Janu- 
ary 29,  1859.  His  parents  were  Arthur  and 
Jane  (Kettlewell)  McKisson. 

Arthur  McKisson  was  born  in  Northfield 
Township,  Summit  County,  May  29,  1831. 
His  educational  opportunities  were  very  lim- 
ited, as  his  father  died  when  he  was  young, 
and  he  was  early  called  on  to  assi-st  his  half- 
brother,  James,  to  clear  the  farm.  When  he 
was  seventeen  years  of  age  he  went  to  work 
for  Ijucian  Bliss,  of  Northfield,  and  continued 
in  the  lumbering  business  for  fifteen  years. 
In  1871  he  engaged  in  farming  and  dairy- 
ing, renting  land  for  the  puipose  near  Brecks- 
viUe,  five  years  later  moving  to  Twinsburg, 
and  later  to  Richfield,  in  the  latter  place  work- 
ing again  at  lumbering  for  five  years,  as  fore- 
man, for  C.  L.  Newell.  He  also  worked  four 
years  as  foreman  for  Ralph  Farnum,  in  the 
same  industry.  Prior  to  retiring  from  busi- 
ress  activity,  he  operated  the  Newell  Broth- 
ers' farm,  at  Brecksville.  During  the  early 
part  of  the  Civil  War  he  endeavored  three  dif- 


ferent times  to  pass  muster  and  become  a 
soldier  in  defense  of  the  Union,  but  he  was  re- 
jected. He  is  past  overseer  of  the  Summit 
County  Pomona  Grange,  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry. 

On  February  22,  1854,  Mr.  McKisson  was 
married  to  Jane  Kettlewell,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  James  and  Elizabeth  Kettlewell.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Kisson was  born  in  England,  May  10, 
1832,  and  was  an  infant  when  she  was 
brought  to  America.  Of  the  eight  chil- 
dren born  to  the  above  marriage,  six  survive, 
namely:  William  J.,  residing  at  Brecksville, 
Ohio;  Alfred  E.;  Annie,  who  married  AVitt 
Fonts,  residing  in  Stark  County;  Francis,  re- 
siding at  Macedonia;  Jennie,  who  is  the  widow 
of  Robert.  Mitchell,  residing  in  Richfield ;  and 
Horatio  S.,  residing  at  La  Grange,  Ohio. 

The  McKissons  are  Maryland  people  and 
the  great-grandfather,  Samuel  McKisson,  as 
well  as  the  grandfather,  also  Samuel  McKis- 
son, were  both  born  in  that  State.  Grand- 
father McKisson  served  in  the  War  of  1812. 
For  his  second  wife  he  married  Susanna 
Boerntrigger,  who  was  the  mother  of  Arthur 
]\TcKisson,  and  the  grandmother  of  Alfred  E. 

.'Vlfred  E.  McKisson  attended  the  schools  of 
Northfield  Township  until  the  age  of  thirteen 
years,  when  he  started  out  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world,  a  courageous  thing  for  a  boy 
of  his  years  to  attempt.  He  found  work  with 
neighboring  farmers  and  was  employed  by  the 
month  until  1880,  when  he  was  prepared  to 
buy  his  present  farm.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  has  rented  the  Lockert  farm  of  115  acres, 
which  adjoins  his  own.  He  keeps  on  an  av- 
erage, twenty-five  head  of  cattle  and  cultivates 
the  land  not  needed  for  pasturage,  about 
eighty  acres,  raising  mainly  wheat  and  po- 
tatoes. Mr.  McKisson  still  finds  profit  in 
growing  sheep,  keeping  .some  forty  head.  His 
milk  all  goes  to  Cleveland.  He  has  a  fine 
apple  orchard  of  three  acres,  w-hich  he  also 
considers  a  paying  investment.  He  is  an  in- 
dustrious man,  a  careful  and  intelligent 
farmer,  and  is  prospering. 

Mv.  McKi-sson  married  Elizabeth  R.  Edgell, 
of  Richfield  Township,  and  they  have  three 
children:     Rov  E.,  Lillie  and  Bessie. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1005 


Politically,  Mr.  McKisson  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party  and  is  somewhat  active, 
on  numerous  occasions  having  been  sent  as  a 
delegate  to  various  important  conventions. 
He  is  serving  in  his  first  term  as  township 
trustee,  and  for  a  long  period  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  township  School  Board.  He 
is  much  interested  in  everything  looking  to 
the  advancement  of  the  agricultural  welfare 
of  this  section  and  long  ago  united  with  the 
Richfield  Grange.  He  is  past  grand  of  Chip- 
pewa Lodge,  No.  675,  Odd  Fellows,  at  Brecks- 
ville. 

WILLIAM  N.  WOOD,  general  farmer  in 
Boston  Township,  residing  on  a  valuable  es- 
tate of  332  acres,  150  of  which  are  under  cul- 
tivation, was  born  in  Boston  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  July  11,'  1862,  and  is  the 
only  son  of  Thomas  and  Julia  (Wetmore) 
W^ood. 

Thomas  Wood,  than  whom  there  was  no 
more  highly  considered  citizen  of  Boston 
Township,  at  the  time  of  liis  death,  in  1900, 
aged  seventy-two  years,  was  born  in  Ireland, 
and  was  seven  yeare  of  age  when  his  parents 
brought  him  to  America.  The  family  lived 
at  Sheboygan,  Michigan,  until  he  was  about 
twelve  years  of  age,  when  they  came  to  Bos- 
ton Township,  where  the  grandfather  of  Wil- 
liam N.  Wood  worked  in  a  mill.  Thomas 
Wood  learned  to  build  canal  boats  and  en- 
gaged in  the  business  on  his  own  account  for 
some  j^ears,  from  which  he  embarked  in  a 
lumber  business,  which  he  continued  for  forty 
years.  He  possessed  great  business  enterprise, 
iiperat«d  two  or  three  sawmills,  bought  stand- 
mg  timber  and  cut  it,  and  acquired  timber 
land  both  in  Boston  and  Northampton  Town- 
ships, at  one  time  owning  for  one  mile  along 
the  Cuyahoga  River.  He  was  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  by  his  fellow  citizens.  He  was 
a  member  of  Meridian  Sun  Lodge,  No.  266, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Richfield.  He  married  Julia 
Wetmore,  who  resides  at  Peninsula  since  her 
widowhood.  She  was  bom  at  Silver  Lake,  in 
Stow  Township,  Simimit  County,  Ohio,  where 
her  father,  Hon.  William  Wetmore,  was  one 
of  the  earlv  settlers. 


William  N.  Wood  attended  school  at  Penin- 
sula until  he  was  eleven  years  of  age.  He 
was  a  boy  of  unusual  brightness  of  mind,  and, 
inspired  with  a  desire  to  travel,  he  left  home 
without  asking  his  parents'  consent,  rightly 
judging  that  it  would  be  withheld,  and  made 
his  way  to  Chicago.  His  smiling  face  and  en- 
gaging personality  enabled  him,  with  no  pre- 
vious experience  of  city  life,  to  secure  a  posi- 
tion as  bellboy  in  the  Palmer  House.  He  was 
so  obliging  and  attentive  to  guests  of  that 
somewhat  famous  hostelry,  that  his  tips  from 
the  capitalists  who  frequently  make  it  their 
home,  were  so  generous  during  his  stay  of  four 
months,  that  he  had  enough  money  with 
wliich  to  buy  a  horse,  on  which  he  started 
back  home,  which  he  reached  in  safety,  hav- 
ing paused  at  several  points  on  the  way  to 
trade  horses  with  other  travelers.  After  this 
little  excursion  into  the  world,  the- youth  qui- 
etly attended  school  imtil  he  was  fifteen  years 
of  age  and  then  worked  several  years  for  his 
father,  driving  a  team,  having  always  been 
fond  of  horses.  He  purchased  a  team  of  his 
own  and  continued  to  use  it  in  his  father's 
lumber  business,  until  1897,  when  he  turned 
liis  attention  more  especially  to  speeding 
horses.  For  .some  j^ears  he  owned  and  took 
an  interest  in  racing  many  fast  horses  in  dif- 
ferent classes,  traveling  over  considerable  ter- 
ritory and  becoming  well  known  in  the  sport- 
ing world.  In  the  meanwhile,  the  home  farm 
was  under  rental,  with  the  exception  of  sev- 
eral years  when  Mr.  Wood  conducted  opera- 
tions on-  it,  but  for  the  past  five  years  it  has 
been  under  his  careful  and  successful  super- 
vision. He  keeps  about  forty  head  of  cattle, 
selling  -his  milk  to  the  Peninsula  Creamery, 
and  raises  hay,  corn,  oats  and  wheat.  He 
feeds  all  but  his  wheat. 

Mr.  Wood  married  Olive  Lee,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Edward  Lee,  of  Richfield  Town- 
ship. They  have  one  son,  Thomas  H.  Mrs. 
Wood  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Peninsula. 

Mr.  Wood  votes  with  the  Republican  party 
in  National  affairs,  but  independently  in  local 
matters.  Mr.  AVood's  genial  personality,  open 
hospitality  and  his  many  sterling  qualities  of 


1006 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


mind  and  heart,  have  won  him  a  wide  circle 
of  warm  friends  wherever  he  has  been. 

HENRY  BLACK  WELL,  the  efficient  su- 
perintendent of  Factory  No.  1,  of  the  Robin- 
son Clay  Product  Company,  at  Akron,  came 
to  this  city  in  1873,  when  fifteen  years  of 
vge,  having  been  born  in  England,  in  1858. 

Ever  since  locating  at  Akron,  Mr.  Blackwell 
has  been  identified  with  pottery  interests,  first 
entering  the  pottery  works  of  Spafford  &  Rich- 
ardson, of  East  Akron,  and  continuing  with 
the  firm  of  Cook  and  Richardson,  and 
later  with  Cook  &  Fairbanks.  For  the 
following  twelve  years,  Mr.  Blackwell 
was  with  the  F.  H.  Weeks  Company,  and  for 
the  past  twelve  years  he  has  been  in  charge 
of  Factory  No.  1  of  the  Robinson  Clay  Prod- 
uct Company.  From  his  years  of  practical  ex- 
perience, Mr.  Blackwell  has  become  thor- 
oughly efficient  in  the  position  to  which  his 
knowledge  and  abilities  have  advanced  him, 
and  the  products  of  this  factory  continue  to 
meet  the  high  grade  of  excellence  which  long 
since  made  the  name  of  this  great  manufac- 
turing house  one  of  importance  in  the  pottery 
world. 

In  1881,  Mr.  Blackwell  was  married  to 
Emma  Richards,  of  Akron,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Edmund  R.,  who  has  been  afforded 
the  best  educational  advantages  Akron  has  to 
offer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blackwell  belong  to  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Akron. 

GEORGE  P.  HOFFMAN,  part  proprietor 
of  the  Excelda  Stone  Company,  general  con- 
tractors at  Akron,  and  dealers  in  and  manu- 
facturers of  all  kinds  of  plain  and  ornamental 
cement  stone,  is  a  leading  business  man  of 
this  citv.  Mr.  Hoffman  was  born  at  Akron 
in  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  B.  F.  Hoffman. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Hoffman  was  born  at 
Manchester,  Ohio,  and  now  resides  in  Portage 
Township,  Summit  County,  of  which  he  is  a 
trustee.  After  working  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  in  the  Buckeye  .^hops  as  a  blacksmith, 
he  retired  to  his  farm. 

George  P.  Hoffman  attended  school  at  Akron 
and  in  youth  learned  the  plumber's  trade  at 


which  he  worked  for  twelve  years.  In  1903,  in 
association  with  I.  S.  Myers,  the  present  county 
tieasurer,  he  formed  the  Excelda  Stone  Com- 
pany, which  has  grown  to  be  a  very  important 
business  concern  of  this  city.  They  have  im- 
I'ortant  work  under  construction  at  the  pres- 
ent time  and  all  of  it,  both  in  appearance  and 
.substantial  character,  is  most  creditable. 

In  1897,  Mr.  Hoffman  was  married  to  Miu- 
ine  J.  Warden,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John  W^. 
Warden,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Glenn  W.  Mr.  Hoffman  is  affiliated  with  the 
^lethodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  belongs  to 
the  American  Insurance  Union.  Personally 
he  is  a  man  of  stable  character  and  aptly  rep- 
resents the  class  that  is  known  as  Akron's 
.sterling  citizens. 

F.  W.  BUTLER,  manager  of  the  stoneware 
department  of  the  Robinson  Clay  Product 
Company,  and  also  president  of  the  Akron 
Smoking  Pipe  Company,  is  one  of  Akron's 
leading  business  men  and  has  been  a  resident 
of  this  city  since  boyhood.  He  was  born  at 
W'orcester,  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Butler  came  to  Akron  in  1866  and 
completed  his  education  in  the  High  School 
of  this  city,  after  which  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  old  mercantile  firm  of  Hall  Brothers, 
with  which  he  continued  for  four  years.  Sub- 
sequently. Mr.  Butler  became  bookkeeper  in 
the  First  National  Bank,  still  later  teller,  re- 
maining with  this  financial  institution  for 
nine  years,  during  which  time  ho  acquired  an 
interest  in  the  E.  H.  Merrill  Pottery  Com- 
pany, and  this  connection  became  of  sufficient 
importance  to  cause  his  resignation  as  teller 
and  to  V)ecome  secretary  and  manager  of  the 
latter  business.  He  continued  to  ])erform  the 
duties  of  these  positions  until  the  E.  H.  Mer- 
rill Pottery  Company  was  absorbed  by  the 
Robinson  Merrill  Pottery  Company,  when  he 
Viecame  manager  of  the  stoneware  department 
of  the  new  firm.  Mr.  Butler  remained  with 
the  concern  after  it  became  the  Robinson 
Clay  Product  Company,  and  since  1900,  has 
been  manager  of  the  stoneware  department  of 
this  large  industry.  He  is  interested  in  other 
Akron  enterprises  and  commands  the  consid- 


MR.  AND  MRS.  AUlXSTUS  O.  Oi'LlNGER  AND  FAMILY 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1009 


t  ration  of  his  fellow-citizens  as  a  man  of  abil- 
ity and  business  honor. 

In  1879,  Mr.  Butler  was  married  to  Grace 
A.  Merrill,  who  was  a  daughter  of  E.  H.  Mer- 
rill. Mrs.  Butler  died  in  1888,  leaving  three 
children :  li.  Karl,  Merrill  W.,  and  Fred  W. 
The  two  older  sons  of  Mr.  Butler  are  interested 
in  real  estate  in  Cuba,  owning  a  jDlantation  in 
that  island.  The  youngest  son  is  employed 
in  the  shipping  department  of  the  Robinson 
Clay  Product  Company. 

Mr.  Butler  is  a  member  of  the  Portage 
Country  club. 

AUGUSTUS  0.  OPLINGER,  a  leading 
citizen  of  Norton  Township,  residing  on  his 
valuable  farm  of  fifty-six  acres,  T\'as  born  in 
Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania,  Novem- 
ber 25,  1848,  and  is  a  soii  of  Nathan  and 
Sabina   (Deiter)   Oplinger. 

This  section  of  Ohio  is  much  indebted  to 
Pennsylvania,  for  from  that  State  have  come 
manj^  of  the  most  solid,  substantial  and  relia- 
ble people,  whose  thrift  and  industry  have 
brought  prosperity.  Among  this  class  were 
the  parents  of  Mr.  Oplinger,  who  came  over- 
land to  Ohio,  settling  for  a  short  time,  in 
1850,  at  Wadsworth,  Medina  County,  but 
shortly  afterward  purchasing  a  small  farm  in 
NTorton  Township,  west  of  Loyal  Oak.  When 
Augustus  0.  Oplinger  was  about  fifteen  years 
of  age,  his  father  sold  that  farm  and  going  a 
little  further  west,  bought  a  tract  of  fifty- 
eight  acres,  but  subsequently  this  farm  also 
was  sold  and  the  family  moved  to  the  village 
of  Loyal  Oak,  where  both  parents  died.  They 
had  seven  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing. 

Augustus  0.  Oplinger  has  been  a  resident 
of  Norton  Township  ever  since  his  parents 
settled  here.  He  has  made  farming  and 
dairying  his  main  interests,  but  from  the  age 
of  twenty-two  to  that  of  twenty-five  years,  he 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  For  some 
twenty  years  he  operated  rented  land,  but  in 
1894  he  bought  his  present  farm,  which, 
under  his  excellent  management  has  proved 
very  remunerative.  He  does  general  farm- 
ing and  dairying  and  also  gives  attention  to 


the  growing  of  small  fruits.  Although  the 
farm  claims  the  larger  part  of  his  time,  Mr. 
Oplinger  has  served  his  fellow  citizens  effi- 
ciently as  a  member  of  the  township  School 
Board. 

Mr.  Oplinger  married  Isabella  Houser,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Mary  Houser, 
and  they  have  a  family  of  thii-teen  children, 
all  of  whom  survive,  proving  the  sturdy  stock 
from  which  they  came.  They  are :  Horace, 
residing  at  Akron,  married  Emma  Koch  and 
has  one  child,  George  William;  Edward,  who 
married  Anna  Flannigan,  has  two  children, 
Mary  and  James;  Dora,  who  married  Russell 
Phelps;  Frank,  who  married  Sadie  Chance, 
has  one  child,  Lillian;  Robert,  residing  at 
Loyal  Oak,  who  married  Virgie  Stripe,  has 
two  children,  Marion  and  Doris;  Charles, 
who  married  Cassie  Messner,  has  one  child, 
Charles:  and  Arthur,  James,  Walter,  Fred- 
erick, Bessie,  Mabel  and  Raymond,  all  at 
home. 

Mr.  Oplinger  and  family  belong  to  the  Re- 
formed Church  and  from  the  age  of  twenty- 
five  he  has  been  one  of  the  officials.  He  for- 
merly served  as  treasurer  of  the  Norton  In- 
surance Company,  and  has  served  on  the 
Board  of  Directors  for  a  period  of  eighteen 
years.  At  present  he  is  serving  as  treasurer 
of  and  for  six  years  has  been  a  director  in  the 
Norton  Cyclone  Association. 

DR.  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  GOOD- 
RICH, founder  of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Com- 
pany (Akron  Rubber  Works),  the  largest 
rubber  factory  m  the  United  States,  wa.s  born 
in  Ripley,  New  York,  November  4,  1841.  He 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Fredonia,  New 
York,  and  Austinburg,  Ohio,  and  was  gradu- 
ated at  the  Western  Medical  College,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  in  February,  1861.  About  this 
time  he  entered  the  army  as  hospital  steward 
of  the  Ninth  New  York  Volunteer  Cavalry, 
and  was  promoted  to  as.sistant  surgeon  in  the 
spring  of  1862,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
until  September,  1864.  being  for  a  part  of  the 
time  in  charge  of  the  hospital  at  Aquia  Creek. 
On  the  close  of  the  war  he  engaged  in  real 
istat^^  business  in  New  York  Citv.     In  1870 


1010 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


he  came  to  Akron,  and  with  Colonel  George 
T.  Perkins,  George  W.  Grouse,  of  Akron,  and 
H.  W.  Tew,  of  Jamestown,  New  York,  he  es- 
tablished in  Akron  the  first  rubber  factory 
west  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Goodrich,  Tew  &  Co.,  later 
changed  to  B.  F.  Goodrich  &  Company.  The 
business  slowly  grew  and  prospered  until  in 
1880  a  co-pai'tnership  was  formed  and  the 
business  incorporated  under  the  name  of  the 
B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  with  a  capitaliza- 
tion of  $100,000.00,  and  with  Dr.  Goodrich 
as  president,  Alanson  Work,  vice-president, 
and  Colonel  George  T.  Perkins,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  company  was  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  fire  hose,  and  other  rubber 
goods.  Later  a  second  company  for  the 
manufacture  of  hard  rubber  goods  was  or- 
ganized, and  styled  The  Goodrich  Hard  Rub- 
ber Company,  with  the  Doctor  also  as  it.s  presi- 
dent. The  growth  of  the  company  was  con- 
tiniious  from,  that  time  on,  and  the  capital  was 
increased  from  time  to  time,  as  the  demands 
of  the  business  required,  until  at  present  the 
capitalization  of  the  company  is  $10,000,000. 
The  present  product  of  the  company  consists 
of  a  full  line  of  soft  rubber  goods  such  as 
belting,  hose,  packings,  druggist  sundry 
goods,  golf  balls,  tennis  balls,  automobile  and 
bicycle  tires,  carriage  tires,  molded  goods, 
mats,  boots  and  shoes.  The  factory  buildings 
cover  an  area  of  sixteen  and  a  half  acres  of 
floor  space,  on  fifteen  and  a  half  acres  of 
ground,  and  the  works  give  employment  to 
3,300  people. 

Dr.  Goodrich  remained  president  of  the 
company  until  1888 — the  time  of  his  deaths 
v.'hen  he  was  succeeded  by  Colonel  George  T. 
Perkins.  He  was  a  public-spirited  citizen  of 
high  intelligence,  and  in  his  founding  of  this 
giant  industry,  proved  one  of  the  greatest  bene- 
factors that  Akron  ever  had.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Akron  City  Council  for  the  years 
1880  and  1881,  the  first  year  being  its  presi- 
dent. 

Dr.  Goodrich  was  married,  November  4, 
1869,  to  Miss  Mary  Marvin,  daughter  of 
Judge  Richard  P.  Marvin,  of  Jamestown, 
New  York.     Of  this  union  there  were  three 


children — Charles  C,  born  August  3,  1871, 
who  is  now  general  superintendent  of  the  B. 
P'.  Goodrich  Company;  Isabella,  and  David 
j\I.  Dr.  Goodrich  died  at  Manitou  Springs, 
Colorado,  August  3,  1888. 

CHARLES  C.  GOODRICH,  general  super- 
intendent of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  of 
Akron,  which  controls  the  largest  rubber  fac- 
tory in  the  United  States,  and  whose  goods 
are  known  all  over  the  civilized  world,  is  a 
native  of  Akron,  and  a  son  of  B.  F.  Goodrich, 
from  whom  the  company  takes  its  name.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Akron, 
at  St.  Paul's  School,  Concord,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  at  Harvard  Univereity,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1893. 
In  February,  1895,  Mr.  Goodrich  returned  to 
Akron  and  began  business  life  as  a  clerk  in 
the  oiUce  of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company. 
His  ability  and  application  have  since  carried 
him  steadily  to  the  important  position  of  gen- 
eral superintendent  of  tliis  immense  industry. 

Mr.  Goodrich  is  prominent  in  Masonry, 
having  attained  the  Thirty-second  Degree.  He 
belongs  to  all  the  Masonic  bodies  at.  Akron, 
and  to  the  Mystic  Shrine,  at  Cleveland.  He 
was  reared  in  the  Episcopal  Church  and  is 
junior  warden  of  the  Church  of  the  Savior, 
at  Akron. 

In  April,  1895,  ]\Ir.  Goodrich  was  married 
to  Mary  A.  Gellatly,  of  Orange,  New  Jersey. 

FREDERICK  H.  WEEKS,  president, 
treasurer  and  general  manager  of  The  F.  H. 
Weeks  Lumber  Company,  with  plant  situated 
at  No.  570  South  Main  street,  Akron,  is  one 
of  the  city's  leading  business  men,  interested 
m  a  number  of  its  important  enterprises. 

He  was  born  in  Copley,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  May  15,  1858,  son  of  Darius  and  Eliza- 
beth (Wilcox)  Weeks.  He  is  descended  from 
sturdy  pioneer  ancestry  on  both  sides  of  the 
family.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  Lev- 
ett  Weeks,  born  in  Vermont  in  1798,  who 
married  Celestia  Taylor,  born  in  Connecticut, 
in  1799.  Darius  Weeks  was  born  in  Wads- 
worth,  Ohio,  April  7, 1825,  and  was  married 
at  Copley.  Ohio.  October  1.  1846,  to  Elizabeth 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1011 


AVilcox,  who  was  born  at  Fort  Edwards,  now 
Warsaw,  Illinois,  May  31,  1827.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  John  E.  and  Marj^  (Kinney) 
Wilcox.  Her  father,  John  R.  Wilcox,  was 
born  in  Salsbury,  Vermont,  in  1900,  entered 
West  Point  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  fin- 
ished at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  and  was  or- 
dered to  frontier  duty  at  Fort  Edwards,  Illi- 
nois. Mrs.  Mary  (Kinney)  Wilcox  was  born 
in  New  Lisbon,  Ohio,  in  1807.  Among  the 
maternal  ancestors  also  was  Plinney  Wilcox, 
born  in  Vermont,  son  of  Mary  Remley,  also 
a  native  of  that  State. 

Frederick  H.  Weeks  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Akron,  as  far  as  the  second 
year  in  the  High  School  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years.  In  August  of  the  same  year  F. 
H.  Weeks  commenced  to  work,  as  back  flag- 
man with  the  sun'eying  part}'^  that  located 
the  Valley  Railroad  from  Cleveland  to  Can- 
ton. At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  went  to  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  as  a  city  salesman,  where  he 
spent  four  years  and  then  returned  to  Akron, 
where  he  learned  the  potter's  trade,  at  which 
he  continued  to  work  for  four  and  one-half 
J  ears.  Mr.  WeeliS  then  went  into  the  busi- 
ress  of  manufacturing  stoneware,  under  the 
name  of  Weeks,  Cook  &  Weeks,  and  two  years 
later,  with  his  brother,  bought  out  the  interest 
of  Mr.  Cook.  The  jjusiness  was  continued 
under  the  name  of  Weeks  Bros.,  up  to  1890, 
when  F.  H.  Weeks  bought  his  brother's  in- 
terest and  now  is  sole  proprietor  of  the  F.  H. 
Week's  potteries,  at  Ea?t  Akron,  where  stone- 
ware of  all  description  is  manufactured. 

In  1889,  Mr.  Weeks  took  charge  of  the 
Hankey  Lumber  Company  as  manager  and 
treasurer.  In  1898  he  acquired  the  holdings 
of  The  Hankey  people  by  purchase  but  con- 
tinued the  business  under  the  original  corpor- 
ate name  until  March  1.  1907,  when  the 
firm  of  The  F.  H.  Weeks  Lumber  Company 
was  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of 
nOO,000,  $90,000  paid  in.  Of  this  organiza- 
tion, F.  H.  Weeks  is  president,  treasurer, 
and  general  manager.  F.  H.  Weeks,  Jr.,  is 
vice-president,  and  L.  R.  Dietzold  is  secretary. 
This  company  manufactures  sash,  doors  and 
blinds  and   makes  interior  finishings  of  all 


description.  Mr.  Weeks  is  also  president  of 
the  National  Blank  Book  &  Supply  Company 
and  the  Akron  Clay,  Company;  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Crown  Drilling  Machine  Com- 
pany ;  w^as  formerly  pr&sident  of  the  Builder's 
Exchange,  of  Akron ;  formerly  president  of 
the  State  Builders'  Exchange,  and  is  vice 
president  of  the  Employers'  Association  of 
.ikron,  Ohio. 

In  February,  1882,  Mr.  Weeks  was  married 
to  Bertha  A.  Hankey,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
the  late  Simon  Hankey,  who  was  the  founder 
of  the  Hankey  Lumber  Company. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weeks  have  two  children,  F. 
H.,  Jr.,  and  Charlotte  A.  The  former  was 
educated  in  both  public  and  privat-e  schools 
at  Akron,  and  at  Buchtel  College  and  Culver 
Military  Academy.  He  is  vice  president  of 
the  F.  H.  Weelcs  Lumber  Company.  Miss 
Charlotte  was  educated  in  the  Akron  schools 
and  at  Miss  Mittelberger's  Preparatory  School, 
at  Cleveland. 

Mr.  Weeks  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic 
and  Elk  fraternities  at  Akron.  He  is  liberal 
m  his  support  of  public-spirited  measures  of 
various  kinds. 

DAVID  L.  PARKER,  a  citizen  and  retired 
farmer  of  Copley  Township,  now  residing  in 
Portage  Township,  for  many  years  engaged 
in  teaching  school.  Mr.  Parker  was  born  on 
his  father's  farm  in  Copley  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  March  4,  1838,  and  is  a  son 
of  Richard  E.  and  Martha  (Richardson) 
Parker. 

Mr.  Parker's  paternal  grandfather,  Luna 
Parker,  was  born  in  New  York.  He  was  a 
contractor  on  the  old  Ohio  Canal.  Richard  E. 
Parker  was  his  eldest  son  and  he  was  born  in 
Northampton  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  in  1811,  being  the  first  male  child  bom 
in  that  township.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  he  bought  a  farm  in  Copley 
Towship  and  built  a  double  log  cabin.  On 
April  18,  1833,  he  married  Martha  Richard- 
son, who  was  born  in  Vermont,  whose  parents 
were  natives  of  Maine.  In  1871  Richard  E. 
Parker  and  wife  retired  from  the  farm  and 
removed  to  Akron,  where  both  died.     Thev 


1012 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


had  the  following  children:  Henry,  Hart- 
well  ;  David  Luna ;  Mary,  who  is  the  widow  of 
H.  Harris;  Eudora,  who  is  the  widow  of  Wil- 
liam Trimbell;  Phoebe,  deceased,  who  mar- 
ried C.  Low;  Perry  P.;  and  Cordelia,  who 
married  Charles  Stadler. 

David  Luna  Parker  attended  school  first 
in  the  log  school  house  near  his  home,  but 
later  the  Granger  Institute,  beginning  to 
teach  school  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years, 
and  he  continued  in  the  educational  field 
until  he  was  forty  years  of  age,  his  last  school 
being  taught  at  Copley.  During  this  long 
period  he  paid  some  attention  to  farming  and 
also  ful-nished  stone  and  built  a  number  of 
bridges  and  culverts  for  Summit  County.  He 
spent  about  two  years  introducing  improved 
and  advanced  school  books  through  the 
county.  Mr.  Parker  is  able  to  look  back 
over  many  happy  years  in  the  school  room 
and  he  is  remembered  with  much  kindness 
by  his  pupils. 

In  November,  1859,  Mr.  Parker  was  mar- 
ried to  Ellen  S.  Averill  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Benjamin  and  Louisa  (Harvey)  Averill. 
They  have  four  children,  namely:  Charle.s 
H.,  Allen,  Nettie  and  Eugene.  Charles  H. 
married  Minnie  Lockert,  and  they  have  two 
children:  Elta,  who  married  Benjamin 
Lockert,  and  Nellie.  Allen  married  (first) 
Grace  Randall  and  had  three  children: 
Ethel,  Junen  and  Evan,  and  (second)  Maggie 
Kinch,  and  three  children  have  been  born  to 
this  marriage:  Vera,  Viva  and  Clarence. 
Nettie  married  Walter  Palmer,  and  they  have 
two  children:  Harry  and  Helen.  Eugene 
married  Cora  Squires,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Roy  and  William. 

In  political  preference,  Mr.  Parker  is  a 
Republican  and  he  has  served  in  numerous 
township  offices.  For  twelve  years  he  was 
assistant  secretary  of  the  County  Agricultural 
Society  and  he  belongs  to  the  Grange,  which 
was  organized  over  twenty  years  ago,  he  being 
a  charter  member. 

CHARLES  H.  WATTERS,  who  has  been 
the  efficient  secretary  of  the  board  of  Public 


Service,  at  Akron,  since  1901,  is  one  of  the 
alert,  enterprising  and  progressive  young  men 
of  this  city.  Mr.  Walters  was  born  at  Akron, 
Ohio,  in  1876,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas 
Walters,  a  former  well-known  and  highly 
considered  citizen. 

Thomas  Walters  was  born  in  Wales,  Felj- 
ruary  4,  1846,  and  died  at  Akron,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1906.  He  came  to  this  city  immedi- 
ately after  completing  four  years  of  service  iu 
the  Civil  War,  having  been  a  member  of  Com- 
pany E,  193rd  Regiment.  Pennsylvania  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  during  his  first  enlistment  of 
three  montlis,  and  of  Battery  E,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  for  the  three  years  and  more 
which  covered  his  second  enlistment.  He 
was  an  iron  worker  and  he  enjoyed  the  dis- 
tinction of  having  worked  the  first  bar  of 
iron  ever  made  in  the  works  of  the  Akron 
Iron  Company.  He  remained  superintend- 
ent of  the  mills  of  this  company,  until  1889. 
when  he  accepted  a  similar  position  with  the 
Cheny  Valley  Iron  Company,  at  Leetonia, 
Ohio. 

Charles  H.  Walters  was  employed  in  cleri- 
cal work  at  Akron  for  a  time  after  completing 
his  schooling,  and  then  engaged  in  a  real 
estate  business  for  several  years.  In  1901 
he  was  elected  secretary  of  the  board  of  Pub- 
lic Service,  his  efficiency  in  this  office  being" 
generally  conceded.  He  has  been  a  very 
active  worker  in  the  Republican  party  and 
is  a  representative  young  American  in  his 
energy  and  business  initiative. 

B.  AV.  ROBINSON,  president  of  the  Rob- 
inson Clay  Product  Company,  also  of  the 
Second  National  Bank,  both  of  Akron,  is  one 
of  the  city's  native  sons  who  have  done  yeo- 
man service  in  advancing  her  manufacturing 
and  financial  intere.sts,  and  adding  materially 
to  the  volume  of  business  which  places  her 
among  the  foremost  cities  of  her  size  in  the 
United  States  in  point  of  enterprise  and  pros- 
perity. He  was  born,  as  has  been  already  in- 
timated, in  Akron,  the  year  of  his  nativity 
being  1860.  His  father  was  William  Robin- 
son, a  native  of  Slaff'ordshire,  England,  who 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1013 


on  coining  to  America,  settled  first  in  East 
Liverpool,  Ohio,  whence  he  came  to  Akron 
iu  1856.  Here  William  Robinson  became 
a  pioneer  in  the  manufacture  of  pottery  and 
sewer  pipe,  and  was  one  of  the  stirring  busi- 
ness men  of  Akron  in  his  day. 

B.  W.  Robinson,  with  whom  this  sketch  is 
more  closely  concerned  was  reared  in  his  na- 
tive city,  and  after  graduating  from  the 
Akron  High  School,  supplemented  his  school' 
studies  by  a  term  at  Oberlin  College.  His 
first  business  experience  was  gained  as  book- 
keeper for  Whittmore,  Robinson  &  Co.,  with 
whom  he  became  connected  in  1878;  and 
with  the  exception  of  two  years — from  1884 
to  1886,  when  he  was  with  the  Akron  Mill- 
ing Co. — he  has  been  connected  with  the  pot- 
tery and  sewer-pipe  manufacturing  interests. 
Through  his  force  of  character  and  acknowl- 
edged ability  as  a  business  man  he  has  risen 
from  a  subordinate  position  to  the  presidency 
of  the  Robinson  Clay  Product  Company,  as 
well  as  to  that  of  the  Second  National  Bank. 
The  former  concern  is  the  largest  of  its  kind 
in  the  United  States,  if  not  in  the  world,  they 
being  the  sole  owners  of  nine  factories,  six  of 
which  are  located  in  Akron,  one  at  Canal 
Dover,  one  at  Midvale,  and  one  at  Malvern. 
They  also  control  a  number  of  incorporated 
companies  scattered  over  the  United  States, 
among  which  latter  may  be  mentioned  the 
Eastern  Clay  Goods  Co.,  with  office  at  Bos- 
ton, Mass.  Mr.  Robinson  is  a  member  of  the 
Portage  Countrj-  Club.  He  is  also  an  active 
member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
serving  usefully  on  its  board  of  trustees. 

He  was  rriarried  in  1893  to  Miss  Zeletta  M. 
Smith,  of  East  Liverpool.  They  have  six 
children — Helen,  Paul,  William,  Stuart, 
Ruth,  and  Zeletta. 

McCONNELL  ]\IOORE.  one  of  the  highlv 
respected  retired  residents  of  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
who  has  made  this  city  his  home  since  1885, 
was  born  November  9,  1836,  in  Armstrong 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  son  of  Hugh 
and  Fanny  (Shryock)  Moore. 

The  Moore  family  traces  its  ancestry  back 


to  Scotland  and  Ireland,  but  has  been  Ameri- 
can through  a  number  of  generations.  John 
Moore,  gi-eat  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  in  1749.  He  was  of 
Scotch-Irish  blood,  coming  to  this  country  di- 
rectly from  Ireland  and  settling  in  Westmore- 
land County,  Pennsylvania,  near  New  Alex- 
ander. The  exact  date  of  his  death  is  at  pres- 
ent unknown,  but  it  occurred  some  time  be- 
fore the  burning  of  Hannastown  by  the  In- 
dians. He  had  four  childi'en,  namely :  Wil- 
liam, born  in  1773,  who  died  in  1832.  in 
Butler  County,  Pennsylvania,  married  Mary 
Conway;  James,  born  in  1774,  married  Cath- 
erine Chambers,  and  died  in  1846;  Mary, 
who  married  Thomas  Dickie. 

William  and  Mary  (Conwaj')'  Moore  were 
the  parents  of  children  as  follows:  Jane,  born 
in  1798,  who  married  Thomas  McCurdy; 
John,  born  in  1801,  married  Matilda  Mc- 
Afee, died  in  1881;  Hugh,  born  in  1803,  mar- 
ried Fanny  Shryock,  died  1889 ;  James  (dates 
of  birth  and  death  not  given),  married  Mar- 
garet McAfee, 

Hugh  Moore,  who  married  Fanny  Shryock, 
had  the  following  children :  John  S.,  born 
August  23,  1826 ;  died  August  19,  1870,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Gibson ;  William,  born  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1828,  died  December  25,  1864,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Conrad;  James,  born  March 
3,  1830,  married  Eliza  Henry;  Lavena.  born 
December  8,  1832,  died  August  26,  1870, 
married  Barnard  Hendrick;  Thomas  Harper, 
born  November,  1834,  married  Nancy  Mc- 
Clery;  McConnell,  born  November  9, 
1836,  married  Elizabeth  Mildrcn ;  Sarah 
Jane,  born  January  22,  1839,  mar- 
ried Samuel  Nicholson;  Margaret  Ann, 
born  September  25,  1841,  married  John 
Adams;  George  H.,  born  November  8,  1843, 
married  Annie  Thomas:  Samuel  Curtis,  born 
March  8,  1846,  died  February  17,  1854. 

The  Shryock  family  originated  in  this 
country  through  a  Leonard  Shryock,  who 
came,  it  is  thought,  from  Prussia,  between 
1720  and  1730,  one  of  whase  grandsons  was 
the  maternal  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.     The  said  maternal  grandfather. 


1014 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


(born  in  1776,  died  1859) ,  married  Jane  Con- 
way, and  had  children — Margaret,  who  mar- 
ried Thomas  Harper;  Fanny  who  married 
Hugh  Moore ;  Eliza  who  married  John  Hind- 
man  ;  Sarah  who  became  the  wife  of  Andreas 
Wilk ;  Lena,  who  married  Thomas  McElvain ; 
John,  who  mai'ried  Eliza  Dickson ;  Daniel 
married  Elizabeth  Lincoln;  Jane  married 
,Peter  Hyskell. 

William  Moore,  the  paternal  grandfather 
of  McConnell  Moore,  was  born  in  Westmore- 
land County,  Pennsylvania,  where  his  whole 
life  was  spent.  Hugh  Moore,  father  of  Mc- 
Connell Moore,  was  born  in  the  same  county 
in  1806,  and  died  in  1900,  in  Sugar  Creek 
Township,  Armstrong  County,  Pennsylvania, 
to  which  section  he  probably  removed  about 
the  time  of  his  marriage.  Hugh  Moore  and 
wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  They  had  a  family  of  ten  children 
born  to  them,  nine  of  whom  reached  ma- 
turity, as  follows:  John  and  William,  both 
deceased;  James,  residing  at  Johnstown, 
Pennsylvania;  Lavinia,  deceased;  Thomas  H., 
residing  at  Los  Angeles,  California:  IMcCon- 
nell;  Sarah  Jane,  who  is  the  widow  of  Capt. 
Samuel  J.  Nickerson,  of  Indiana,  Pennsylva- 
nia; Margaret  Ann,  who  is  the  widow  of  John 
Adams,  of  Armstrong  County,  Pennsylvania; 
and  George  H.,  of  Rimersburg,  Pennsylvania. 
The  mother  of  Mr.  Moore  survived  to  the  age 
of  eighty-three  years. 

McConnell  Moore  was  reared  in  Armstrong 
Countjr  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  For  several  years  he  was  con- 
nected with  mercantile  pursuits  at  Brady's 
Bend,  later  had  charge  of  oil  interests  at  Oil 
Creek,  after  which  he  entered  a  rolhng  mill  at 
Pittsburg  for  several  years.  He  returned  to 
Brady's  Bend  in  the  capacity  of  ore  inspec- 
tor for  the  Brady's  Bend  Iron  Company, 
remaining  with  that  concern  for  seven  years, 
and  was  also  interested  in  the  oil  fields  for 
himself.  In  1872,  Mr.  Moore  became  man- 
ager of  a  fire  brick  business  owned  by  his 
brother-in-law,  E.  J.  Mildren,  at  Bla<-klick  Sta- 
tion. Indiana  County,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
remained  until  1885,  when    he  caino  toCuya- 


hoga  Falls.  Mr.  Moore  resumed  his  mercan- 
tile interests  for  a  time  but  subsequently  ac- 
cepted the  position  of  time-keeper  .at  the  Rivet 
and  Machine  Works,  where  he  remained 
until  April  15,  1907,  when  he  retired.  He 
owns  a  fine  residence  on  Bailey  Road,  north 
of  town,  and  a  valuable  farm  of  fifty-one 
acres,  which  is  managed  by  his  son  Charles. 

In  1861,  McConnell  Moore  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  Mildren,  who  was  born  in  Penzance, 
Cornwall,  England,  in  1842,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  L.  Mildren,  formerly  of  Brady's 
Bend.  Of  the  thirteen  children  born  to  this 
marriage,  twelve  reached  maturity;  as  follows : 
Fannie  Jane,  who  married  B.  B.  McCon- 
naughey,  of  Homer  City,  Pennsylvania;  A. 
Kate  J.,  now  decea.sed;  Edward  J.,  residing  at 
Cleveland;  Melda,  who  was  a  victim  of  the 
great  Johnstown  flood;  Lavinia,  residing  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  who  married  F.  J.  Creque; 
Charles  M.,  residing  on  the  home  farm ;  Alice, 
who  married  John  Young,  residing  at  Mus- 
kegon, Michigan;  Leroy  M.,  residing  at  New- 
ark, New  Jersey;  Frank  R.,  residing  at  Cuy- 
ahoga Falls;  Ralph  R.,  residing  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls;  Richard  L.,  postmaster  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls;  and  Dora,  who  married  Rev.  C.  A. 
Coakwell,  a  minister  of  the  Disciples  Church, 
residing  at  Lennox,  Iowa. 

Mr.  Moore  has  always  been  identified  with 
the  Republican  party.  For  fifteen  years  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion of  Cuyahoga  Falls  and  during  the  larger 
part  of  this  time  he  was  clerk  of  the  board. 

Ralph  Moore,  the  second  youngest  son  of 
Mr.  Moore,  is  one  of  Cuyahoga  Falls'  most  en- 
terprising young  business  men.  He  was 
born  in  Indiana  County,  Pennsylvania,  Sep- 
tember 8,  1878,  and  his  education  was  secured 
there  and  in  this  city.  After  completing  his 
school  course  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
jewelry  business  and  subsequently  studied  op- 
tics, and  in  both  occupations  he  has  met  with 
the  most  gratifying  success.  He  commenced 
his  studies  with  B.  F.  Phillips,  at  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  going  from  there  to  Cleveland,  where 
he  had  expert  teaching  in  the  many  technical 
points  of  his  work,  and  after  he  became  pro- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1015 


ficient  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Webb 
C.  Ball  Company,  of  Cleveland.  After  sev- 
eral business  ventures,  more  or  less  satis- 
factory, Mr.  Moore  took  a  complete  course  in 
the  Philadelphia  Horological  College,  and 
from  this  institution  received  his  diploma  ii\ 
optics.  Following  his  graduation  he  took 
charge  of  a  store  of  Bygate  &  Son,  of  Pitts- 
burg, later  was  with  A.  E.  Siedle  &  Com- 
pany of  that  city,  where  he  was  watchmaker, 
engraver,  and  optician.  Later  he  was  in  busi- 
ness at  Port  Huron,  Michigan,  which  city  he 
left  on  account  of  climatic  conditions,  and  in 
Februai'v,  1905,  he  embarked  in  a  business 
at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  which  has  grown  to  re- 
markable proportions  in  the  past  two  years, 
necessitating  a  change  of  quarters  and  fine 
facilities.  Mr.  Moore  is  a  member  of  St;u' 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  187,  and  of  Pavonia 
Lodge,  No.  301,  Knights  of  Pythias. 

MRS.  SUSANNAH  SNYDER,  widow  of 
John  G.  Snyder,  has  resided  on  her  present 
farm  of  178  acres,  situated  in  Coventry  Town- 
ship, ever  since  her  marriage  and  the  comfort 
and  conveniences  amid  which  she  lives,  are 
largely  due  to  her  years  of  frugality  and  good 
management.  Mrs.  Snyder  was  born  ia 
Green  Township,  Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  George  and  Catherine  (Marsh ) 
Kepler. 

The  Keplers  came  to  Ohio  from  Penn- 
sylvania. George  Kepler  was  born  in  the 
latter  State,  and  in  boyhood  accompanied 
his  people  to  Stark  County,  the  party  con- 
."^isting  of  the  family  of  .John  Kepler,  hi.< 
father,  and  that  of  Andrew  Kepler,  his  uncle. 
There  were  no  railroads  in  those  days  and 
every  one  who  left  home  with  his  belong- 
ings, traveled  by  wagon  and  frequently  used 
an  ox-team.  The  Keplers  settled  near  to- 
gether in  the  wilderness  which  they  found, 
but  all  were  men  of  energy  and  indastry,  and 
soon  made  clearings  and  erected  comfortable 
homes.  The  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Snyder 
reared  a  large  family  and  lived  far  into  mid- 
dle life.  His  death  was  caii.-^i'd  by  an  ac- 
cident. 


George  Kepler,  father  of  Mrs.  Snyder,  was 
one  of  the  older  membei-s  of  the  family  and 
he  assisted  his  father  very  materially  througn 
the  pioneer  liardships  which  they  had  to  en- 
counter. After  he  reached  manhood  he  mar- 
ried Catherine  Marsh,  who  had  also  accom- 
panied her  parents  from  Pennsylvania.  The 
latter  were  Adam  and  Susannah  Marsh,  who 
also  settled  in  vi^hat  was  then  Green  Township, 
Stark  County,  but  which  is  now  Franklin 
Township,  Summit  County.  The  K(-p- 
lers  removed  from  Green  Township,  where 
they  originally  settled,  to  Coventry  Town- 
ship, locating  on  a  farm  on  which 
Mrs.  Snyder  lives.  It  was  then  covered 
with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber.  George 
Kepler,  who  was  a  man  of  great  in- 
dustry, built  a  log  house  and  barn.  He  died 
when  only  thirty  years  of  age,  but  had  al- 
most completed  the  clearing  of  the  place.  He 
was  not  long  survived  by  his  wife,  who  died 
aged  twenty-eight  years,  both  falling  victims 
to  typhoid  fever.  Six  children  were  left  or- 
phans, namely:  Susannah,  Adam,  Solomon, 
Alfred,  Mary  and  William.  Alfred  and  Mary 
are  now  deceased. 

Susannah  Kepler  was  three  years  old  when 
her  parents  settled  in  Coventry  Township, 
and  she  lived  on  the  present  home  farm 
until  they  died,  when  she  returned  to  Green 
(Franklin  Township)  and  made  her  home 
with  her  maternal  grandfather,  Adam  Marsh. 
On  January  3,  1856,  she  was  married  to  John 
George  Snyder,  who  was  a  son  of  Michael  and 
Barbara  Snyder,  who  had  come  to  Ohio  from 
Germany,  after  their  marriage,  and  who  died 
in  Summit  County.  They  had  five  children, 
namely:  John  George;  Michael,  now  do- 
ceased;  Eve  (deceased),  who  married  J. 
Daily;  Frederick;  and  Julia  Ann,  both  de- 
ceased, the  latter  of  whom  married  D. 
Steele. 

John  George  Snyder  was  born  in  Germany, 
January  13,  1827.  He  came  to  America 
when  he  was  eleven  years  of  age,  and  lived  at 
home  mitil  his  marriage.  Ho  always  carried 
on  farming  and  became  a  man  of  local  promi- 
nence,  one   who  Ava.«  •  frequently  selected  by 


101(5 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


the  Democratic  party  to  serve  in  township 
offices.  Such  duties  were  always  performed 
with  honesty  and  fidelity.  He  died  February 
21,  1901.  A  family  of  ten  children  were 
born  to  John  George  Snyder  and  wife,  as 
follows:  Mary,  who  married  M.  Loutzeu- 
heiser;  Savilla,  twin  sister  of  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried John  Dice  and  has  two  children — 
Bertha,  wife  of  C.  Snyder,  and  Irving;  Wil- 
liam, who  died  aged  nineteen  years;  Solomon, 
who  married  Cordelia  Dearling,  and  resides 
at  Stoutsville;  Huston  E.,  who  married  Ce- 
lesta Bauchman,  and  has  one  child,  Wallace; 
Albert,  a  clergyman,  and  president  of  a  col- 
lege, residing  in  North  Carolina,  who  has 
three  children,  George  R,.,  Charlotte  and 
Beatrice;  Charles  A.;  Harvey  A.,  a  practicing 
physician  at  Barberton ;  Ella,  who  married 
M.  Asdale-,  residing  with  her  mother;  and 
Emma  Elvira,  who  died  aged  four  months. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder  gave  their  children  the 
best  educational  advantages  in  their  power, 
and  encouraged  them  in  their  efforts  to  obtain 
a  thorough  schooling.  While  but  three  mem- 
bers of  the  family  entered  into  professional 
life,  all  are  intelligent  and  well-informed 
members  of  the  communities  in  which  they 
live,  four  being  graduates  of  the  Tiffin  scliools. 
Mrs.  Snyder  has  lived  in  the  old  home  ever 
since  her  marriage  and  owns  it,  together  with 
her  children.  It  is  a  well-improved  prop- 
erty and  has  always  been  carefully  cultivated. 
Mrs.  Snyder  has  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 
She  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  attending  services  at  Barberton. 

EUGENE  F.  CR.\NZ,  a  pros^perous 
farmer  and  highly  esteemed  citizen,  of  Bath 
Township,  was  born  in  Holmes  County.  Ohio, 
August  1,  1863,  son  of  AVilliam  F.  and  Mary 
(Drushel)  Cranz.  William  F.  Cranz  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  born  in  1820.  who  came 
to  this  country  in  1834.  with  his  father's 
family,  they  landing  at  Baltimore.  They  set- 
tled in  Holmes  County,  where  William's 
father  followed  the  occupation  of  a  Lutheran 
preacher,  his  residence  being  at  Winesburg, 
that  county. 


William  F.  Cranz  in  1843  married  Mary 
Drushel,  who  bore  him  eleven  children,  nine 
of  whom  are  still  living.  In  1863,  twenty 
years  after  his  marriage,  he  removed  to  Bath 
Township,  Summit  County,  where  he  and  his 
wife  subsequently  died.  They  were  worthy 
people  who  conscientiously  performed  their 
share  of  life's  duties,  and  left  behind  a  good 
name  that  shall  long  endure. 

Mary  Drushel  was  the  daughter  of  Henry 
Drushel,  who  came  from  Mt.  Pleasant,  West- 
moreland County,  Pennsylvania,  to  Holmes 
County,  Ohio,  with  his  wife  and  large  family 
about  the  year  1829,  and  with  his  father, 
John  Drushel,  who  came  some  years  earlier, 
bought  a  large  tract  of  choice  land,  the  most 
of  which  is  still  held  by  their  descendants. 
This  John  Drushel  was  a  soldier  of  the  Rev- 
olution, and  was  in  the  battles  of  Bunker 
Hill,  Long  Island,  Trenton,  Princeton, 
Brandywine,  and  at  Valley  Forge. 

Mary  Drushel  was  eleven  years  old  when 
her  grandfather  died,  in  1837,  at  the  age  of 
eighty -seven,  but  she  clearly  retold  stories  of 
the  Revolution  as  told  to  her  by  her  grand- 
father. One  of  these,  which  in  after  years 
her  children  were  always  fond  of  hearing, 
was  as  follows: 

By  trade  John  Drushel  was  a  blacksmith, 
and  during  some  of  the  campaigns  in  New 
Jersey,  General  Washington's  horse  became 
very  lame,  owing  to  being  improperly  shod. 
He  ordered  the  horse  reshod  with  no  better 
results.  By  some  means  the  General  learned 
that  John  Drushel  was  a  blacksmith,  and  or- 
dered that  he  be  brought  forward,  and  after 
questioning  him  in  regard  to  his  trade,  said 
to  him :  "Shoe  that  horse  so  that  he  doesn't 
go  lame,  or  I  will  hang  you  up."  After  the 
job  was  done  an  orderly  mounted  the  horse 
rode  off  at  a  brisk  trot.  No  lameness  was 
noticeable,  and  General  Washington  put  his 
hand  on  John  Drushel's  shoulder  and  said 
"Did  you  think  that  I  meant  what  I  said?" 
To  which  he  replied:  "I  thought  you  in- 
tended that  I  should  do  my  best,  sir."  From 
that  time  John  Drushel  was  the  shoer  of  Gen- 
eral Washington's  horse,  and  some  years  later 


ARMIN  SICHERMAN,  M.  P. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1019 


helped  to  make  the  famous  carriage  exhibited 
at  the  Chicago  World's  Fair  in  1893,  and  now 
sacredly  kept  as  a  National  treasure  and  relic. 

Eugene  F.  Cranz  was  but  one  month  old 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Bath 
Township,  so  he  may  almost  be  said  to  have 
resided  here  all  his  life.  He  received  a  good 
education,  after  leaving  the  district  schools, 
attending  Copley  Center  High  school,  then 
a  year  at  the  Normal  school,  at  Lebanon,  an-1 
afterwards  a  year  and  a  half  at  the  Ohio 
State  University,  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  For 
five  yeai-s  after  leaving  college  he  taught 
school  and  also,  before  the  death  of  his  par- 
ents, carried  on  the  home  farm  f9r  some 
time.  After  their  death  he  bought  out  the 
other  heirs,  except  one  sister,  who  owns  a 
part  of  the  homestead  farm,  and  has  since  re- 
-  sided  on  the  propertj',  making  a  specialty  of 
dairying.  The  farm  he  now  owns  was  first 
settled  by  Jason  Hammond,  who  came  from 
Connecticut,  in  1810,  and  was  in  the  Ham- 
mond family  for  three  generations  luitil  pur- 
chased by  Mr.  Cranz's  father  of  Irwin  Ham- 
mond in  1863.  Mr.  Eugene  F.  Cranz  has 
named  the  farm,  Mt.  Tom  Farm,  after  a  hill 
of  that  name  included  within  the  limits  of  tho 
property. 

An  independent  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr. 
Cranz  has  served  eflicienth'  for  twelve  years 
on  the  School  Board,  has  been  town  trustee  for 
five  years,  and  in  1903  was  a  candidate  for 
the  State  Legislature,  but  because  of  his  party 
being  in  the  minority  he  made  no  canva.ss  for 
election."  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Grange,  having  been  secretary  of  Pomona 
Grange,  Summit  County,  for  ten  years,  and 
master  for  three  years.  He  has  also  served 
the  Ohio  State  Grange  in  minor  offices  for 
four  years,  at  present  being  an  assistant  secre- 
tary. " 

Mr.  Cranz  was  married,  in  1893,  to  Miss 
Nettie  Parker,  of  Hinckley  Township,  Me- 
dina County.  Her  father  was  Oliver  H.  Par- 
ker, a  carpenter  and  prominent  bridge  builder 
of  Summit  and  Medina  Counties.  He  and 
hi^  wife  are  the  parents  of  six  children — 
Liiman  P.,  Grac-ia  E.,  Doris  E.,  Damon  D., 


Harmon  F.,  and  Paul  H.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cranz  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church  in  which  also  they  are  useful  workers. 
They  and  their  family  are  among  the  most 
respected  residents  of  the  township. 

ARMIN  SICHERMAN,  M.  D.,  one  of 
Akron's  leading  physicians  and  surgeons, 
whose  well-equipped  offices  may  be  found  in 
the  Hamilton  Building,  and  whose  surround- 
ings all  indicate  the  presence  of  a  man  of 
scholarly  tast&s,  was  born  in  1865,  in  Hun- 
gary. 

From  the  schools  of  his  native  land.  Dr. 
Sicherman  entered  the  college  of  Eperjes,.  Im- 
perio-Royal  LTniversity  of  Vienna,  Austria, 
where  he  was  graduated.  Following  the  clo.se 
of  his  univer.siity  career,  he  spent  two  years  in 
the  general  hospital  at  ^^ienna.  During  the 
term  of  his  medical  studies  he  gave  one  year 
of  service  in  the  regular  army.  From  Vienna, 
Dr.  Sicherman  came  to  America,  reaching 
Akron  in  March,  1893,  and  this  city  has  re- 
mained his  field  of  labor  ever  since.  He  has 
won  the  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens,  in 
his  profession,  and  their  esteem  and  friend- 
ship, in  personal  relations.  He  ls  a  memlter 
of  the  Summit  County,  the  Ohio  State,  the 
Union  Medical  and  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociations, and  he  belongs  to  the  Summit 
County  Medical  club.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Dr.  Sicherman 
was  married  in  1900,  to  Rose  Loewy,  of  Alle- 
gheny, Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  two  sons, 
^lerryl  and  Karl.  He  belongs  to  the  Hebrew 
congregation,  at  Akron. 

COL.  GEORGE  TOD  PERKINS,  presi- 
dent of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  and 
of  the  Akron  Rubber  Company,  and  formerly 
president  of  the  Second  National  Bank,  of 
Akron,  is  one  of  the  leading  men  of  this  city, 
where  he  was  born.  May  5,  1836.  He  is  a 
son  of  Colonel  Simon  and  Grace  Tngersoll 
(Tod)  Perkins,  separate  notice  of  whom  may 
be  found  in  this  volume. 

George  Tod  Perkins  was  educated  in  the 
,«chools  of  his  native  citv  and  at  Marietta  Col- 


1020 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


lege.  In  1859  he  went  to  Youngitown, 
where  he  was  associated  with  his  uncle,  Davirl 
Tod,  later  Governor  of  Ohio,  as  secretarj'-  of 
the  Brier  Hill  Iron  Company.  In  April, 
1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company 
B,  Nineteenth  Regiment,  Ohio  ^'oluntee^  In- 
fantry, and  was  elected  by  the  company  to  the 
rank  of  second  lieutenant.  During  his  enlist- 
ment he  served  in  West  Mrginia.  In  1862 
he  re-enlisted,  becoming  major  of  the  105th 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry ;  he  was 
made  lieutenant-colonel,  July  16,  1883,  and 
colonel,  February  18,  1884,  and  was  mustered 
out  at  Washington,  June  3.,  1865.  Colonel 
Perkins'  service  included  many  of  the  most 
serious  battles  of  the  whole  war,  notably  Per- 
ryville,  Kentucky,  where  two  of  his  captains 
and  foi'ty-seven  of  his  men  were  killed ; 
Hoover's  Gap,  Chickamauga,  Chattanooga, 
Mission  Ridge,  Kenesaw  Mountain  and  the 
siege  of  Atlanta,  were  among  his  other  ex- 
periences. He  commanded  his  regiment  in 
the  "March  to  the  Sea,"  with  General  Sher- 
man, and  was  one  of  the  gallant  officers  who 
won  and  received  deserved  promotion. 

Colonel  Perkins  then  I'eturned  to  Akron 
and  entered  into  business,  from  1887  to  1870. 
being  secretary  of  Taplin,  Rice  &  Company. 
In  the  latter  year  he  became  president  of  the 
Bank  of  Akron,  continuing  from  1870  to 
1878.  and  then  served  as  cashier  of  the  same 
until  the  consolidation  of  that  institution  with 
the  Second  National  Bank,  in  March,  1888, 
of  which  latter  bank  he  was  president  for 
some  years.  As  mentioned  above.  Colonel 
Perkins  has  other  important  business  inter- 
ests. In  1900  he  presented  to  the  city  of 
Akron  seventy-six  acres  of  land  for  park  pur- 
poses— to  be  known  as  Perkins  Park. 

On  October  6,  1865.  Colonel  Perkins  was 
married  to  Mary  F.  Rawson,  and  they  had 
three  children,  the  one  surviving  being  Mary, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Charles  B.  Raymond,  of 
Akron.  Colonel  Perkins  has  a  beautiful 
home  at  No.  90  North  Prospect  Street. 

JA:\IE8  pierce  NOLAND,  general  farm- 
er and  nurscrvman,  resides  on  his  valuable 


81  1-2  acre  farm  in  Boston  Township,  and 
also  owns  the  well-known  Mackey  place, 
which  contains  sixtj^  acres,  with  a  fine  resi- 
dence and  farm  buildings  attached,  also  a 
valuable  silo.  He  was  born  in  Pike  Town- 
ship, Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  May  8,  1853, 
and  is  a  son  of  James  D.  and  Mary  (Porter) 
Noland. 

The  father  of  Mv.  Noland  was  Lorn  in 
Coshocton  County  and  in  childhood  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Indiana  and  later  to 
Iowa,  but  returned  to  his  native  comity,  where 
the  rest  of  his  life  was  passed.  He  died  in 
1903,  aged  eighty-seven  years.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat  and  he  served  in  almost 
all  the  local  offices  of  his  township.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Porter,  who  died  in  1884,  aged 
fifty-three  years.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
DiscijDles  Church.  Of  their  eight  children, 
James  Pierce  was  the  eldest. 

Until  he  was  twenty  j-ears  of  age,  James 
P.  Noland  remained  on  the  home  farm,  in  the 
local  schools  having  good  educational  ad- 
vantages. He  then  went  to  Painesville,  Ohio, 
where  he  entered  the  employ  of  Storrs  &  Har- 
rison, nurserymen,  and  after  two  yeare  of 
practical  experience  there,  formed  a  part- 
nership with  his  brothers,  W.  A.  and  C.  C, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Noland  Bros.  To- 
gether they  conducted  a  nursery  business  at 
M'est  Carli.sle,  Ohio,  for  three  yeai".-?.  After 
Mr.  Noland's  marriage,  in  1886,  he  took  up 
his  residence  with  his  wife's  parents  in  Boston 
Township,  and  put  out  a  lot  of  nursary  stock 
that  same  spring.  The  sixty  acres  which  com- 
pose the  Vowles  farm,  together  with  the 
IMackey  farm,  gives  him  a  large  acreage  and 
ail  .-eotions  of  the  whole  estate  is  made  to  pro- 
duce to  its  limit.  Mr.  Noland  raises  corn, 
wheat,  hay  and  oats,  but  his  main  business 
is  raising  nursery  stock  of  all  kinds  and  he 
has  the  distinction  of  being  the  most  extensive 
grower  in  Summit  County.  From  the  age  of 
thirteen  years  Mr.  Noland  has  given  this  line 
of  business  clo.se  attention,  and  he  is  not  an 
indifferent  acceptor  of  just  what  the  land  will 
produce,  but  a  scientifically  educated  tree, 
plant  and  flower  developer,  one  who,  seeming- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1021 


ly.  can  briii^  forth  any  variety  from  the  fer- 
tile land  that  he  choose.'<.  He  is  an  indefati- 
gable -n-orker.  a  keen  observer  of  all  climatic 
conditions  and  also  an  excellent  business  num. 
Mr.  Noland  has  originated  a  number  of 
choice  varieties  of  flowers  and  fruit.  He  has 
been  very  successful  with  strawberries,  his 
main  producers  being  the  Bubach,  the  Sen- 
ator Dunlap,  the  Haviland,  the  William  Belt, 
Samples  and  Yant,  and  the  Noland,  the  latter 
a  large,  firm,  berry  that  he  originated  him- 
self. He  raises  many  raspberries  and  black- 
ben-ies,  all  of  the  kind  easiest  to  ship.  He 
has  now  on  his  place,  60,000  Norway  spruces, 
a  specialty,  standing  from  four  inches  to  eight 
feet,  designed  for  the  Christmas  demand, 
while  his  fruit  stock  include  all  the  varieties 
which  will  stand  the  climate.  He  calls  atten- 
tion to  a  very  fine  species  of  crab  apple,  large, 
of  fine  flavor  and  handsome  color,  which  ho 
originated  himself.  He  has  an  abundance  of 
roses  and  flowering  shrubs  of  all  kinds  and 
in  almost  all  seasons  of  the  year  he  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  perfect  wealth  of  natural  beauty. 
On  March  9,  1886,  Mr.  Noland  was  married 
to  Mary  Vowles,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Levi 
and  Jane?  Vowles.  of  Boston  Township. 

THE  FOSTER  FAMILY.  Among  the 
well-known  and  respected  families  of  North- 
field  Township,  the  Foster  family,  which  has 
been  established  here  since  1841,  is  now  repre- 
sented by  three  members — two  brothers  and 
one  sister. 

Lyman  Fo,~ter  was  born  at  Bangor,  Elaine, 
in  1805  and  died  in  Northfield  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  in  1875.  Lyman 
Foster's  wife,  Minerva  Everest  Foster,  was 
born  in  Essex  County.  New-  York,  in  1808, 
and  died  in  Northfield  Township.  Sunnnit 
County.  Ohio,  1892. 

In  the  spring  of  1841  Lyman  Foster,  wife, 
and  family  of  six  children  started  for  Ohio. 
Taking  canal  boat  at  Albany,  they  arrived  at 
Buffalo  three  weeks  later,  from  there  they 
took  the  steam-boat  to  Cleveland,  from  which 
place  they  made  their  way  to  Northfield 
Township    by    canal    and    overland.       They 


were  met  at  the  canal  boat  by  Zadae  Everest, 
brother  of  Minerva  Foster,  wlio  took  them 
to  her  father's  home  (William  Everest's)  in 
Macedonia,  Northfield  Township.  Remain- 
ing a  short  time  with  them,  they  then  rented 
some  land  of  Gabriel  Curtis  and  commenced 
the  battle  of  farming  for  a  livelihood.  By 
hard  work  and  good  management  they  were 
fairly  prosperous  and  very  soon  purchased 
land  where  tlieir  present  liome  has  been  for 
the  past  fifty-four  years.  This  home  is  now 
occupied  by  L.  R.,  A.  L.  and  Z.  M.  Foster. 
Two  children  were  added  to  the  family,  being 
born  in  Macedonia,  making  eight  children  iii 
all  Avho  lived  to  reach  their  majority. 

The  records  of  the  children  are  as  follows: 
Orlando  H.  Foster,  born  in  Warrensburg, 
Warren  County,  New  York,  in  1830,  married 
in  1861  Mrs.  A.  R.  Willard  (now  decea.sed), 
of  Ravenna,  Portage  County,  Ohio;  he  died 
at  Macedonia  in  1862,  leaving  no  children. 

LeRoy  Foster,  born  in  Warrensburg,  War- 
ren County,  New  York,  in  1831,  married 
Maria  Stevens  of  Princeville,  Peoria  Countv, 
Illinois,  in  1859.  She  died  in  1862  leavnig 
one  child.  Ora  M.,  who  became  the  wife  of  T. 
D.  ]McFarland,  of  Hudson,  Ohio,  in  1885. 
She  died  in  1892  leaving  one  child,  Doris 
Marie.  T.  D.  McFarland  died  in  1907. 
Doris  Marie  now  makes  her  home  with  her 
grandfather,  L.  R.  Foster. 

Andrew  J.  Foster  was  born  in  Warrens- 
burg, Warren  County,  New  York,  in  1833, 
married  Mary  A.  Taylor,  of  Twinsburg,  Sum- 
mit Countv,  Ohio,  in  1860,  died  at  Fo-ter 
City,  Michigan,  in  1896.  She  died  at  the 
home  of  L.  R  Foster  in  1903:  no  children 
living. 

Amanda  Elizabeth  Foster,  born  at  Warrens- 
burg, Warren  County,  New  York,  in  1835, 
married  James  H.  Clark,  of  Northfield  Town- 
ship in  1859.  To  them  three  children  were 
born,  one  now  living,  Mrs.  F.  M.  Vaughn,  of 
Cleveland.  Mrs.  Clark  died  at  Macedonia  in 
1865.     Mr.  Clark  died  at  Cleveland  in  1903. 

Alonzo  L.  Foster,  born-  at  Warrensburg, 
Warren  County,  New  York,  in  1837,  was  mar- 
ried in  1870  to  Frances  E.  Barlicomb  of  Cadil- 


1022 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


lac,  ^liehigaii,  who  died  in  1878,  in  Cleve- 
land, leaving  no  children. 

Sarah  Jane  Foster,  born  at  Greenwicli, 
AVaihington  County,  New  York,  in  1839, 
married  Rev.  William  Campbell,  of  North- 
field  Town.ship,  in  1862.  To  them  two  chil- 
dren were  born:  William,  Jr.,  and  Lillian, 
all  of  which  now  live  at  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Zorada  M.  Foster,  born  in  Macedonia,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  in  1841. 

Amelia  M.  Fo.ster  born  in  Macedonia,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  in  1844,  married  B.  D. 
Hammond,  of  Smithfield,  Jefferson  County, 
Ohio,  in  3863,  died  in  1887  at  Wichita, 
Kansas,  leaving  six  children :  Foster,  Myrtle, 
Daniel,  Thorne,  Lyman,  and  Tracey. 

Lyman  Foster  and  wife  were  active  mem- 
bers' of  The  Free- Will  Baptist  Church  of  Ma- 
cedonia and  brought  up  their  family  in  strict, 
New  England  Evangelical  codes;  were  up-to- 
date  Americans,  Republicans  in  politics. 
The  whole  family  was  interested  in  the  under- 
ground railroad.  At  one  time  eight  negroes 
were  concealed  in  a  straw'-stack  at  the  barn. 
The  Foster  family  sang  as  a  choir  in  church 
for  many  years. 

At  the  present  time  the  three  living  mem- 
bers of  the  family  at  the  old  homestead  and 
the  granddaughter  of  L.  R.  Foster,  Dons 
Marie  McFarland,  are  active  members  of  the 
Christian  Science  Church  of  Macedonia. 

ROSWELL  KENT,  once  one  of  the  leading 
business  men  of  Akron,  was  well  and  widely 
known  as  a  merchant  and  as  a  member  of 
the  manufacturing  firm  of  Irish,  Kent  and 
McMillan,  later  Irish,  Kent  and  Baldwin,  and 
subsequently  Kent,  Baldwin  and  Company. 
He  was  born  May  18,  1798,  at  Leyden,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  accompanied  his  parents  to  Hud- 
son, Ohio,  in  1812. 

Mr.  Kent  was  educated  in  the  best  schools 
of  his  day.  He  became  industrially  interested 
at  Akron,  then  Middlebury,  in  1820,  when 
he  established  a  general  store  for  his  brother 
and  Capt.  Heman  Oviatt.  In  1826  he  bought 
the  business  and  conducted  it  himself  until 
his  retirement.    When  the  firm  of  Irish,  Kent 


and  McMillan  ;was  formed  for  the  manufac- 
Unx'  of  woolen  machinery,  he  became  its  sec- 
ond member,  and  during  the  changes  in  the 
course  of  years,  remained  a  member.  His 
name  is  associated  with  many  of  Akron's 
early  enterprises  and  his  assistance  was  given 
to  a  large  number  of  its  public-spirited  eti'oi'ts. 
The  Sixth  Ward  Kent  school  building,  one  of 
the  finest  educational  edifices  of  the  city,  was 
named  in  his  honor. 

In  1826  Roswell  Kent  was  married  to  Eliza 
Hart,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Annie  (Hotchkiss)  Hart,  A'ho  settled  at  Mid- 
dlebury in  1807.  Mrs.  Kent  was  born  in 
1808,  and  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the 
present  limits  of  Akron.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kent 
had  seven  children,  of  whom  three  grew  to 
maturity — Ekka  K.  (deceased),  who  was  the 
wife  of  Findley  McNaughton ;  Russel  H.,  and 
Flora  K.,  who  was  the  wife  of  T.  S.  Page. 

Russel  H.  Kent,  the  only  surviving  son  of 
the  late  Roswell  and  Eliza  (Hai-t)  Kent,  w-ho 
is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Summit 
China  Company,  was  born  September  26, 
1841,  in  Akron,  Ohio.  His  education  was  se- 
cured in  the  common  schools  of  Akron,  after 
which  he  became  associated  with  The  Kent 
and  Baldwin  Company,  of  which  his  father 
was  the  head.  In  1879  the  Akron  Stone- 
ware Company  was  organized,  which  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1900  by  The  Summit  China  Com- 
pany, and  Mr.  Kent  is  still  identified  with  this 
enterprise.  Mr.  Kent  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Melissa  Brewster,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
the  late  Alexander  and  Margaret  Ann  (Kin- 
ney) Brewster.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kent  reside  at 
No.  398  East  Buehtel  Avenue. 

Alexander  Brewster,  w'ho  was  one  of  Sum- 
mit County's  prominent  pioneer  citizens,  was 
born  September  10,  1808,  at  Augusta,  Oneida 
County,  New  York,  and  died  at  Akron  in 
May,  i899.  In  1812  the  parents  of  jNIr.  Brew- 
ster came  to  Summit  County  and  settled  as 
pioneers  in  the  wilderness  of  Coventry  Town- 
ship. There  father  and  son  developed  a  fine 
homestead  farm,  and  together  they  worked  at 
the  carpenter's  trade,  although  Alexander 
later  gave  his  attention  entirely  to  agricultural 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1023 


pursuit-i.  Ill  1848  a  vein  of  coal  was  discov- 
ered on  his  land,  but  not  being  a  practical 
miner,  he  did  little  to  develop  it  until  after 
his  return  from  the  California  gold  fields,  in 
1852.  He  soon  found  it  more  profitable  to 
engage  in  mining  than  in  farming,  and  after 
successfully  operating  on  his  own  land,  in 
1865  he  organized  a  stock  company,  under 
the  title  of  the  Brewster  Coal  Company,  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $100,000.  Of  this  organiza- 
tion, Mr.  Brewster  became  president  and  hi.s 
two  sons,  Alfred  A.  and  Austin  K.,  were  asso- 
ciated with  him,  the  former  as  general  agent, 
and  the  latter  as  secretarj-  and  treasurer.  This 
company  is  still  active  in  the  coal  fields  and 
for  years,  during  Mr.  Brewster's  management, 
mined  300,000  tons  of  coal  annually.  He 
was  a  man  of  fine  business  judgment  and  be- 
came one  of  Akron's  most  substantial  citi- 
zens. 

CHARLES  HENRY  STROMAN,  mie  of 
Springfield  Township's  substantial  citizens 
and  leading  agriculturalists,  resides  on  his 
farm  of  115  acres,  and  owns  other  land, 
thirty-eight  and  one-half  acres  being  situated 
in  Coventry  Township.  He  was  born  in 
Springfield  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
May  14,  1854,  on  his  father's  farm,  a  mile 
and  a  half  south  of  his  jDresent  home,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Rosanna  (Raber)  Stro- 
man. 

John  Stromal!  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
and  he  accompanied  his. parents,  Charles  and 
Rebecca  Stronian,  who  settled  in  Green  Toiwu- 
ship.  Summit  County,  but  later  removed  to 
Incliana.  The  grandfather  of  Charles  H. 
Stromal!  died  on  his  farm  there,  after  which 
the  grandmother  returned  to  Ohio  and  lived 
the  remainder  of  her  life  in  the  vicinity  of 
her  children.  These  were:  Gemima.  Matilda, 
Lucy  Ann,  Rebecca,  Barbara,  Elizabeth, 
Sarah,  Mary  Ann,  Samuel,  John  and  Charles, 
the  latter  two  remaining  residents  of  Summit 
County.  John  Stroman  married  Rosanna, 
daughter  of  Henry  Raber,  who  came  to  Ohio 
from  Pennsylvania.  They  had  two  children, 
Charles  H.  and  Lovina.     The  latter  married 


John  P.  Kepler.  She  is  deceased.  John  Stro- 
man sold  the  farm  where  Charles  Henry  was 
born  and  bought  the  latter's  present  farm  in 
1856.  He  also  owned  100  acres  in  Coventry 
Township.  John  Stroman  died  in  1884  at 
tl\e  age  of  fifty-eight  years.  His  widow  died 
in  1894,  aged  sixty-eight  years. 

Charles  Henry  Stroman  was  two  years  old 
when  his  father  purchased  and  moved  to  the 
farm  on  which  he  has  spent  fifty-one  years. 
He  secured  his  education  in  the  district  schools 
and  has  devoted  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  For  some  five  j'ears  he  rented  the 
present  farm  and  then  purchased  it  and  has 
made  many  improvements  here. 

In  1900  Mr.  Stroman  was  married  to  Nora 
Ellen  Taylor,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Amanda  (Ringer)  Taylor,  of  Coventry 
Township.  Henry  Taylor  was  born  in  Ire- 
land and  accompanied  his  parents  to  America 
and  they  still  survive,  living  at  Kistler,  Penn- 
SA'lvania.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Stroman  was 
born  at  Royalton,  near  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and 
died  in  1889,  aged  forty-eight  years.  Mr. 
Taylor  resides  at  Akron.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stro- 
man have  one  little  daughter,  Amy  Mola, 
who  was  born  in  1901. 

Mr.  Stroman  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political 
views,  but  he  is  broad-minded  enougli  to  see 
merit  in  men  outside  the  ranks  of  either  party 
and  usually  votes  for  the  man  he  believes  best 
qualified  for  office.  He  is  a  member  of  Sum- 
mit Lodge,  No.  50,  Odd  Fellows,  at  Akron. 

FLORENZO  F.  FENN,  a  citizen  of  Tall- 
madge  Townshij)  and  the  oldest  living  repre- 
sentative of  the  Fenn  familv.  was  born  -lanu- 
ary  17,  1828,  in  Tallmadge,  Ohio.  His  par- 
ents. Fowler  F.  and  Esther  (Law)  Fei!i!,  were 
born  in  ^Milford,  Connecticut,  and  after  their 
marriage  in  1818  came  to  the  Western  Re- 
.serve,  Ohio,  and  located  in  Tallmadge  in 
1820.  Tallmadge  w-as  at  that  time  a  dense 
forest.  His  fan!!  was  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Talln!adge,  and  his  father,  Benjamin  Fenn, 
Florenzo  F.  Fenn's  grandfather,  occupied  a 
farm  half  a  mile  west  of  the  center.  As  ilr. 
Fenn's  father  made  hi:;  home  with  tiie  grand- 


1024 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


father  while  preparing  a  home  of  hi::;  own, 
it  involved  a  walk  of  two  miles  and  a  half 
each  way  through  a  wilderness  of  trees  and 
brush.  Mr.  Fenn's  father  once  encountered 
a  panther  that  bounded  from  one  side  of  the 
path  to  the  other,  screaming  like  mad.  He 
armed  himself  Avith  a  club  and  reached  his 
home  safely.  After  that  incident  he  was  care- 
ful to  start  for  home  before  dusk. 

They  built  their  own  log  cabin  and  the 
firet  tree  cut  for  it  was  felled  by  his  wife,  lie 
cutting  off  the  larger  part.  Although  frail 
in  body,  Mr.  Fenn's  mother  was  a  helpmate 
in  every  sense  of  the  word.  She  paid  a  sub- 
scription of  $50.00  to  the  church  by  spinning 
flax  and  weaving  linen.  They  were  blessed 
with  five  children :  Nathan  W.,  who  died 
at  two;  Lucinda  S.,  still  living  at  eightj'-six; 
Henrietta  L.,  who  died  at  twenty-one;  Nathan 
W.  (second),  who  died  at  twenty-one;  and 
Florenzo  F.,  the  youngest,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  still  living.  His  mother  died  when  he 
was  thirteen  months  old,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
two.  He  Avas  reared  by  his  mother's  sister, 
Abigail  A.  Law,  whom  his  father  afterward 
married,  in  1830.  She  was  the  mother  of  three 
children :  Edward  P.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
two  years ;  Esther  E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three  years;  and  Edward  P.  (second), 
who  died  at  the  age  of  forty-one.  She  was  a 
devoted  and  loving  mother,  and  lived  to  the 
good  old  age  of  ninety-three  years,  spending 
the  last  years  of  her  life  in  the  home  of 
Florenzo  F.  Fenn. 

When  Mr.  Fenn  was  nine  years  old,  at  a 
time  when  he  most  needed  the  loving  care 
and  watchfulness  of  a  father,  his  father  was 
taken  away,  at  the  age  of  forty-four.  ]\Ir. 
Fenn  attended  school  until  seventeen  years  of 
age,  when  he  went  to  Hudson  and  learned  the 
carpenter's  and  joiner's  trade.  He  also  at- 
tended the  preparatory  department  of  West- 
ern Reserve  College,  which  was  in  Hudson  at 
that  time.  He,  however,  did  not  continue  his 
studies,  as  his  health  would  not  permit.  In 
the  year  1854  he  was  married  to  Julia  Eu- 
nice Treat.  Her  parents,  Andrew  Treat  and 
Marietta  Newton  'Treat,  were  born  in  Con- 
necticut, and  lived  there  until  thev  were  mar- 


ried in  April,  1823,  at  which  time  they  left 
their  home  for  the  adventures  of  a  new  coun- 
try. Tliey  made  the  journey  in  a  one-horse 
wagon,  which  for  a  time  was  the  only  wagon 
in  the  neighborhood  and  was  used  for  all  pur- 
poses— to  go  to  mill,  to  meetings,  to  weddings 
and  funerals.  It  is  still  preserved  by  Mr. 
Fenn,  and  is  a  curiosity  which  attracted  con- 
siderable attention  at  the  Tallmadge  Centen- 
nial held  in  1907,  when  a  large  up-to-date 
automobile  stood  "beside  it,  showing  the  prog- 
ress of  events.  Mr.  Treat  bought  land  on  the 
southeast  road  in  Tallmadge  Township  and 
settled  on  the  same.  By  industry  and  fru- 
gality he  became  the  largest  land  owner  and 
one  of  the  wealthiest  citizens  of  Tallmadge. 
He  cleared  acres  and  acres  of  land  by  hand, 
chopping  magnificent  trees  down  in  windrows 
and  burning  them — trees  that  w'ould  be  a  for- 
tune to  any  one  owning  them  now.  They 
built  on  the  land  he  had  cleared  and  lived 
there  all  their  lives.  Mrs.  Treat  dying  in  18S7, 
aged  eighty-three  years  and  Mr.  Treat  in  J8S8, 
aged  eighty-seven  years. 

They  had  two  children,  Joseph  A.  and 
Julia  E.  Treat.  Julia,  who  was  the  wife  of 
Florenzo  F.  Fenn,  secured  her  grammar  edu- 
cation in  Tallmadge.  At  the  age  of  fourteen 
went  to  Cleveland  to  school,  and  later  to 
New  Haven  for  special  study  in  music.  She 
was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  and 
spent  the  remainder  of  her  life  in  Tallmadge, 
her  death  occuring  in  November,  1901,  when 
she  had  attained  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 
She  was  a  woman  of  estimable  character,  a 
devoted  mother,  and  beloved  by  all  who  knew 
her.  She  was  the  mother  of  eight  children: 
Frank  and  Florenzo.  Everton  Newton,  Julian; 
Marietta  A.,  Andrew  Edward,  Elbert  Dwight 
and  Julia.  Frank  and  Florenzo  died  in  in- 
fancy, Julian  at  the  age  of  three  and  a  half 
years,  and  Marietta  at  thirty  years  of  age.  The 
other  four  arc  still  living  and  reside  in  Cleve- 
land. Since  Mr.  Fenn's  marriage  he  has 
spent  most  of  his  yeans  in  farming,  and  has 
always  taken  an  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the 
town.ship.  He  and  his  wife  joined  the  Con- 
gregational Church  in  their  youth  and  were 
active  members  ever  afterward.    He  has  been 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1025 


a  lueniber  of  Tallmadge  Grange  and  Sunnuit 
County  Hortic-ultural  Society  for  years.  He 
lias  always  supported  the  candidates  of  the 
Republic^'i  party,  and  during  the  Civil  War 
was  a  member  of  Company  D,  lG4th  Regi- 
ment of  Ohio  A'olunteer  Infantry. 

In  his  youth  Mr.  Fenn  was  not  blessed  wilh 
good  health,  and  his  friends  feared  an  early 
death  from  consumption.  Many  of  those  he 
has  outlived,  and,  although  he  has  passed 
four  score  years,  he  bears  Lheir  weight  better 
than  many  do  the  half  century.  He  con- 
tinues to  be  actively  interested  in  all  that 
concerns  the  public  life  of  his  neighborhood 
and  country,  keeps  thoroughly  posted  and  in 
touch  with  modern  thought  along  many 
lines,  and  enjoys  social  converse  and  family 
reunions.  Mr.  Fenn  is  a  descendant  of  Gov- 
ernor Law,  once  governor  of  Connecticut. 
Also  he  and  his  wife  are  both  descendants  of 
Governor  Treat. 

RANSOME  MILTON  SANFORD  was 
born  in  Hudson  Township,  Summit  Countv, 
Ohio,  on  the  old  Buck  farm,  May  26,  1830. 
and  is  a  son  of  Garry  and  Emily  (Richard- 
.son)  Sanford,  and  Ls  probably  one  of  the 
besl-known  men  of  Hudson  Township.  There 
are  few  buildings  standing  in  Hudson  that 
he  ha.s  not  either  constructed  or  repaired,  and 
in  large  part,  the  same  may  be  said  over  much 
of  Hudson  Township. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Mr.  Sanford 
never  left  Connecticut  and  lived  continuously 
in  the  old  family  home,  which  was  built  120 
years  ago,  and  which  is  still  occupied  by  a 
descendant.  The  father  of  Mr.  Sanford  came 
from  Bridgewater,  Connecticut,  to  Rootstown, 
Portage  County,  Ohio,  in  September,  1.S19, 
and  seven  years  later  to  Hudson  Town.ship. 
He  was  married  in  1S22,  and  located  in  the 
southeastern  corner  of  Hudson,  where  he 
h'ved  until  1833,  when  he  bought  the  farm 
where  T.  B.  Terrv'^  now  TTves.  He  cleared  up 
that  property  and  died  there  -Tune  7,  1R45.  He 
married  Emily  Richardson,  who  survived  un- 
til 1R70.  her  death  taking  nlace  near  .Mcron. 
Thev  had  the  following  children:  A  habe 
that  died:  Lorenzo,  born  in  1S24.  ro=iding  at 


Bridgeport;  Perry  L.,  who  died  in  Pennsyl- 
vania; Henry  M.,  who  died  at  HutLson;  Ran- 
some  M.;  Emily,  who  died,  aged  eighteen 
yeai-s;  Marcus,  who  died  aged  fifteen  years; 
Electa,  born  in  1839,  who  married  Abel  Un- 
derbill, residing  neai-  Akron ;  Harlan  P.,  who 
died  aged  three  years;  and  Sarah  Jane,  who 
died  in  childhood. 

Ransome  M.  Sanford  was  three  years  old 
when  his  parents  moved  to  what  is  now  the 
Terry  fai'm.  He  went  to  the  district  schools 
during  boyhood  and  when  seventeen  years  of 
age  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  at  New- 
ton Falls,  where  ho  remained  at  work  for 
several  years,  although  he  always  made  the 
old  farm  his  home  a,s  long  as  his  mother  re- 
tained the  property.  He  has  been  one  of  the 
leading  builders  of  this  section,  and  can  point 
to  many  substantial  and  handsome  structures 
to  testify  to  has  ability.  Although  he  is  over 
.sevent.y-«even  years  of  age,  he  is  still  working 
at  his  trade.  For  thirteen  years  he  worked 
for  Seymour,  Strait  &  Company,  engaged  in 
building  cheese  factories. 

On  November  19,  1856,  Mr.  Sanford  was 
married  to  Mary  Harmon,  who  was  born  at 
Aiu'ora,  Ohio.  The  fifty-fii-st  anniversary  of 
their  wedding  has  but  recently  been  cele- 
brated. They  have  four  children,  namely: 
Harmon,  deceased,  who  married  .Jennie 
Doyle,  also  deceased,  left  two  sons,  two  daugh- 
tere  and  a  grandchild;  Edward,  residing  at 
Columbus,  married  Clara  Stover,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Edward;  Charles  R.,  residing 
at  Hudson,  married  .Jennie  Dodge;  and  Burt 
Sheldon,  residing  at  Hudson,  married  Ruth 
H.  Ehy,  and  they  have  one  .«on.  Lawrence 
Eby.  ]Mr,  Sanford  votes  with  the  R'^publican 
party. 

JOHN  L.  COMSTOCK.  one  of  Richfield 
Township's  retired  farmers  and  substantial, 
puhlic-^spirited  citizens,  residing  on  his  farm 
of  103  acres,  wa.s  born  near  his  present  farm, 
in  Summit  County.  Ohio.  September  13, 
1842,  and  is  a  son  of  .Mien  and  Lydia  (!Mil- 
ler)   Comstock. 

The  father  of  ^Ir.  Comstock  was  born  at 
Independence.    Cuyahoga    County,   whore   lie 


102(5 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


renuiiued  until  about  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage, when  he  purchased  farming  land  iu 
Richfield  Township.  During  the  whole  of  his 
active  life  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
dealing.  He  died  in  1856,  aged  forty  years, 
leaving  an  estate  of  340  acres  to  his  family. 
He  married  Lydia  Miller  and  they  had  nine 
children,  namely:  John  L.,  Myron  R.  and 
Orrin  M.,  Rosaline  C,  Laura  J.,  Julia  M., 
Wai-ren  E.,  George  E.  and  Allah  E.  All 
are  now  dead  but  Rosaline  C.  and  John  L. 

John  L.  Comstock  obtained  a  district  school 
and  academic  education  and  his  occupation 
since  has  been  farming.  When  his  father's 
estate  was  settled  he  purchased  103  acres  of 
the  homestead  farm,  on  which  he  continued 
to  carry  on  general  farming  and  bred  short- 
horn cattle  and  Shropshire  sheep,  until  he 
retired  from  active  life  in  1902.  His  land 
is  well  situated  and  very  fertile,  producing 
excellent  crops  of  potatoes,  wheat,  corn,  hay 
and  oats.  He  kept  usually  about  twenty-five 
head  of  cattle.  Mr.  Comstock  cai'ried  on 
opei'ations  along  modern  lines  and  made  use 
of  the  best  machinery.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  agriculturists  of  this  neighborhood  to 
see  the  value  of  silos  and  has  two  on  his 
farm,  with  dimensions  of  12  by  12  and  27 
feet  deep.  His  buildings  are  kept  in  com- 
plete repair  and  they  are  substantial  and  suf- 
ficient for  the  needs  of  a  first-clas.?  farm.  Mr. 
Comstock  has  his  farm  under  rental. 

Mr.  Comstock  married  Elizabeth  Killefer, 
who  died  in  1900,  aged  fifty-eight  years.  She 
was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church.  They  had  three  children, 
namely:  Allen  L.,  residing  at  Waynesville, 
Ohio;  and  Harley  M.  and  Warren  E.,  both 
residing  at  Cleveland.  In  political  sentiment 
Mr.  Comstock  is  a  Republican.  He  is  not  a 
politician,  but  he  has  .served  in  township  of- 
fices as  occasions  seemed  to  demand.  He 
taiight  school  two  seasons  and  was  director 
in  his  district  for  about  forty  years  in  succes- 
sion, and  for  many  years  was  president  of 
the  Board  of  Education.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  Church  and  has  been  one 
of  the  tru.stees. 


IIAR\'EY  LANCE,  who  resides  on  his 
well-improved  farm  of  eighty-five  acres  of 
excellent  farnnrig  land,  situated  in  Norton 
Township,  Summit  County,  was  born  in  Chip- 
pewa Township,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  Mai'ch 
20,  1S48,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Eliza 
Jane  (Richards)  Lance. 

The  founder  of  the  Lance  family  in  Ohio 
was  Abraham  Lance,  the  grandfather  of  Har- 
vey, who  came  by  wagon  from  Jefferson 
County,  Pennsylvania,  when  his  son  George 
was  a  child  of  two  years,  and  settled  on  a 
tract  of  152  acres  in  Chippewa  Townshijj, 
Wayne  County,  on  which  he  died,  aged 
eighty-two  years. 

George  Lance  was  reared  to  manhood  on 
the  above  mentioned  farm  and  succeeded  to 
its  possession.  He  disposed  of  a  portion  of 
this  farm,  and  the  remainder  comprises  the 
farm  of  his  son  Harvey.  George  Lance  mar- 
ried Eliza  Jane  Richards,  who  was  born  in 
AVayne  County,  Ohio,  and  was  a  cousin  of 
John  R.  Buchtel,  who  was  the  founder  of 
Buchtel  College  at  Akron.  To  the  above  mar- 
riage eleven  children  were  born.  George 
Lance  died  March  5,  1881,  aged  sixty-four 
years,  and  was  survived  V)y  his  widow  until 
January  5,  1887,  her  age  being  sixty-nine 
years. 

Harvey  Lance  was  reared  on  the  old  farm 
settled  by  his  grandfather,  and  attended  the 
schools  in  his  neighborhood  during  the  period 
of  boyhood.  Farming  has  always  been  his 
occupation.  In  1879  he  was  married  to  Flora 
Kepler,  and  they  have  had  five  children.  Those 
surviving  are:  Cleber  Leroy,  re.«ading  in  Me- 
dina County,  Ohio,  a  machinist,  married  Bes- 
sie Bear,  and  they  have  one  child,  Gladys 
Opal :  Jesse  Richard,  residing  on  the  home 
farm :  and  Alyrtle  May,  residing  at  home, 
Tho.se  deceased  were:  Gertrude,  who  lived  but 
five  days,  and  Roland  Earl,  who  died  aged 
eleven  months. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lance  resided  at  Johnson's 
Corners  for  two  years  following  their  mar- 
riage. Mr.  Lance  having  purchased  a  farm 
there  which  he  subsequently  sold  to  Norman 
Ware.  In  the  .spring  of  1883  they  settled  on 
the  farm  they  now  occupy,  and  in    August. 


SAl.E.M   KILE 


AND    REPRESENT ATRE    CITIZENS 


1U-J9 


IbbT,  they  built  their  present  comfortable 
residence.  Both  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Lance  are  re- 
ligious people,  I\Ir.  Lance  being  a  member  of 
the  Disciples  Church  and  Mrs.  Lance  and 
the  children  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

S.VLEiM  KILE,  president  of  the  Kile  j\Ian- 
ufacturing  Company,  and  one  of  Akron's 
firmly  established  business  men,  was  born  in 
1839,  in  Canada,  but  was  reared  in  Ashta- 
bula County,  Ohio,  where  his  parents  located 
in  1848.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  eleven 
children. 

Mr.  Kile  attended  school  during  boyhood 
as  opportunity  offered,  and  early  became  in- 
tered  in  the  lumber  basiness.  For  forty  years 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  sucker  rods 
for  use  in  the  oil  regions,  and  he  continued 
his  lumber  operations  in  Ashtabula  and 
Trumbull  Counties  until  189.T,  when  he  came 
to  Akron.  At  that  date  they  moved  the  bend- 
ing works  from  AVest  Farminglon  to  Akrnn 
establi.«hing  the  Thorpe  and  Kile  Company 
here,  for  the  manufacture  of  shafts  and  poles, 
the  firm  name  later  being  changed  to  Kile  and 
Ford.  In  the  winter  of  1902-.3  he  sold  out  to 
the  Pioneer  Pole  and  Shaft  Company,  and 
in  a.5.sociation  with  his  sons.  George  and  Wil- 
liam Kile,  established  the  Kile  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  for  the  manufacturing  of 
hoops,  staves  and  sucker  rods.  This  company 
has  one  of  the  finest  bend  sawmills  in  this 
section,  which  ha?  a  capacitv  for  ontting  about 
.3.000.000  feet  of  lumber  per  year.  The  mill 
has  over  100  names  on  its  pay  roll  and  keeps 
fifteen  teams  busy.  In  addition  to  the  plant 
at  Akron,  Mr.  Kile  and  his  son  George  have 
a  plant  at  Barberton  for  the  manufacture  of 
insulators  and  electrical  supplia=!.  He  is  inter- 
ested also  in  other  Akron  enterprises,  being 
a  .«tockhoIder  in  the  Pioneer  Pole  and  Shaft 
Company  and  in  the  People's  Saving?  Bank. 

In  1862,  Mr.  Kile  was  married  to  Carolina 
Heath,  and  they  have  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  Orra,  who  married  E.  E. 
Northway.  who  is  secretary  of  the  Standard 
Tool  Comnany.  of  Cleveland;  George  H.  and 
AVilliam  L..  who  are  associated  with  the  Kilo 


Manufacturing  Company;  Flora,  who  mar- 
ried Dr.  Hillman,  residing  at  Akron;  Mary 
.!.,  who  married  W.  H.  Lantern,  of  Shreve, 
Wayne  County,  Ohio;  and  Sai-ah  G.,  who 
married  Dr.  Underwood,  residing  at  Akron. 
For  a  period  covering  thirty  years,  Mr.  Kile 
has  been  an  Odd  Fellow.  From  the  age  of  . 
twenty-three  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  jNlethodist  Episcopal  Church  and  for  thir- 
ty-three years  was  superintendent  of  a  Sun- 
day School.  He  is  president  of  the  Board  of 
TriLstees  of  the  Woodland  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  and  is  also  president  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociation; also  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  Mount  Union  College  Alliance, 
Ohio.  In  1904  he  was  sent  as  a  delegate  from 
his  church  to  the  General  Conference  at  Los 
Angeles,  California,  and  while  in  the  far  West 
spent  two  months  visiting  various  points  of 
interest,  including  the  National  Park.  In 
September  1907,  he  was  again  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Conference  to  meet  in  Bal- 
timore in  May,  1908.  He  is  a  man  of  stei-- 
ling  character  and  bears  his  years  lightly. 
Both  his  personal  and  business  reputation  are 
unblemi-shed. 

GEORGE  W.  WUCHTER,  one  of  Tall- 
madge  Township's  well  known  citizens,  resides 
on  his  farm  of  thirteen  and  one-fourth  acre.?, 
which  is  widely  known  as  a  fine  stock  farm, 
having  much  more  than  a  local  reputation. 
Mr.  Wuchter  was  born  in  Norton  Township, 
Summit  County.  Ohio.  August  26,  1848,  and 
is  a  son  of  AVilliam  and  Aurilla  (Cahow) 
Wuchter. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Wuchter  came  to  Ohio 
from  Penn.sylvania,  with  his  father.  .John 
Wuchter,  who  in  early  days  lived  at  Stowe 
Corners.  Later  he  moved  to  Norton  Town- 
ship, where  he  owned  land  and  he  became  a 
man  of  substance.  He  died  in  1867,  aged 
seventy-three  years.  He  wa?  twice  married. 
Two  .sons  were  born  to  him  and  his  wife, 
Mary,  namely.  William  and  Eli.  The  lat- 
ter lived  and  died  in  Norton  Township,  where 
liis  widow  still  resides. 

William  Wuchter  was  a  vounc:  man  when 


1030 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


he  accompanied  his  pai'eiits  to  Norton  Town- 
ship, where  he  lived  many  years,  finally  sell- 
ing his  faiin  and  moving  to  Johnson's  Cor- 
ners. He  died  May  oO,  1898,  aged  seventy- 
five  years.  He  married  Aurilla  Caliow,  who 
survived  until  1905,  dying  in  her  seventieth 
yeai".  Her  father  brought  his  family  from 
Lehigh  County,  Pennsylvania,  to  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  by  means  of  a  wagon  and  an 
ox-team,  and  lived  to  see  his  fortunes  so  in- 
creased that  he  could  have  used  any  mode  of 
transportation   back    again    that   he   desired. 

From  the  old  homes  in  Pennsylvania,  both 
the  Wuchter  and  Cahow  families  brought 
many  articles  of  household  utilitj-,  and  George 
W.  Wuchter  owns  and  highly  prizes  a  chair 
that  has  been  in  the  Cahow  family  for  over 
150  years.  The  children  of  William  and 
Aurilla  (Cahow)  Wuchter  were:  George  W., 
residing  in  Tallmadge  Township;  Mary,  who 
married  Ephriam  Marsh,  residing  at  Dixon, 
Tennessee;  Aurilla,  who  married  Joseph 
Knecht,  residing  in  the  State  of  Washing- 
ton; Helen,  who  married  Burt  Dilsworth,  re- 
siding at  Barberton ;  Eli,  who  married  Calista 
Flickinger,  residing  at  Johnson's  Corners; 
Lottie,  who  married  Charles  Heller,  residing 
at  Barberton;  Lydia,  who  married  Frederick 
Tincum,  residing  at  Fairlawn ;  and  others 
who  died  in  infancy. 

George  W.  Wuchter  attended  the  district 
schools  of  Norton  Township,  where  he  grew 
to  manhood.  His  occupation  has  been  along 
agricultural  lines  and  he  has  become  a  man 
of  note  as  a  raiser  of  fine  stock.  He  resided 
for  four  years  in  Green  Township,  and  for 
a  time  in  Coventry  Township,  and  cnme  to 
Tallmadge  Town.=!hip  in  1879.  In  1881  he 
purchased  the  farm  on  which  he  has  resided 
ever  since,  which  he  has  va.stly  improved  and 
brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Mr. 
Wuchter  has  made  a  specialty  of  raising  Berk- 
.ehire  hogs,  but  Bas  stock  of  all  kinds,  from 
imported  strains,  which  he  has  exhibited  at 
agricultural  expositions  all  over  the  country, 
including  Buffalo,  New  York,  Detroit.  Mich- 
igan, the  State  Fair  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  at 
Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  and  other  points, 
and  he  has  taken  many  preminms.     To  see 


his  tine  stock  bearing  otf  the  coveted  blue  rib- 
bon is  no  new  sensation  to  him.  Visitors  of 
note  frequently  are  the  guests  of  ilr. 
Wuchter,  as  his  farm  has  an  established  repu- 
tation, but  i^robably  no  more  distinguished 
ones  were  ever  entertained  here  than  on  the 
occasion  when  President  Roosevelt  and  Vice 
I'resident  Fairbanks  spent  an  enjoyable  half 
hour  with  him,  while  awaiting  the  train  to 
convey  them  to  the  funeral  of  the  late  Mrs. 
McKinley.  The  visit  impressed  President 
Roosevelt  so  pleasurably  that  on  his  return 
to  Wa-shington  he  hastened  to  write  a  letter 
to  Mr.  Wuchter,  giving  expression  to  his  sen- 
timents, and  enclosing  an  autograph-plioto- 
graph  of  himself.  With  a  great  deal  of  pride, 
Mr.  W\icliter  displays  these  tokens  of  the 
great  executive's  appreciation,  and  has  both 
neatly  framed. 

On  November  7,  1871,  Mr.  Wnclitcr  wa< 
married  to  Sarah  Hines,  who  was  born  in 
Carroll  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Sarah  (Henderson)  Hines.  The 
father  of  Mrs.  Wuchter  died  in  the  army  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War.  He  was  a  member  of 
Company  F,  85th  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Wuchter  died 
when  she  was  four  years  old.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
AVuchter  have  had  the  following  children: 
William,  residing  on  Buchtel  Avenue,  Ak- 
ron, married  Mary  Klinger,  and  they  have 
one  daughter,  Ruth:  John  M.,  married  Allie 
Kline,  of  Akron,  residing  at  home;  Bes.«ie, 
who  married  John  M.  Smith,  residing  at 
Akron;  Lola  A.,  who  married  Frederick  W. 
ICirk,  residing  at  Youngstown  ;  Arline  S..  who 
married  Jacob  Kuhn.  residing  at  Akron,  has 
one  daughter.  .\ldn  ;  and  Russell  F..  residing 
at  home. 

HENRY  WILLETT  HOWE,  A.  B..  I\T.  A. 

No  history  of  Summit  Comity  would  be  in 
any  wav  comnlete  w-ithout  extended  mention 
of  the  Howe  family,  which  has  been  so  prom- 
inently identified  with  its  growth  and  devel- 
o]-)ment  through  several  generations.  An 
honored  representative  of  this  family  is  found 
in  Henry  Willett  Howe,  residing  at  Tra, 
Northampton    Township.     He    was    born   in 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1031 


Bath  Towiii-hi]?,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
within  sight  of  his  present  home,  June  29, 
182y,  and  is  a  son  of  Richard  and  R:)xanna 
(Jones)  Howe. 

Richard  Howe  was  born  in  St.  Mary's 
County,  Maryland,  March  8,  1799.  He  had 
but  meager  educational  advantages,  as  his 
father  died  when  he  was  quite  young.  At 
the  age  of  ten  years  he  accompanied  his 
mother  to  Ohio,  settling  in  Franklin  Coun- 
ty, but  hef  second  marriage  deiirived  him  of 
a  home.  After  leaving  his  mother,  he  went 
to  live  with  Lucas  Sullivan,  a  large  land- 
owner and  a  surveyor,  and  soon  made  hLs 
way  into  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his 
employer,  who  provided  him  with  books, 
which,  in  those  days,  were  of  considerable 
cost.  The  boy  appreciated  what  w'as  being 
done  for  him  and  studied  hard  by  the  light 
of  the  evening  fire,  acquiring  a  good  knowd- 
edge  of  the  elemental  facts  of  learning  and 
also  of  surveying  and  engineering,  and  had 
his  home  with  Mr.  Sullivan  until  he  became  of 
legal  age.  He  then  secured  work  as  an  en- 
gineer in  the  construction  of  the  Ohio  Canal, 
and  while  in  pursuance  of  his  duties  he  be- 
came well  acquainted  with  William  H.  Price, 
the  leading  engineer  on  the  construction 
work  of  the  Erie  Canal. 

This  acquaintance  developed  into  friend- 
ship and  Mr.  Price,  recognizing  the  mechan- 
ical ability  of  Mv.  Howe,  and  wishing  to  as- 
sist him,  gave  him  a  book  containing  pencil 
drafts  of  work  used  in  the  building  of  the 
Erie  Canal,  locks  and  other  mechanical  con- 
trivances which  had,  as  yet,  never  come  under 
Mr.  Howe's  observation.  This  book  was  of 
inestimable  benefit  to  him.  For  a  period  cov- 
ering thirty  years,  Mr.  Howe  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  state  of  Ohio,  the  connection  being- 
severed  by  his  resignation  in  the  spring  of 
1850.  in  order  to  visit  California.  This  wa.s 
the  period  of  the  gold  fever,  and  a  compaiiy 
of  enthusiasts  had  been  organized  to  cross  the 
great  plains  to  the  golden  land,  and  Mr. 
Howe  was  elected  captain  of  this  company. 
He  started  on  the  long  journey  with  the  horse 
and  sulkey  that  he  had  used  in  his  work  on 
the  canal,  both  being  well  seasoned,  and  sub- 


sequently arrived  in  California  with  the  liur.-e 
.still  alive. 

^Vt  Sacramento,  California,  Mr.  Howe  en- 
gaged in  a  commission  business  with  Samuel 
A.  Wheeler,  under  the  firm  name  of  Wheeler, 
Howe  &  Company,  he  having  known  Mr. 
Wheeler  in  Ohio.  He  ibuilt  a  warehouse  at 
Lock  No.  1,  Akron,  wliich  he  had  rented  to 
Mr.  Wheeler,  who  subsequently  died  in  Cali- 
fornia. Other  members  of  the  original  party 
from  Ohio  either  died,  fell  sick  or  became 
discouraged  and,  as  all  the  responsibility  fell 
on  his  shoulders,  Mr.  Howe  wisely  closed  out 
his  interests  at  Sacramento.  Soon  after  he 
entered  into  the  employ  of  the  United  States 
government,  and  much  of  his  work  in  the 
way  of  surveying  and  engineering  proved  of 
the  greatest  value  for  years  afterward.  He 
ran  the  base  line  from  Mt.  Diablo  south  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean  and  from  that  line  all  lands 
of  the  southern  half  of  the  state  of  California 
are  still  sui-veyed.  He  also  laid  out  and 
superintended  the  construction  of  a  mining 
race  for  the  washing  of  gold,  but  finally  be- 
came w'earied  of  the  crude  civilization  of  the 
far  West  and  longed  for  the  comforts  of  home, 
consequently  he  sold  his  intere-sts  and  re- 
turned to  Ohio.  The  return  journey  was 
made  by  way  of  Panama,  where  he  contracted 
fever,  from  which  he  suffered  for  two  years. 
To  name  all  the  important  work  .subsequently 
done  for  his  native  state  and  particularly  for 
Sunnnit  County  in  the  way  of  his  profes- 
.sion,  would  fill  many  pages.  He  w'as  widely 
known  and  is  still  recalled  by  the  older  gen- 
eration as  a  man  of  remarkable  vitality  and 
ability.  He  continued  to  engage  in  profes- 
sional duties  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  For 
two  years  he  had  charge  of  Nugent's  section 
of  the  canal  construction,  while  Mr.  Nugent 
was  serving  in  Congress.  He  superintended 
the  change  in  the  connection  of  the  lower  end 
of  the  canal  with  the  Ohio  River.  In  1825 
])(>  bought  400  acrcis  of  land  wliere  Tra  Station 
on  the  Valley  Railroad  is  now  located,  and  he 
also  owned  eighty  acres  on  Summit  Lake,  in 
South  Akron.  The  Howe  school  building  at 
.\kron  was  named  in  honor  of  Richard  Howe 
and  his  son.  Henrv  Willett  Howe,  the  latter 


1032 


lIiyTOKY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


of  whom  \va.-  ti  lueiuber  of  the  sclioul  board 
for  six  yeai-s,  dating  from  18(i2.  liichard 
Howe  was  a  Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow.  He 
was  a  AVhig  in  politics,  but  no  active  poli- 
tician.    He  died  Mai-ch  19,  1872. 

liichard  Howe  married  Roxanna  Jones, 
who  died  February  14,  1875.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Sylvanus  Jones,  who  was  a  min- 
ute man  in  the  Revolutionai-y  War,  married  a 
daughter  of  Captain  Alden  Sears,  who  was  a 
descendant  of  Priscilla  and  John  Alden,  and 
they  settled  at  Bristol,  Ontario  County,  New 
York.  There  j\Li-s.  Howe  was  born  January 
18,  1805.  She  taughf  school  in  Bath  Town- 
.«hip.  Summit  County,  prior  to  her  marriage. 
There  were  seven  children  born  to  this  un- 
ion, namely:  Henry  Willett;  Charles  Rich- 
ard, who  is  deceased;  Nathan  J.,  who  is  de- 
ceased; Emily  Barrett,  who  married  James 
Ingersoll,  residing  at  Chicago,  Illinois;  Mary 
Ann,  who  married  John  Wolf,  residing  at 
Akron;  and  two  others  w-ho  are  deceased. 
Both  Richard  Howe  and  wife  were  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  in  the 
First  ^Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Akron 
appears  a  beautiful  memorial  window  in 
honor  of  J\Irs.  Howe.  For  fifty  yeai-s  she 
was  an  active  worker  in  church  and  Sunday 
school,  a  lovely  Christian  woman. 

Henry  AVillett  Howe  attended  the  public 
schools  at  Akron  and  also  was  instructed  in 
his  earlier  years  in  select  schools  chosen  by 
his  wise  and  careful  mother,  and  there  he 
was  prepared  for  Oberlin  College,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  1849  in  the  classical  course, 
with  the  degrees  from  this  institution  of  A.  B. 
and  M.  A.  For  about  two  years  after  the 
close  of  hLs  collegiate  cour.se  he  took  charge 
of  his  father's  contracting  business  while  the 
latter  was  in  California,  and  then  entered 
upon  the  study  of  law  with  Judge  James  S. 
Carpenter.  In  1854  he  was  admittrd  to  the 
bar  and  entered  into  a  law  partnership  with 
.Tudge  Carpenter,  under  the  firm  name  of  Car- 
penter &  Howe,  this  a.ssociation  lasting  until 
Jxidge  Carpenter  went  on  the  bench,  when 
Mr.  Howe  continued  to  practice  alone.  Tt 
was  while  attending  to  lesal  work  in  connec- 
tion with  certain  patents  that  he  became  in- 


terested in  agricultural  implements,  and  sub- 
sequently engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  the 
same  under  the  firm  name  of  Hawkins  & 
Howe,  a  partnership  which  lasted  for  ten 
years.  In  1870  Mr.  Howe  bought  a  manufac- 
turing property  at  Richfield  and  entered  into 
partnership  with  a  Mr.  Hinman,  the  firm 
being  Howe  &  Hinman,  which  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  spokes,  handles  of  all 
kinds,  axles  and  manufactured  lumber,  and 
as  his  manufacturing  business  increased  Mr. 
Howe  gradually  dropped  his  law  practice, 
thereby  regaining  the  health  which  close  pro- 
fessional work  had  endangered.  After  a  suc- 
cessful period,  he  sold  his  manufacturing  in- 
terests, and  in  1881  he  settled  on  his  present 
farm,  which  originally  contained  200  acres, 
but  has  been  reduced  to  100.  For  a  long  time 
Mr.  Howe  rented  out  the  larger  part  of  his 
estate,  but  in  late  years  he  has  developed  an 
active  interest  in  raising  fine  stock.  His 
father  brought  the  first  'blooded  Durham  stock 
into  Summit  County. 

Mr.  Howe  has  been  closely  connected  with 
all  the  progressive  movements  made  in  this 
section  during  the  last  half  century,  in  edu- 
cational circles  and  has  been  a  more  or  less 
prominent  factor  in  politics.  Originally  a 
Whig  and  an  Abolitioni.?t,  he  identified  him- 
self with  the  Republican  party,  but  has  never 
been  a  seeker  for  political  preferment.  He 
ser\'ed  three  years  as  a  member  of  the  Akron 
city  coimcil,  and  in  1852  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education  at  Akron 
and  served  six  years  as  its  secretary  without 
compensation.  He  w-as  one  of  the  officials 
at  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  the  first 
granunar  school  of  any  size  and  was  prac- 
tically its  superintendent.  For  six  years  he 
was  county  and  city  examiner  of  teachers. 
For  about  twenty  yeai-s  he  served  also  as  a 
justice  of  the  peace,  both  in  Richfield  and 
Northampton  Townships. 

Mr.  Howe  married  Isadore  C.  Bell,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  Edwin  Bell,  of  Portland,  Con- 
necticut, and  three  of  their  four  children  still 
sun'ive:  Edwin,  who  is  station  agent  at  Ira; 
Frank  Richard,  residing  at  Darrnwville,  Sum- 


C.  F.  CHAPMAN 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1035 


mit  County:  and  ^Vl>bey,  who  is  postmaster  at 
Ira. 

Ill  1887  Frank  R.  Howe  bought  a  small  job 
printing  press,  making  his  office  in  a  build- 
ing on  his  father's  farm,  in  what  is  now  the 
posloffico  building.  His  early  work  was  the 
printing  of  supplies  for  school  teachers  and 
he  carried  on  his  'business  under  the  style  of 
the  Howe  Publishing  Company.  After  his 
marriage  he  started  a  more  ambitious  business 
at  Darrowville,  under  the  name  of  the  School 
Publishing  Company,  which  he  still  contin- 
ues. His  office  is  equipped  with  two  large 
cylinder  newspaper  pres.ses,  two  job  presses,  a 
power  pajDer  cutter,  folder  and  binder,  all  of 
which  are  run  by  a  gasoline  engine.  His 
publications  include  a  small  newspaper.  The 
Enferfainment,  which  issues  specialties  for  Fri- 
day afternoon  exercises  at  the  public  schools 
and  thousands  of  amateur  plays.  A  postoffice 
has  been  established  at  'Darrowville,  Mr. 
Howes'  brother-in-law,  Edward  Shirely,  being 
po.?tma.ster.  Frank  R.  Howe  married  Nina 
Danforth,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Milton  Dan- 
forth,  of  Darrowville. 

At  the  age  of  eighty  years,  Henry  W.  PInwe 
is  serving  in  the  ofiice  of  president  of  the 
Association  of  Lincoln  Voters. 

Mr.  Howe  joined  the  Odd  Fellows  at  Ak- 
ron when  a  young  man,  where  he  also  became 
a  IMason.  During  his  residence  in  Richfield 
Township  he  imited  with  the  Richfield  and 
Pomona  Grange  and  for  fourteen  years  he 
was  secretary  of  the  Summit  County  Grange. 
In  1850  he  a.s.sisted  in  organizing  the  first 
agricultural  fair  of  Summit  County  and  in 
the  same  year  was  elected  a  director  and  for 
eight  years  continued  to  be  identified  with 
this  enterprise,  either  as  a  director  or  as  sec- 
retary. In  his  religious  views  Mr.  Howe  is  ex- 
tremely liberal.  Personally  he  is  a  man  of 
fine  presence.  Time  has  treated  him  kindly 
as  may  be  seen  Ijy  his  clear  eyes,  which  do  not 
require  the  help  of  gla.sses,  his  erect  stature 
and  the  vigor  of  every  faculty. 

C.  F.  CHAPMAN,  local  manager  of  the 
American  Sewer  Pipe  Company  at  Akron,  was 
born  in  (his  citv,  in  lSr)2.  and  is  a  son  of  the 


late  Edgar  T.  Chapman,  who  was  an  early  set- 
tler and  later  one  of  Akron's  most  prominent 
citizens.  In  early  days  he  was  postmaster  of 
jMiddlebury  and  later  was  extensively  engaged 
in  the  .stone-ware  manufacturing  industry. 

C.  F.  Chapman  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Middlebury,  now  East  Akron.  After  leav- 
ing school  he  learned  the  pottery  bu.siness  and 
worked  at  the  stone-ware  trade  for  twelve 
years.  In  August,  1881,  he  became  connett?d 
with  the  Akron  Iron  Company,  at  Buchtel, 
Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  August,  1884. 
He  then  became  associated  with  the  Akron  & 
Hill  Sewer  Pipe  Company,  which  in  March, 
1900,  was  merged  into  the  American  Sewer 
Pipe  Company,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
local  manager.  His  long  experience  in  this 
line  has  made  him  a  very  efficient  man  for 
the  position.  He  has,  besides,  other  business 
interests  and  is  one  of  the  representative  busi- 
ne.s.s  men  of  Akron. 

In  1887,  Mr.  Chapman  was  married  to 
Mary  A.  Parker,  who  is  a  .step-daughter  of 
the  iate  Henry  A.  Gibbs,  of  Akron.  He  and 
his  wife  had  one  son,  Parker  E.,  a  bright,  en- 
gaging youth,  who  died  in  September,  1903, 
aged  fourteen  years.  Mr.  Chapman  is  con- 
nected with  various  civic  bodies^  being  an  act- 
ive citizen,  and  fraternally  lielongs  to  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

GEORGE  E.  LANCE,  general  farmer  and 
dairyman,  residing  on  his  valuable  farm  of 
106  1-2  acres,  situated  in  Northampton 
Township,  w-as  born  in  Summit  County,  Oliio, 
May  22,  1866,  and  is  a  .son  of  "William  and 
Theodo.sia  S.  (Harvey)  Lance. 

The  Lance  familv  came  from  Pennsvlvania 
to  Ohio.  George  Lance,  the  grandfather  of 
George  E.,  accompanied  his  father;  the 
pioneer,  to  "Wavne  County.  Land  that  he 
cleared  there  still  remains  in  the  family. 
William  Lance  was  born  in  Wavne  County, 
attended  the  district  schools  and  ensaged  in 
farming.  Durins  the  Civil  War  he  frequent- 
ly drove  cattle  to  Pittsburg  for  the  use  of  the 
army.  In  the  sprinq-  of  1866  he  came  to 
Northampton  Township,  remaining  but  a  few 
months,  when  he  went  to  .\kron.  and  for  five 


1036 


HISTORY    OF    SUAOHT    COUNTY 


yeare  worked  iu  the  rolling  mills  in  that  eity. 
From  there  he  went  to  Doylestovvn,  Wayne 
County,  later  to  Medina  County,  and  then 
baek  to  Akron,  where  he  lived  for  about  one 
year  before  his  death,  which  occurred  July 
22,  1889,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years.  He 
was  a  man  of  quiet  tastes  and  sought  no 
political  office,  but  supported  the  Republican 
party.  William  Lance  married  Theodosia 
S.  Harvey,  who  still  survives.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Ebcr  Harvey,  of  AVayne  County,  who 
emigrated  from  Pennsylvania  in  1857.  The 
following  children  were  born  of  this  mar- 
riage: George  E.,  Theodore,  Charles,  Ray- 
mond, Ernest,  Clyde,  Bessie  and  Bertie.  The 
mother  of  this  family  resides  in  Northampton 
TownshiiJ.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Disciples 
Church. 

George  E.  Lance  attended  school  through 
boyhood  wherever  the  family  home  was  lo- 
cated and  remained  under  the  household  roof 
until  his  marriage.  For  the  first  six  follow- 
ing years  he  worked  in  the  Diamond  Match 
factory  at  Akron,  and  since  then  has  been 
engaged  in  farming.  In  1896  he  I'entcd  a 
farm  in  Nort],iamj:)ton  Township  for  three 
years  and  then  bought  his  present  place.  Here 
he  cultivates  about  sixty  acres,  paying  espe- 
cial attention  to  wheat  and  corn,  and  pastures 
seven  cows,  selling  his  mdlk  to  the  creamery 
at  Peninsula.  In  early  manhood  George  E. 
Lance  was  married  to  Emma  R.  Stinson,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Wesley  and  Kate  Stinson,  of 
Litchfield.  Ohio,  and  they  have  six  children, 
namely:  Edna,  who  married  William  Sapp, 
of  Northampton;  and  Claude,  Irvin,  Guy, 
Arthur  and  Frieda,  residing  at  home.  The 
family  belong  to  the  Disciples  Church  at 
Everett,  Mr.  Lance  being  one  of  the  trustees. 
He  is  a  member  nf  the  order  nf  Maccabees,  at 
Penin.=ula. 

.VLBERT  H.  BILL,  M.  D..  physician  and 
.«urgeon  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing profes.sional  men  of  this  place,  where  he 
was  born  .Januarv  26,  18.'i1 .  He  is  a  son  of 
Henry  W.  and  Harriet  E.  (Butler)  Bill. 

Dr.  Bill  come.'!  of  fine  old  New  England 
ancestrv  on  both  sides.     The  Bill  generations 


can  be  easily  traced  to  the  great-grandfather, 
Solomon  Bill,  who  was  a  great  scholar.  He 
taught  navigation  and  higher  mathematics 
in  a  Connecticut  seat  of  learning.  John  Bill, 
grandfather  of  Dr.  Bill,  was  born  at  Middle- 
town,  Connecticut,  and  was  a  son  of  Solomon 
and  Mary  (Sizer)  Bill.  He  died  at  Charles- 
town,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  in  1844,  aged 
seventy-five  years.  He  married  Fannie  Rog- 
er.s,  who  died  before  he  came  west  in  183;l 
He  was  a  strong  Baptist  and  a  very  devout 
man.  It  is  remembered  how  he  maintained 
Bible  reading  and  family  prayers  in  his  home. 
From  him  many  of  his  descendants  inherited 
their  gift  of  song. 

Henry  W.  Bill,  father  of  Dr.  Bill,  was  born 
at  Middletown-,  Connecticut,  where,  in  early 
life  he  started  in  the  machine  busine.-s.  The 
destruction  of  his  plant  by  fire  caused  him  to 
turn  his  attention  to  the  West,  and  about 
1833  he  accompanied  his  brother,  Asa  G.,  to 
Cuyahoga  Falls.  They  began  business  to- 
gether on  the  river,  opposite  the  plant  of 
Turner,  Vaughn  and  Taylor,  i;nder  the  firm 
name  of  A.  G.  Bill  and  Brother,  establishing 
a  foundry  and  machine  business,  and  built 
it  up  until  it  was  the  largest  of  its  kind  in 
that  part  of  the  country,  running  their  plant 
night  and  day.-  They  manufactured  paper 
mill  machinery  mainly,  and  during  the  time 
they  were  in  business  they,  with  others,  started 
the  first  .steam  paper-making  plant  in  Cleve- 
land. They  were  the  inventors  of  the  first 
barrel-making  machines.  The  brothers  were 
associated  in  business  for  many  years,  but 
finally,  Llenry  W.  withdrew.  He  was  a  very 
well  known  man.  Nature  had  gifted  him  in 
music  and  he  was  at  home  with  almost  any  in- 
.strument,  playing  the  bugle  and  clarinet  with 
skill.  These  instruments  he  played  in  the  old 
pioneer  Portage  Countv  band.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chiu'ch ; 
his  wife  was  a  Congregationalist.  He  died 
aged  seventy-four  vears.  Henry  W.  Bill  and 
wife  had  (wo  children,  viz.:  Alice  B.,  who  is 
the  widow  of  George  Dow,  residing  at  Cuya- 
ho.qa  Falls :  and  .Albert  H. 

Dr.  Bill  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  ]ilace.     His  medical  education  wa*  pur- 


AND    REPRESENTATRE    CITIZENS 


103' 


iiied  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  C.  M.  Fitch, 
of  Chicago,  IllinoiiS,  after  which  he  entered 
Rush  iledical  College,  where  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1875.  Since  then  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  general  practice  at  Cuyahoga  Falls. 
Dr.  Bill  married  Isabella  Fitch,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  C.  M.  Fitch,  a  noted  physi- 
cian and  surgeon,  of  Chicago,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Kenneth,  who  graduated  in  1907  at 
the  Cuyahoga  Falls  High  School.  Mrs.  Bill 
is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 
Politically,  Dr.  Bill  is  a  Republican.  He  is 
very  prominent  in  fraternal  circles,  especially 
in  the  order  of  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  has 
passed  all  the  chaii"s  in  Pavonia  Lodge,  is  past 
deputy  grand  chancellor  of  the  Twenty-fifth 
District  and  has  the  Grand  Lodge  rank.  He 
has  several  Pythian  offices  in  the  Uniform 
Rank  and  is  assistant  regimental  .surgeon.  He 
is  connected  also  with  other  organizations. 

ULYSSES  F.  HOURIET.  In  the  death 
of  Ulysses  F.  Houriet,  which  occurred  June 
28,  1904,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  lo.st  a  young 
man  of  brilliant  parts,  one  whose  business  suc- 
cess and  pei-sonal  popularity  had  made  his 
name  a  familiar  one  all  througli  Northeastern 
Ohio.  He  was  born  at  Canal  Fulton,  Stark 
County.  Ohio,  May  25,  1868,  and  was  a  son 
of  Floriant  and  Catherine   (Miller)   Houriet. 

The  Houriet  family  came  to  America  from 
Switzerland.  In  that  land  of  magnificent 
mountain  scenery,  Floriant  Houriet  was  born 
at  St.  Imier.  Canton  of  Bern,  March  17.  1834. 
LTis  father,  Victor  Houriet,  Avas  known  in  his 
native  land  as  a  jeweler  of  great  skill.  Vic- 
tor married  Zeline  Flotron,  a  member  of  the 
celebrated  Flotron  watch-making  firm  of 
Switzerland,  and  the  name  of  that  family  may 
yet  be  .seen  engraved  on  the  case  of  many 
fine,  old  Swiss  watches  of  a  half  century  ago. 
Three  children  were  born  to  Victor  Houriet 
and  wife,  namely:  Emil.  who  became  a  prom- 
inent watch-maker  and  jeweler  at  Charleston, 
Illinois :  Floriant.  residing  at  Kenmore.  Sum- 
mit County:  and  Paul,  of  IVIassillon.  Ohio, 
whose  tastes  led  him  in  the  direction  of  me- 
chanics. 

In  1848  Victor  Houriet  eminrnfed  to  Amer- 


ica with  his  family,  investing  in  farming  land 
near  Utica,  New  York,  where  he  lived  until 
1852.  He  then  sold  his  proi^erty  there  and 
removed  to  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  purchas- 
ing a  farm  near  Mt.  Eaton.  Before  making 
his  third  and  last  trip  to  Switzerland  Victor 
Houriet  had  engaged  successfully  in  business 
in  America,  and  had  become  attached  to  the 
land  where  he  saw  his  sons  prospering,  but 
he  could  not  reconcile  himself  to  the  thought 
of  dying  in  any  place  beyond  the  shadows  of 
his  native  mountains.  When  he  bade  his  last 
farewell  to  his  family  he  asserted  that  he 
would  never  again  cross  the  ocean,  and  his 
premonition  proved  true,  for  his  death  fol- 
lowed soon  after  this  return  to  his  native 
land.  His  wife  had  died  in  1876  at  the  home 
of  her  son.  Floriant,  at  Canal  Fulton. 

Floriant  Houriet  was  fourteen  years  old 
when  he  came  to  America,  and  he  well  recalls 
the  long  passage  of  forty-four  days'  duration. 
He  has  never  gone  back  to  the  little  Swiss 
village,  of  which  he  has  a  picture,  which  was 
given  his  father,  and  which  he  treasures 
highly.  The  schools  of  Switzerland  and  Oer- 
many  are  justly  noted  for  their  efficiency.  He 
was  thoroughly  in.strueted  in  both  countries, 
and  when  he  came  to  the  United  States  had 
command  of  three  languages.  He  no  longer 
had  time  to  go  to  school,  but  iip  to  1858  he 
worked  steadily  on  farms  in  Ohio,  going  then 
to  Illinois,  where  he  continued  to  farm  un- 
til the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  AVar.  He  then 
returned  to  Ohio  in  order  to  enter  the  army 
from  that  state.  In  1861  he  enlisted  for  three 
months  in  the  Twentv-third  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  becoming  a  member  of 
Company  H.  the  survivors  of  which  still 
proudly  call  it  "McKinley's  Regiment."  Mr. 
Ilouriet  was  a  young  man  well  informed  on 
public  questions  and  during  liis  residence  in 
Illinois  had  heard  Abraham  Lincoln  and 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  discn-s  the  public  mat- 
ters, and  had  been  much  impressed  and  had 
made  up  his  mind  concerning  his  choice  of 
leaders. 

When  his  fii-st  term  of  enlistment  expired 
Mr.  Houriet  re-enlisted  for  three  years,  but 
was  honorablv  discharged  on  account  of  di<- 


1038 


mSTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ability,  after  a  service  of  eighteen  months. 
During  this  period  he  was  detailed  to  carry 
messages  to  General  Rosecrans,  his  command 
of  the  German  language  making  him  very 
useful  in  this  capacity.  He  participated  in  a 
number  of  'battles  before  he  was  disabled  and 
on  all  occasions  bore  himself  as  a  brave  and 
faithful  soldier.  After  his  return  to  Ohio  he 
worked  in  a  coal  mine  at  Canal  Fulton,  Init 
found  this  too  hard  labor,  and,  therefore,  em- 
barked in  a  grocery  business  at  Canal  Ful- 
ton, which  he  continued  to  operate  with  suc- 
cess until  1883.  During  this  period  he  had 
been  buying  small  tracts  of  land  within  the 
corporate  limits  of  the  town,  which  land  he 
still  owns.  In  1903  he  came  to  Kcnmore, 
and  in  1903  he  purchased  the  residence  in 
which  the  family  resides,  an  elegant  home, 
where  the  late  Ulysses  Houriet  resided  at  the 
time  of  his  death. 

Floriant  Houriet  married  Catherine  Miller, 
who  was  born  May  18,  1840,  in  Germany,  and 
accompanied  her  parents  to  America  in  1852, 
when  she  was  a  girl  of  twelve  years.  They 
were  Lawrence  and  Elizabeth  (Bott)  jNIiller. 
Her  father  died  in  1879.  Six  children  were 
l)orn  to  Floriant  and  Catherine  Houriet  as 
follows:  Edward,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Ulysses  F. ;  Mary,  who  is  a  teacher  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Akron ;  Willie,  who  died  aged 
three  years;  Zelina,  who  married  Edward 
Richert,  and  has  one  child ;  Paul ;  and  Elsie, 
who  fills  the  position  of  bookkeej^er  in  the 
South  Akron  Bank.  All  the  children  were 
born  at  Canal  Fulton,  graduated  from  the 
schools  of  that  place,  and  all  who  sui"vived 
infancy,  with  the  exception  of  the  younge.st, 
have  taught  school. 

Floriant  Houriet  is  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  he  accompanied 
his  old  regiment  to  Washinaton  city  to  be 
present  at  the  inauguration  of  the  late  Presi- 
dent McKinley,  their  beloved  comrade.  He 
is  a  meml)er  of  the  Reformed  Church,  while 
Mrs.  Houriet  and  the  children  are  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Of  the  above  mentioned  family,  the  late 
UlvRses  F.  Houriet  was  the  beloved  and  ad- 
mired son  and  brother.     In  his  childhood  he 


was  noted  for  his  quick,  intelligence  and  his 
genial,  happy  nature  and,  after  completing 
his  time  at  school,  he  was  gladly  accepted  as  a 
teacher  and  very  soon  was  made  superintend- 
ent of  the  township  schools,  subsequently  be- 
coming the  principal  of  the  High  School  at 
Norton  Center.  He  remained  in  the  educa- 
tional field  from  1887  until  1895,  in  the 
meanwhile  .spending  some  of  his  summers  at 
"\^alparaiso  College,  Indiana.  In  1895  he 
made  a  bicycle  tour  through  Florida,  visiting 
many  interesting  points  outside  the  line  of 
ordinary  travel.  When  he  returned  it  was  to 
find  the  heated  McKinley  campaign  agitat- 
ing Summit  and  adjoining  counties,  and  he 
immediately  began  to  stump  the  country  fnr 
the  leader  of  the  party,  in  this  capacity  visit- 
ing almost  every  part  of  Summit  County,  and 
making  friend*  wherever  he  went.  Many 
still  recall  him  standing  on  the  street  corners 
in  interested  conversation,  surrounded  by  his 
farmer  friends,  speaking  first  in  English  and 
then  in  German,  being  greatly  gifted  as  an 
elocutionist.  After  his  bicycle  trip  to  Flor- 
ida Mr.  Houriet  made  one  to  St.  Louis  using 
the  same  wheel,  pausing  at  many  places  to  ad- 
dress gatherings  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association,  in  which  organization  he 
was  greatly  interested.  He  was  prominent  a* 
a  member  of  the  building  committee  of  the 
association  at  .\kron.  and  was  one  of  its  di- 
rectors. 

For  a  few  months  in  1896  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  New  York  Life  Insurance 
Company,  later  becoming  a.ssociated  with  the 
late  Noah  Steiner  in  the  real  estate  business 
He  had  much  to  do  with  the  rapid  disposal  of 
the  White  City  allotment  in  1898.  At  that 
time  Mr.  Steiner  was  pushing  the  claims  of 
the  Pathfinder  order  and  Mr.  Houriet  became 
interested  and  joined  the  organization  as  its 
thirteenth  member.  He  later  began  to  or- 
ganize lodges,  many  of  which  are  among  the 
most  prosperous  of  this  beneficiary  oraaniza- 
tion.  notably  the  "Coshoction."  After  the 
death  of  Mr.  Steiner.  Mr.  Houriet  was 
elected  in  1901  as  president  and  assumed  the 
command  of  the  order.  For  some  time  he  wa- 
active    as    manager   of   the   company,    which 


CHARLES  G.   lA'TZ 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1041 


began  laying  out  and  building  up  Kenmore, 
and  Mr.  Steiner's  death  threw  the  whole  busi- 
ness into  Mr.  Houriet's  capable  hands.  It 
was  about  this  time  that  he  moved  into  the 
jiresent  beautiful  family  residence,  which 
later  became  the  property  of  his  father.  Mr. 
Houriet  never  married.  He  died  in  Akron, 
Ohio,  June  28,  1904. 

CHARLES  G.  LUTZ,  who  is  engaged  in  a 
general  contracting  business  at  Barberton,  is 
one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  Norton 
Town.ship,  of  which  he  was  elected  a  trustee 
in  1905.  Mr.  Lutz  was  born  in  AVayne 
County,  Ohio,  July  15,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of 
Sebastian  and  Elizabeth  (Eitonmiller)  Lutz. 
In  his  boyhood,  the  parent.*  of  Mr.  Lutz  re- 
moved from  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born, 
to  Marshallville,  where  the  father  followed  the 
business  of  carpet  weaving.  He  attended  the 
schools  of  Marshallville  until  about  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  when  he  began  to  learn  the 
carpenter's  trade,  which  he  subsequently  fol- 
lowed as  a  livelihood,  six  years  later  going 
into  contracting.  In  March.  1897.  he  came 
to  Barberton,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
very  busily  engaged,  and  has  erected  a  num- 
ber of  the  iine.st  busines.?  blocks  in  the  place, 
notably  the  Rodenbaugh  Block,  which  was 
completed  in  1906,  the  McKenna  Block,  in 
1904,  and  the  Henry  Block,  in  1907.  He 
keeps  from  two  to  ten  men  employed. 

At  Marshallville,  in  the  spring  of  1898, 
Mr.  Liitz  was  married  to  Catherine  Yeakley, 
who  died  March  28.  1901,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren— Karl,  Irene  and  Edna.  Mr.  Lutz  was 
married  (second)  to  Mrs.  Flora  (Houtz)  Hel- 
ler, who  was  the  widow  of  Jacob  Heller,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Nola.  Mr.  Lutz  is  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  Church  at  Barber- 
ton. In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  has  al- 
ways taken  a  good  citizen's  interest  in  public 
affairs. 

GEORGE  GRETHER.  Among  the  rep- 
resentative agriculturists  of  Nortliampton 
Town,«hip  may  be  mentioned  George  Grethcr, 
who  owns  a  fine  farm  of  100  acres.  He  was 
born  at  Akron.  Ohio.  September  2,  1853,  and 


is  a  son  of  John  George  and  Elizabeth  (Dice) 
Grether. 

John  George  Grether  was  born  in  Baden, 
Germany,  in  1822,  and  there  learned  the 
trade  of  wagon-maker.  He  was  about  thirty 
years  old  when  he  came  to  America,  and  on  lo- 
cating at  Akron  he  entered  the  employ  of  his 
brother  Jacob,  who  was  in  business  there. 
Mr.  Grether  then  went  to  Jackson's  Corners, 
where  he  worked  a  rented  farm  for  some 
years,  after  which  he  purchased  a  lot  on  what 
is  now  West  Exchange  Street,  Akron,  and 
during  the  Civil  AVar  he  worked  at  his  trade. 
In  1887  he  purchased  the  farm  now  owned 
by  George  Grether,  and  here  his  death  oc- 
curred in  his  sixty-seventh  year.  Mr.  Grether 
was  married  to  Elizabeth  Dice,  and  she  now 
makes  her  home  with  her  only  son,  George 
Grether.  She  is  seventy-eight  years  old.  Two 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grether: 
George  and  Ernest  Frederick,  the  latter  of 
whom  died  when  twenty-one  years  of  age. 

George  Grether  attended  the  public  schools, 
after  which  he  learned  the  trade  of  chain- 
maker,  which  he  followed  for  fourteen  years, 
and  which  he  finds  of  much  value  to  him  in 
farm  work,  as  with  this  knowledge  he  can 
do  all  his  own  blacksmith  work.  He  now 
gives  his  entire  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  raises  and  fattens  calves  for  the 
market.,  also  selling  many  chickens  and  eggs. 
Mr.  Grether  was  for  five  years  a  member  of 
the  Sixth  Ohio  Battery,  Eighth  Regiment, 
Ohio  National  Guards,  for  three  years  of 
which  time  he  was  corporal. 

Mr.  Grether  was  married  to  Pauline  Dice, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Martin  Dice,  of  Akron, 
and  they  have  had  seven  children,  six  of 
whom  survive,  namely:  Louisa,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Fred  Shumaker,  of  Cleveland:  Otto 
Frederick,  who  lives  in  Akron:  Charles 
George  A\''illiam,  who  resides  in  Copley  Town- 
ship; and  Edward,  Frank  Herbert  and  Ruth 
Marie  Elizabeth. 

S.  C.  McGOAA^AN.  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  McGarry  &  McGowan,  prominent 
contractors  and  leading  citizens  of  Akron, 
has  spent  the  major  part  of  his  business  life 


1042 


HISTORY    OF    SUMJNIIT    COUNTY 


here,  coming  to  this  city  in  1868.  Mr.  Mc- 
Gowau  was  born  in  1857,  in  New  Jersey,  and 
is  a  son  of  Charles  McGowan,  who  was  an 
early  contractor  at  Akron,  and  concerned  in 
selecting  sewer  pipe  clay  and  working  for  the 
Buckeye  Sewer  Pipe  Company. 

S.  C.  McGowan's  early  life  was  spent  on  the 
farm  of  Miss  Louise  Sumner,  after  which  he 
entered  the  employ  of  David  R.  Paige,  who 
was  engaged  in  a  hardware  and  general  con- 
tracting business,  remaining  there  for  twen- 
ty-five years.  During  nine  years  of  this  period 
Mr.  McGowan  was  with  Mr.  Paige  in  the  city 
of  New  York,  working  on  the  contract  of  con- 
structing the  Croton  aqueduct.  Mr.  Paige 
was  called  to  Africa,  and  after  his  departure, 
Mr.  McGowan  built  the  piers  for  the 
suburban  elevated  road  from  the  Harlem 
River  to  Tremont.  With  Mr.  Paige  he  built 
the  Guttenberg  race  track  and  was  concerned 
in  many  other  large  jobs  in  that  city.  He 
was  connected  with  D.  C.  Coolman  and  Page 
&  Carey  when  they  built  the  Ohio  River  Rail- 
road from  Wheeling  to  Parkersbnrg,  West 
Virginia,  between  the  years  1882-1 8S6.  After  ' 
his  return  to  Akron,  in  1890,  Mr.  McGowan 
entered  into  partnership  with  Daniel  Mc- 
Garry,  under  the  firm  name  of  McGarry  & 
McGowan,  and  they  do  a  general  contracting 
business  second  to  no  other  in  this  section. 
A  contract  is  being  carried  out  at  the  pres- 
ent writing  (1907).  -niiich  includes  the  put- 
ting in  of  a  complete  sewer  system  for  the 
city  of  Ravenna,  extending  some  ten  or 
twelve  miles.  The  firm  has  done  a  great  deal 
of  street  paving  and  the  work  is  well  done,  it 
bedng  the  aim  of  this  firm  to  excel  in  all  that 
it  undertakes.  Mr.  McGowan  is  intere.sted  in 
other  enterprises,  and  is  ranked  with  the  city's 
substantial  business  men. 

In  1902  Mr.  'McGowan  was  married  to 
Amelia  Wohlwend.  He  is  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul's  Catholic  Church. 
He  belongs  to  the  organization  known  the 
world  over  as  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 
While  not  accepting  office  for  himself.  Mr. 
McGowan  takes  n  lively  interest  in  politics 
and  is  a  loyal  supporter  of  his  friends. 


WILLIAM  E.  MARTIN,  a  reprusentaUve 
citizen  of  Summit  County,  Ohio,  who  is  one  of 
the  heirs  to  the  undivided  estate  of  his  father, 
a  desirable  farm  in  Northfield  Township,  lo- 
cated on  the  State  Road,  was  born  in  North- 
field  Township,  December  14,  1861,  and  is  a 
son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Sodon)  Mar- 
tin. 

Henry  Martin,  who  was  born  in  Sowham, 
England,  was  engaged  in  market  gardening 
there  with  his  father  until  coming  to  Amer- 
ica. He  stai'ted  to  this  country  with  his  first 
wife  and  seven  children,  but  on  the  voyage 
to  the  new  home  five  of  his  children  and  his 
wife  died  of  smallpox.  Having  friends  in 
Northfield  Township,  Mr.  Martin  at  once  lo- 
cated here  and  for  two  or  three  years  worked 
l)y  the  day.  In  18(54  he  rented  several  farms 
which  he  operated  until  1874,  in  which  year 
he  purchased  the  farm  now  owned  by  Wil- 
liam E.  Martin,  and  here  carried  on  general 
farming  until  his  death,  in  December,  1899, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-six  and  one-half  years. 
Mr.  Martin  was  married  (second)  to  Eliza- 
beth Sodon,  who  was  born  in  England,  and 
Avas  a  daughter  of  John  Sodon,  and  to  this 
union  there  were  born  six  children :  William 
E. ;  Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Ritchie, 
of  Northfield  Township;  Hannah  Emily,  who 
married  Lewis  Whitcomb,  of  Northfield 
Township;  Elizabeth  Jennie,  who  married 
.James  Rees,  of  Bedford  Township:  Minnie 
B.;  and  Rachel  L.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Ben- 
jamin Myers,  of  Northfield  Town-hip.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died- in  June,  1906, 
aged  seventy-one  years,  in  the  faith  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  the 
family  were  all  members.  Mr.  Martin  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  but  never  sought  public 
office. 

William  E.  Martin  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Northfield  Township,  and 
his  life  has  always  been  spent  on  the  farm  on 
which  he  now  lives.  This  is  a  well-kept,  fer- 
tile property  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
township,  situated  on  the  State  Road,  and 
being  near  Cleveland.  Mr.  Martin  ha?  al- 
ways engaged  more  or  less  in  truck  farming. 
His  principal  crops,  however,  are  hay.  wheat. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1043 


corn  and  oats.  Mr.  Martin  was  married  to 
Editli  Smith,  who  is  the  daughter  of  Samuel 
Smith,  of  New  Wilmington,  Pennsylvania. 
Mrs.  Martin  is  a  devoted  member  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church. 

JOSEPH  R.  MELL,  senior  member  of  the 
well  known  insurance  firm  of  J.  R.  Mell  & 
Son,  at  Akron,  is  also  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War,  one  whose  long  and  arduous  service  en- 
titles him  to  the  honorable  and  grateful  con- 
sideration of  his  fellow-citizens.  Mr.  Mell 
was  born  in  Mahoning  County,  Ohio,  where 
he  was  educated  and  remained  until  he  was 
sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  moved  to 
Portage  County. 

Among  the  first  young  men  of  Portage 
County  to  come  forward  in  defense  of  the 
Union  was  Joseph  R.  Mell,  who,  as  a  private, 
entered  Company  K,  Nineteenth  Regiment. 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  entering  April  22, 
1861.  During  the  three  months  of  this  first 
enlistment  he  saw  hard  service  in  West  Vir- 
ginia and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Rich 
Mountain.  After  its  expiration  he  returned 
to  Summit  County,  Ohio,  but  the  call  of  hia 
country  was  again  too  strong  to  permit  him 
to  settle  down  in  safety  to  peaceful  pursuits, 
and  he  re-enlisted  for  a  period  of  three  years, 
on  February  20,  1862,  entering  Company  K, 
Sixty-first  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  which 
was  organized  at  Camp  Chase.  This  regiment 
returned  the  young  soldier  to  the  scene  of  hia 
former  exploits  in  West  Virginia,  where  it  re- 
mained under  the  command  of  General  Fre- 
mont until  July,  1862,  when  it  was  sent  to 
join  General  Pope's  army  at  Culpeper  Court 
House.  Then  followed  the  second  battle  of 
Bull  Run,  then  Chancellorville,  followed  by 
the  Gettysburg  campaign,  at  this  time  the 
regiment  being  a  part  of  the  Eleventh  Army 
Corps.  On  the  second  day  of  the  fight  at 
Gettysburg  Mr.  Mell  was  captured  on  Gulp's 
Hill  and  was  taken  to  Richmond,  where  he 
was  held  a  prisoner  of  war  until  the  spring  of 
186r),  being  paroled  just  at  the  close  of  the 
war.  From  the  ranks  he  was  again  and  again 
promoted  for  personal  valor,  climbing  from 
private  to  orderly  sergeant,  then    to    second 


lieutenant  in  1863.  During  his  confinement 
in  prison  he  was  promoted  to  be  first  lieu- 
tenant, and  still  later  to  the  rank  of  captain, 
as  which,  however,  he  was  never  mustered  in. 

Captain  Mell  returned  to  Summit  County 
after  being  released  from  the  Confederate 
prisons,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  sufficiently  re- 
cuperated, engaged  in  a  hotel  business,  which 
he  conducted  for  three  years,  and  then  came 
to  Akron.  He  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Aultman-Miller  Company,  with  which  cor- 
poration he  continued  to  be  associated  for 
twenty-one  years.  Since  then  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  a  general  insurance  business  in  part- 
nership with  his  son,  Cloyd  W.,  under  the 
firm  name  of  J.  K.  Mell  &  Son.  In  1895  Mr. 
Mell  was  elected  councilman  at  large,  an  of- 
fice he  filled  for  about  nine  months,  which  he 
resigned  to  accept  the  appointment  of  court 
bailiff. 

On  August  30,  1865,  Mr.  Mell  was  married 
to  Sabina  V.  Koons,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Jonas  Koons,  and  a  granddaughter  of  Henry 
Koons,  who  came  to  Summit  County  from 
Allentown,  Pennsylvania,  among  the  earliest 
settlers.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mell  have  four  sur- 
viving children,  namely:  Marvin  M.,  resid- 
ing at  Akron,  engaged  in  a  flour  and  feed 
business;  Todd  J.,  residing  at  Youngstown, 
where  he  is  manager  of  the  automobile  tire 
department  of  the  Republic  Rubber  Com- 
pany; Wade  B.,  residing  at  Havana.  Cuba, 
engaged  in  a  brokerage  business:  and  Cloyd 
W.,  of  the  firm  of  J.  R.  Mell  &  Son.  For 
twenty-five  years  Mr.  Mell  has  been  an  of- 
ficial member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  is  past  commander  of  Buckley 
Post,  No.  12,  G.  A.  R. 

GEORGE  T.  WHITMORE,  treasurer  and 
general  manager  of  the  Granite  Clay  Com- 
pany, of  Akron,  has  been  a  resident  of  Moga- 
dore  since  1902.  and  is  an  experienced  man 
in  his  line  of  business.  He  was  born  at  Ea.«t 
Liverpool.  Ohio,  .January  1.  18.58.  and  is  a 
son  of  Richard  and  Emma  (Robinson)  A^Hiit- 
inore. 

The  parents  of  1\Ir.  T^liitmore  were  native? 
of  Staffordshire.  England.     The  father  came 


1044 


HISTORY    OF    8UMMIT    COUNTY 


to  America  and  settled  in  Wiscousiu,  in  1847, 
removing  from  tliere  to  East  Liverpool,  where 
he  lived  until  1857,  when  he  located  at  Ak- 
ron, where  he  died  in  February,  1898,  aged 
eeventy-nine  years.  He  was  a  potter  by  trade. 
The  mother  accompanied  her  parents  when 
they  crossed  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  settled 
at  East  Liverpool,  where  she  was  mai-ried. 
The  following  children  were  born  to  Richard 
Whitmore  and  wife:  Elizabeth,  William  H., 
Maria  H.,  George  T.,  John  A.,  James  B., 
Emma  H.  and  Earl.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  in  July,  1870,  aged  thirty-seven 
years. 

George  T.  Whitmore  was  reared  at  Akron 
and  graduated  from  the  High  School  of  that 
city  in  1876,  later  entered  Buchtel  College, 
where  he  remained  for  two  years,  leaving  in 
1 880  to  accept  the  position  of  shipping  clerk , 
with  Whitmore,  Robinson  &  Company.  He 
contiinied  to  fill  that  position  for  one  year  and 
then  entered  into  partnership  with  Cook  & 
Fairbanks,  which  firm  was  later  known  as 
Cook,  Fairbanks  &  Company,  manufacturers 
of  stoneware,  remaining  in  that  connection 
until  1889.  After  severing  his  busine.s,s  re- 
lations with  the  above  company,  Mr.  AVhit- 
more  was  one  of  the  organizei's  of  the  Summit 
Sewer  Pipe  Company  and  remained  with 
that  concern  for  eleven  years.  In  1899  he 
went  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  as  general  man- 
ager of  the  Mexico  Clay  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  remained  in  that  capacity  one 
year  and  then  returned  to  Akron. 

Mr.  Whitmore  is  a  man  of  too  mucli  busi- 
ness activity  to  remain  quiescent  for  any 
length  of  time,  and  shortly  after  his  return 
from  the  South,  he  organized  the  Granite 
Clay  Company,  with  whfch  he  has  been  iden- 
tified ever  since.  The  plant  is  located  at 
Mogadore  and  the  capacity  is  2,000  car  loads 
annually.  Employment  is  given  to  ninety 
men.  The  bu.siness  was  incorporated  in  1900. 
with  C.  H.  Palmer,  president;  T.  A.  Palmer, 
vice-president;  G.  T.  AVhitmore,  treasurer 
and  general  manager;  and  W.  N.  Palmer,  sec- 
retary.    The  business  is  capitalized  at  $250,- 

000.  ■ 

Mr.  Whitmore  was  married  April  22.  IBS.'i. 


to  May  Peckham,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Agnes  Peckham,  and  was  reared 
and  educated  at  Akron,  where  she  graduated 
from  the  High  School  in  the  class  of  1880. 
They  have  four  children,  three  daughters  and 
one  son,  namely:  Agnes  Emma,  Marion  P., 
Elizabeth  and  Cicorge  T.,  Jr. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Whitmore  belongs  to  the 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  Maccabees,  being  iden- 
tified with  the  former  order  at  Akron  and  the 
latter  at  Mogadore.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  he  was  elected  to  the  city 
council,  of  Akron,  in  which  he  served 
one  year  as  president.  During  1887 
and  1888  he  served  as  treasurer  of 
the  Republican  Central  Committee.  He  has 
been  active  in  county  politics  since  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  Mr.  Whitmore's 
father  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  clay  in- 
dustry in  Summit  County  and  it  has  formed 
a  leading  feature  of  the  son's  successful  busi- 
ness career.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitmore  reside 
in  a  beautiful  residence  which  he  erected 
after  coming  to  Mogadore  to  make  this  place 
his  permanent  home.  He  is  a  man  of  pleas- 
ing personality,  frank,  friendly  and  sincere, 
and  possesses  the  business  capacity,  good  judo- 
ment  and  foresight  to  make  successful  both 
social  and  business  aspiration.  He  is  identifi' d 
with  the  various  charities  and  with  the  civic 
organizations  which  prmnote  the  general  wel- 
fare. 

EDWARD   A.  MrCHESNEY,    who    is    a 

representative  of  one  of  the  old  and  promi- 
nent families  of  Summit  County,  wa.s  born 
on  the  farm  in  Sprinoifield  Township,  on 
which  he  still  resides,  March  .SO,  1848,  and 
is  a  son  of  William  and  Ivouisa  (Gra^jsard) 
McChesney. 

William  McChesney  was  born  in  Westmore- 
land County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1817,  and  was 
seven  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  this  part  of  Ohio.  They  were  John 
and  Martha  (Laramore)  McChesney,  the 
former  of  whom  had  come  in  boyhood  to 
America,  settling  with  his  parents  in  Penn- 
sylvania, where  other  Irish  emigrants  had 
formed  a  colony.     There  were  five  children 


AUGUST  13LESSMAN 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1041 


born  to  John  McChesney  and  wife,  namely: 
John  Leslie,  Andrew,  Mary,  Margaret  and 
William. 

The  parents  of  Edward  A.  McChesney  were 
married  in  Coventry  Township,  Summit 
County,  where  the  mother  was  born  in  1825. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Peter  Frederick  Gres- 
sard,  who  served  as  a  soldier  under  Napoleon 
Bonaparte.  He  came  to  America  and  settled 
in  Summit  County,  where  his  last  years  were 
.spent.  His  children  were:  Catherine, 
Louisa,  Eugenia  and  Rosalie,  twins;  Freder- 
ick and  Charles.  One  daughter,  Rosalie,  who 
is  Mrs.  Bruot,  survives  and  resides  on  Fir 
Street,  Akron.  To  William  and  Louisa  Mc- 
Chesney were  born  the  following  children : 
Edward  A. ;  William  H.,  residmg  in  Spring- 
field Township,  married  Lucy  Thompson ; 
Flora  A.,  I'esiding  at  ATcron,  is  the  wife  of 
G.  L.  Sypher;  Herman  G.,  residing  at  Akron, 
married  Lucy  Wright;  and  Frederick  W., 
residing  in  Springfield  Township,  married 
Nettie  Yerrick.  The  father  died  in  1905, 
aged  eighty-nine  J'ears,  and  the  mother  in 
1900,  aged  seventy-five  years. 

Edward  A.  McChesney  was  reared  on  the 
present  farm  and  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools.  He  carries  on  mixed  farming  and 
dairying  on  his  forty-seven  acres  of  excellent 
land,  which  is  mainly  looked  after  by  his 
son.  For  the  past  thirty  years  Mr.  McChes- 
ney has  been  engaged  in  building  and  con- 
tracting, working  all  over  Summit  County. 

Mr.  McChesney  was  married  in  1873  to 
Sarah  Wise,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Catherine  (Rahber)  Wise,  and  they  have  had 
three  children :  Gertrude,  who  l«  deceased : 
May,  who  married  Charles  Roeger,  have  one 
son,  Milford  Glenn ;  and  Dwight,  who  man- 
ages the  home  farm.  Politically,  the  Mc- 
Chesneys  are  identified  with  the  Republican 
party. 

AUGUST  BLESSM.AN,  treasurer  of  the 
Klages  Coal  and  Tee  Company,  of  Akron,  has 
been  a  resident  of  this  citv  for  a  period  of 
twenty-five  years.  He  was  born  in  Germany, 
in  1857,  and  wn*  r°ared  and  odncatcd  tliTc. 
In  1882  he  came  to  America,  shortlv  after- 


ward locating  at  Akron.  Here  he  embai'ked 
in  a  coal  business,  for  the  first  five  years  work- 
ing for  Mr.  Klages,  and  then,  in  partnership 
with  Mr.  McCue,  bought  the  business.  In 
1887  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  II.  Klages 
&  Co.,  and  when  it  was  incorporated  in  1890, 
it  became  the  Klages  Coal  and  Ice  Company, 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000.  At  that  time 
it  was  dealing  largely  in  ice,  having  bought 
out  two  other  companies.  In  1 895  the  Klages 
Company  built  an  ice  plant  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  artificial  ice,  it  having  a  capacity  of 
fifteen  tons  daily,  and  it  completely  changed 
the  conditions  of  the  ice  business  in  this  city. 
Since  then  it  has  been  found  necessai-y  to  en- 
large the  plant  and  the  output  is  now  seventy- 
five  tons  daily,  employment  being  given  to 
forty  men.  The  present  officers  are:  P.  E. 
Werner,  president;  A.  Blessman,  treasurer; 
L.  Klages,  secretary,  and  H.  W.  Haupt,  supei-- 
intendent. 

In  1887,  Mr.  Blessman  was  married  to 
Lillie  FLsher  of  Akron,  and  they  have  three 
children — Matilda,  M.  Freda,  and  Walter  B. 
Mr.  Blessman  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  the 
Blue  Lodge,  Council,  Chapter,  and  Command- 
ery  at  Akron;  also  to  the  Odd  Fellows'  organ- 
ization in  this  city.  He  is  numbered  with 
the  .successful  business  men  of  Akron  and  is 
a   valued   representative   citizen. 

CHANCY  SALISBURY,  a  highly  re 
spected  resident  of  Bath  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  who  was  born  on  the  farm  on 
which  he  lives,  where  he  has  seventy-eight 
acres  of  valuable  land,  is  one  of  the  older  agri- 
culturists of  this  section.  His  birth  took  place 
March  10,  18.S0,  and  he  is  a  son  of  AVilliam 
and  Sylvia  (Atrill)  Salisbury. 

Both  parents  of  Mr.  Salisbury  were  born  in 
New  York  state.  William  Salisbury  came 
to  Bath  Township  in  1827,  where  he  re- 
mained a  year  a.esisting  settlers  to  clear  their 
land  and  begin  its  cultivation.  He  found 
the  country  .«o  desirable  that  he  decided  to 
establish  here  a  home  of  his  own  and  made 
the  long  journey  back  to  his  native  plnce  in 
order  to  marry.  The  young  couple  bravely 
started  in  a  belated  April  snow  storm,  biit  the 


1048 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


snow  melted  before  they  had  covered  the  dis- 
tance and  they  completed  their  journey  to 
the  new  home  in  a  wagon.  Wilham  balls- 
bury  built  a  modest  log  house  on  his  land, 
having  bought  seventy-five  acres  of  the  pres- 
ent farm,  and  then  began  its  clearing  and 
subsequent  improvement.  At  a  later  date  he 
bought  forty-five  acres  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  road.  He  and  wife  lived  on  this  farm 
during  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  dying 
honored  and  esteemed  in  their  community. 
William  Salisbury's  death  took  place  April  8^ 
1868;  his  wife  died  February  24,  1867.  They 
had  seven  children,  the  three  survivors  now 
being:  John,  residing  in  Wisconsin,  aged 
seventy-nine  years;  Chancy,  who  has  reached 
his  seventy-seventh  year;  and  William,  re- 
siding in  California,  who  is  aged  seventy-one 
years.  Those  deceased  are:  Olive,  who  was 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Manly;  Peter,  Mary  and 
Russell. 

Chancy  Salisbury  has  devoted  his  life  more 
or  less  to  pursuits  pertaining  to  the  farm 
which  he  assisted  in  the  strength  of  youth  to 
clear.  His  opportunities  for  attending  school 
were  meager,,  but  having  spent  much  time  in 
travel,  he  is,  in  some  important  respects,  one 
of  the  best-informed  men  in  his  neighbor- 
hood. He  has  made  ten  trips  to  Wisconsin, 
three  to  Iowa,  three  to  Michigan  and  two  to 
New  York,  and  once,  in  the  space  of  six 
weeks,  he  visited  thirteen  states. 

Mr.  Saliisbury  married  Maria  Hopkins. 
Having  no  children  of  their  own,  they  opened 
their  hearts  to  two  little  girls,  Jennie  and 
Nancy  Lambight,  who  grew  up  under  their 
protection  and  have  married  well.  Jennie 
married  William  Wolf  and  they  have  seven 
children — Sherman,  Ida,  Howard,  Alba,  Cai-- 
rie,  Earl  and  Maud.  Nancy  married  Adam 
Wolf,  and  they  live  at  Hammond's  Corners, 
while  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Wolf  reside  with 
Mr.  Salisbury.  Mrs.  Salisbury  died  in  June, 
1891.  She  was  an  estimable  woman  and  good 
Christian.  In  politics,  Mr.  Salisbury  is  a 
Republican  and  on  that  ticket  he  was  elected 
township  trustee.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Disciples  Church,  of  which  for  several  years 
he  was  treasurer. 


CHARLES  W.  JAQUITH,  who  owns  a  fine 
farm  of  seventy-three  acres,  of  well  improved 
land  in  Coventry  Township,  was  born  in  a  log 
cabin  in  Medina  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  Henry  and  Margaret  J.  (Hunt) 
Jaquith,  and  a  grandson  of  Josiah  Jaquith. 

Josiah  Jaquith,  Sr.,  great-grandfather  of 
Charles  W.,  came  to  Ohio  from  Vermont  in 
1829,  and  settled  on  a  100-acre  tract  in  the 
northern  part  of  Wadsworth  Township,  Me- 
dina County,  building  a  little  log  hut  on  the 
east  side  of  the  "Big  Spring."  Later,  in  1831, 
Josiah  Jaquith,  Jr.,  the  grandfather  of 
Charles  W.,  and  his  family,  followed 
here  and  located  on  the  same  farm,  making 
the  trip  in  true  pioneer  style,  with  ox  teams, 
it  taking  six  weeks.  The  newcomers 
erected  a  larger  log  cabin  of  white  wood, 
hewn  on  one  side,  the  floor  being  of  oak 
puncheons.  For  a  number  of  years  the 
Jaquiths  made  potash  here,  which  was 
hauled  through  the  woods  to  Pittsburg.  The 
land  was  cleared  and  a  number  of  orchards  sol 
out,  probably  the  first  in  the  county,  and 
Josiah  Jr.,  received  the  west  half  of  the  prop- 
erty. This  land,  which  had  been  purchased 
from  a  Mr.  O'Brien  for  $3.00  per  acre  is  now 
some  of  the  most  valuable  property  in  Medina 
County.    Here  Josiah  Jr.,  died  July  30,  1842. 

William  Henry  Jaquith,  father  of  Charles 
W.,  was  born  at  Saint  Albans,  Vermont,  July 
6,  1827,  and  made  the  trip  with  the  family 
to  Ohio,  growing  up  in  the  woods  of  Medina 
County,  where  he  experienced  all  the  hard- 
ships of  pioneer  days.  In  his  younger  days 
Mr.  Jaquith  did  little  farming,  having 
learned  the  shoemaking  and  coopering  trades, 
and  also  teaching  school  for  a  short  time.  In 
the  spring  of  1865  he  went  to  Johnson's  Cor- 
ners, Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  took  charge 
of  a  .grist  mill  for  a  Mr.  Shaw,  where  he  re- 
mained six  years,  and  from  1871  to  1879  he 
conducted  the  New  Portage  House,  at  New 
Portage.  He  also  kept  an  apiary  at  New 
Portage,  and  sold  honey,  hives,  bees,  etc.,  but 
in  1883  gave  up  this  business,  and  purchased 
the  present  farm  of  Charles  W.  Jaquith, 
where  both  he  and  his  wife  died. 

On  March  24.  1850,  Mr.  .Jaquith  was  mar- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1049 


ried  to  Margaret  J.  Hunt,  who  was  a  daugliter 
of  John  Hunt,  who  came  from  Union  County, 
Pennsylvania,  and  purchased  the  old  Jaquith 
home  place.  Mr.  Jaquith  died  January  2, 
1887,  and  his  wife  ?*lay  '21,  1907.  They  were 
the  parents  of  five  children,  namely:  Mary 
E.,  who  married  J.  H.  Miller;  Charles  Wesley/ 
Ella,  deceased,  who  married  N.  Van  Hyning; 
Henrietta^  who  died  young;  and  William  J., 
deceased. 

Charles  W.  Jaquith  spent  his  boyhood  days 
in  Medina  County,  and  attended  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  locality.  When  about 
ten  years  of  age  he  left  Medina  County  with 
the  family,  and  went  to  Summit  County,  later 
how'ever  returning  to  Wadsworth  to  attend  the 
Mennonite  College,  learning  to  read  and  write 
in  German.  When  a  young  man  he  helped 
his  father  in  the  mill  at  Johnson's  Corners, 
and  later  taught  singing  in  New  Portage  and 
the  vicinity,  being  choir  leader  for  many 
years.  On  account  of  poor  health,  Mr. 
Jaquith  went  to  Michigan,  locating  for 
a  while  on  a  fruit  farm  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  State,  and.  spending  his 
winters  in  a  lumber  camp.  In  1883 
he  returned  to  Summit  County,  Ohio,  being 
beater  engineer  for  two  years  with  the  Straw 
Boai'd  Company,  at  New  Portage.  In  the 
spring  of  1885  he  came  to  his  present 
property,  of  which  he  became  the  owner  soon 
after.  He  has  been  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing since  that  time. 

On  May  16,  1883,  Mr.  Jaquith  was  mar- 
ried to  Fannie  Cady,  who  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  Boone  County,  Illinois,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  F.  R.  and  Nancy  (Schlellenger)  Cady.  F. 
R.  Cady,  who  is  still  well  preserved  in  spite 
of  his  eighty-two  years,  is  serving  as  a  county 
coroner  in  Michigan,  where  he  has  been  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  many  years.  He  re- 
sides at  South  Haven,  where  his  wife's  death 
occurred.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, namely :  Ida  and  Flora,  deceased ; 
Fannie,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Jaquith;  Jennie, 
and  Allen,  who  belongs  to  the  live-saving 
crew.  Mrs.  Jaquith  taught  school  near 
South  Haven  for  three  years.  Two  children 
have   been   born   to   Mr.   and  Mrs.   Jaquith, 


namely:  William  E.,  a  machinist  of  Barber- 
ton,  and  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows;  and 
Bessie  P.  Mr.  Jaquith  is  a  Republican  m 
politics,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  School 
Board  since  1896.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  New  Portage. 

JACOB  A.  SNYDER,  residing  at  his 
beautiful  home  at  No.  197  High  Street,  Bar- 
berton,  is  a  worthy  representative  of  one  of 
the  old  and  honorable  pioneer  families  of 
Summit  County,  which  has  been  established 
here  since  1818.  Jacob  Augustus  Snyder  was 
born  in  Coventrj'  Township,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  May  16,  1845,  in  the  old  log  house  in 
which  the  family  lived  until  he  was  fourteen 
years  old.  His  parents  were  George  M.  and 
Mary  Ann  (Rex)  Snyder. 

George  M.  Snyder  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1814,  and -was  four  years  old  w'hen 
the  family  came  to  Ohio.  His  parents  were 
Joseph  and  Maiy  (Bachman)  Snyder,  who 
left  Pennsylvania  with  their  loaded  wagons 
and  ox-teams  and  made  their  slow  way  across 
the  mountains  and  through  the  uncleared 
forests  until  they  reached  Summit  County. 
They  settled  in  Green  Township,  erecting  a 
primitive  log  cabin,  in  which  they  lived  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  their  lives  which 
reached  into  old  age.  They  had  numerous 
children,  some  of  whom  succumbed  to  the 
hardships  and  privations  of  pioneer  life,  but 
twelve  reached  maturity,  as  follows:  Peter 
Joshua ;  George  M. ;  Elizabeth,  who  married 
(first)  a  Mr.  Hoobler  and  (second)  Samuel 
Messer;  Sophia,  who  married  (first)  George 
Tritt  and  (second)  a  Mr.  Babb;  Jacob; 
Daniel;  Paul,  residing  in  Starke  County,  In- 
diana; .Joel;  Abraham,  residing  in  Green 
Township,  Summit  County;  Jonathan;  and 
Nathaniel,  residing  in  Green  Township.  The 
survivors  of  the  above  family  are  Paul,  Abra- 
ham and  Nathaniel.  The  children  took  after 
their  parents,  being  large  of  frame  and  of 
robust  constitution. 

George  M.  Snyder  was  reared  on  the 
pioneer  farm  and  assisted  in  its  clearing. 
His  educational  chances  were  feiw,  school 
houses  were  far  apart  and  in  so  large  a  family 


UiO 


HTS'J^ORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


there  was  always  woi'k  ready  for  every  hand. 
He  learned  the  mason's  trade  and  worked 
at  it  during  the  season,  heli:ied  to  farm  and 
in  the  winter,  assisted  to  work  the  old  loom, 
weaving  cloth.  His  marriage  did  not  make 
much  difference  in  his  employments,  merely 
transferring  them  to  another  place,  for  those 
were  days  when  everything  was  hand-made 
and  there  was  little  leisure  for  any  one.  Oc- 
casionally he  would  talce  his  gun  and  go  out 
for  game,  which  was  then  very  plentiful,  and 
■would  shoot  deer,  turkeys  and  bear,  and  on 
one  occasion  a  wild  hog.  His  son  still  pre- 
serves a  dangerous-looking  tooth,  which  was 
one  of  its  defensive  weapons.  After  his  chil- 
dren had  grown  up  he  settled  down  to  farm- 
ing, purchasing  125  acres  of  the  land  on 
which  the  village  of  Snydertown  now  stands, 
and  he  owned  property  also  at  Barberton. 
He  was  a  man  who  was  well  known  all 
through  this  section.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-eight  years. 

George  M.  Snyder  was  married  (first)  to 
Catherine  Harter,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Harter,  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Barberton.  Mrs.  Snyder 
died  and  left  three  children:  Henry,  and 
George  and  Catherine,  both  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased. Mr.  Snyder  was  married  (second) 
to  Mary  Ann  Rex,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Rex.  She  died  in  1871,  aged  forty- 
three  years,  the  mother  of  fourteen  children. 
They  were  as  follows:  Eliza  Jane,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Jacob;  Sadie,  who  married  Harry 
Deisem;  Daniel  W. ;  Mary,  who  married  Dr. 
Andereon ;  Lewis ;  Thomas  J. ;  Lucy,  who  died 
in  infancy;  William;  Inez,  who  married  L. 
Horner;  Evelyna,  who  married  H.  Pontius; 
Emma,  who  married  William  Stott;  and  two 
younger  children  who  died  in  infancy. 

.lacob  Augustus  Snyder  was  fourteen  years 
old  when  his  parents  moved  to  the  farm  on 
which  they  spent  many  years,  and  he  at- 
tended the  district  schools,  making  his  home 
with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty-five  yeare 
of  age.  In  the  meantime,  from  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  he  taught  school  for  about  fovir 
years,  at  New  Portage  and  Mount  Hope,  and 
for  one   year   in   Lee   County,    Illinois.     He 


also  operated  a  grocery  store  at  Akron,  in 
partnership  with  Henry  Deisem,  on  the 
corner  of  High  and  Church  Streets,  tor  about 
one  year.  Mr.  Snyder  was  able  to  see  many 
business  possibilities  and  took  advantage  of  a 
rmmber  of  them.  In  association  with  K. 
How,  he  operated  an  old  horse-power  thresh- 
ing machine  for  some  four  years,  doing  a 
good  business.  Then  he  worked  for  one  sum- 
mer in  the  Baughman  stone  quarry,  after 
which  he  learned  to  be  a  telegrapher,  although 
he  never  put  this  knowledge  to  any  practical 
end. 

Mr.  Snyder  then  concluded  to  vLsit  his 
uncle  who  lived  in  Illinois,  and  worked  on 
his  farm  for  a  time.  H(!  later  accepted  a 
school  and  taught  in  Lee  County,  where  he 
made  many  friends.  In  the  following 
spring  he  took  a  course  in  Bryant  &  Strat- 
ton's  Commercial  College  and  then  became 
bookkeeper  for  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Rail- 
road, which  was  extending  its  line  be- 
tween Defiance,  Ohio,  and  Chicago,  Illinois. 
Mr.  Snyder  worked  for  two  years  in  Indiana 
for  this  corporation,  and  after  the  great  Chi- 
cago fire,  which,  for  a  time,  interrupted  busi- 
ness with  that  city,  he  went  out  as  foreman 
of  the  Railroad  Construction  Company  to 
Kentucky.  After  a  time  he  returned  to  Sum- 
mit County  and  for  a  short  time  was  as- 
sociated with  Morris  Young  in  a  butchering 
business. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Snyder  settled  on 
hLs  present  farm,  which  he  purchased  from 
Henry  Swiggert,  and  has  devoted  considei'able 
attention  to  growing  berries  and  trucking. 
He  has  been  largely  interested  for  many  years 
in  contracting.  The  stone  for  the  building  of 
■  the  strawboard  works  came  from  his  farm. 
He  has  probably  built  more  cellars  than  any 
man  in  Summit  County,  furnishing  the  stone 
from  bis  own  quarries.  He  built  the  Bar- 
berton &  AVestern  Railroad  road  bed  and  also 
one  mile  of  track  from  the  sewer  pipe  com- 
pany's plant  to  the  clay  pit.  He  has  done  a 
large  amount  of  grading  and  has  filled  many 
contracts  for  William  A.  .Johnston.  He  also 
carried  on  a  successful  florist  business. 
In  1878,  Mr.  Snyder  was  married   (first) 


HON.  GU8TAVUS  SEIBERLING 


AND    RErRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


]0r>3 


to  Catheriue  Blinn,  who  died  in  1891.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Christopher  Blinn.  In 
1892,  Mr.  Snyder  was  married  (second)  to 
Mrs.  Minerva  (Fi-eeman)  Young,  who  was 
the  wiuow  of  A.  J.  Young,  and  a  daughter 
of  Asa  and  Catherine  (Wolfi'ed)  Freeman. 
She  had  three  children,  namely :  Lubert, 
who  died  aged  seventeen  years;  Grace,  who 
married  (first)  Dell  Acres,  and  (second)  Ben- 
jamin Eby,  and  has  two  children,  Hazel  and 
Farrell;  and  Clarence,  who  married  Nona 
Fink.  H&e  purchased  Mr.  Snyder's  green- 
houses and  continues  in  the  florist  business. 

When  Mr.  Snyder  retired  from  active  life, 
he  purchased  a  place  at  Barberton,  on  which 
there  stood  a  residence.  This  he  has  com- 
pletely remodeled  and  made  into  a  modern 
home.  The  suiToundings  are  tasteful,  jiar- 
ticularly  the  arrangement  and  choice  of 
shrubs,  which  Mr.  Snyder  set  out  himself. 

Politically,  Mr.  Snyder  is  a  Democrat  and 
has  frequently  held  township  offices.  He  is 
secretary  and  a  stockholder  in  the  Lalcewood 
Cemetery  Association,  of  which  he  was  one  of 
the  organizers.  Prior  to  its  disbanding,  he 
was  a  member  and  master  workman  in  the 
order  of  American  Mechanics.  Both  he  and 
his  wife,  as  well  as  their  son  Clarence,  are 
members  of  the  beneficiary  order  of  Path- 
finders. They  belong  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  which  Mr.  Snyder  has  sei'ved 
as  a  trustee  for  a  long  period:  .Few  men  of 
this  section  are  better  or  more  favorably 
known. 

HON.  GUSTAVUS  SEIBERLING,  who 
has  been  mayor  of  Western  Star  for  the  past 
fourteen  years  and  a  county  commissioner  of 
Summit  County  since  1905.  was  born  .Tune 
19,  18.54,  on  the  fann  in  Norton  Town.ship, 
on  which  he  .*till  resides. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Seiberling  was  born  in 
Lehigh  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1811,  and 
came  to  Summit  County  and  settled  in  Norton 
Township  when  the  entire  country  was  an 
uncleared  wilderne.'^s.  He  bought  eighty  acres 
of  land  which  he  cleared,  and  on  which  he 
built  a  sawmill,  where  later  was  built  the  first 
Excelsior  reaper.     He  lived  a  long  and  active 


life,  and  was  identified  with  the  development 
of  Norton  Township  in  a  larger  degree  than 
almost  any  other  citizen.  He  married  Kath- 
erine  Peters,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Lehigh 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  they  reared  a 
family  of  thirteen  children,  eight  sons  and 
five  daughters.  Of  this  family  six  sons  and 
one  daughter  survive,  namely:  James  Plenry, 
residing  at  Jonesboro,  Indiana,  where  he  owns 
a  large  rubber  manufacturing  plant;  Monroe, 
a  large  plate  glass  manufacturer,  residing  in 
a  suburb  of  Chicago;  Charles,  residing  at 
Mitchellville,  Iowa,  a  retired  farmer,  formerly 
a  soldier  in  the  Civil  AVar;  Columbus,  a  re- 
tired farmer  residing  at  AVadsworth ;  Milton 
A.,  a  farmer  residing  in  Norton  Town.ship; 
Sarah,  wife  of  Jacob  M.  Harter,  residing  at 
AA'adsworth,  and  Gustavus,  w^ho  is  the  young- 
est of  the  family. 

Mr.  Seiberling  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  and  was  mainly  educated  at  AA'estern 
Star  Academy.  For  many  years  he  carried 
on  extensive  farming  and  stockraising,  and 
has  also  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  public 
affairs  of  Summit  County.  He  was  one  of 
the  organizers  and  a  charter  member  of  the 
Norton  Mutual  Fire  Association,  of  which  he 
has  been  secretary  for  twenty  years,  and  for 
fourteen  years  he  has  served  as  mayor  of  the 
town  of  AVestern  Star.  He  was  elected  com- 
mis.sioner  in  the  fall  of  1905,  but  prior  to 
that  had  served  in  many  offices,  for  twenty 
years  being  a  member  of  the  School  Board  of 
AA^'estern  Star  village  school,  for  ten  years 
school  clerk;  and  in  1900  he  was  elected 
real  estate  assessor.  Politically,  he  is  a  Re- 
publican and  has  been  an  important  leader 
in  the  ranks  of  that  party  for  many  years. 

In  1875,  Air.  Seiberling  was  married  to 
Julia  Kulp,  who  is  a  daughter  of  .John  M. 
Kulp.  of  Norton  Township,  and  they  have 
five  children,  namely:  AA'^ilson  F.,  residing 
on  a  farm  adjoining  that  of  his  father;  Claud, 
operating  the  home  farm:  Sarah  Katherine, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  AA'illiam  AA^'ise,  V.  S.. 
residing  at  Barberton ;  and  Pauline  and  Ray- 
mond G..  who  reside  at  home  with  their  par- 
ents. Mr.  Seiberlinfr  is  a  member  if  the 
Tjithcran  Olmrch  nt  AA^ndsworfli.  in  which  he 


1054 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


has  been  choir  leader  for  fifteen  years.     He 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

GEORGE  MAAG,  a  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Akron,  who  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  Twentieth  Century  Heating 
and  Ventilating  Company,  of  this  city,  and 
who  continued  to  be  treasurer  of  the  concern 
from  its  founding,  has  been  active  in  the  busi- 
ness life  of  the  community  for  many  years. 
Mr.  Maag  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio, 
in  1853,  where  he  remained  until  reaching 
the  age  of  seventeen  years.  He  then  went  to 
Orrville  and  learned  the  tinner's  trade. 
After  three  years  he  looked  around  for  a 
promising  field  for  work,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1873,  came  to  Akron,  where,  until  1878,  he 
was  with  the  firm  of  Cramer  &  May.  Sub- 
sequently he  established  himself  in  a  hard- 
ware bu.=iness  at  Haysville,  Ashland  County, 
where  he  remained  until  January,  1885, 
when  he  removed  his  interests  to  Shelby, 
Ohio.  In  1890,  he  left  Shelby  and  return- 
ing to  Akron,  became  employed  with  the 
firm  of  May  and  Fiebeger,  continuing  with 
them  until  the  fall  of  1894.  He  then  be- 
came associated  with  William  Clerkin 
in  establishing  the  manufacture  of  the 
Twentieth  Centuiy  Furnace  under  the  firm 
name  of  Clerkin  and  Maag,  which  firm  has 
been  succeeded  by  the  Twentieth  Century 
Heating  and  Ventilating  Company.  In  this 
line  Mr.  Maag  has  met  with  success. 

The  ideas  involved  in  the  manufacture  of 
the  heaters  and  boilers  illustrate  new  prin- 
ciples, and  the  plant  is  fitted  with  all  kinds 
of  modern  machinery  to  carry  out  these  de- 
signs. In  1899,  Mr.  Maag  w-as  married  to 
Lydia  Bans,  who  is  a  daughter  of  .Jacob 
Bans,  of  Akron.  The  family  residence  is 
situated  at  No.  40  Mt.  View  Avenue,  Akron. 

DANIEL  B.  CAHOW,  proprietor  of  the 
Cahow  Pump  Company,  of  Akron,  is  a  leading 
business  man  of  this  city  and  one  of  its 
prominent  merchants.  He  was  born  in  York 
Township,  Medina  County,  Ohio,  in  1854, 
and  is  a  son  of  D.  J.  Cahow,  a  pioneer  in 
the  pump   manufacturing   line.       When    he 


was  two  years  old  his  father  moved  to  Salem, 
Iowa,  where  he  remained,  however,  Ijut  two 
years,  returning  to  Ohio  and  settling  in  Litch- 
field, Medina  County.  When  Daniel  B.  was  six 
years  old  his  father  began  the  manufacture  of 
pumps  and  the  subject  of  this  seketch  was 
therefore  practically  reared  in  this  business. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  came  to 
Akron  with  his  father  and  brother,  H.  J.  Ca- 
how, and  engaged  in  a  pump  business,  but 
for  the  past  eighteen  years  he  has  been  sole 
proprietor  and  is  the  head  of  the  largest  re- 
tail pump  business  in  the  United  States. 
He  handles  all  kinds  of  pumps,  and  has  the 
exclusive  sale  of  all  the  best  ones,  especially 
the  Myers  pump,  which  has  no  superior.  As 
a  pump  man  he  has  a  reputation  which  ex- 
tends all  over  the  State. 

On  October  4,  1877,  Mr.  Cahow  was  mar- 
ried to  Nellie  M.  Garman,  who  was  reared  at 
Akron,  and  they  have  three  children :  Grace, 
who  married  M.  J.  Hallinan,  assistant  city 
engineer  at  Akron;  and  Roy  and  Ray,  twins, 
the  former  of  whom  is  a  lithographic  artist 
and  the  latter  is  with  the  pump  manufactur- 
ing concern  of  F.  E.  Myers  &  Brother,  of 
Ashland,  Ohio.  Politically,  Mr.  Cahow  is  a 
Republican.  He  has  fraternal  membership 
in  Akron  Lodge,  No.  88,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Nemo 
Lodge,  No.  746,  I.  0.  0.  F. ;  also  the  Encamp- 
ment ;  the  Daughters  of  Rebecca ;  the  Knights 
of  the  Maccabees,  and  the  Protected  Home 
Circle. 

GEORGE  H.  WADSWORTH,  general  su- 
perintendent of  the  machinery  department  of 
the  Falls  Rivet  and  Machine  Company,  at 
Cuyahoga  Falls,  is  well  known  locally  in 
this  connection  while  his  name  is  a  familiar 
one  in  all  the  leading  foundries  of  the  United 
States,  Canada  and  Europe,  as  the  inventor 
of  machinery  of  the  greatest  utility.  Mr. 
Wadsworth  was  born  near  Chester,  England, 
February  11,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
Collins  and  Agnes   (Hogg)   Wadsworth. 

On  the  paternal  side,  Mr.  Wadsworth 
traces  his  ancestry  to  Holland  and  on  the  ma- 
ternal, to  Scotland.  His  father,  William  C. 
Wadsworth,  was  born  at  Liverpool,  England, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1055 


where  he  later  held  a  position  as  harbor  mas- 
ter, and  was  killed  in  the  performance  of 
his  duty,  when  his  son,  George  H.,  was 
twelve  years  of  age.  He  had  four  children, 
namely:  John  Murray,  who  has  been  gov- 
ernor of  a  province  in  India,  for  thirty  years ; 
Agnes,  who  is  deceased;  George  H.;  and 
Elizabeth,  who  resides  with  her  aged  mother, 
at  Colwin  Bay,  North  Wales.  The  family 
is  of  the  Presbyterian  faith. 

In  Eis  boyhood,  George  H.  Wadsworth 
showed  a  natural  leaning  toward  mechanics, 
and  as  soon  as  his  education  was  considered 
to  be  far  enough  advanced,  he  entered  the 
Great  Western  Railway  shops,  at  Wolver- 
hampton, where  he  served  an  apprenticeship 
of  six  years  in  what  was  there  denominated 
the  fitter  and  turner  trade.  This  trade  he 
followed  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of 
age,  when  he  came  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and 
entered  the  old  Cleveland  Bridge  and  Gar 
Worlcs.  He  continued  work  at  his  trade, 
mainly  in  Ohio,  and  was  the  first  tool-maker 
employed  by  the  National  Cash  Register  Com- 
pany, and  organized  their  tool  room.  Later, 
Mr.  Wadsworth  entered  into  business  for  him- 
self, at  Findlay,  Ohio,  and  from  1887  until 
1891,  he  ran  a  machine  shop  under  the  firm 
name  of  Wadsworth,  Sheesley  &  Company. 
Erom  there  he  returned  to  Cleveland  and  re- 
mained superintendent  of  the  Avery  Stamp- 
ing Company  until  the  spring  of  1894.  He 
was  then  called  to  Chicago  and  was  with  the 
firm  of  Frazer  and  Chalmers,  coming  from 
there  to  take  the  position  of  foreman  of  the 
machine  shop  of  The  Falls  Rivet  and  Ma- 
chine Company.  After  one  year,  Mr.  Wads- 
worth became  superintendent,  but  six  months 
later  left  the  company  in  order  to  engage  in 
other  business. 

When  the  business  of  this  company  was  re- 
organized and  changes  made  under  the  ad- 
ministration of  Jeremiah  Long,  about  1897, 
Mr.  Wadsworth  returned  to  the  company  as 
general  superintendent.  At  this  time,  owing 
to  his  past  experience.  The  Falls  Rivet  and 
Machine  Company  was  successful  in  obtain- 
ing some  large  contracts  for  government  work 


amounting  to  about  $140,000,  which  were 
completed  with  satisfaction  to  the  Govern- 
ment and  with  financial  advantage  to  the 
company.  Mr.  Wadsworth  continued  with 
the  company  as  general  superintendent  until 
1901,  when  he  again  severed  his  relations  in 
order  to  engage  in  the  manufacture  of  a  core- 
making  machine,  which  was  an  invention  of 
his  own.  The  Wadsworth  Improved  Core 
Machines  and  Equipment,  including  the 
Wadsworth  Portable  Core  Oven,  have  won 
their  way  through  their  obvious  utility,  and 
thousands  are  now  in  use  in  foundries 
throughout  this  and  other  countries.  There 
are  many  similar  machines  on  the  market  but 
the  only  medal  given  for  a  core  machine,  at 
the  St.  Louis  Exposition,  was  awarded  to  The 
Falls  Rivet  and  Machine  Company  for  the 
machines  invented  by  Mr.  Wadsworth.  He 
has  made  many  other  inventions  relative  to 
foundry  work,  all  of  them  proving  practical 
and  valuable.  He  was  the  oldest  continuous 
exhibitor  at  the  American  Foundrymen's  As- 
sociation. 

In  1902,  Mr.  Wadsworth  went  to  Cleveland 
and  there  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  of 
automobiles  and  was  general  superintendent 
and  a  stockholder  in  the  American  Motor 
Carriage  Company.  At  the  reorganization 
of  The  Falls  Rivet  and  Machine  Company, 
in  1903,  Mr.  Wadsworth  again  becme  super- 
intendent of  the  machinery  department,  a 
position  for  which  he  is  so  thoroughly  quali- 
fied. He  has  some  300  men  under  his  super- 
vision and  through  his  knowledge  and  care 
the  great  output  is  kept  up  to  the  standard 
which  has  won  its  present  reputation  for  this 
concern.  Mr.  Wadsworth's  interests  have 
never  centered  in  politics,  but  he  gives  a  good 
citizen's  support  to  all  laudable  public  meas- 
ures and  casts  his  vote  with  the  Republican 
party.  In  England,  Mr.  Wadsworth  was  mar- 
ried to  Cecily  Blower,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  J.  Blower,  of .  Wolverhampton,  and 
they  have  three  children,  namely:  Florence 
E.,  Agnes  K.  and  George  H.  The  family 
belong  to  the  Episcopal  Church. 


1056 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


ALEXANDER  STEESE,  proprietor  of 
the  Copley  Mill,  situated  on  Wolf  Creek,  has 
been  a  resident  of  Summit  County,  Ohio,  for 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  is  one  of 
Copley  township's  well-known  business  men. 
Mr.  Steese  was  born  November  20,  1862,  in 
Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Abraham 
and  Lydia  (Bowers)  Steese. 

Abraham  Steese  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  when  a  young  man  of  eighteen  years 
moved  to  Akron,  Ohio,  which  was  then  but  a 
small  village.  He  was  employed  for  some  time 
in  digging  wells  in  and  around  Akron, 
constructing  probably  600  or  700  in  the 
vicinity,  but  after  his  mai-riage  he  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Stark  and  Sum- 
mit Counties,  and  in  this  occupation  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  which  closed 
in  1902  when  he  had  attained  the 
age  of  eighty-five  years.  Mr.  Steese  was  mar- 
ried to  Lydia  Bowers,  a  native  of  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  who  died  in  1882  at  the  age  of 
fifty-nine  years,  and  to  them  eleven  children 
were  born,  namely:  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Thomas  Beck;  Lewis;  Susan,  who  married  J. 
Guttenberger ;  Levi,  who  was  drowned  at  the 
age  of  eleven  years;  Elvina,  who  married 
Solomon  Arntz ;  Cecelia  (deceased),  who  mar- 
ried Fred  Shoemaker,  the  original  jiroprietor 
of  the  Copley  Mill;  Israel;  Melvin ;  Alex- 
ander; Amanda,  who  married  A.  Phile;  and 
Frances,  who  married  Charles  Phile. 

Alexander  Steese  grew  up  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  where  he  at- 
tended school,  and  in  1885  started  to  work 
in  his  brother-in-law's  mill,  Mr.  Steese's  pres- 
ent property,  where  he  continued  for  five 
yeai-s.  In  1890  he  removed  to  Tallmadge, 
where  he  worked  imtil  the  fall  in  the  plant 
of  the  Sewer  Pipe  Company,  subsequently 
returning  to  his  brother-in-law's  mill  in  Cop- 
ley Township.  In  the  spring  of  1891  he  went 
to  Indiana,  where  he  worked  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  with  his  brother  Lewis,  but  he 
again  returned  to  Copley  Township,  where  he 
.spent  the  winter.  In  the  spring  of  1892  Mr. 
Steese  went  to  Comet,  Green  Township,  and 
there  rented  a  mill  from  D.  F.  Burger,  which 
he  operated  until  1904,  at  which  time  he  pur- 


chased stock  in  the  Clinton  Milling  Company, 
of  Clinton,  Ohio,  where  for  two  years  he  was 
engaged  as  miller.  He  then  traded  his  stock 
in  the  company  for  his  present  business, 
which  he  has  since  conducted  with  much  suc- 
cess. The  capacity  of  the  mill  is  twenty-five 
barrels  daily,  and  the  product  is  the  well 
known  "Household  Favorite  Flour." 

In  September,  1887,  Mr.  Steese  was  married, 
first,  to  Jennie  Fulmer,  whose  death  occurred 
in  June,  1890,  and  to  this  union  th?re  was 
born  one  child,  Clark.  Mr.  Steese  was  mar- 
ried, second,  in  the  spring  of  1893  to  Stella 
Kleckner,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  Kleckner,  of  Green  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  and  six  children  have  been 
born  to  them:  Ruth,  Grace,  Mvra,  Laura, 
Paul  and  Carl. 

Mr.  Steese  is  a  Prohibitionist  in  political 
belief.  With  his  wife  and  family  he  attends 
the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church. 

CAPT.  W.  M.  HILTABIDLE,  State  agent 
for  the  North  American  Mutual  Fire  Insur- 
ance Company,  with  quarters  in  the  Hamilton 
Building,  Akron,  has  been  identified  with  the 
Department  of  Public  Works  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  State  board,  for  many  years,  and 
since  1905  has  been  interested  in  his  present 
enterprise.  He  was  born  at  Mansfield,  Ohio, 
July  31,  1857,  where  he  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated. 

During  his  eai'lier  years,  Mr.  Hiltabidle 
served  four  years  as  shipping  clerk 
lor  the  Humphrey  Manufacturing  ('om))any. 
of  Mansfield,  and  for  six  years  was  with  the 
Bodine  Roofing  Company,  of  Mansfield,  both 
as  superintendent  of  their  works  and  as  trav- 
eling .salesman.  In'  1887  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  State  Board  of  Public  Works  and 
had  charge  of  the  steam  dredge,  continuing 
until  1892,  when  he  was  promoted  to  the  office 
of  division  superintendent  and  in  that  ca- 
pacity came  to  Akron.  He  remained  super- 
intendent until  1902,  and  then  gave"  up  that 
position  to  become  superintendent  of  the 
water  supply  for  the  manufacturers  of  Akron 
and  Barbertoli.  performing  the  duties  of  this 
office  from   1902   until   1905.     In  the  latter 


JAMES  li.  CASE 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


lor.u 


year  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Noitli 
American  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Compaiiy, 
the  home  office  being  at  Mansfield.  The  fi^si. 
policy  was  issued  October  26,  1905.  They 
started  into  business  with  policies  in  force  of 
$773,850.  On  July  12,  1907,  their  bool-s 
showed:  Policies  in  force,  $2,038,574.01, 
premiums  paid,  $75,264.52 ;  fire  losses  paid, 
$21,505.61;  contingent  assets,  $177,992.15. 
Mr.  Hiltabidle  is  State  agent  and  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Directors.  The  enterprise 
is  one  which  has  met  with  a  hearty  welcome 
and  is  in  a  very  prosperous  condition. 

Captain  Hiltabidle  gained  liis  title  as  cap- 
tain of  Company  B,  Eighth  Ohio  Regiment, 
at  Mansfield,  and  also  during  his  long  period 
of  service  with  the  Board  of  Public  Works, 
when  he  was  commanding  officer. 

In  1878  he  was  married  to  Roberta  Cairns, 
of  Plymouth,  Ohio.  They  have  one  daugh- 
ter. Myrtle  Rose,  who  graduated  from  the 
Akron  public  schools,  in  the  cla.ss  of  1907. 
With  his  family,  Captain  Hiltabidle  belongs 
to  Trinity  Lutheran  Church.  He  is  a  Thirty- 
second  Degree  Mason,  and  has  held  many  of- 
fices in  the  local  Masonic  bodies.  He  is  also 
an  Odd  Fellow,  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias, 
past  exalted  ruler  of  the  Akron  Lodge  of  Elks, 
and  belongs  to  the  Ma.sonic  and  Elk  clubs, 
and  to  Harry  Foster  Camp,  No.  331,  Sons 
of  Veterans. 

JAMES  H.  CASE,  who  has  been  engaged 
in  the  drug  business  in  Akron  for  the  past 
thirty-one  years,  is  one  of  the  city's  most  es- 
teemed citizens.  He  is  also  an  honored  vet- 
eran of  the  Civil  Wa;-,  and  one  of  the  few 
survivors  of  the  Third  Division  of  Cavalry, 
which  gained  distinction  under  their  brave 
and  beloved  leader,  the  gallant  General  Cus- 
ter. Mr.  Case  was  born  in  1844.  in  old  Mid- 
dlehury,  and  is  a  son  of  Simon  S.  and  Jane 
(McDowell)   Ca,se. 

Simon  S.  Case,  a  harness-maker  by  trade, 
was  horn  in  the  State  of  New  York  and  came 
to  Akron  among  the  early  settlers.  Later  he 
engaged  in  'general  contracting,  and  he  built 
an  entire  section  of  the  C.  A.  &  C  Railroad. 


Still  later  he  went  into  the  stoneware  busi- 
ness, and  was  the  first  shipper  of  stoneware 
from  Summit  County  l)y  rail.  His  death 
took  place  in  1877. 

James  H.  Case  entered  tl:e  Federal  army 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  A,  Second  Regiment,  Ohio 
Cavalry.  This  regiment  was  mustered  into 
the  sei-vice  at  Columbus,  and  it  was  first  or- 
dered to  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  It  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness,  Spott- 
.sylvania.  Mine  Run.  Hanover  Court  Hoase, 
and  all  battles  from  the  Wilderness  to  the 
surrender  of  Lee.  After  Wilson's  Raid  Mr. 
Case  was  taken  sick  and  was  confined  to  the 
hospital  for  two  months  in  Baltimore  and 
Wilmington.  After  rejoining  his  regiment 
he  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Winchester, 
Berry\'ille,  Fisher's  Hill,  Cedar  Creek  and 
Stony  Creek.  In  October.  1863,  Mr.  Case  re- 
enli-sted  and  remained  in  the  service  until 
after  the  final  surrender  of  the  Confederate 
forces,  being  honorably  mustered  out  at  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  in  September,  1865.  His 
most  thrilling  war  experiepce  was  during  Wil- 
■son's  Raid,  when  he  had  his  horse  shot  from 
under  him.  In  recalling  the  various  brave . 
commanders  under  whom  he  served,  Mr. 
Case  remembers  the  gallant  General  Custer, 
who  was  adored  by  his  soldiers,  who  together 
keep  green  his  memory  in  an  annual  gather- 
ing of  the  survivors  of  the  old  command.  In 
1907  Mr.  Case  attended  the  reunion  held  at 
Canandaigua,  New  York. 

After  the  end  of  his  military  service,  Mr. 
Case  retiu'ned  to  Akron  where  he  worked  at 
the  machinist's  trade  until  1.S76.  He  then 
engaged  in  the  diiig  busine.s.~  in  which  lie  has 
continued  ever  since.  He  is  a  stanch  Repul)- 
lioan,  and  was  a  great  admirer  of  the  late 
Senator  .James  G.  Blaine,  during  whose  candi- 
dacy, Mr.  Case's  store  was  the  Blaine  head- 
quarters. He  has  served  two  terms  in  the 
City  Council  and  has  been  postmaster  at  Pos- 
tal Station  No.  4  ever  since  its  orgauization. 

In  1872,  Mr.  Ca.se  was  first  married  to  Ella 
Farrar.  In  April,  1890,  he  was  married,  .sec- 
ond, to  Mrs.  Margaret  Blocker.     Frnternallv. 


1060 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


he  is  a  Mason  of  high  standing.  He  has  been 
a  meanber  of  Buckley  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  since  its 
organization. 

REED  DEEDS,  inventor,  is  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Reed  Deeds  &  Son, 
builders  and  contractors  at  Cuyahoga  Fall^i, 
and  the  patentee  of  the  Deeds  Monolithic  Sys- 
tem of  Concrete  Construction,  which  provides 
forms,  molds  and  methods  for  the  erection 
and  construction  of  all  classes  of  buildings, 
with  either  solid  or  double  walls,  doing  away 
with  machine-made  blocks.  Mr.  Deeds  estab- 
lished himself  in  business  at  Cuyahoga  Falls 
in  1889.  He  was  born  at  Portersville,  Butler 
County,  Pennsylvania,  July  11,  1848,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Ann  Catherine  (Wimer) 
Deeds.  His  family  record  includes  an  an- 
cestor who  sei-ved  on  General  Washington's 
staff  in  the  Revolutionary  "War. 

Philip  Frederick  Deeds,  his  paternal  grand- 
fatlier,  operated  a  mill  near  Slippery  Rock, 
Lawrence  County,  Pennsylvania,  but  had 
lived  in  Butler  County,  where  his  son,  John 
Deeds,  was  born,  in  1806.  In  boyhood  John 
Deeds  learned  the  *heelright  trade  and  later, 
when  that  business  declined,  took  up  carpen- 
tering. In  1857  he  moved  to  Youngstown 
and  continued  in  active  business  there  until 
he  retired,  in  1879,  when  he  went  to  live  with 
a  daughter  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  where  he  died 
in  1883.  He  was  one  of  the  old-line  Abo- 
litionists and  in  slavery  days  assisted  many 
a  "chattel"  to  escape  from  bondage.  He 
was  a  strict  Methodist  and  built  a  church 
near  Portersville,  and,  unknown  to  the  gen- 
eral public,  constnicted  an  underground  tun- 
nel which  led  to  a  big  .stump  in  the  woods. 
Down  the  tunnel  from  this  stump,  the 
operators  of  the  Underground  railroad  con- 
ducted many  fleeing  slaves.  Later  he  be- 
came an  ardent  Republican  and  at  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  War,  offered  his  services, 
which  were  declined  on  account  of  his  age, 
but  he  persisted  in  serving  in  the  home  guard. 
He  was  a  man  of  most  upright  character  and 
at  various  times  honestly  performed  the  du- 
ties of  public  office. 

The   mother  of  Mr.   Deeds   was  a   daugh- 


ter of  John  Wimer,  who  resided  near 
Portersville,  Pennsylvania,  where  she 
was  born  in  1813.  Her  father  was 
one  of  eight  brothers,  who  migrated  from 
the  Shenandoah  Valley,  Virginia,  in  about 
1790,  to  what  was  afterwards  called  Butler 
County,  Pennsylvania.  He  saw  military 
sei-vice  in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  Of  the  nine 
children  born  to  John  Deeds  and  wife,  eight 
grew  to  maturity,  namely:  Thirzah,  now  de- 
ceased, who  married  John  Ramp,  of  Cuya- 
hoga Falls,  also  decetised;  Joseph  who  served 
three  years  in  the  Seventh  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  killed  near 
Kingston,  Georgia,  during  the  Civil  War; 
Hiram,  now  residing  at  Cleveland,  who  was 
for  three  years  a  member  of  the  same  regi- 
ment, and  was  wounded  four  times;  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  Joseph  Ramp,  of 
Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  died  at  Cuyalioga 
Falls;  Wilbur,  who  served  one  year  in  the 
Civil  War  as  a  member  of  the  Second  Ohio 
Battery,  and  who  died  in  1906,  at  Noblesville, 
Indiana;  Reed,  who  served  in  the  Fourth  In- 
diana Cavalry,  but  was  special  orderly  at  Brig- 
ade Headquarters  of  the  First  Brigade,  Second 
Division,  Wilson's  Cavalry  Corps ;' Minerva, 
who  married  Richard  Reid,  residing  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls;  and  Frank,  residing  at  Schenec- 
tady. New  York.  The  mother  of  this  family 
died  in  1892.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian   Church. 

Reed  Deeds  was  eleven  years  of  age  when 
his  father  settled  at  Youngstown,  Ohio. 
After  completing  his  education  he  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  with  liis  father,  fol- 
lowing which  he  worked  as  a  journeyman 
for  a  number  of  years,  in  Cleveland, 
Youngstown  and  Akron.  In  1868  he 
came  to  Cuyahoga  Falls,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  In  1876  he  began  to  work  for  H.  B. 
Camp,  building  his  shops,  and  thus  he  grad- 
ually worked  into  brick  and  cement  contract- 
ing, which  led  up  to  the  invention  of  his  sys- 
tem of  concrete  construction.  In  1878  he 
took  up  cement  work,  using  some  of  the  first 
Yeass  Portland  cement  ever  made  in  the 
United  States.  At  Cuyahoga  Falls  he  built 
John  Walsh's  residence,  the  Roethig  Block, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1061 


the  Brand  Block,  and  the  power  houses  and 
barns  for  the  A.  B.  C.  Railway,  both  at  Cuya- 
hoga Falls  and  Bedford,  and  their  additions 
to  their  Akron  plant;  also  the  chapel  at  Oak- 
wood  Cemetery,  and  the  power  house  for  the 
Youngstown  lS!^  Ohio  River  R.  R.  at  West 
Point,  Ohio.  Other  fine  building  that  he  has 
done  includes  his  own  handsome  residence, 
which  was  completed  in  1893,  which  is  sit- 
uated on  North  Front  Street,  and  in  1904  he 
built  a  cement  house  for  his  son,  Wilber 
Clyde,  who  became  his  partner  in  business  in 
1902,  when  the  firm  name  of  Deeds  &  Son 
was  adopted.  His  pay-roll  averages  about 
thirty  men. 

Mr.  Deeds  has  always  been  more  or  less  of 
an  inventor  and  his  machines  have  proved 
of  remarkable  utility.  His  patent  on  mono- 
lithic construction  bears  the  number  787665, 
and  that  on  hold  molds  No.  878664;  he  has 
also  another  on  railroad  water  tanks.  In  the 
small  space  accorded  to  the  present  sketch  it 
would  be  impossible  to  do  full  justice  to  Mr. 
Deed's  invention  of  the  monolithic  concrete 
system.  He  has  issued  a  clear  and  concise 
explanation  of  his  invention  which  has  been 
widely  circulated,  with  the  most  gratifying 
results  as  to  business.  For  some  twenty-eight 
years  Mr.  Deeds  has  been  a  successful  mason 
and  builder  and  he  has  given  a  great  deal  of 
study  to  the  use  of  concrete  material,  solving 
the  problem  as  to  its  use  at  the  smallest  ex- 
pense and  with  the  greatest  amount  of  dura- 
bility. Mr.  Deeds  married  Eliza  Bradley,  who 
was  born  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  December  17, 
1849,  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Margaret 
Bradley,  of  that  place.  Mrs.  Deeds'  father 
was  born  at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  and 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Summit  County, 
in  childhood. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deeds  have  had  two  children : 
Arthur,  who  died  in  childhood,  and  Wilber 
Clyde,  who  is  in  partnership  with  hLs  father. 
Wilber  Clyde  Deeds  was  born  December  1, 
1875.  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  place,  and  at  the 
Western  Reserve  Academy,  at  Hudson,  where 
he  w^is  graduated  in  1895.  He  then  spent  one 
year  in  the  Ohio  State  University,  taking  a 


course  in  mining  engineering.  lie  learned 
the  brick-laying  trade  with  his  father,  whose 
business  partner  he  became,  in  1902.  On 
June  25,  1898,  he  enlisted  in  Company  F, 
10th  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  of 
which  he  was  made  corporal,  for  service  in 
the  Spanish-American  War.  Later  he  was 
transferred  to  the  lltli  Company  of  the  Sig- 
nal Corps  and  in  1899  he  accompanied  that 
body  to  Cuba,  where  he  was  in  service  three 
and  one-half  months,  and  then  returned  and 
was  honorably  discharged  at  Savannali, 
Georgia.  He  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Spanish-American  War  Veterans,  of  Camp 
Ward  A.  Wilford,  at  Akron. 

Wilber  C.  Deeds  married  Ethel  Dean,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  William  Spray,  of  Mantua, 
Ohio,  and  they  have  two  children,  Dorothy 
and  Ethel.  Mrs.  Wilber  C.  Deeds  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Disciples  Church.  She  also,  with 
her  husband,  belongs  to  the  Falls  Chapter, 
No.  245,  Eastern  Star.  He  is  prominent  in 
Masonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  Star 
Lodge,  No.  187,  Washington  Chapter,  No.  25, 
R.  A.  M.,  and  Akron  Commandery,  K.  T., 
No.  25.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

Reed  Deeds  has- always  been  identified  with 
the  Republican  party,  but  his  interests  have 
lain  in  an  entirely  different  direction  from  of- 
fice-holding and  he  has  never  been  willing  to 
consider  any  such  proposition.  He  is,  how-- 
ever,  a  public-spirited  citizen,  one  who  has  al- 
ways lent  his  influence  in  the  direction  of 
permanent  improvements  and  substantial 
progress.  He  is  not  united  with  any  religious 
body  but  liberally  contributes  to  the  support 
of  the  Congregational  Church,  to  which  Mrs. 
Deeds  belongs.  Fraternally  he  Ls  a  Mason,  be- 
longing to' Star  Lodge,  No.  187,  also  to  Pa- 
vonia  Lodge,  No.  301,  Knights  of  Pythias. 
Mrs.  Deeds  is  a  member  of  the  Woman's  Re- 
lief Corps,  and  it  was  through  her  untiring 
efforts  that  the  fine  flag  pole  w^as  pur- 
chased and  erected  at  the  corner  of  Second 
and  Broad  Streets,  she  having  the  honor  of 
being  the  first  to  raise  the  flag. 

WILLIAM  D.  BAUER,  a  prosperous  agri- 
culturist of  Norton  Township,  who  owns  and 


1062 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


operates  a  tract  of  151  acres  of  fine  farming 
land,  situated  on  the  Akron-Wadsworth  road, 
about  five  miles  west  of  Akron,  was  born  in 
this  township,  June  14,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of 
Joseph  D.  and  Sarah  (Surf ass)  Bauer. 

Daniel  Bauer,  the  grandfather  of  William 
D.,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Norton 
Township,  whence  he  came  from  Northamp- 
ton County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1843,  and,  lo- 
cating about  one  mile  northwest  of  Loyal 
Oak,  purchased  land  and  eventually  became 
the  owner  of  several  hundred  acres.  His  son, 
Joseph  D.  Bauer,  was  but  eleven  years  of  age 
when  he  came  here  with  the  family.  In  about 
1869  he  located  with  his  family  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Ed  Laubaugh,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1888  settled  at  Loyal  Oak,  where  Jo- 
seph b.  Bauer  died  July  16.  1903.  In  March, 
1894,  Mr.  Bauer  purchased  the  present  farm 
of  his  son  AVilliam  D.,  which  the  latter  has 
been  operating  since  1895.  Joseph  D.  Bauer 
was  married  to  Sarah  Surfass,  who  was  born 
in  Columbia  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Andrew  Surfass,  who  came  to 
Noi'ton  Township  a  few  years  after  the  arrival 
of  Daniel  Bauer.  Four  children  were  born 
to  Joseph  B.  and  Sarah  Bauer,  namely:  AVil- 
liam D. ;  Fietta  E.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Ed  Lau- 
baugh; and  two  who  died  in  childhood. 

William  D.  Bauer  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  home  vicinity,  and  was  reared 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Ed  Laubaugh, 
whence  his  parents  had  removed  when  he  was 
about  six  years  old.  In  1895  he  located  on  his 
present  property,  where  he  has  earned  on  gen- 
eral farming  with  much  success  to  the  jiresent 
time. 

In  1887  Mr  Bauer  was  married  to  Phcebe 
Stimson,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Robert  Stim- 
son,  of  Copley  Town.ship,  and  they  have  eight 
children:  Warren  F.,  Celia  L.,  Blanche 
May,  Joseph  R.,  Grace  F.,  Nellie  B.,  Elva  P. 
and  Floyd  O.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bauer  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church  of  Loyal  Oak. 

MILLER  G.  MOORE,  who  holds  the  re- 
sponsible position  of  division  superintendent 
with  the  Northern  Ohio  Traction  Company, 
with    headquarters    at   Cuyahoga   Falls,    was 


born  at  Anthony,  Hunterdon  County,  New 
Jersey,  July  20,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  John  H. 
and  Martha  (Everett)  Moore. 

John  H.  Moore  was  born  in  New  Jersey, 
where  he  has  always  lived  an  honorable  use- 
ful life.  By  trade  he  is  a  blacksmith  and 
conducts  his  own  business.  For  some  years 
he  has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  he  is 
now  serving  as  postmaster  at  Middle  Valley. 
His  three  children  are:  Miller  G. ;  Georgia, 
who  resides  in  Norwich,  New  York;  and 
Frank,  residing  at  Garwood,  New  Jersey. 

After  completing  the  common  school  course 
in  his  native  place,  Mr.  Moore  learned  tele- 
graphing, which  he  followed  in  connection 
with  railroad  work,  for  two  years.  He  has 
been  connected  with  transportation  lines  ever 
since  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  Mr.  Moore 
began  in  a  humble  way  and  understands  the 
business  in  all  its  details.  He  has  filled  posi- 
tions similar  to  his  present  one  both  in  Cleve- 
land and  Detroit,  and"came  to  Cuyahoga  Falls 
in  June,  1902.  He  has  charge  of  the  A.  B.  C, 
Kent  and  Ravenna  and  Barberton  lines,  and 
has  control  of  about  125  "men,  with  seventy- 
five  or  eighty  miles  of  track  under  his  juris- 
diction. His  thorough  technical  knowledge 
and  reliable  character,  make  him  a  valuable 
part  of  the  great  system  which  he  represents. 

Mr.  Moore  was  married  at  Detroit,  Michi- 
gan, to  Marie  Common,  a  daughter  of  James 
Common,  of  that  city,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Melba  and  I)oris.  The  family  be- 
long to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr. 
Moore  belongs  to  Court  Bagley,  of  the  order 
of  Foresters,  of  Detroit,  of  which  he  has  been 
(hief  ranger;  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the 
National  Union.  He  is  an  Independent  in 
politics. 

DAVID  E.  HILL,  one  of  Akron's  old  and 
prominent  citizens,  was  born  at  Gowanda, 
Cattaraugus  County,  New  York,  May  25, 
1825.  coming  of  sturdy  English-Scotch  an- 
cestry, lie  was  eighteen  years  old  when  he 
came  to  Middlebury,  Ohio.  During  his  early 
years  at  Middlebury,  Mr.  Hill  worked  in  a 
machine  shop  and  then  became  a.ssociated 
with  others  in  the  manufacture  of  the  old- 


THOMAS  RHODES 


AND    REPRESENT;VTIVE    CITIZENS 


1065 


fashioned  fire  engine,?.  From  1847  until 
1849  he  represented  the  firm  of -McMillan  & 
Irish,  on  the  road,  selling  woolen  maehinerj', 
in  the  spring  of  the  latter  year  first  becom- 
ing interested  in  what  is  now  the  Akron 
Sewer  Pipe  Company,  which  was  the  pioneer 
cf  the  great  industry.  Mr.  Hill  was  the  or- 
ganizer and  leading  spirit  of  the  American 
Sewer  Pipe  Company,  which  has  an  annual 
output  of  5,000  car  loads,  or  60,000  tons. 
His  influence  on  the  business  life  of  Middle- 
bury  was  pronounced  and  his  standing  was 
high  in  business  circles  as  long  as  he  remained 
an  active  factor  in  the  business  life  of  the 
community. 

On  June  5,  1848.  Mr.  Hill  was  married  to 
Harriet  Louise  ilcMillan,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  the  late  Reuben  McMillan.  They  have 
had  three  children,  namely :  David  W.,  born 
March  15,  1850,  who  married  Grace  Perkins 
McCurdy,  of  Akron,  Septembei  6,  1877,  and 
died  January  30,  1880.  leaving  one  child, 
Eva  C. ;  Cora  T.,  born  July  10,  1852,  who 
died  February  6,  1874;  and  George  R.,  born 
April  3.  1855. 

All  his  life,  Mr.  Hill  has  been  a  thoughtful 
and  intelligent  watcher  of  public  events.  He 
has  been  identified  with  the  Republican  party 
ever  since  its  organization,  and  almost  since 
his  majority,  has  been  an  incumbent  of  office, 
sen-ing  Summit  County  in  some  capacity, 
long  and  well.  He  served  either  in  the  Coun- 
cil or  on  the  School  Board  of  the  village  of 
Middleburv,  until  its  annexation  to  Akron, 
in  1872,  and  from  1862  to  1868,  he  was 
county  commissioner,  and  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Citv  Council  of  Akron,  from  the 
Sixth  Ward,  for  the  years,  1875-76-77  and 
1878. 

THOMAS  RHODES,  one  of  Akron's 
much  esteemed  retired  citizens,  residing  at 
No.  610  West  Market  street,  was  born  in  1826, 
in  Lancastershire,  England,  and  was  about 
seven  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  America.  The  father  of  Mr. 
Rhodes  settled  in  Sharon  Township,  Medina 
County,  Ohio,  where  the  son  was  reared,  and 
under  his  brother's  tutelage,  mainlv  educated. 


Mr.  Rhodes  followed  farming  and  stockrais- 
ing  in  both  Medina  and  Summit  Counties, 
giving  especial  attention  to  the  growing  of 
sheep.  After  a  busy  and  successful  agricul- 
tural career,  Mr.  Rhodes  erected  the  beautiful 
residence  in  Akron  whioli  has  since  been  his 
home. 

In  1876,  Mr.  Rhodes  was  married  to  Sarah 
B.  Garside.  PIo  and  his  wife  are  leading 
members  of  the  West  Hill  Congregational 
Church.  Prior  to  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Rhodes 
was  prominently  identified  with  the  Abolition 
party  and  was  well  known  to  many  anti-slav- 
ery leaders,  being  a  great  admirer  of  William 
Lloyd  Garrison. 

October  2,  1862,  Mr.  Rhodes  enlisted  in 
Company  A,  Seventy-second  Regiment,  0.  V. 
I.  He  took  the  place  of  his  brother  who  had 
been  drafted.  Pie  served  till  July  30,  1863, 
and  was  honorably  discharged  at  a  camp 
twenty  miles  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg. 

CHARLES  P.  HELLER,  who  is  carrying 
on  extensive  farming  operations  on  his  ex- 
cellent tract  of  148  acres  situated  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  west  of  Bath  Centre,  Bath 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  has  served 
as  a.5sessor  of  this  township  for  the  past  five 
^ears,  and  is  one  of  the  most  influential  Re- 
publicans of  his  section.  Mr.  Heller  was  born 
October  1,  1855,  in  Guilford  Township,  Me- 
dina County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Levi  and 
Elizabeth   (Dutt)   Heller. 

Levi  Heller,  who  was  a  native  of  North- 
ampton County,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was 
reared  and  educated,  removed  to  Medina 
County,  Ohio,  a  short  time  after  his  marriage, 
and  there  cultivated  a  seventy-seven  acre 
farm  until  his  death  in  1865.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Dutt.  who  sunnved  him  until  1893, 
and  to  them  was  born  one  child,  Charles  P. 

Charles  P.  Heller  was  but  nine  years  of  age 
when  his  father's  death  occurred,  and  when 
he  was  thirteen  years  old  he  took  full  charge 
of  the  farm  in  Medina  County,  where  he 
and  his  mother  lived  alone.  In  1881  this 
farm  was  sold,  and  Mr.  Heller  and  his  mother 
removed  to  his  present  home  in  Bath  Town- 
ship, where  he  erected  a  fine  home  in  1882. 


1066 


HISTORY    OF    SU.M:\I1T    COXTNTY 


Here  he  has  carried  on  successful  agricul- 
tural operations  to  the  present  time.  He  has 
been  prominent  -in  the  ranks  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  in  this  section,  having  been  a 
member  of  the  Summit  County  Republican 
Executive  Committee  for  several  years,  served 
four  years  as  a  member  of  the  Bath  Town- 
ship School  Boai'd,  and  was  president  thereof 
for  two  years,  and  since  1902  has  served  in 
the  capacity  of  assessor,  filling  that  position 
to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  In  1888 
Mr.  Heller  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Mary  Stnink,  who  is  a  daughter  of  William 
Stnmk,  of  Wadsworth,  Ohio.  Mr.  Heller  is 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees 
and  of  the  Masonic  order. 

ALONZO  SMITH,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  representative  citizen  of  Sunuiiit  County, 
Ohio,  who  is  engaged  in  operating  an  excel- 
lent farm  of  121  acres  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship, was  born  December  26,  1846,  north  of 
Middlebranch,  Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
son  of  George  E.  and  Sarah   (Crist)   Smith. 

George  E.  Smith  was  born  in  Westmore- 
land County,  Pennsylvania,  and  when  a  boy 
of  twelve  years  came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents, 
settling  about  seven  miles  north  of  Canton. 
He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm, 
and  in  his  youth  learned  the  tanner's  trade, 
which  he  followed  for  some  years,  conduct- 
ing a  tannery  north  of  Middlebranch,  Stark 
County.  In  1859  he  purchased  a  farm  near 
Canton,  where  the  rest  of  his  life  was  spent, 
his  death  occurring  igni  his  eightieth  year.  Mr. 
Smith  married  Sarah  Crist,  who  died  at  the 
homestead  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 
Owing  to  a  fire  accident  when  a  child  he  lost 
the  fore  part  of  both  feet,  which  much  inter- 
fered with  his  ability  to  walk.  At  his  death 
Mr.  Smith  owned  1,132  acres  of  choice  land 
in  Stark  and  Summit  Counties,  as  follows: 
Eighty  acres  in  Canton  Town.ship  near  Ful- 
ton; ninety  acres  in  Plain;  268  in  Lake;  160 
in  Nenieshellen,  and  190  in  Perry  Township, 
south  of  Massillon,  and  in  Summit  County  he 
owned  344  acres.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  namely:  Sarah  Ann,  who 
was  the  wife  of  Israel  Bixler;  Susan,  who  was 


the  wife  of  Christ  Wingerd;  Christian,  who 
went' West  and  has  never  been  heard  from; 
-Andrew  H.,  who  was  a  soldier  in  an  Ohio 
regiment  during  the  Civil  War;  Benjamin 
H.,  who  was  also  a  soldier  during  the  Civil 
War,  and  now  resides  at  Canton ;  Joel,  who 
lives  in  Stark  County;  Alonzo;  and  Philo, 
of  Canton, 

Alonzo  Smith  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm,  and  for  one  year  worked  at  the  plaster- 
ing business  in  Canton,  In  1872  he  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  from  John  Genine, 
and  here  he  has  continued  to  reside.  Mr. 
Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  of  which  he  is  treasurer.  He  is 
agent  for  the  Norton  Mutual  Fire  Associa- 
tion for  Franklin  Township.  In  December, 
1867,  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Harriet  H. 
Longabaugh,  and  to  them  were  born  five 
children :  Phidello,  who  married  Maude 
Mefi';  Rahama,  who  married  Dr,  Harper; 
John,  who  conducts  a  general  store;  Orlando; 
and  Sadie,  who  married  Bert  Pni'dy. 

WILLIAM  J,  POWELL,  general  farmer, 
cultivating  125  acres  of  valuable  land  in 
Northfield  township,  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Sarah  (Baum)  Powell,  He  is  a  great-grand- 
son of  George  Powell,  who  was  born  at  Bei'- 
lin,  Germany,  and  who,  during  the  times  of 
Napoleon,  Avhen  the  country  was  in  an  un- 
settled condition,  became  involved  in  politics, 
and,  with  other  revolutionists,  prepared  to 
flee  to  America,  He  .succeeded  in  getting  his 
wife  and  children  on  board  of  a  sailing  vessel 
and  then,  being  hard  pressed,  endeavored, 
with  soiue  companions,  to  escape  to  the  ship 
on  a  floating  log,  in  which  attempt  he  was 
drowned.  His  son,  Henry  Powell,  grand- 
father of  AA^illiam  J,,  came  from  Germany 
with  his  mother  and  two  sisters.  He  was  sold 
in  New  Jersey  to  work  out  the  passage  money 
for  the  family,  he  then  being  eight  years  of 
age.  He  lived  up  to  the  agreement  and  re- 
mained with  his  owner  until  he  was  twenty- 
cne  years  old,  when  he  married  Rachel  Fow- 
ler and  they  subsequently  came  to  Mahoning 
County,  William  Powell,  the  father,  was 
born  in  New  Jersey  and  emigrated  to  Alahon- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1067 


ing  County,  Ohio,  with  hi^  father,  when  six 
yeajs  old.  He  lived  there  until  he  was  eight- 
een, and  then  came  to  what  is  now  North- 
field,  Summit  County.  In  1840,  he  married 
Sarah  Baum,  and  settled  on  her  homestead 
farm  of  fifty  acres,  to  which  he  added  until 
he  owned  125  acres.  On  this  land  he  carried 
on  general  farming  and  sheep  growing.  He 
voted  \vith  the  Republican  party,  but  never 
sought  office.  He  died  in  1868.  He  was 
leared  in  the  Society  of  Friends,  but  as  there 
was  no  religious  organization  of  that  body  in 
this  locality,  he  united  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  His  death  occurred  in 
1868. 

Thomas  Baum,  the  maternal  grand- 
father of  Mr.  Powell,  was  born  in  1798, 
in  We.-^tmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania,  and 
in  1801,  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Salem, 
Columbiana  County,  Ohio.  He  subsequently 
married  Mary  Perkey,  and  they  had  the  fol- 
lowing children:  John,  deceased,  served  in 
the  Civil  AVar;  Sarah,  the  mother  of  Mr. 
Powell,  born  June  1,  1824;  Mary,  now  de- 
ceased; Martha,  who  is  the  widow  of  U.  R. 
Plorner.  of  Akron;  Elizabeth,  who  married 
David  Silver,  of  Jennings  County,  Indiana; 
and  .James  M.,  who  resides  at  East  Toledo. 

To  William  and  Sarah  Powell  were  born 
five  children,  of  whom  the  following  now  sur- 
vive: Louisa,  widow  of  Elihu  Griswold,  re- 
siding at  Akron;  Harriet  E.,  who  married 
Andrew  J.  Kelty,  of  Bedford;  Mary  R.,  resid- 
ing at  home  with  her  mother;  and  William 
J.,  whose  name  begins  this  sketch. 

William  J.  Powell  grew  up  on  the  farm 
which  he  now  cultivates,  and  was  thoroughly 
trained  in  agricultural  work.  He  raises  on  125 
acres,  wheat  and  potatoes  for  market,  giving 
twelve  acres  to  wheat  and  three  to  potatoes, 
and  grows  hay,  com  and  oats  for  feed  and 
dairy  bu.siness,  keeping  about  twenty-five 
bead  of  cattle.-  The  milk  from  his  cows,  all 
of  excellent  breed,  is  shipped  to  Cleveland. 
Hi?  apple  orchard  is  in  fine  producing  condi- 
tion. Mr.  Powell  looks  well  to  his  buildings 
and  his  immense  barn  is  of  30  by  90  feet, 
with    eighteen-foot   po.sts.      He    farms   along 


modern  lines  and  meets  with  excellent  suc- 
cess. 

Mr.  Powell  married  Margaret  R.  Nesbitt, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  James  Nesbitt, 
formerly  county  commissioner,  and  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  the  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Powell  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  Politically,  Mr.  Powell  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  for  six  years  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  County  Executive  com- 
mittee. He  served  for  seven  years  on  the 
School  Board  and  one  j^ear  as  a  member  of 
the  Council  at  Macedonia.  He  has  since  been 
elected  councilman  for  a  term  of  two  years. 

THE  BAUM  FAMILY.  The  immigrant 
ancester  of  this  family  was  George  Baum,  Sr., 
who  was  born  in  Germany,  November  17, 
1754,  and  who,  when  seventeen  years  of  age, 
sailed  for  America  with  a  brother.  The  lat- 
ter died  on  ship-board  and  was  buried  at  sea. 
The  ship  must  have  met  with  tempestuous 
weather,  or  have  been  a  very  slow-  sailor,  as 
it  is  recorded  that  the  voyage  lasted  sLx 
months.  He  landed  at  Philadelphia  in  the 
year  1772,  when  public  affairs  were  in  more  or 
less  of  a  ferment  owing  to  the  troubles  with 
England  which  were  in  a  few  years  to  bring 
on  the  Revolutionary  War.  In  accordance 
with  a  not  unfrequent  custom  in  those  days, 
his  services  had  been  sold  to  a  man  for  three 
years  to  pay  his  passage.  In  1783  he  was 
married  to  Mary  Higgin,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  1801  he  moved  to  Ohio,  settling 
in  Columbiana  County,  where  he  purchased 
160  acres  of  land  of  the  government,  at  $1.25 
].er  acre,  which  land  is  now  the  site  of  the 
city  of  Salem.  The  nearest  gristmill  was 
then  at  Marietta,  about  sixty-five  miles  away, 
the  route  being  through  the  woods,  and  it 
used  to  take  him  from  three  to  four  days  to 
make  the  trip,  leading  his  horse,  which  car- 
ried the  grist.  On  each  occasion  he  was 
obliged  to  camp  at  least  two  nights  in  the 
^^  oods. 

Thomas  Baum,  son  of  George  and  Mary 
Baum  (and  maternal  grandfather  of  William 
J.  Powell,  of  Northfield  Township,  Summit 
County,   Ohio),   was  born  in    Westmoreland 


1068 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


County,  Pennsylvania,  June  20,  1798.  In 
1801  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Salem, 
Columbiana  County,  Ohio.  Here  he  subse- 
quently married  Mary  Perkey.  In  1821  he 
became  a  resident  of  Northfield  Township, 
Summit  County,  where  he  purchased  a  farm 
for  three  dollars  per  acre.  This  farm  was 
located  about  eighteen  miles  from  Cleveland, 
and  is  now  known  as  the  G.  T.  Bishop  farm. 
Here  his  death  occurred,  December  24,  1862. 
His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave,  dy- 
ing on  her  fifty-eighth  birthday,  June  28, 
1855.  They  reared  a  family  of  six  children 
- — John,  Sarah,  Mary,  Martha,  Elizabeth,  and 
James  M.  The  record  of  these  children  is,  in 
brief,  as  follows: 

John  enlisted  in  the  111th  Regiment  Ohio, 
Volunteer  Infantry,  in  Williams  County, 
Ohio,  and  served  nearly  three  years.  He  died 
in  that  county  November  16,  1865.  Sarah 
became  the  wife  of  William  Powell,  of  North- 
field  Township,  where  she  now  resides.  Mary 
married  a  Mr.  White,  of  Jennings  County, 
Indiana.  Martha,  who  is  the  widow  of  Mr. 
Horner,  resides  in  Akron,  Ohio.  Elizabeth  is 
the  wife  of  David  Silver,  of  Jennings  County, 
Indiana. 

James  M.  Baum,  the  remaining  member  of 
the  above-mentioned  family,  was  born  on 
Christmas  Day,  1838.  He  was  educated  in 
the  district  schools,  and  assisted  his  father  in 
clearing  and  developing  his  land.  In  1872 
he  located  in  Section  33,  Ross  Township, 
Wood  County,  Ohio,  where  he  is  now  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  gardening,  having  a 
T^  ell  improved  farm  of  some  forty  acres.  He 
also  devotes  a  part  of  his  attention  to  fruit 
raising.  Being  located  but  a  short  distance 
from  Toledo,  he  finds  a  ready  market  for  his 
produce,  and  has  been  quite  successful.  He  is 
numbered  among  the  prosperous  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  his  locality. 

GEORGE  R.  HILL,  viec-]iresident  of  the 
American  Sewer  Pipe  Company,  and  inter- 
ested in  other  commercial  enterprises,  is  one 
of  Akron's  leading  business  citizens.  He  was 
born  at  Akron,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  David  E. 
Hill,  who  was  the  pioneer  manufacturer  of 


sewer  pipe  in  America.  The  late  David  E. 
Hill  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York  and 
came  to  Akron  in  1848,  when  the  village  was 
known  as  Middlebury.  Here  he  established 
himself  in  business  and  after  many  experi- 
ments succeeded  in  manufacturing  a  drain- 
age pipe  which  was  the  very  first  article  which 
proved  of  real  utility  in  handling  sewerage. 
He  was  the  founder  of  the  Akron  Sewer  Pipe 
Company  and  subsequently  of  the  Hill  Sewer 
Pipe  Company,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
in  August,  1901,  was  one  of  the  leading  man- 
ufacturers and  capitalists  of  Akron. 

George  R.  Hill  was  reared  and  educated 
at  Akron  and  from  boyhood  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  manufacture  of  sewer  pipe. 
He  was  an  early  assistant  of  his  father  and 
succeeded  to  many  of  his  interests.  The 
American  Sewer  Pipe  Company  has  thirty- 
seven  plants,  three  of  these  being  in  the  Akron 
district;  the  one  located  at  Barberton  is  the 
largest  plant  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  From 
small  beginnings  the  business  has  grown  to 
enormous  proportions.  In  1884,  Mr.  Hill 
was  married  to  Alice  A.  Hinman.  He  is  a 
member  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church  and 
also  of  its  vestry.  He  is  a  Thirty-second  De- 
gree Mason. 

JOHN  CRISP  &  SON,  a  leading  busine.-^,^ 
firiu  at  Akron,  engaged  in  general  contract- 
ing and  dealing  in  all  kinds  of  building  ma- 
terial, is  a  prominent  factor  in  the  commercial 
life  of  this  city.  John  Crisp,  the  founder  of 
the  firm,  was  born  in  England  and  learned  hi.'^ 
trade  in  London.  When  he  emigi'ated  he 
lived  for  about  one  year  at  Hamilton,  Can- 
ada, and  then  came  to  Akron. 

In  1876  the  firm  of  Crisp  Brothers  was  es- 
tablished at  Akron,  and  it  continued  in  busi- 
nes.s  here  for  twenty  years.  Then  John  Crisp 
withdrew  on  acount  of  being  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  City  Commissioners,  on 
which  he  served  for  four  years.  In  August, 
1901,  the  firm  of  John  Crisp  &  Son  was  or- 
ganized, compo.sed  of  John  Crisp  and  his  son, 
Edmond  F.  Mr.  Crisp  was  married  at  Ham- 
ilton, Canada,  to  Susan  Akell,  and  they  had 
three  sons:     Edmond,  Lee  and  Roland.     Mr. 


ABNER  E.  FOLTZ,  M.  D. 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1071 


Crisp  is  a  Knight  Templar  Alasoii  and  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Em- 
ployers' Association.  With  his  whole  family, 
he  is  affiliated  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

Edniond  F.  Crisp  was  born  at  Hamilton, 
Canada,  and  was  one  year  old  when  his  par- 
ents came  to  Akron,  where  he  was  reared  and 
educated,  graduating  from  the  Akron  High 
School.  He  immediately  went  into  the  office 
of  Crisp  Brothers,  and  then  took  a  course  in 
a  business  college  in  this  city.  Lat-er  he 
learned  his  father's  business,  from  the  ground 
up,  and  when  taken  into  partnership,  was 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  work  as  an  arti- 
san, and  perfectly  competent  to  handle  it  in 
a  business  way.  Among  the  first  buildings 
•erected  by  the  firm  of  John  Crisp  &  Son,  was 
the  First  National  Bank  building,  and  this 
was  followed  by  the  brick  work  for  the  Co- 
lonial Salt  Company,  the  Wellman  Seaver 
Morgan  Company's  plant,  the  Gothic  flats,  the 
Long  &  Taylor  building,  the  shipping  build- 
ing for  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  and 
many  more  of  size  and  importance. 

In  June,  1905,  Edmond  F.  Cri.sp  was  mar- 
ried to  Frances  "Wilson,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
John  Wilson,  a  wealthy  pioneer  settler  at 
Akron.  Mr.  Crisp  belongs  to  the  Knights 
•of  Pythias  and  is  a  captain  in  the  Uniformed 
Rank.  He  is  as.sociated  with  the  Masons  and 
•other  organizations  and  is  vice-president  of 
the  Builders'  Exchange. 

ABNER  E.  FOLTZ  M.D.,  physician  and 
surgeon  and  oculist  at  Akron,  has  been  in 
active  practice  in  this  city  for  more  than 
thirty  years.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War  and  has  more  than  a  local  reputation  as 
a  poet  and  professional  author.  Dr.  Foltz 
was  born  in  1840,  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio. 

He  obtained  his  literary  education  at 
Sharon  Center,  Medina  County,  and  he  and 
his  four  brothers  served  together  in  the  same 
company,  in  the  Civil  War.  They  enlisted 
about  August  6,  1862,  in  Company  T.  102nd 
Regiment.  0.  V.  I.,  and  remained  in  the 
army  until  the  close  of  the  war,  during  the 
larger  part  of  this  period  being  on  detached 


duty.  Dr.  Foltz  is  a  valued  member  of  Buck- 
ley Post,  No.  26,  G.  A.  R.,  and  also  of  the 
National  Union. 

After  completing  h^  literary  .education, 
Dr.  Foltz  began  the  reading  of  medicine.  He 
spent  six  months  in  the  medical  department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor, 
and  in  1868  was  graduated  from  the  medical 
department  of  the  Western  Reserve  College. 
In  1869  he  took  a  post-graduate  course  at  Jef- 
ferson Medical  College,  after  which  he  was 
engaged  in  practice  for  one  year,  at  Ashland, 
Ohio,  and  then  came  to  Akron. 

Dr.  Foltz  was  married  in  1869,  to  Frances 
C.  Bowen,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Dr. 
William  Bowen.  one  of  the  early  physicians 
of  Akron.  They  have  one  son.  Esgar  Bowen, 
who  is  associated  with  his  father  in  medical 
practice.  Dr.  E.sgar  Bowen  Foltz  completed 
the  High  School  course  at  Akron,  was  subse- 
quently graduated  A.  B.  from  Buchtel  Col- 
lege, and  later  from  the  medical  department 
of  the  University  of  Cincinnati.  He  has  also 
a  diploma  from  Christ  Ho.spital.  where  he 
practiced  for  eighteen  months.  He  is  a  close 
and  earnest  student  of  his  profe.s.sion. 

Dr.  A.  E.  Foltz  is  a  member  of  the  County. 
State  and  Northeastern  Ohio  Medical  socie- 
ties, and  Dr.  Esgar  belongs  also  to  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association.  .\  clinical  chart, 
prepared  by  Dr.  A.  E.  Foltz  is  in  use  all  over 
the  world  and  he  also  designed  the  optician* 
chart  and  is  the  designer  and  patentee  of  what 
is  known  as  the  Wizard  Hinge. 

CHATTNCEY  B.  LANE,  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Twinsburg  Township,  resides  on  his 
A'aluable  farm  of  175  acres,  on  which,  with 
only  temporary  periods  of  absence,  he  has 
spent  his  whole  life.  He  was  born  on  thi.-^ 
farm,  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  January  14, 
1 844.  and  is  a  son  of  Chauncy  and  Phebe  W. 
(Bailey)  Lane. 

Chauncey  Lane  was  born  at  Killingsworth. 
Connecticut.  August  31,  1803.  and  died  in 
Ohio  in  March.  1885.  He  was  a  son  of  Philip 
Lane,  whose  w'hole  life  was  passed  in  Connec- 
ticut. The  family  was  established  in  New 
England  by  three  brothers,  Joseph,  John  and 


1U72 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Robert,  who  came  from  Englaud  in  1670. 
Luman  Lane,  brother  to  Chauncey,  was  the 
first  of  the  family  to  come  to  Summit  County, 
reaching  here  November  2,  1820.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1828,  Chauncey  Lane  came  to  Twinsburg 
Township,  walking  through  the  snow  already 
fallen  in  the  woods,  and  bought  100  acres 
of  land,  a  part  of  Chauncey  B.'s  farm,  cm 
which  just  enough  clearing  had  been  done 
to  make  possible  the  building  of  a  log  cabin, 
which  was  subsequently  replaced  by  a  com- 
fortable home.  In  1837,  Chauncey  Lane  was 
married  to  Phebe  Worthington  Bailey,  who 
■\Aas  born  at  Groton,  Connecticut,  January  20, 
1811,  and  died  in  1885,  when  nearly  seventy- 
five  years  old.  Her  parents  were  Asher  and 
Abigail  (Smith)  Bailey,  and  her  grandfather 
was  Samuel  Smith.  She  accompanied  her 
brother  to  Geauga  County,  in  1836,  settling 
in  the  town  of  Munson  and  came  to  Twins- 
burg to  teach  school.  The  two  survivors  of 
their  family  are:  Caroline  A.,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Hon.  William  Fowler,  who  was  mayor 
of  Redlands,  California,  and  a  very  promi- 
nent citizen;  and  Chauncey  B.,  of  Twinsburg 
Township. 

Chauncey  B.  Lane  was  reared  on  the  home 
place  and  was  afforded  much  better  educa- 
tional advantages  than  were  enjoyed  by  many 
youths  of  his  acquaintance.  He  was  given 
academic  training  at  the  Bissell  Institute  at 
Twinsburg,  and  was  but  eighteen  years _  of 
age  when  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil 
AVar.  At  Camp  Chase  he  entered  Company 
I),  Eighty-fourth  Regiment,  0.  V.  I.,  and 
served  through  his  first  three  months  of  en- 
listment, mainly  in  Eastern  Virginia  and 
Maryland.  In  August,  1864,  Mr.  Lane  re- 
onlisted,  entering  Company  H,  177th  Regi- 
ment, 0.  V.  I.,  in  which  he  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  participated  in  many 
battles  and  skirmishes,  weary  marches  and 
tiresome  and  dangerous  guard  duty,  travel- 
ing over  a  large  extent  of  the  southern  coun- 
try, and  received  his  honorable  discharge  at 
Greensboro,  North  Carolina. 

After  the  close  of  his  military  service,  Mr. 
Lane  went  to  Michigan,  where  he  purchased 
a  tract  of  eighty  acres,  but  shortly  after  sold 


out  and  returned  to  his  parents  at  Twinsburg. 
Here  he  has  continued  to  reside,  taking  an 
active  part  in  public  affairs  and  carefully 
regulating  a  large  private  business,  looking 
after  the  operation  of  a  farm  of  175  acres. 
For  seven  and  a  half  yeai-s  he  served  as  a 
justice  of  the  peace  at  Twinsburg,  for  many 
years  has  been  connected  with  the  Board 
of  Education,  serving  frequently  as  its  presi- 
dent, for  two  years  was  township  assessor,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  was  township  trustee. 
On  February  27,  1867,  Mr.  Lane  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  E.  Ames,  who  was  born  in  Ver- 
mont, and  is  a  daughter  of  Edwin  and  Anna 
(Scribner)  Ames.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Lane 
was  born  in  Massachusetts,  moved  later  to 
Illinois  and  still  later  to  Minnesota,  where 
he  died.  Her  mother  was  bom  at  Pough- 
keepsie,  New  York.  After  her  widowhood  she 
moved  to  Ravenna,  Ohio,  and  subsequently 
died  at  the  home  of  her  daughter.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lane  have  had  four  children,  namely: 
Carrie  A.,  who  married  E.  W.  Hull,  and  has 
two  children,  Florence  L.  and  Lois  M. ;  Frank 
C,  who  died  February  21,  1902,  married 
Cleora  B.  Chamberlain;  Edwin  A.,  residing 
at  Cleveland,  who  married  Blanche  Force,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Wilbur  C. ;  and  Edna, 
who  is  a  student  at  Oberlin  College.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lane  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Twinsburg.  Mr.  Lane  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

T.  M.  PARKER,  Sr.,  vice-president  and 
manager  of  the  Summit  Lumber  Company, 
with  an  extensive  plant  on  West  State  street, 
Akron,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  since 
1867.  He  was  bom  in  1837,  in  Kent  County, 
Delaware,  where  he  was  reared  and  educated. 

Prior  to  leaving  his  native  State,  Mr. 
Parker  engaged  in  farming,  after  which  he 
spent  eighteen  months  in  the  oil  fields  near 
Oil  City,  Pennsylvania.  In  1867  he  came  to 
Akron  and  during  the  following  year  engaged 
in  shipping  fruit,  when  he  became  associated 
with  the  Thomas  Company,  contractors  and 
builders,  with  whom  he  continued  for  eight- 
een years.  Mr.  Parker  then  engaged  in  a 
contracting  business  in  partnership  with  Wil- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1073 


Ham  H.  Jones,  who  died  in  1897,  after  which 
Mr.  Parlcer  purchased  a  tract  of  land  on  State 
and  Canal  streets  for  a  site,  and  proceeded  to 
organize  the  Summit  Lumber  Company.  It 
was  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  $15,- 
000,  with  T.  M.  Parker,  Jr.,  president;  T.  M; 
Parker,  Sr.,  vice-president  and  general  man- 
ager; and  William  H.  Mantz,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  business  is  both  wholesale  and 
retail  and  in  addition  to  dealing  in  lumber 
of  all  kinds  the  company  operate  a  pla,ning 
mill  and  manufacture  doors,  sash  and  blinds, 
and  do  a  general  contracting  business.  This 
great  industry  gives  employment  to  many 
men,  adding  both  to  the  material  prosperity 
of  the  individuals  concerned  and  to  the  city 
at  large. 

In  1861,  Mr.  Parker  was  married  to  Cather- 
ine Millington,  of  Caroline  County,  Mary- 
land, who  died  in  1905,  leaving  one  son,  T. 
M.  Parker,  Jr.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Akron  schools  and  subsequently  traveled  for 
ten  years  in  the  theatrical  business.  For  the 
past  ten  years  he  has  given  his  attention  to 
the  demands  of  the  increasing  business  of  the 
Summit  Lumber  Company,  and  like  his 
father,  is  numbered  with  the  city's  reliable 
and  substantial  citizens. 

JOHN  P.  MACKEY,  dairyman  and  gen- 
eral farmer,  in  Northfield  Township,  was  born 
in  Boston  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio. 
August  23,  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and 
Margaret  (Pope)   Mackey. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Mackey  came  to  America 
from  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  when  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  and  joined  an  older  brother, 
who  had  located  in  the  State  of  New  York. 
There  he  learned  the  carpenters'  and  joiners' 
trade,  which  he  followed  for  seventeen  years, 
and  then,  about  the  time  of  his  marriage,  set- 
tled down  to  farming.  While  following  his 
trade  exclusively,  he  worked  in  various  cities 
through  what  is  now  the  Central  West,  thus 
visiting  Summit  County.  He  was  pleased 
with  this  section  and  subsequently  bought  the 
farm  on  Oak  Hill,  in  Boston  township,  on 
vdiich  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was 
married   in   1850   to   Margaret,   daughter   of 


John  Pope,  of  Northfield  Township,  and  four 
of  their  eight  children  grew  to  maturity, 
namely:  John  P.,  above  mentioned;  Amy, 
who  married  Rev.  William  G.  Harper,  a 
-Methodist  clergyman,  residing  at  Washington 
Village;  George  F.,  residing  at  Rocky  River; 
and  T.  Harvey,  also  rasiding  at  Rocky  River. 
The  mother  of  the  above  mentioned  family 
died  in  1895.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church.  The  father, 
Thomas  Mackey,  died  in  1891,  lacking  a  few 
days  of  being  seventy-five  years  old.  His 
father,  James  Mackey,  also  came  to  America 
and  farmed  for  a  time  in  Northfield  Towm- 
ship,>  but  later  bought  a  farm  near  Everett, 
in  Boston  township. 

John  P.  Mackey  obtained  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  and  remained  on  the  home 
farm  until  the  second  year  after  his  marriage. 
He  then  moved  to  Portage  County  where  he 
farmed  for  one  year,  then  returning  to  the 
home  farm  on  Oak  Hill,  where  he  remained 
until  February,  1907.  While  there  he  lived 
on  a  tract  of  sixty  acres  just  across  the  road 
from  the  old  homestead,  which  he  had  pur- 
chased, and  on  which  he  carried  on  agricul- 
tural operations  for  twenty-seven  years,  fin- 
ally selling  it  to  J.  P.  Nolan."  In  March,  1906, 
Mr.  Mackey  bought  his  present  farm  in  North- 
field  Town.ship.  It  originally  contained  100 
acres  and  was  settled  by  his  maternal  grand- 
father. Later  108  acres  were  added,  but  the  A. 
B.  C.  Electric  Railroad  has  taken  forty-one 
fi.cres,  so  that  the  present  farm  contains  about 
167  acres,  ninety  of  which  Mr.  Mackey  has 
under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  He  keeps 
twenty-four  head  of  cattle  and  sells  his  milk 
to-  the  Brooks  Creamery  Company,  uses  all 
the  oats  he  raises  for  feed,  and  markets  his 
wheat  and  potatoes.  He  has  taken  a  great 
deal  of  interest  in  his  a.gricultural  operations, 
and  has  paid  considerable  attention  to  improv- 
ing the  stock  of  horses  in  this  neighborhood. 
He  owns  a  magnificent  Percheron  stallion, 
■'Valiant,"  the  pedigree  of  which  is  recorded 
in  the  Percheron  Stud  Book  of  America. 

Mr.  Mackey  married  Amelia  Darrow,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Malcolm  Darrow,  of  Bedford. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Margaret  I.,  who 


1074 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


married  Henry  Harrington  and  she  and  her 
husband  reside  with  them.  Mr.  Mackey  and 
family  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church  on  Oak  Hill,  Boston  Township,  which 
is  a  branch  of  the  Richfield  Congregational 
Church,  and  of  which  formerly,  Mr.  Mackey 
was  a  trustee..  Mr.  Mackey  is  one  of  North- 
field's  most  substantial  men  and  highly  re- 
spected citizens. 

SAMUEL  WARNER,  a  higlily  esteemed 
citizen  of  Copley  Township,  and  the  owner 
of  109  acres  of  fine  farming  land,  was  born 
January  13,  1852,  in  an  old  log  house  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Coventry  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Weaver)  Warner. 

Henry  Warner,  the  grandfather  of  Samuel, 
^as  an  early  pioneer  of  Stark  County,  Ohio, 
settling  in  the  woods  with  the  Indians  for 
neighbors,  at  which  time  Akron  was  still  a 
small  village,  and  Cleveland  the  nearest  point 
at  which  salt  could  be  procured.  Later  Mr.  • 
"\¥arner  with  his  wife  and  several  children 
came  to  Summit  County,  and  became  well 
known  and  highly  esteemed  residents  of  Cov- 
entry Township,  where  both  passed  away.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Warner  had  eight  children — John, 
the  father  of  Samuel;  Adam,  now  deceased; 
William;  Jacob;  Abraham;  Samuel;  Solo- 
mon, and  Daniel  (deceased).  Of  this  family 
Jacob  and  William  were  in  the  Civil  War. 

John  Warner,  father  of  Samuel,  spent  his 
boyhood  days  in  the  woods  of  Coventry 
Township,  and  attended  the  old  log  school- 
house.  Throughout  his  life  he  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  he  was  the  owner 
of  the  present  farm  of  Samuel  Warner,  which 
he  purchased  from  the  Yearick  estate.  John 
Warner  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Weaver, 
who  died  in  1901,  and  to  this  union  there 
were  born  children  as  follows:  William  a 
resident  of  Coventry  Township;  Henry,  who 
lives  in  New  Portage;  Samuel;  John,  of  Nor- 
ton Township ;  Adam,  who  lives  in  Coventry 
Township;  and  a  daughter  who  died  young. 

Samuel  Warner  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  helped  to  clear  the  home  place, 
modern  machinery    having    come    into    use 


;'.l)out  that  time.  After  his  marriage  he 
rented  a  farm  in  Norton  Township  for  about 
four  years,  and  then  returned  to  Coventry 
Township,  where  he  carried  on  operations  on 
(he  Thornton  farm  for  a  time,  removing 
thence  to  the  old  Warner  farm.  There  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Warner  lived  until  locating  on  the 
prasent  property,  originally  the  Yearick  es- 
tate. 

On  May  26,  1872,  Mr.  Warner  was  mar- 
ried to  Emma  Sailor,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Lewis  and  Rebecca  (Sonon)  Sailor,  and  one 
child  has  been  born  to  this  union:  Clara, 
v.ho  married  Charles  Winkleman,  resides  in 
.\kron  and  has  one  child,  Thore  Wayne. 

Mr.  Warner  has  always  been  a  Democrat 
ill  politics,  but  has  never  aspired  to  public 
office.  With  Mrs.  Warner  he  attends  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

PETER  W.  DOYLE,  residing  on  his  well- 
improved  farm  in  Hudson  Township,  was 
born  at  Canton,  St.  Lawrence  County,  New 
York,  June  5,  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael 
and  Mary    (McGinnis)    Doyle. 

Both  parents  of  Mr.  Doyle  came  to  America 
from  Ireland,  about  1825,  unmarried  at  the 
time.  Mrs.  Doyle  accompanied  her  parents, 
Thomas  and  Catherine  (Rooney)  McGinnis, 
;.nd  they  located  at  Waddington,  New  York. 
Peter  W.  Doyle  is  the  sixth  member  of  a 
family  of  fifteen  children  born  to  his  parents 
twelve  of  whom  survived  infancy,  as  follows: 
John,  who  served  in  the  Civil  War,  died  in  a 
hospital  at  Washington,  D.  C,  May  11,  1865; 
Catherine,  who  married  James  O'Brien,  of 
Morlcy,  New  York;  Thomas  H.,  in  the  con- 
fectionery businass,  residing  at  Boston,  Mas- 
sachusetts; Mrs.  Margaret  Bushaw,  residing 
at  Canton,  New  York;  Mary  A.,  residing  at 
Columbus,  unmarried ;  Peter  W. ;  Jane,  de- 
ceased, who  married  Harmon  Sanford,  also 
deceased;  Michael  J.,  who  is  ticket  agent  for 
the  great  Pennsylvania  system  on  Euclid 
avenue,  Cleveland;  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Henry  Mohan,  of  Holyoke,  Massachusetts; 
Edwin  C,  residing  in  San  Diego  County, 
California;   Julia  A.,   residing  at  Columbus, 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1077 


unmarried;  and  Agnes,  who  died  at  Colum- 
bus, in  1886. 

Peter  W.  Doyle  was  twenty-four  years  of 
age  when  he  came  to  Ohio  and  located  at 
the  town  of  Hudson.  For  a  time  he  worked 
tor  the  Straight  cheese  factory,  and  from 
1879  until  1883,  he  engaged  in  farming  for 
W.  I.  Chamberlain.  From  there  he  worked 
for  Harvey  Baldwin  for  three  years,  and  at 
several  other  places  prior  to  1888,  when  he 
went  to  William  Post's  farm  in  Hudson 
Township,  where  he  continued  until  1892. 
He  then  came  to  his  present  farm,  which  he 
bought  from  W.  B.  Straight.  He  has  made 
many  improvements  here  and  has  a  valuable 
property. 

On  April  25,  1881,  Mr.  Doyle  was  married 
to  Mary  Raleigh,  who  was  l)orn  near  North- 
ampton, Ohio,  who  is  a  daughter  ot  Edward 
and  Mary  (Ryan)  Raleigh.  They  have  had 
eight  children,  two  of  whom,  twins,  died  in 
infancy.  The  others  are:  Sarah  T.,  Mary 
Leona,  Edward  Walter,  Leo  Ignatius,  Joanna 
Agnes;  and  Dorethy.  Mr.  Doyle  and  family 
belong  to  the  Catholic  Church  at  Hudson, 
of  which  he  is  secretary  and  one  of  the  trus- 
tees. He  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion of  Hudson  Township.  In  local  affair.*. 
Mr.  Doyle  vot-es  independently,  but  in  Na- 
tional affairs  he  supports  the  candidates  of 
the  Democratic  party. 

ALLEN  F.  HOFFMAN,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing business  citizens  of  Kenmore.  Ohio,  where 
he  holds  the  office  of  postmaster,  was  born  on 
his  father's  farm  in  Medina  County.  Ohio, 
May  4,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  .\dam  W.  and 
Julia  (Sutter)  Hoffman. 

Isaac  Hoffman,  grandfather  of  Allen  F., 
came  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio  as  a  pioneer 
and  settled  in  Mahoning  County,  later  re- 
moving to  Burbank.  Wayne  County,  where 
he  died.  Mr.  Hoffman  was  a  mason  by  trade, 
but  in  his  later  years  engaged  in  farming. 
He  had  three  children :  Joseph,  who  died 
when  a  boy:  Caroline,  who  was  the  wife  of 
J.  Baker:  and  Adam  W.,  the  father  of 
.Mien  F. 

.\d;ini  W.  Hnffmnn  srew  \n>  on  ])is  fntlier's 


fai'm  and  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
which  he  carried  on  in  his  younger  years. 
He  now  holds  a  responsible  pasition  as  sta- 
tionary engineer  at  Burbank.  He  married 
Julia  Sutter,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
and  who  came  to  Ohio  with  her  parents.  Al- 
len F.  was  the  only  child  born  of  this  union. 

Allen  F.  Hoffman  attended  the  common 
schools  and  the  Burbank  High  School,  after 
graduating  from  which  he  began  work  as  a 
clerk  in  a  hardware  store.  He  then  spent 
some  time  in  the  hardware,  grocery  and  post 
office  of  William  Frary.  In  1899  he  removed 
to  Barberton  and  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Barberton  Hardware  Company,  in  which  he 
became  a  stock  holder.  His  present  place  of 
business  was  then  a  branch  of  this  company, 
he  being  the  general  manager  thereof,  and  in 
1907  he  and  his  son  Max  L.  purchased  this 
place  which  is  known  as  the  Kenmore  Sup- 
ply Company.  Mr.  Hoffman  handles  gen- 
eral merchandise,  hardware,  dry  goods  and 
groceries,  and  enjoys  a  .steady  trade.  He  is  a 
director  and  stock  holder  in  the  People's  Sav- 
ings and  Banking  Company  of  Barberton,  at 
which  place  he  owns  property.  In  1901  Mr. 
Hoffman  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Ken- 
more. being  the  first  to  hold  that  office  here, 
and  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Fourth  Class  Postmasters'  League,  of  which 
he  wa<  elected  president  Mr.  Hoffman  is 
connected  fraternallv  with  the  Knights  of 
the  Maccabees.  With  his  familv  he  attends 
the  TTnited  Brethren  Church  of  Barberton. 

Mr.  Hoffman  married  Alta  M.  Lnse.  who  is 
n  daughter  of  W.  B.  and  Sarah  fPelton) 
Luse.  The  fruit  of  this  marriage  is  one  child 
— Max  L. — who  at  present  is  associated  with 
his  father  in  business,  having  been  formerly 
connected  with  the  Babcox-Wilcox  Companv 
of  New  York  City.  He  married  Olive  0. 
Hoak.  who  is  a  daughter  of  Rev.  J.  T.  Hoak. 
Mr.  Hoffman  is  located  on  Kenmore  Boule- 
vard. Kenmore.  Ohio. 

GENER  \L  CHARLES  DICK.  The  State 
of  Ohio  has  onlv  once  come  to  Summit 
Countv  for  a  T^nitod  States  Senator.  That 
was  in  Februarv.  1904.  when  Charles  Dick, 


1078 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


then  representing  the  nineteentli  district  in 
Congress,  was  triumphantly  elected  to  the 
higher  station.  The  fact  that  a  trainload  of 
the  representative  citizens  of  Akron  journeyed 
to  Columbus  to  be  present  at  the  joint-ses- 
sion of  the  legislature  electing  him,  is  evi- 
dence of  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by 
his  neighbors. 

Most  of  those  who  have  risen  to  high  places 
during  their  residence  in  Summit  County 
were  born  elsewhere.  Most  of  them  had  the 
advantages  of  a  splendid  education  obtained 
elsewhere.  The  subject  of  this  sketch,  on  the 
other  hand,  is.  in  all  respects,  a  product  of 
our  own  county. 

He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Akron,  Novem- 
ber 3,  1858.  His  parents  were  very  poor,  but 
eminently  respectable  people.  His  father, 
Gottlieb  Dick,  was  born  in  Germany,  and  be- 
sides being  able  to  rear  his  family  in  comfort 
and  give  them  the  benefit  of  the  public  schools 
education,  he  had  not  found  America  to  be  a 
place  of  riches  for  all  who  came  to  it.  His 
mother,  Mary  M.  (Handel)  Dick,  was  also 
of  German  ancestry. 

In  September,  1864,  he  began  his  education 
in  the  Akron  jmblic  schools  and  completed 
it  by  graduation  from  the  Akron  High  School 
with  the  class  of  1876.  He  was  then  com- 
pelled by  circumstances  to  begin  a  business 
career  at  once  and  he  secured  a'  position  as 
clerk  in  the  store  for  men's  furnishings  on 
the  corner  of  Market  and  Howard  Streets, 
then  kept  by  Chipman  &  Barnes.  He  clerked 
for  two  years,  continuing  his  studies  the 
meanwhile,  especially  the  business  branches. 
The  banking  concern  known  as  The  Citizens' 
Savings  and  Loan  AvS.sociation,  since  merged 
with  The  Second  National  Bank,  offered  him 
a  position  as  bookkeeper  and  teller,  which  he 
accepted  and  honorably  filled  for  a  period  of 
six  years.  His  next  advance  was  in  1879 
when  he  became  bookkeeper  for  the  J.  F. 
Seiberling  Co.,  manufacturers  of  the  Empire 
mowers  and  reapers. 

In  1881,  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Lucius  C.  Miles,  a  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Seiber- 
ling. imder  the  firm  name  of  Dick  and  Miles, 
and  towther  thev  conducted  the  lending  grain 


and  commission  business  of  the  city.  In  Fel)- 
ruary,  1890,  J.  Ed.  Peterson,  brother-in-law 
of  Mr.  Dick,  succeeded  Mr.  Miles  in  the  part- 
nership. The  new  firm  of  Dick  &  Peterson 
continued  until  the  increasing  political  re- 
sponsibilities of  Mr.  Dick  made  it  necessary 
for  him  to  withdraw  from  the  active  conduct 
of  the  business. 

In  the  spring  of  1886,  Mr.  Dick  was  nomi- 
nated for  Auditor  by  the  Republicans  of  Sum- 
mit County,  after  one  of  the  hardest  fights  in 
Summit  County's  history.  The  Republican 
ticket  that  year  was  elected  by  good  plurali- 
ties, and  Mr.  Dick  took  up  the  duties  of  audi- 
tor early  in  1887.  In  1889,  he  was  re-elected 
and  served  the  county  faithfully  until  the  ex- 
piration of  his  second  term  in  1893.  In  the 
conscientious  discharge  of  his  duties,  he  felt 
obliged  to  proceed  against  some  of  Akron's 
wealthy  and  most  influential  citizens  because 
of  their  failure  to  list  personal  property  for 
taxation.  It  was  at  best  a  disagreeable  and 
unwelcome  task;  but  he  performed  it  faith- 
fully and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  great  mass 
of  citizens  of  the  county,  even  though  one  or 
two  unavoidable  enmities  resulted  from  this 
resolve  of  a  conscientious  office-holder  to  per- 
form his  full  duty,  without  fear  or  favor.  As 
an  evidence  of  the  commendation  accorded 
his  course,  his  second  election  as  county  audi- 
tor was  by  a  largely  increased  majority  over 
his  first. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  Ohio  bar  in  1894, 
and  to  practice  before  the  United  States  Su- 
preme Court  in  1897.  For  about  ten  years 
he  was  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of 
Dick.  Doyle  &  Bryan  at  Akron,  Ohio,  until 
this  partnersEip  disbanded  upon  the  election 
of  Mr.  Doyle  to  the  Common  Pleas  bench. 

Senator  Dick  was  continuously  and  more 
or  less  actively  interested  in  many  of  Akron's 
indu-strial  and  financial  institutions  until  the 
point  was  reached  when  his  genius  (for  such 
it  is)  for  organization  in  the  political  field 
was  afforded  full  opportunity  to  display  itself 
and  consumed  most  of  his  time. 

His  first  experience  was  as  meinber  and 
chairman  of  the  Summit  County  Republican 
Committee,  with  which  he  was  actively  identi- 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1079 


fied  for  a  long  time.  Splendid  success  crowned 
his  efforts,  and  throughout  his  entire  public 
career  of  more  than  a  score  of  years,  practi- 
cally all  political  contests  under  his  leadership 
have  resulted  victoriously.  No  one  having 
knowledge  of  his  record  would  assume  to 
question  his  fame  and  merit  as  a  great  politi- 
cal general.  In  1892  he  was  made  Chairman 
of  the  Ohio  Republican  State  Executive  Com- 
mittee, in  which  capacity  he  is  still  serving, 
and  during  more  than  a  decade  of  his  sei-vice 
as  State  Chairman  increasing  majorities  have 
been  piled  up  for  the  Republican  ticket. 

In  1895-6  he  co-operated  most  effectively 
with  Senator  Hanna  in  promoting  the  can- 
vass of  William  McKinley  for  nomination  as 
Republican  candidate  for  President,  and  dur- 
ing the  ensuing  campaign  officiated  as  Secre- 
tary of  the  Chicago  headquarters  of  the  Re- 
publican National  Committee,  continuing  as 
Secretary  of  that  Committee  until  1900.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National 
Conventions  of  1892  and  1896,  and  delegate- 
at-large  from  Ohio  to  the  Republican  Na- 
tional Conventions  of  1900  and  1904, 

In  recognition  of  the  statesmanlike  quali- 
tie.«  he  had  displayed  and  of  his  efforts  in  be- 
half of  the  party,  the  Republican  Congres- 
sional convention  at  Warren,  in  .lune,  1898, 
nominated  him  as  its  candidate  for  the  House 
of  Representatives.  He  was  selected  from  a 
field  of  most  worthy  opponents  after  a  hard 
fight.  In  March.  1899,  he  began  his  duties 
at  AVa=hington  as  Congi-essman  and  has  been 
a  national  figure  ever  since.  He  wa^s  re-elected 
in  1900  and  in  1902. 

In  February,  1904,  on  the  death  of  Senator 
Hanna,  he  was  elected  to  the  United  States 
Senate,  to  serve  the  remainder  of  the  term 
expiring  in  1905,  and  also  for  the  full  term 
expiring  in  1911,  receiving  the  unanimoas 
vote  of  his  party  in  the  Ohio  General  As- 
sembly. 

Mr.  Dick's  career  in  Congress  has  been  such 
as  to  ju.?tify  fully  all  the  confidence  and  hopes 
which  the  people  of  Ohio  have  had  in  him. 
Senator  Dick  is  the  author  of  the  Dick  Militia 
Law.  was  the  main  instrviment  in  securing 
its  passage,  and  ha.=  actively  participated  in 


much  other  important  legislation.  The  Mi- 
litia Law  put  the  affairs  of  the  entire  National 
Guaixi  on  a  practical  and  efficient  basis, for 
the  first  time  in  our  history.  He  is  now 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  ilines  and 
Mining,  and  a  member  of  several  important 
committees,  including  that  on  Naval  Affairs. 

Early  in  his  career  Mr.  Dick  became  inter- 
ested in  military  affairs  and  joined  Company 
B  of  the  Eighth  Regiment,  O.  N.  G.  He  rose 
by  steady  promotion  to  be  captain  of  the  com- 
pany, and  in  1888  was  elected  major  of  the 
Eighth  Regiment.  He  was  afterward  made 
colonel  and  brigadier  general,  and  finally,  in 
1904,  he  was  put  at  the  head  of  the  Ohio 
National  Guard  with  the  rank  of  major-gen- 
eral. He  is  also  president  of  The  Interstate 
National  Guard  Association.  In  1898,  on  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  with  Spain.  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Dick  went  to  the  front  with  the 
Eighth  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  served  with  the  regiment  in  the  short 
Cuban  campaign.  He  was  not  one  of  the  offi- 
cers participating  in  the  famous  "Round 
Robin,"  but  was  chosen  and  detailed  by  Gen- 
eral Shafter  as  the  one  to  make  personal  rep- 
resentation to  President  McKinley  and  the 
War  Department  concerning  the  precarious 
situation  of  our  troops  in  Cuba  after  the  ces- 
sation of  hostilities. 

Mr.  Dick  was  married  to  Miss  Carrie  May 
Peterson,  of  Akron,  on  June  30,  1881.  Seven 
children  have  been  born  to  them,  of  whom 
five  are  now  living,  namely:  Carl  P..  .James 
E.,  Lucius  A.,  Grace  and  Dorothy. 

:\IORDECAI  JOHN  MORRIS,  superin- 
tendent of  the  Ma.ssillon  Navarre  Coal  Com- 
pany, the  mines  of  which  are  situated  four 
miles  northwest  of  Clinton,  in  Summit 
County,  with  offices  at  Massillon  and  Cleve- 
land, is  a  practical  coal  miner  and  ha«  had 
years  of  experience  in  the  mining  field,  both 
a.-;  a  worker  and  as  an  official.  Jlr.  Morris 
was  born  in  Cumbach,  Wales,  the  name  of 
his  home  being  translated  into  English  as 
•'little  valley,"  March  17,  1849,  and  is  a 
son  of  .John  and  Ann  (Edmunds)  Morris. 

The  father  of  Mr.   Morris  was  a  mining 


1080 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


engineer  who  was  educated  at  Oxford  Uni- 
versity. After  his  marriage  he  emigrated  to 
America,  locating  at  Youngstown,  Ohio,  in 
1845,  where  he  engaged  in  a  mining  business 
with  his  cousin,  David  Morris,  later  coming 
to  Summit  County,  where  David  Morris  oper- 
ated the  Chippewa  mines  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship, John  Morris  entering  his  employ.  He 
was  accidentally  killed  on  the  railroad  at  Orr- 
ville,  in  1854,  at  the  age  of  sixty-hve  year- 
His  widow  survived  to  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years,  dying  in  Arkansas.  Of  their  family 
of  twenty  children,  the  following  survive; 
Mai'garet,  who  married  Benjamin  Morris; 
Jane,  who  married  Peter  Brown;  Martha, 
who  married  William  Jones;  AVilliam  and 
Mordecai  John.  Five  of  the  sons  proved 
their  patriotism  during  the  Civil  War, 
namely:  John,  William,  Thomas,  Benja- 
min and  Mordecai,  all  of  whom  were  brave 
soldiers,  several  of  them  gaining  distinction. 
John  and  William  were  members  of  the  Thir- 
ty-second Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  William 
being  captain  of  Company  D,  and  John  be- 
ing first  sergeant.  Thomas  was  a  member 
of  Company  A,  Thirteenth  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  served  in  that  regiment  for 
four  years  and  six  months.  Benjamin  was  a 
member  of  Company  H,  Ninetieth  Regiment, 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  Mordecai 
served  in  Company  G,  179th  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry.  It  was  brave  John  Mor- 
ris who  was  the  engineer  that  blew  up  Fort 
Hill,  at  Vicksburg,  his  death  following  from 
wounds  received. 

Mordecai  J.  Morris  was  a  child  when  the 
family  came  to  the  United  States,  several 
weeks  being  passed  on  'the  sailing  vessel  that 
transported  them.  He  went  to  school  in  a 
little  stone  structure  that  still  stands  across 
the  road  from  his  residence  in  Franklin 
Township,  and  later  attended  the  Union 
School  at  Massillon.  His  first  experience  as 
a  miner  came  while  still  very  young.  He 
found  employment  in  Clark's  mine  at  Mas- 
sillon, first  as  mule  driver  and  later  as  laborer, 
and  he  was  thus  employed  when  the  Civil 
War  was  declared.  Although  but  sixteen 
years  of  age  he  was  of  robust  figure  and  when 


he  offered  his  services  he  looked  capable  of 
carrying  a  gun  and  was  accejjted  as  a  member 
of  the  179th  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  he  sei-ved  from  1864  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  in  the  meanwhile  jjarticipat- 
ing  in  the  battles  of  Franklin  and  Nashville. 

After  the  end  of  his  milittury  sei^vice,  Mr. 
.Morris  returned  for  a  short  time  to  Massil- 
lon, from  which  place  he  went  to  Mineral 
Ridge,  in  Ti'umbuU  County,  where  he  worked 
for  his  uncle  until  1868.  From  there  he  went 
to  Brazil,  Indiana,  in  the  heart  of  the  coal 
fields,  and  was  made  assistant  superintendent 
of  the  Clay  Coal  Company  of  Indiana, 
his  brother  William  at  that  time  be- 
ing general  superintendent.  He  remained 
there  for  two  years  and  then  accepted 
the  position  of  superintendent  of  the 
Sand  Creek  Coal  Company  of  Parke 
County,  Indiana,  and  continued  there 
until  the  great  business  depression  caused  by 
the  panic  of  1873.  Mr.  Morris  then  went 
liack  to  Summit  County  and  subsequently  be- 
came superintendent  of  the  Johnston  Coal 
Company.  The  mines  of  this  company  are 
Idcated  five  miles  south  of  Akron.  He  con- 
tinued to  perform  the  duties  of  this  office  for 
five  years,  becoming  well  known.  Mr.  Mor- 
ris then  went  to  Massillon,  where  he  became 
superintendent  of  the  Massillon  Pigeon  Run 
Coal  Company,  remaining  for  five  years  with 
that  concern,  and  then  spent  one  year  as  su- 
]ierintendent  of  the  J.  F.  Card  Coal  Company, 
at  Wadsworth,  Ohio. 

In  1882,  Mr.  Morris  retired  from  the  coal 
mining  business  for  a  time,  and  turned  his 
attention  to  farming  on  his  father-in-law's 
property  until  1887.  At  that  time  he  went  to 
Springfield,  Missouri,  where  he  embarked  in 
a  real  estate  and  mining  busine&s,  which  he 
caried  on  luiitl  1893,  when  he  returned  to 
Summit  County.  He  is  interested  in  several 
mine  properties  in  this  section  and  is  superin- 
tendent of  one  of  the  large  coal  industries  of 
this  part  of  Ohio. 

On  April  16,  1876,  Mr.  Morris  was  married 
to  Sarah  Ellen  Rhodes,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Nancy  Rhodes.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mor- 
ris belong  to  the  United  Brethren   Church. 


L.  M.  KAUFFMAN 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CmZENS 


1083 


Politically,  iMr.  Morris  is  a  Republican  and  is 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  Republican 
County  Central  Committee.  As  far  back  as 
the  Morris  family  can  be  traced,  its  occupa- 
tions have  been  mining  and  fanning. 

L.  M.  KAUFFMAN,  a  promiuonl  member 
of  one  of  the  representative  families  of  Sum- 
mit County,  a  large  land  owner  in  Franklin 
Township,  and  president  of  the  Summit 
County  Agricultural  Society,  was  born  on  his 
present  farm  of  200  acres  in  the  southeastern 
corner  of  Franklin  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  January  25,  1851,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  and  Catherine  (Stump)  Kauff- 
man. 

John  and  Mary  (Young)  Kauffman,  the 
paternal  grandparents  of  Mr.  Kauffman,  came 
to  Ohio  overland  in  1827  from  Pennsylvania 
and  settled  for  a  short  time  near  Uniontown, 
whence  they  removed  to  Franklin  Town- 
ship, and  purchased  IBO  acres  of  the  present 
farm  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  for  about 
$450,  receiving  a  deed  therefor  signed  by 
President  Andrew  Jackson,  which  is  still  in 
the  possession  of  Mr.  Kauffman.  This  land 
had  been  entered  prior  to  this  time,  but  little 
clearing  had  been  done  on  it.  In  their  later 
years  John  and  Mary  (Young)  Kauffman 
retired  to  Manchester,  where  Mr.  Kauffman 
died  in  1876,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years, 
and  his  wife  in  1867.  They  were  the  parents 
of  two  children:  William,  the  father  of  L. 
M. :  and  Sophia  E.,  who  married  Jonathan 
Sours  and  resides  in  Illinois. 

William  Kauffman  grew  up  on  the  Frank- 
lin Township  farm,  his  education  being  se- 
cured in  the  schools  of  Manchester.  He  be- 
came a  prominent  citizen  and  leading  agri- 
culturist of  his  section,  and  at  his  early  death 
in  1859,  at  the  age  of  thirty-four  years,  the 
township  and  county  lost  a  good  and  useful 
man.  For  some  years  Mr.  Kauffman  had 
served  on  the  School  Board,  and  he  had  al- 
ways taken  a  great  interest  in  educational 
work.  He  was  married  to  Catherine  Stump. 
who  also  came  from  Pennsylvania  when 
young,  and  she  .still  survives  him.  >?ix  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mi\s.  Kauffman. 


namely:  Rev.  J.  C.  Kauffman,  D.  D.,  who 
graduated  from  Wittenberg  College,  Spring- 
field, Ohio,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Mount 
Carmel,  Illinois;  L.  M. ;  Mary,  who  died  in 
1859;  Ella,  who  married  Dr.  J.  M.  Sissler, 
now  deceased;  William  F.,  who  died  in  1859; 
and  Rev.  S.  S.  Kauffman,  D.  D.,  a  graduate 
of  Wittenberg  College,  and  of  Union  Semi- 
nary, New  York  City,  who  now  resides  at  Chi- 
cago, Illinois. 

L.  M.  Kauffman  removed  with  the  family 
to  Manchester  after  the  death  of  his  father, 
and  there  he  secured  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  He  then  attended  Greensburg 
Academy,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years 
commenced  teaching,  which  he  continued  for 
many  years  in  Franklin  Township,  although 
his  first  term  was  in  Coventry  Township. 
Since  retiring  from  the  educational  profession 
Mr.  Kauffman  has  given  his  entire  attention 
to  farming  and  stock-raising,  and  his  fine 
farm  is  one  of  the  best  improved  and  most 
valuable  in  Franklin  Township.  Mr.  Kauff- 
man is  a  Democrat  in  jiolitics,  and  has  been 
very  prominent  in  public  life.  For  about 
twenty  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  School 
Board,  most  of  which  time  he  was  its  presi- 
dent, and  resigned  from  that  position  in  1906, 
at  which  time  he  was  elected  township  treas- 
urer. He  has  been  on  the  Fair  Board  for 
nineteen  years,  representing  Franklin  Town- 
ship, has  served  in  the  capacity  of  vice-presi- 
dent for  some  years,  and  since  1905  has 
been  the  official  president  of  this  important 
organization.  With  his  family  he  belongs  to 
the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  is  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  School  and  a  deacon. 
Mr.  Kauffman  takes  rank  among  the  solid, 
substantial  men  of  the  township. 

Mr.  Kauffman  was  married  to  Amanda  E. 
Marsh,  who  died  .Januarv^  22,  1903.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  George  L.  and  Elizabeth 
(Hayne)  Marsh,  of  Franklin  Township.  Of 
this  union  there  has  been  born  a  family  of 
four  children,  namely:  Leman  W.,  who 
married  Myrta  V.  Guiley,  and  died  June  7, 
1904,  aged  thirty  years,  leaving  two  children 
— Lenore  and  Kathryn;  Edna  E.;  Myrtle  E., 
and  Edgar    M.     All  of  these    children    have 


1084 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


been  actively  concerned  in  educational  work 
as  teachers  in  the  public  schools. 

CLARENCE     EDWARD     DIEHL,     who 

owns  140  acres  of  excellent  fai'ming  land  in 
Green  Township,  was  born  October  2,  1873, 
on  his  father's  farm  near  Manchester,  Frank- 
lin Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is 
a  son  of  William  and  Eliza  M.  (Diehl)  Diehl. 

William  Diehl  was  born  in  York  County, 
Pennsylvania.  He  served  throughout  the 
Civil  War,  and  although  never  wounded,  he 
was  confined  in  a  hospital  for  several  months 
with  typhoid  fever.  He  returned  to  Penn- 
sylvania after  the  war,  but  shortly  thereafter 
moved  to  Ohio  and  settled  on  a  small  farm 
south  of  Manchaster,  in  Franklin  Township, 
Summit  County.  There  he  resided  until  after 
his  marriage,  when  he  removed  to  the  165- 
acre  farm  now  owned  by  his  son,  Clarence  E. 
Diehl.  On  this  property  William  Diehl  re- 
sided until  retiring  from  farm  work,  in  1905, 
when  he  moved  to  Barberton,  where  he  is  a 
foreman  in  the  Barberton  Boiler  Works.  Mr. 
Diehl  was  married  in  Franklin  Township,  to 
Eliza  M.  Diehl,  who  was  born  in  that  town- 
ship, and  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Diehl,  a 
pioneer  of  Summit  County.  Daniel  Diehl 
reached  this  section  with  but  fifty  cents  in 
his  pocket,  and  lived  to  become  the  owner  of 
11,000  acres  of  land  in  addition  to  other 
property.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Diehl  the  follow- 
ing children  were  born :  Hattie,  who  married 
C.  C.  Swigart;  Clarence  Edward;  Curtis; 
Bertha,  who  married  H.  Thornton;  Claude; 
Wallace  and  Harley,  twins;  and  Grace  and 
Maude,  the  latter  three  being  deceased. 

Clarence  Edward  Diehl  was  one  year  old 
when  the  family  settled  on  the  old  Diehl  farm 
on  the  township  line,  and  there  he  spent  his 
boyhood  days.  He  attended  the  district 
school  and  spent  one  year  at  the  High  School 
at  Manchester.  Until  his  marriage  he  worked 
on  his  father's  farm,  after  w^hich  he  bought  a 
one-half  interest  in  the  farm  where  Otis  Tritt 
now  lives.  He  cultivated  this  property  for 
three  years,  but  subsequently  moved  to  East 
Liberty. 

Mr.  Diehl  was  married  in  September,  1900, 


to  Laura  M.  Foust,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Frederick  and  Lucetta  (Keplar)  Foust,  the 
former  of  whom  died  in  1902.  The  latter  re- 
sides at  East  Liberty.  One  child  has  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Diehl,  namely:  Lottie 
N.  Mr.  Diehl  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry.  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  he  has  served  three 
terms  as  school  director  and  has  also  been 
road  supervisor.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  Mrs.  Diehl  belongs  to  the 
Reformed  Church. 

GEORGE  W.  FOUST,  township  trustee 
and  owner  of  sixty-three  acres  of  farm  land 
in  Coventry  Township,  is  one  of  the  promi- 
nent citizens  of  this  section.  He  was  born  July 
5,  1842,  in  Coventry  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and 
Nelly    (Farnsworth)    Foust. 

George  Foust  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  locality, 
there  learning  the  wagon-making  trade.  After 
his  marriage,  Mr.  Foust  emigrated  to  Ohio, 
making  the  journey  in  wagons,  and  in  1832 
settled  in  the  woods  of  Coventry  Township, 
where  he  pui'chased  a  small  farm  and  erected 
a  wagon-making  shop.  He  also  carried  on 
farming  to  some  extent,  and  was  an  indus- 
trious and  useful  citizen.  His  old  sledge  ham- 
mer, used  by  him  for  many  years,  is  now  in 
the  posse.ssion  of  his  son,  George  W.  Mr. 
Foust  died  in  1878  at  the  age  of  72  ye^rs,  and 
his  widow,  who  was  born  in  1810,  passed 
away  about  five  years  later.  Of  the  seven 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foust,  five 
grew  to  maturity,  namely:  Louisa,  who  is 
the  widow  of  E.  McCamm ;  Julia,  now  de- 
ceased, who  was  the  wife  of  E.  ShoUey ;  George 
Wa.shington ;  Elizabeth,  who  married  J.  Hem- 
melrick;  and  Frank  J. 

George  W.  Foust  attended  the  old  district 
school  near  his  home,  where  he  obtained  a 
fair  education.  He  remembers  a  custom 
which  was  in  vogue  at  that  time,  that  each 
family  with  children  attending  school  should 
furni.sh  wood  according  to  the  number  of 
pupils.  Mr.  Foust  remained  at  home  until 
after  his  marriage,  and    in  1869    ptu'chased 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1085 


forty-two  acrei-  of  laud  from  Andrew  Metzler, 
later  adding  thereto  from  time  to  time  until 
he  became  one  of  the  township's  large  land- 
holders. This  property,  which  is  bounded  on 
the  south  by  the  Erie  Railroad,  is  situated 
about  three  miles  southwest  of  the  city  of  Ak- 
ron, and  is  well  cultivated  and  very  valuable. 
Mr.  Foust  recently  sold  forty-two  acres  of  his 
land  for  town  lots,  and  the  remainder  is  rented 
by  him,  he  having  retired  from  'active  pur- 
suits. In  political  matters  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  in  1900  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
township  trustee,  a  position  which  he  still 
holds. 

On  March  3,  1867,  Mr.  Foust  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Marietta  Triplet,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Laui'a  (Bellows)  Trip- 
let, and  whose  grandfather  was  a  laborer  on 
the  canal  at  fifty  cents  per  day.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Foust  attended  the  same  district  school,  hav- 
ing grown  up  together  in  the  same  school  dis- 
trict. Mrs.  Foust  died  May  3,  1905,  aged 
fifty -eight  years,  "having  been  the  mother  of 
two  children,  namely:  Adda,  who  married 
Peter  Carl,  resides  at  Akron  and  has  two  chil- 
dren— Bessie  and  Park;  and  Lilly  B.,  who 
married  .John  Wagoner,  resides  at  Akron  and 
has  four  children — Ernest.  Florence,  Harold 
and  Ethel.  Mr.  Foust  is  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Church,  which  at  the  present 
time  he  is  serving  as  trustee. 

T.  M.  COOICE,  secretary  of  the  Bruner- 
Goodhue-Cooke  Company,  of  Akron,  and  also 
of  the  Akron  Building  and  Loan  Association, 
with  offices  at  No.  136  South  Main  Street,  is 
one  of  the  popular  and  successful  young  bus- 
iness men  of  this  city.  He  was  born  at  Mid- 
dlepoint,  Van  Wert  County,  Ohio,  in  1869. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  Mr.  Cooke 
went  to  Blufi'ton,  Ohio,  and  was  graduated 
from  the  Bluffton  High  School,  after  which, 
in  1886.  he  entered  Buchtel  College,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1891.  with  the  degree  of 
A.  B.  He  at  once  accepted  a  position  with 
the  Crescent  Fire  Insurance  Company,  of 
Cleveland,  where  he  remained  one  year.  In 
June,  1892.  he  entered  the  office  of  Wilcox 
&  Noah,  at  Akron,  and  when  a  stock  company 


was  formed,  in  1897,  he  became  secretary  of 
the  Wilcox-Bruner  Company,  which  became 
the  Bruner-Goodhue-Cooke  Company  in  1899. 
Since  June,  1894,  he  has  also  been  secretary 
of  the  Akron  Building  and  Loan  Association, 
having  been  assistant  secretary  for  many 
years  prior  to  that  date.  He  is  also  a  stock- 
holder in  several  other  important  business  en- 
terprises of  this  city.  Mr.  Cooke  is  president 
of  the  Akron  Board  of  Undenvriters  and  past 
president  of  the  Ohio  Association  of  Fire  In- 
surance Agents.  He  belong  to  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  Buchtel  College,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Executive  Committee. 
.  In  1897,  Mr.  Cooke  was  married  to  Mabel 
K.  Page,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  S. 
Page,  of  Akron.  Mr.  Cooke  is  a  Thirty-second 
Degree  Mason,  has  held  all  the  offices  in  the 
Blue  Lodge,  and  was  worshipful  master  of 
Adoniram  Lodge,  in  1903.  He  is  president 
of  the  Akron  Masonic  Club  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Portage  Country  Club. 

MARTIN  LIMBACH,  JR.,  a  prominent 
citizen  and  representative  business  man  of 
Clinton,  Ohio,  who  is  a  member  of  the  well- 
known  firm  of  Limbach  Brothers,  was  born 
July  4.  1852,  in  Bavaria.  Germany,  and  is  a 
son  of  Martin  and  Mary   (Zepp)   Limbach. 

Mai'tin  Limbach,  Sr..  was  born  in  1806  in 
Bavaria,  Germany,  where  he  carried  on  shoe- 
making  and  farming  until  the  fall  of  1852, 
when  with  his  family  he  came  to  America, 
where  his  son  George  had  come  some  time 
before.  The  family  made  their  way  to  Mas- 
sillon,  via  Cleveland,  and  in  1853  came  to 
Clinton,  where  Mr.  Limbach-  established  a 
shoe  business,  and  here  continued  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  His  death  occurred 
March  28,  1885.  Mr.  Limbach  married  Mary 
Zepp,  who  was  born  September  12,  1808,  and 
died  September  14,  1863.  and  to  them  were 
born  a  family  of  eight  children:  George; 
Christina,  who  married  John  A.  Weil;  Mary, 
who  married  Peter  Miller:  Henry;  Jacob,  of 
Clinton ;  Balzer.  who  was  last  heard  of  in  the 
West,  where  he  had  gone  in  1867;  Adam, 
who  is  in  partnership  with  Martin ;  and  Mar- 
tin. 


1086 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Martin  Linibach,  Jr.,  spent  his  boyhood  at 
Chnton,  where  he  attended  the  district  schools, 
and  also  went  for  a  short  time  to  the  public 
schools  at  Ashland,  after  which  he  worked 
for  a  time  at  farming  and  at  driving  his 
brother  Jacob's  canal  boat.  In  1867  he  started 
to  learn  the  shoemaker's  trade  with  his  broth- 
er Henry,  and  this  he  has  followed  success^ 
fully  to  the  present  time.  For  thirty  years 
he  had  the  agency  of  the  Domestic  sewing 
machines,  and  in  this  time  became  well 
known  throughout  this  part  of  the  country. 
He  and  his  brother  v\dam  then  formed  a 
partnership  and  started  a  shoe  business  in  a 
small  way.  In  1872  they  began  adding  fac- 
tory stock  to  their  supply,  and  they  now  carry 
a  full  stock  of  all  the  best  lines  of  shoes.  In 
1887  they  built  the  fir,st  brick  block  in  Clin- 
ton and  they  now  own  all  of  the  brick  busi- 
ness buildings  in  Clinton  except  one.  Martin 
Limbach  also  owns  much  property  in  Texas, 
as  well  as  throughout  Summit  County.  He 
is  vice-president  of  the  Clinton  Savings  Bank. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  served 
one  term  as  township  treasurer  and  two  terms 
as  jury  commissioner.  On  November  22, 
1879,  Mr.  Limbach  was  married  to  Minnie  M. 
Casenhiser,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Elizabeth   (Emory)   Casenhiser. 

W.  E.  WILSON,  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Betzler  and  Wilson,  manufacturers  of 
the  Betzler  and  Wilson  Fountain  Pen,  a  pros- 
pering industry  at  Akron,  came  to  this  city 
in  1878.  He  was  born  at  Niles,  Ohio,  Novem- 
ber 3,  1869,  and  was  about  nine  years  old 
when  his  parents — James  and  Isabella  (Big- 
gers)  Wilson — located  in  Akron. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  educated  in  the  Akron 
schools  and,  being  an  ambitious  boy,  early 
began  to  be  self-supporting,  securing  a  posi- 
tion with  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company  while 
still  young.  He  was  faithful  and  industrious 
and  remained  with  that  company  and  the 
American  Hard  Rubber  Company  until  1891. 
He  then  went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  fountain  pen  business  until  1892, 
when  he  returned  to  Akron  and,  in  partner- 
ship with  J.  F.  Betzler,  established  the  firm 


of  Betzler  and  Wilson,  for  the  manufacture 
of  the  fountain  pen  bearing  the  name  of  the 
firm.  The  business  has  prospered  and  fifteen 
men  are  employed  in  the  factory  at  Nos.  54- 
56  South  Street,  while  four  traveling  salesmen 
represent  the  firm  on  the  road.  They  manu- 
facture 100  different  styles  of  pen,  making  a 
specialty  of  the  Betzler  and  AVilson  Self-filling 
Pen. 

In  1892  Mr.  Wilson  was  married  to  Ella  I. 
Gregory,  of  Akron.  He  is  a  Thirty-second 
DegiTc  Mason  and  belongs  to  the  Blue  Lodge, 
Chapter  and  Council  at  Akron,  the  Alkoran 
Shrine  and  the  Lake  Erie  Consistory  at  Cleve- 
land. He  is  prominent  also  as  an  Odd  Fel- 
low, belonging  to  both  branches  of  the  order. 
Mr.  Wilson,  like  Mr.  Betzler,  is  an  enterpris- 
ing business  man,  one  who  not  only  under- 
stands the  demands  of  the  public  for  a  first- 
class  article,  but  knows  also  how  to  push  its 
.sale.  The  firm  .stands  high  as  a  business 
house  of  Akron. 

CHRISTIAN  VOGT,  a  retired  capitalist  of 
Akron,  was  born  in  Germany,  in  1846,  and 
was  six  years  of  age  when  his  parents  brought 
him  to  America,  locating  in  Springfield 
Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  near  the 
old  Western  Reserve  mill.  They  were  John 
and  Su.san  M.  (Selzer)  Vogt,  the  former  of 
whom  died  on  his  farm  in  Springfield  Town- 
ship, September  8,  1856,  being  survived  by 
his  widow  until  1886. 

Left  fatherless  when  still  young.  Christian 
Vogt  had  heavy  responsibilities  fall  on  his 
shoulders,  and  had  fewer  advantages  than 
would  have  been  his  had  his  father's  life  been 
longer.  Whenever  he  had  the  opportunity  he 
attended  school,  but  most  of  his  time  until  he 
was  sixteen  years  old  was  spent  in  working  on 
a  farm  and  in  the  coal  mines.  He  subse- 
quently came  to  Akron,  where  he  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  until 
1876.  Then  he  opened  a  business  of  his  own, 
which  he  conducted  for  about  fifteen  years, 
prospering  in  the  meanwhile,  and  at  various 
times  being  a  good  judge  of  values,  investing 
in  property.  In  1880  he  built  the  Vogt 
block,  on  the  corner  of  Buchtel  Avenue  and 


MR.  AND  MRS.  SAMUEL  FREDERICK 


AND    REPRESENTATR'E    CITIZENS 


1089 


Main  Street,  a  fine  brick  structure,  62  by  60 
feet  in  dimension  in  its  main  part,  and  40 
bj'  60  in  the  rear,  and  another  three-story 
frame  25  by  60  feet.  Mr.  Vogt  owns  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  real  estate  in  other  parts 
of  the  city.  In  1869,  Mr.  Vogt  was  married 
to  Mary  E.  McDonald,  who  is  a  member  of  an 
old  Summit  County  family.  Politically  Mr. 
Vogt  is  a  Democrat  and  is  his  party's  nominee 
for  membership  on  the  Board  of  Public  Ser- 
vice, a  position  for  which  he  is  eminently 
fitted.  Perhaps  no  citzen  of  Akron  has  done 
more  to  improve  and  beautify  the  city  than 
has  he.  Its  public  parks  have  been  improved 
greatly  through  his  deep  intei'est  in  the  work, 
which  he  has  carried  on  niore  or  less  for 
twenty-three  yeare,  and  for  which  he  has 
never  accepted  any  compensation.  He  served 
fifteen  years  as  a  park  commissioner,  four 
.  yeare  on  the  School  Board  and  for  four  years 
occupied  a  seat  in  the  City  Council.  .  A  true, 
public-spirited  citizen,  he  has  worked  for  the 
betterment  of  Akron  from  unselfish  motives. 

SAMUEL  FREDERICK,  superintendent 
of  the  roads  of  District  No.  3,  Portage  Town- 
ship, is  a  leading  citizen  of  this  section  and 
now  lives  retired  from  agricultural  pursuits, 
at  his  comfortable  home  on  Wooster  Avenue, 
Sherbondy  Hill.  He  was  born  at  Doylestown, 
Wayne  County,  Ohio,  February  27,  1831.  and 
is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Margaret  (Rasor)  Fred- 
erick. 

.Tacob  Frederick  was  born  at  New  Lisbon, 
Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  and  at  Dojdestown 
was  married  io  Margaret  Rasor,  who  was  born 
in  Trumbull  County',  Ohio.  In  1841  Jacob 
Frederick  moved  from  Doylestown  to  Copley 
Township,  Summit  County,  where  he  pur- 
chased his  first  farm  of  eighty-four  acres,  to 
which  he  subsequently  added  until  he  owned 
120  acres  of  excellent  land.  In  partnership 
with  his  eldest  son,  Samuel,  he  bought  forty 
acres  of  timberland,  twenty  of  which  came 
later  into  Samuel's  possession.  Both  pai'ents 
of  Samuel  Frederick  died  in  Copley  Town- 
ship. Mrs.  Frederick  passing  away  first,  fol- 
lowed by  her  husband  four  years  later,  when 
ho  had  reached  his  eighty-fourth  j'ear.    They 


were  people  of  high  character,  honest,  indus- 
trious and  kind. 

For  sixty-one  years  Samuel  Frederick  was 
a  resident  of  Copley  Township,  the  period 
covered  being  from  the  age  of  ten  years  to 
1901,  when  he  retired  from  his  farm  and 
settled  at  Sherbondy  Hill.  In  early  manhood 
Mr.  Frederick  went  to  Wadsworth  and  worked 
at  the  shoemaking  trade  with  his  uncle,  John 
Rasor,  but  did  not  continue  at  this  trade  very 
long,  later  learning  the  cooper's  trade,  at 
which  he  worked  for  several  yeai's,  making 
flour  barrels.  He  purchased  his  first  farm 
in  Copley  Township,  shortly  after  his  mar- 
riage in  1851  and  lived  on  it  for  almost  fifty 
years.  It  contains  127  acres  and  is  a  good 
property.  For  sixteen  years  Mr.  Frederick 
operated  a  threshing  machine,  engaging  for 
two  years  in  threshing  clover  seed,  and  during 
the  last  season  he  made  the  record  of  1,300 
bushels  of  this  seed.  In  the  meantime,  he 
bought  an  acre  of  land  on  Sherbondy  Hill,  on 
which  his  son  built  a  barn  and  comfortable 
residence,  and  in  1901  Mr.  Frederick  sold  his 
farm  to  Hustus  Keppler  and  removed  to  this 
quiet  home. 

In  1851,  at  Wadsworth,  Ohio,  Mr.  Freder- 
ick was  married  to  Sarali  Fryman,  a  daughter 
of  Daniel  Fryman.  Mrs.  Frederick  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  and  died  in  Copley  Town- 
ship, September  8,  1901.  She  was  a  woman 
of  many  Christian  vii'tues  and  was  the  mother 
of  the  following  children:  Susan,  Benjamin 
F.,  John  H.,  Jacob,  Eliza,  Ellen  Elizabeth, 
Daniel  and  George  Byron.  The  survivors  are: 
Susan ;  Benjamin  F.,  who  resides  in  Portage 
Township;  Ellen  Elizabeth,  who  married  M. 
J.  Lohr,  and  died  November  8,  1907;  and 
Daniel,  who  resides  also  in  Portage  Township. 

Mr.  Frederick  has  been  a  leader  in  town- 
ship affairs  for  many  years  and  has  frequent- 
ly held  offices  of  responsibility.  He  served  as 
trustee  and  as  road  supervisor  in  Copley 
Township  and  now  fills  an  important  office 
in  Portage  Township.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Loyal  Oak  Lutheran  Church,  having  joined 
this  religious  body  at  Dojdestown,  when  but 
eighteen  years  of  age.  For  sixty  years  he 
has  kept  the  faith  and  lived  according  to  the 


lOliO 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


precepts  of  his  church.     He  is  widely  known 
and  universally  respected. 

FREDERICK  W.  McCIlESNEY,  a  lead- 
ing citizen  of  Si^ringfield  Township,  in  which 
his  family  has  been  an  old  and  honored  one 
for  several  generations,  was  born  at  Krum- 
roy,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  March  11,  1860, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Louisa  (Gras- 
sard)    McChesney. 

The  father  of  Mr.  McChesney  was  born  in 
Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  seven  years  old  when  his  parents  moved 
to  Ohio  and  settled  on  the  farm  now  occupied 
and  owned  by  William  H.,  their  grandson. 
They  died  in  the  house  in  which  Frederick 
W.  was  born.  William  McChesney  was  reared 
in  Springfield  Township  and  became  a  man 
of  property — owning  250  acres  of  land — and 
of  much  local  prominence.  It  was  mainly 
through  his  efforts  that  the  Valley  Railroad 
was  extended  through  this  section,  and  he 
gave  the  land  for  the  site  of  the  depot  and 
even  helped  to  build  it.  His  death  occurred 
in  the  fall  of  1905,  when  he  was  in  his  eighty- 
ninth  year.  He  married  Louisa  Grassard, 
who  was  born  in  France  and  was  a  daughter 
of  Peter  Grassard,  who  served  as  a  soldier 
under  the  great  Napoleon,  afterward  coming 
to  America.  She  died  January  25,  1897. 
Of  the  six  children  born  to  William  and 
Louisa  McChesney,  Charles  died  in  infancy. 
The  survivors  are:  Edward  A.,  residing  in 
Springfield  Township,  a  farmer,  contractor 
and  builder,  married  Sarah  Wise;  William 
H.,  residing  on  the  old  homestead,  which  he 
owns,  married  Lucy  Thomp.son ;  Philora  E., 
residing  at  Akron,  the  wife  of  George  L. 
Sypher;  Herman  G.,  residing  at  Akron,  mar- 
ried Lucy  Wright,  a  daughter  of  Hon. 
Thomas  Wright,  formerly  a  member  of  the 
State  Legislature  from  Summit  County  (Lucy 
Wright  McChesney  died  December  14,  1907)  ; 
and  Frederick  W. 

Frederick  W.  McChe.sney  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Springfield  Township, 
and  after  attaining  manhood,  he  engaged  in 
farming  and  in  real  estate  and  loans.  In  1884 
he  settled  on  his  present  farm  of  115  acres. 


which  he  has  placed  under  fine  cultivation. 
He  has  done  much  improving  and  in  1904 
he  built  his  fine  bank  barn,  80  by  40  feet  in 
dimensions.  It  is  of  modern  architecture  and 
is  equipped  with  all  sanitary  conveniences. 
He  carries  on  mixed  farming  and  dairying 
and  keeps  first-class  milch  cows.  His  land  is 
situated  on  the  Massillon  road  and  near 
Springfield  Lake  and  close  to  the  city  of  Ak- 
ron. 

March  6,  1884,  Mr.  McChesney.  was  mai-- 
ried  to  Nettie  Yerrick,  who  was  born  in 
Springfield  Township  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Cyrus  and  Catherine  (Swinehart)  Yerrick, 
the  former  of  whom  was  formerly  a  justice 
of  the  peace  in  this  township.  Mrs.  McChes- 
ney before  her  marriage  was  a  teacher  in  the 
public  schools.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McChesney 
have  six  children,  namely:  Maud,  Leo,  Lura, 
Fred,  Mark  and  John.  All  the  children  have 
had  superior  educational  advantages. 

Politically,  Mr.  McChesney  i.s  a  Repub- 
lican, and  has  taken  an  active  part  in  party 
work,  attending  many  important  conventions 
as  a  delegate.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of 
the  Springfield  Township  School  Board  for 
fourteen  years,  and  has  assisted  in  bringing 
the  schools  of  liis  township  to  a  high  standard 
excelled  by  few  in  the  state  of  Ohio.  With 
his  family,  he  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

NEWTON  CHALKER,  a  retired  law- 
yer of  Akron,  who  has  been  identified  with 
both  the  business  and  professional  life  of  the 
city  for  over  thirty  years,  is  generally  recog- 
nized as  one  of  Akron's  prominent  men. 

The  Chalker  family  originated  in  England 
and  became  established  about  1640  in  Con- 
necticut, and  in  1805  in  Ohio.  James 
Chalker,  the  grandfather  of  Newton  Chalker, 
was  born  at  Saybrook,  Connecticut,  where  he 
married  IMercy  Norton,  and  with  his  wife  and 
an  infant  son  he  came  to  the  Western  Reserve, 
locating  in  Southington,  Trumbull  County, 
in  the  year  1805.  Selecting  a  location  in  the 
midst  of  the  forest,  he  built  a  cabin  of  logs, 
and  entered  upon  a  pioneer  existence.  He 
lived   until    1867.   his   span   of  life  covering 


AND    EEPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1091 


ninety  years,  and  the  death  of  his  aged  wife 
but  shortly  preceding  his  own.  They  reared 
thirteen  children — OiTin,  Joseph,  Edmond, 
James,  Phoebe,  Anna,  Polly,  Calvin,  Daniel, 
Philander,  Harrison,  Allen  and  Mercy. 

James  Chalker,  Jr.,  the  father  of  Newton, 
was  born  in  Southington,  June  15,  1811.  His 
educational  opportunities  were  confined  to 
three  winter  terms  in  an  old  log  schoolhouse, 
situated  one  mile  east  of  Southington  Center, 
but  by  much  reading  he  became  in  after  years 
well  versed  in  history,  and  was  also  a  thor- 
ough student  of  the  Bible.  When  a  young 
man  he  purchased  on  credit  a  tract  of  fifty 
acres  of  woodland,  located  two  miles  west  of 
Southington  Center,  where,  after  years  of 
earnest  labor,  he  established  a  comfortable 
home  for  himself  and  family.  He  eventual- 
ly became  one  of  the  largest  land  owners  in 
the  township,  having  added  to  his  original 
property  from  time  to  time.  Mr.  Chalker 
.  was  married  (first)  to  Eliza  Jane  Hyde,  of 
Farmington,  who  died  in  1849,  leaving  three 
children:  Byron,  who  became  a  farmer,  and 
died  in  Southington  at  the  age  of  fifty-two 
years ;  Newton,  subject  of  this  article ;  and  Co- 
lumbus, who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
years;  another  child,  Benson,  died  in  infancy. 
In  1851  Mr.  Chalker  was  married  (second)  to 
Adeline  Timmeranan,  who  was  born  in  the 
state  of  New  York,  and  they  had  two  daugh- 
ters, Mary  Jane  and  Bertha.  The  former 
married  A.  J.  Morris,  a  resident  of  Southing- 
ton, and  died  in  lier  thirty-seventh  year.  The 
latter  became  the  wife  of  Thomas  McConnell, 
a  resident  of  Young.stown,  Ohio.  James 
Chalker  died  September  23,  1893,  having 
passed  his  eighty-second  birthday.  For  years 
he  was  a  pillar  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

Newton  Chalker,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  in  Southington,  Trumbull  County, 
Ohio,  September  12,  1842,  and  was  the  third, 
but  is  now  the  only  surviving,  son  of  the  above 
named  James,  Jr.,  and  Eliza  J.  Chalker.  In 
childhood  and  early  youth  he  lived  and 
labored  on  the  farm  of  his  father,  and  at- 
tended the  district  schools  until  he  was  four- 
teen years  of  age,  after  which,  for  six  years, 


at  irregular  intervals,  he  was  a  student  at  the 
Western  Reserve  Seminary,  West  Farming- 
ton,  Ohio,  at  times  boarding  himself  and  do- 
ing the  janitor  work  of  the  school  to  pay  his 
room  rent  and  tuition;  in  the  meanwhile  be- 
coming a  very  successful  district  school  teach- 
er. Beginning  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he 
taught  successively  the  winter  term  in  the 
townships  of  Braceville,  Southington,  Park- 
man  and  Champion,  in  Ohio,  and  Litchfield, 
in  Michigan.  In  the  spring  of  1862,  while 
in  attendance  at  school  he  ofi^ered  his  services 
in  defense  of  his  country,  enlisting  in  Com- 
pany B,  Eighty-seventh  Regiment,  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  which  belonged  to  the  de- 
partment of  the  anny  then  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  George  B.  McClellan.  The 
most  important  militai'y  event  of  his  term  of 
service  was  the  protracted  battle  of  Plarper's 
Ferry,  September  12-15,  1862,  in  which  the 
Union  forces  were  captured  by  those  of  Stone- 
wall Jackson,  the  latter  having  a  very  much 
larger  force.  In  the  fall  of  1862,  on  account 
of  the  expiration  of  its  term  of  enlistment,  the 
Eighty-seventh  Regiment  was  mustered  out, 
and  the  membeis  who  had  survived  its  many 
dangers  returned  to  their  homes,  Mr.  Chalker 
being  one  of  them. 

In  the  spring  of  1863,  Mr.  Chalker  entered 
Allegheny  College,  at  Meadville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  was  graduated  in  June,  1866, 
with  the  degree  of  B.  A.,  later  receiving  that 
of  M.  A.  During  1866-7  he  sei-ved  as  prin- 
cipal of  Dixon  Seminary,  at  Dixon,  Illinois, 
and  in  the  year  following  he  accepted  the  su- 
perintendency  of  the  public  schools  at  Dar- 
lin,gton,  Wisconsin.  But  while  successful  to 
a  flattering  degree  as  an  educator,  this  was  not 
the  full  extent  of  his  ambition.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1868,  therefore,  after  some  preliminary 
preparation,  he  entered  the  Albany  Law 
School,  and  in  1869  he  was  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  B.  L.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
he  entered  iipon  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion at  Cameron.  Mi.s.«ouri,  where  he  remained 
until  1874.  He  then  returned  to  Ohio,  in  the 
sunmier  of  that  year  locating  in  Akron,  since 
which  time,  imtil  recently,  this  city  has  been 
his  home. 


1092 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Mr.  Chalker  continued  actively  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  law  until  1894,  when  he  began 
to  give  the  greater  pai-t  of  his  attention  to 
his  other  large  and  varied  interests.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Peoples'  Savings 
Bank  at  Akron,  and  of  the  Savings  Bank  at 
Barberton,  owning  a  large  amount  of  stock, 
and  serving  on  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
former  institution.  He  owns  a  large  amount 
of  property,  including  a  farm  adjoining 
Southing-ton,  which  he  now  makes  his  legal 
residence;  also  several  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  the  island  of  Cuba.  He  has  purchased  and 
improved  a  number  of  tracts  in  Summit 
County,  several  of  these  being  new  additions 
to  Akron,  notably  that  choice  residence  section 
known  as  North  Hill. 

After  giving  up  his  law  prac?tice,  Mr.  Chalk- 
er, in  1895-6,  made  a  busy  trip  around  the 
■globe,  having  previously  visited,  by  prefer- 
ence, almost  evei"y  interesting  portion  of  his 
own  land.  Among  the  countries  he  visited  on 
this  trip  were  Ireland,  England,  Scotland, 
France,  Belgium,  Germany,  Switzerland, 
Italy,  Greece,  Syria,  Palestine,  Egypt,  Nubia, 
India,  Burmah,  China,  Japan  and  our  own 
Sandwich  Islands,  in  all  of  which  he  found 
much  to  interest  a  man  of  cultured  mind. 

Mr.  Chalker  is  identified  politically  with 
the  Republican  party.  Since  1892  he  has 
been  a  member  of  Buckley  Post,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  and  has  served  as  its  com- 
mander. One  of  his  distinguishing  charac- 
teristics is  his  civic  pride  in  regard  to  Akron, 
and  another,  his  tender  memory  of  the  old 
home  where  he  was  reared,  and  of  the  locality 
with  which  his  parents  and  grandparents  were 
so  closely  identified.  The  old  Methodist 
Church  in  which  they  worshipped  has  profited 
many  hundreds  of  dollars  by  his  bounty  in 
the  past  few  years.  There  has  also  just  been 
completed  at  Southington  the  Newton-Chalker 
High  School,  which  Mr.  Chalker  has  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $20,000,  and  which  was  donated 
by  him  to  the  Board  of  Education,  the  dona- 
tion ceremonies  taking  place  on  AugiLst  22, 
1907.  His  charities  have  always  been  large, 
their  full  extent  being  known  only  to  himself. 
His  acquaintance  is  extensive,  and  his  friend- 


ships include  individuals  of  taste,  learning 
and  culture  in  many  parts  of  the  world. 

JOHN  WILLIAM  SORRICK,  M.D.,    one 

of  Coventry  Township's  leading  physicians 
and  respected  citizens,  a  veteran  of  the  great 
Civil  War,  and  a-  worthy  representative  of  an 
old  and  honored  Summit  County  family,  was 
born  March  10,  1848,  in  Franklin  Township, 
Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Adam 
and  Sophia   (Hoy)   Sorrick. 

John  Sorrick,  grandfather  of  John  W., 
came  from  Huntingdon  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  Ohio  in  wagons,  and  settled  in 
Franklin  Township,  Summit  County,  where 
the,  rest  of  his  life  was  spent  in  clearing  a 
farm  from  the  woods.  He  passed  a  very 
eventful  life,  accumulated  considerable  prop- 
erty, and  died  at  a  ripe  old  age,  honored  and 
esteemed.  He  was  the  fatlier  of  five  children 
— Adam,  John,  Jacob,  Solomon,  and  Ann. 
The  la.st  menrtioned  married  AValdo  Wag- 
ner. 

Adam  Sori'ick  was  a  native  of  Huntingdon 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  about  six 
years  old  when  the  family  came  to  Ohio  in 
1817.  He  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm  and 
was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  but  in 
his  youth  became  a  successful  suiweyor. 
which  occupation  he  carried  on  t«  quite  an 
extent  in  connection  with  farming.  His 
death  occurred  in  1860,  and  that  of  his  ^^^fe 
in  1889,  when  she  was  in  her  seventy-third 
year.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sorrick  were  the  parents 
of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  eight  grew  to 
maturity,  namely:  Oliver,  A.,  a  resident  of 
Akron ;  -John  William ;  Mai-shall  H.,  who 
Jives  at  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan ;  Thomas 
E.,  now  deceased;  Alice  Ann,  who  is  the 
widow  of  B.  F.  Grove;  Lewis  E.  and  Charles 
0.,  deceased;  and  Mary  E.,  who  married  Rev. 
E.  P.  Wise,  of  East  Liverpool,  Ohio. 

John  William  Sorrick  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Franklin  Township,  and  se- 
cured his  primary  education  in  the  district 
schools.  In  1871  he  began  reading  medicine 
with  Dr.  A.  Sisler  of  Manchester,  Ohio,  and 
he  was  later  under  the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  W. 
C.   Jacobs   of   Akron.     He  then   entered   the 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1095 


Ohio  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  his  degree 
in  1875,  when  he  immediately  formed  a 
partnership  with  Dr.  Jacobs,  with  whom  he 
remained  three  years.  Dr.  Sorrick  spent 
three  months  in  a  trip  to  Paris,  France,  to 
visit  the  first  exposition,  and  on  his  I'eturn 
settled  at  Thomastown  for  two  years,  subse- 
quently locating  at  his  present  offices,  which 
he  purchased  from  David  Tritt  in  1885.  In 
1898  Dr.  Sorrick  joined  an  Alaskan  gold 
hunting  party,  but  after  about  a  year's  unsuc- 
cessful prospecting  he  returned  to  his  home, 
although  he  still  owais  claims  above  the  arctic 
circle.  Dr.  Sorrick  is  now  engaged  in  a  very 
successful  general  practice  at  East  Akron, 
where  he  has  the  confidence  of  the  com- 
munity. At  the  age  of  sisteen  years.  Dr. 
Sorrick  enlisted  in  Company  A,  191st  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantrv,  and  served  eight  months 
to  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  received  his 
honorable  discharge.  He  can  still  call  the 
roll  from  memory,  and  is  a  popular  comrade 
of  Buckley  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic, of  Akron. 

On  July  3,  1884,  Dr.  Sorrick  was  married 
to  Lucy  S.  Neitz,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Elias  and  Mary  Neitz.  She  died  April  28, 
1904,  aged  thirty-nine  years.  To  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Sorrick  there  were  born  four  children, 
two  of  wliom  died  in  infancy.  The  survivors 
are:  Kenneth  Blaine,  who  married  Maggie 
Whitfield,  and  resides  at  East  Akron;  and 
Esther,  who  makes  her  home  with  her  father. 

CLINTON  RUCKEL,  whose  valuable  farm 
of  100  acres  is  situated  at  Fairlawn,  on  the 
Medina  road,  three  miles  west  of  Akron,  has 
a  home  which  excites  favorable  comment  from 
every  visitor  through  this  section.  Mr.  Ruckel 
was  born  in  Columbia  County,  Pennsylvania, 
November  15,  1840.  and  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Hannah   (Crevling)    Ruckel. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Ruckel  left  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1846,  and  made  the  OA'erland  journey 
in  a  covered  wagon  to  Three  Rivers,  Michi- 
gan, with  the  intention  of  buying  a  farm. 
Conditions  there  did  not  suit  them,  and  the 
family    all  came    to    Medina    County.    Ohio, 


where  the  father  invested  in  a  small  farm. 
This  he  cultivated  for  three  years  and  then 
sold  it  and  moved  to  Tallmadge  Township, 
Summit  County,  where  he  bought  some  good 
land,  and  both  he  and  wife  died  there. 

Clinton  Ruckel  was  six  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  left  Pennsylvania,  and  he  was 
mainly  reared  in  Ohio,  attending  school  in 
Tallmadge  Township  and  also  two  terms  in 
the  Middleburj',  now  the  Sixth  Ward  school, 
at  Akron.  The  country  at  this  time  was  in 
an  unsettled  condition,  owing  to  the  Civil 
War,  and  on  August  5,  1862,  Mr.  Ruckel 
threw  in  his  lot  with  the  defenders  of  the 
Union,  enlisting  in  Company  H,  104th  Reg- 
iment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  con- 
tracting to  serv-e  until  the  end  of  the  war. 
His  regiment  was  attached  to  the  Army  of 
the  Ohio,  under  General  Schofield,  who  sub- 
sequently joined  his  forces  to  those  of  General 
Sherman  for  the  Atlanta,  campaign.  After 
the  capture  of  Atlanta  the  Twenty-third 
Army  Corps,  to  which  Mr.  Ruckel's  regiment 
belonged,  was  sent  back  to  Tennessee.  Dur- 
ing the  first  year  of  service,  his  regiment  was 
mainly  involved  in  the  fighting  in  Kentucky, 
participating  in  the  siege  of  Knoxville.  In 
the  spring  of  1864,  when  the  regiment  went 
to  Atlanta,  it  was  in  good  condition,  but  from 
that  expedition  many  never  returned.  With 
the  exception  of  having  his  ear  drum  dam- 
aged from  concussion  at  Franklin,  Tennessee. 
November  30,  1864,  Mr.  Ruckel  was  fortunate 
in  suffering  no  serious  injury.  Having  hero- 
ically performed  his  full  duty  as  a  soldier, 
he  was  mustered  out  at  Greensboro,  North 
Carolina,  -Tune  17,  1865.  For  a  short  time 
Mr.  Ruckel  rested  at  home  with  his  parents 
and  then  went  to  work  in  a  pottery  at  Akron, 
where  he  remained  several  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1882  he  settled,  with  his  wife,  on 
his  present  farm,  which  he  began  imme- 
diately to  improve.  All  the  substantial  build- 
ings, including  the  fine  home,  were  erected 
by  him.  He  has  been  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  dairying  up  to  the  present  time. 

On  November  10,  1869,  Mr.  Ruckel  was 
married  to  Fannie  A.  Hart,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  .John  C.  and  Margaret   .\.    fStorliug) 


1096 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Hart,  early  settlers  in  Summit  County.  John 
C.  Hart,  who  waa  in  his  later  yeai's  a  railroad 
man,  served  in  the  War  of  1812 ;  he  died  very 
suddenly  at  Cincinnati  in  1902.  He  left  five 
children,  one  of  whom — George — is  living 
with  his  grandparents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ruckel 
have  had  two  children :  John  C.  and  Lorena, 
both  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  The  little 
daughter,  Lorena,  was  accidentally  killed  by 
falling  from  a  hammock,  when  aged  five 
years. 

FRANK  FOWLER  LOOMIS,  city  elec- 
trician of  Akron,  and  one  of  the  most  expert 
electrical  engineers  of  Ohio,  is  a  native  of  this 
city,  where  he  was  born  in  1854,  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Taylor)  Loomis. 

Joseph  Loomis  located  at  Akron  about 
1845,  and  commanded  one  of  the  boats  plying 
on  the  Akron  Canal,  which  did  a  large  busi- 
ness in  those  days.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Twen- 
ty-ninth Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
serving  until  his  death,  in  1862,  from  the  ef- 
fects of  a  cold  contracted  while  crossing  the 
Cumberland  River  in  the  line  of  duty.  His 
widow  survived  until  1892. 

Frank  F.  Loomis  was  eight  years  old  when 
his  father  died,  and  he  was  taken  to  the  home 
of  his  uncle,  who  operated  a  farm  near  AVads- 
worth,  where  he  remained  until  1868.  He 
then  came  to  Akron,  where  he  worked  for  one 
year  on  the  canal  and  one  year  for  the  Mor- 
rell  Pottery  Company.  He  then  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade,  serving  an  apprenticeship 
of  three  years,  and  during  that  period  became 
a  meml^er  of  the  Akron  Fire  Department,  an 
organization  with  which  he  has  remained 
identified  ever  since.  In  the  very  early  days 
of  the  general  study  of  electricity  he  became 
interested  and  soon  began  to  experiment  with 
motors  and  dynamos,  ability  for  this  line  of 
work  seeming  to  belong  to  him  naturally.  He 
soon  devoted  all  of  his  time  to  experimenting 
and  inventing,  and  has  been  very  success- 
ful, not  only  in  bringing  OTit  new  inventions, 
but  also  in  materially  improving  many  old 
ones.    He  has  had  five  patents  granted  him  on 


motors  and  dynamos,  and  four  patents  on 
alarm  boxes,  two  on  electric  drills  and  two 
on  electric  railway  signals.  It  may  not  be 
generally  known,  for  Mr.  Loomis  is  modest, 
notwithstanding  his  many  successes,  that  he 
designed  and  built  the  first  electrical  motor 
police  patrol  in  the  world.  Since  1880  he  has 
been  city  electrician  at  Akron.  He  practical- 
ly started  the  Akron  Electrical  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  and  he  owns  stock  in  a  num- 
ber of  other  city  enterprises.  He  is  considered 
exceptionally  expert  in  the  placing  of  under- 
ground wires.  In  1878  Mr.  Loomis  was  mar- 
ried to  Barbara  Grad.  Fraternally,  he  is  an 
Elk  and  an  Odd  Fellow. 

C.  W.  MILLIKEN,  M.  D.,  one  of  Akron's 
representative  medical  men,  who  has  been  es- 
tablished in  this  city  in  the  active  practice  of 
his  profession  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, is  well  known  all  over  Summit  County. 
Dr.  Milliken  was  born  in  Trumbull  County, 
Ohio,  in  1856,  belonging  to  an  old  pioneer 
family  of  that  section. 

From  the  district  schools  Dr.  Milliken  en- 
tered the  We-stern  Reserve  Academy  at  West 
Farmington,  and  completed  his  literarj'  edu- 
cation at  Scio,  in  Harrison  County.  Follow- 
ing this,  he  taught  school  for  five  years.  In 
the  meantime  he  engaged  in  the  preliminary 
study  of  medicine,  and  in  1877  he  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
1880.  He  then  served  as  an  interne  in  the 
City  Hospital  of  Harrisburg.  and  in  the  Phil- 
adelphia City  Hospital,  coming  to  Akron  in 
1882.  Dr.  Milliken  has  confined  his  atten- 
tion to  his  profession  and  ranks  very  high, 
both  as  a  physician  and  STirgeon.  He  is  a 
valued  member  of  the  Ohio  State,  the  Ameri- 
can and  the  Northwestern  Ohio  Medical  As- 
sociations, whenever  practicable,  attending 
the  conventions  of  these  bodies,  and  frequent- 
ly contributing  to  their  literature. 

Dr.  Milliken  married  Kathryn  McEbright, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Thomas  McEbright. 
of  Akron.  He  takes  considerable  interest  in 
local  pontic's  and  has  .served  as  a  member  of 


SHERMAN   P.    THOMPSON 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1091) 


the  Board  of  Education.  His  fraternal  asso- 
ciations include  membership  in  the  Masonic 
and  Odd  Fellow  bodies,  and  he  belongs  also 
to  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  the  Celsus  club. 

URIAS  C.  WITNER,  a  prominent  citizen 
and  justice  of  the  peace,  in  Portage  Town- 
ship, resides  on  a  valuable  farm  of  thirty-one 
and  one-half  acres,  which  has  been  his  home 
since  his  marriage.  He  was  born  in  Coventry 
Township,  Smiimit  County,  Ohio,  March  20, 
1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Urias  and  Louisa 
(Heintz)  Witner. 

The  father  of  Justice  Witner  was  born  in 
Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania,  May  3, 
1822,  and  was  a  son  of  Daniel  and  a  grand- 
son of  George  Witner.  The  latter  was  the 
pioneer  of  the  family  to  Siimmit  County, 
where  he  secured  land  and  formed  the 
present  site  of  Buchtel  College.  Daniel 
Witner  remained  in  Pennsylvania,  work- 
ing as  a  weaver  until  1828,  and  secur- 
ing land,  which  is  now  included  in  the  Fourth 
Ward  of  Akron,  on  which  he  lived  for  six 
years.  He  then  purchased  113  acres  in  what 
is  now  Thorntontown,  residing  there  for 
seven  years,  and  then  bought  151  acres  on 
which  he  and  wife  lived  until  death.  Of  the 
thirteen  children  born  to  Daniel  Witner  and 
wife,  Urias,  the  father  of  Urias  C,  was  the 
third  in  order  of  birth.  He  was  one  year  old 
when  his  parents  came  to  Ohio,  and  with 
other  member.=  of  the  family,  passed  through 
the  usual  hardships  of  pioneer  life,  growing 
to  manhood  strong  in  body  and  vigorous  in 
mind.  He  possessed  in  youth  the  qualities 
which  made  him  friends.  In  1850  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Coventry  Township,  one 
which  he  cleared  from  the  wilderness,  and  on 
which  he  still  resides. 

Urias  AVitner  married  Louisa  Heintz  on 
April  30,  1846,  with  whom  he  celebrated  the 
sixtieth  anniversary  of  this  event  in  1906. 
Mrs.  Witner  was  born  in  Germany,  June  1, 
1822,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Louisa 
(Bauer)  Heintz.  Her  parents  having  died, 
she  came  to  America  with  a  sister.  To  Urias 
Witner  and  wife  were  born  eleven  children. 


the  four  present  survivors  being:  Uritis  C, 
of  i'ortage  Township;  Mathias,  who  married 
Louisa  liallauer;  Adeline,  who  married  Wil- 
liam Bowers;  and  George,  who  married  Lulu 
Killian.  Mr.  Witner  is  probably  the  oldest 
resident  of  Coventry  Township.  Both  he  and 
wife  have  long  been  valued  members  of  tlie 
Baptist  Church. 

Urias  C.  Witner  was  reared  in  Coventry 
Township,  and  in  boyhood  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools.  Later  he  taught  school,  both  in 
Coventry  and  Portage  Townships.  On  April 
2,  1885,  he  married  Blanche  Fenner,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  Arthur  Fenner,  and  they  have 
four  children,  namely:  Ava,  who  is  a  popu- 
lar teacher  in  the  Grace  school,  is  a  graduate 
of  Buchtel  Academy  and  of  the  Normal 
school;  Arthur,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the 
Goodrich  Rubber  Companv ;  Joseph  and 
Ruby. 

Following  his  marriage,  Mr.  Witner  settled 
on  his  present  farm,  which  he  has  greatly  im- 
proved. In  1886  he  erected  a  conmiodious 
frame  residence,  and  in  1897  he  remodeled 
it,  introducing  many  modern  comforts. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  for  twelve 
years  sen-ed  as  a  member  of  the  School 
Board.  In  1901  he  was  elected  a  justice  of 
the  peace  and  has  continued  in  office  to  the 
present  time.  He  is  a  leading  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church. 

SHERMAN  P.  THOMPSON,  one  of  Hud- 
son Township's  representative  men,  where  he 
owns  a  large  estate,  consisting  of  335  acres 
of  valuable,  highly-improved  land,  was  born 
in  Summit  County,  Ohio.  February  2,  1840. 
He  is  a  son  of  Hon.  Sylvester  H.  and  Caroline 
D.  fPeck)  Thompson,  and  a  grandson  of  Dr. 
Moses  Thompson. 

Dr.  Moses  Thompson  was  born  January  22, 
1776.  at  Goshen,  Connecticut,  where  he  was 
liberally  educated  and  became  a  medical 
practitioner.  On  December  22,  1797,  he  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Mills  and  immediately  after- 
ward moved  to  Kinderhook,  New  York.  There 
ho  practiced  his  profe.s.-^ion  until  1800.  when 
he  joined  the  first  party  of  settlers  coming  to 
Summit    County.      He    accompanied    David 


1100 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Hudson  and  purchased  750  acres  of  land  in 
the  southwestern  part  of  Hudson  Township, 
for  himself  and  two  brothers,  Abraham  and 
Stephen,  and  for  his  father.  Deacon  Stephen 
Thompson.  Dr.  Thoini^son  then  walked  baclv 
to  Connecticut,  making  the  trip  in  twelve 
days,  and  in  the  spring  of  1801,  accompanied 
by  his  wife  and  one  child,  he  returned  to 
Summit  County  and  settled  on  a  farm  two 
miles  southwest  of  Hudson,  where  he  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life.  On  this  land  he  built  a 
log  house,  which  he  later  replaced  by  what 
was  considered  a  very  grand  house  in  those 
daj's.  He  lived  to  the  venerable  age  of  over 
eighty-two  years,  and  even  then  an  accident 
terminated  a  life  which  has  been  in  high  de- 
gree useful  to  his  fellow-citizens.  He  was  the 
first  medical  practitioner  in  what  is  now  Port- 
age County,  and  the  territory  over  which  he 
practiced  covered  a  radius  of  fifty  miles.  Dur- 
ing the  War  of  1812,  Dr.  Thompson  served  as 
a  surgeon.  His  land  in  the  meantime  had 
proved  very  productive,  and  he  engaged  in 
the  business  of  shipping  produce  from  it  to 
the  southern  markets.  He  was  an  earnest  sup- 
porter of  all  religious  and  educational  enter- 
prises, gave  liberally  to  charity  and  was  a 
leading  man  of  his  day  and  locality. 

Dr.  Thompson  has  the  following  children : 
Eliza  Lemira,  who  married  Horace  Metcalf; 
Susan,  who  married  Horace  Holbrook;  Mills: 
Emily,  who  became  the  widow  of  Sanuiel 
Woods;  Sylvested  H.  and  Virgil  M.;  Ruth  B., 
who  married  Leander  Starr;  Mary,  who 
married  John  Hazelton ;  Martha,  who  died 
aged  twenty-two  years;  and  Elizabeth,  who 
never  married,  and  survived  all  the  other 
members  of  the  family. 

Hon.  Svlvester  H.  Thompson,  father  of 
Sherman  P.,  was  born  July  28,  1808,  on  the 
old  homestead,  and  attended  the  preparatory 
school  in  the  Western  Reserve.  He  was  reared 
as  a  farmer  and  when  twenty-two  years  old 
began  farming  on  his  own  account.  On  May 
14,  1832,  he  was  married  to  Caroline  D.  Peck, 
who  was  born  December  6,  1808,  at  Water- 
bury,  Connecticut.  She  met  Sylvester  H. 
Thompson,  whom  she  subsequently  married, 
while  on  a  visit  to  her  brother  at  Hudson. 


She  died  November  23,  1876,  having  been  the 
mother  of  seven  childi'en,  as  follows:  Charles 
S.,  now  deceased;  Sherman  P.,  whose  name 
begins  this  sketch ;  Mai'tha  E.,  who  married 
P.  G.  Clark  and  resides  at  Cleveland;  Theo- 
dore F'.,  residing  in  Akron;  Albert  S.,  resid- 
ing at  Cleveland;  and  two  died  in  childhood. 
Judge  Thompson  died  January  15,  1883,  aged 
seventy-four  years,  five  months  and  seventeen 
daj's. 

After  his  marriage,  Sylvester  H.  Thomp- 
son went  to  farming  on  a  tract  of  land  for 
which  his  father  paid  $420.  He  soon  gained 
the  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and  was 
called  upon  to  hold  office  more  or  less  all 
through  his  life.  He  sen'ed  first  as  assessor, 
and  in  other  positions,  and  then  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  an  office  he  resigned  with- 
in one  year  in  order  to  accept  an  appointment 
as  associate  .judge.  He  served  in  this  latter 
capacity  from  1845  until  the  office  was  abol- 
ished by  the  new  state  constitution  in  1851. 
In  1864  he  was  appointed  commissioner  of 
the  Cleveland  &  Pittsburg  Railroad.  For 
thirteen  years  he  was  connected  with  the  City 
Bank  of  Akron.  In  all  things  he  worked 
faithfull}^  for  the  good  of  the  community, 
and  the  annals  of  this  section  of .  Summit 
County  show  his  usefulness  and  prominence 
in  public  affairs. 

Sherman  Peck  Thompson  was  born  on  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  Judge  Phillips,  and 
was  there  reared  until  six  years  of  age,  when 
his  father  settled  on  what  is  now  the  Town- 
send  farm,  west  of  the  depot,  in  Fludson.  He 
resided  until  September  12,  1861,  on  this 
place,  which  he  purchased  from  his  brother 
in  1862,  He  has  erected  all  the  buildings  ex- 
cept a  part  of  his  residence,  and,  distributed 
over  his  property,  he  has  fifteen  liouses  and 
barns,  be,«ides  a  number  of  silos.  He  rents 
three  properties  in  Cleveland.  AVhen  he  came 
here  first  lie  had  130  acres,  which  he  has  in- 
creased to  335,  the  larger  part  of  the  property 
being  under  the  capable  management  of  his 
son.  Dairying  has  been  made  a  specialty, 
and  at  one  time  as  many  as  seventy  milch 
cows  were  kept.  His  land  is  well  adapted  to 
the  growing  of  both  wheat  and  potatoes,  and 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1101 


Mr.  Thompson  recalls  that  one  year  he  har- 
vested 7,000  bushels  of  the  tubers.  His 
orchards  have  also  been  great  producers.  The 
history  of  apple-growing  in  this  section  is  in- 
teresting. The  first  apples  were  probably 
grown  on  the  old  Dr.  Thompson  place,  trees 
having  been  produced  from  seeds  taken  from 
a  piece  of  pomace,  which  Dr.  Thompson  in- 
advertently picked  up  when  he  stopped  to 
feed  his  ox-team,  when  coming  through 
Pennsylvania  in  1801.  The  wonderful  vital- 
ity of  the  seeds  were  shown  by  their  produc- 
ing trees,  some  of  which  are  still  living.  The 
late  Judge  Thompson  remembered  the  appear- 
ance of  one  apple  that  wa.'^  grown  in  1813, 
and  what  a  temptation  it  wa^  to  the  eager 
children  who  scarcely  permitted  it  to  reach 
perfection. 

In  early  manhood  Mr.  Thompson  was  mar- 
ried to  Cordelia  M.  Chamberlain,  who  was 
born  in  Hudson  Township,  north  of  Hudson, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Amos  and  Jerusha 
(Crane)  Chamberlain.  Her  father  came  to 
Ohio  from  Winchester,  Connecticut,  before  he 
had  attained  maturity.  William  Chamber- 
lain, Mrs.  Thompson's  grandfather,  emigrated 
from  England  to  Connecticut,  in  1780,  and 
with  his' wife  came  to  Ohio  in  1809.  settling 
on  a  farm  in  Hudson  Township,  where  he 
lived  until  the  death  of  his  wife,  when  he 
made  his  home  with  his  son  Amos.  The  hot- 
ter married  Jerusha  Crane,  who  was  born  at 
Saulsbury,  Connecticut,  and  they  had  ten 
cliildren  as  follows:  Horace,  residing  in 
Northfield  Township;  Harris,  residing  on  the 
old  John  Brown  fann  in  Hudson ;  Schyler, 
also  residing  on  the  Brown  farm;  Mark,  who 
died  in  infancy;  Laura,  who  married  Mr. 
Egbert,  and  resides  in  Bedford;  Mrs.  Jerusha 
Baldwin,  a  r&sident  of  Akron;  Or\dlle,  resid- 
ing at  Freedom ;  Catherine,  who  is  unmarried, 
residing  at  Hudson;  Cordelia  M..  who  mar- 
ried Sherman  P.  Thompson ;  and  Henry,  who 
married  Mary  Thompson.  Amos  Chamber- 
lain had  a  farm  of  288  acres,  the  larger  part 
of  which  he  cleared  himself.  The  family  set- 
tled in  a  log  house  there  at  a  time  when 
wolves  and  bears  were  very  plentiful. 

Mr.   and  Mrs.   Thompson    have    had    five 


children,  namely :  Charles  Sylvester,  born  at 
Hudson,  Ohio,  February  18,  1S{}4,  died 
February  6,  1879;  Eddie  S.,  born  April  17, 
1866,  died  young;  Frederick  Sherman,  born 
January  4,  1868,  was  married  to  Lillian  M. 
Terry,  October  18,  1893,  who  died  April  26, 
1898,  leaving  two  children — Carroll,  born 
October  24,  1894,  and  Lynn  M.,  born  April 
19,  1898;  Caroline  Estella,  born  August  28, 
1870,  died  May  28,  1879;  and  Corda  May, 
born  May  8,  1876,  who  married  Carl  Case 
Scott,  October  9,  1901,  and  has  two  children 
— Sherman  and  Dorothy.  Their  home  is 
within  one  and  one-half  miles  of  Hudson. 

Mr.  Thompson  is  independent  in  politics. 
Formerly  he  was  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  but  voted  with  the  Democratic 
party  during  Mr.  Bryan's  first  campaign, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  disconnected 
from  both  of  the  leading  political  organiza- 
tions. He  has  never  sought  political  prefer- 
ment for  himself. 

EBER  HAWKINS,*  president  of  the 
Board  of  County  Commissioners  of  Summit 
County,  and  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  pio- 
neer families  of  this  part  of  Ohio,  was  born 
in  Summit  County,  April  5,  1840,  and  is  a 
son  of  Ira  and  Phoebe  (Jones)   Hawkins. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Hawkins  was  born  near 
Bridgewater,  Vermont,  and  his  mother  was  a 
native  of  the  State  of  New  York.  She  came 
of  a  distinguished  family  of  Revolutionary 
stock  and  she  was  the  first  school  teacher  in 
Akron.  Ira  Haw'kins  was  one  of  the  very 
early  settlers  and  for  twenty-one  years  he 
was  superintendent  of  the  Ohio  Canal.  The 
latter  years  of  their  lives  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hawk- 
ins spent  on  their  farm  in  Portage  Township. 
They  had  four  children,  namely:  R.  W., 
now  deceased,  formerly  a  merchant  at  Au- 
burn. Illinois:  0.  P.  Hawkins,  residing  in 
Kansas;  Eber:  and  Addie.  deceased. 

Eber  Hawkins  was  reared  in  Portage 
Township  and  obtained  his  education  in  the 
neighboring  schools.  Shortly  after  his  mar- 
riage he  moved  to  Akron,  but  in  1870  located 
at  Richfield,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  a  time.     Ho  suteequently  went  out  on 


]102 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


the  road  as  traveling  representative  of  the 
Aultman-Miller  Company,  with  which  he 
continued  for  twenty-four  years.  His  election 
to  the  responsible  office  of  a  commissioner  of 
Summit  County,  took  place  in  the  fall  of  1900 
and  he  assumed  its  duties  in  1901  and  is  now 
serving  his  fourth  year  as  president  of  the 
board. 

On  April  26,  1865,  Mr.  Hawkins  was  mar- 
ried to  Clara  Sweet,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Richard  Sweet,  who  was  an  early  settler 
in  Richland  Township,  Summit  County. 
They  have  three  children,  namely:  Mrs. 
Janette  Farnham,  Richard  S.,  residing  in  Illi- 
nois, and  Nellie,  residing  at  home. 

P.  C.  HUBER,*  vice-president  of  the  J. 
Koch  Company,  the  largest  clothing  enter- 
prise at  Akron,  is  interested  also  in  other 
successful  business  concerns  of  this  city  and 
vicinity.  Mr.  Huber  was  born  in  Germany, 
June  5,  1845.  and  was  eight  years  of  age 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  America, 
His  father  established  the  family  home  at 
Clinton,  Ohio,  and  there  he  was  reared  and  at- 
tended school.  Later  he  worked  on  the  home 
farm  and  in  the  coal  mines,  but  as  his  incli- 
nations lay  in  an  entirely  different  direction, 
in  1871  he  came  to  Akron,  and  entered  the 
employ  of  George  Rosentahl,  a  clothing  mer- 
chant, in  the  capacity  of  clerk,  remaining 
there  for  six  years.  For  three  years  subse- 
quently he  was  with  the  firm  of  Hoffman  & 
Moss.  In  1882,  in  partnership  with  a  brother, 
Mr.  Huber  started  a  shoe  store  at  Poylestown, 
Ohio,  which  they  operated  together  for  six 
years,  although  Mr.  P.  C.  Huber,  after  a  stay 
of  one  year  at  Doyleston,  returned  to  Hoff- 
man &  Moss  and  remained  with  that  firm 
until  it  sold  out  to  J.  Koch  &  Company. 

On  February  1.  1907.  the  J.  Koch  Com- 
pany was  incorporated  with  Louis  T^oeb  as 
president:  P.  C.  Huber,  as  vice-president;  and 
S.  M.  Goldsmith  as  secretary  and  manager. 
Mr.  Huber  has  been  identified  with  the  pres- 
ent business  for  twenty  years  and  has  labored 
faithfully  in  its  interest  before  becoming  one 
of  its  officials. 

In  1875.  Mr.  Hulier  was  married  In  Anna 


A\'illiams,  of  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  and  they 
have  one  daughter,  Nellie  M.,  who  is  the  wife 
of  AVilliam  N.  Fitch,  paymaster  for  the  Dia- 
mond Rubber  Company. 

Mr.  LIuber  is  a  member  of  Trinity  Luth- 
eran Church  and  for  years  has  sen-ed 
on  its  official  board.  He  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  is  treasurer  of  the  Uni- 
form Rank,  and  trustee  of  Aetotia  Lodge, 
while  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  both  lodges,  and  has  served  as 
chairman.  Mr.  Huber's  standing  in  the  busi- 
ness world  is  of  such  an  honorable  character 
that  it  cannot  be  assailed. 

Jl'LIUS  FRANK,*  a  leading  citizen  and 
lownship  trustee  of  Portage  Town.ship,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  who  is  proprietor  of  the 
Tip  Top  Poultry  and  Fruit  Farm,  a  tract  of 
sixteen  acres  on  Sherbondy  Hill,  adjoining 
the  old  Wooster  road,  was  born  February  1, 
1850,  in  Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Heintz)  Frank. 

Juliais  Frank  was  but  seven  years  of  age 
when  his  father  died,  and  he  was  left  an  or- 
]')han  when  ten  years  old  by  the  death  of  hi~ 
mother.  Of  the  five  children  of  his  parent*, 
two  brothers,  Charles,  an  electrician,  and 
William,  a  shoemaker,  live  in  Germany,  while 
his  two  sisters,  Minnie,  who  married  August 
Waxter.  and  Carrie,  single,  came  to  America. 
Until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  Julius 
Frank  attended  school  and  resided  with  his 
guardian,  and  at  this  time  learned  the  wood 
turner's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  for  five 
years  in  Germany.  Until  1879,  he  traveled 
as  a  journeyman  at  this  trade,  and  in  this 
year  came  to  America,  locating  first  at  Pitts- 
burg, from  whence  he  went  to  Braddock, 
Pennsylvania,  where  for  three  years  he  was 
employed  in  the  Carnegie  Steel  Works.  After 
his  marriage,  Mr.  Frank  conducted  a  bird 
store  for  six  months,  and  then  went  to  Stew- 
artson,  Shelby  County,  Illinois,  with  the  in- 
tention of  buying  a  farm,  but  not  liking  the 
country,  after  four  months  he  settled  in 
Akron,  Ohio,  and  purchased  a  home  on  South 
Bowery  Street.  For  one  year  he  worked  at 
his  trade  with  Baker  and  McMillau.  and  for 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


lo;^ 


several  j'ears  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Akron  ■ 
Iron  and  Steel  Company,  then  becoming  em- 
ployed by  the  Goodrich  Rubber  Company, 
with  whom  he  continued  for  sixteen  years  as 
a  rubber  turner.  In  1898  Mr.  Frank  pur- 
chased his  present  farm,  then  a  tract  of  four- 
teen acres,  to  which  he  has  added  two  acres, 
and  in  the  following  April  located  thereon. 
For  the  past  twenty-two  years  Mr.  Frank  has 
engaged  in  poultry  raising,  having  started 
that  industry  as  a  side  issue,  but  since  .settling 
in  the  country  he  has  made  a  specialtj'  of  rais- 
ing Hamburg,  Polish  and  Bantam  poultry^, 
which  he  has  exhibited  at  various  poultry 
shows,  where  he  received  premium.*,  includ- 
ing the  Pan-American  Exposition,  the  St. 
Louis  Exposition,  and  poultry  show.-  at  New 
York  City.  Chicago,  Washington,  I).  C,  and 
Cleveland.  Mr.  Frank  also  grows  a  great  dial 
of  fruit,  especially  berries,  which  he  disposes 
of  in  the  retail  markets. 

In  1884  Mr.  Frank  was  married  to  Maria 
King,  who  was  born  at  Newton  Falls,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  William  King.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Frank,  namely:  Otto,  who  is  engasefl  in 
teaming,  owning  his  own  team;  Nelson  A., 
who  attends  the  Ohio  Law  University,  at  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio ;  and  Harry,  who  will  be  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Akron  High  School  in  1908.  Mr. 
Frank  has  sen-ed  as  township  trustee  .since 
1890.  having  been  elected  to  that  office  the 
year  after  his  arrival  here.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  National  Union.  With  his  family  he 
attends  the  German  Lutheran  Ohurch. 

HON.  CHARLES  W.  KEMPEL,*  mayor 
of  Akron,  serving  in  his  second  term,  is  a 
progressive  and  enterprising  young  man  who 
has  mainly  made  his  way  in  the  world  and 
secured  public  position  and  esteem  through 
his  own  personal  ability.  He  wa*  born  at 
Akron,  May  22,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  Adam 
and  Barbara  fGonder)  Kcmpel.  The  par- 
ent? of  Mayor  Kempel  were  horn  in  Bavaria, 
Germany,  and  came  to  America  in  1844.  in 
the  same  year  settling  in  Akron.  The  father 
died  in  this  city  in  1904.  The  family  con- 
si.sted  of  twelve  children. 


Mayor  Kempel  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Akron  and  when  old  enough  be- 
gan to  make  his  own  living.  He  was  in  the 
clothing  business  for  fourteen  years  and  after 
retiring  from  it  was  engaged  in  sign-writing, 
having  developed  a  special  talent  for  thi.< 
work  in  advancing  his  clothing  interests. 
From  early  manhood  he  has  been  active  in 
Democratic  politics,  and  in  1903,  he  was 
nominated  and  elected  by  that  party  mayor 
of  Akron.  So  well  did  he  guide  the  munici- 
pal ship  that  his  re-election  followed  in  1905, 
and  it  is  generally  conceded  that  few  cities 
of  its  size  have  a  more  efficient  administration 
than  Akron  has  at  the  present  time. 

Mayor  Kempel  was  married  to  Nellie  M. 
Bu.*hnell.  who  is  a  daughter  of  T.  Bushnell. 
They  have  a  pleasant  home  at  No.  Ill  Beck 
avenue.  Fraternally,  Mayor  Kempel  is  as- 
sociated with  the  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Co- 
lumbus, the  Woodmen,  the  Maccabees,  the 
Protective  Home  Circle  and  other  societies. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

EDWARD  D.  COX,*  the  owner  and  opera- 
tor of  a  tract  of  100  acres  of  excellent  farm- 
ing land  in  Norton  Township,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 9,  1860,  in  Franklin  Township,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Christopher 
and  Mary  fChisnell')  Cox.  Christopher  Cos 
was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio,  from 
whence  he  came  to  Green  Township,  Summit 
County,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  Leav- 
ing home  with  five  dollars  in  his  pocket,  he 
walked  most  of  the  way  to  his  sister's  home 
in  Green  Township,  where  he  worked  one 
summer  on  the  farm  and  (aught  two  winter 
terms  in  the  district  school.  After  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  Cox  engaged  in  farming,  his  first 
property  being  in  Green  Township,  on  which 
he  operated  for  two  years,  and  after  a  like  pe- 
riod .spent  on  another  farm  in  the  same  town- 
ship, removed  to  Franklin  Township,  and 
purchased  the  old  Ludwig  farm.  Being  a 
hard-working,  industrious  man,  he  .soon  be- 
gan to  accumulate  propertv  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  March  20,  1903,  his  holdings 
aggregated  over  1,100  acres.  Mr.  Cox  was 
married  in    Green   Township  to   ^lary  Chis- 


1104 


HISTORY    OF   SUMMIT    COUNTY 


nell,  whose  death  occurred  in  Augiiat,  1889. 
Of  this  union  tliero  were  eleven  children, 
ten  of  whom  still  survive. 

Edward  D.  Cox  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Franklin  township,  where  he  resided  until 
his  marriage,  since  which  time  he  has  lived 
on  his  present  farm  in  Norton  Township,  on 
which  he  has  erected  good  substantial  build- 
ings. About  thirty  acres  of  the  farm  were 
cleared  by  Mr.  Cox  himself.  He  engages  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising  and  i*  con- 
sidered one  of  the  good,  practical  agricultur- 
ists of  the  township  and  a  valued  and  public- 
spirited  citizen.  On  December  4,  1884,  Mr. 
Cox  was  married  to  Leora  High,  who'  is  a 
daughter  of  AlemHigh  and  sister  of  U.  fi. 
High,  county  treasurer  of  Summit  County. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cox  there  have  been  born 
nine  children,  eight  of  whom  survive, 
namely:  Grace,  who  attends  a  summer 
school  at  Ada,  Ohio,  and  teaches  school  in  the 
winter  terms;  Gertrude;  Ethel;  Blanche,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years;  Feme; 
Gladys;  Florence;  Raymond;  and  Mary. 

JOHN  MEMMER,*  senior  member  of  the 
insurance  firm  of  John  Memmer  &  Son,  at 
Akron,  has  been  an  active  business  man  of 
this  city  since  1861.  He  was  born  at  Suffield. 
Portage  County,  Ohio,  .June  14,  1839,  and 
is  a  son  of  David  and  Margaret  (Archart) 
Memmer. 

John  IMemmer  was  reared  on  the  paternal 
farm  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  in  the  private  school  taught 
by  Professor  Fitzgerald,  at  Cleveland.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  became  well  acquainted  in 
that  city  and  followed  his  school  term  by 
clerking  in  a  grocery  store  and  in  a  confec- 
tionery store  for  .some  five  years.  On  March 
1.  1861,  he  came  to  Akron  and  &?tablished 
a  business  which  he  followed  for  seven  and  a 
half  vears.  opening  up  a  confectionerv  store 
ait  No.  1R7  Howard  Street.  In  1868 'he  in- 
augurated his  present  business  and  for  almost 
twenty-five  years  his  establishment  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Main  and  Market  Streets  was  the  home 
of  large  in.surance  interests.  Since  admitting 
his  son,  George  W.,  to  partnership  the  firm 


style  has  been,  John  Memmer  &  Son.  They 
do  a  large  business  in  fire,  life  and  accident 
insurance  and  Mr.  Memmer  has  other  inter- 
ests, including  membei-ship  on  the  directing 
board  of  the  Central  Savings  &  Trust  Com- 
pany, of  Akron.  He  is  president  of  the 
.\kron  Odd  Fellows  Temple  Company. 

On  August  22,  1880,  Mr.  Menuner  was 
married  to  Louisa  Boyer,  who  was  born  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  died  at  Akron,  Decem- 
ber 29,  1904.  They  had  five  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Laura,  now  deceased;  Nellie  M.,  also  de- 
ceased; Ida  May,  who  is  the  wife  of  Alex- 
1  der  W.  Maynes,  of  Akron;  George  W., 
junior  member  of  the  insurance  firm  of  John 
^fcmmer  &  Son ;  and  Louise,  wife  of  Mr.  E. 
.V.  Palmer.  The  handsome  family  home  is 
located  at  No.  410  Ea.st  Market  Street.  Mr. 
Memmer  has  always  been  actively  interested 
in  politics  and  has  served  on  the  City  Council 
of  Akron.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  Ma- 
son, holding  membership  in  the  latter  order 
in  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter  and  Command- 
ery.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known  residents  of 
the  city  of  Akron. 

EDWARD  P.  LAUBACH,*  residing  on 
his  excellent  farm  of  135  aci'es,  which  is 
situated  on  the  Wadsworth-Akron  highway, 
fine-half  mile  ea.st  of  Loyal  Oak,  in  Norton 
Township,  was  born  in  this'  Township,  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Edward  and 
Lavina  (Dewatch)  Laubach.  Edward  Lau- 
bach  was  reared  and  married  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  came  to  Norton  Township  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  and  two  children.  He 
settled  at  the  village  of  Loyal  Oak  when  his 
son,  Edward  P.,  was  a  few  months  old.  mov- 
ing from  the  farm  of  145  acres,  and  placing 
it  under  rental  while  he  engaged  in  the 
operating  of  a  sawmill  in  the  town.  His 
mill  was  twice  burned  to  the  ground  and  each 
time  he  rebuilt  it.  Tlie  structui'e  still  stands, 
but  Mr.  Laubach  sold  it  prior  to  removing 
to  Akron,  where  he  now  lives  retired. 

Edward  P.  Laubach  has  always  lived  in 
Norton  Township,  with  the  exception  of  two 
years  which  he  spent  in  Fulton  County,  his 
parent.*  having  resided  there  from  1890  until 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


iiorj 


1903.  He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  has  made  farming  his  chief  occu- 
pation. In  the  spring  of  1895  he  settled  on 
his  present  farm,  which  he  has  since  con- 
tinued to  opei'ate.  It  is  fine,  tillable  land 
and  yields  good  returns  for  the  labor  ex- 
pend on  it.  On  October  24,  1894,  Mr.  Lau- 
bach  was  married  to  Fi'etta  E.  Bauer,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  D.  and  Sai"ah  E.  Bauer, 
and  they  have  two  children,  Mahlon  George 
and  Maud.  Mr.  Laubach  and  wife  belong  to 
the  lleformed  Church  at  Loyal  Oak,  in  which 
he  fills  the  office  of  deacon.  He  is  one  of 
the  township's  honorable  men  and  most  suc- 
cessful farmers. 

HON.  ERNEST  L.  FILLIUS,*  mayor  of 
Hudson,  ex-county  commi.ssioner  of  Summit 
County,  and  head  of  the  firm  of  Fillius  & 
Companj',  at  Hudson,  is  a  prominent  citizen 
who  is  well  and  favorably  known  all  through 
this  section.  Ernest  L.  Fillius  was  born  in 
Hudson  Township,  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
May  20,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Philip  and 
Anna  (Keyes)  Fillius. 

Philip  Fillius,  the  grandfather  of  Mayor 
Fillius,  accompanied  by  his  three  sons,  John, 
Jacob  and  Philip,  came  from  Baden-Baden, 
Germany,  and  reached  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in 
1832,  with  considerable  capital.  They  were 
looking  for  a  suitable  investment  and  had  the 
opportunity  of  buying  land  wliich  now  is 
worth  thousands  of  dollars  on  Euclid  Avenue, 
for  $18  an  acre,  but  to  them  it  looked  too 
light  for  farming  purposes.  They  remained 
at  Cleveland  for  two  years,  looking  around 
in  the  meantime,  and  in  1834  the  grand- 
father bought  600  acres  of  land  in  Hudson 
Township,  Summit  County,  on  which  he 
continued  to  live  during  the  rest  of  his  life. 

Philip  Fillius  the  second,  son  of  Philip 
and  father  of  Ernest  L.,  married  Anna 
Keyes.  who  had  come  from  Germany  in  her 
youth.  There  were  nine  children  born  to 
this  union,  all  of  whom  still  survive,  pro- 
claiming a  vigorous  ancestry.  Their  names 
and  places  of  residence  are  as  follows:  Mrs. 
Katherine  Corbett.  residing  at  Bethany,  Mis- 
souri:  .Tohn.  residimr  in  San  Francisco;  Mrs. 


Elizabeth  Thomas,  residing  at  Kansas  City, 
Kansas;  Philip,  residing  at  Reading,  Califor- 
nia; Mrs.  Josephine  Nesbitt,  residing  in 
Northfield  Township;  Jacob,  residing  at  Den- 
ver, Colorado;  Mrs.  Ella  Sherman,  residing 
at  Augusta,  Michigan;  Charles,  residing  at 
Warren,  Ohio;  and  Ernest  L.,  of  Hudson. 

Ernest  L.  Fillius  takes  justifiable  pride  in 
the  fact  that  he  is  what  may  be  termed  a  self- 
made  man.  It  fell  to  him,  as  the  young- 
est member  of  the  family,  to  remain  on  the 
home  farm,  southeast  of  the  city  of  Hudson, 
and  to  care  for  his  parents.  He  lived  at 
home  but  began  working  ■  on  the  outside 
when  fourteen  years  of  age,  in  the  meanwhile 
attending  the  district  school  as  opportunity 
offered.  In  1890  he  cafne  to  Hudson  and 
his  advent  into  the  milling  business  was  due 
to  a  rather  unusual  circumstance.  He  wa.< 
called  on  to  sit  on  a  juvj  in  a  damage  suit, 
where  the  plaintiff,  a  miller,  sought  redi'ess 
for  damages  to  the  mill-race,  and  in  proving 
his  case  it  was  necessary  to  show  his  profit  on 
a  barrel  of  flour.  This  brought  the  subject 
to  Mr.  Fillius's  attention  and  convinced  him 
that  there  was  money  in  the  milling  busi- 
ness. Consequently  he  laid  his  plans  for 
.several  years  and  the  result  was  the  establish- 
ing of  the  firm  of  Fillius  &  Company,  the 
ownership  of  the  business  being  invested  in 
Ernest  L.  Fillius  and  the  estate  of  H.  H. 
Chamberlain.  The  old  mill  standing  on  the 
present  site  was  torn  down  and  a  modern 
building  of  brick  t(X)k  its  place,  which  is 
equipped  with  the  best  improved  machinery. 
Fillius  &  Company  are  merchant  millers  and 
wholesale  and  retail  dealers  in  flour,  feed, 
hay,  grain,  coal,  brick,  hollow  brick,  cement, 
salt,  sewer  pipe  and  drain  tile. 

Mr.  Fillius  has  been  a  prominent  factor  in 
politics  for  the  past  fifteen  j^ears  serving  al- 
most continuou.sly  in  office  for  that  period. 
He  has  served  in  the  Town  Council  and  later 
was  elected  county  commissioner  on  the  Dom- 
ocratic  ticket,  ser\'ing  one  term,  but  as  the 
county  is  normally  largely  Republican,  he  was 
defeated  for  re-election.  He  was  elected 
treasurer  of  Hudson  Town.«hip  and  later 
mavor  of  PTudson   and   hold  lioth  offices  for 


1100 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


several  terms,  and  at  present  is  completing 
his  third  term  as  mayor.  His  administra- 
tion has  been  marked  with  many  forward 
strides  for  Hudson  and  in  every  way  he  can 
point  to  a  creditable  record.  He  was  also 
put  forward  by  the  Democratic  party  as  its 
candidate  for  sheriff  and  came  nearer  than 
any  other  of  his  organization  to  overcome  the 
Republican   majority. 

On  August  18,  1880,  Mayor  Fillius  was 
married  to  Irene  Carson,  who  was  born  at 
Galesburg,  Michigan,  where  her  people  lived 
prior  to  her  marriage,  although  originally 
they  were  from  Ohio.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Florence  and  Helen.  The  former 
married  George  Patterson,  residing  at  Cleve- 
land, and  they  have  one  child.  The  latter 
resides  at  home  and  is  bookkeeper  for  the 
mill  company.  Mr.  Fillius  is  a  mem  her  of 
the  Hudson  lodge  of  Knights  of  Pythias. 

ARTHUR  R.  SHAW,*  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Johnson's  Cornere,  and  half  owner  of  a 
farm  of  sixty-three  acr&s,  situated  in  Norton 
Township,  on  which  are  located  the  famous 
Pebble  Rock  stone  quarries,  was  born  August 
10,  1866,  in  the  very  house  in  which  he  now 
lives.  It  is  an  historic  old  mansion,  built  by 
one  of  the  pioneers  more  than  100  years  ago. 
His  parents  were  George  and  Haretta  (Doug- 
las) Shaw.  George  Shaw  was  born  in  Me- 
dina County,  Ohio,  April  13,  1835,  and  was 
seven  years  old  when  his  parents  brought  him 
to  Johnson's  Corners.  His  father,  Joshua  T. 
Shaw,  came  to  Ohio  from  New  York,  when 
he  was  a  young  man,  and  in  the  old  home 
mentioned  above  the  father,  grandfather  and 
great-grandfather  of  Arthur  R.  Shaw  died. 
There  were  three  children  born  to  George 
Shaw  and  his  wife:  Georgia,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy, Arthur  R.,  and  Bert.  For  three  years 
during  the  Civil  War,  George  Shaw  was  a 
soldier  and  was  leader  of  a  brigade  band.  He 
survived  all  the  dangers  and  harships  of  that 
stormy  time,  and  died  at  his  home,  June  20, 
1902.     His  widow  still  survives. 

Arthur  R.  Shaw  was  reared  at  Johnson's 
Corners  and  acquired  a  common  school  edu- 
cation.    For  several  years  in  early  manhood 


he  followed  farming  and  then  traveled  one 
year  as  a  representative  of  a  grocery  house, 
for  a  time  dealt  in  real  estate  and  then  turned 
to  developing  his  quarries,  which  he  owns  in 
partnership  with  his  brother  Bert  Shaw.  The 
farm  formerly  contained  120  acres,  fifty-seven 
having  been  sold  in  the  spring  of  1907.  The 
Pebble  Rock  quarries  are  widely  known,  the 
output  being  very  large.  The  Shaws  have  in- 
.stalled  a  gas  engine  and  crusher,  and  give 
employment  to  fifteen  men.  They  have  ex- 
cellent transportation  facilities,  having  built 
a  siding  running  down  to  the  Belt  Railroad 
line  and  their  facilities  are  such  that  they  can 
ship  on  four  lines.  They  are  energetic  and 
progressive  business  men.  Mr.  Shaw  was  mar- 
ried to  Inza  C.  Miller,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
A.  W.  Miller,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  had 
six  children,  of  whom  George,  the  eldest,  lived 
but  one  year.  The  survivors  are:  Stanley, 
Hattie,  Arthur,  Esther  and  Leslie  M. 

GEORGE  li.  HELFER,*  formerly  a  well 
known  business  man  of  Akron,  was  born  Jan- 
uary 25,  1820,  at  Bellefonte,  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  a  son  of  Christopher  and  Lydia  ( Hel- 
man )    Heifer. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Heifer  were  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  the  mother  being  of  Scotch, 
and  the  father  of  German  ancestry.  In  1820 
they  moved  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Congress 
Township,  Wayne  County,  where  Christopher 
Helfor  followed  the  trade  of  shoemaker.  In 
1840  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and 
bought  property  in  Congress  Township,  where 
he  spent  the  re^t  of  his  life.  His  children 
were:  Mrs.  Royce  Sommerton,  George  H., 
Mrs.  Stephen  Collins,  Mrs.  Parker  Campbell, 
Daniel  and  Mrs.  Jo.seph  Sharp. 

George  H.  Heifer  was  an  infant  when  the 
family  made  the  overland  journey  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Ohio  in  the  winter  of  1820. 
He  attended  .school  pretty  regularly  until  he 
was  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  became  a 
clerk  in  a  dry  goods  store,  in  which  capacity 
he  worked  for  nine  years.  In  1843  he  en- 
tered into  partnership  with  Mr.  Pancoast,  and 
'the  firm  of  Pancoast  and  Heifer  was  engaged 
in  a  dry  goods  business  in  Congress  Township 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1107 


until  1847,  when  Mr.  Heifer  bought  Mr.  Pan- 
coast's  interest,  and  continued  at  the  same 
place  for  two  years  more.  In  1849  he  sold 
out  and  came  to  Akron,  entering  into  general 
business  in  this  city  as  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Heifer  and  Sechrist.  This  firm  con- 
tinued until  1867,  when  Clinton  Heifer 
bought  the  interest  of  Mr.  Sechrist  and  the 
firm  style  then  became  Heifer  &  Son,  and  no 
change  was  made  until  1877,  when  the  young- 
er partner  became  sole  proprietor.  Mr.  Heifer 
was  one  of  the  original  stockholders  in  the 
Akron  Iron  Company  and  he  now  entered  the 
office  of  this  concern  as  shipping  clerk,  a  pos- 
ition he  filled  for  twenty-one  years.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  dniggists  at  Akron,  and  for 
many  years  was  an  extensive  local  dealer  in 
coal.     He  retired  from  business  in  1898. 

Mr.  Heifer  was  married  (first)  to  Mary 
Elgin,  who  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  a 
daughter  of  Walter  and  Elizabeth  Elgin.  Of 
the  five  children  of  this  marriage,  the  only 
survivor  is  Clinton  E.  Mr.  Heifer  was  mar- 
ried (second)  to  Rebecca  Luce,  of  Wayne 
County,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and 
Elizabeth  Luce.  The  four  survivors  of  the 
five  children  born  to  this  marriage  are: 
William  A.,  Emma  (Mrs.  Clarence  Rudolph) , 
Edwin  W.  and  Minnie  B.  (Mrs.  Henry 
Adams).  Politically.  Mr.  Heifer  was  affili- 
ated with  the  Republican  party  from  its  birth. 

GEORGE  HEER,*  superintendent  of  the 
plant  of  the  Wellman,  Seaver,  Morgan  Com- 
pany, at  Akron,  is  serving  in  his  second  year 
in  this  capacity.  He  was  born  in  1875,  at 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  but  was  reared  and 
educated  at  Alliance,  Ohio.  After  leaving 
school,  he  served  an  apprenticeship  in  the 
machine  shops  of  the  Morgan  Engineering 
Company,  at  Alliance,  following  which  he  was 
with  the  Harris  Automatic  Printing  Com- 
pany, of  Niles,  Ohio,  later  with  the  Lloyd 
Booth  Engineering  Company,  of  Youngstown, 
for  four  months,  and  with  the  Diamond 
Match  Company,  of  Barberton,  for  one  year. 
Mr.  Heer  then  entered  the  Sterling  Boiler 
Works,  where  his  training  was  severe  and 
]>rnc(ical.     He  remained  there  imtil  Septem- 


ber, 1901,  when  he  entered  the  Cleveland  of- 
fice of  his  present  firm,  where  he  continued 
three  years  as  an  inspector,  after  which  he 
came  to  Akron  as  assistant  superintendent, 
later  becoming  superintendent  of  the  whole 
plant,  Mr.  Heer  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  He  belongs'  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

WILLIAM  A.  HELFER,*  proprietor  of 
tlie  Imperial  greenhovises  at  No.  565  Bowery 
Street,  Akron,  is  one  of  the  enterprising  busi- 
ness men  of  this  city.  He  was  born  July  24, 
1860,  at  Akron,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is 
a  son  of  the  late  George  H.  and  Rebecca 
(Luce)  Heifer. 

The  grandparents  of  Mr.  Heifer  were  the 
first  of  the  family  to  come  to  Oliio.  They 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  they  crossed 
the  mountains  in  the  winter  of  1820  and  set- 
tled at  Millbrook,  Wayne  County.  Grand- 
father Christopher  Heifer  was  a  shoemaker 
by  trade,  but  he  later  became  a  landowner 
and  farmer  in  Congress  Township.  Of  his 
six  children,  the  late  George  PI.  Heifer  was 
the  second  in  order  of  birth. 

George  H.  Heifer  was  born  at  Bellefonte, 
Pennsylvania,  January  25,  1820.  Until  1849 
he  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  Wayne 
County  and  then  settled  at  Akron,  where  he 
I>6came  the  senior  partner  in  tlie  general  mer- 
cantile firm  of  Heifer  and  Sechrist,  which  con- 
tinued until  1867,  when  Clinton  Heifer,  the 
eldest  son  of  George  H.,  purchased  Mr.  Se- 
christ's  interest.  The  firm  continued  Heifer 
and  Son  until  1877,  when  Clinton  H.  bought 
his  father's  interest  and  still  conducts  the 
business.  For  some  twenty-one  succeeding 
years  Mr.  Heifer  was  associated  with  the  Ak- 
ron Iron  Company,  of  which  he  had  long 
been  a  stockholder. 

George  H.  Heifer  was  married  (first)  to 
Mary  Elgin  and  they  had  five  children,  Clin- 
ton E.  being  the  only  present  survivor.  Mr. 
Heifer  was  married  (.second)  to  Rebecca  Luce, 
who  was  born  in  Wayne  County  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Elizabeth  Luce. 
Five  children  were  born  to  the  second  mar- 
riage, the  four  survivors  being:     William  A., 


1108 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


Emma,  Mk.  Clarence  Rudolph ;  Edwin  W., 
and  Minnie  B.   (Mrs.  Henry  Adams). 

AVilliam  H.  Heifer  was  educated  in  the  Ak- 
ron schools  and  subsequently  entered  the  Ak- 
ron Iron  Companj',  where  he  learned  the  prac- 
tical details  of  the  business  and  became  a 
skilled  workman.  Later  he  became  shipping- 
clerk,  and  remained  with  the  company  for 
five  years  as  general  foreman  of  the  polishing 
depai'tment.  He  then  went  into  the  retail 
coal  trade,  which  he  followed  from  1885  until 
March  1,  1897.  In  the  meantime  he  had 
permitted  his  natural  inclinations  to  domi- 
nate his  future  business  career,  from  boyhood 
having  been  interested  in  the  growth 
of  flowers  and  plants.  He  sold  his 
coal  business  in  1895  and  erected  his 
modern  greenhouses  which  are  situated  at  Ko. 
565  South  Bowery  Street.  He  soon  found 
himelf  forced,  in  order  to  meet  the  demands 
of  his  trade,  to  greatly  enlarge  his  capacity, 
and  he  now  has  six  houses  and  does  the  largest 
business  in  his  line  in  Summit  County,  giving 
constant  employment  to  four  .skilled  men. 
The  business  includes  the  growing  of  cut 
flowers  and  plants,  fine  decorating  being  a 
specialty.  Baskets,  bouquets  and  designs  are 
made  to  order  and  weddings,  parties  and  fu- 
nerals are  supplied.  On  June  23,  1893.  Mr. 
Heifer  Avas  married  to  Hattie  May  Rothrock, 
who  died  JanuarA'  1,  1902.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  H.  and  Sarah  (Messer)  Roth- 
rock, prominent  residents  of  Akron.  Poli- 
tically Mr.  Heifer  is  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican party  but  he  has  never  sought  polit- 
ical honors.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  to  the  Woodmen.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  with  which  his  late  wife  was  also 
identified. 

CHARLES  B.  CARR,  M.  D.,*  physician 
and  surgeon,  has  been  a  re,*ident  of  Barber- 
ton  since  1890,  and  can  almost  lay  claim  to 
being  one  of  the  oldest  inhabitants,  as  the 
town  was  then  being  just  laid  out.  Dr.  Carr 
was  born  July  25,  1861,  in  East  Union  Town- 
ship, Wavne  County.  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
David  F.'and  Sarah  E.    (Boydston)   Carr. 


The  father  of  Dr.  Carr  was  a  farmer  and 
stockraiser  and  the  boyhood  of  the  future 
physician  was  spent  in  learning  the  details  of 
agriculture,  while  securing  a  good  primary 
education  in  the  local  schools.  Later,  after  a 
literary  course  at  Smithville,  in  Wayne 
County,  he  entered  the  university  at  Wooster. 
His  inclination  and  ambition  being  in  the  di- 
rection of  medicine  as  a  profession,  he  made 
the  necessary  preparation  and  then  entered  the 
Ohio  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1890.  He  came  to  Bar- 
berton  July  14,  of  the  same  year,  which  fact 
makes  him  the  oldest  physician  in  point  of 
service,  in  the  town,  having  practiced  here 
continuoasly  ever  since,  with  the  exception  of 
the  years  1893  and  1894,  when  he  practiced 
at  Youngstown.  His  reputation  as  physician 
and  surgeon  has  cai-ried  his  name  all  over 
Summit  Count}',  and  he  is  often  called  into 
consultation  at  distant  points.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Medical  Association  and 
of  the  Summit  County  Medical  Society.  For 
some  seven  years  he  served  as  surgeon  for  the 
Erie  Railroad.  On  February  14, 1904,  Dr.  Carr 
was  married  to  Mary  H.  Morgan,  of  Shreve, 
Ohio,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John  Morgan,  a 
well-known  citizen.  They  have  two  sons, 
Charles  B.  and  Otis  Paul.  .  Dr.  Carr  owns  a 
large  amount  of  valuable  property  at  Ken- 
more,  where  he  has  a  beautiful  summer  home, 
in  which  he  has  resided  since  1905,  and  he 
is  making  preparations  to  build  residences  on 
his  lots  in  this  section. 

PERRY  DELAZEN  HARDY,*  the  owner 
of  106  acres  of  fine  farming  land  in  Nortli- 
amjrton  Township,  who  has  been  prominent  in 
the  agricultural,  educational  and  political  af- 
fairs of  this  section  of  Summit  County  for 
many  years,  w'as  born  in  Northampton  Town- 
ship, Summit  County,  Ohio,  April  11,  1834, 
and  is  a  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Rebecca 
(Reed)  Hardy. 

Nathaniel  Hardy,  the  grandfther  of  Perry 
D.,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 
in  which  he  lost  a  leg.  He  came  from  New 
York  State  to  Northampton  Township,  Ohio, 
at  an  earlv  dav,  and  lived  here  retired  for  the 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


UOft 


rest  of  his  life  being  a  peusioner.  Nathaniel 
his  son,  father  of  Perry  D.,  was  born  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, October  11,  1798,  went  to  Western 
New  York  as  a  child,  and  when  sixteen  years 
old  came  to  the  vicinity  of  Old  Portage,  Sum- 
mit Count}',  Ohio,,  where  his  first  emploj- 
ment  was  farming.  Later  he  assisted  in 
building  several  locks  on  the  Ohio  Canal,  and 
after  the  completion  of  that  waterway, 
erected,  and  for  many  years  conducted  a  hotel 
and  small  store  at  Yellow  Creek  Basin,  now 
known  as  Botzum  Station.  Mr.  Hardy  sub- 
sequently engaged  in  farming,  purchasing 
250  acres  of  land  in  Northampton  Township, 
east  of  the  Cuyahoga  River.  iVfter  cultivat- 
ing it  successfulh'  for  many  years,  he  sold  it 
to  his  sons,  AVilliam  and  Noi'ton  R.  For  a 
long  period  Mr.  Hardy  served  as  justice  of  the 
l^eace  and  was  active  in  ridding  the  township 
of  many  disreputable  character  and  prac- 
tices. Mr.  Plardy  was  married  in  1824  to  Re- 
becca Reed,  who  was  born  June  11,  1805,  at 
Delaware,  Ohio,  and  to  them  were  born  eight 
children :  Caroline,  who  married  Jasper 
Drake ;  William ;  Norton  Rice ;  Perry  Delazen ; 
Mary,  who  married  (first)  Champion  Belden 
and  (second)  Hiram  vVyres,  and  resides  in 
Akron ;  Harriet,  who  is  the  widow  of  Henry 
Hall,  of  Akron ;  Clarissa,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  AValters  of  Cuyahoga  Falls;  and  Na- 
thaniel, Jr.  Of  this  family  Caroline  and 
AVilliam  are  deceased.  The  father  of  these 
children  died  December  4,  1866,  his  wife  hav- 
ing passed  away  July  11,  1865. 

Perry  Delazen  Hardy  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  piimitive  log  schoolhouse  of  his 
district,  and  was  reared  on  the  home  farm. 
Early  in  life  his  energy  and  tenacity  of  pur- 
pose earned  for  him  the  nickname  of  "Com- 
modore Perry,"  and  this  was  later  changed  to 
that  of  "Old  Zach,"  after  General  Zachary 
Taylor,  the  hero  of  the  Mexican  War.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  AA^ar  Mr.  Hardy  was  very  active 
in  raising  bounty  money  and  securing  recruits 
for  the  Union  Army,  and  served  as  constable 
for  several  years,  during  which  time  by  his 
vigilance  he  succeeded  in  ridding  the  town- 
ship of  a  gang  of  toughs  known  as  the  "Nor- 
wegians."    For  eiafht  or  nine  vears  he  served 


as  school  director  of  District  No.  9,  being  for 
one  year  president  and  the  remainder  of  the 
time  clerk,  was  township  trustee  for  four 
years,  and  ex-ofhcio  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  securing  after  a  long  fight,  a 
schoolhouse,  for  his  district  of  the  township. 
ilr.  Hardy  remained  on  the  home  farm  until 
1858,  when  he  purchased  fifty-five  acres  of 
farming  land  in  Northampton  Township,  to 
which  he  has  added  from  time  to  time  by  pur- 
chase until  now  he  owns  about  106  acres.  He 
marketed  large  quantities  of  hay  and  wheat 
and  did  a  large  dairy  business,  his  milk  be- 
ing sold  at  the  cheese  factory,  but  he  has  now 
retired  from  active  pursuits  and  is  renting  his 
property.  For  thirty  years  he  was  engaged 
in  selling  agricultural  implements,  traveling 
through  Ohio,  Pennsylvania  and  New  York, 
and  during  all  this  time  did  a  large  business 
on  his  own  account. 

In  1854  Mr.  Hardy  was  married  to  Eliza- 
beth A.  Lanphier,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Al- 
bert Lanphier,  of  Coddingberg,  Ohio,  and  to 
this  union  there  M^ere  born  nine  children, 
six  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  as  follows: 
Ida  S.,  born  October  2,  1855,  who  was  mar- 
ried October  1,  1888,  to  AVilliam  Darrow,  of 
Hudson;  Harry  B.,  born  November  1,  1857, 
who  resides  in  Portage  Township;  AA^illis 
Perrjr,  born  December  12,  1865,  wa.s  maiTied 
September  18,  1887,  to  Ida  Lilley,  and  lives 
in  Cleveland,  Ohio:  Nellie  B.,  born  July  2, 
1869,  M'ho  is  the  wife  of  AA'illiam  AA'alters  of 
Northampton  Township;  Myrtle  I.,  born  De- 
cember 18,  1871,  who  is  the  wife  of  Dennis 
Clements  of  Akron;  and  A^'inton  M.,  who  was 
born  January  1,  1874,  and  resides  in  Akron. 
The  mother  of  the.se  children  died  April  11, 
1907,  after  a  long  and  painful  illness.  She 
had  borne  her  suffering  with  patience,  and 
passed  away  in  the  faith  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  !Mr.  Hardy  completed  a 
new  home  to  replace  the  one  totally  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1905,  in  which  he  lost  his  violin, 
bass  viol  and  several  other  stringed  instru- 
ments. From  boyhood  he  had  been  a  lover 
of  music  and  was  vei'v  proficient  on  the 
violin,  often  playing  at  dances  in  the  early 
days.  He  is  known  to  be  one  of  Northamp- 


1110 


HISTORY    OF    SUjNBIIT    COUNTY 


ton'.s  foremost  citizens  and  he  stands  deserved- 
ly high  in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow-citi- 
zens. 

(iOTTLIEB  A'ONGUNTEN,*  one  of  the 
self-made  inen  of  Copley  Township,  Summit 
County,  Oliio,  the  products  of  whose  fine 
138-acre  truck  farm  find  a  ready  sale  in  the 
markets  of  Akron,  was  born  in  April,  1858, 
in  Switzerland,  where  his  father  followed 
agricultural  pursuits  all  of  his  life. 

^Ir.  ^^ongunten  lost  his  parents  when  a 
boy  of  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age,  and 
Avhen  nineteen  years  old  he  came  to  America, 
locating  at  once  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  worked  at  the  shoemaker's  trade, 
an  occupation  which  he  had  learned  in  his 
native  country.  Two  years  later  he  re- 
tiUMied  to  Switzerland,  but  in  a  few  months 
he  again  came  to  America,  bringing  with 
him  his  three  sisters  and  one  brother.  He 
worked  at  odd  jobs  in  AVayne  County  until 
his  marriage,  wlien  he  removed  to  Ashtaliula 
County,  Ohio,  purchasing  a  small  farm. 
which  he  later  sold  in  order  to  rent  a  much 
larger  property.  After  living  there  for  ten 
years  ^Mr.  Vongunten  and  his  family  came 
to  Summit  County,  where  he  purchased  ten 
acres  of  land  located  in  Portage  Township, 
but  in  October,  1901,  he  came  to  his  pres- 
ent property,  buying  at  first  ten  acres,  the 
balance  being  purchased  in  1906.  On  this 
fertile  tract,  the  old  Sackett  farm,  Mr.  Von- 
gunten has  carried  on  truck  farming  to  the 
present  time  and  his  onions,  celery  and  other 
small  vegetables  are  of  the  finest  grown  in 
the  county.  He  has  always  made  a  point  of 
thoroughly  cleansing  his  produce  before  put- 
ting it  on  the  market,  and  for  this  purpose 
keeps  large  vats  of  running  water,  through 
which  everything  passes  before  leaving  his 
hands.  His  success  is  due  to  his  own  indus- 
try and  earnest  efforts,  and  be  is  respected 
and  esteemed  as  one  of  the  representative 
agriculturists  of  Copley  Township. 

Tn  March.  1882,  Mr.  A'ongnnten  was  mar- 
ried to  Anna  Hein,  also  a  native  of  Switzer- 
land, who  came  to  America  as  a  girl  of 
twenty  years,  her  parents  haviu^   died  some 


years  jjreviously.  Ten  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr,  and  Mrs.  A^ongunten,  namely: 
Fred,  who  conducts  a  dairy,  married  Mary 
AA'ith,  and  ha.s  one  child — Ruth  Anna;  Ed- 
ward; Mary,  who  married  P.  Dockus,  has 
one  child — Mabel  Anna;  Christ;  Emma; 
Elizabeth ;  Ernst ;  Clara ;  AA'illiam,  and  Her- 
man. AA^ith  his  family  Mr.  A^ongunten  at- 
tends the  Apostolic  Christian  Church. 

CHARLES  E.  PERKINS,*  chief  engineer 
of  the  i^ublic  works  at  Akron,  is  a  graduate 
of  the  School  of  Mines  of  Columbia  College, 
New  York,  and  has  had  many  years  of  prac- 
tical experience  in  his  line  of  work.  He 
was  born  May  7,  1850,  at  Akron,  and  is  a 
son  of  Col.  Simon  Perkins,  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  this  region.  Charles  E.  Perkins 
was  educated  and  trained  in  his  specialty  in 
the  AVcstern  Reserve  College,  the  Polytechnic 
Institute,  at  Troy,  New  York,  and  later  at 
Columbia  College.  Upon  his  return  to 
Akron  he  was  made  city  engineer  and  served 
as  such  from  1878  to  1877  inclusive.  From 
1S7N  until  IS.S:!.  be  conducted  an  agricul- 
tural wareliduse  business  at  Akron.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1883,  he  was  elected  county  surveyor, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1883  and  again  in  1889. 
He  stands  at  the  head  of  his  profession  in 
Akron  and  fills  the  most  responsible  posi- 
tion, in  his  line,  in  the  gift  of  his  fellow- 
citizens.  On  January  14.  1880,  Mr.  Perkins 
was  inarricd  to  May  Adams,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Frank  Adams,  of  Akron. 

JOHN  S.  BARLET,*  one  of  the  represen- 
tative citizens  of  Green  Township,  Summit 
County,  Ohio,  who  in  addition  to  farming 
twenty  acres  of  fine  land,  has  been  in  the 
auctioneering  business  for  the  past  thirty 
years,  was  born  December  5.  1848,  in 
Lebanon  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  son 
of  AVilliam  and  Harriet  (Sonnon)  Barlet. 
AA'illiani  Barlet  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  there  learned  the  trade  of  lime 
burner.  On  December  9,  1862,  he  brought 
liis  family  to  Ohio,  and  the  train  on  which 
lliey  traveled  was  frequently  side-tracked  to 
allow  Ibe  train-loads  of  soldiers  udiug  to  the 


AND    REPRESENTATIA'E    CITIZENS 


nil 


front  to  pas-s.  The  family  came  immedi- 
ately fi'om  Canton  to  Green  Township,  where 
Mr.  Barlet  rented  a  farm  from  Jaeolj  King 
for  five  years,  and  then  purchased  a  home 
at  Greensburg,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years,  his  wife  having  passed 
away  in  1895  when  sixty-seven  years  old. 
Mr.  Barlet  wa.s  married  to  Harriet  Sonnon, 
also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  where  all 
their  children  except  the  youngest  were  born. 
These  were:  Lydia,  deceased,  who  wa.s  the 
wife  of  F.  Winkelmau ;  John  .Samuel ;  Har- 
riet, who  married  a  Mr.  Perry;  Ellen,  who 
married  Benjamin  Allman ;  and  .Jennie,  who 
married  Newman  Smith. 

John  Samuel  Barlet  attended  the  old 
frame  district  school  in  his  native  locality, 
and  remained  with  his  jaarents  until  his  mar- 
riage. Wlien  a  young  man  he  became  a  very 
successful  auctioneer,  and  this  occupation 
he  has  followed  for  the  pa.st  thirty  years,  hav- 
ing had  charge  of  most  of  the  important 
salefi  in  this  section  of  the  State.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  own  twenty  acres  of  land.  Mr. 
Barlet  rents  fifty-five  acres  more,  and  en- 
gages in  general  farming.  For  the  past  ten 
years  he  has  been  overseer  of  the  grounds  of 
the  Highland  Park  Camp  Meeting  Associa- 
tion. In  1869,  Mr.  Barlet  was  married  to 
Emma  Dickerhoof,  wlio  is  a  daughter  of 
William  Dickerhoof,  an  old  Civil  War  veter- 
an and  pioneer  of  Summit  County,  who  was 
killed  on  a  railroad.  Four  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barlet,  namely: 
Eflfie  May,  who  married  Charles  Leonard,  of 
the  O'Neil  Boiler  Works,  Akron,  has  one 
child — Harold ;  Harvey,  foreman  of  the 
Akron  Linoleum  Works,  is  married  and  has 
two  children.  Myrtle  and  Dorothy;  Lloyd, 
a  farmer  and  auctioneer  in  busine.ss  with  his 
father,  married  Catherine  Stark;  and 
Ward,  foreman  of  the  Diamond  Rubber 
Works  at  Akron,  who  married  Lovina  Fes- 
.«ler. 

J.  DWIGHT  PALMER,*  one  of  Akron's 
native  sons  and  prominent  bvisiness  men, 
wa.~  born  in  this  city  in  1867,  a  son  of  R.  F. 
Palmer.        He   was    reared    in    Akron     and 


graduated  from  the  High  School  in  1886. 
For  .some  time  after  leaving  school,  Mr. 
Palmer  traveled  for  his  health,  mainly 
through  the  New  England  States,  but  when 
prepared  to  enter  into  business  life,  he  re- 
turned to  his  native  city  and  shortly  after- 
ward became  connected  with  the  collection 
department  of  the  Aultman-Miller  Company, 
with  which  he  continued  for  eighteen 
years.  On  .severing  his  relations  with  that 
firm  he  decided  to  remain  in  the  collection 
business,  in  wJiich  lie  had  become  experi- 
enced, and  in  December.  1904.  he  es1.ablished 
the  J.  D.  Palmer  Collecting  Agency,  which 
he  has  successfully  operated  ever  since.  Mr. 
Palmer  is  a  prominent  factor  in  local  politics, 
being  a  leading  Iiepublican,  and  at  the  pres- 
ent writing,  has  just  received  the  nomina- 
tion for  councilman,  from  the  Second  Ward. 
He  has  every  qualification  for  a  first-class  city 
official,  being  public-.spirited,  judicious  and 
popular.  In  1897,  Mr.  Palmer  was  married 
to  Jeannette  Groesel,  who  is  a  daughter  of  G. 
A.  Groesel,  of  Akron,  and  they  have  two 
sons:  Roland  F.  and  George  A.  Mr. 
Palmer  is  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal 
Church.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
the  Masons,  in  which  order  he  has  advanced 
as  far  as  the  conunandery. 

SOAVARAS  GOUGLER,*  a  highly  re- 
spected citizen  and  successful  farmer,  resid- 
ing on  an  excellent  property  of  140  acres  in 
Coventry  Township,  not  only  owns  this  valu- 
able farm  but  also  a  tract  of  twenty-five  acres 
which  is  situated  across  the  line  in  Spring- 
field Township.  Mr.  Gougler  was  born  in 
Snyder  County,  Pennsylvania,  May  30,  1850, 
and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Phoelie  (Arnold) 
Gougler." 

Daniel  Gougler  was  born  in  Snyder 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  .son  of  Til- 
den  Gougler,  whose  wliole  life  was  passed  in 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years.  His  children  were:  Samviel, 
Susan,  Peggy.  George,  !Mrs.  Stoll,  Bivy, 
Daniel,  Jacob,  Sarah  and  Mary.  Daniel,  the 
seventh  member  of  the  above  mentioned 
family,  grew  up  on  the  farm,    and    learned 


1112 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


the  blacksmith  trade.  He  married  Phoebe 
Arnold,  who  was  bora  in  Snyder  County, 
and  in  1870  they  came  to  Ohio,  settling  at 
"Greensburg  for  one  year,  and  then  nioviilg 
to  near  East  Libei-ty,  where  Mr.  Gougler  died 
March  15,  1887,  aged  fifty-nine  years.  His 
widow  survives,  having  reached  the  age  of 
seventy-four  years,  and  lives  on  the  old  home- 
stead near  East  Liberty.  The  children  of 
Daniel  Gougler  and  wife  were:  Sowaras; 
Louisa,  who  married  Frank  Miller;  Jacob; 
Jackson;  jMaria,  who  married  Julius  Gear- 
hart;  and  Calvin.  The  whole  family,  with 
the  exception  of  Jackson,  who  lives  at  Kent, 
are  residents  of  Summit  County. 

Sowaras  Gougler  received  his  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  Snyder  County  and 
was  about  twenty  years  of  age  ^^•hen  he  ac- 
companied the  family  to  Ohio.  He  attended 
school  for  a  short  time  afterward.  He  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  teaming,  driving  a 
team  for  two  years  and  ten  months  for  Steas 
&  Company,  after  which  he  returned  to  work 
on  the  farm. 

On  November  23,  1876,  Mr.  Gougler  was 
married  to  Mary  Bettler,  who  died  October 
14,  1902,  aged  forty-seven  years.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Tritt)  Bet- 
tler. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gougler  had  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  Frank,  who  married  Susan 
Spreggle,  has  three  children — Park,  Pearl 
and  Dayton — and  he  lives  on  a  part  of  his 
father's  land;  Elmer;  Emma:  Daniel;  Lulu, 
and  Clara  Leona,  the  last  mentioned  of  whom 
died  aged  six  months. 

Mr.  Gougler  rented  his  present  farm  be- 
fore he  purchased  it.  In  partnership  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Joseph  Bettler,  he  bought 
140  acres,  and  in  1890,  Mr.  Gougler  bought 
Mr.  Bettler's  interest.  The  house  was  stand- 
ing, and  this  was  remodeled  and  improved 
and  the  whole  farm  was  gradually  pvit  into  as 
fine  shape  as  it  is  today.  Mr.  Gougler  has 
resided  right  here  for  the  past  thirty  years 
and  can  count  all  his  neighboi"s  as  friends. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views,  but 
has  never  taken  any  very  active  part  in  poli- 
tics. 


F.  II.  ADAMS,*  cashier  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Akron,  has  been  identified 
with  this  financial  institution  for  a  long 
period  and  for  the  past  eleven  years  has 
filled  the  responsible  office  of  cashier.  Mr. 
Adams  was  born  at  Akron,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  in  ISSo,  and  is  a  son  of  Franlc  Adams, 
who  came  to  Akron  as  early  as  1838  and  who 
still  survives,  being  a  representative  pioneer 
citizen. 

F.  H.  Adams  was  reared  in  this  city,  where 
his  father  was  one  of  the  early  manufact- 
x;rers,  and  his  education  was  secured  in  the 
excellent  schools  for  which  Akron  has  an 
established  reputation.  iVfter  leaving  school, 
the  young  man  went  to  Mexico,  where  he  re- 
mained for  one  year  interested  in  mining. 
He  returned  to  Akron  for  a  short  time  and 
then  became  connected  with  a  large  manufac- 
turing concern  at  Fort  Wayne,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years.  He  then  returned  to 
Akron  in  order  to  become  bookkeeper  in  the 
First  National  Bank,  with  which  he  has  been 
associated  ever  since.  He  is  interested  also 
in  otlier  prospering  enterprises  at  Akron  and 
is  recognized  as  one  of  the  city's  able  busi- 
ness men.  In  1891,  Mr.  Adams  was  married 
to  Frances  Robinson,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
William  Robinson,  who  was  the  pioneer 
manufacturer  of  sewer  pipe  at  Akron.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Adams  are  members  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  this  city.  His  social 
connections  include  membership  in  the  Por- 
tage Country  club. 

JOHN  F.  DICE,*  one  of  Summit  County's 
good,  practical  farmers,  who  resides  on  an  ex- 
cellent farm  of  ninety  acres,  located  in  Frank- 
lin Township,  w'as  born  May  9,  1856,  near 
Manchester,  Summit  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
son  of  Jeremiah  and  Caroline  (Dissinger) 
Dice. 

Jeremiah  Dice,  who  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, came  to  Ohio  as  a  young  man,  and 
for  some  years  was  engaged  in  work  on  vari- 
ous farms  in  Franklin  Township.  He  sub- 
sequently purcha.sed  the  farm  now  operated 
by  John  F.  Dice,  and  at  tlie  time  of  his 
death,   Fcliruarv  28,   1904,    in    his    seventv- 


AND    EEPKESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1113 


seventh  year,  he  was  considered  a  man  of 
ample  means.  Shortly  after  coming  to 
Ohio,  Mr.  Dice  was  married  to  Caroline 
Dissinger,  daughter  of  John  Dissinger,  one 
of  the  early  pioneers  of  this  section,  and  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Dice,  who  was 
born  in  Ohio,  survives  her  husband.  Seven 
children  were  born  to  Jeremiah  and  Caroline 
Dice,  namely :  John  Fra'tiklin ;  Mary,  who 
married  I\I.  Waltz;  William;  Alma,  who  mar- 
ried J.  Baughman ;  Elton ;  Emma,  who  mar- 
ried Thomas  Sauers;  and  Alarvin. 

John  F.  Dice  received  his  early  educa- 
tional training  in  the  district  schools  of  his 
native  township,  and  here  he  has  spent  his 
entire  life  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In  as- 
sociation with  his  mother  he  owns  the  home 
farm  of  ninety  acres,  and  his  careful  cultiva- 
tion has  largely  increased  its  value.  On 
January  31.  1877.  Mr.  Dice  was  married  to 
Savilla  Snyder,  who  is  a  daughter  of  George 
and  Susan  (Kepler)  Snyder.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  this  union,  namely: 
Bertha,  who  married  Clarence  Snyder,  resid- 
ing in  Akron ;  and  Irving,  who  also  makes 
his  home  at  Akron.  Mr.  Dice  is  a  member 
of  the  Reformed  Church,  of  which  he  is  now 
sen'ing  as  treasurer.  In  political  matters 
Mr.  Dice  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  has  never 
aspired  to  public  office,  preferring  to  give  his 
time  and  attention  to  his  home  interests.  He 
is  fraternally  connected  with  the  Maccabes. 

BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  TRACY,*  capi- 
talist and  a  leading  citizen  of  Barberton, 
is  vice-president  of  the  Rubber  Product 
Company,  of  this  place,  a  large  and  im- 
portant industry,  and  has  been  for  many 
years  identified  with  the  strawboard  interests 
of  this  section  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Tracy  was  one 
of  the  original  settlers  at  Barberton,  coming 
to  this  point  in  1879  when  the  town  was 
founded.  Mr.  Tracy  was  born  in  Parkman 
Township,  Geauga  County,  Ohio,  December 
10,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  Evander  and  Almeda 
Tracy.  The  father  of  Mr.  Tracy  was  born 
in  the  State  of  New  York  and  the  mother 
in  Trumbull  county.  Ohio.  Evander  Tracy 
was  an  earlv  settlor    in    Trumbull    Countv. 


after  marriage  moving  to  Geauga  County, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.  Both  he  and 
wife  died  when  their  son  Benjamin  F.  was 
young. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Tracy  was  reared  on 
a  farm  in  his  native  county,  where  he  resided 
until  1879.  Through  boyhood  he  attended 
school  there  and  when  a  young  man  was 
married  in  the  same  county.  When  Mr. 
Tracy  left  his  farm  he  went  first  to  Akron 
and  then,  for  a  time  to  Barberton,  where"  he 
subsequently  acquired  much  land.  Mfr. 
Trac3^  about  this  time  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Seiberling  Straw  Board  Company,  gather- 
ing straw  for  Mr.  Inman,  who  had  the  con- 
tract for  that  work.  After  two  years  in  that 
line  he  took  charge  of  the  straw  department 
of  the  Straw  Board  Company,  at  New  Por- 
tage. In  1884  he  moved  to  Circleville,  where 
he  organized  a  straw  board  company,  re- 
maining there  eight  years,  during  which  time 
he  had  charge  of  the  straw  department.  In 
1892  he  returned  to  Barberton  and  after  the 
American  Straw  Board  Company  took  charge 
of  the  New  Portage  Straw  Board  Company, 
he  became  superintendent  of  all  their  twenty- 
five  different  mills.  After  settling  perma- 
nently at  Barberton,  Mr.  Tracy  erected  the 
fine  structure  known  as  the  Tracy  Block, 
three  stories  in  height,  96x100  feet  in  di- 
mensions, constructed  of  brick.  The  city  of- 
fices are  all  located  in  this  block.  Mr.  Tracy 
was  married  to  Sarah  White,  and  they  have 
one  son.  Jay  W.  The  latter  also  resides  at 
Barberton  and  is  associated  with  his  father 
in  an  extensive  real  estate  business.  He 
married  Stella  Richards  and  they  have  one 
child,  Harriet.  Mr.  Tracy  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternitj'. 

BERT  RODENBAUGH,  M.  D..*  one  of 
Summit  County's  rising  young  medical  prac- 
titioner, who  is  serving  as  health  officer  of 
Barberton,  Ohio,  was  born  at  Thomastown, 
Summit  County.  Ohio,  in  August.  1874.  and 
is  a  son  of  N.  J.  and  Nellie  (Wagoner)  Rod- 
enbaugh.  the  former  a  retired  school  teacher 
and  farmer  of  Summit  County,  Dr.  Rod- 
enbaush  has  one  brother,    Harrv,    and    one 


1114 


HISTORY    OF    SUMMIT    COUNTY 


sister,  !Mabel,  who  married  Tliomas  Stahl. 
Dr.  Rodenbaugh  attended  the  comniou 
schools  of  Tljomastown  and  Buclitel  College 
for  five  years,  and'  after  spending  several 
years  in  the  pottery  works  at  Akron,  Ohio, 
he  entered  the  Ohio  Medical  University  at 
Columbus,  and  after  a  four  years'  course  was 
graduated  therefrom  in  1902.  He  immedi- 
ately located  at  Barberton,  where  he  engaged 
in  practice  alone  for  a  short  period,  then 
forming  a  partnerehip  with  his  uncle,  Dr.  N. 
F.  Rodenbaugh,  with  whom  he  has  since 
been  tissociated.  They  are  surgeons  for  the 
Sterling  Boiler  Company,  the  Columbia  Ce- 
real Company,  the  American  Sewer  Pipe 
Company,  the  Diamond  Match  Company,  the 
Diamond  Machine  Shop  and  the  Pittsburg 
Valve  Company,  all  of  Barberton.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1905,  Dr.  Bert  Rodenbaugh  was 
elected  health  officer  of  Barberton,  on  the 
Republican  ticket.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  the  State  and 
county  medical  societies.  In  January,  1905, 
Dr.  Rodenbaugh  was  married  to  Grace  Robin- 
son, who  was  born  in  Youngstown,  Ohio. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Rodenbaugh  reside  at  their 
residence,  situated  at  No.  602  West  Beard 
Avenue,  Barberton. 

GEORGE  A.  SMEAD,*  a  leading  business 
man  of  Akron,  is  located  at  No.  65  South 
Main  Street,  where  he  is  proprietor  of  the  larg- 
est art  and  wall-paper  store  in  Northern  Ohio. 
He  was  born  in  1882,  in  Clearfield  County, 
Pennsylvania,  but  was  practically  reared  and 
educated  at  Akron.  Mr.  Smead  has  been 
identified  with  his  present  line  of  business 
ever  since  his  entrance  into  the  industrial 
world.  For  two  years  he  was  with"  M.  D. 
Brouse,  following  which,  for  three  years  he 
was  in  the  wall-paper  department  of  M. 
O'Neil,  and  for  three  years  managed  the  wall- 
paper store  of  C.  G.  Oliver.  In  June,  1906, 
he  Ijought  the  business  and  conducts  the 
largest  wall-paper  store  in  all  this  section  of 
the  State,  carrj'ing  all  grades  of  paper,  and 
of  the  simplest  to  the  most  expensive  and  ex- 
clusive designs.  In  connection  therewith  he 
also  carries  on  an  art  department,  in  which 


he  handles  only  works  of  real  merit,  ^lany 
visitors  go  to  his  establishment  to  see  the  ex- 
quisite wall  hangings  and  choice  works  of 
art  always  on  exhibition.  In  1903,  Mr. 
Smead  was '  married  to  Elta  M.  Biltz,  who 
died  June  9,  1903,  leaving  two  little  sons: 
Elmer  E.  and  Chester  Ray.  Mrs.  Smead  is 
greatly  missed,  both  in  her  home  and  in  so- 
cial circles,  where  she  was  a  favorite.  ^Ir. 
Smead  is  a  member  of  the  Wooster  Avenue 
Methodi-st  Episcopal  Church.  Fraternally, 
he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the 
Royal  League,  and  the  Pi'otected  Home 
Circle. 

GEORGE  V.  BILUOW,*  president  of  the 
Akron  Paving  and  Plastering  Company,  of 
Akron,  was  born  in  1854,  at  Kendallville,  In- 
diana, but  he  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Williams  County,  Ohio. 

In  young  manhood,  Mr.  Billow  learned  the 
plastering  trade  and  after  removing  to  Mans- 
field, Ohio,  he  was  engaged  in  contracting 
in  plastering,  for  twenty  years,  and  then  he 
came  to  Akron,  where  he  did  the  plaster  work 
on  the  Post  Office,  and  also  work  of  this 
kind  on  many  buildings  in  Cleveland.  He 
did  the  plaster  work  on  the  Hamilton  Build- 
ing and  at  this  time,  in  1900,  he  moved  his 
family  to  Akron,  where  he  took  contracts  for 
plastering  the  First  National  Bank,  the  Li- 
brary Building,  the  new  Summit  County 
Court-Hou.se  and  other  large  buildings. 

In  1901,  Mr.  Billow,  in  partnei'ship  with 
George  W,  Carmichael  and  George  J.  Shaffer, 
organized  the  Akron  Paving  and  Plastering 
Company,  locating  at  No.  262  South  Broad- 
\vay,  and  this  enterprise  is  already  numbered 
with    the   important   industries   of  the    city. 

In  1S75,  Mr.  Billow  was  married  to  Alice 
Bell,  of  Mansfield,  Ohio,  who  died  in  1883, 
leaving  three  children,  namely:  Paul,  who 
is  a  student  in  the  medical  department  of  the 
Univei"sitv  of  Wisconsin,  at  ]\Iadi.*on;  George 
15.,  residing  at  Evansville,  Indiana;  and 
Grace,  who  married  C.  K.  Reamer,  residing 
at  Akron.  Mr.  Billow  was  married  (second) 
.Tuly  22,  1885,  to  Mary  McGray.  of  Holmes 
County,  Ohio,  and  thev  have  the  following 


AND    REPRESENTATIVE    CITIZENS 


1115 


children :  Herbert,  Alice,  Fern,  May  M., 
John,  Kathryn  and  Dollie  M.  Mr.  Billow 
and  family  are  connected  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal   Church. 

WILLARD  N.  FITCH,*  who  fills  the  im- 
portant office  of  paymaiiter  for  the  great  army 
of  employes  coimected  with  the  Diamond 
Rubber  Company  at  Akron,  was  born  in 
1872,  in  Medina  County,  Ohio,  where  he  ob- 
tained a  good,  common  school  education  and 
remained  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age. 

In  1892,  Mr.  Fitch  came  to  Akron  and 
for  one  year  worked  for  the  Akron  Grocery' 
Company,  after  which  he  was  with  his  father 
for  a  short  time  in  an  insurance  business. 
Following  this  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 


B.  F.  Goodrich  Company  and  eighteen 
months  later  became  foreman  of  a  special  de- 
partment of  the  Diamond  Rubber  Company, 
a  position  he  filled  until  1897.  when  he  be- 
came time-keeper.  In  1900,  Mr.  Fitch  was 
made  paymaster  and  as  such  has  entire  charge 
of  the  pay  rolls  of  this  company,  handling 
annually  vast  sums  of  money  and  disbursing 
the  same  which  is  mainly  spent  in  Akron. 

In  1898,  Mr.  Fitch  wtis  married  to  Nellie 
M.  Huber,  who  is  a  daughter  of  P.  C.  Huber, 
of  the  Jacob  Koch  Company.  They  have 
two  sons,  James  Huber  and  Robert  Philip. 
With  his  family,  Mr.  Fitch  belongs  to  Trinity 
Lutheran  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Diamond  Rubber  Relief  Association. 


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V^